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siouxsie t-shirt tote bag

Thanks to some artful sewing inspiration, I’ve finished a project that has been sitting in the to-do pile for way too long.

I wanted to turn one of my ’80s Siouxsie shirts into a tote, but didn’t want a typical floppy t-shirt bag. My friend was planning to throw away (yes, throw away!) this black conference tote. You know the kind: plastic-y canvas material covered in screen-printed logos.

siouxsie before

I used the bag to measure my pieces of the t-shirt and boxed the bottom of both; sewing through the canvas was easier than I thought! Then I slid the t-shirt over the canvas bag, folded down the top and stitched all the way around. I stitched in some velvet ribbon for a tie closure.

siouxsie bag after

siouxsie bag after

This was such an easy way to make a t-shirt bag. I’m really happy with the results and can’t wait to start using it!

recycle: t-shirt came from my closet, tote bag saved from the landfill, velvet ribbon ties from thrifted notions in my stash

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custom wool felted bag :: black and white

I thought it would be fun to start showing some before and after photos of my bags. Let’s just hope I remember to take the before photos. I tend to get all excited and jump right into a project!

I’m calling this my X and O bag. Can you find them?

custom wool messenger bag

custom wool messenger bag

custom wool messenger bag

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custom wool felted bag :: teal and white

I have to give props to my friend Cathy. She picks the neatest sweaters for her custom bags and always has the coolest coordinating fabric choices.

cathy's bag

I’m not sure what I like more—the beautiful buttons or the purple floral print.

cathy's bag

cathy's bag

She also requested a coordinating box bag for her knitting. I love making these bags. They give me lots of practice with zippers!

cathy's bag

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denim messenger bag for christina

I’ve been wanting to make a bag like this for awhile, but just couldn’t figure out the pattern. I fiddled around with a prototype that didn’t work out too well and then abandoned it for a few months. (OK, a year!)

upcycled denim bag

Then my friend Christina asked me to do something with her Fairy Jeans. I did a lot of sketching and research and actually got a lot of inspiration from diy skirt and maternity jean tutorials.

upcycled denim bag

When we went shopping for her wedding gown, she mentioned that she liked the color combination of dark blue and champagne. She also asked me to incorporate one of her finance’s blue silk ties. I used it for the lining of the flap and lined the rest of the bag with tan cotton.

upcycled denim bag

I’m going to make one more of these bags to make sure I’ve got my pattern down and then I’m going to offer it as a custom bag listing in my etsy shop. More pics of the bag in my sewing gallery.

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custom wool felted bag :: gray

Who knew it would be so hard to find a plain gray wool sweater in the winter? When I got the request for this custom order, I had to visit a lot of stores to find the perfect sweater for the job.

gray wool felted sweater messenger bag

I’ve developed a new style strap that I really like, and I’d like to find a way to put a zipper in without hand stitching. I don’t want to compromise the beauty of the ribbing with a seam, though, so I’m not sure there is another way. Suggestions?

gray wool felted sweater messenger bag

While I was looking for this sweater, I picked up some new, spring colors and I’m looking forward to making some more felted bags. It’s time to experiment with some new styles and I can’t wait to get started! More pics of the gray bag are posted in my etsy shop.