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Woman designs and creates her own handbag – from an old sweater!
This upcycling project is truly inspirational and super cute!
Amy Hornsby
11.08.19

Getting a new item for your wardrobe can be a great feeling, but making it yourself is an even better one. With climate change on everybody’s lips at the moment, we’ve all got to be a little more conscious of how we consume our money, time, and energy. That includes the things that we buy, as more stuff leads to more waste.

Violeta DraseikaitÄ—, from the Czech Republic, runs her own blog Tvoriva Mama where she shares her passion of crafts, cooking, sewing, and many more handy projects. One of her latest projects included designing and creating her own handbag that she made from her old sweater.

Tvoriva Mama
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Tvoriva Mama

“I had a sweater I loved which shrank very mysteriously (no way I grew bigger, no way!). I felt so sorry to throw it away… So I decided to remake it into a handbag. Coincidentally, I had a great pair of handles at home and I could start working straight away.”

By taking something old and turning it into something new, Violeta ‘upcycled’ her sweater dress in an awesome way.

The part that took the longest, she wrote on her blog, was actually outlining how she was going to go about creating it, and which parts went where. Her initial idea was she knew she wanted the ribbon detail that fell beneath the chest of the dress to appear on the front of the bag.

First she cut out the part of the dress that was to be the main part of the bag.

Tvoriva Mama
Source:
Tvoriva Mama

Then she sewed along the three seams.

Tvoriva Mama
Source:
Tvoriva Mama

Then came the leather handles.

Tvoriva Mama
Source:
Tvoriva Mama

Then she added a zipper along the top edge.

Tvoriva Mama
Source:
Tvoriva Mama

Now for the finishing touches. Once Violeta had completed the outside of the bag, she added a lining. She had kept the lower part of her sweater dress for this part, which had two small pockets on it, as she planned for these to be a useful addition to the inside of the bag.

Tvoriva Mama
Source:
Tvoriva Mama

Not only did Violeta trim down her wardrobe of something she didn’t wear anymore, but she added a useful item that she could use. Obviously, there are a few more steps involved and she is a talented sewer, so for the full tutorial, check out her blog post here.

Upcycling is a fantastic use of resources, and one that is highly encouraged for us all to reduce our waste.

Not only that, it induces creativity and a sense of achievement when it comes to making something new. Upcycling can be used in so many different ways, and not just clothes. Many people find incredible pieces of salvaged material that they then turn into beautiful pieces of furniture, or even just clean up with a lick of paint and make it like new.

If you’re feeling creative, take a look at some other DIY projects and upcycling ideas on Violeta’s blog. Got an old pair of jeans that you don’t wear anymore? Check out Violeta’s tutorial on turning her old jeans into two small handbags here.

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Tvoriva Mama
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Tvoriva Mama

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