Recycle, reuse/upcycle & avoid plastic bags!

So I made these Pet Screen tote bags from fabric for which I had no use. Not really my idea of recycling, more like using up what you have. OK, OK it is sort of. Unfortunately I had to buy the Pet Screen mesh which was not cheap - roughly $10 per tote.

Grocery shopping in our household means bagging our own. By that I mean using all those cloth tote bags we've picked up over the years at conferences, etc. To make your own very, very simple ones, check out http://www.morsbags.com/

Lately I have been making aprons for my local Salvation Army thrift store from donated jeans. Each week I come home with a variety of jeans, all colours & shapes. I wash, cut them up and sew into various shapes using the seams as ties or straps, back pocket parts as bibs... Volunteers really seem to like them, especially the fact that they have a choice of style, colour and shape. Today I delivered stitched name tags to be attached to the aprons with a safety pin. KISS! Apron goes home with the volunteer for storage and washing. Every one is happily identified in a kitschy sort of way while working in the store.

Today I read about making grocery bags from t-shirts. Brilliant idea. Can't wait until next week to pick out some neat t-shirts to begin yet another experiment.
Meanwhile check out http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12435622 to see some made up. They don't look too complicated and since the t-shirting is not nearly as thick as denim, I should not be breaking as many sewing machine needles. And according to this person they are amazingly sturdy.

Pet Screen Tote bags

My trip out west introduced me to the idea of making tote bags out of Pet Screen. Yess this is material designed for screen doors particularly if you have animals in the house who 'abuse' the screening material. Our late golden retriever, Josee, was quite adept at using her nose to push open the patio secreen doors (home & cottage) thereby damaging the usual screening product. Not with this stuff; it is incredibly strong and resilient. The sewing machine kinda likes it too if not too many layers.
But back to the topic. What got me interested was not the mesh, but the fact that I had been given roughly 2 FQ's of 5 different fabrics by the Kemptville Quilters' Guild. At the same time I was advised that folks would be looking forward to what I might make out of this fabric. Hours and hours and hours later I managed to have only miniscule bits left over. Oops, nothing to use for the handles In the end I used some of plastic mesh canvas ( a great find at the Salvation Army Thrift store) that folks use for needle work. Just finish the edges with a blanket stitch and be done, right. Nothing is ever that simple as I added more stitching with 3 other colours. The beadwork consists of wooden beads from my macrame days with some old white shank buttons to secure the bottom using acrylic yarn which was crocheted at the top in order to attach the beads to the border.
The first tote is the Guild's fabric. The second contains fabric I won in a draw at a quilting store in Brockville. The top border and straps are - ta dah! made out of tie fabric. If you look closely you might notice the green yarn couching and a border of 3 yarns along the top portion. I'm now working on a third tote bag using scraps of jean fabric to create the main fabric details. It's going to be a while for sure.

Coiled fabric bowls and pine baskets

Ever since my friend Kathy in Houston told me last year she was taking a 3 hr. class to learn how to make coiled fabric bowls, I've been experimenting. I don't as a rule buy new fabric, but rely on thrift shops for fabric, usually women's blouses, skirts, dresses or men's shirts. After washing and removing seams, I cut the material into 1" strips. I loved making these bowls so much that I created a kit of supplies including a 3-panel colour brochure with instructions & photos to sell during my studio tour last fall. Since then I have purchased & recommend Linda Johansen's book -"Fast, Fun & Easy Fabric Bowls.
Each of the following bowls has an interesting story in terms of the kinds of clothing that were sacrificed in the name of artful bowl-making. You would be amazed.

Elva, my first hostess, chose this soft coloured one.

Carol, my second hostess chose this purple contrasty one. When I learned that she is an active participant with the Stephen Lewis Foundation - Grandmothers helping grandmothers (Aids), I suggested that she might like to donate it for sale at one of their many fund raisers.
This is Doris' bowl. Last time she visited me she requested an oval shaped one and I actually got her to pick out the colours. She plans to use it on her bathroom counter.


This bowl was left over. I have since added some blanket stitching in orange crochet cotton around the rim as well as diagonal stitches to the bottom. I like turquoise, but not in great quantities (see entry about the 'dreaded' patchwork jacket); the added stitching helps break up the mass of colour.

Elva, the lady I mentioned above, had 3 lovely baskets displayed on her mantle. When I exclaimed how lovely and wondered how they were made, my wish was granted. Out came the supplies and the lesson began. I completed this one on the plane going home. She has declared it a fine, first effort. She very kindly gave me extra raffia & Ponderosa pine needles, so I am coiling a larger one. If you're interested in this coastal indian craft, check out
http://pinebaskets.tripod.com/knots.html