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In Crafts, DIY / Tutorials, Project Gallery, Repurposed, Sewing, Thrifted

DIY Child’s Apron from Upcycled Vintage Linens

I am so excited to write this post today because I’m not only getting to introduce you to a group of fabulous ladies, but also share a project that is fun to create. My blogger friends and I are officially launching our Reduce, Reuse, REFASHION fun today. Our goal is to inspire you to whip out that dusty sewing machine, needle and thread, or just plain enjoy watching us create too (for those not sewing minded). My project for you is a DIY child’s apron that can be adapted to kids from 1 to 99.

*post contains affiliate links so you can find the products I love to use too. (see full disclosure)

You will see their projects down below in a bit. For now check out what I dug out of my linen stash. What you see above is some scrap fabric, a remnant of my linen Read more

Larissa

16 Comments

In DIY / Tutorials, Furniture, Home Decor, Project Gallery, Thrifted

Farmhouse Drop-Leaf Coffee Table with Typography

Last, but not least, it’s time for Round 5 of my #trashure curbside haul makeover fun. Yay!! I’ve worked through those other 4 projects with much fun. However, today is all about that little coffee table getting transformed into a farmhouse drop-leaf coffee table with whimsy.

To catch you up to speed you can see the other projects listed below:

As you can see, this table is in sturdy shape. The leaves function as they should, for the most part Read more

Larissa

31 Comments

In Crafts, DIY / Tutorials, Giveaway, Project Gallery, Sewing, Thrifted

DIY Insulated Lunch Bag from Upcycled Skirt

It’s that fun time of the month again where my friends and I are all about Trash to Treasure Transformations. Woot! You’ll see their projects in a bit. You know I love taking unwanteds and making them new, so how about a DIY insulated lunch bag from some linen skirts. m’kay??

*post contains affiliate links so you can find the products I love to use too. (see full disclosure)

I will proudly say I am a sewing nut (aka. freak, fanatic…you get the idea.) As of late, I’ve been going through a sort of withdrawal. I horribly miss my dear friends, serger and sewing machine. If you’ve been following me on social media, you’ve seen I have found my fix for the time being. I’ve been creating Read more

Larissa

108 Comments

In Furniture, Home Decor, Project Gallery, Thrifted, upholstery

Deconstructed Ottoman with Feed Sack Upholstery

You know the saying, “birds of a feather flock together”, right? Well, one of the reasons I have fun with what I do is because I have a fantastic group of people who also have that same passion for DIY. Today is Furniture Fixer Uppers time where my blogger friends and I each take on a project with the intent of inspiring you. My project piece is this tired old gal who’s going to help me add a deconstructed ottoman to my home – something I’ve always wanted.

When I spied this at the thrift store, in an instant I knew I wanted it for my home. If you look close, the velvet upholstery was well worn through the the threads on the top. However, I couldn’t Read more

Larissa

20 Comments

In DIY / Tutorials, Home Decor, Repurposed, Sewing

Patriotic Bunting from Thrift Store Fabric

Do you ever say to yourself that you’re going to complete a project and yet, another year goes by? Then one day you finally pull up your boot straps and say, “No more excuses!!” My friends, I had been wanting to do this project for a couple of years now, but just couldn’t get it done for different reasons. I know, yada, yada, yada, but life happens, right? (like running a home business, homeschooling 6 kids, etc)

One reason was because our new baby threw a kink in the works when we had a NICU stay, the other was because I had nowhere to hang a patriotic bunting. Good reason, right? Last summer my husband was finally able to build the flower boxes for our home after the exterior got a facelift. That is, all except the front two. We didn’t get to complete the front set until this summer since we had to replace our windows last fall, and they had their debut a couple of weeks ago.

So here I am. Finally there is no excuse. With my coupon in hand, I headed to a local thrift store to snatch up some Independence Day goodness. (Yes, I even have coupons for the thrift store – ha!)

There was plenty of red, white, and blue fabric in the form of sheets, curtains, and remnants. Can you believe I was able to snag all that I needed plus tons more for less than $4? SCORE! I bought a king size sheet, a 12 foot long fabric remnant that looked like a tea stained tie-dye, and a few denim curtains that had been sun-faded (perfect for the time-worn effect I was after). Read more

Larissa

13 Comments

In Crafts, Repurposed, Sewing

Feed Sack Purse ~ Repurposed Farmhouse Style

It’s DIY time around here….actually, when isn’t it? That’s all I know. I live for creating and letting loose with tools and my “toys”. Some of my favorite mediums to work with are linen and leather, not to mention utilizing repurposed items. Check out how I took a few of these things and made myself a feed sack purse. Yee Haw!!

To say that I got a bit excited is an understatement. Linen…my all-time, drool-worthy, most favoritest fabric on the planet! Pair that with leather and I’m in textile heaven. Since having finally broke free of our medical bill burden and getting back to normal life, I’ve been taking on projects for me and my family, starting with this chair makeover. See…linen…eep!

I’ve been aching to get back to my long lost sewing machine and satisfy my craving to sew, and this month was the time. After a couple of years of not really being able to sit down and stitch to my heart’s content, I’m “back in the saddle again”. {enter in lowly cowboy music} Read more

Larissa

48 Comments

In DIY / Tutorials, Furniture

Creating Layers of Love with Paint and Stain

Do you swoon when you see layers of paint and stain on the side of a barn with time-worn wear, or better yet, on a piece of furniture? I mean, there’s a story there. That chippy goodness tells the life of that piece, and what travels it’s had – those layers of love. No, I’m not crazy, but maybe a bit head-over heels with appreciation for the past. Let me show you how I go about creating layers of love.

