Selfsufficientish.com

Ok - can anyone give me some ideas please?

I have a pair of black trousers that used to belong to a suit. The zip keeps coming undone and the cat has pulled enough threads to make them look a mess.

Draught excluder -just cut off a leg stuff with old tights, socks, etc. sew up both ends - et voila

Cushion cover, but that might not work with your deco.

Plastic bag dispenser... as the draught excluder but use plastic bags and elastic (in the appropriate places)





AH HA... tights and pnty hoes... I off to another thread...

cushions for your dining room chairs.

Placemats

Cut into small pieces for patchwork.

Make funny animals out of them for kids (don't laugh - one of my most treasured possessions is a bunny made out of blue flowery material - Bunny has beene verywhere with me and is falling apart, and he might be blue and flowery with no eyes, but i love him still!!)

I did think of something else, but it's slipped my mind now...

the.fee.fairy wrote:cushions for your dining room chairs.

Placemats

Cut into small pieces for patchwork.

Make funny animals out of them for kids (don't laugh - one of my most treasured possessions is a bunny made out of blue flowery material - Bunny has beene verywhere with me and is falling apart, and he might be blue and flowery with no eyes, but i love him still!!)

I did think of something else, but it's slipped my mind now...

Aint that typical? I said "placemats" to you on the fat quarters thread. Why didn't I think of that? I could patchwork them.

Good idea Fee. Cheers.

Zoe

Another idea I'd had was oven mitts or hot pads , put a layer of old wool blanket or something thick between two-four layers of denim.

I've made pincushions out of two back pockets sewn together and stuffed with nylons.

My next project is a set of doll overalls for a doll I'm re-furbishing.

Theres a project on make-stuff.com for turning a sweatshirt into a button or zipper up cardigan if anyone is interested in that.

I'm hoping to make some denim totes and carrier bags as well, using those ever handy seams as handles-if you make a cute handbag size tote, use the two round hem pieces from the jeans-just cut them off first so they stay round in shape.

Lois

Haha, that always happens - you come up with great ideas for everyone else and forget when it comes to yourself!!

I'm going to try to start making my denim and cord patchwork throw this weekend, so i might be sporting some lovely Jeans Bum bags next week!

Need a pic of a 'mooning' fairy to put on one of the pockets methinks..

You could cut your trousers into strips to make rag rugs/loom rugs out of
Or patches for other clothing
Or...do you know anyone who goes Wassailing? They wear coats with strips of rag on them called Tatters.

You could cut them into strips and tie them to stakes as scarecrows in the garden.

Or, make a scarecrow using the trousers whole!!

oooh ooh...and...save the pockets for use on something else.

Cut into strips to use as edging on something else.

Also useful cut in strips and sewed onto a browband for horses to keep the flies away.

Lois

For any really nice materials that are only small-try doll clothes.

Theres a book by Anita Crane called "Two Hour Doll Clothes" -well 2 hours if you've got a machine that works

And denim will look cute as the material for the bib overalls I'm making for a doll.

(I refurbish dolls for my friends kids & grandkids as I have none of my own and can't have any ) (LONG STORY)

This book is really handy and its for large dolls 12-18", so its not fiddly like making Barbie clothes. And I do everything by hand.

But its fun -and another way of recycling everything from denim scraps to cloth table napkins

Lois

I've been making a massive double bed quilt out of old t-shirts.

I've been making ti for years!! but my 'New' hand powered singer sewing machine has helped a fair bit.