Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day!

April 22, 2011 is Earth Day. It's time to celebrate Mother Earth, all she gives us, and remember that in giving us continual life she deserves our protection. It's also a day to remind ourselves to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

If you are looking for some inspiration or Earth Day-friendly projects check out some of these:
Rag Rugs
Magazine Bowls
Bleach Bottle Pig Planters
T-Shirt Bag
Denim Purses

Or check out the Recycle Tag above for more ideas.

Also check out these sites for more about Earth Day and what you can do:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day
http://www.earthday.org/
http://earthday.nature.org/
http://www.homefarming.com
Woman's Day Eco-Friendly Tips

Birdhouse from Milk Jug

In honor of Earth Day, I wanted to share this project to turn an clean, empty milk/juice jug into an Earth-friendly home for local birds. I remember making them in Girl Scouts and growing up with birdhouses and bird feeders made this way in our trees.

Demin Purses (from Re-purposed Jeans)

 Don't throw away those old worn, torn, beat up, unfixable jeans! Oh, the possibilities...

These little purses were made from scraps of denim from old jeans (I use as many of the pieces as possible for bags, rugs, or other projects), scraps of other fabrics, and yarn (depending on what I had on hand at the time). There was no pattern, just the piecing of the things as I went along.

I paired some smaller pieces of discarded jeans with scrap fabric I had on hand to make these little purses. Of the four purses pictured, one is made from a front side pocket (the lining and back from leftover fabric); for one I took the zipper from the tapered pair of jeans to make a side pocket, the unzips; and one has a smaller piece as a pocket along the bottom. Two of the straps are made from braided yarn and two of the straps are made from the side seams from the legs of of jeans. They are are all lined with fabric.

You can find find ways to reuse and re-purpose all sorts of things into something usable and cute.

Pieced Denim Skirt

What do you do when you have a pair of jeans that fit around the waist, but the legs are falling apart? Make them into a skirt... of course. (Waste not, want not, and all that stuff.)

This pair of jeans was literally falling apart at multiple places on the leg, but they still fit pretty good. Piecing the salvageable parts of the old jeans with a light weight red fabric and side panels from the legs of another pair of scrap jeans I patched this denim skirt together into a wearable piece of art. Patches, yarn, and embroidery floss were used to decorate,  stabilize weak places, and cover holes or tears.

Some of the pockets were in really weak condition and patch work had to be done by hand with patches or stitching. It was very much a labor of love using both the machine and a lot of hand work to secure and reinforce. (I guess lucky for me I learned hand work first and for many years preferred it almost entirely over the use of the machine.) The bottom edge has a straight stitch sewn all the way around around about 1/2 inch from edge, the the outer edge left raw.

Backside

I wanted a longer skirt (this one coming to about mid calf) that was comfortable, easy to wear, and unique. I love the contrast of fabrics for spring or summer days. Instead of going out to buy a new skirt, I got want I wanted by my own hand and I got to bring new life to something that might have otherwise been thrown out. Be who you are and who you want to be - express you.

Poetry For Ransom

Why spend the money on a set or so of 'magnetic poetry" when you can make your own individualized set and recycle in the process? (A double whammy of April's National Poetry Month and celebrating the mantra "Reduce. Reuse. Recycle." Yay for Earth Day!)

These magnets can be easy and totally personalized. (Who doesn't love personalization?) Using words I cut from old magazines and ads I attached them to old sheet style magnets from torn, tattered, and magnets no longer needed with Mod Podge. (Like the ones often given away at fairs and things for businesses, politicians running for office, and community organizations.) Of course, you can also get magnet sheets and strips at craft and office stores, but I had these on hand to be recycled/reused for something already. The Mod Podge secured the words to the magnets and gave a nice sealing finish when dry.

More Rugs

Updates!

I love coming up with new color combinations and new patterns of braided rag rugs from my selection of scraps and rags. Plus, this is one of the ways I keep my hands busy during quiet nights or while watching a movie or TV show at home. (Multi-tasking is a way of existence for some of us.)

I am now running low on scraps (again). I guess that means I need to get back to working on my other sewing projects and shredding some of the discards I have set aside for the rug bin.

When my grandmother first saw the rugs I was making she told me about how her mother-in-law (my great grandmother and a skilled seamstress), used to cut scraps of rags to be made into rugs and how how proud she would be to know that the creative genes have been passed down. My grandmother now has three of my rag rugs and my aunt has two. (Grandma wanted them for in front of the chairs, especially when the boys come in in their boots and sit down.)

I really believe you can find a project for so many of the things we might otherwise throw away. My rag rugs are a perfect example. The only cost I have in these are time.

Remember - Earth Day is coming!(April 22, 2011)