Tag Archives: upcycling

June 17, 2010 · 3:31 pm

Upcycled tunic new life for old clothes

Last summer, I bought a really frumpy skirt and a too small dress at the thrift shop.

Why on earth would anyone in their right mind do that?

Because I intended to ‘harvest’ the fabric

from both the garments and

upcycle them into something new and oh so much fun for myself.

The skirt was long enough,

and full enough

to be able to provide the body for this fun tunic.

And, the skimpy dress provided the pockets,

lower bands, and upper neck band-

and I just love it!

I wear it with leggings, and a t shirt

underneath, because my days of wearing

shortish dresses with bare legs are long gone.

As I was taking the pic of the tunic,

I remembered another upcycling

project that I did recently:

I took a favorite old dress and cut it up

and turned it into a fun and floatie

overshirt…..

it just hit me that they would work well together!!!

Hurrah!

So, think twice before you toss old clothes,

and don’t let the frumpiness or too smallish-ness

of a garment put you off…

cut them up and re-configure them into something

that you will enjoy!

Hurrah for re-purposing, reclaiming, recycling, re-fashioning, re-using, re-creating, restoring, renewing and upcycling!

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May 14, 2010 · 8:48 pm

How to weave a square on the bias on the potholder loom

For weeks and weeks, I have been meaning to get my video tutorial of how to weave bias squares on the potholder loom posted to YouTube.

What with one thing and another, I haven’t gotten around to it.

One thing that was odd, was that I simply couldn’t upload videos for awhile. I just gave up on YouTube. Anyone else having trouble with uploads? Weird.

And, since it took me so long to get the video uploaded,

I decided to re-shoot it, using ‘Tarn’, since I am working with Tarn so much, lately.

Fun!

Here’s a link for how to do one kind of join with Tarn:

Tarn Join

I didn’t have a potholder loom when I was a child, so when I was introduced to it when I was a grownup, I didn’t have any preconceived notions about what it could or could not do. So… I have been designing all kinds of magical and wonderful things for it ever since (for decades, in fact- my love for the potholder loom is a long standing one!!!)

You can see some of the things I have designed for it here: Potholder loom.

Over the years, when I was designing for the Potholder loom, I realized that I needed to be able to weave different shapes and in unusual ways with the looms. So, I have done a lot of experimenting with it.
I have worked out a bunch of ways of weaving triangles on it, and this is how I twigged to how I could weave a square on the bias on the potholder loom…. after all, a square is just 2 triangles that happen to be in love.

The pesky gaps on the potholder loom were a challenge – but I have solved the mystery of how to deal with them!

How? Well.. check out the video!

Here is the YouTube video tutorial on how to weave a square on the bias on the potholder loom : LINK

Happy Weaving!

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Filed under Loom & looms & small loom weaving, potholder loom, tutorial & how to, weaving & handwoven

Tagged as how to weave a square on the bias on the potholder loom, re-purposing, reclaiming fabric, recycling, t shirt yarn, Tarn, upcycling

March 18, 2010 · 12:07 am

Out takes from The Woven Bag

Yesterday, I posted pics of some of the bags that a reader said she really liked (after I posted pics of bags that she didn’t like) 🙂 Link to yesterday’s post: Link

I also said that I would share a few bloopers with you.

Well… I don’t know if this qualifies as a blooper, but I have to confess that I was gobsmacked by discovering that the bag in the middle of the photo above, didn’t make it into the book. I was taking pics of the bags, and wanted to show how neat it is that the inside of a couple of the bags is different from the outside:

I checked the book to see what the final name of the bag on the right was (it started out as ‘Market Bag on the Square’).

I couldn’t find it… I checked again…. eh? (I’m Canadian, and yes, we actually ~do~ say ‘eh?!’ sometimes, especially when baffled and perplexed….). I went page by page…. and …. um… it’s not in the book…

Then I cracked up, because, I have done revision after revision, and re-reads, and checks and checks and proof read after proof read, and I just noticed ~NOW~?!?!?!!? that this bag got bumped? eegads and little fish.

