Turning old tat into new goodies

Thanks for all the kind comments about my lovely shawl!

In response to Kat: I don't know if you can get the pattern separately (although I really do recommend the yarn!) - it's probably best to keep an eye on Fyperspates pattern page.

I have decided that this week I shall attempt to post one FO report a day, because I've got a number of items that have been finished for ages (ahem, and in some cases, years!).

I had a very crafty weekend - mainly lots of sewing. I went through my mending pile, and then set about turning old clothes (that were so old and crappy that a charity shop would've chucked them) into new, usuable items.

First up: two old t-shirts, which became two new pillow-cases, and a stack of cloth pads:



I have a tiny square cushion, which I got at university when all the pillows that came with my room gave me neck ache. I made one pillow-case for it, out of satin, but otherwise just shoved it into normal sized pillow-cases, which drowned it. The satin one is great for keeping my hair unfuzzed, but not so good for my skin.

So, step up one black cotton t-shirt with a really lame (& cracked) logo on it, and one old pyjama top which is a cotton mix, but has cute sheep on, and hey presto! One plain black pillow-case with blue ribbons, and one sheepy-pillow-case (with a press-stud closure).

I then had enough fabric left over to make 5 cloth pads. I've been using cloth pads for menstrual protection for years now, and have a collection of ones which I've both bought and made. I love them! I recently got a Mooncup and it is utterly fantastic. I like to wear a pad with it though, just in case, and thought it would be good to have some really slim, lightweight ones. Usually I just overlock (serge) round the outside of the pad, but for these I decided to try stitching them with the right sides together, and then turning them inside out.

Then I took a really really old terry dressing gown, which I used to obsessive-compulsively pull all the terry-threads out of (this really was OCD - even years later if I put it on, I used to pull the threads out). I cut this up and overlocked round the edges to make a stack of scrubby washcloths and a bath mat.

And finally, I took the first overlocked garment I'd ever made. I got my overlocker for my 21st, and in a 'must sew must sew' fit, made a 'nightie'. This 'nightie' was a very thin neck-to-ankle tube, with neck and arm slits. Unsurprisingly, I never wore it (I would not have been able to move if I had!). I turned this into a pile of soft washcloths/ hankies, with contrasting overlocking to finish the edges:



And don't let it be said that I haven't been doing any knitting. I recently bought a book called 'Knitted Accessories' in a charity shop. It was only £1.80, and had a nice hooded poncho in it. That same day, a friend lent me an old chest of drawers to use to keep my stash in. So, in order to put everything away neatly, I got everything out. I found a heap of tiny oddment balls of yarn. Then I noticed there was a pattern in this book for a pair of mittens made from a heap of tiny oddment balls of yarn.

So far the chest is empty, my living has knitting all over it, and I've been making mittens:



Admittedly, I do need to work on my ball management somewhat!