Category: Upcycling

Upcycling with used coffee bags.

I have been collecting coffee bags for the past two years mostly because I wanted to be able to make something new. Upcycling is a huge part of my sewing. I do it because I like to see what is possible to redesign and how I can make something new from an old product.  It has started to become part of my thoughts on sustainability. What can I do with the things I live on and use in my everyday life in a sustainable way?

So, during the last day’s of packing (down)  my apartment I realised I had too many blankets 🤪 and needed something or somewhere to put them in  my new apartment.

I started to sew coffee bags together, and realised how many I needed 🤪 and actually had 😯😅.

Here am I just sewing bags together.
Here is one of the sides becoming the actual size.
During my sewing I realised I needed  stability on the four sides 😅😆. I used old cardboard boxes.
Four of five sides on.
Here us it full with blankets and floor pillows 🤩.

I got exactly what I had need of 🤩😍.   I just wished I had a semi-sewing machine 🙂🙃. For those of you who don’t know what a semi-sewing machine is, they have a longer sewing arm for bigger projects 😉. And they are for house hold, the next step in sewing machine is the industry type.

I hope I have inspired some of you to do more out the  everyday things you have at home and upcycling for our world’s future!

Remember to have fun when you are creative!

Upcycling shirt, March 25😊

I got some used shirts from a friend a while ago. And “what to do with them ?”  Well yesterday I needed to sew,  but empty on ideas…. Pinterest gave me an idea 😊😊.

Inspiration from Pinterest.
My shirt.
The result.
Happy face.

I turned the shirt inside out, shorten the sleeves and added the leftover sleeves to the length to fit me.

The jeans (leg) dress. Black and green.

I have used the legs from a pair of jeans and added decoration band, zippers and old T-shirts to make it longer. Like it and can just wait until the weather let’s me use it…

Finished up dresses and went to the gym 🤩 – good weekend.

This last weekend was productive 😊😊. I finished the blue cocktail dress

And I got help from a friend to fix the hem on my summer-curtain dress…

And I sew the waist band after more room on the top part so I can breath…

Walking in gale towards the gym.

And I got out to the gym 🤩🤩. Walked for 20min and then on the treadmill for 10min 💪.

Went through 4 machines and then home.

And last week I started on something new – a challenge  – to sew a dress from 2 pair of jeans legs (because I cut off the waist part to the orange skirt).

Upcycling jeans legs into a dress.

Winter dress.

I have been upcycling a sweater (that had spots that didn’t go away in the laundry). I have used woven wool and decoration. Decorations from jogging shoes and flames from an old cap 😉. Here us the process…

Here I had to figure out how high up the skirt needed to sit.
Needed tools during sewing.
Sewing pockets
Where shall the decorations sit?
Sewing the stitches on the sides.

Decoration band.

Tiny pockets are just on with pins. Trying to figure out where the best place for them are.

It took me approx 4 weeks from start to finish. Now I just have to wait on the Winter temperature 🤪😆🙈.

Birthday gift to a friend.

I am not the person that go out and buy a gift therefore I had figure out what to sew on Tuesday (June 11th)  so I knew it would be done on Thursday (13th).

I found some jeans fabric in two different sizes and sew them together with red thread.

Made the pattern myself,  just thinking what do you need when you’re cooking.

Found an old shirt to make ties for the apron. The apron is size XL.

It was hard to know if the tie around the neck would fit so I saved some length to be adjusted if needed.

All the pattern have I made by sewing forward and back to make the letters. The pocket is also a rest-pieces of jeans fabric.

The giftcard also upcycling. I used one side of a coffee bag, glued it on thicker paper and used it as a giftcard 😉

In total the Birthday man was happy for the gift. I am looking forward to see him use it even if he said it was too pretty to use.

The Birthday party was yesterday,  Friday June 14th.

My backpacker

I really needed a new backpacker! Therfore did I check what I had at home that I could use.

Here are a mix of rest pieces from Jeans I haven’t been able to use and I recycled the smaller backpack I had and didn’t like.

I’ve used the straps and the zipper from the smaller backpack.

This is the process.

And this is the finish;

Empire dress without sleeves and floor long – part one  – my summer dress 😊.

All of us who has ADHD knows what I mean!  So my next sewing project is an empire dress in full length. In a light fabric with wider sholders for warm summer days. I am “a bit allergic” to long sleeves 😆😆 in the summer.

