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!