I went for a bike ride the other day, and though the rest of me felt great, my bum was too warm! I of course thought of breathable, moisture wicking wool, and got to work! First, take a piece of paper & make a template for the seat top, making sure to add on about 1/4" all around for seam allowance. Now, using that template, cut out a piece of felted wool. You will also need a strip of wool long enough to go all the way around your seat piece. You probably won't have a long enough piece to do that, so just sew 2 pieces together, like I did, then join the ends, so it makes a complete circle. You will want this to be about 1" deeper than the bike seat's side. Now you will want to sew the circular piece to the seat piece, wrong sides out. It should look something like this when you are done doing that... Now you will need some elastic. Please note: I like to use what I have on hand, so I used a thick piece of elastic, but a thinner piece of elastic would have worked much better than what I used. Stretch the elastic while you zig zag stitch it to the [not stretched] wool edge. You will be sewing it to the outside edge (the "wrong" side of the wool). When you are done going all the way around, you can flip it right side out, and it should look like this... Now it's time to put you cover on your bike seat! If you used the right elastic & stretched it enough while sewing, you should be done. If your cover ended up not tight enough, like below (because I used too thick elastic), there is an easy solution. Take the cover back off, flip it inside out and sew closed the skinny part, like this... When you flip it right side out again, it should resemble a goofy looking slipper. Now when you slip it back on the bike seat, it should look perfect! I tested it out with a long bike ride, and it works great! No more plastic seat sweat (yuck!)! It also looks cute with my water bottle cozie :).

I featured Ann's fabulous Etsy shop, Lavendar Tree, a while back, and even hosted a giveaway for one of her gorgeous pillows. She is one talented recycled wool artist, and she has generously given me permission to share her awesome beaded coaster tutorial with all of you! I love this tutorial for so many reasons... you don't use a sewing machine, so anyone can make them, you can reuse beads from a thrifted, broken, or unloved necklace, you can use wool scraps left over from bigger projects, you can make these while sitting on the couch watching tv, and they turn out great! They do take a little while, so if you love these coasters, and want instant gratification, you can buy them in her Etsy shop! Enough of my babbling! On with Ann's tutorial! Please note that I am copying & pasting directly from her blog. Thank you Ann!!!!! Wool Coaster Tutorial As promised, here's a short tutorial for some fun and easy coasters. WOOL COASTER TUTORIAL Trace and cut 8 circles from felted sweaters. The ones I made are about 4 inches across. I use a variety of things for templates - I believe this circle template might have originally been the cover to a yummy cream cheese container (after it's washed first, of course!). Line up and pin two circles to each other. Using a thin yarn, stitch a blanket stitch around the outside of the circle sewing the two pieces together. Before inserting your needle to begin a new blanket stitch, slip a bead onto the needle and slide it down to snuggle up to the last stitch next to the wool. TIP 1: Try to estimate how much yarn will be needed for the entire coaster before cutting. It helps prevent having to knot, end off and start a new piece of yarn. TIP 2: You can make a small knot when beginning your stitching and hide it in between the two layers of wool by catching just a snippet of wool with your needle further into the circle's center and then your next [beginning] stitch can start along the outside edge. Finish all four coasters in the same manner and you now have a great set of sassy coasters. Set them immediately on your coffee table or use a piece of ribbon or twine to tie them together in a neat little pile. It's a great way to present them as a gift! I tried one myself, for my mug of coffee on my desk in the morning, and I was very pleased with the results! I might remove the mug applique, but the beading looks great! Update: I decided I definitely wasn't happy with the mug applique, so I removed it and machine stitched in a circle pattern (like my trivets), and am much happier with the results now.

My entry on Pogos, 2 entries ago, has been nagging at me since I clicked on "publish post". I covered the physical creature itself, but did not touch upon the wonderful story telling that goes along with them. Storytelling is a lost art that I found again in Pogoshop. Reading her little tales, made me smile and even laugh out loud :) "A recent visitor tried to teach some of the pogos to play football. Well, that was just disaster - much like herding cats. They all wanted their own footballs and found plenty of hickory nuts for that. They ran in every direction kicking any footballs that they saw. They just couldn't grasp the ideas of rules or scores or game plans. Some sat down and started eating the footballs. But now, what did catch on were the uniforms. They just love the jerseys. They all agreed that being a mascot with a cool uniform was a job that they could do." "Spencer is such a friendly little pogo. He always wants to play, always wants to share, and is generally pretty hard to say no to. So have an answer ready when he wants to give you some of his acorn stash. Trust me, acorns are nasty." "Max is full of energy. If you want to spend time with him, you may have to climb a tree." "Jonah has been looking for hickory nuts to store for the winter. Each time he discovers that the squirrels have feasted on them first, he gets so disappointed. But he's a persistent little guy and he keeps on searching." "There's nothing little Ernie likes better than rolling in the fall leaves. Sometimes he hides in a pile of leaves and pops out to surprise his friends. Do be careful when you're raking leaves if Ernie comes to live with you!" pogoshop's Shop

