Tuxedo Bag

This bag is made from a man's tuxedo jacket, and, yep, I got the jacket at Salvation Army for $5.  The directions are from Refashioned Bags by Faith Blakeny.  After cutting off the jacket below the sleeves, you quilt it.  The pocket is a sleeve with the buttons still intact.  The front strap uses the other sleeve with buttons.  Two side straps reuse some front buttons for embellishment.  The body of the bag is a bit narrow and long, I think.  It all depends on the size jacket you find, but it could be made wider by cutting right at the arm holes.

I really like the rich feel of the material and lining from this Bill Blass jacket.  The quilting was a little tricky.  I suggest putting pins all over the piece after inserting stuffing. Then before sewing the first diagonal line put in a line of pins, so you don't end up with a wavy line. The construction is very simple once the quilting is done.  As the author states, you can use any jacket, but be sure to get a man's, preferably a TALL man's, so it will be wider.