Upcycling, being thrifty, making things by hand.
It's really amazing and exciting to see the resurgence in handmade crafts and 'upcycling'. For my 40th birthday, I was given a Brother 'Anniversaire' sewing machine - apt, in that anniversaire happens to be the French word for 'birthday'!
For a while, the machine was idle - I didn't know what to make. I had a stash of various lovely fabrics, both new and ready to re-use, but I felt so unconfident that I was a bit apprehensive about beginning.
One of Esther's friends, Harry, had a birthday coming up, and so I decided to have a go at making a handmade gift that a 6-year-old might appreciate (I hoped). After some online research, I thought a drawstring bag would be a good idea, and even better if I could personalise it.
So, I found an online tutorial that I thought looked do-able, and got sewing. And the bag turned out really nice! I used a fat quarter of new fabric, and for the name panel, I stitched 'Harry' on a square of plain cotton, pressed the edges on the reverse side, and sewed it onto the fabric before making up the bag.
And so began a year of making these personalised bags for each and every child who invited Esther to their birthday party! I really enjoyed that early flurry of activity. My previously patchy sewing skills improved, and the kids seemed to be pleased with the bags.
After a while, I stopped doing drawstrings, and started making tote bags instead. I've used new fabric, clothes that my kids have grown out of, clothes that I don't wear any more, and charity shop finds, and have even used lovely bed-sheets as lining material.
I'm now thinking of using a large amount of my fabric stash to make lots more bags, and making them available to buy. Personalised ones will be an option. Let's see what I come up with!
My stall at our school Christmas fair in 2017.
Do you make things from upcycled fabrics? I'd love to hear about and see them. Feel free to add your comments below!
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