Many of my cloth diapering readers may have heard of reusable cloth menstrual pads, often referred to as "mama cloth", or "mama pads". Some of you are hearing about them for first time right now, and are saying "ewww!". That's ok, because that's exactly what I thought when I first heard of them ;). It has been about 4 years since I bought my first cloth pads, and have not used any disposable sanitary products since. They are much less expensive in the long run, even if you don't make them yourself, and they are way more comfortable than disposable products. They may even reduce cramping. I thought it was a bunch of nonsense the first time I read that they can reduce cramps, but I absolutely have had less cramping since I started using cloth pads. It could be a coincidence, but I am not willing to go back to disposables, just to find out! Ok, enough of the introduction to cloth pads, and on to the tutorial! I decided to create a system, using a recycled wool base, rather than individual pads with backings. I figured it would be much easier to launder them, if the wool was separate from the pads, and the wool won't need to be laundered as often as the pads. Your first step is to cut out the wool back. Using a piece of very felted (you don't want it too stretchy) thin recycled wool (merino is probably best for this project), cut out this shape, making the length a comfortable length for you, for your pads (mine is 8" long): You'll want to add a snap to the wings, like the picture above, then add 2 snaps in the center, like in the picture below. This was my first time ever using snaps. I don't know why I was so intimidated by them until now. It is so easy! I have had bought the snaps and snap pliers, below, at a garage sale a long time ago, and couldn't tell how to use it by looking at it. I Googled around, and this website had very clear & simple instructions. Ok, now you are ready to make the snap on pads. You will want to make a template for your pads. You will want to make your template slightly longer than the length of your wool base, so after your seam allowance, they will be the same length as the wool base. I free hand drew my template, but you can use your favorite shaped disposable pad as a template, and there are some great templates on this site, as well as more cloth pad tutorials there. For your material, you will want to use very absorbent materials, so no wool! I have tried all the different fabrics, like bamboo velour, raw silk, and minky, but always come back to cotton & cotton flannel. The choice is up to you, but I strongly recommend a non stretchy, woven fabric. You'll see why further into this tutorial. I used scrap fabric I had on hand for all that I made. This is a great project for using up scraps! Now that you have your template, but out your pieces, 2 for each pad. You will now cut some scraps for the middle, for absorbency. You will want to leave room for the seam allowance on the sides of the absorbent middle. You will need to determine how many layers (how much absorbency) you will need for each pad, and sew half of the layers to each side. If you do not have enough layers for both sides, just sew them to the side that will be the underside of the pad. The snaps need more than one layer to go through to stay on firmly. I may or may not know this through experience ;). I like to sew a line through the center of the tops to create a "channel", as well. My absorbent layers are not uniform sizes, because I was just using up some scraps I had on hand. Now you are going to add the snaps to the bottom of your pad, making sure the connecting end of the snap is on the outside, either the male or female part... the opposite of whatever is on the wool base. To make sure the snaps were going to line up, I lined up the pad on the wool backing and pressed down where the snaps were on the wool, and it left little indents in the pad. I then used a marker to put a dot on the indents, to mark where the snaps would go. Now you can sew your top & bottom together, right sides in, leaving about a 2" opening at one end. now flip them right side out through your opening. Tuck the cut edges in, and sew it closed, then sew all the way around the edges. Hmmm.... that doesn't look right. Maybe they just need a little ironing... Nope. They still look weird and misshapen. This is why we don't use stretchy knits for this project. I don't know what I was thinking. Can you believe these came from the same template? Even though they are ugly, they are still usable, so it's ok. If you used a woven fabric, like I originally should have, they should end up looking like this: Much better, eh? Now you can make several pads, and snap on a fresh one whenever it's needed. I recommend making 2 wool backings, and alternate them, so one can air out while the other is in use. Why a wool backing with cloth menstrual pads, instead of using disposable pads? ... - Wool is moisture resistant, while remaining breathable. The plastic layer in disposable pads is definitely not breathable! If you add lanolin to the wool it will be nearly waterproof. - Wool has antibacterial properties, and naturally kills bacteria that causes odors. Disposables can add perfumes in an attempt to mask odors, but wool really helps to remove them! - Wool can be used again and again, before even needing to be washed. Even if your wool backing & pads doesn't last a lifetime, wool & cotton are ultimately biodegradable. Disposables need to be thrown away after each use. This gets expensive, and is not good for the environment. - Wool is convenient. If you use reusable pads, you will not run out of them, and never have to make trip to the store. They are always there, once you make them. What you use, or don't use, is entirely up to you, and is a personal choice, but now you have another option. In the beginning, I bought a bunch of different pads, from different makers, in different sizes, shapes, materials, and thicknesses. I discovered I liked Pink Lemonade's pads the best, so if this tutorial is a bit beyond your sewing abilities (I wouldn't have even attempted this myself a year ago), but you want to try cloth pads, I highly recommend Sue's pads. Pictures of pads from her Etsy shop:

I have another great blog to share with you! Stephanie's blog, Rags & Rambles, is a must read for any recycled wool enthusiast, recyclist, or mom! What will you find on her blog? Great tutorials... fun pictures of her adorable children... and of course recycled wool & cashmere projects... I love reading her blog, and i'm sure you will too!

I am always saying that pretty much anything you can make with fleece or craft felt, you can make with recycled wool (felted sweaters), and these 2 no-sew projects are no exception! This first one, is a method of joining squares with slits in them. Click here to go to the original tutorial on the How About Orange blog. craft felt, from How About Orange: With this, you can make trivets, a table runner... maybe even a blanket! I tried it out with some felted merino, and it worked great. recycled wool, Resweater: The next one is a no sew blanket edging. fleece, from Nebraska Views: This tutorial is for fleece, but of course I used recycled wool :). Click here to go to the original tutorial on the Nebraska Views blog. recycled wool, Resweater:

