Reversible Purse

Reversible purse is in Sew the Perfect Bag from SewNews, which I checked out from the library.

All the fabrics are recycled linen. The floral print was a skirt, the light blue was a pair of pants, and the green, a jacket. The buttons were on another jacket. Of course, all were gathered at my Salvation Army for $.49 each.

The purse requires 4 pieces that measure 28" X 18.5" in a triangle shape with the ends chopped off. Since using deconstructed garments, I had to seam two pieces together. I modified the the book's instructions and added a pocket on two sides in this seam. Cut two squares for each pocket, sew to each piece so they are opposite each other, then, when sewing the seam, at the pocket square, pivot, sew around the pocket, pivot back to the seam, and continue. Better instructions for adding a pocket are at a Modicum of Ingenuity blog. Thanks, Jessica.

Play Time Fun With Cake Slices

Grandaughter, Ady, wanted to pretend to be a bakery owner and sell slices of cake to me. So I made a strawberry frosted cake from scrap fabric and stuffed it.  The slice was a bit rounded at that point.  Later I found some foam laying around the house that I cut and stacked and made into firmer foundations and made lemon, blueberry, and grape (!) per Ady's instructions, and redid the strawberry.
Buttons, beading embellishments, and most of the fabric were all from my Salvation Army $.49 Saturday specials.  These make safe play things and are fun to create.

Instructions: Draw a circle using a plate on the foam and divide into eight pieces, use a box cutter to score and gradually slice thru to make the pieces. Use the pieces to trace on each piece of fabric and add a 1/4" seam allowance while cutting out. The white or chocolate cake part can be just one long piece.  Sew the two frosting pieces together first, then attach the cake, sewing up the back, across the top on one side, then the other, and down the other side. pivoting at each corner. Then sew only one side of a brown bottom piece to one side of the cake. Insert the foam (if stacked, glue together), then slip stitch closed the remaining seam.