Tutorial: Super Easy Bag from Repurposed Clothing

  Years ago I taught wearable art classes, and I’ve always had class samples hanging in my closet, most of them rarely worn.  I did wear this red quilted jacket a lot, and it was starting to show some wear, so I felt it was time to give it new life.  This little bag was [...]

Bossa Nova Bags Pattern by Shelly Stokes

  Holiday gift-giving in my family has typically meant a frenzied Christmas afternoon of ripping into packages and thowing out a huge bagful of wrapping paper, although in recent years some of us have made a big effort to use sturdy gift bags that can be re-used year after year, and we always save bows.  But if you [...]

After the Move: Handbags from Repurposed Clothing

Several years ago I taught wearable art classes.  A large portion of my closet is devoted to samples that I made for those classes.  These are things that I will probably never wear, and I can’t bear to get rid of any of it, so I’ve decided to make one-of-a-kind handbags out of some of [...]

How-To: Repurposed Jeans – Card Case

  You know those favorite jeans that you just can’t bear to throw out?  I recently had a pair of those, which I wore and washed countless times, until the seat was worn nearly through.  While renovating this house, they finally gave up the fight after too many ascents to the top of a ladder.  [...]