Surprise for a Friend

Just this week, Buzz asked for an impromptu play date with his BFF, Aquaman.  Because I had only 537 things to do, it was a slow day, and I said OK.  Onward West, and we arrived at BFF’s house.  Play dates like this are cool, because I can get together with a friend, talk about nothing all afternoon, and say it was for the benefit of the kids.  Not so much as for the benefit of me being moderately lazy, but FOR THE KIDS.

So, we are chatting and I randomly look around at the stacks of neatly folded laundry. I am in awe that my friend not only folds her clothes right out of the dryer, but that she trusts mounded clean laundry to stay that way.  She has two boys, just as I do, and my neatly stacked laundry most definitely does not stay that way even though I put mine directly into baskets.  Hers is scattered on chairs, couch, coffee table, and is staying put.  Wow.  I think.

Then I see IT: a wool sweater that has been put in the dryer.

 

Those without trained eyes are probably wondering about my sanity right now.  Those who knit and know the pleasures of a fantastic, non-itchy all wool yarn are gasping.  Let me open those non-crafters eyes.  Wool fiber has these little barb like thingys on it.  When the fibers are rubbed together a lot, under heat, the barbs grab onto one another and hold tight.  If the rubbing continues, the fibers hold fast and become felt.  It is a fascinating process (to me, at least) and yields all sorts of interesting fabrics.

 

So, I see this sweater that has been accidentally felted and begin to mentally salivate.  Do you know all the things one can do with a felted sweater????   I have wanted to try some of them.  Now here is a sweater that fits the bill and it is just laying there.

“Ah..Friend?”  I say calmly.  “Wow.  This was shrunk.  What are you going to do with it?”

 

“You can have it if you want.  And here is the one DH shrunk.  You can have that too.  You got ideas?”  She knows I have the creating gene and sometimes is interested in what I can make.  I say sometimes because she so does not have the creating gene.  She would not mind me saying this as she has often declared such things herself.  Even has gone as far as screaming that she can’t even roll a tape ball.  But in reality, there is so much more to her that is creative.  Like her words-not everyone has something tangible for their efforts- and her sweet dough-on my stinking heck, good stuff.

 

So I just say “Yeah…”  and put the sweaters by my purse even though I really want to jump up and down hooting and hollering,  “Do you know the gift I have just received????”  But I don’t.  Because I don't want her to think I am weird, even though I really am.  And I know she knows it, and I know she knows that I know...

For the next hour I am barely able to concentrate as my mind is a-spinning with ideas.  I am mentally going through my craft room inventory of ribbon, buttons, fabric, and my mental pictures are almost too much to bear.

Now you know how I came upon the sweater.  Here is how I made it into a really cool bag.

First one has to explore options.  I laid out fabrics and ribbons with the sweater to see what struck me as great. 

I decide on the purple tie-dye looking bandannas, the polka dot ribbon and the purple button.

Then, the deconstruction:

I cut the arms and neck off the sweater.  I now have a tube, and a funky shaped piece of sleeve and collar.  I take the tube and stitch the new bottom as the old bottom is now the new top of the soon-to-be-bag.  Whew, that sounds harder than it really is.

So I sewed the bottom edge, and now I need to give the bag some shape.  I make the corners a square by folding the opening that is left.  I have put the seam that was the underarm against the seam that I just made and stitch away.

Now the bag has shape, but no handles or lining.  I cut strips from the sleeves that are slightly wider than the ribbon.  It took me some time to play around with the placement of the handles, but I finally get them where I want and I use a ton of pins to secure before stitching.

The handles are secured with a few rows of stitching.  This is no biggie as the stitching will not show on the outside-I will cover it up with the ribbon.  I stitch the ribbon on.  

Now for the lining.  The two bandannas get stitched together on the sides and bottom.   Then I do a corner triangle just like the bag itself.  

This piece is placed inside the bag inside out so that all the seams will be hidden.  I fold over the edge and pin the lining in place.  All that is left is hand-stitching the lining to the bag. 

 In the end, I decided not to use the purple button for a closure as the original sweater had a rolled edge.  It felted as a tube along the opening of the bag and any attempt to put a clasp in did not look "right".

So, now she will have a bag worthy of library books, toys, groceries, whatever.  No longer will she have a "worthless" shrunken sweater.  I hope she likes her surprise!!

As for the second sweater, here is my thought:

Happy Tuesday!