It's Tutorial Tuesday! Make a felted wool sweater purse!

I am too worn out from the holidays to be creative this week, but luckily there's creative people out there like Jennifer Ofenstein! Ready to find out how to make these adorable purses? Head on over to her blog, Sewhooked!

Do you make recycled wool, or knit, bags & purses?

Among the fabulous booths at the fiber fair, I found this shop, Homestead Heirlooms, that make leather handles, and supply all the hardware necessary for making a felted bag look fantastic.

The saga of the recycled wool purse

So... I bought this purse a few weeks back with badly stained fabric, but really great handles. I figured I would just whip up a new purse with wool, and have a super cute new purse in minutes.

My first mistake is that I got cocky & decided I was going to make a lining for it out of a piece of very non-stretchy cotton I had. I forget how forgiving wool is, but how unforgiving fabric can be, and messed that one up! Nope, not showing it to you. I accidentally (on purpose) forgot to take a picture of it ;)

Next I decided to make it reversible, and just do 2 layers of wool using the original purse as the pattern. That turned out great... until the purse handles broke. Wahhhhhhh! I think I may sand down the rough edges & figure out a way to still use them later.


Finally, I came across this purse this week,

... with stained horrible fabric, but lovely handles, and voila... I FINALLY have a purse! Had I known, I think I would have just left the original purse on the shelf ;)

Nonpareils, laptop bags

I am not in need of a laptop/book bag right now, but if I was, I would would buy one from Nonpareils Etsy shop for sure! These are fabulous, affordable, and of course recycled wool. I loved looking through her sold items in her shop at all the fabulous bags she's made. *Sigh* I think I may have a bag problem. At least I don't have too many designer bags (don't have any!)... I have too many beautifully hand made and thrift store find bags!

My new purse!

First, I have to apologize for not posting all week. I brought an infected spider bite home from vacation as a souvenir, and have been having fun with that. Also, my poor old dog had 2 abscessed teeth (poor thing!), and was incontinent & not eating for days. Before you label me "Debbie Downer", I am happy to the report the spider bite healed up fabulously, and my dog is feeling great & eating after her adventures to the vet this week. I still have a messy house, but that's nothing time can't heal ;)

Onward & upward to my new purse! Shortly before I went on vacation I decided that I MUST have one of Karen Meyer's purses. I contacted her, and after some great questions on her end, she made me a custom purse. When I got back, the package was waiting for me. It's better than I thought! I had her put pockets on the end for me & my son's water bottles that we always have with us, and I love orange & brown, so this purse is perfect. The pictures don't do this purse justice. The amount of detail isfantastic. Where can I get me one of these fabulous purses, you ask? She has an Etsy shop, as well as her website.

Ontwerpuo

I love these bags from Ontwerpuo, made from recycled wool, and new wooden handles! I have a purse like this that I got at a resale store & I love it. There's just something about a wooden handle.

Needle felted recycled wool week - Maureen Cracknell

Ok, so this artist only had one recycled wool needle felted item, but it was totally worth featuring. Isn't this the coolest purse? You can find it (along with a cool train station purse!) in Maureen Cracknell's Etsy shop.

eta: I said she has a train station purse, but I was mistaken (oops!). It is a large dollhouse. Sorry about that Maureen! She also told me she has a Facebook page for her items,: Maureen Cracknell Handmade, for those who Facebook :)

Recycled wool purse week, Karen Meyers

For our last, but not least feature of the week, here are some purses made by Karen Meyers. Aren't they fabulous? Her website is great, and her "about Karen" is a fun read, so go check it out!

Recycled wool purse week, The Sassy Crafter

I have featured her shop before on my blog, but now it's all about the purses! The Sassy Crafter is one of my favorite recyclists (lol, did I just make up a word?), and I love her one of a kind purses! They are so fun & different, and best of all... made from recycled wool :) You can find the Sassy Crafter on her blog and Etsy shop.

Recycled wool purse week, Lala & Gleen

I featured Lala & Gleen's cute bunnies during animal week, and I knew I had to feature their darling bags during recycled wool purse week... and here they are! Aren't they cool? Make sure to check out their website for more great recycled wool fun :)