Wash, Cut, Sew

Today while cleaning out my closet, I found a wool vest that I used to wear ALL THE TIME.

I hear that it is a problem many with my personality type have, but I grow strongly attached to certain articles of clothing.

This vest was one of them.

But, it was clearly time to turn this into something else, so I washed it in very hot water, attempted to dry it in the dryer (WAY too much woolly lint) and cut it up!

It was clearly too thick to sew using my machine, so I hand sewed both pieces. Easy blanket stitching.

Then I remembered seeing on someone's blog, squares of felted wool used for coasters. I have eight 4 inch squares. I'm trying to decide if I want eight flat coasters, or four thicker ones with cinnamon and cloves sewn inside.

Another problem I have. Getting carried away with an idea.

Salt Dips

This is an idea I borrowed from my aunt. She has a narrow ledge lined with these. It looks SO charming!

They are simply salt dips, topped with old buttons. I am always looking for Bakelite buttons, leather buttons or large coat buttons to layer together to make the lids. Old pins work nicely, too.

This is an old Avon pin.

I do suppose you could use these to hold very small objects.

To keep the lid from sliding around, glue a smaller button to the underside of the lid.

The Old Becomes New

These beads were at one time part of a necklace. I strung them on Memory Wire after a slight accident with a tiny fisted boy. There are still beads to be found. These are plastic, but I've found many glass beaded necklaces in both thrift and antique stores. Look for chokers. These tend to have glass beads in varying sizes and seem to sell for less.