Category Archives: Recycling

Tutorial: Zippered Pokemon Pencil Pouch

  By Simone | November 9, 2012 - 11:34 am | , ,
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I’m ready to give my blog some love again and will start with a series of posts I wrote for the now defunct Crafty Daisies in 2007 and 2008. Here is a tutorial for a Pokemon Pencil case. My darling child has since moved on from Pokemon to Minecraft. Maybe it’s time for an updated pencil case for her.

As you may have noticed by now, we are a Pokemon household. So when my daughter’s teacher specified a zippered, soft pencil case as part of the school supply list, we obviously couldn’t just buy one. What do you think about our cooperative effort?

Materials

To make this pencil case you need:

For the applique:

  • an Image
  • Transfer Paper
  • White Fabric
  • Fusible Web
  • Fabric Markers

For the pouch:

  • 2 10″x 6″ pieces of fabric, I used denim remnants from another upcycling project
  • a Zipper
  • optional: 2 9″x 5″ pieces of heavyweight fusible interfacing,
    • 2 10″x6″ pieces of lining fabric.
    • Because the denim felt a little floppy, I used fusible interfacing to give it more body and added a lining.

Creating the Applique

To do it the right way, i.e. not the way I ended up doing it, cut the fusible web to approximately the size of the applique you want to make. Iron it to the left side of the white fabric. Leave the second backing of the fusible web on for now. Then transfer your image to the right side of the fabric and color it with fabric markers. Cut out your applique and set it aside.

Preparing the Fabric

If you are using fusible interfacing, follow the manufacturers instructions and iron it onto the left sides of the outer shell fabric.

Turn the fabric around. Remove the paper backing from your applique and iron it onto the right side of the fabric. Using the zigzag setting on your sewing machine, stitch all around the image. I set the width to 0.5 and the length to 2, but play around with it until you get the effect you like.

Inserting the Zipper

If you are not using a lining, switch to your zipper foot, align the right side of the zipper with the right side of the top of one of the fabric pieces and sew it together on the left side. Repeat this with the other side of the zipper and the second piece of fabric. If your zipper is longer than your fabric, just let the bottom end stick out. On the right side of the fabric sew a top stitch along both sides of the zipper.

If you are using a lining and have never done this before, take a look at Lisa’s Sewing zippers in bags tutorial at U-Handblog starting with Step 4. She has great instructions and is my crafting hero.

Here it goes:

As Lisa puts it, you make a sandwich. This is the order when the right side of your outer fabric faces up: right side up outer fabric–wrong side up zipper–wrong side up lining. (My picture ended up being the reverse of Lisa’s, so if you are looking at both tutorials, you are thoroughly confused by now.) Put the sandwich together and sew along the top edge through the lining, zipper, and outer shell fabric. If you unfold the whole thing, it should look like this:

Repeat with the other side.

Sew a top stitch alongside the zipper on the right side of the outer fabric through the fabric, zipper and lining. Repeat on the other side.

Putting It All Together

Very Important: Open the zipper at least halfway.

If you are not using a lining, put the right sides of the fabric together and on the left side of the fabric, sew the sides and the bottom of the pouch together. Turn the whole thing right side out. Phew, you are done.

If you are using a lining, remember to open the zipper at least halfway. Put the right sides of the lining together and the right sides of the outer fabric. Pin the whole contraption together and leave an opening at the bottom of the lining. Start at the beginning of the opening in the lining and sew all around the side of the lining, outer fabric, other side of the lining, ending at the other end of the opening in the lining.

Then, turn the whole thing right side out through the opening in the lining. (By the way, if you didn’t keep the zipper open, you are now saying some not so very nice words.) With everything turned right side out, close the opening in the lining, stuff the lining inside the pouch, close the zipper, and you are done. Yay!

Eco Tags

  By Simone | March 26, 2010 - 10:23 pm | , , , ,
2 Comments

As the spring season is about to kick off, I thought I’d take a stab at redesigning my hang tags. In the past I’ve just used my business cards, but since I will be participating in the eco-themed Spring Handmade Cavalcade, I decided to add another recycling touch to my wares.

For these tags I recycled a pasta box

by punching out two-inch circles,

stamping my store name onto the tag,

adding an eyelet,

and tying one on.

You could also use them as gift tags, name tags, wine charms, key identifiers. . .

Any other ideas?

Roundup: Upcycled Pillowcase Tutorials

  By Simone | January 8, 2010 - 11:11 am | , , ,
6 Comments

Happy New Year! My parents just arrived for a two week stay, so there hasn’t been much crafting time, but for those of you looking for some projects, here is a roundup of ways to recycle pillowcases into something else.

