reusable plaid

So, I'm all about upcycling. You may have noticed this recent (mild) obsession. I love to go to the thrift shop near my place, find some clothes I can repurpose, and go to town. Awhile ago I bought two men's plaid shirts. First, I made a little tote bag. This is a basic bag pattern that I've made several times now. I put some cute details on one side-- a cluster of buttons from my jar of buttons. Yes, of course I have a jar of buttons! What else do you do with those extra buttons that come with nearly every garment? The red button was from one of the shirts, actually.

I also put a fun little heart applique on the back. Cute, right?

So, the latest projects I made with these same two shirts are these little Christmas gift bags. I'm hoping to make a bunch more before the gift-giving begins, but these have used up the majority of these shirts. My goal is to use as much of the shirts as possible so that the shirts, in their entireties, have taken on completely new lives. I've also used the cuffs to make those little reusable coffee cup sleeves. The collars were made into the handles on the tote bag. Seams (with double stitching) have become little "ribbons" for small gifts. You get the idea.

Actually, here's what remains of both shirts at this point. Not bad! But still tons of fabric left to make stuff with. Kind of amazing to think of all the possibilities with just two shirts!