Upcycling, part one

Do you recycle/upcycle?

I admit it's an obsession with me, taking something old and making it new again. I love redoing pillow covers, and I admit recycling isn't always necessary with the ones I find. But--since I have an Etsy shop and they only allow items made by others if they're more than 20 years old and I can't actually use all the pillows I come across, I find recycling necessary.

In this part of the country, pillow covers/pillows can be had for a song, and, with a little creativity--and a certain amount of  work--they can become truly magnificent. (That's my opinion, of course.)

This was a Crate and Barrel pillow, in excellent condition. I bought it originally because it was a cheap price to pay for a down pillow form. Then, well, I couldn't discard the cover, now could I? So I added a flower, made of an old cashmere coat I'd felted, and needlefelted the center to tie in with the pillow itself.

This was a Calvin Klein pillow cover, again in excellent shape, again with a down pillow form (which I can pretty much ditto on every one of these). It took me ages but I stitched the buttons into the ampersand shape. I'll admit this is one of my faves.

A grape silk cushion cover, this. Need I say I bought it for the down form? This one had stains, which I thought I might be able to get out. And I did, after hand washing it. Then I stitched the buttons into the etc. shape. It's another one I like, though neither this one nor the Calvin Klein, nor even the Crate and Barrel work in my home. The first two have sold, this one's still up for grabs in my Etsy shop.

This is upcycled merely in that it was a vintage tea towel I made into cushion cover, then monogramed with buttons. It was my first button project, something I made probably six or seven years ago. It too can be had for the taking .

This last is also not a reclaimed cushion cover. It's made from a vintage sampler I picked up somewhere in my thrifting and remnant fabrics. The design is one I saw, again many years ago, at a semi-local way cool fabric store: Cowgirls and Lace in Dripping Springs, TX. They were asking $125 for theirs. Mine's in my Etsy shop for $50.

That's all today. Check back in tomorrow for more upcycling.