Americana Burlap Fence Hangings

I cannot encourage people enough to check local farms and farm stands for raw materials like burlap first rather than trotting out to a craft store and paying four times the amount for a newly manufactured, characterless roll. I saved the designs on the burlap bags I purchased for a few bucks from a local farm since the bold graphics summoned images of undulating corn fields and other midwestern Americana. I stitched the burlap into old wire hangers which looped over fence pickets. The hangings brighten the gray fence for the summer.

This potato sack, depicting a tiny mustached man with a boater raised to greet others as he cruises by on a penny farthing. I find the name of the chemical "to prevent sprouting" that may have been used dissonant alongside this genteel illustration. 

Upcycled Burlap Container Gardens, Part 1

Repurposed papasan chair container garden.  I stumbled upon a perfectly stable bamboo papasan chair while walking my puppy the day after seeing suggestions for its reuse as a container garden on Pinterest. Hoping for a more organized garden, I flipped the basket though my image search (albeit with aesthetic concave examples) suggests no one else has publicized such an innovation. I staple-gunned burlap and plastic mesh over the former chair seat opening and stabilized this since dirt is heavy with a Z of scrap wood nailed into the bamboo rim. I anticipate that the rings of bamboo will act to both trellis and compartmentalize the different plants inside. So far I experimented with corn, beans, and onions. (Notice the compost bin in the background of this photo? I installed the Earth Machine after a workshop session with a state resource recovery manager and a visit to my city's department of public works which subsidized my purchase, paying 50% of an already discounted product. Only $20 and a lot of discussion with my family to prevent food waste!

Burlap lined wire bicycle baskets for beans, squash, cukes, and nasturtium. Because the soil quality in New England can be poor, my compost know how was acquired very recently, and the neighborhood squirrel and rabbit populations have exploded, I wanted some of my veggies to be protected. Containers-- here from curbside reclaimed wire bike baskets with burlap from a local farm's corn and potato sacks (only $2 for 7 huge sacks!) sewn in with garden twine- let me take the higher ground in more ways than one in my struggles with pests and soil. The impromptu stake stick mini-fences to scare off bolder vegetarians take away from the rustic aggie charm in their primitivism, but I'd rather have several lines of defense. Salvaged wooden decor, rubbed down with coconut oil so the wood will resist the rain, serve as trellises. 

Cetacean Ocean T-shirt Quilt/Picnic Blanket.

Cetacean Ocean T-shirt Quilt/Picnic Blanket. I learned about slavery message blankets and crazy quilts during my college freshman interdisciplinary arts seminar on the African diaspora and its impact. While using scraps and remnants has not always been out of necessity, and was even in vogue among wealthy Victorians, the sentiment of reuse and folksy nostalgia remains popular today. Unlike many scrap t-shirt quilts, I restricted the color palette and theme of this one, capitalizing on my love of the ocean and elementary school fascination with our highly encephalized marine relatives, dolphins.  

Rock Pocket for Windy Picnics. I detailed my quilt with machine-quilted waves to complement the theme and the uneven pieces (caused, no doubt, by my novice and impatient quilting and sewing skill) as well as utilitarian pockets at each corner. Tucking rocks or kicked-off sneakers into the pockets prevents the wind from upsetting a blustery picnic. I also insulated it with a thrifted ugly black fleece blanket which otherwise would have hit the dumpster, I suspect. This project is thus tuned to its environment as a picnic cloth, thermal energy-saving as a blanket, and versatile as either of these or a folk art piece. 

Fabric Scrap Sewn Tray

Fabric Scrap Sewn Tray. Fabric, especially from natural fibers, is a wonderful material since it last years unlike its paper counterparts and has remarkable versatility. Sewing machine know-how, material size, and imagination sometimes limit fabric projects so useless scrunchies and tiny pillows take over the craft table. Luckily, non-clothing projects like this handy fabric tray, lined inside with glue-stiffened felt and stitched from vintage thrift store/yard sale found scraps, have popped up online. I made a long one first but the sides flopped so I split it into two paperback-size trays.