>> Susan Beal is a writer and designer. She co-wrote Super Crafty: Over 75 Amazing How-to Projects, and her jewelry, skirt kits, and writing can be found at susanstars.com and westcoastcrafty.com.
Reincarnate a sheet into a belt, a sunglasses case, and an apron.
Upcycling a vintage sheet gives you yards and yards of cool fabric to work with, so the sky’s the limit when it comes to project ideas. I made this little matching set — a belt, sunglasses case, and craft apron — with a flowered sheet I spotted at a yard sale for $1. I even had enough left over to make 4 more of everything!
Since vintage sheet fabric is so soft to the touch, I added topstitching all around the edges of each piece to keep the lines crisp, and lined each project with batting, interfacing, or a second layer of material.
These pieces are all quick to make and beginner-friendly. Add your own touches to make them super personalized, too!
SUNGLASSES CASE This case is designed for a pair of vintage sunglasses with round, oversized frames. You may want to streamline it a bit if yours are sleeker!
1. Cut 2 pieces of fabric and 1 piece of batting, each 7"× 8". Stack them right sides together, with the batting underneath, and use pins to mark the halfway point across the top, and 2" down on the right side, as shown (Figure A).
Materials
» Vintage sheet
» Sewing machine
» Sharp scissors
» Measuring tape
» Rotary cutter (recommended)
» Quilt ruler (recommended)
» Cutting mat (recommended)
» Straight pins
» Iron
» Ironing board
For the sunglasses case:
» A small piece of quilt batting
For the belt: » ¼ yard of interfacing » 1½" D-rings ( 2)
2. Use a rotary cutter or sharp scissors to cut a diagonal line between the 2 points you marked. Now flip the stack over so that the batting is on top, and trim it ¼" smaller than the fabric on all sides. Pin the A stack together on both sides and the top (Figure B).
3. Using a medium-length straight stitch, sew all around the 3 pinned sides, following the edge of the batting, and leaving the bottom section open.
B
References:
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