Sunday, November 18, 2012

Upcycling Sunday, or A Nose Book?

Upcycling, def. the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or for better environmental value.


A Nose Book? Read on!

I've seen these little cloth handkerchief books for the past couple of years, and been intrigued to make some for my family. But, I got all caught up in finding the perfect fabric, the perfect pattern. And then, thank goodness, the humor of the situation struck me ...  that they were to be used for mopping up noses! They didn't have to be perfect. It occurred to me that receiving blankets (those super soft, flannel blankets with a thousand different uses when you have a baby) would make the perfect Upcycled fabric for my handkerchief books.

So, with that in mind, I sorted through my stash of receiving blankets, found two whose pattern and color complemented each other, and cut them into rectangles. 


I was very rough with my cutting, but each rectangle measured approximately 7 by 4 inches.


Then taking a piece from each fabric I pinned them together, and stitched around the edges. (I used a rounded zig zag stitch). 


 At this stage they still looked pretty rough, but it's okay. Once all of the pieces had been paired up and stitched, I then went back and trimmed the excess fabric away. They instantly looked much better! Phew!




Then, taking two of your new double thickness and trimmed pieces, I lay one on top of the other, with like touching like fabric. Giving them a fold will allow you to gauge where the mid-line is, before you stitch straight down the middle of the pieces, forming a 'book' with four leaves.


And there you have it! So easy, so simple, and such a great way to Upcycle all those receiving blankets!


These have already been in constant rotation, and are the just-right size for tucking in pockets. And an added perk? - they gave The Little Guy an opportunity to join me in a sewing project!



As soon as The Little Guy saw these, he renamed them Nose Books ... which we just thought was hilarious! And the name stuck!


  And what about you? What are you Upcycling this week? Feel free to share in the comments; I'd love to hear from you!