I thought I'd write a series of posts here about the things I sell in my shop
DebUpcycles. Answering questions like... Why they're upcycled, how they're upcycled, what materials I use, and where I get the fabric. I don't have any big trade secrets so here it goes.
I'm going to start with my
denim potholders. People, mostly men but some women (including me) wear their jeans until they're falling apart.
Most thrift shops don't put these out, although I wish they would, so I go to the Goodwill Outlet here where they sell all the items not good enough for the stores by the pound. I also find some at yard sales where they'll either be very cheap or (awesome!) in the "free" box.
I also find scraps of cotton batting, leftovers from some ones quilt project, at various places.
In the first potholders pictured I used scraps of denim in another shade to make the hearts and outlined them with machine stitching in red so they would stand out. In the picture above, you can see the outline of the stitching on the back of the potholder. For the ones on the left, the apples were cut from scraps I had leftover from making a pillow out of a mans shirt which was also found at the Goodwill Outlet, the leaves were just scraps I had picked up somewhere.
Everything except the thread is upcycled or used up from scraps, if I run out of something like the cotton batting I don't go running to a regular retail store for more. I just make something else until I find it again.
I love the challenge of finding ways to use the things I buy to their fullest extent. Even the scraps that are too small for anything else end up in pincushions or my compost pile as long as they're natural fibers.
Remember, we only have one Earth, it's time to start taking care of it.
I love this little wind chime/suncatcher! Made from a vintage cup and
glass chimes it would go perfect in my kitchen window! You can find this
and other items made from vintage glass at Heritage Dishes on Etsy. 
Not only is this twine dispenser useful, it's quite pretty as well! It wouldn't look out of place on a kitchen counter or a windowsill. You can find it on Treater Creek on Etsy along with lots of natural and nature inspired gift ideas!
