Creating my way to Success

Teddy Bear House Trophy - an upcycle project

A few weeks ago I made a few teddy bears from my daughter's old school sports uniforms. One of these is to be the Junior School House Trophy for a recycling competition my daughter set up this year.

The teddy itself is a cute trophy, yes..

But he needed something extra to show which house is the winner of the trophy each year.

So my daughter and I went out shopping for some ribbon in house colours. We thought we could tie a bow around his neck depending on which house wins.

But I didn't want the extra ribbons each year to go missing. So I got out some scraps from my daughter's old school dresses...

And made him a little backpack to keep his extra ribbons in.

So now this teddy can stay as a trophy each year - and just change his ribbon bow depending on the winning house.

I think it's quite a unique trophy and very suited to a recycling competition considering what he's made of!

What do you think?

Have you ever made a trophy? Or an unusual competition prize?

A different kind of pencil case

The pictures below show my daughter's pencil case. She was gifted it by a Japanese friend. We also saw pencil cases like this on our trip to Japan earlier this year. I loved the design and idea of a pencil case that you could open to stand up and choose your pencils and pens from in an upright position.

When we returned home from Japan, I searched for a tutorial to make a pencil case like this and found one here at Ikat Bag.

Finally yesterday I got around to having a go and making one of these pencil cases myself!

My first attempt was less than successful!

The padding I used - a piece of foam from an old school bag, was too thick.

And although it seemed to work ok initially....(yes that's part of an old placemat I'm using too - you know me...use what you've got!!)...

..half way through I realised it was too thick to be able to add an extra layer to sew the next pieces to it!

I was also a bit confused by the templates I downloaded, which didn't include seam allowances - and I got confused as to which pieces to add seam allowances (SA) to and which not to add to.

Did 'no SA' mean it didn't need one added? or it didn't have one and I should add one?

So in my confusion, I found that my cut pieces were not all the right size!

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I took a break, had a good look at my daughter's pencil case and tried again with thinner padding and I just cut everything with big seam allowances and kind of worked the sizing out as I went.

This one turned out much better ....

- but I'm still not 100% happy with it.

My stitching isn't the neatest,

and the zip didn't quite match up and needed some adjusting, which put another part out.

I didn't do very well with this particular tutorial, but that's not to say it isn't a good tutorial.

Everyone learns in a different way, and there are several different tutorials for making most things, all done in a slightly different way. This is something I learnt early on when I started blogging and writing tutorials.

Initially I was worried about posting a tutorial for something that had already been made, but I soon realised that was ok.

When I write and post a tutorial, I'm 'teaching' and everyone teaches in a different way. You have to find your own style for both reading and writing tutorials. Some people will like my tutorials and find they can understand them easily, others may be confused by the way I explain things. The same goes for me reading other people's tutorials - some will work for me, some won't!

I won't be letting this pencil case go. I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do with it, but I have to figure out something that works for me! I still love the concept and design, I just need to fit it to my style!

I have a lot more to learn with zips. Look at how neat the zip on the bought pencil case is.

Mine on the other hand was a little wonky...

I definitely need to do some more playing around and learning with this design. I learn best by trying and testing things out. At least I have well over 100 zips (yes, I counted them) and plenty of fabric to practise with!

Have you seen these pencil cases before?

Have you ever tried to make one?

Upcycle that Sleepwear

Over the years, I have managed to upcycle quite a lot of sleepwear, and have found some great projects that other people have made too. Here's a round up of some great ideas on how to upcycle sleepwear that you've grown out of or has become worn!

Upcycled PJ quilt from Mrs H

T-shirt, dolls PJs and a headband from one pair of PJs by Threading my Way.

I used the front of a pair of PJs to spruce up a bike bag I made for my daughter one year!

I also used a pair of PJ pants and a pair of old jeans together to make a bag for my daughter.

And there was the Hello Kitty Nightie that was saved and used on an upcycled lunch bag!

And of course the fabric origami bags I have made from old nighties.

For these and more ideas - I have a

Pinterest Board for upcycling sleepwear ideas.

Not many pins as yet - but as I find more I will add them. Do let me know if you find any sleepwear upcycling projects!

For lots of ideas for upcycling all types of clothes, visit the Clothes Upcycling Projects linky.

Easiest ever fabric gift bag tutorial - an upcycle

Last week I upcycled an old nightie into a fabric origami gift bag. This used up the majority of the fabric in the nightie, but there was still a little left over - plus a pair of small PJ shorts to be upcycled too.

So I was looking for something to make with the smaller scraps - and decided to make some little gift bags. Some small ones, some even smaller ones and some teeny weeny ones. This was also an opportunity to try and use something else I'd saved a pile of with the idea I might upcycle them one day...

Yes, bread tags!

They can't be recycled, so I was looking for something constructive to do with them rather than just throw them away!

A little nail varnish jazzes them up a bit!

You could make these bags any size you want - for giving small gifts like earrings, or treats like sweeties. They would be perfect to use as Birthday Party bags - made with fabric scraps to just the size you want.

Here's how to make the easiest ever fabric gift bag:

1. Cut a rectangle of fabric.

2. Fold in half - wrong sides together and stitch down the sides. Trim the seams.

3.Turn inside out and stitch down the sides again. This is a French Seam and means your raw edges are now hidden and won't fray or look messy.

4. Turn right sides out and trim the top with Pinking Shears to stop the fabric fraying.

5. Seal your bag using a bread tag!

And there you have one teeny tiny gift bag - perfect for a small gift or treat!

Make lots for all your friends!

Make them different sizes!

And from different fabric! How about a Halloween treat bag?

So there is a way to use up some fabric scraps and bread tags - things that might otherwise get thrown away, use what you've got!

These bags would be a great way to make a whole batch of bags for a party or treat bags for a special occasion. The supplies you need are easy to come by - and can cost nothing!

For the free downloadable PDF version of this tutorial, click here.

For more ideas for using the supplies you have on hand to craft and create with, check out my

Use What You've Got page.

Or if it's sewing tutorials you're interested in, I have over 100 Free Sewing Tutorials for making all manner of things and for all levels of sewing ability. Check them out here.

Squeezing in a quick clothes upcycle - fabric origami bag from sleepwear

I've been doing some teaching work for a couple of weeks so I haven't had much time for sewing and blogging. However, I did manage to slip in a quick little upcycle yesterday.

After upcycling the old school uniforms in my stash over the past few weeks, I moved onto the next clothing item I found - nightwear! I had an old nightie and a pair of PJ shorts.

Yesterday I cut up the nightie - to make a fabric origami bag using my own tutorial here. This one I made from a couple of old sundresses that my girls grew out of years ago!

And here's the one I made yesterday using my old nightie!

The straps are just perfect for the drawstrings for the bag too!

They are such soft and pretty little bags, and so easy to make. They make great gift bags or little toiletry bags. I think I might claim this one for myself!