Damnit Doll - How To

So you have rage? And you need to take it out on something (instead of someone)? Maybe what you need is a Damnit Doll to help you find an outlet.

A Damnit Doll it something you can beat up, smack, throw, and yell at without taking it out on the person or drier next to you. I made a road rage damnit doll for my mom, who spends a lot of time driving and dealing with "idiot drivers." I figured it would give her a safe outlet.

I used denim scraps from an an old pair of jeans that got used for another project, magic markers, my sewing machine, and some poly-fill stuffing.

1) I cut a basic doll shape. Fairly generic, you could make it more personal if you want.

2) I decorated the denim, doll front and back, with magic markers.(You could use fabric markers, but with the dark fabric I stuck with Sharpies. You could also embroider but I knew this doll was being made to beat up.) I drew a basic face and instructions for use.

3) I sewed both sides together using my sewing machine in a heavy duty stitch leaving a space open for the stuffing. (Remember this doll is made to beat up, so double up the stitches if you feel the need.) Depending on the doll and the overall appearance, you can sew front sides together and then turn out or sew wrong sides together and use the stitching on the outside as part of the finished look.

4) Stuff. Finish sewing up the opening with sturdy stitches.

5) Let the rage out... on the doll, not your neighbor.

Apron (Re-purpse those Old Jeans)

Yes, it's another project using old jeans. For this one, I used the back side of an old pair of my brother's ripped jeans and a bit of leftover fabric I made this apron. It's functional, cute, I reused something that night have been otherwise thrown out, and using things I had on hand from other projects it didn't cost me a dime (which always makes things even better).

It's thick enough to keep spills, splats, and hot liquids off of my lap with perfectly places pockets ready to lend a helping hand.

I made one another one that was sold in an auction at a family reunion from the front of a pair of my old jeans with a pink and yellow rose fabric on the back and as a tie. (It was reversible)

Give me time and I will find a way to reuse and recycle almost anything and make it new, giving it a new life. Celebrate Earth Day everyday!

New Tote from Old Jeans

You need a new gym bag, what do you do? Go buy something new? Well, you could, but I went another route, turning an old pair of my brother's jeans into a tote for my gym stuff.

The zipper was busted and I don't have a machine strong enough to put in a new one, so this old pair of jeans was added to the scrap bin to find new life in another project. In this case a new gym bag for me. It is a lined boxed shaped bag with a smaller matching denim pouch to stick in side. The roomy bag was made from five mainpieces (front, back, two sides, and bottom), lined, with an added pocket inside and at the zipper. (I could have sewn it shut, but adding a pocket was more amusing.) It was build to ensure plenty of room for my shoes, work out clothes, towel, and shower stuff. Plus, it's totally washable.

It may double for a beach bag on an upcoming trip south.

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.

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)

Braided Rag Rugs

Sorted Fabric Strips for Rugs

Years ago I remember a trip to the state fair with my family that took us through our usual trip through the historical cabin. What stuck this trip was a woman sitting on the porch, in a period costume, working on a braided rag rug. It was an image that stuck with me. All my life I had been around people who could sew and do all sorts of crafts, but I had never actually seen someone braid a rag rug before and didn't know anyone that could. It was one of those memories that got filed away and years later when looking at my scrap box I got to thinking about it again. I knew I could do it, I just hadn't tried and didn't know anyone who could show me, so I'd have to take it on myself.

Using Pins to keep Place

 Using scraps I had on hand I cut them into strips and started playing with techniques and going through the process of figuring it out. I didn't want just long strips sewn together (like you see a lot of times in mass produced, store bought braided rugs). My first attempt, as I figured out what worked best ended up being a coaster. I started with sewing the ends together then braided the strips into each other as I moved outward in a circle.

Rag Rug

I started a collection of scraps from other sewing projects and discarded clothes and rag cut into strips to be used in rugs, organizing them by color. It's given me a great outlet to use scraps of fabric, lace, & ribbon as well as recycle old and otherwise discarded rags (old, worn, torn clothes, towels, etc).

At the last camp I worked at I had a lot of quiet evenings in the middle of nowhere. It gave me a lot of time to work on my own projects and rug making was a nice one for that.

They have also proven to make some great gifts. It's kind of cool to see the rugs being used and decorating the homes of friends and family that have them. I have a stack right now waiting to find homes.