Taking something old and making it new!

OK, I bet you are wondering about the title of this entry!  Well I have to tell you about all the things I have been doing to recycle if you can call it that.  First of all I have been saving old holey Levi's for a long time.  It is like a glorious day when someone gets a hole in the knee and cant wear them anymore...they go in my Levi box.  I then cut them into squares.  I especially like to use all the pockets, fly's (zipper and buttons) and seams.  They make really unique quilt blocks.  I especially like to use the cute designs of little girls jeans,  you know the embroidered butterfly and flowers that are in style right now.  Second, who can throw away a some what perfectly used set of sheets...You know the top sheet is great, but the bottom sheet is worn, and thread bear in the middle, but the sides are still in great condition.  Well Yes! I recycle them too.  I salvage any of the good material and also cut them into quilt blocks.  This past week I decided to teach Aubrie who is almost 12 how to sew quilt blocks to make a quilt. she did most of the sewing, and alot of the pinning.  We made a lovely quilt out of flannel sheets and old Levi's.  I always like to machine quilt my quilts, so I did that part, but other than that Aubrie worked on the rest with me.  It was a great summer project!  I had enough blocks to make another quilt the same size.  Tim wants me to keep that one for him as a TV blanket. 

Another thing I have been doing is recycling my Clothes, and medical scrubs.  I don't have the money to go and buy new clothes, (especially scrubs) and I have lots of really nice scrubs.  Now that I have lost weight, they no longer fit...They just hang!  So I  have been altering my clothes as I shrink.  At first I was not cutting away the excess material...Just in case I gained back my weight, but now...I am cutting it all away so that I have no excuse to gain it back.  I have altered my 2x clothes down to 12's (size med/large)  It is great to be able to know basic sewing skills.  I am glad that I have been able to save money and be able to pass that on to my daughter, who, I am sure will make me lap blankets when I am old and feeble! (probably out of my old sheets!)