Book Review – Wayward Threads: Techniques and Ideas for Upcycling Unloved or Discarded Garments

Better than recycled—up-cycled!Basic sewing skills are all you need to turn unloved or discarded clothing into creative opportunities of your own expression.

With Wayward Threads as your guide, you will create your own fun-to-wear garments that are not only fresh and truly unique but that you can feel great to have given new life!• Simply-structured designs• Step-by-step projects for both vintage textiles and current used garments• Ideas for additional directions to take each project• Inspiration gallery• Shopping tips for the types of garments to look for• Ways to incorporate embellishments beyond those originally intended for clothing, such as linen napkins and tableclothsRepurposed garments are on the cutting-edge of fashion for many highly-respected designers and now it’s our turn to follow suit. Upcycling abandoned clothing is not only fun and satisfying, it’s also rewarding as a conscientious choice.

Wayward Threads is your key to creating attractive fashion statements that are as one-of-a-kind as you are

Next Pattern:

I am just smitten with this felt gingerbread house bag. This would make such a sweet special Christmas accessory for a kid. It’s a free pattern at Benzie Design, designed by Gracie from Hello Gracie Makes. It’s packed with adorable gingerbread house details, like swirls and stripes and scallops adoring the doors and windows.

And while all those details might seem like this would be a complicated pattern, it’s actually not. The bag itself is made from felt, which makes finishes edges unnecessary. (All of those scalloped edges are just cut from felt, no edge finishing required.) The strap is super simple, made from rope with knotted ends. And all those details are made with some basic hand embroidery stitches. Sparkle felt makes it extra cute.

The striped scallop roof is actually the top flap of the bag. A magnetic snap makes it a secure closure. The rope straps are attached through felt loops at the side of the bag.

They rate this project as an intermediate level, and it should take about 6 hours to make start to finish. That’s doable for a Saturday project or a couple of evenings. Full color photos step you through the entire process.

The project includes a shopping list for all of your supplies. They’ve got a shop so you can order all of them from Benzie if you like and get exactly the supplies used in the project. I noticed it includes a pair of scallop shears, which makes cutting all the scalloped edges for the roof and around the door a breeze.

Finished dimensions of the little felt gingerbread bag are approximately 6 ½” wide x 7 ½” tall. That’s the perfect size to hold a small book, a small toy, or a notepad and some cute pens.

Go to Benzie Design to get the tutorial and free pattern for the felt gingerbread house bag.

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