I don’t know why that struck me as being so funny, but it did.

So, The Market Bag on the Square isn’t so much an ‘out take’ as a ‘take out’….

Now, there’s another bag that I have done some ‘take out’ on, too…

It’s the Knotted Fabric Market bag:

Having eco and green and upcycled components to the book was really important to me. I am really pleased with the reclaimed fabric torn into strips, and used instead of yarn in the body of the bag.

What I don’t like, is that I was experimenting with the handles for the bag, and I don’t much like the fabric handles.

Yes, they are soft, and yes, they feel nice in the hand.. and they are in the spirit of upcycling…. but- BUT –

they just look clunky….

So… I have done some revision.

I had a pair of handles that I bought at a thrift shop- they were on a hopelessly worn out bag. I bought the bag, and cut the handles off, and have re-used them on the Fabric Strip Market bag:

I stitched them on with the same fabric strips that I made the bag from, and I am much happier with the look of the bag:

It’s still in the spirit of upcycling, as the handles were re-claimed and are being re-used, and I am much, much happier with it now.

So, there you have it… a few ‘out takes’ and ‘take outs’ from The Woven Bag!

Oh yes! I forgot to say yesterday, that I have started a group on Facebook for The Woven Bag, and people are starting to post pics of the bags that they are weaving. You are MOST welcome to join and post pics of your bags, too!

Link to Facebook group for The Woven Bag; Link

Spool knitting wire and making connections

spool-knitters-for-wire-4-peg-275 spool-knitters-for-wire-6-peg-275

Recently, a jewelry maker contacted me and asked me if I could make her some industrial strength spool knitters so she could spool knit wire for her jewelry making.

I went for a rummage through our stash and found a wonderful old piece of wood. It looked like it was an old handle off some kind of tool that had seen heavy and hard use. It was worn smooth but ripply and looked quite organic.

We inherited it from my husband’s Dad more than 10 years ago.

I cut some pieces off it and used them to make these 4 and 6 peg spool knitters.

Yipes! Is that wood hard! Drilling the holes and hammering the nails in was intense .

whew…. My tendons were screaming for mercy.
spool-knitters-for-wire-1-275

I love the way they feel…. the old wood is smooth and textured from having been worn by years of use- it’s quite alive!

The whole collaborative process is so inspiring to me. I just love it when someone says to me –

‘Can you think of a way of doing this or that….. ?’

Sometimes, I am not interested in making the new thing

(for instance, we just don’t want to make wooden potholder looms anymore….sorry)

But, lots of times, I am intrigued by the ‘Can you make a this or that’ question and end up in the workshop having a wonderful time!

This was definitely one of those times. I love working with wire, and do a lot with it. So, I am really glad that Vickey inspired me to make some super strong spool knitters for wire.

Just think. That old, old piece of wood out in the workshop would still be laying there, just waiting to come to life if Vickey hadn’t emailed me…..

This kind of thing makes me celebrate the joys of the internet.

Someone has a thought and sends a note to someone else a thousand miles away. Then, that person goes and finds a piece of the past and brings it to life in a new way. And that recycled, re-created, upcycled treasure goes off to the first person who creates all manner of magic with it.

Now, that’s creativity in action!

(image source: photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay. Copyright, not to be used without permission)

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Tagged as crafts, eco crafts, green crafts, handmade, jewelry, recycling, recycling crafts, spool knitted cords, spool knitter, spool knitting, upcycling

February 6, 2009 · 10:08 pm

Some handmade books – 1

I am inviting people to a Green Challenge of making a handmade book that has big envelopes or plastic sleeves to hold their sketches, notes, clippings, pdf’s etc.

See: Challenge posting

Just for fun, I thought that I would post a few pics of some of the handmade books I’ve made over the years:

Here are some handmade books that I made and then glued origami angels to. (yes, I made the angels)

The angels are all very eco friendly and ‘green’ as they are recycled and upcycled, as they are all made from junk mail or magazine photos

handmade-book-origami-angel-11 handmade-book-origami-angel-2 handmade-book-origami-angel-3 handmade-book-origami-angel-4 handmade-book-origami-angel-5 handmade-book-origami-angel-6 handmade-book-origami-angel-7

I’ll post more pics soon.

