One of my favorite things to do is upcycle, especially in my sewing projects. I've made many things from vintage sheets, tablecloths, napkins and towels. Recently I have been pushing a step further to try using materials that would otherwise be considered trash. One of those I'm going to share today, along with a little how-to of how I did it.


When I process vintage sheets to use them as fabric, I break them down by ripping them into strips. This ripping results in a lot of long loose threads. They're quite colorful, so I found myself saving them in a little jar on my sewing table. I just couldn't throw them out!


Finally when I had enough of them I decided to combine the thread with a deconstructed mesh drawstring bag to create a "fabric" to work with. Yardage of mesh would have worked too, but I had these drawstring bags on hand from my seed saving.


I started with a flat piece of mesh fabric. On half of the mesh I arranged the threads in and even layer.


Next I folded the other half of the mesh on top of the threads, creating a thread sandwich with mesh on either side.


I quilted all three layers together to secure the threads. This resulted in a solid fabric that I could use to make something!


I decided to make a zipper pouch. I cut two pieces from the quilted fabric I'd made as well as two lining pieces.


Voila! A fun little pouch made from trash!


There are so many other things you could put between the mesh layers to make a new fabric. A few ideas: fabric scraps, yarn scraps, embroidery floss. You could also stitch around things to contain it in the fabric like beads, sequins or confetti.


Happy Making!

Finished: Night Sky Quilt

I am so happy to share this finished quilt today! This one took me 10 years to make, start to finish.


It all started with a few lovely things that were given to me! First, the fabrics are from Morning Walk by Leah Duncan which she designed for Art Gallery when I was designing there too. And secondly, the ruler I used to make this quilt. I met Julie Herman of Jaybird Quilts at one of the first quilt markets I attended and she gave me one of her Sidekick rulers. I picked up one of her quilt patterns that utilizes it, Night Sky.


I'll be honest, this type of piecing is not typically my cup of tea! I also don't make a lot of quilts that require templates for cutting. The process of making this quilt top reminded me a lot of making my Tula Pink Kaleidoscope Quilt. No part of it was particularly difficult, it just required me to be a bit more organized with all the pieces and do more precise piecing.


This quilt languished in my works in progress storage for many years without being worked on. Finally in 2025 I decided I needed to either finish it or pass it on! I still loved the fabrics so I pushed forward and got the top put together. I ended up arranging the blocks using equilateral triangles of the background fabric rather than with sashing like the pattern instructs. I really wanted to finish this quilt and I knew this layout would help me get over the finish line.


Ta-da! I need to work on a better lit spot to do flat shots, but for now this will have to do. I am so happy that it is done! And my husband claimed it right away so it's staying here! It's been our sunroom quilt all summer.


The quilting was done by Katie of Autumn Moon Quilting. The design is called Moon Phases.


For the binding I decided to use the background color from the top! And I remembered to add one of my labels.


I am so glad I held onto this backing for all these years. I picked it up from a store closing. It's a print from Morning Walk too.


Pattern: Night Sky by Jaybird Quilts
Fabrics: Morning Walk by Leah Duncan, Sweet Mint Pure Solids by Art Gallery Fabrics.
Notions: Sidekick Ruler

Happy Quilting!

Ice-Dyed Sheet Set

We have been ice dyeing pretty regularly lately and one my of favorite things I dyed this Summer is a set of sheets! I love the work of Anna Joyce and her hand dyed duvet covers are stunning. We don't use a duvet, so instead I decided to dye myself some sheets.



I started with a simple white 100% cotton sheet set. For now I only dyed the fitted sheet and the two pillowcases. I will probably dye the flat sheet at some point and cut it up to use as fabric for a project. I did everything I usually do when ice dyeing (dharma trading tutorial), but I did try to be light handed with the dye so that there would be some undyed areas.


I am absolutely thrilled with how it turned out! There are so many cool bits and colors.


This was such a fun project for me. I love the mystery and magic of ice dyeing and it's always interesting to see how a project will turn out! I definitely want to branch out in the type of items that I dye and will absolutely be dyeing another set of sheets someday!

Happy Making!

Scrappy Workshop Tote

Happy Monday! Today I want to share a tote bag that I made for my friend Amanda earlier this Summer.


This past Spring, I went through all my works in progress and found a small quilt top that I'd put together with offcuts from making this Large Keep Turning Quilt. I searched my archives and cannot find a single photo of said quilt top, but it was pretty simple. It was also pretty small.


I decided it would be best to chop it up and turn it into a bag! I had to add a little extra fabric to the bottom to be able to cut out the tote pieces. I used my Workshop Tote Pattern to make this tote, I just love the size. I was so happy to use up every last bit of these scraps. So satisfying!


For the lining I struggled a bit on what to use. I didn't have any large cuts of the quilt top fabrics, so I knew I'd have to use something else. Knowing I was making it for a friend who'd like it, I decided on some ice dyed fabric! I think it's a really fun surprise when you open up the bag. For the handles I ended up making some from a woven stripe instead of using webbing. Just felt a little more special!


Pick up a copy of the pattern here: The Workshop Tote Pattern

I also have a Sew Along for this pattern, which you can find here: The Workshop Tote Sew Along

Happy Sewing!