Those layers I mentioned above speak to me telling me a bit about each change in life. For instance, the life of a table could be this: a table was built and stained and sold by the original creator. Then the new owner wore out the top with her kids meals and decided to throw on a coat of white paint to freshen it up. Eventually that same table heads to a garage sale, where a man purchases it to put in his garage and throws on a coat of blue paint because white gets too dirty….you get the idea!

When I am blessed enough to have such a piece come across my path, I try to find out as much as I can about it’s history so that when it’s no longer mine I can continue the story. But…sometimes it’s fun to create my own story by using paint and stain make something appear to have had a history.

Larissa

9 Comments

In Furniture, Repurposed, Upholstery

Vintage Feed Sack Chair {Themed Makeover Day}

Sometimes my projects are in my head and sound good to me, but I never quite know how they’re going to turn out. It’s sort of fun that way, especially when it all gels together. Here’s is one of those types of projects. Meet my feed sack chair.

Want the full story? Let’s go back to the beginning.

A couple of weeks ago, I had my four girls with me and we were headed to pick up our weekly milk supply from a local farmer and then headed on to a flea market. We were all excited to find treasures that day.

Down the back country road we headed to get our milk, and then I spotted a “Garage Sale” sign. Uh oh. I don’t stop at every one of these (though I would if I could), but I knew since this was off the beaten path there could possibly be a steal. When driving with a 6 mo. old baby, you have only a limited amount of non-fuss time and I really didn’t know if I should stop. It could mean diaper changes, nursing time…you know the routine. Plus, my girls didn’t want to miss out on the flea market. What to do, what to do?!

Larissa

30 Comments

In Crafts

Messenger Bag with Graphics Fairy Fun and a Thrifted Twist

It’s birthday season in our home, which means beginning in January we have one birthday a month until June when there is two celebrations. This year will be different since I am expecting in early May, so we’ll have two in May and two in June. I am completely anxious for spring!!

Much like Christmas (and my Handmade Holiday series), birthday time around here means homemade or purposeful gifts.

My youngest boy is so wanting to be like his older brother, so I decided to give him a messenger bag just like his brother’s…

…with all the fixings to go bird watching – a favorite pastime in my family.

I will never deny that I am a thrifty person and this project is not exception. After all, Thomas Edison said it best, “The scope of thrift is limitless.” My kind of man.

All the materials for this bag came from second-hand purchases or were made at home, (minus the velcro & thread). Just time and creativity were all that were needed.

The basic pattern idea came from One-Yard Wonders: 101 Sewing Fabric Projects; Look How Much You Can Make with Just One Yard of Fabric! I changed it to suit my liking and redesigned it a bit to meet the needs I had in mind. There are also scads of ideas on Pinterest.

I like boxed-corner bags for their ability to open wide and stand on their own when using a sturdy fabric.

I found all the fabric at Goodwill ($1 a yard minus my 20% off coupon = cheap!)and it was brand new denim, pinstripe blue, and sort of stretch cotton canvas for the lining – all found at different times. Never miss an opportunity to peruse the aisles of fabric for great finds!

See how it sits up all by itself so that my toddler-turned-big-boy can reach in for his equipment. I added a cut of thin foam to line the base which adds to the sturdiness.

Now for the fun bird graphic. Did you know there is no need to buy the expensive inkjet fabric sheets and that you can make your own?

See the tutorial here at Infarrantly Creative.

With the idea of giving my little guy a bird-watching bag, I wanted to add that theme to the outside, but definitely my style is vintage, so off to my all-time favorite graphics site, The Graphics Fairy for this adorable yellow bird image.

Vintage Yellow Bird Graphic Clip Art by The Graphics Fairy via Prodigal Pieces

Just follow the instructions for printing, cut out the graphic (I used pinking shears), and stitch on the awesome image.

DIY Messenger Bag with Graphics Fairy Applique by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpieces

One last tidbit. I never throw anything that purpose away and it always pays off. I couldn’t find, for the life of me, a sliding adjustable clip for the strap at JoAnns or ANYWHERE! I didn’t have time to order it online, so I went to my stash of deconstructed purses, which includes all sort of hardware, and found exactly what I needed. A cast-off dog collar I found in my yard.

You see, my neighbor has an escape artist husky dog that chews out of the collar in a matter of hours and left this one in my yard. It had the exact hardware I needed – bingo!! I love it when things work out like that.

Here’s my little guy’s gift in it’s entirety:

Messenger Bag
Canvas Sun Hat – found new at thrift store – 80 cents
Binoculars – $10 at Walmart
Journal – $1 at dollar store
Vintage Audubon Bird Call – $1 + shipping on ebay (I love these little things!)
Audubon Plush Bird – from JoAnn with 40% off coupon

I’m not sure which he liked more out of the set, but he can’t wait to take it out and put it to use…just like his big brother.

Got questions? I’d love to help you if you need it!

~ DISCLOSURE: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means that I might make a few cents if you purchase an item I have recommended. Your price will still be the same, but the seller might pay me a tiny percentage.

Some more stitching eye candy for you!

Handmade Feedsack, Linen, and Leather Purse by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpieces

Vintage Chair Gets Feed Sack Makeover by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpieces

Larissa

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