What have you repurposed lately....brag please!

[lmbjer]

I want to hear what you have repurposed lately, or in the past...something that make you feel proud regardless of whether it was an innovative idea or just something you finally got around to.

Share, brag, and share some more!

[proudmomof4]

I turned old dish cloths (hems started fringing) into dish rags and others into family cloth, and an old cotton / linen sweater into nursing pads.

[honeybunmom]

I turned an old leather jacket into slippers for my ds. Needless to say, there will be more!

[baby-makes-3]

I haven't done it yet, but I have the idea of turning DH's old pants legs into those hanging things to store plastic bags for reuse. Just sewing elastic in the top and bottom. These had outside pockets and I thought it would look neat for kids to lift the pocket flap to shove the bag down into :0).

[Magelet]

I took jeans and turned them into denim stuffed animals.

I take t-shirts and cut them into strips and knit them into dish scrubbies.

[fierrbugg]

We turned dh's childhood dresser into an entertainment center. It was just taking up room in an extra bedroom for a few years and we were about to get rid of it, but figured we should give it another chance. Redoing it was easy - we sanded it down, painted it, took out the top drawers to use for components and replaced the hardware (the old hardware wasn't really salvageable after 20 years of use). It's great for storage, and looks really neat too. Dh originally found it in a back alley so it's had a very long life.

Of course all of the pp's remind me that I really need to bone up on my sewing skills again. Such awesome ideas.

[granthammom]

Well, it's not strictly a repurpose since I made two small items out of one big, but last week I turned a king sized down comforter into two twins sized down comforters. Now they just need duvet covers!

[OkiMom]

Im in the middle of turning a really pink fluffy bedskirt into two tutus and two sets of fairy wings for my daughters' christmas present.

[proudmomof4]

Originally Posted by OkiMom

Im in the middle of turning a really pink fluffy bedskirt into two tutus and two sets of fairy wings for my daughters' christmas present.

I really love that idea!

[ChetMC]

Bbq

The people we bought this house from left a junky old BBQ. It works, but it's really dirty. I don't know how we'd ever get it to a point where we could use it for cooking.

We're going to take the lid off and use it to make a fire pit so we can have a fire for Guy Fawkes day in the backyard.

[e13lorena]

Haven't done it yet but turning all our old jeans into a Shag Rag Rug - cutting into 4 x 1 inches strips and knoting around a punch of apple bags - the hard plastic kind with holes in them (a couple put together) - saw the idea on a Home Design Show.

Old Toilet Wipes get sewn together in groups of 3-5 (stacked on top of each other) for rags and dusting cloths.

...man I am totally drawing a blank on anything else.

Erin

[amyhulen]

Old t-shirts get turned into family cloth and cloth diapers

I used a no longer in use foam mattress to make a mini crib mattress for the baby (I have a bunch of wool coat fabric yardage that I used to make a waterproof cover)

Old rubbermaid totes got turned into worm composting bins

I plan use my brothers clothes to make a memory quilt for our girls (he passed away 12 years ago)

I use leftover diaper PUL to make snack bags and sandwhich wrappers for our girls lunches

DH's military uniforms will be used to make myself a diaper bag or hand bag or both

I also used leftover diaper materials to make my own PP mama cloth

I have a ton of felted wool sweaters that I got for free and want to use them to make some dryer balls and possibly a wool blanket

Oh and this a GREAT thread. Can't wait to see more great idea's.

[jillyofthevalley]

Used old flat sheets to make pj pants for the family.  We never use the flat sheets on our beds.  I also repurposed one of dh's old shirts that was too small for him into a pair of pants for our almost 3 year old.

[jimblejamble]

Today I am cutting up a skirt and getting out some dry beans that have gone bad and am going to make a hot pack to stick at the foot of the bed a little while before we get in to get it warmed up.

[goinggreengirl]

I made 15 diapers and 20 inserts from a ripped fitted sheet, about two dozen old/ ripped t-shirts and a wrong size tablecloth. I plan to make a patchy picnic blanket with the scraps, the bottom of which will be half of a popped air mattress so it's waterproof.

[Lisoula]

Originally Posted by goinggreengirl 

I made 15 diapers and 20 inserts from a ripped fitted sheet, about two dozen old/ ripped t-shirts and a wrong size tablecloth. I plan to make a patchy picnic blanket with the scraps, the bottom of which will be half of a popped air mattress so it's waterproof.

Darn it---I threw away our air mattress that had an unfixable hole in it!

Awesome thread....taking notes!
 

[sniffmommy]

I am using my birth tub liner to make a hoop house for my garden seedlings this Spring.  

[wrenb]

Old boxers with holes in become family cloth. And I'm sewing fitted diapers out of free conference swag t-shirts. Once the next one is done I'm planning to take a picture and send it to the website it advertises. :)

[rabbithorns]

i just moved to Australia with only two suitcases of clothes and minimal other things. My fience here gave me some old dress shirts, ties, and t-shirts which I've been sewing into new halter blouses and babydolls for upcoming summer, reverse applique corset shirts (Alabama Stitch Book which I just saw in a library here), and a necktie dress and purse. 

Over the years I've made hot water bottle covers, slippers, and dolls from felted sweaters; cloth TP from old t-shirts; handkerchiefs from beautiful $2 fine lightweight linen shirts from the thrift store; bowl covers from old tea towels and dresser scarves that were getting holey at either end; a laundry peg bag from a vintage baby dress; cloth napkins from old tablecloths; washcloths and handtowels from old bath towels;  children's meditation cushions from old brightly colored linen women's dresses; sandwich wraps, snack bags, produce bags from various old shirts and muslin sheets; pot scrubbers from plastic mesh bags (oranges, onions); Christmas crackers from toilet paper tubes; and lots of other stuff. 

Mostly we don't actually buy a lot of stuff and packaging that has to be dealt with (recycled or repurposed) so I might be given things or I get them at a thrift store with a particular project in mind. 

Right now I'm about to turn a 90s high-waisted pair of stretch pants in a lively yellow gingham check pattern into a retro 40s bathing suit. the high waisted "shorts" bottom will cover the stretch marks that go all the way through my belly button and cover my rear end and the rest of each pants leg will make the halter top. I'm going to embroider some red cherries or something else onto the suit to perk it up. 

My new mother-in-law gave them to me and they fit, but they are out-dated and a bit to revealing as pants. 

I love to make new things. I hope more people will post what they are making to share ideas.

[treespeak]

This month:

I turned several flannel receiving blankets into a whole fleet of double-ply baby wipes.

My 4-year-old and I cut the leg off an old pair of pants and filled it with stale flax seed, dried lavender, and chamomile.  Now I microwave it at night as a lovely warm "go to sleep pillow"

Made room-darkening curtains for my son's room out of a cool old tapestry and a table-cloth (as the liner).