Concert Belt Bag From Repurposed Suede Vest

Sewed this prototype bag from a repurposed old suede vest. The main pocket dimensions are 6 inches by 4 inches by 1.5 inches to fit the strict bag requirements of Denver's Ball Arena. The front and back pieces have the original tiny pockets from the vest, with simple straps with hook and loop to hold items in. The inside is not lined, but the seams are bound. This bag was perfect for the Peter Gabriel concert last night. Phone, wallet, and keys fit comfortably inside and earplugs were easily accessible in the outer front pocket. The show was excellent, but extremely loud. 

Quilt Coat With Hand-Felled Seam Allowances

 

A newly completed quilt coat for myself. Several weeks ago, I happened upon a lovely estate sale and found two machine-quilted bedspreads and two matching pillow shams for an unbeatable price. I have been thinking about this type of project for a while, but was waiting for just the right machine-made quilt. Still pondering front closures. Might make another with slight modifications since this coat used less than one of the bedspreads.

Machine-sewed the shoulder, side, and sleeve seams at 3/4 inch, unpicked the quilting stitches within the seam allowances, trimmed the batting and beige inside fabric, then fell-stitched the seam allowances by hand. This hand-stitching time commitment was enormous, but I appreciate the touch it added to the original mass-produced item instead of just using my serger on those seams.

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Added a hanging loop before sewing down the inside collar.

Updated an Old Backpack

Extended the use-life of this old Jansport pack by adding large mesh pockets to each side and covering the inside bottom frayed seam with grossgrain ribbon.

Merino Hoodies Sewn From Thrifted Sweaters

Several weeks ago, a local chain of thrift shops had a 99 cent sweater sale. I found many merino sweaters, though only a few cashmere sweaters to repurpose as mitten linings. What to do with the merinos after they were machine-washed and dried? For starters, these two hiking/workout hoodies. Some had holes, some shrunk more than others during laundering, so I cut apart and pieced them together to fit my patterns. Both were an experiment of combining sweatshirt patterns with a close-fitting balaclava pattern instead of a traditionally looser sweatshirt hood, and the results turned out well. The hoods are cozy neck gaiters when not in use, fit easily over baseball-style brimmed hats, and do not need a cumbersome drawcord. The face edges of both of these hoods were finished with ribbing harvested from the sweaters. 

Outer front with large kangaroo pocket. This grey/black combo has longer cuffs with thumb openings.

Back:

Outer front with exposed serged seams:

Front pocket open edges finished with ribbing harvested from the sweaters:

 

Winter Hardshell Pants Receive Side Gussets

This pair of non-stretch winter hardshell pants were purchased in approximately 1995 or 1996. They haven't been worn much for several years and were now a bit too snug for hiking/snowshoeing uphill, but the outer and inner fabrics, waistband hook & loop, bottom snaps, and YKK 2-way fully separating side zippers are all in good shape. How to revive them for a current outer layer? I added gussets to the upper sides, moved portions of the zipper tape accordingly, and altered the velcro top closures by adding 1" webbing, D-rings, and additional loop tape at the front waistband. While seams were open, I replaced the back waistband elastic. Now they will easily accommodate any base and mid layers for extreme winter weather. 

Do you have clothing or gear that needs an adjustment? Contact me for a free cost estimate. 

After:

Gussets:

Before:

Gifted Vintage Fabrics

 Looking forward to sewing these vintage fabrics given to me by a quilter friend, who was given them by another friend. Planning some bags, as most of the fabrics are upholstery weight. 

Resized Jeans and Extended Front Pockets

While recently resizing these jeans, I extended the length of the front pockets since the side seam was open. Who or what is behind the ridiculously tiny size of women's jeans front pockets? Now a credit card and ID may securely be tucked in the pockets without worry of them popping out when sitting down.