Upcycled T-shirt Bag

It's been awhile -- quite the crazy summer -- but I'm back with an easy sewing project.

The girls have been attending a great Vacation Church School program this week.  Each child was given a t-shirt with the week's theme on it.  Sadly, Bumble Bee's is too big, and the logo is upside down.  So, she has been refusing to wear it.  I can't really blame her for that.  So, I thought this was going to be a wasted shirt, until I had an epiphany at bedtime last night.  If I sew across the top and add some ribbon for straps, it would be a nice bag with the logo right side up!

This would be a good use for any too small t-shirts you hate to part with.  So, here's how I did it.

Finished Bag

What you need:
a t-shirt
yardstick or ruler
light marker
ribbon
velcro (optional)
sewing supplies

1. Fold over the sleeves.   If they are bulky, trim first.

2. Use a yardstick & marker to draw a straight line across the top of the shirt beneath the collar and size information.  You'll need this to sew a straight line since the top of the shirt is curved.

3. Sew across the top.  Then, sew down the sides in a straight line from the sleeve seams.

4.  Cut two strips of ribbon to desired strap length, and fold the edges under.  Sew one to the front hem and one to the back hem.

5. Sew a bit of velcro to the middle of the hem (or use stickable velcro).

6. I haven't done this, but I'm considering adding some fusible interfacing for extra stiffness.

 It occurs to me, I also could have made a throw pillow...

Upcycled CD/DVD Coasters

So, we have dozens of unreadable or obsolete CDs and DVDs sitting around.  When something doesn't burn correctly, DH husband usually laments that he's made another coaster.  I've thought about sending them off to a technology recycling firm. Alas, they charge to recycle them, and then any data that is readable is put at risk.  So, I came up with a way to put all of those "coasters" to use.

So, without further ado here are the directions for making easy and adorable CD coasters.

Supplies:
Trash CDs or DVDs
Super glue
Ribbon
Embellishments (optional)
Scissors

Brace yourself; this is the hard part... (Not)

Directions:

1. Gather the CDs you'd like to use and choose which will be the top layer.  This is important because this is the side everyone will see.  Choose enough CDs to fit the width of your ribbon.
2. Super glue the CDs together.
3. Measure and cut your ribbon.  You can wrap it around the CDs if you don't have a ruler handy.
4. Super glue ribbon around the edge of the CD stack.  Add embellishments if desired -- this is particularly useful if you don't want to see the seam.

Easy Upcycling Craft (Denim Purse)

This has been a team craft for us between adult (or older child) and younger ones. We've made two types of purses from Daddy's worn out jeans --large purses, and pocket purses.

What You Need:
old, holey jeans
ribbon (choose a thick width for the large purse, smaller for the pocket purse)

sewing machine & thread
fabric glue
markers (or other decorating items)

Project One (Large Purse):
1. Cut off the bottom portion of the legs as high as needed to make a purse in the size you want.  The hem will be the top of the purse.
2. Turn inside out, and sew the cut edges together.

3. Cut a ribbon to the desired length.

4. Fold the edges under (to prevent unraveling), and sew to the inner side seams of the purse.

5. Put an art smock or old T-shirt on your children and hand them some permanent markers to decorate.  You can also cut out pictures to trace, and the kids can color them in.

Project Two (Pocket Purse):

1. Cut the pockets off the same pair of jeans (including the inner jean to which the pocket fabric is attached). You can either cut the top inner edge with pinking shears or cover the edge with ribbon to prevent unraveling.

2. Put fabric glue on the wrong side of one pocket.
3. Place edges of ribbon cut to desired length on the glued side of pocket and place the other pocket on top (wrong sides together). Voila, you have a purse with two small compartments.
4. Put an art smock or old T-shirt on your children and hand them some permanent markers to decorate.

Addendum: The larger purses are great for organizing small toys, carrying books & things while your out and about, and as gift bags for girls' birthdays. We attended a horse themed birthday party once, and Yaya decorated one with a galloping horse for the gift bag.  We saw it holding books in church the following Sunday.

You can also watch demonstrations on the Instructional Video page.