All images are copyright protected and not to be copied without Noreen Crone-Findlay’s permission

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Filed under doll & dolls & dollmaking & doll making, eco crafts & green projects

Tagged as book making, doll, doll making, dollmaking, dolls, eco crafts, flat doll, flat dolls, green crafts, handmade books, journal, mixed media, multi media, Origami, origami angel, origami angels, origami doll, recycling, recycling crafts, upcycling, Yarn Crafts

November 14, 2008 · 9:11 pm

Green crafts- hand made book with spool knitted binding cords

Oh my.

This week….. winter arrived…..

So, it’s time to get to work on Christmas presents.

I love green and eco crafts – recycling and re-using things to up-cycle new treasures…

I am making my sister-in-law a hand made book with wooden covers.

The wood has been hanging around our barn for more than 20 years.

It was part of an old stage set from my days as a theater set designer.

I cut out the covers and and sanded the edges and scuffed up some layers of the paint.

I then painted gold around the edges.

I drew a Celtic Interlace then drew a tree over top of that. I connected the tree into the interlace and erased the bits I didn’t want. I painted and etched and drew, until I was satisfied with my version of the Celtic Tree of Life.

I tatted 2 butterflies and a dragonfly, and glued them to the inside cover.

Then I spool knitted 3 cords for the binding.

I folded some recycled/reclaimed pages that had been used on one side and punched 3 holes in them.

I put them all together…..

And all in all…. I am very pleased with it….

Hopefully, my sister-in-law will enjoy her book. She’ll be able to put more pages in when she fills these ones up.

Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

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Tagged as Christmas presents, eco crafts, green crafts, handmade book, journal, reclaiming, recycling, recycling crafts, sketch book, spool knitted cords, spool knitter, spool knitting, upcycling

November 10, 2008 · 6:06 pm

Green crafts -Twig buttons with spool knitted cords

I was given a leather coat about a year or so ago. I was delighted, as I have always wanted one.

But…..

I ended up leaving it in the closet…. it just felt frumpy.

I thought that perhaps I might turn it into a leather skirt, as I have always wanted one of those, too.

But then, my daughter showed up wearing a great leather jacket that she had just bought at the second hand store. She looks fabulous in it, and it made me think….. hmmmmm…..

maybe I should look again at the leather coat.

I realized that it was the buttons! Boring, boring boring….

So, I decided to get adventurous.

I consulted Tottie Tomato, who suggested:

that I use some of my stash of treasured arbutus wood (aka madrona) twigs.

I LOVE arbutus, and when we make our yearly visit to the west coast, I always bring home twigs that my sister in law saves for me when she prunes their arbutus tree. (Arbutus don’t grow where we live, sigh.)

So, I cut up one of the arbutus twigs, drilled holes and sanded the ends.

Voila!

a box of fine buttons!

Next step: Spool knit 4 or 5 inch long cords for the buttons:

and sew the ends together to make a loop

and choose flat buttons to be the anchors on the inside of the coat.

Then, sew the buttons on:

and now the coat is REALLY fun to wear!

I am just loving it.

The arbutus twig buttons remind me of one of my most favorite places on earth, and an old coat that was languishing in the back of the closet has a whole new life.

By the way, the wire pin doll on the lapel is one that I made with wire from a yard sale.

I’ve been making wire dollies since I was a little kid. My dad used to bring home scrap wire from work for me. I was a dollmaker even then, and designed the little wire people and gave them to all my friends and relations. And, here I am , a million years later, still making little wire people from left over wire…..

I was born to be an eco crafter.

Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

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Tagged as doll making, dolls, eco crafting, eco crafts, how to make wooden buttons, reclaiming leather coat, recycling, recycling crafts, spool knitting, tute, tutorial, tutorials, twig buttons, upcycling, wire doll