Thrifted Fabric Project Two

For my second project using my thrifted fabric haul I wanted to use this denim and green plaid to make a fabric bin for the sewing room. These are handy for organizing when you're collecting pieces from your stash, and very simple to make. After measuring I realized I didn't have enough plaid to line the bin, however, so I set that aside for another project.

For the lining I decided to use one of the Spoonflower pieces, a red constituion signature print, and some sturdy scrap box cardboard to give it shape.

I didn't use a pattern for this. I make bins by squaring the fabrics, cutting out four equal-size squares from the four corners to form a + shape, sewing the right sides of both fabrics together with a gap for turning, inserting the cardboard cut to fit each side after turning, and then ladder-stitching the sides. I then cover with lining a piece of cardboard cut to fit the inside of the bin and glue that in place to give it a little more support. I don't wash mine, but if you want to make one that's washable then you can use plastic canvas in place of the cardboard.

Here's how I'll use the bin. This is a good project to use up heavy fabrics like denim (upholstery fabric works really well, too) and novelty prints that don't go with anything else.

Comments

Gifts

This is a story that starts out very sadly, so if you're depressed by the holidays you might want to skip the first part. As far back as I can remember I've dreaded the holidays. Being poor, having constant family troubles and belonging to a strict religion made that time of year always pretty unhappy. I just hunkered down and hoped to get through without being yelled at or punished because I didn't do something I was expected to do, like sit in church for hours without moving or making a sound while a priest spoke mass in Latin. Gifts were uniformly disappointing, too. My mother usually gave me dolls or socks or underwear for Christmas. I understand now as an adult that she was doing the best she could, and trying to save money at the same time, but as a kid I'd been told good children got what they wanted for Christmas. I was a pretty good kid, but while my friends received new bikes and cool toys and lots of treats from Santa, I didn't. I thought San

We Have Backsplash!

Yesterday my guy and I decided to chose this natural stone as the backsplash tiles for our new kitchen counters (which will be in the same quartz I'm holding at the bottom of the photo.) Since all the bids for installing the backsplash came in very high my guy is going to put it in himself; he's done a bit of tile work in the past, too. I swear there is nothing this guy can't do. :)

Detoxing Results

For twenty-four hours I left these five vintage cigar boxes sit with detoxing agents (baking soda, coffee grinds, dryer sheets, vinegar and Febreze) inside them to see which worked best to remove the tobacco/storage odors that came with them. I then removed the agents and did a sniff test. Before we get into the results, a reminder: none of what I do is ever meant to be expert advice, as I am certainly not an expert at anything. Follow my methods at your own risk, and please first consult an actual antique expert conservator or restorer to detox items that have value for you. Okay, let's see how my experiment worked. Baking soda (left) did nothing to remove the odors. I think if I let it sit for a longer period of time it might have done something, but for a 24-hour test it was a complete fail. Coffee grinds (right) removed 100% of the odors, and left behind definite coffee scent. I like that and think it goes very well with wood, but if you don't like the smel

Rayen

Search This Blog