My challenge is to get it floor long and sew an under skirt.

Here are the start of my summer dress.

While I was cutting out the fabric I realised I wouldn’t have enough fabric from one curtain so here am I using 3 curtains. And instead of sewing an undergown (skirt under) I am testing to sew the nice fabric on the inside of the dress.

Sewing June 1st in the evening, after a “bumpy-ride-day” (lots of back pain). I started with the turquoise fabric the only fabric I hadn’t done anything with so far.

If my back is better today, June 2nd, I hope to managed to sew all the insides so I can sew it all together. And start on the top part soon. Because I really want to be done before my holiday so I can bring it with me and wear it.

I am taking Holiday the 2nd week of July, the first propper Holiday in 8 years.

The re-design of the bead-dress (2023-2024), part one.

I got this dress after some of my old colleagues, last years work place (Bore school) when they had a ‘Change your wardrobe Day with clothes you don’t want but maybe your colleague like’

Which I got for free in June 23.

I took it out of my sewing project box yesterday (1st of January 24) to get some ideas of what kind of fabric could work on it.

After trying the dress on I figured I needed to change the fabric around the arms.
Second fabric… could work even more but…

And they both could work for sure! But it was not what I wanted. I wanted something more fun & crazy like me 😆😆.

And today (second of January) I went to my favorite fabric store to buy new needles 📍 and there it was! The cool fabric 🤩🤩🤩 and enough (2,8 meters) and on sale 🤩🤩🤩.

This will be so fun! I will do it so asymetric as possible. Orange and black is perfect! Playful, crazy and fun!

I bought this fabric in January and still in June haven’t I found the pattern I want 😔🤪 for this dress. I will use the undergown (the inside dress) because it fit’s me.

The long weekend of 🇧🇻17th of May🇧🇻 and the Pentecostal with lot’s of sewing 🧵😊, good weather (warm!) and two new friends.

17th of May least we can’t say it was cold! We have had above +20 degrees Celsius the whole week. And today wasn’t it any different except that we have had mire wind. Last year was freezing cold.

My school, Nylund skole
Flags everywhere 🇧🇻🇧🇻🇧🇻
Nylund school yard decoration
Just a normal decoration in the street’s 🇧🇻 on 17th of May 😊

After I’ve seen the 17th of May celebrations I walked back home. A walk in total of 4 km in mostly 🌤☀️…

Got home and had late breakfast out on my terrace  – a place I really enjoying because I haven’t had a terrace for the past three years .  I’ve been sewing and picking up what I sewed 😆😆 off and on the rest of the day when I haven’t been eating. 

Here I picking up seams on a small backpacker
Sewing on the re-used straps.

The 18th of May, and Pentecostal weekend, I picked up half of what I sewed the 17th 😝🤪😆.

The morning of 19th I figured that I could start on the inner lining or the inner bag for the backpacker. Much more easy!

I have also managed to walk with Saga 🐕 and her owner Hilde, for more than one hour.  Sewing some more and got one hour of a practical run 😊.

May 20th …

Some fixing on clothes that I thought was done and wasn’t when I put them 😆.

I was happy for few minutes when my overlocker worked, but than after unpatienced when I didn’t manage to get the the one thread in place 🤬🤪.

But 😊 I am almost done with my new backsack/ backpacker 😊. Just few seams left 🤩. It actually starts to look like something 🤩.

Innerbag with pockets, made by Rest-pieces from other sewing projects. Which even one more time have to pick up the corner-seams 🤪 or move the smartphone pocket 🤪.
The front of this project. Rest-pieces from jeans and decorations of a rosehip.
The backpacks inside.
Inside pocket.
Decoration:  “Normal is boring”.

I am getting there in small steps 🤪🤪. But I am so so pleased with it!

The latest sewing,  creativity & energy – May24.

I love when I have time and energy to fix what has been laying and waiting for some time!

Fixing and repairing Jeans. May 8th.

New earnings  from upcycling paper clips & safety pins with beads from the floor in the art&craft room at work.

I am thankful for work, life and sparetime! The Lord has both showing me things in life and in dreams of my future and I keep trusting him in what will come that I yet don’t know. I enjoying every moment if I have more or less energy!  Those last day’s has been a mix of both and yet I am smiling because life is good and I am trying to embrace it as much as possible.

