Recycling yarn

10 years ago I didn't know how to do anything creative. So I had to get other people to do it for me. 10 years ago I was pregnant with my son. 10 years ago I couldn't find a jacket or anything to cover up my HUUUUUGE bump to keep me warm in winter. So 10 years ago I asked my Mum to HEEEELP me before I froze!! She bought some beautiful chunky yarn and knitted me up a soft and snuggly poncho.

Fast-forward to now. My poncho is well loved and starting to fall apart. It's becoming loopy and really too far gone to be wearing out and about. But the problem is that the yarn is still in amazing condition. It's chenile - it's soft and just beautiful.

So I decided to recycle the yarn. I will make myself something new with the yarn. I don't need a poncho anymore because my baby bearing days are over. I don't need Mum to make me something this time. I can do it all by myself!! Now to find the perfect project to use these gorgeous balls.

Upcycling a vintage sheet

Last year sometime my Mum gave me an old sheet that she has had forever. During the school holidays I have taken this sheet out and laid it on the grass for Milly moo to sit on with her dolls and books. She loves to be outdoors and in the sunshine (explains her brown skin!)
Yesterday I decided to make her a little blanket made from the sheet. I basically folded it in half and sewed it together and then topstitched it.

It's perfect in size and she will be able to use it outdoors and when we go camping. Not bad for something that cost me nothing and I spent very little time at the machine with.

Kindle cover

Well my baby girl is now 10 years old! 10!!?? The double digits! She's a Tenager! TEN!!?? I can't believe it! But it has come and we decided to celebrate the double digits with a very special present. Mop LOVES to read. She devours books like one thing! Her book shelf is bulging with books and they can't fit another one on there. So. We decided to buy her a Kindle.

We looked at Kindle covers. They looked pretty boring! And expensive for what they are! So I decided to pull out some fabric stash, scraps of wadding, the craft glue and an old book and decided to make one for her myself.

It started out as this:


Yep. A useless diet book claiming to help the reader lose weight... blah blah blah. I was given this book - and it looks like it has only been read once. It was in excellent condition. Great!! Let's chop it up!!! :) Better to be used and loved than sit in an op-shop for who knows how long!!

I removed the pages and kept the cover. I covered the cover in some scrap wadding I had laying about - (thinner cotton on the outside and plush polyester in the middle to help act as a fill) then covered it in some cute fabric I found on the fat quarter table in Spotlight.

This is how it turned out:







I'm pretty happy with it, considering as I just winged it.

Secret Squirrel Project revealed!

Over the last 5 months or so I've been working on a top secret project. It was for my husband for Christmas.

I can now reveal the project, since Christmas is well and truly over and he has seen it!



I made the center piece from recycled denim and random pieces of fabrics.

I LOVE the back of it!!


Close up of the backing material....

One small step for Skip... one giant leap for Crafter-kind

Hello,
Yes.. I still live. I didn't die. I didn't quit crafting. It's just that this little thing came along and zapped what energy I had, and what time I had.... it's called life. I've been doing some things, plodding along on projects, but didn't have the energy or the will to blog and tell you about it. (That's even if there IS a you... I'm sure what few readers I had have given up on me!)

Over the last two days, we have been converting the nursery to an office for DH to work in. He gets two days a week to work from home when he finishes his probation (which is coming up soon). So as part of that, I did a massive sort out and declutter of my craft room. All the boxes of fabric and notions and whatnot are all piled high in the office, in a corner. I now have a simple, clutter free, open and tidy craft nook. Having a tidy desk was very inspiring.

I wanted to do something, but what? I didn't want to pull out a messy project, and have it sit there for another week until I could get back to it. I wanted to do something different from my ripple crochet project. What could I do?

I dipped into the box that has stuff that I want to recycle and revamp and found the clock that I painted for the nursery nearly 10 years ago. Our lovely kitchen clock recently fell to it's death when someone banged the wall (rather hard). We needed a new kitchen clock.

I pulled out some paper, my permanent marker and scissors. Inspired by a pin on Pinterest, I made this baby....



It's only a small project, but it was a start to get those cobwebs cleared and the creativity flowing again for next time when I have a small window of opportunity to create.

It's a jolly 'oliday with Mary!

Last week was book week for my Milly Moo. Her kindy was invited over to the big school to join in on the parade. Milly wanted to go as Mary Poppins so I obliged. I nipped down to the local op-shop and as I began to hunt the racks for a white dress, a volunteer said "Purple tags are half price today!". I thanked her, but didn't really care too much, because I was after a particular item, not a tag. I drifted over to the formal dress rack and spied the perfect dress! It was an old wedding dress. I looked at the tag - it was purple!! I got it half price!!

So this was the dress before.




And this was the ensemble afterwards.





Milly was absolutely thrilled with her dress, and her kindy teachers and friends oohed and ahhhed all over it. :) I think it was an all round success!

Upcycled Dress

This dress WAS a skirt - I shirred it on the top and around the hips and added some straps and PRESTO!!

Make a wish....

So ages ago Mum gave me this top - she didn't want it, it didn't look right on her. I didn't want it either because it was too boxy and a bit to "old" for my liking. So I put it in a box to upcycle later on. Today I finally got to it. The recent warm weather has got me motivated to start sewing Mop's new spring/summer wardrobe. I want to make as much of it as possible so I don't have to buy tarty little numbers that are more suited to a tramp than a little girl. So I pulled out the unwanted top and decided to revamp it into something amazing.

I think it looks MUCH better on Mop!!!



This is my first attempt as shirring, and I have to tell you.... I'm hooked. I am going to make a stack of stuff with this method. It's so easy and looks sooooo good!!!

Upcycling for SPD

Some of you may remember that my son has Sensory processing disorder. Part of his therapy is using a weighted cushion on his lap before he reaches a place of high stress, or if he's starting to get a bit fidgety and over-done. Anyway.... for kindy I made him a Humpty Dumpty weighted cushion, which I can't believe I didn't blog!! Oh well... So I thought with EJ starting school, I better make him a new one, that isn't so "kindyish". I also needed to make the cushion appropriate for his weight so it will be effective.

Some years ago MIL gave EJ a stuffed car. It's pretty useless really. It's just a decorative piece, that spent a good many years sat on the shelf or in the cupboard. He never played with it or lay on it or anything.... So I decided to use it as a a base for a weighted cushion!

I ripped open it's seam - and pulled out a great deal of stuffing (which I'll use later on I'm sure!) and then refilled it with poly-plastic beans. I closed the seam and this is the final result.

On the 18th day of Advent Blog Along, my true love made for me...

Pictures of a few little projects I've been working on. My big project will be finished today - and tomorrow I'll show it off. :) These are gifts for my Mum - since this is more her style than mine.

The pillowcase:



became a shopping bag:



that is foldable and in it's own little bag:



The other pillowcase:



became an apron:





But for now, I need to move away from my craft room and do some mega cleaning and tidying of the house.