Bambi Coasters

This is not a recycled sewing project, but more of a recycled craft project....

Anyone following my other blog will notice a Bambi childrens book I was given for free by a lady in an op shop, because it had pen scribble marks inside.

A few months back I remembered a craft project in Frankie magazine, recovering old cork coasters with vintage childrens books. So that is what I did with this Bambi book, and some coasters I had in my kitchen drawer that really needed a spruce up.


Scissors, PVA glue, mod podge, and sandpaper were used to create my new coasters








Gotta love Bambi! I am going to make some more of these for gifts for Christmas if I can find some second-hand coasters in op-shops before then.

A farewell card

Today is a sad day. Our closest and dearest friends are moving to the other side of the world; permanently. We of course wish them all the very best, but we are also sad we won't get to see that much of them anymore.

I wanted to make a farewell card for them, so found appropriate things that I have in my recycled remnants kit to make up a card.

Firstly, a blank recycled card, and a piece of fabric left over from a clothing refashion. Quite suitable I thought, it reminds me of the Qantas flight attendant uniform; a distinctly Australian print. Something to remind them of Australia!


Next, a little book I purchased on my last Op Shop Tour, a 'friendship' book for 50c. Filled with lovely little phrases and pictures all relating to the meaning of friendship.



With my pinking shears, I cut a squarish shape of the picture and phrase in the book I liked best, along with a background piece of Australiana fabric, and machine stitched into place:




All the very best to our special friends.

Pattern purchase

I saw these fabulous fabric ring stackers and thought they would be a great gift idea for a friend with a new baby. I have just purchased the pattern from etsy seller pattern play. This will be my next sewing project, using a mix of my thrifted material stash to make it. Not sure when I'll make a start yet though.. busy weekend ahead!!


Has anyone else seen any interesting tutorials or patterns worth trying out on thrifted or recycled materials?

Rice sack to laundry bag

When I buy rice for the household, I buy in rice sacks like this one:


We've used these bags for various things. My husband uses one to keep loose change in throughout the year, and in December, takes it down to the bank to exchange for notes for Christmas!

I've started using one rice sack as a laundry bag, keeping undies/laundry in when we go away for the weekend, or putting smalls in the wash. So I thought about making it look a bit prettier, and thats what I've done today.

Using fabric from my thrifted material stash, I used a pretty floral one:

And an elephant motif from a faded childrens t-shirt I purchased in an op shop for 50c.


A funny story behind the t-shirt, my son and I were out walking yesterday, and he completely soaked himself with his water bottle. I had no change of clothes, so I bought the only kids t-shirt that would fit him in my local op shop! And this is it, a girls elephant t-shirt! I changed him when we got home but for half an hour he looked pretty funny in pink and frilly sleeves! I'm glad I found a second use for it.

I simply stitched together two rectangle shapes to cover the rice bag writing, unpicked the sack open to sew into place, and stitched it back together again. Here is the end result, from rice sack, to pretty laundry bag:

The back of the bag I've left plain:

More chalk mats

So I bought the fairy fabric from an op shop in Parkdale, and here is the first chalk mat I have made out of it:



A friend of mine ordered two chalk mats from me, as Christmas gifts for her friends children (girls), one of which is going overseas - a great idea for kids on planes!. I've made the other chalk mat out of some pretty quilting fabric my Mum gave to me last year. She originally bought it for quilting many years ago.








Just big enough to fit into your handbag!

More t's and fabric

I finished off the last two tie t's today, this time I managed to score the long sleeve t-shirt and grey short sleeve t-shirt from Salvos last Friday. Washed, and dried before sewing mini ties in place. The cool thing about these two t's; they are a Christmas gift for two brothers, a 5yr old and an 18 month old. I think they will look cool together =)





I also bought some brilliant fairy fabric from an op shop in Parkdale. So girly, so cute. I am making a chalk mat out of it today, and still got loads left for another project in the future.

Mini tie T's for kids

Out of some of the thrifted mens necktie fabric I've had leftover from my necktie owl project, I made a mini tie to sew onto one of my son's plain white hand-me-down t-shirts. I liked the way it turned out, so I decided to make more as Christmas gifts for friends kids this year.

I feel terribly guilty about this, but I did in fact buy two new blank t-shirts. I would prefer to source everything second hand, and these t-shirts were the first 'new' clothing items I've bought in well over a year. I'm just not sure I could give second hand clothing as gifts for friends kids? The mens necktie fabric is of course second hand.