11.20.2008

Burlap Is The New Black

Last month at the thrift store I came across some burlap and have been exploring it as a medium ever since. It started with a little burlap bag makeover.

thrifted burlap bag and vintage fabric

25 cent bag, 35 cent fabric scrap.

burlap bag makeover

My new 60 cent bag. I love it.

burlap bag makeover

Especially the side pockets just the right size for water bottles.

Next came a little burlap birdie. No surprise to most of you that I made yet another bird.

burlap bird

But this is my first bird with eyes (made of cloves),

burlap bird with clove eyes

burlap bird with stick legs

and legs (made of sticks). This was the easiest and fastest bird yet. I left the raw edges of the burlap exposed to create a fringe.

Then there were the little gift bags I whipped up.

burlap drawstring bag

A plain little 5 inch square drawstring bag, just the right size to hold several acorn necklaces.

burlap bag embellished

And a pretty little bag for Avery's friend, embellished with leaves made from a felted sweater and a pink button for a blossom.

Perhaps my favorite project made from burlap is this pear.

burlap pear with copper leaf

I used the pear template from UK Lass in US; I enlarged the pattern by an 1/8 of an inch around the top, and a 1/4 inch around the bottom to make the pear plump.

burlap pear with copper leaf

My favorite part of the pear is the leaf, which I crocheted from copper wire. Come back tomorrow and I'll show you how to crochet your own metal leaves. Such a fun project with so many possibilities.

Of course, I'm not the only blogger playing with burlap right now. My friend Maya*Made has been creating beautiful and useful objects from burlap. Check out her blog and etsy store if you haven't already.

Here's some music to craft by - Madeleine Peyroux and friends have been keeping me company. Enjoy!

34 comments:

  1. What fun projects! The pear is my favorite too. ; )

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  2. Love burlap! Glad to see it's getting some attention. Love the birdie of course :) - cool legs and eyes especially.

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  3. I love the bag makeover! You've got me thinking about all the give-away tote bags I have in my collection that are awful looking - think of the possibilities!

    Niall and I danced our first dance as married people to Madeline Peyroux - she holds a special place for us.

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  4. i saw your pear on flickr and couldn't over to the post quick enough. i love it (and the bird too)! i've been toying with the idea of knitting with wire, i think i will got on that soon.

    your music link is great! we would call that kitchen music. that's the kind of stuff we like to listen to in the evening when it gets dark early and we're all hanging out in the kitchen for most of the evening. nice and mellow.

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  5. Wow! Wow! Wow! How much fun! I love the pear and the little birdie! Cute!

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  6. you went burlap crazy!!! i love everything! especially your little birdie!

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  7. Holy moley!!! I mean Molly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You've been sewing up a burlap storm!!! Oh why, oh why can't we be neighbors.. what fun we'd have! I love it all, but that bird is so perfect. You've got to know that I tried one too...a couple of weeks ago, when I really got started with the coffee sacks. Mine was a flop... you're so smart to go with the fray... that will be my new burlap motto! Those legs, those clove eyes... I love your mind... adore your aesthetic. The acorn bag is all frayed out to perfection. That pear, omg, that pear... can barely talk about the goodness of that pear... I might need to make a bowl of them for the kitchen table... I don't crochet... yet! I've got every size hook and copper wire, so maybe. Molly!!! Burlap Bonanza!! Sorry to all of the other Molly fans for my unabashed gushing... I can't help myself, you see... burlap is my material muse... and Molly has become one of my on-line muses, I mean, dear friend. This post is just too much for me. I'm going to go lie down now....
    xo,
    maya

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  8. I love all of it, gorgeous!! I love the natural feel of everything.

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  9. Your new projects are really lovely! I can't decide which one I like better, the bird or the pear. Thanks for the inspiration, this gives me some ideas on what to do with the burlap that my 6 year old son has embroidered...

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  10. wow- love them all- the bag is so great and the sweet little pear leaf.

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  11. I love the bag, the bird, the pear, the leaf...love it all! very cool. I still can't figure out the bird pattern! My brain cannot think 3 dimensionally.

    Thanks for the help on the blanket stitch. It is much easier than it looks!

    Expect some bookmarks in the mail! :)

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  12. Beautiful! Loving that bird of course! That pear with the crocheted leaf is so cute.

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  13. You are amazing!!!!! What a great bag and I love the bird.

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  14. You are the Burlap Queen!

    I hope Maya's going to be all right...

    :)

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  15. Pears. Birds. A Medieval Tapestry, Foothill style. I am loving it.

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  16. OMGoodness!
    This pear is divine!

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  17. Burlap is the new black!! That pear is the epitomy of deliciousness! And all the other projects are so clever and useful - you deserve to have Maya gushing. Now I know what's been missing from my crafting time - good music, thanks for sharing.

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  18. I've never heard that word before, burlap, we call it hessian here in Australia - or is that just me?

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  19. I love that great plump pear! And there's nothing like a bag with side pockets...I love the color next to that flax.

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  20. I love the plump little pear, so cute!

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  21. I love the pear. So fun. A plate of these would be so nice on a table. Thanks for sharing.

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  22. I love these! Thanks for stopping by my blog, and let me know if you do the "no-'poo" routine anytime soon.

    Have I been to your blog before? Because I feel like I have...lovely, it is.

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  23. i have so much burlap in my stash! just think what i could do with all of it!!!
    love love love the pear!

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  24. I'm with the others...
    L O V E
    L O V E
    L O V E the pear!

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  25. Burlap is a wonderful thing! I have a stash of it in various colors that I can't wait to play with (probably not until next year).

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  26. I don't know which is my favorite!! They are all so cute.
    http://judy-judysfabricaddiction.blogspot.com/

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  27. beautiful stuff! I love working with burlap too, and you have got my mind going with some other ideas. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  28. your pear is just awesome! I love it!

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  29. your pear is just awesome! I love it!

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  30. your pear is just awesome! I love it!

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  31. your pear is just awesome! I love it!

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  32. your pear is just awesome! I love it!

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  33. your pear is just awesome! I love it!

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