Upcycling blouse

My sister had a blouse which she loved but the silky fabric frayed after a while. She was about to throw it away when I snagged it with the intention to turn it into something else to prolong its life. That was YEARS ago! No idea what do do with the blouse. Until yesterday, that is.

Pretty cool, huh? I looked through bag pattern books, then through my loose leaf patterns, and found Whistlepig Creek Productions’ Scrap Bag Cuties. The Small Messenger Bag was perfect.

Here is a look at the back. The quilting is very simple because the fabric was so delicate. I used embroidery thread to quilt it…

… turning some of this blouse into something she can use.

I used Soft & Stable which you can find at byAnnie.com. It is my favorite for bags and other projects. I made some other changes to the pattern, too: I did not add an outside pocket and changed the way the handles were made (see below).

Introducing the buttonhole foot for my Bernina! I practiced a few times before making the buttonhole on the flap because I had not done this in a VERY long time. Super simple, though.

Now, for today’s ‘sewing hack’. I did not have interface for the handle. Crud. I wanted to use batting but there was no way I could sew a tube with it, then turn it inside out – you know the drill. So, I cut a long 3/4″ strip of batting, put it on the wrong side of the strip of fabric, folded fabric over batting strip and zigzagged it all the way through. Works like a charm!

Oh, yes, the button is courtesy of Lots of Buttons. They have super fun buttons which I have used on many different projects.

So, don’t throw away your favorite blouses. You can still enjoy their fabric if you turn them into cute bags. I hope Miriam likes it!

Have a fun weekend,