In the bag!

this was a charity shop find, bought only for the fabric. Originally I thought it would become a skirt, but a bag it is.

Firstly I filled in the

 neckline with leatherette

shortened the skirt to

desired length

added a leather base

Use a strip off the bottom
of the skirt to create
a strap to lengthen the shoulder strap

As you can see the original lining of the
dress becomes the bag lining.
I added a zip fastener .

lastly I cut these figure 8
petals to create a flower corsage
and added it to the bag

Our little tote in use

Fabric Flowers

It is really easy to dismantle artificial flowers and recover them.

The perfect use for the left over scraps of suit fabric from my previous post.

 Use the various pieces as templates to cut from chosen fabric. Glue or sew new petals to original.  Put flower back together using a glue gun or strong adhesive.

Don't just cover flowers, do some leaves.

wrap garden wire
in lengths of fabric 
and shape into spirals

Arrange in a vase for an unusual addition to your home

SUIT-ABLY REVAMPED

Loving all things pinstripe at the minute. I bought a few old

suit jackets from the charity shop.

Chair was also a charity shop find. All in i spent less than €20

I sawed the back off the chair. Not easy with a hack saw but got there in the end

I then shortened the legs to a suitable height for a footstool.

Next step was to remove the existing upholstery......

be prepared, removing all those staples was time consuming

okay on to the suits. Just like a patchwork I cut random sections of fabric from several jackets. I kept the inside pocket and lining intact. I also used a few pieces such as the pocket flap rather than just flat fabrics. I re-sewed the various pieces to create a piece of fabric large enough to reupholster the stool.

Use an old handbag strap to add a little patent or leather and reuse the old suit buttons if you wish.

The suit pocket is actually a functioning pocket on this stool 

Before upholstering you may wish to sand and paint the legs.

 I used acrylic paint and top coated with varnish once dry

I have lots of pieces of suit fabric left over. My next post will show a use for them.

BOTTLE BANK

OK so it is nether sewing nor sowing!

Sorting bottles on a Sunday morning and the need to visit the bottle bank sounds like the result of a good night. Sadly a good night was had by no.1 son and not me. :( 

Aftershock is my chosen empty.....trip to the bottle bank abandoned

labels on this were plastic so easy to remove, a little white spirit to remove residual gum and we are good to go. Normally if i were doing this I would use acrylic paint poured directly into the bottle and swirl/roll bottle to coat the inside. Turn bottle up side down to let excess drain out.

This however has been knocking around my basement for a while

literaly just sprayed it into the bottle and swirled/rolled until inside was coated. Blue bottle just needed a few bits of broken jewellery hot glued added a wee glass lid from a perfume bottle

Aftershock bottle 

new home in my hall