Sunday, October 17, 2010

GreenStitch Episode 11 - Sew many solutions


Hope you got a few ideas for coming up with simple solutions to little everyday challenges with the creative use of recycled materials and your sewing machine. It was fun to revisit Episode 3, when our friend Ginger from Wienerdog Tricks put the idea into words!

Here's the sleeve for my new laptop, made out of a couple of thick placemats. For closure, I sewed a big flat button on either side and joined them with an elastic hair band. I must admit, I really enjoyed seeing this festive stripe poking out of my work bag last week. The little tiny bit of lateral stretch in this ribbed weave makes for a great fit.






Here's the fold-up charger/cord organizer. T-shirt scraps made the perfect stretchy pockets for various chargers and a flash drive or two. Clearly, this would not win any contests for design or craftsmanship. Did that matter to me when I could quickly and easily find all my gadgets during my recent trips? It did not!


Here's the scissors pouch, which hangs from the side of my sewing table, always at the ready. The thick ribbed weave of the placemat is easily tough enough for this task, and large knitting stitch markers make the pouch easy to hang. The lower photo shows how I boxed off the bottom. Easy!

The little camera pouch, made out of part of a hemline from an old wool skirt. I actually made several pouches out of this skirt. Those elastic hair bands come in so handy, too.

Make a very useful storage bag for your interfacing out of the plastic sheet of instructions that come with the yardage. Not rocket science, but it sure is practical.

I freely admit, the plastic-bag-dispensing shirt sleeve looks creepy -- like a dismembered Halloween scarecrow! However, if you're hanging it anywhere near your cat's "facilities," it will be a very functional addition and your cat will not complain! :)

I'm crazy about my new tote bag for my music folder, but can you imagine how this print looked when it was in its original skirt form?!

Have any useful sewing solutions you'd like to share? Just leave a comment. And as always, thank you so much for listening! See you soon.

7 comments:

  1. Great ideas, Anne, and all very practical. I had to laugh at the plastic bag dispenser...creepy yes, but practical!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think you made a solid decision to turn that skirt into a tote! It's totally cute. I'm finally caught up with all of your episodes. They make me happy--keep them coming!

    ReplyDelete
  3. That laptop sleeve is so cute and cheerful! : ) Also, the cord organizer is a great idea. My desk drawer is a tangled mess of cords right now, so that organizer seems incredibly practical.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey, all the projects you showed for this episode are so much cuter than you described them in the 'cast!

    REally looking forward to finding your next episode on itunes

    Thanks for the inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for the awesome podcast. I used some curtains (ikea, linen like) to make a stabilizer/interfacing organizer. I modeled it after a hanging purse organizer.I used two fabric loops to hang it from Command no-hole hangers (key for plaster walls). I used a experimental log-cabin block that was sitting in box to decorate it. I sewed vinyl pockets to the front of each section so that I can write the name of the organizer type. Love it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Super ideas for the organizer! I enjoy sewing vinyl pockets on things too - great way to recycle packaging and so handy to see what's inside! Thanks for the nice comments, I really appreciate it!

    ReplyDelete
  7. This looks like when japanese people use a big scarf to carry big things like a backpack, but well this is a better way because at least it looks cute.

    ReplyDelete