Deconstructing Molly

A girl raised with both fear and anticipation of Armageddon should not read the book The Road. She should also put down the book 6 Degrees: Our Future On A Hotter Planet, and stay far away from National Geographic magazines. She should definitely avoid the new Pixar movie, or that cute little robot who picks up garbage will put her over the edge with worry about a world uninhabitable thanks to trash.

I'm standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking the end of the world as we know it, and it's a scary place to be. There is so much beauty and joy in this ever changing world of ours and I'm trying desperately to focus on all that is good.



I'm trying to do my part to ebb the flow of garbage one article of ruined clothing at a time.
Rather than throwing away clothing that is beyond repair and not worthy of donation, I have pledged to salvage what I can. I cut one inch strips of fabric from a pair of Aidan's stained and torn shorts. Any other fabric scraps or ruined clothing will be cut into strips and added to the ball of "yarn", and perhaps one day I'll have enough to knit or crochet something useful (like a giant garbage bag).



I took it one step further (as I'm wont to do) and salvaged the zipper.



I cut out the pocket and decided it would make the perfect lining for a small zipper pouch.



Ah, I'm feeling better already. Finding beauty and functionality in trash. I know saving one piece of garbage won't change the world, but I'll take the peace of mind that doing something, even if it is small and insignificant, can give me. One small zipper pouch, one giant step back from the edge of despair.

If Gap Had A Home Store

I bought this sweater at the Gap Outlet Store when Avery was a baby,



and over the weekend turned it into a pillow for her room.

Now I know what to do with some of the old sweaters accumulating in the back of my closet.

Pieces of Me

You may not know this, but I quit this blog at least once a week. Then I find another post somewhere within because I know I am not done, for each post is like a block on a quilt I am slowly piecing together. The quilt of me. Each piece is different and unique. A memory, a moment, a project, a dream, a worry, a picture, all pieced together with the words running through my head like an endless spool of thread. When you stop by to see the latest piece I've added, you reinforce the seams, making my quilt stronger. We are not quite done my quilting companions - there are many more pieces to add to this quilt.



Above is the second and last quilt I made. I completed it about six years ago while pregnant with Aidan, though it had been in the works for several years. This was my first repurposing project - the quilt is made from George's old boxers and backed with one of his old chambray sheets. We call it the underwear blanket. Yes, it may be gross, but I loved each and every one of those pairs of boxers, especially the blue and white pinstripes. When the boxers ripped beyond repair, I cut them apart and kept what wasn't threadbare. It took me quite a while to save up enough remnants to make this quilt.

The underwear blanket is holding up remarkably well considering its origins, but my not so little boy is outgrowing his first quilt. It may soon be hung on his wall for posterity (and a conversation piece: "Hey, have you seen the quilt my crazy mom made from my dad's old boxers?"). I have in mind a new quilt for Aidan's room, pieced from the remnants of the men's dress shirts I used to make my aprons. Lots of stripes and plaids in shades of red and blue, a little bit of green and orange. I just don't know what pattern the quilt should be. Any suggestions from my fellow quilters? Keep in mind I'm a quilting novice with limited experience.

So there it is - another post, another piece of me, stitched in place. Thank you for stopping by and being part of my little virtual quilting bee. You make my quilt more interesting.

Repurposed Fingerless Gloves

I mentioned last month that I had a few more felted wool sweater projects up my sleeve. Well, this project is right off the sleeve. Fingerless gloves made from the sleeves of purposely (and accidentally) felted sweaters.

I made the pair above for my mom, who works in a cold office but still needs use of her fingers. She has knit several pairs of fingerless gloves as gifts, and even though she can knit a pair in a weekend, I am proud to say the fingerless gloves I made for her took me 30 minutes, tops.

Simply trace a pattern using the intended recipient's hand, allowing a