One day last week, my youngest daughter Marin REALLY wanted to hit the craft store. Her favorite pastime is crafting. What she likes even more than crafting itself is shopping for more craft supplies. Instead of emptying my bank account to supply my daughter’s crafting fix, I convinced her we needed to do a project that used items in our house. Our efforts produced The Radiant Upcycled Tote.
The title of this post is apt since radiant means emanating light or joy. In this instance, this tote radiates light because of the sequins. Our upcycle journey began with a frown on Marin’s face, since she learned she couldn’t go to the store and spend money. We started rummaging through a pile of old clothes we were going to donate to Goodwill. Here is what we found:
- Line the fabric to the back of the sequins to create the front pocket.
- Sew the pocket to the front panel of the bag.
- Iron the top seam of the front and back panel of the bag to lay flat, and sew. (The inside of our bag has the paisley pattern).
- With wrong sides together, sew the front and back panel together.
- Turn the bag, seems side in, and iron seems flat. It should now resemble an actual bag. (This is the last picture above).
6. Sew an old belt for the handles.
7. Sew the trim around the top. Ours is the coral ribbon from an old dress that no longer fit. (In hindsight, it would have been easier to include this step after #3 above).
And what little girl doesn’t like special attention from her mother?
Now she has a decorative bag she can load her crafts in and craft on the go!
Leave a Reply