I featured Ann's fabulous Etsy shop, Lavendar Tree, a while back, and even hosted a giveaway for one of her gorgeous pillows. She is one talented recycled wool artist, and she has generously given me permission to share her awesome beaded coaster tutorial with all of you! I love this tutorial for so many reasons... you don't use a sewing machine, so anyone can make them, you can reuse beads from a thrifted, broken, or unloved necklace, you can use wool scraps left over from bigger projects, you can make these while sitting on the couch watching tv, and they turn out great! They do take a little while, so if you love these coasters, and want instant gratification, you can buy them in her Etsy shop! Enough of my babbling! On with Ann's tutorial! Please note that I am copying & pasting directly from her blog. Thank you Ann!!!!! Wool Coaster Tutorial As promised, here's a short tutorial for some fun and easy coasters. WOOL COASTER TUTORIAL Trace and cut 8 circles from felted sweaters. The ones I made are about 4 inches across. I use a variety of things for templates - I believe this circle template might have originally been the cover to a yummy cream cheese container (after it's washed first, of course!). Line up and pin two circles to each other. Using a thin yarn, stitch a blanket stitch around the outside of the circle sewing the two pieces together. Before inserting your needle to begin a new blanket stitch, slip a bead onto the needle and slide it down to snuggle up to the last stitch next to the wool. TIP 1: Try to estimate how much yarn will be needed for the entire coaster before cutting. It helps prevent having to knot, end off and start a new piece of yarn. TIP 2: You can make a small knot when beginning your stitching and hide it in between the two layers of wool by catching just a snippet of wool with your needle further into the circle's center and then your next [beginning] stitch can start along the outside edge. Finish all four coasters in the same manner and you now have a great set of sassy coasters. Set them immediately on your coffee table or use a piece of ribbon or twine to tie them together in a neat little pile. It's a great way to present them as a gift! I tried one myself, for my mug of coffee on my desk in the morning, and I was very pleased with the results! I might remove the mug applique, but the beading looks great! Update: I decided I definitely wasn't happy with the mug applique, so I removed it and machine stitched in a circle pattern (like my trivets), and am much happier with the results now.

I've been doing tons of sewing & cutting, and will be doing more this week, in anticipation of my local craft shows coming up. Here's what I have completed: The lone hat (I cut pieces for oodles of hats, but just haven't started the actual sewing yet)... the merino runner's mittens... the cashmere mittens... the wool & wool blend mittens... I apologize in advance if I don't post much over the next 2 weeks, but I will be busy with the craft shows. I'll do the best I can :) Feel free to post what you have been working on, on my Facebook page... i'd love to see it!

When I first saw Barby's felted mice, with recycled wool clothing, I was blown away. Not only are they tiny masterpieces, but the cuteness is overwhelming! She sells her mice in her Ebay store, but she also sells classes on how to make them, and kits, in her Etsy shop, Morning Glory Workshop. So, whether you want to buy them or make them, she's got you covered!

I wanted a nice looking throw blanket for the family room, to keep on the couch. I was originally going to just make one with squares and rectangles, since most blanket patterns frighten me with their intricacy. I get easily intimidated, and tend to stick to easier projects. When I saw this quilt, The Beekeeper's Quilt by Tiny Owl Knits ... ... I loved the look of it, but that quilt is made of hand knit "hexipuffs". I don't know how to knit, so I made one with felted wool! I printed this hexagon, that I found online, and used it as my pattern. If you want to be done quicker, you can use a bigger hexagon, like this one, but then you can't utilize much smaller scraps. I learned as I made this that the stiffer felted wools worked best for this. Felted cashmere, soft angora blends, etc. did not work very well. I didn't want the blanket to be stiff either, so I found that felted lambswool worked best, but you can use just about any felted wool. First you will want to pick your colors. I tend to gravitate toward natural colors, but this time I wanted bright & cheerful! I used mostly scraps that I had on hand, and arranged them randomly. If you are more adventurous than me, you can make patterns, like on this antique quilt, that I saw at a flea market this weekend: For a child that loves soccer, I think this would be adorable in black & white, like a soccer ball! For inspiration on patterns, simply Google "hexagon quilt", and click on the "images" tab at the top. Apparently this isn't an original idea ;). Molly, from the Finish Something Already blog, shared her techniques with me (& now with you!), that she used on her gorgeous quilts. One of Molly's beautiful recycled wool quilts: Simply put 2 pieces together and zig-zag stitch right down the line. You will want to press the pieces together a little, as you sew, so they don't move apart, and they are snuggly sewn together. Now just keep sewing more hexagons on, until the blanket is the size & shape you want. If you like the looks of the edges, you can leave it as-is, and be done. I wanted a more finished edge, so I cut the edges evenly... ... then folded back the edge a 1/2 inch, and zig-zag stitched it down to the back. the back: the front: I ironed it with steam, to get out the ripples, and I was done. (like my posed reading pic? Lol) It was super easy, but be warned... this took many hours to make! I found that the end result was was worth the hours I put in though, and I was glad I was able to use up so many scraps. What do you think?

