NQF: Argyle sweater into pillow cover

     Summer isn't the usual time to look for lambswool sweaters, but any time of year is right for felted wool craft projects!  This  Not-Quite-Free project arose from a request for some softer pillow covers to go over existing pale blue denim pillows. I don't remember who made the request....it might have been me.

Another gem from the thrift store

This project is from the archives, it started more than one winter ago, maybe even two, but I'd never gotten the photos together until now.  Anyway, if you are doing summer clothing cleanouts and want a new way to use that sweater than you like but never wear, consider re-purposing it into a pillow cover. 

The sweater I used was made from 100% lambswool, says so right there on the tag.  If you are going to shrink a sweater make sure it is 100% wool, no nylon or rayon allowed!

 This was a bit of a quick and easy project, I didn't want to fuss with zippers or buttons, so I opted for tie closures along the bottom.

See the denim peeking through? Durable, but not as soft.

 Not super pretty in the end, but this wasn't for a fashion magazine.

The end product after over a year in service - a few fabric pills but still soft and sporting that awesome argyle patterns.

Happy re-using and freestyling!

Sieve Supplies for Fossil Huntin'

 "Do you want to go fossil hunting?"  

A text message I've received exactly one time in my entire life. 

Obvious answer - YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This particular type of fossil huntin' was in a sandy cliff and beach area that millions of years ago was underwater, prime fossils include shark teeth, crocodile teeth, and fossil shells.  To find such treasures you need to sift through the sand.  Some people BUY sieves, use kitchen colanders (aka strainers), or buy wood and screening to make their own box sieve.  I wanted to make my own sand sieve, for free. 

Lucky for me there were some discarded screens in the disposal area.

Raw material for an adventure.

My design was inspired by the leather catch-alls you see for sale in the 'gifts for men' section of home decor magazines.  Basically a square with the corners pinched together to make a kind of low basket.  To make my sieve I did the following:

1. Cut a large square of the window screen mesh (~2ft x 2ft)

2. Fold the edges about 1 inch over, then over again (so the cut edged are less likely to poke your fingers)

3. Use a hole punch to punch a hole near the corner on each edge.

4. Thread twisty-tie through two holes at one corner, wrap, secure.

5. Add chopsticks on two sides inside the folded mesh section, for reinforcement.

Supplies and a sieve.

I made some other sieves in the car on the way to the fossil huntin' beach, one of them was a triangle, because why not?

When we arrived at the beach this poster gave us some inspiration and guidance about what to look for.

Look!

Turns out fossil huntin' at this beach is a mix of swimming, sitting, sifting, and not losing the interesting things you find. Some of our party found what appeared to be fossil crocodile teeth, cool!  I found some nice rocks and shells, but clearly we need to go back until we find a giant fossil shark jaw or at least a Megalodon tooth. All in all a wonderful day at the beach with friends.

Hard at work, prospecting for fossils.

Happy fossil huntin', dumpster divin', and freestylin' as you go.

Dumpster Dock Loot: Over-the-door hanger

In a room with no closet clothing organization takes some extra work.  Without a dresser or a hanging rack of some sort every surface becomes a possible storage solution.  Music stand becomes coat rack, steamer trunk becomes.....everything else.  So imagine our delight when this over-the-door hanger appeared on the loading dock.

Now those lovely dresses have somewhere to be displayed where they can inspire a morning toilette.  

Or something. 

What a lovely little organized corner, white lace and a collection of rusty iron - pretty much says it all.

In case you are wondering, that door goes to another room, but it never gets opened. Now it has another function besides being almost as good as a wall.

Happy multi-purposing, and freestyling!

Dumpster Dock Loot: Large metal shelving unit

Sometimes it is hard to be a minimalist.  It's not so much that we want to acquire, or seek to acquire, but rather that the realities of salvaging, reusing, and creating require tools and inputs to be stored somewhere, on something, if there is to be any semblance of order.  If all your hobbies can be contained inside your head or within the confines of a laptop it's easy to maintain a spaceship-sleek living space. Good for you.  

We live in a world of the tangible and tactile; we need shelves.

Black metal shelf: waiting for a new home,
and would you like some refreshments?

Lucky for us this appears to be a busy move-out time in our large apartment complex.  Moving is a chore, and so I EXTRA applaud all of those people who take the extra time during the cleaning/packing chaos to set aside things that are clearly reusable and place them in the loading dock area so that others can reuse them.  You are good people, I hope your moves go smoothly. Also we appreciate your free stuff, like this lightweight black metal shelving unit.  

New home

The metal shelf now gives a structured home for art supplies, books, and those interesting odds and ends.

As an added bonus, below is a closeup of the collection of artistically arranged rusty iron bits.  

See the potential.

Happy freestyling, collecting, and displaying!

From discarded door to larger-than-life mural.

Anything can be a canvas.  Please keep that in mind next time you have construction, or deconstruction, scrap materials that you can't find a use for.

For example, when moving from one apartment to another, you might find yourself in possession of a spare door (these things happen in the world of Cambridge Freestylers).  We kept it with the original intention of using it as a door in the new apartment, but the design plans changed and it wasn't the right size for the new doorway.  No worries, it was the right size for a door-sized mural.

This lovely piece or birds at a body of water brightens up a bedroom in the new place.

Of course it is totally portable and still usable as a door, but right now just rests against the wall in grand fashion.

Happy freestyling, and painting.