Waste Not Fanny Pack

If you read this blog, then you've seen what I can do with an old pair of cargo pants. I try to use as much of the material as possible, and when I make a tote bag, I usually end up with these pieces left over:

These are the side pockets. I already added the zipper to the one on the right. Well, after staring at them for a while, and thinking about ways to make some kind of tool belt or fannie pack, first I tried this:

...and did not like how it looked. And then, I tried joining the side pockets together, like this:

...and I still don't really like how it looks. But this is an iterative process. Stay tuned. 

Another "army wife" bag in progress

Every time I cut apart a pair of these pants, I am amazed by how much material is there.

A small cross body bag....

Made from recycled/vintage cargo pants.

Iron Chef Sewing: Shorts

I guess I do sewing like I do cooking - give me a secret ingredient, and I'll make something based on that ingredient. I let the materials at hand tell me what they want to be, and today I went into the sewing room without any plan or inspiration.

I happened to look at my box of wood block stamps, and thought I haven't used those in a while, so there you go. The shorts are made from scrap pieces of cotton broadcloth, and the ink colors are what I happened to have on hand. The shorts pattern is your basic, very simple two-piece with a casing at the top for drawstring.

So I went with a bright orange paint for the elephant motif, on the brown shorts, and a bright red with the peacock motif on the blue shorts. I want to make more:)

BTW, shorts are a great way to use up scraps of fabric. You only need about 1 1/4 yards.

The wood block stamps are from India - I received some as gifts, and found others on eBay-kistan. They don't make really good impressions, so the result is very rustic and folky.

My answer to Spring/Summer 2011 - Cheap Ways To Update That Wardrobe

Spring/Summer 2011 - Cheap Ways To Update That Wardrobe from PrelovedReloved, One girl’s challenge to wear only second-hand for a whole year!

Some good ideas here, and apparently for a good cause.

Since my budget for new clothes has been really tight lately, I've made it a habit to "shop in my closet" before running out to the department store. For example,

Consider re-purposing some long pants/trousers into shorts and capris, rather than putting them away for the summer. It's quite easy to simply cut and hem to a shorter length. I do this with my yoga pants all the time because they fade and wear out eventually anyway, and I have to replace them. Might as well get multiple seasons out of them.

How to hem pants, from About.com.

A bit more challenging to do, but also worth it - turn some of those old jeans into skirts:


How to turn old jeans into a skirt, from Threadbanger.

Turn almost anything into a skirt - a simple a-line skirt is one of the quickest and easiest sewing projects you can do. Consider using any light, drapey fabric - an old sheet or pillow case, and experiment with all manner of embellishment techniques - tie-dying, batik, block printing, fabric painting, embroidery, applique, &etc.

Sew What! Skirts: 16 Simple Styles You Can Make with Fabulous Fabrics [Spiral-bound] on Amazon.com

How-to Make a Tee Skirt, Threadbanger [Video]



5-Minute Skirt [pattern] on AngryChicken.



Off-The-Shelf Fabric Painting: 30 Simple Recipes for Gourmet Results [Paperback] on Amazon.com

Create Your Own Hand-Printed Cloth: Stamp, Screen & Stencil with Everyday Objects [Paperback] on Amazon.com