The Rebirth of an Undershirt

Recently, I came into the possession of two new long-john undershirts (they were bought for my dad, but didn't fit).  First, I considered throwing them into the bag with the other clothing donations to be dropped off at the church nearby.  But then, I had an idea...a thrifty, creative idea...in part inspired by the purchase of a new sewing machine!  What if the undershirts were reborn as shoulder bags.  Slouchy, casual, fun shoulder bags made of waffle material.  What a grand idea!

I planned it all out.  The body of the shirt would make the bag, the neckline and chest would become pockets, and the sleeves could be the strap.  Even the cuffs could be put to good use as the button flap closure.  Fortunately, my mom had some scrap fabric that I was able to use for the lining, because the waffle fabric was much too stretchy to be adequate on its own.

I embelished the outside pocket with some leafy stitching in a few shades of green, topped off with colorful buttons like little flowers.  Here it is in the works...

...And here it is completed.  YAY!  I do love this little bag.  I would love to keep it for me, but I made it with Sherri in mind...with some of her favorite colors, too.  It was to be a Valentine's gift, but 4 weeks of the flu put me behind.  So it is a "here is something to cheer you up and take your mind off the gray weather" gift instead!!  :)

There is one pocket on the outside of the bag and one on the inside.  Isn't that checkered pink lining fabric fun?!

So now that Sherri's bag is complete, it's time to make one for me with the remaining shirt.  I'm nearly done with it, in fact, and will be happy to show it to you once it is complete...

And hopefully it will be done soon, especially since I see Sherri carrying her bag and really want one of my own!

Have a happy, creative day!  xxxxx