Since our children are grown and no longer destroy our house, we have done a lot of transformations in the house. And since those grown children are only 21 and 22 years old, they still pack a financial whop to our budget. Let’s face it, it is expensive out there for EVERYTHING. So most (all) of our transformations thus far have been DIY. He has saved a lot of money and made many memories. We also get what we want and customize it to fit us. After transforming the closet sized bedroom upstairs into a library, we realized that we really do need a guest room as I have taken my the other spare bedroom and made it into a sewing studio. We literally dismantled the bookshelves, painted the wood (particle board) white and bought some cheap white brackets and made a continuous shelf around the top of the wall. It turned out beautiful. I will try to see if I have a picture. The walls are soft coastal blue with real sea shells and sand for a true ‘elegant’ beach cottage feel.
To pull the room together, I wanted to find the perfect, blue plaid comforter. I found plenty that I like and a few that I loved. I just could not justify the price for something that we would sleep under and possible drag downstairs to watch a movie on the floor or even outside to watch a movie on the projector or perhaps sit by the fire. With us, you just never know. I fully live in my home and very little is sacred by the way of material things.
I decided that I would make my own plaid comforter or quilt or bedspread. So I went to the fabric store to purchase several differently types of blue plaid fabric. I was not expecting the yardages to be so costly -even with coupons. I went back to drawing board to rethink my strategy of getting this blue plaid. In the sewing room is a top shelf of denim pants and one little lonely faded plaid shirt. Yep, that was enough to spark my tiny little repurposing brain. Saturday morning would find me in several thrift stores buying blue plaid shirts. I got 20 shirts for about 10 bucks. JACKPOT! One tip I may add, buy the largest sizes available to get more fabric. Plus size paid off on this trip. lol
Repurposing is fulfilling but not always an easy path. The shirts had to washed, cut apart, sorted (pockets on one pile, buttons on another, cuffs on another). Then they all were ironed with starch and stacked according to size. It pays to have one of these
That is my Prince Charming. Once again catching the vision on one of many random brain flights. He dutifully cut those shirts apart without my asking. We had plain coming out of our ears. I did not realize how much fabric we would actually get from all those shirts. I folded and cuts squares of fabric at home and at work. For two weeks straight, you could not find me without something of blue plaid in my hands or on my person
Pure & Lovely Gifts 