Pj pants can be more.

Since my love for the ARC stores (or thrift stores) has been made pretty clear at this point it shouldn't be a surprised that I found something there that I liked. I ran across a pair of pj pants that I really liked, but sadly they didn't fit like I thought. The pattern and colors were what I really liked and so I wanted to keep those pants. I cut them along the seams and across just below the crotch.

I rolled the seams over and sewed them to keep the edges from fraying. I then sewed those edges together and made it into a bag. The material is a little thin, but that's not really my concern. I don't plan on using it for anything that would rip it or poke through it.

It was an easy project and a good use of the pants. The remaining material will get used for other projects. It was entirely worth the $3.99 I paid for them.

Don't ever think that just because something doesn't fit it should be 'dead' to you. Try being creative and think with an open mind.

Button up your bag

This particular design was actually something I wanted to do on a pillow (and still will), but I thought it would look really cool on a bag. I wanted a stronger bag to hold all my knitting needles. The canvas material was perfect, but so boring and we all know boring is just lazy. Crafty people do not tolerate boring... and why should we?!

 

Supplies:

- Canvas bag
- Buttons (be best if they were different sizes, colors, and button holes)
- Marking pencil
- Thread
- Needle
- Camera (is helpful)

You will need to have a completed bag for this project. If you need directions on how to make a simple bag check out my directions for this bag.

Lay the finished bag out on a flat surface.

Open the bag of buttons and random lay out the buttons in a tight bunch at one corner and start to stagger the buttons as you move down the bag towards the other corner.

This is where having a camera close at hand is helpful. It helps you remember what it looked like.

Take the marking pencil, start at the lightest arrangement corner, and use the sharpened tip to mark the button holes so you have a template for placement.

The marking pencil will need to stay sharp as possible in order to fit in the button holes. I had buttons with two holes, 4 holes, and large holes so it was easier to tell which button was going where. If you don't have different ones the picture you took will help you sew on the buttons.

I started sewing the buttons on at the bottom. I rolled the top of the bag down so that it was easier to thread the needle in and out. It take some time to sew all the buttons on depending on the sizes and amount you used. Took me about 2 hrs to sew them all on... mostly because I had to get up and stretch out my back.

When you are done it comes out pretty cool. (and hopefully matches your original layout)

This plain dull bag is now an interesting and colorful creation. Personal touches are always better I think. I used this bag to hold all my knitting needles, as I have way beyond several.

I hope you will give this unique design a try and let me know how it came out!