Happiness. Finally I know what colours I have 😍 on all my threads 😍

The Lord keep guiding my steps, give me inspiration to new things and ideas 😊. And even after a tough work day I have energy to be creative at home 😊. And interesting enough it feels like I have more energy to be creative now than when I had Silver   🤔  🤪 … maybe I was more allergic ti him than I thought…?

Jogging pants – upcycling sweaters. 🧵✂️📍📏

I got inspired from work where the pulpils in 7th grade going to start a upcycling project this week (week 5 of 2024). My udea started three weeks ago and I have used as much time as I have been able to use. Evenings and weekends, when I have been well, sewing together pa5ches to bigger patches. I have got so far now, that I can finally start to cut the pattern 😍🧵✂️.

Here is the pictures from the start;

January 10th.
January 11th.
January 12th.
January 14th & 16th.
January 29th.
Getting closer. January 29th.
Easter24

During this Easter I managed to get sewing machine oil on the just finish pants 🤪  …

…so than it was to pick up the area of the pants.

My type of Art

I have now been able to use them at work (finally) this last week.  And they are my very much favourite pants!  The benefits of sewing my own wardrobe is to sew clothes that fits me. With leg length of 91cm (35,82 inch) I struggle to find pants that are long enough and nit to lose in my waist.

Upcycling, Re-design wool coat and a pillow case.

The last two weeks have I had one main sewing project. The wool coat. Upcycling and redesigning it to become more me and my style.  I am not done yet but here are the process.

The wool coat.
Picking up all seams on the pillow case.
Trying out how it will look.
Needling up the fabric.
Sewed this part.
Sequins… sewed it on my sewing machine and broke 3 sewing needle’s 😆😆😆
Hand stitching the inside of the collar.
Picking up the seam on the coat arm, a bit to short for me.
Hand stitching it during 2 hours April 27th.
Finished the hand stitching on the arm length.

Today’s task will be;

To sew this so approxy 1cm is visible for the eye and the rest covered when it’s not in use.

This last picture is the back side of the wool coat.

I hope I will be able to hand stitch the left arm length part today (April 28th). I haven’t decided if I am going for plain black or plain purple fabric from the pillow case yet.

I will hand stitch the loose decorations on the sholder.  Here are what I did before I went to sleep yesterday (April 27th) ;

One with fabric and the other plain black
Or should I have sequins on the other?

I was thinking to do something on those two too… but I think it’s to much work.

March 2nd 24 a good mix of needling fabric, walking to & back from the grocery store and gardening 💪💪.

This once was a shirt now I hope this will work.

First step.
Tryed to sew ‘edges’.

I will have a small break, need to go (as in walk) to the grocery store before I can start to sew. I hope it works as I wish 🤞🤞🤞.

✔️ my back did good on my walk home with a heavy backpack (approxy 8-10kilogram)

and some extra energy in my body I did some gardening

Before.
After the exercise to rake all those leaves 🍂🍁 out of this space in this garden.  I used one hour! 💪💪🥵🥵
2 off those was filled and lot’s more needs to being taken care of but not today.

Was out for 1 hour and 20 minutes 💪💪💪🥵😊.  In the couch, where I’m now resting mostly the back, so ready for a shower and dinner. But dinner has to wait because I need to make it before I eat it…

July 8th 23

I woke up around 9.30am saw the Sunlight coming in through my window and just wanted to make coffee and sit outside, just like mom always did. So I did 😍.

Realizing how convenient it was to have the app for my blog on my phone, and how little I actually haven’t written since I took away from my phone… So I had to down load it again.

During my cup of coffee I took care of my flowers outside on the stairs – “my garden” – as I don’t even have a patch of garden…

Cleaning b4 fixing how the flowers should stand 😊.
My seeds that I sowed in April has starting to grow 🤩 and soon I will have sunflowers.

Yesterday I bought 4 different curtains lenths at a 2ndhand store, washed an off-white one together with a linen fabric. Today I drew a pattern for a dress I’ve wanted to try sewing for few years but didn’t have the courage. Now I’ll use the curtain length to sew different types of dresses.

Dress pattern.

Next step, after resting my back a bit in the couch, will be to add the pattern to the fabric 😊.