Many of my cloth diapering readers may have heard of reusable cloth menstrual pads, often referred to as "mama cloth", or "mama pads". Some of you are hearing about them for first time right now, and are saying "ewww!". That's ok, because that's exactly what I thought when I first heard of them ;). It has been about 4 years since I bought my first cloth pads, and have not used any disposable sanitary products since. They are much less expensive in the long run, even if you don't make them yourself, and they are way more comfortable than disposable products. They may even reduce cramping. I thought it was a bunch of nonsense the first time I read that they can reduce cramps, but I absolutely have had less cramping since I started using cloth pads. It could be a coincidence, but I am not willing to go back to disposables, just to find out! Ok, enough of the introduction to cloth pads, and on to the tutorial! I decided to create a system, using a recycled wool base, rather than individual pads with backings. I figured it would be much easier to launder them, if the wool was separate from the pads, and the wool won't need to be laundered as often as the pads. Your first step is to cut out the wool back. Using a piece of very felted (you don't want it too stretchy) thin recycled wool (merino is probably best for this project), cut out this shape, making the length a comfortable length for you, for your pads (mine is 8" long): You'll want to add a snap to the wings, like the picture above, then add 2 snaps in the center, like in the picture below. This was my first time ever using snaps. I don't know why I was so intimidated by them until now. It is so easy! I have had bought the snaps and snap pliers, below, at a garage sale a long time ago, and couldn't tell how to use it by looking at it. I Googled around, and this website had very clear & simple instructions. Ok, now you are ready to make the snap on pads. You will want to make a template for your pads. You will want to make your template slightly longer than the length of your wool base, so after your seam allowance, they will be the same length as the wool base. I free hand drew my template, but you can use your favorite shaped disposable pad as a template, and there are some great templates on this site, as well as more cloth pad tutorials there. For your material, you will want to use very absorbent materials, so no wool! I have tried all the different fabrics, like bamboo velour, raw silk, and minky, but always come back to cotton & cotton flannel. The choice is up to you, but I strongly recommend a non stretchy, woven fabric. You'll see why further into this tutorial. I used scrap fabric I had on hand for all that I made. This is a great project for using up scraps! Now that you have your template, but out your pieces, 2 for each pad. You will now cut some scraps for the middle, for absorbency. You will want to leave room for the seam allowance on the sides of the absorbent middle. You will need to determine how many layers (how much absorbency) you will need for each pad, and sew half of the layers to each side. If you do not have enough layers for both sides, just sew them to the side that will be the underside of the pad. The snaps need more than one layer to go through to stay on firmly. I may or may not know this through experience ;). I like to sew a line through the center of the tops to create a "channel", as well. My absorbent layers are not uniform sizes, because I was just using up some scraps I had on hand. Now you are going to add the snaps to the bottom of your pad, making sure the connecting end of the snap is on the outside, either the male or female part... the opposite of whatever is on the wool base. To make sure the snaps were going to line up, I lined up the pad on the wool backing and pressed down where the snaps were on the wool, and it left little indents in the pad. I then used a marker to put a dot on the indents, to mark where the snaps would go. Now you can sew your top & bottom together, right sides in, leaving about a 2" opening at one end. now flip them right side out through your opening. Tuck the cut edges in, and sew it closed, then sew all the way around the edges. Hmmm.... that doesn't look right. Maybe they just need a little ironing... Nope. They still look weird and misshapen. This is why we don't use stretchy knits for this project. I don't know what I was thinking. Can you believe these came from the same template? Even though they are ugly, they are still usable, so it's ok. If you used a woven fabric, like I originally should have, they should end up looking like this: Much better, eh? Now you can make several pads, and snap on a fresh one whenever it's needed. I recommend making 2 wool backings, and alternate them, so one can air out while the other is in use. Why a wool backing with cloth menstrual pads, instead of using disposable pads? ... - Wool is moisture resistant, while remaining breathable. The plastic layer in disposable pads is definitely not breathable! If you add lanolin to the wool it will be nearly waterproof. - Wool has antibacterial properties, and naturally kills bacteria that causes odors. Disposables can add perfumes in an attempt to mask odors, but wool really helps to remove them! - Wool can be used again and again, before even needing to be washed. Even if your wool backing & pads doesn't last a lifetime, wool & cotton are ultimately biodegradable. Disposables need to be thrown away after each use. This gets expensive, and is not good for the environment. - Wool is convenient. If you use reusable pads, you will not run out of them, and never have to make trip to the store. They are always there, once you make them. What you use, or don't use, is entirely up to you, and is a personal choice, but now you have another option. In the beginning, I bought a bunch of different pads, from different makers, in different sizes, shapes, materials, and thicknesses. I discovered I liked Pink Lemonade's pads the best, so if this tutorial is a bit beyond your sewing abilities (I wouldn't have even attempted this myself a year ago), but you want to try cloth pads, I highly recommend Sue's pads. Pictures of pads from her Etsy shop:

