Monday, July 1, 2013

Repurposing for a Purpose

Some may call is procrastination.  I prefer to think of all the crafting I've been doing lately as my way of preparing our family for the upcoming move.  Our apartment is not quite as ideal/cute/large/light/perfect as our current home.  In fact, in the pictures I have of it's current state, it's downright dumpy.  But I'm determined that with the right amount of scrubbing, love, and homemade accents it will become just as homey as our current house is....at least to us. 
 
Part of this process is making sure we only take the necessities (to keep it from being cluttered) and that everything we take fits the "Is it beautiful?  Is it useful?  Do we love it?" profile.  I am also in the great process of using up a massive supply of fabric before we move.  I've made it through making skirts/dresses for Tochterchen and myself, PJ pants for Mannchen, aprons for both kids, doll clothes, snack bags, and so much more.  Yet, I still have tons of fabric.  Looks like I'll still have plenty of excuses to sneak away and sew for the next few weeks.
 
That's where this old bathmat comes in.  We have three of them.  Each one has a hole in the exact same spot.  I have no idea why.  So, yes, it's useful, but it's not beautiful nor do we love it. 

 
 
Yesterday I was inspired by Amanda Soule's Towel Rug in Handmade Home and decided I could fix up this ugly mat with a little creativity and fabric.  I decided to start with the mat I accidently dyed a light shade of pink by washing a red napkin with it.  I think Tochterchen will be pleased with the result! 
 
Much better!  No longer drab and falling apart.  I wrapped fabric around the edge in the same way that you do quilt binding (cheater style - I did not slip stitch by hand).
 
I appliqued a mushroom (the border is pink and brown mushrooms/stripes) over the hole. 
 
Thankfully, our new bathroom is white - as opposed to the grey/maroon tile one we have in our current home.  I can get colorful and creative with my bathmat repurposing and it will go great in the new apartment!  Hopefully this will hold up! 
 
Linking up this week with Frontier Dreams, Natural Suburia, and The Magic Onions.
 


3 comments:

  1. that turned out great! what a wonderful idea! i am pinning this. :)

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  2. That's pretty stinkin' cute! Good job!

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  3. What a cute idea! Must tuck that away for future reference.

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