I'm not much for souvenirs, other than a token refrigerator magnet. But whilst on our little Black Hills trip I did happen to find something that I wanted to take home with me.
It doesn't reside in the usual realm of souvenirs, as it doesn't say "I went to visit South Dakota", nor does it have a large image of Mt. Rushmore engraved on the front (thank goodness). For all intents and purposes I could have bought this bag online or at a local department store. However--due to my insanely practical nature--I refuse to spend money on a souvenir that I wouldn't buy under normal circumstances. I've seen these seat-belt bags a couple of times and thought they were brilliant, because (as you can see) they are made from car seat-belts! My only regret is that I wish I'd been the one to think of this ingenious idea.
I really super love that bag. It's so colorful that I think it will match absolutely everything (another indication of my practicality). Not that I care if my purse matches my outfit anyway, but now I can pretend that I do. :)
Bastille Day
Today is Bastille Day (the French national holiday Fête Nationale). Not that I'm French. Nevertheless we're having Ratatouille w/White Beans and dessert crepes for dinner tonight in celebration. Maybe I'll just pretend that I'm French?
What to do with old fabric?
I've been thinking about what to do with my large stash of old fabrics that are out of date. I'm not much for quilting these days, due to lack of space (I seem to ebb and flow with my hobbies anyway, and this is not a quilting season for me). Although I do think that log cabin blocks and other scrappy quilts are a great way to use fabrics you no longer love; the small size of the pieces seems to camoflouge the ugliness. But I'm curious... what do you do when you no longer love your fabrics?
And now... on with the show. The day is calling!
Marie
It doesn't reside in the usual realm of souvenirs, as it doesn't say "I went to visit South Dakota", nor does it have a large image of Mt. Rushmore engraved on the front (thank goodness). For all intents and purposes I could have bought this bag online or at a local department store. However--due to my insanely practical nature--I refuse to spend money on a souvenir that I wouldn't buy under normal circumstances. I've seen these seat-belt bags a couple of times and thought they were brilliant, because (as you can see) they are made from car seat-belts! My only regret is that I wish I'd been the one to think of this ingenious idea.
I really super love that bag. It's so colorful that I think it will match absolutely everything (another indication of my practicality). Not that I care if my purse matches my outfit anyway, but now I can pretend that I do. :)
Bastille Day
Today is Bastille Day (the French national holiday Fête Nationale). Not that I'm French. Nevertheless we're having Ratatouille w/White Beans and dessert crepes for dinner tonight in celebration. Maybe I'll just pretend that I'm French?
What to do with old fabric?
I've been thinking about what to do with my large stash of old fabrics that are out of date. I'm not much for quilting these days, due to lack of space (I seem to ebb and flow with my hobbies anyway, and this is not a quilting season for me). Although I do think that log cabin blocks and other scrappy quilts are a great way to use fabrics you no longer love; the small size of the pieces seems to camoflouge the ugliness. But I'm curious... what do you do when you no longer love your fabrics?
And now... on with the show. The day is calling!
Marie
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9 comments:
Well, as you have already heard, I'm going to knit an enormous fabric curtain...hahaheeheehoho, to the funny farm I go... okay I will admit now that the sun is up and I had 10 hours of sleep, that my moment of brilliance has completely disintegrated to, "what were you thinking?" As for reality and what I do with extra fabric, other than horde it in dressers, is give it to my kids for projects, eventually donate it, or make gifts for other people. Not very creative, maybe I should go back to bed for another ten hours...
Ever heard of those braided rag rugs?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_Uz4H47-wc
NOt sure how much fabric you have but it might work.
I'm in love with your new bag! Is it a bit heavy though? It's probably a real sturdy bag. Do they really make seatbelts in all those colors?
What to do with extra fabric:
1 - Rag rugs came to mind. You can braid, knit or crochet them. Just search around for ideas on any of them. You can turn the strips into neat bias tape balls, or just go for it with loose ends.
2 - Charity quilts / items
3 - Gift items
4 - Swap them (plenty of swaps online, or at your local guild)
5 - Bundle them or even pre-cut them and sell on ebay.
6 - Turn them into scrap quilts (I like crazymomquilts.blogspot.com and www.quiltville.com for ideas).
7 - Use them for teaching sewing skills to kids or your friends. When doing this with friends, they will sometimes *actually* PAY YOU to use your stash... so they don't have to go shopping/match fabrics.
8 - Donate them (churches, schools, Freecycle).
I love your bag, baby! It's awesome and cute. Are the seatbelts recycled, if so, very cool! Ooh La La, I wish I were there for dessert crepes, yum!
You know me, I keep every tiny scrap and reuse them in various quilts, typically when I have run out of a certain fabric, I run through my stash and make substitutes. My quilts appear more scrappy, but at least I'm consistent in my inconsistency!
I also donate it or last year I used a lot of it for my Prairie Girls class. Good fun!!
miss you doodles!!
I joined a fabric scrap swap & ended up with some great new fabrics. They are all over the sewing/craft forums.
P.S. Love the bag too!
Oooo! *grabby hands* I lurve that bag! And I'm glad you had a lovely trip to the heart of the heartland. Good history, no? And very educational.
But let's face it, that bag makes the trip!
For those who wish to pay Marie the greatest compliment of all (by way of imitation), here is where you can get your very own Multi-Colored Seat Belt Bag...
http://www.igotyourbag.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=k6061multi&click=35
:D
So when I was at the fiber fest yesterday, I came across a perfect (well, you know) idea for your fabric stash! What about 'toothbrush' rugs? I think you can make baskets and stuff, too. Then, it doesn't matter so much what the print on the fabric is!
Quick question - do you want me to link your etsy store on my blog? I could totally do that :)
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