Whiplash/Jeans part 1

I decided to make a rug for whip-ups whiplash recycled project which turned into two projects. First I collected a lot of jeans, not hard since I have kids who keep wearing theirs out. Then cut off the legs to make three inch wide strips. I wanted rows of colors, but with little kids there just isn't enough jean material in one pair of pants to make a complete row, so each row is a scattering of different colors. I just tossed them into a big tote to mix them all together. This was great fun for the kids.

Then I just sat down and started sewing; the kids would grab random pieces for me to sew into real long stripes. When I got about thirteen pieces sewn together, I would fold the strip in half length wise and wind it up into reels. This way a lot of yardage was ready to braid.
Next I just started the braiding. After a few yards were braided, I figured out the length I wanted the rug to start at. To get that measurement you take the measurements of the room you want to fill. Take the length and width and find the difference; that is your starting length for the center of the rug. Next I started to stitch them together to form the rug. I will not be able to complete this before whiplash ends; that will take many more weeks, but the idea is here and it is started. I think this would be a nice rug for a little kids' play room. This way if they spill something on it, it isn't a big deal, like my nice big wool rugs that I made which need special care. This can just go to the dry cleaners.

Because I was only using the legs of the jeans in the rug ,I still had the top half to do something with. I decided to make a quilt out of just the pockets, both front and back pockets, and any that where on the side of the legs, too. The layout when all complete will be nine pockets by eighteen pockets. I think once this top is done it will be good to use any scraps left to make a jean back for it and tie it. This will make a really big, thick picnic blanket so the cold doesn't go through. It could also make a real nice kid's blanket. If your kids are like mine, every stuffed animal in the room is on their bed. Maybe they can tuck a few of the little ones in the bottom pockets (no pun intended, I meant the ones at the end of the bed or sides, hanging off) and they won't have to clean up so much all the time. If I had made it shorter I could have made hooks to hang over their bedroom door and they could have put their Barbies in it for safe, visible storage.

The only things I didn't figure out how to use up was all those zippers. The labels from the jeans are also used; they are being sewn on to the quilt.
Part 1: this is it
Part 2: February 16: Update on rug progress here.
Part 3: February 17: Update on rug progress here
Part 4: here
Part 5: here
Part 6: here the end

Update Jan 6, 2009: Since finishing this post almost two years ago I have made a series of tutorials on how to actually make the rug not just how my rug grew if you wan tot make your own go tot the tutorial here.

whipup

Challenge

Valentine challenge:
CANCELED NO ENTREES

Swedish weave

These two blankets are made in the Swedish Weave technique. I did not make these; my Mother-in-law did. We took a class together to learn how to make these. I started one long ago that I have never finished. She wants to make one for each grand kid. She is playing "get caught up" at the moment. She is the mom of nine kids, so you can guess that there are a lot of grand kids already, and lots more coming all the time. These two blankets are my oldest daughter's and my littlest daughter's. The middle one is still waiting for hers because there are so many grand kids. The reason the oldest and the youngest have them and not that the middle one, wasn't that she was skipped because that didn't happen. The youngest was born right about the time we learned how to do this type of embroidery/weaving. So she got either the first or the second, one can't remember now. Now, mom is going back starting with the oldest grand kids and working her way down the list with new grand kids thrown into the mix as well. Because, if she goes the other way, the older kids keep growing and she has to make bigger blankets to cover them. This way, the blankets all stay about the same size and she gets caught up right as the next kid grows into that size of blanket; makes sense. The top right one belongs to my oldest daughter; the bottom right one belongs to my youngest daughter. My SILs pick the patterns for their kids blankets which is fine you can make sure they are all different that way. I find it more fun to just let my MIL pick what ever yarn and pattern she wants that way she can have more fun making it. Also it lets me know that it was more from her heart something she likes.

WIP Royal Purple

I have a nine year old who has out- grown six dresses in the last two weeks. So I decided I needed to look through my patterns and fabric and see what I could come up with.

This scan is two different fabrics; one sheer on the left, and one brocade middle and right. I might use the front and the back of the brocade to add variety to the dress. The picture of the fabric doesn't really do it justice because it is a real royal plum purple. The picture makes it look more blue.

The fabric was originally purchased six years ago for a Halloween Renaissance costume for me that I never made. I think this is a better use of it now, anyway it will get worn more. Plus I have a ton of it because the original pattern had lots of layers and trains. So I think I might have enough left over to make an oriental looking dress for me (cheong sam; I already have three chipu ones).

The pattern for the kid's dress was found at a thrift store and the largest size was cut so every thing should work out fine; if I want a smaller size, it is all there (50 cents). I still have to measure her to see if this pattern will work; I'll do that when she gets home from school. If not, back to the box of patterns to figure out a different dress, same fabric.

Update: well she is smaller than I thought. So I wont be using the Butterick pattern but the Simplicity one instead. This pattern was given to me by a lady in my neighborhood awhile back after she realized her kids where too big to use it.

The pattern I was talking about for me, if I ever get to make it, is this one by Mc Calls.

The color of the fabric is somewhere between the top scanned in image and the bottom three photographs.