Number 1: The Always Popular Pillowcase Tote Bag.


This tutorial is by Max and Ellie and features detailed instructions.

Number 2: Cafe Style Apron with Pockets

This tutorial was designed by Lee-Ann from Whoopsie Daisies and featured on Vintage Indie. It’s made from two pillowcases and has those always important pockets.

Number 3: Pillowcase Dress

I found this kid’s dress tutorial on Craftleftovers It was designed and written up by Australian blogger and author Alissa Devanny of Refashion.

Number 4: Pillowcase Pajama Bottoms

Brandy of Minivan Life put together this tutorial. I think the dress and the bottoms together would make for a cute, complete set of pajamas.

Oh, and don’t forget that you can always cut up those pillows and sheets to make fabric yarn.

Jewelry Refashion

  By Simone | July 23, 2009 - 7:57 am | ,
5 Comments

I have two drawers of assorted junk jewelry which include bits and pieces I found at my grandmother’s, things friends gave me, and precious items from my teenage purchases. Here is the first piece I’ve pulled together from: an eyeglass holder, a broken bracelet, a broken necklace, and a single ear clip.

The Process

  • Replaced the eyeglass holder finding with the bracelet clasp
  • Swapped out some of the charms missing a bead on the bracelet bit
  • Attached the bracelet bit to the eyeglass holder/necklace
  • Removed the clip from the ear ring and jerry-rigged the piece to the necklace
  • Attached the gold chain to the ear clip and the clasp

Assorted

  By Simone | April 16, 2009 - 8:43 am | , ,
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It is Spring break and I’ve been working on a few assorted projects while keeping Missy entertained.

Fused Bead Tutorial

This is one of my more popular Flickr pictures. You can find my fused bead tutorial on The NewNew Blog.

Communion Outfit

My daughter’s first communion is next week and I think we’ve finally pulled the outfit together.

The skirt is made using Goingsewcrazy‘s Twirly Skirt pattern and cost a whopping $15 and 2 hours.

Commissioned Bag

A friend of the mother of a friend in Japan commissioned this bag.

Pony Tails

  By Simone | April 1, 2009 - 12:26 pm | , , , ,
4 Comments

Just mailed off a batch of hair accessory sets that will be included in ten raffle bags at the Spring Handmade Cavalcade.

And here is how I attach felt embellishments to ponytail holders:

First, sew the center button to the embellishment. Then sew through the button, the embellishment, and loop around the ponytail holder. Repeat this several times until you are convinced it will hold. Still using the same thread, sew on a small circle to the embellishment that covers the spot where you attached the ponytail holder to the embellishment. The felt circle will blend into the embellishment. Oh and I suggest you use button thread for a strong hold.

So, you bought your ticket to come to Brooklyn on May 9th and 10th, right?

Gotta Love Those Jeans

  By Simone | March 27, 2009 - 11:55 am | , , ,
4 Comments

As you are sorting through your winter wardrobe this weekend, don’t throw out your ripped jeans. Rather, check out these projects:

Recycled Denim Organizer by All Free Crafts

Recycled Denim Bag by That Dorky Homemade Look

Refashioned Denim Jeans Skirt by Simplicity Classroom

Finish it off with a

Recycled Denim Rose by Craft Bits

Reminder: Book Club Meeting on 3/25

  By Simone | March 17, 2009 - 10:50 am | ,
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Just a reminder that the Craftevolution Craft Book Book Club will meet on Wednesday,  March 25th. So get those projects underway! Here is a peek at some of the projects described in the book.

And while we are in the repurposing mode, this is a little reversible bag I just finished. One side uses fused plastic. Those of you living in the Philadelphia area may recognize the remnants of the logo of a certain science museum. The other side is a fabric scrap.

Thing-A-Day Update

  By Simone | February 23, 2009 - 11:43 am | ,
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Last week was a busy Thing-A-Day week which resulted in these projects:

A clock refashioning by printing a new clock face on sticker paper and carefully gluing it on the old face.

This also doubled as a book review while guest blogging on The NewNew blog:

By the way, this is a great blog to find interesting tutorials and recipes by New York/New Jersey artists and crafters.

Some quality toy making time with my darling child:

And misadventures with a soldering iron.

I’m still working on my paperclip attachment technique and got some excellent advice on the Thing-A-Day blog. One more week of daily creativity. After that I’ll need a month of decluttering and cleaning to recover from all that crafting.