I am not doing craft shows anymore, for a variety of reasons, but I still have inventory to sell, so I am having a craft show right here on my blog! My prices all include shipping (free shipping on everything to the continental US!), and are lower than my craft show prices, so get 'em while they last! Take an additional $1 off each item after the first (example: buy 5 items, and get an additional $4 off)! Please excuse any wrinkles or wonkiness... these items have been in storage totes since my last craft show, but will come back to life with use! :) If you wish to purchase something(s), please email me ( resweatercontacts [at] gmail [dot] com ) with the item #(s), brief description, and an email address to send the Paypal invoice to. Please understand that I cannot hold these items. If you want them, please pay right away. Thanks! recycled wool and cashmere ornaments, handmade by me. $5 for the first one, ($4 per additional, when you take off the $1 per item). Please specify whether you'd like Christmas colors, girly colors, earthy colors, colorful, or "surprise me"... Item #1 recycled wool dryer balls. These are handmade by me from recycled wool. These naturally help your laundry dry faster, reduce static, and soften your laundry. These eliminate the need for chemical laden dryer sheets and laundry softener. These pay for themselves in the energy they save, and the products they replace, plus they make a unique gift for those hard to shop for people on your list! I will do my best to fill color requests, but I am limited to what I have on hand. $10 each or $18/pair (pair counts as 1 item for $1 off discount). Using these in pairs is recommended. Item # 2 Throw pillows (approximately 11"-13" square). All covers (removeable) handmade by me, made from recycled wool or recycled cashmere. The pillow inserts inside are new, prices below pictures.... #3 lavender cashmere with travel trailer (like Scamp) wool applique, $25 #4 gray wool with sheep applique, $18 [sold] #5 brown wool with sock monkey applique, $18 [sold] #6 purple owl with feet, $18 [sold] This one is sold, but I do have a similar owl pillow in taupe/browns. You can see a picture of it here. #7 aqua cashmere with travel trailer applique, $25 [sold] #8 red winged black bird [was a bad camera angle- is not crooked], $15 #9 green and plum lambswool fair isle, $10 #10 neutrals patterned merino wool, $10 [sold] #11 green with stripes lambswool, $10 [sold] #12 blue/gray plaid merino wool, $10 #13 red/green patterned wool, $10 [sold] #14 green paisley wool, $10 [sold] #15 red fair isle lambswool #16 red/green patterned wool, $10 Recycled wool and cashmere "funky hats". These are stretchy, so they fit a variety of head sizes. Some of the headbands are looser and best for adults only, but I think you can tell in the pictures which ones are. If in doubt, just email me and ask. Wool are $10, cashmere are $13... #17 blue/pink fair isle/green, #18 cream/green fair isle/green, #19 purple/coral/pink #20 gold/multi/moss [sold], #21 navy/orange/navy [Bears colors!], #22 tan/fair isle/magenta [sold] [these are all wool, $10] #23 black/blue snowflakes/gray [sold], #24 tan/orange stripe/green, #25 green/purple/orange stripe #26 pink/striped/pink, #27 lavender/striped/purple [sold], #28 blue/red & pink/purple [these are all wool, $10] #29 purple/striped/coral striped, #30 brown/multi/gold, #31navy/orange/navy [Bear's colors!] #32 cream/fair isle/tan, #33 tan/fair isle/magenta, #34 lavender/stripes/tan [these are all wool, $10] #35 tan/brown stripe/brown, #36 cream/green fair isle/gray, #37 maroon/patterned/maroon #38 maroon/patterned/navy, #39 blue/striped/gray, #40 rust/brown fair isle/brown [these are all cashmere, $13] #41 brown/pink argyle/pink, #42 light orange/orange/tan, #43 magenta/pink/raspberry [sold] #44 raspberry/stripe/dk. pink, #45 plum/pink/pink argyle, #46 tan/coral/brown Recycled wool and cashmere mittens. These are one size, and tend to run big, so not great for tiny hands, but great for average to large sized hands. Each pair comes with a pair of "mitten doublers", which are removable inside liners (wool for the wool mittens, and cashmere for the cashmere mittens), or take off $3 if you do not want the doublers. $15/pair for wool or $18/pair for cashmere ($12 and $15 without the doublers). I only have 2 pairs of cashmere doublers, so when those are sold out you can either use wool doublers in the cashmere mittens or buy them without the doublers. [wools: shorter style on top row, longer style on bottom row] #47 coral/tan/green, #48 multi/pink/blue [sold], #49 blue fair isle/green/blue #50 maroon orange stripe/blue/orange, #51 navy pink stripe/navy/pink, #52 pink fair isle/lt green/green [wools: shorter style on top row, longer style on bottom row] #53 blue stripe/navy/maroon, #54 purple/pink/blue, #55 aqua/green/purple #56 green/maroon/tan, #57 multi stripe/tan/tan, #58 stripe/brown/burgundy [wools: shorter style on top row, longer style on bottom row. Example of mitten doublers on right] #59 green/coral/pink, #60 multi stripe/plum/gray #61 blue stripe/gray/green [sold], #62 gray/green/pink [cashmere: shorter style on top row & bottom left, longer style on bottom row right] #63 maroon/magenta/maroon, #64 green/moss/coral, #65 moss/yellow/moss, #66 yellow/moss/yellow, #67 blue/blue/gray, #68 maroon/plum/gray, #69 yellow/tan/tan Recycled merino wool runner's mittens. These thin, soft, breathable, moisture wicking mittens are perfect for runners. These versatile mittens are also great for errand running, and can also be used as an inside lining for other mittens. $10/pair #70 tan, #71 tan, #72 gray, #73 black, #74 charcoal Recycled wool draft stoppers (place on threshhold to keep drafts from coming in), filled with recycled wool scraps for natural insulation, all 40-45" long. $12. [***pictures of draft stoppers to come soon***] #75 scrappy gray/burgundy/fair isle, #76 brown/ends look like cut logs, #77 scrappy brown/gray/patterned, #78 scrappy rust/brown/striped #79 scrappy with gray bug face, #80 scrappy with blue bug face Please don't hesitate to email me with any questions... ( resweatercontacts [at] gmail [dot] com ) !

SOLD This one BUT I have one more :) Blogged: www.woolbrain.wordpress.com Feel good about upcycling your old wool sweaters...into this cute little pouch/purse/wallet.

Yep, more wool knee patches! This is the first pair of jeans, that I bought new, that my son has put knee holes in. All the previous hole...

Yep, more wool knee patches! This is the first pair of jeans, that I bought new, that my son has put knee holes in. All the previous ho...

Since I haven't finished what i'm working on, i'll just give you a sneak peek! I'll tell you that it's not a blanket! What have you been working on?

I went for a bike ride the other day, and though the rest of me felt great, my bum was too warm! I of course thought of breathable, moisture wicking wool, and got to work! First, take a piece of paper & make a template for the seat top, making sure to add on about 1/4" all around for seam allowance. Now, using that template, cut out a piece of felted wool. You will also need a strip of wool long enough to go all the way around your seat piece. You probably won't have a long enough piece to do that, so just sew 2 pieces together, like I did, then join the ends, so it makes a complete circle. You will want this to be about 1" deeper than the bike seat's side. Now you will want to sew the circular piece to the seat piece, wrong sides out. It should look something like this when you are done doing that... Now you will need some elastic. Please note: I like to use what I have on hand, so I used a thick piece of elastic, but a thinner piece of elastic would have worked much better than what I used. Stretch the elastic while you zig zag stitch it to the [not stretched] wool edge. You will be sewing it to the outside edge (the "wrong" side of the wool). When you are done going all the way around, you can flip it right side out, and it should look like this... Now it's time to put you cover on your bike seat! If you used the right elastic & stretched it enough while sewing, you should be done. If your cover ended up not tight enough, like below (because I used too thick elastic), there is an easy solution. Take the cover back off, flip it inside out and sew closed the skinny part, like this... When you flip it right side out again, it should resemble a goofy looking slipper. Now when you slip it back on the bike seat, it should look perfect! I tested it out with a long bike ride, and it works great! No more plastic seat sweat (yuck!)! It also looks cute with my water bottle cozie :).

