Plastic Free July: T-shirt to Shopping Bag

As part of plastic-free July, I helped run a workshop at work upcycling t-shirts into shopping bags. I thought this was a great idea, because I am forever buying bags, so it would be great if I could make my own (and cheaper, too).


This top was an op-shop donation that I decided to re-purpose. 

I took the lace off the bottom to use for something else (not much goes to waste if I can help it). This left me with the singlet. 

On a t-shirt you make three cuts, like this, to create the handles:

But with this singlet, I didn't think that was necessary. So I just sewed the bottom shut and had a nice little bag. 

 

I added a pocket inside for good measure.

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But I wasn't going to stop at just one! I had some other t-shirts that I liked but didn't wear so much anymore.

 Other bags that we made on the day:

Including a drawstring bag, using the bottom hem of the shirt to thread the string through. Clever!

Branch print dress that I couldn't resist refashioning

Another op-shop find, this dress broke my rule of 'don't buy things that don't fit'. Because I loved it so much. It also isn't cotton, so it will be a dress to wear in the air conditioning.

The top part fits well, as does the elastic waistband.

But after trying it on again, I decided that the elastic made the fabric into a weird shape, so I picked it out.

The bottom part is the problem. It's too small. I could unbutton some of it and wear it over tights, but it's too hot up here for that. 

Now, to patch the front opening, or open the sides and patch something into the seams? What would look better? I decided that it was a bit strange with a triangle in front, so I unpicked the side seams and overlocked them to hold them

I went through my stash to find something to go with it, to make the bottom bigger. I looked at some of the bits of fabric that I had eco-dyed, but they had too much brown in them.

Then when I was op-shopping the other week I came across this:

 $1.00. Perfect bargain! Don't they match well?

 I unpicked the pillow case and cut two side inserts out of it:

Then it was a matter of pinning them in place and sewing them in.
Creating a new hem.
And trying it on! I got a lot of compliments when I wore it to work. Very comfortable, too.

 ... but I still wasn't 100% convinced. Something about the neckline.... I'll leave it and wear for a while and see how I go. Always fiddling with things!

Refashioning Dresses - Challenge from one to two piece

A friend brought me three of her dresses to refashion. They were no longer worn (for various reasons) and she wanted them updated. Challenge accepted!

This snazzy little number is going to be turned into a two-piece.

We had a discussion about it and she decided on a cropped top and a longer, high-waisted skirt.

Here was my chop point.

I tried some different fabrics with it, in case I needed to add something to the bottom of the shirt. But there are so many colours already in this fabric!

It might not be necessary anyway. I made the chop to separate the two, leaving the zipper on the top half.

There was only a small bit of zipper left on the bottom part, so this made sense. I pinned it so it wouldn't unzip on me, and overlocked the whole hem to seal it.

 And that was the top finished - how easy was that?
Onto the bottom: I removed the remains of the zip and overlocked the top edge.

 A new zip went in, the edge was folded over to hem it and I added a button closure.

 And that was it - all done. Nice new two-piece.

Rosella Liquer

Now, this isn't entirely creative, but I made it so it counts! 

 Rosellas are a variety of wild hibiscus that grown well in my home area. They have smallish-flowers and dark red fruits, like this:

You can use the fruits for a variety of things and they have a tart flavour. All of these recipes come from the Darwin Gardeners Guide, a must-have for tropical fruit products.
Let's start with the best! 


Vodke, rum, whatever your preference is. I like the rum but my husband likes the vodka, so I make both.

 This was taken just as I put them in the alcohol.

After two months of soaking the colour has certainly brightened!

It had eaten all the sugar, so I added some more.

FINAL RESULT

The great thing is that the fruit is now completely soaked in alcohol and make a nice addition to icecream as a topping! 

I've made the other recipies as well.

 This was a mix drink that I made with lychee, lemon juice and the rosella cordial. Gorgeous colour!

This cordial with ginger in it is lovely, nice little hint of spice in it.

I've made a couple of lots of jam, but I'm not as successful with it.

This is the jar my neighbour made. It's a lovely colour and nice and tart.

Eco-dyeing with Friends

Once you start dyeing, you can't stop. We visited a friend's house last week to learn their dyeing techniques and came away with some great colours.

These friends have a permanent rust pot that they pre-dip all of their fabrics and leaves in. I might have to do this, have a permanent container that I keep topping up. You can buy packets of rust from art shops.

Some of our materials included different gum leaves, Calytrix (turkey bush), rusty chain, wire and tea.

This top used onion skins and they created some great black/purple marks.

It made a gorgeous little girl's dress.

We steamed some of the bundles, for about an hour. 

The pots just sat on top of cheap camping stoves - perfect for this kind of thing. One gas cylinder lasted us the hour needed to steam the bundles.

Other things were boiled, for about the same time. The water had some gum leaves put in it as well as some vinegar.

The results were strong!

This silk was pressed between tiles and tied very tightly. The gum leaf print came out nicely. Pressing between tiles helps to get a clear print.

You can see the links from the rusty bike chain that was wrapped around this shirt.

And the rope!

This little print on the left is from a trampoline spring. I have to go to the dump shop and get some things!

And to top it all off, we spent the time in a lovely garden.