Paisley and Precious!

My new new favorite! Okay, usually each new bag is my new favorite.

This bag is 100% recycled materials. The denim is from an old pair of jeans - yet another pair of pants that I bought because I thought they were so cute, but they never quite fit me right. Fortunately, I've stopped myself from buying like that anymore, but because I used to all the time, I have a lot of materials to work with! The paisley lining/accent materials are from discarded upholstery samples. I didn't have enough of the darker material but that turned out to be a good thing because I love the way the two paisley prints complement each other; and also how they look with the dark denim. To me, this is the ultimate fall combo!

Happiness is...

...A bright yellow smiley face necklace! Seems like everything is so gloomy right now - how about a little happiness to brighten your day? This little handmade glass bead in the form of a smiley face should do it! This is a kid-sized necklace, but I'd be happy to resize it for an adult. 

Auction Items

I am donating these items to a friend of mine for an auction that will raise money for her son's school. The necklace is a light transparent topaz heart on a sterling silver chain; and the bracelet is a variety of beads with a brown/ivory/amber/topaz theme.

CUTE!

This could be my new favorite! This bag is made from an old pair of cargo pants that were really cute - they just didn't fit right. They had cool stitching going up the leg, that is now on one side of the bag. The other side has a big pocket. I bought the pants because they were so cute, but in a couple years, I probably only wore them twice. The lining/accent fabric is a tapestry I got at a garage sale for dirt cheap (washed up clean, of course). I love the colors in it - berry, coral, peach, mango, orange; and it has a cool pattern.

Mary Poppins Bag

Finished another bag - the liner fabric on this one reminds me of Mary Poppins and her carpetbag. This bag is big and cozy.

Finished Products

The fun part of making a bag is the main body - picking the components for the outside and the lining; cutting up the pieces, sewing them together and then seeing how it looks pieced together. The hard part, and what takes the longest, is adding the final touches - like making the straps and the pockets, sewing them on, adding a snap or other type of closure... So I have several sewing projects that got through the body process, but then sit waiting for straps, etc. But I finally finished a couple.

The teal bag is from a skirt on the Target 75% off clearance rack - score! It's a nice, thick cotton material. The tan bag started with a thrift store skirt (all washed and clean); and is also really nice thick material. The insides are soft corduroy prints that I purchased. My goal is to use at least half "recycled" or "repurposed" materials for everything - or 100% if it's possible, which might be more realistic for smaller projects. The big bags take more material which can't always be scavenged from an old skirt or pair of cargo pants.