Many of my cloth diapering readers may have heard of reusable cloth menstrual pads, often referred to as "mama cloth", or "mama pads". Some of you are hearing about them for first time right now, and are saying "ewww!". That's ok, because that's exactly what I thought when I first heard of them ;). It has been about 4 years since I bought my first cloth pads, and have not used any disposable sanitary products since. They are much less expensive in the long run, even if you don't make them yourself, and they are way more comfortable than disposable products. They may even reduce cramping. I thought it was a bunch of nonsense the first time I read that they can reduce cramps, but I absolutely have had less cramping since I started using cloth pads. It could be a coincidence, but I am not willing to go back to disposables, just to find out! Ok, enough of the introduction to cloth pads, and on to the tutorial! I decided to create a system, using a recycled wool base, rather than individual pads with backings. I figured it would be much easier to launder them, if the wool was separate from the pads, and the wool won't need to be laundered as often as the pads. Your first step is to cut out the wool back. Using a piece of very felted (you don't want it too stretchy) thin recycled wool (merino is probably best for this project), cut out this shape, making the length a comfortable length for you, for your pads (mine is 8" long): You'll want to add a snap to the wings, like the picture above, then add 2 snaps in the center, like in the picture below. This was my first time ever using snaps. I don't know why I was so intimidated by them until now. It is so easy! I have had bought the snaps and snap pliers, below, at a garage sale a long time ago, and couldn't tell how to use it by looking at it. I Googled around, and this website had very clear & simple instructions. Ok, now you are ready to make the snap on pads. You will want to make a template for your pads. You will want to make your template slightly longer than the length of your wool base, so after your seam allowance, they will be the same length as the wool base. I free hand drew my template, but you can use your favorite shaped disposable pad as a template, and there are some great templates on this site, as well as more cloth pad tutorials there. For your material, you will want to use very absorbent materials, so no wool! I have tried all the different fabrics, like bamboo velour, raw silk, and minky, but always come back to cotton & cotton flannel. The choice is up to you, but I strongly recommend a non stretchy, woven fabric. You'll see why further into this tutorial. I used scrap fabric I had on hand for all that I made. This is a great project for using up scraps! Now that you have your template, but out your pieces, 2 for each pad. You will now cut some scraps for the middle, for absorbency. You will want to leave room for the seam allowance on the sides of the absorbent middle. You will need to determine how many layers (how much absorbency) you will need for each pad, and sew half of the layers to each side. If you do not have enough layers for both sides, just sew them to the side that will be the underside of the pad. The snaps need more than one layer to go through to stay on firmly. I may or may not know this through experience ;). I like to sew a line through the center of the tops to create a "channel", as well. My absorbent layers are not uniform sizes, because I was just using up some scraps I had on hand. Now you are going to add the snaps to the bottom of your pad, making sure the connecting end of the snap is on the outside, either the male or female part... the opposite of whatever is on the wool base. To make sure the snaps were going to line up, I lined up the pad on the wool backing and pressed down where the snaps were on the wool, and it left little indents in the pad. I then used a marker to put a dot on the indents, to mark where the snaps would go. Now you can sew your top & bottom together, right sides in, leaving about a 2" opening at one end. now flip them right side out through your opening. Tuck the cut edges in, and sew it closed, then sew all the way around the edges. Hmmm.... that doesn't look right. Maybe they just need a little ironing... Nope. They still look weird and misshapen. This is why we don't use stretchy knits for this project. I don't know what I was thinking. Can you believe these came from the same template? Even though they are ugly, they are still usable, so it's ok. If you used a woven fabric, like I originally should have, they should end up looking like this: Much better, eh? Now you can make several pads, and snap on a fresh one whenever it's needed. I recommend making 2 wool backings, and alternate them, so one can air out while the other is in use. Why a wool backing with cloth menstrual pads, instead of using disposable pads? ... - Wool is moisture resistant, while remaining breathable. The plastic layer in disposable pads is definitely not breathable! If you add lanolin to the wool it will be nearly waterproof. - Wool has antibacterial properties, and naturally kills bacteria that causes odors. Disposables can add perfumes in an attempt to mask odors, but wool really helps to remove them! - Wool can be used again and again, before even needing to be washed. Even if your wool backing & pads doesn't last a lifetime, wool & cotton are ultimately biodegradable. Disposables need to be thrown away after each use. This gets expensive, and is not good for the environment. - Wool is convenient. If you use reusable pads, you will not run out of them, and never have to make trip to the store. They are always there, once you make them. What you use, or don't use, is entirely up to you, and is a personal choice, but now you have another option. In the beginning, I bought a bunch of different pads, from different makers, in different sizes, shapes, materials, and thicknesses. I discovered I liked Pink Lemonade's pads the best, so if this tutorial is a bit beyond your sewing abilities (I wouldn't have even attempted this myself a year ago), but you want to try cloth pads, I highly recommend Sue's pads. Pictures of pads from her Etsy shop:

When I first saw Barby's felted mice, with recycled wool clothing, I was blown away. Not only are they tiny masterpieces, but the cuteness i...

Some people like to frog wool sweaters (reclaim the yarn), so I don't want to make the froggers/knitters feel left out. Here's an awesome pa...

