DIY Gifts For The Eco-Fashionista On Your Holiday List

December 7, 2010 Ronnie

As I continue to dive into this A-Z Holiday DIY Eco-Gift Guide, I am reminded once again, that I have yin/yang relationship with shopping. I love stylish clothes (reading Vogue since I was 12), and I have been known to love to shop. But, as I filter everything through a green lens and embrace a simpler lifestyle, I am consciously aware of my consumption.

I recently wrote about two exciting things to hit the fashion industry – Zero Waste Fashion and The Common Treads Initiative. It's uplifting to know that some conscientious clothing designers and companies are creating sustainable fashion.

What to get an eco-fashionista? Green is the new black. Her commitment to the environment is as strong as her love of a good sale, and she's got the style to back up her ethics. This is an easy gift type to DIY for because there are two things that eco-fashionista's can never have enough of...shopping totes and hangers. Recycled Sweater Shopping Totes Repurpose sweaters that are either old, torn or no longer fit. Wool sweaters from thrift and secondhand shops can be made into felted functional objects.

What you need:

wool sweaters

chalk for marking

ruler

scissors

What to do:

1. Here are the directions for felting a sweater.

2. Lay the felted sweater flat. With chalk and ruler, mark line from armhole to armhole, parallel to bottom edge, for top edge of tote.

3. Mark handles as shown above.

4. Cut along chalk lines as indicated, then set aside sleeve and neck sections. Turn right side out, then open and refold so side seams are at center front and back. Topstitch or machine-zigzag bottom edges together, approx ½ inch up from hem.

5. Topstitch single layer of top and handle edges. Fold each handle in half with wrong side together and cut edges even and stitch down.

6. If desired, cut patch pocket from neck section, so curved neck edge is top edge. Center on tote front; topstitch in place along side and bottom edges.

Natural Wire and Branch Hangers

Hangers are long overdo for a fashion makeover. One of my most popular posts addressed the issue of how many hangers end up in our landfills. Read HERE to find the answer to that, and how to make 3 types of natural hangers.

Here is the original Planet Green post.

Bag Photos: Canadian Living

Cuff Cup Cozy: The Easiest DIY Project Ever

November 6, 2010 Ronnie

Last year, a new laptop inspired me to transform an old sweater into a laptop case. The sweater I used had a complicated Fair Isle design and a gaping hole on the sleeve. It was too short to repair and wear.

It's magical the way a sweater will shrink up in the washer and dryer to create a thick piece of felted fabric. The fabric can be cut (just like store bought felt) and will never unravel like a handknitted item will. You can see the process and learn how to make a felted laptop sleeve from a sweater here.

When I wrote An Inspired DIY Idea: Recycled Sweater Sleeve Cozy, I retrieved the sweater from the pile of felt scraps. The sweater cuffs are getting repurposed to make cup cozies. I’m lovin’ these cup holders because you can cradle a hot beverage in a stylish heat-resistant cup without a handle.

Once the sweater is felted, this has to be the easiest DIY project ever:

To Make: Measure the cup you want to cover and cut sleeve cuff to size. I positioned the ribbing on the bottom because the cup I used tapered.

What do you think of this sweater cuff cup cozy?

Photo Credits: Jen Kiaba

An Inspired DIY Idea: Recycled Sweater Sleeve Cozy

October 26, 2010 Ronnie

Here’s what often happens to me: I am inspired by ideas and new products that I think could be easily made. That was the case this morning while I was pointing and clicking around the blogosphere. I spied this stunning handmade white matte-satin pot over on Swissmiss. It was created by Paige Russell. The pot appeared to be cradled by a sweater sleeve. Tea cozies are not generally my thing, pharm but this one spoke to me. Not only was it beautiful, cheap cialis it totally made functional sense.

Recycled Sweater Sleeve Cozy

How to: Using a felted wool sweater sleeve, viagra buy cut to fit. Grab a hot drink. So easy, so sweet!

Note: Felting will give the cozy a tight finished fit. A felted wool fabric will not unravel. I explain how to felt a recycled sweater here.

Photo Credits: Paige Russell

DIY Felted Stone Mat

August 23, 2010 Ronnie

Last night was one of those cool, clear, crisp late August evenings. I will not lament about the end of summer, let’s just enjoy what’s left and notice what is knocking on summer's door – autumn. Lovely! It is a rare weekend that my family (daughter, son and their boy/girlfriends) is all together. We have a late evening tradition of dipping into our wood-fired hot tub when the temps are not sweltering. All summer I’ve been padding around the hot tub barefoot. But, last night was chilly and I wished we had a mat next to the tub.

I’ve coveted the beautiful, earthy-colored Clustered Felted Mat (above) from VivaTerra for a while. How beautiful is that? It would be just perfect on my deck right next to the tub. While I have purchased items from VivaTerra in the past because I love their commitment to the environment and for using pure and stylish materials handcrafted by artisans, this mat is just too pricey to put next to the tub (large mat - $695). But...they can provide the inspiration for DIY possibilities to create something similar to this:

This tutorial from Craftster uses felted leftover yarn balls. The creator of the DIY rug explains her process:

“I started making balls out of my stash of leftover wool. (You know that stash of wool you can't bear to part with but don't have enough to actually knit/crochet a whole project?) I used a combination of hand and machine felting, and sewed the stones together by hand with a nylon twine."

Made in neutral stone-colored tones, I think this method for creating a similar mat, might just be what will keep my feet toasty after those evening dips. Certainly worth a try, don’t you think?

Credits: VivaTerra, Sea Otter Designs, Crafster

Close To The Nest

July 19, 2010 Ronnie

I recently published an article, For Every Bird An Empty Nest: A Knitted Nest To Make with the knitting pattern for the nest above, and a peek into my feelings about my own empty nest. While in the process of creating that post, I came across so many vibrant images of nests, both real and imagined. Here are a few: