elainebarnett.com

Use What You’ve Got!

Okay y’all, I know that we are headed toward Valentine’s

Day, but how about a little diversion-just in case you’re

already tired of hearts shaped projects!

If you stick around me long enough, you will find out that

I HAVE to be MAKING and CREATING something!

And the OTHER thing is I LOVE to make SOMETHING

from NOTHING or NUTHIN, as we say here in the South!

(And as Ricky Ricardo also would say… ).

I really want to show folks in the sewing/crafts section of my

site, how to take simple or overlooked objects and remake,

renew and reuse!

Yes, Auntie Litter would be so proud…

Today’s project class, LOL, is fabric repurposed

from my grandmother’s old couch! NO duh.

REALLY, it is.

I had JUST enough fabric to make the front of the vest.

The back is a rather neutral looking fabric of cotton/linen.

Shiny, shiny! Pretty, pretty!

The thing I want to most encourage you with is if you get

an idea to do something, why not try?

I got the idea for this vest, after I had been given this

FREE pattern at the fabric store!

All you creative people out there, have you ever noticed

how inspiration strikes at the strangest times?

It was New Year’s Eve, a few years back and mind you

all the stores were closed. So, I get the idea, I just HAVE

to sew this vest but I didn’t have any fabric that seemed

right for becoming a vest! HMMM… I got this idea…

wouldn’t that old stash of fabric I was saving from my

grandmother’s couch make a lovely vest!! (They were

the pieces for the arm rests.)

Only thing is I did not have enough fabric to make the

entire thing, so I improvised. I made just the front and

then shortened the front so I could just barely have enough

to do it. Viola! It turned out better than I could have imagined!

So, be encouraged! Sometimes the things we love the most

are the products of out improvising!

Happy Sewing!

Elaine << whose grandmothers were both excellent seamstresses!

RE-PURPOSED T -SHIRTS MEET HOME DEC!

February 21,2010

Hey my fellow sewers, crafters, DIYers, and people

who can’t stand to waste anything!

I’ve always loved to try and make AND remake things.

So, it’s fun to keep experimenting and see what I can think

of next!

Don’t you love it when you get a flash of inspiration and the

next thing you know-viola! A new creation is made!

Here is an example of one of those “experiments”. I

was reading on “SewMamaSew.com” about using fabric

to crotchet into a rag rug. Okay, I wanted to try to use up

some scraps so this is what I think I created…

A PLACE MAT?

I used a bunch of old tee shirts and cut them into

about one and half to two inch strips and knotted

the ends so I could join the strips together. The result

was a popcorn type stitch effect. I only had enough cast

off t-shirts to make one item and since it’s rather dainty

looking, I think I’ll call it a doily. If I made more, we

could probably consider them place mats!

Front View

Reverse Side

I used a rather large hook-but not the HUGE size that would be

TOO easy-no, I did it the hard way….(AS usual, my stroke of inspiration happened at night when all the stores were closed

so I had to make due. Why does it happen that way-LOL?!)

When you get to the part where you are pulling the knots through the fabric, be tough, and just keep going. You

will encounter some resistance, but you CAN get the fabric

through.

This doily is sitting on the buffet with a lovely creamy

colored dish on it-it is pure joy.

If you are thinking that you are not that experienced at the

fine art of crotchet-be encouraged-neither am I. I can look

back at places where I can see some skipped stitches, but the

knit fabric is bulky and hides a multitude of inexperience!

I think that learning to crotchet with a thicker “yarn” makes

it easier for me to figure out what is going on-and I can learn

the stitches better.

Just make a circle and then keep adding a stitch or two, or drop

a stitch or two. The fabric stretches, and the imperfection of it

all is oh, so attractive and rustic.

Alright y’all!

Go have fun!

I bet you’ll never look at a pile of rags the same way again!

Elaine