Drawstring bag from excess fabric

My habit of saving up stuff and trying to make them useful traces all the way back to my teenage. This is my first handmade bag, made using the excess fabric from my blouse. My mum and her sisters were tailors so they used to make all my clothes and I learned stitching and operating the sewing machine by watching them work.

I didn't do this all by myself, of course. One of my aunties helped me with the more complicated bits. And we'd a sewing machine then so it was not exactly hard for a 16-year-old. More than 2 decades on later, this bag is still in good condition although it might be a little too small and girly for me now. I can always give it to my nieces, or use it as a gift packaging... well I'll make sure it's put to good use.

Note (21 Feb 2010)
On 14 February 2010, first day of Lunar New Year - my youngest niece used this for collecting her red packets, and I let her keep it as she loves it so much - it's just the right colour for her!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Too many old receipts and "sold" stickers

Image
We probably can't go a week without buying something. Some of us try to reduce consumption, reduce the use of plastic bags, use BYO containers, go to the nearest shops whenever we can, etc; but the issuing of receipts seems to be a mandatory for all the major shops and malls. No matter how hard I try to squeeze as many items into one purchase, I still end up with way too many receipts. What's worse is: you get 2 sets of receipts when you use a credit card, and the thermal receipts are apparently not recyclable! Being a stubborn cow that I am, I refuse to throw any away as long as they still have a blank side on them - thermal receipt or not. I've been using them as note pads, to take phone messages (not that we had a lot), and write my shopping lists on, before I put them into the recycling bag for paper. Along with the compulsory receipts, these supermarkets and department stores also make sure that they paste a "Sold" sticker onto every bag (or every item i
Read more

Handmade beaded choker necklaces

Image
I love chokers but I can never find anything I like that would fit nicely on my skinny bony neck. That's when I started buying colourful beads in small packages and having a go at making my own beaded jewellery. Here are 2 of my early attempts that cost me less than £2 in total, but I have worn each of them to many parties and concerts, and am still not sick of them yet. I wear them with dresses to more formal functions but I can also match them with jeans or casual wear on a day out. I've also made some bracelets and belts out of my beads projects.
Read more

What can we do with used CDs and DVDs?

Image
Dear readers, this blog will no longer be updated.  All contents will be moved to: upcycleliving.blogspot.com Please update your link, and we hope to see you again soon  😊 I always make a point to buy rewritable CDs so that I can reduce the unnecessary disposal. However, I can't stop others from handing me non-rewritable discs. So I still find myself collecting unwanted, damaged, or outdated discs over the years. I refuse to throw them into the bin because they take years to decompose in landfill, not to mention the amount of toxin released during the process. So I kept holding on to them and have no idea what to do with them. We decided to use them as coasters and then found out that the shiny layer started peeling after a while. So I peeled the layer off and completely and cleaned them up. Now they are all transparent, and the problem is, sometimes we just can't see them! Then I thought it would be better to give them some colours to make them more visible.
Read more