Something old, something new

I’ve been stumped for most of the month, trying to figure out how I would meet this month’s Blogging Business Artisans challenge, proposed by Cynthia of Antiquity Travelers:

June is a month for weddings. But how about a bit of twist on the saying ‘something old, and something new’. . . does anyone ‘upcycle?’ How do you take an old item and make it new? How about reworking an antique? Anyone do steampunk? How about quilting with fabrics from clothing that has memories to you?  Any other ideas?

It was a combination of visual triggers that finally helped me solve the puzzle of how to take something old and turn it into something new. I ran across an old outfit of David’s that I sewed for him when he was a toddler.

The crayon theme made me think of some water color pencils I have that need a case.

But the next dilemma was coming up with the right fabric. I found this window valance made from denim that used to hang in David’s bedroom window.

What goes with blue? I thought. And then John brought me an early 4th of July hydrangea that suggested a solution: the patriotic colors of red, white and blue.

The light bulb turned on and I recalled some red, white and blue fabrics I had purchased years ago, waiting for just the right project.

Funny how an idea comes together . . . and funny how it evolves into something else out of necessity. The pencil case became a crochet hook case.  Why? To be honest, I didn’t cut the fabrics in quite the right measurements. In order for my roll-up case to work for pencils, it needs to be taller and the left-most and right-most pockets need to be a little wider to accommodate the bulk of the seam. I have leftover fabric, so I’ll be working next on “Take Two” of this challenge.

John, who also crochets, has already asked me for a masculine version of the roll-up crochet case, so I guess Take One of this challenge is not a waste! Stay tuned for the revised version of this project.

© 2013 Judy Nolan. All rights reserved.