I featured Woolcrazy's Etsy shop a few years ago, but it's time to revisit. Her uber adorable recycled wool & needle felted critters have gotten even cuter! I think I will be paying her shop a visit next Saturday, for Small Business Saturday! I will be visiting a few shops then :).

If you've been following my blog, then you know that we recently adopted a dog, Spots. Since she's a short haired dog, she gets cold easily, so I set to work making her a sweater. Since it's spring I decided to use a light merino. Since I have a pattern now, whipping out a couple of heavier weight ones won't be a problem in the fall. This probably took me less than a 1/2 hour from start to finish and will be much faster the next time around, now that I have the pattern. On to the tutorial! First, make your pattern. This is the basic shape you will want: I won't bother giving the measurements of mine, since every dog is different, but you see the basic shape of it. Measure your dogs neck loosely and make the top of your pattern half that. Measure your dog's waist and the bottom of your pattern will be half that. Cut your leg holes and try them on your dog. If you use newspaper for a pattern, like I did, it will be no biggie to throw it in the recycling and start again if you mess up your first pattern. I may or may not be speaking from experience ;) Next select your sweater, neck, and legs for your sweater. I chose different colored cuffs from another sweater, but it can all come from the same sweater. I used a turtle neck from the sweater for the neck, but a piece of ribbing, or even a stretchy piece of wool folded in half would make a fine neck. Cut out your pattern pieces (one with leg holes, one without), with the sweater's hem at the bottoms, and sew them together "right" sides in. Now you will add your legs. Don't worry if the cuffs are a little smaller than your leg holes... just stretch them a little as you sew them together. When you look inside your legs you should see the seam. That way you know it is going on the right way. Sew your neck on too. Flip it right side out, and ... voila! Dog sweater! Easy, eh? I love recycled wool :) She loves her new sweater, and if I hold it out Spots will come running and stick her head through the neck. She had a blast playing in the yard on Saturday in her new sweater, even though it was a chilly spring morning. Edited to add: To add a "skirt" to this sweater, go here.

Many of my cloth diapering readers may have heard of reusable cloth menstrual pads, often referred to as "mama cloth", or "mama pads". Some ...

Since this was the first Christmas my son really "got it", we knew we had to get the rules down for the future, if you catch my drift. We (dh & I) decided that we would each give Jack one homemade present on Christmas eve, and the rest would come from Santa on Christmas morning. He opened up the recycled wool monster I made (out of leftover scraps from the quilt I made him... they match!), & immediately started hugging it. It was SO rewarding to see him love & appreciate something that I made! I posted pictures of it in an earlier entry, but here he is holding it up. This is only one of the homemade gifts that i'll be blogging about in the next week or so. I tried to have a resale, eco friendly, & homemade Christmas this year, and I had great success! See the box towers to the right of my son? The red ones i've had for 5 Christmases so far, and the others for 3. Not only are they less wasteful & cheaper than wrapping paper in the long run, but easier, and make lovely decorative Christmas towers around the house. They neatly nest inside of each other to store, and while they were empty, my son liked to stack & nest them (educational!). It was such a heartwarming Christmas for me, because my son was so into it. I will always remember the look on his face when we were decorating the tree, & he would excitedly say "More Christmas, Mama! We need more Christmas!".

Edited to add: I take it for granted that everyone knows the true "first step"... felt (wash it in a hot wash & throw it in the dryer) your ...

It's been a while since i've done a tutorial! I bought a hat at a garage sale that I loved, so I created a pattern loosely based off of the ...

My husband got me [us] a GPS for Christmas, so I made a little pouch for it, so it won't get scratched when I throw it in my purse. I just used a couple of scraps I had on hand, and it took me under 5 minutes to make! Front & back: Two more pairs of Jack's jeans ended up with holes in the knees, so more patching had to me done! Jack asked for an owl on one pair & let me have creative rights to the second. I wish I would have made the owl & the background colors contrast more, but oh well! I think this one's going to look better as the edges fray more. I made my son's Lego table this week too. I think it turned out great! I wish I had taken a "before" shot of the coffee table. It had crackled gold colored leather on the top, and this looks so much better! I love the style of the table, and it was the perfect size for my son's room. I had so many great suggestions for glues, but once I got to the hardware store & started reading all the labels, I kind of went pale. Everything was toxic, and the bottle that the clerk was urging me to buy said "WARNING: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm". When I read it out loud, he said "those hippies in California worry about everything". I laughed, and said "and rightly so! I'm not putting this crap in my son's room!". I ended up reading all the labels, and found one with no warnings that said "non toxic", and that is what I used... Gorilla Wood Glue. It seems to be holding up with no problems, and I am more than willing to reglue, should a piece pop up in the future. It is worth the piece of mind. May the force be with you! ;) So, what have you been working on?

Many of my cloth diapering readers may have heard of reusable cloth menstrual pads, often referred to as "mama cloth", or "mama pads". Some ...

