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Monday, April 14, 2014

Repurposing a Quilt...

Many years ago, I designed and made a quilt that was used for the quilt guild's block of the month.  Although I liked the idea of the blocks, I never really liked the little quilt I had made with them.  So, this weekend I decided to repurpose it into an organizational system.

I could have just used it as a dog bed, since as soon as I put it on the floor to snap this picture so I could show you the 'before', Dime walked right over and lay down on it! Silly puppy!


Anyway, the original blocks were 12" blocks so I cut them down to 11.5".  The four blocks used for the outer panels of the bags were trimmed to get rid of any binding, but the four blocks that I used for inner pockets were trimmed so that the binding became the open edge of the pocket.



Since becoming a foster 'mom' for future dog guides, I've been carrying a lot of ziploc bags with puppy needs (paper towels, a collapsible water dish, water bottle, training treats, etc.) as well as the usual contents of a purse.  Now I can organize all of the puppy things into one bag...the pockets are great for finding things quickly, and the second one holds my other 'purse' items.

The final block (the quilt had 9 blocks) became the water bottle holder and a little change purse (which fits nicely inside the larger 'purse' bag).  All of this fits into the larger bag I carry so that now instead of riffling through a bunch of ziploc bags to try to find my wallet or whatever, I can get my hands on things really quickly!

The idea of cutting up a quilt and repurposing it took some getting over, but I'm going to enjoy this quilt so much more now that I'll see it daily and know that it'll keep me organized!

18 comments:

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    1. Thanks Denny. It sure made these quick and easy since the piecing and quilting was already done!

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  2. What a great idea! And I loved Dime's reaction to your quilt - he knows something special when he sees it.

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    1. Thanks Jean. This will finally make this 'quilt' something I enjoy looking at!

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  3. Brilliant!!! I've often wished that I could quilt. My daughter has made some beautiful quilts where I cannot even thread a bobbin. But it actually is probably a good thing that I can't sew. I've glanced at some of the beautiful fabrics out there and I know that I'd probably have as much fabric as I have paper. My husband is very understanding, but I doubt he be happy if I said I needed another room for my art, crocheting, and sewing supplies.

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    1. That thanks Alyce. I know what you mean...I've got quite a stash and a lot of it is my own hand dyed fabrics. Thank goodness for understanding husbands!

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  4. Great way to repurpose!!! I have the same thing happen when I put things on the floor...but for me it's a cat that lays on them.

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    1. Thanks Terri. I'm going to enjoy this 'quilt' much more now!

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  5. Great idea.... and I totally understand the toting of puppy items. It is almost like the diaper bag supplies I use to carry..

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    1. Lol...I do refer to it as a puppy diaper bag. Since I have to take the future dog guide foster puppy with me where ever I go (and it starts when they're only 7 weeks old), it's important to have a little clean up kit, treats, a toy, etc. just in case!

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  6. Super idea Linda! I'm all about repurposing! It was cute as a quilt for Dime also!

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    1. Thanks Jackie. Dime's got a great dog bed so this serves me better. ;o)

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  7. Fantastic job, Linda! Greetings from Montreal.

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  8. It takes a certain amount of bravery to do what you have just done to that 'older item' ... bravo ! ... you done good ! So much more useful now !

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    1. Yes, it's hard to cut up something you put time into, but now I actually like what I've made! ;o)

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