If you've been following my blog, then you know that we recently adopted a dog, Spots. Since she's a short haired dog, she gets cold easily, so I set to work making her a sweater. Since it's spring I decided to use a light merino. Since I have a pattern now, whipping out a couple of heavier weight ones won't be a problem in the fall. This probably took me less than a 1/2 hour from start to finish and will be much faster the next time around, now that I have the pattern. On to the tutorial! First, make your pattern. This is the basic shape you will want: I won't bother giving the measurements of mine, since every dog is different, but you see the basic shape of it. Measure your dogs neck loosely and make the top of your pattern half that. Measure your dog's waist and the bottom of your pattern will be half that. Cut your leg holes and try them on your dog. If you use newspaper for a pattern, like I did, it will be no biggie to throw it in the recycling and start again if you mess up your first pattern. I may or may not be speaking from experience ;) Next select your sweater, neck, and legs for your sweater. I chose different colored cuffs from another sweater, but it can all come from the same sweater. I used a turtle neck from the sweater for the neck, but a piece of ribbing, or even a stretchy piece of wool folded in half would make a fine neck. Cut out your pattern pieces (one with leg holes, one without), with the sweater's hem at the bottoms, and sew them together "right" sides in. Now you will add your legs. Don't worry if the cuffs are a little smaller than your leg holes... just stretch them a little as you sew them together. When you look inside your legs you should see the seam. That way you know it is going on the right way. Sew your neck on too. Flip it right side out, and ... voila! Dog sweater! Easy, eh? I love recycled wool :) She loves her new sweater, and if I hold it out Spots will come running and stick her head through the neck. She had a blast playing in the yard on Saturday in her new sweater, even though it was a chilly spring morning. Edited to add: To add a "skirt" to this sweater, go here.

I featured some scarves from Heartfeltbaby's Etsy shop during scarf week, but I saw her children's sweaters at that time, and never forgot them. They are adorable & one of a kind! Sorry the blog has been a bit slow going this week. I've been uber busylately, & lost internet all day yesterday. I promise i'll get back on the ball!

Edited to add: I take it for granted that everyone knows the true "first step"... felt (wash it in a hot wash & throw it in the dryer) your ...

Lisa is no stranger to recycled wool quilts! Not only does she sell them on her website, but she has a booth at her farmer's market, are sold in several stores in the Vermont area, and was even featured on the news! These beautiful heirloom quilts are backed with warm flannel, and come ready for snuggling! For more fabulous recycled wool goods, like pillows, ponchos, and hats, make sure to check out her site. I'm excited to be getting one of her ponchos myself!

You can find these gorgeous purses & more in Felt Sew Good's Etsy shop , blog , and on Flickr . It was SO hard to only pick a few to post,...

You can find these gorgeous purses & more in Felt Sew Good's Etsy shop , blog , and on Flickr . It was SO hard to only pick a few to post,...

You can find these gorgeous purses & more in Felt Sew Good's Etsy shop , blog, and on Flickr. It was SO hard to only pick a few to post, because they are all fantastic. If you like what you see here, you must check out her shop! She not only has more fabulous purses, but brooches, stuffed animals, pillows, and other felted wool goodies.

It was 40 degrees this morning, so I started pulling out the winter outerwear. In with it was a wind jacket I bought at a yard sale this summer. When I tried it on & extended my arms, it looked like this: That won't do! I really love the jacket, and didn't want to have to throw it in the donate pile just yet, so I decided to extent the arms. This is great for kid's jackets, to make them last another season, while making them a little more fun. I love that you never have to search for mittens at the last minute... they are built in! Here comes the tutorial! This was a hard one to describe the steps, but hopefully the pictures will help clear up any confusion. What you'll need is a jacket, and 2 long felted sweater cuffs that go well with the jacket. First, turn your jacket inside out. Now place a cuff in a sleeve, so your cuff seam is against the sleeve. Line up the cuff seam with the jacket seam, so the seam of the cuff will be on the underside when you are wearing the jacket. Now tuck in a little bit (about an inch) of the jacket sleeve inward. Now start to sew the cuff to the jacket's inside lining. You will have to feel along as you go, so you aren't sewing through to the outside layer of the jacket as well. That way, there will be no seam on the outside of the jacket. When you are done, it should look like this: Repeat the process to the other sleeve, and flip everything right side out. Now figure out where your thumb should be, and cut a small slit there. Now you have built in fingerless gloves! fold them back once, and you have extended cuffs. It kind of looks like you are wearing a sweater under it.

next artist has her own website, the Anti-Factory . She only sells her recycled wool & recycled cashmere sweaters in the fall/winter months,...

Here's a great project for kids! Kids can make these themselves, or they can be made for kids. Tanagrams are educational & fun! To start you will need some felted wool scraps. You can use all the same color, or use different colors. You will also need some magnets. I used magnets from junk mail. You'll want to peel as much of the paper labels off as possible, so the magnet is less weighed down, and so the glue will stick better. You don't have to get all of it off... just what you can. Now you'll need everything in the picture below (tanagram pattern, scissors to cut the magnets & the wool, Elmer's glue, and a Q tip), then you are ready to get started! Click on the picture below to enlarge the tanagram pattern, and you can print it, or you can go here to find a really large one, if you prefer. Cut your tanagram pieces out, and use them as patterns to cut out the shapes from your magnets. Now take your Q tip and thickly spread some Elmer's glue over the entire shape, and press it into the scrap. You will need to make 2 of the parallelogams, but one of everything else is fine. With wooden tanagram sets, you are able to turn the parallelograms over to use the other side. Since these are magnets, you won't have that option, so you want 2 of them to represent both sides. Did that make sense? Once the glue is dry, you can cut out your shapes. Now you can head on over to the fridge or steel baking sheet to play! I made 2 sets, one in different colors, and one with just one color. I prefer the one color, but the choice is yours! Sorry for the terrible pictures, but the lighting in our kitchen is awful. Here are some tanagram problems, and solutions that you can click on to go to & print. I suggest giving the solutions page to smaller children, and the problems page to older children. To learn more about tanagrams, why they are so great, to get more patterns, etc, go here! Not sure if the kiddos will be interested, think you're kiddos will ruin them, or just want to make this super easy? Just cut them out of cardboard instead. If they destroy them, you can always throw them in the recycling & make another set!

These are simple to make & a very practical gift! I use mine every day. Since wool is insulated, the heat doesn't come through. One of my fa...