SSDreamin
Almost Self-Reliant
My hubby tears up his work clothes. He burns through jeans. I will patch them once, using an old pair as an under-patch. Then, I have begun cutting them into long strips, to braid them into rugs (I saw it on another thread, and it's so cool!).
We recently replaced the tile on our hearth. One piece was missing, and several were cracked. I will save the old tile to use in mosaics. I have made some neat table tops for outside using broken tile/stained glass scraps.
I save all our old coffee cans. The list of things they can be used for is almost endless.
I recently used a fruit lug as a bookcase. Works perfectly and ties into my 'old country' decorating style.
When my DS#1 passed, I took his favorite shirts, cut them into strips, and made several 'memory pillows' for family. I bought some transfer fabric on clearance, and printed a picture of him, then framed it inside the strips. Backing was made with larger squares. Also made a few pillows with his favorite t-shirts. I realize people have done a variation of this (crazy quilts) for decades, but I liked the addition of the photo. Also, I didn't want to pay the price they wanted for pillow forms, so I bought std size pillows ($3 each, I think) pushed the stuffing to either side, stitched two lines down the middle, then cut between them. Since it's hidden, the ragged edge didn't matter.
I had an old blanket chest that sat in a corner of my bedroom. I wanted a 'dressing seat' at the end of my bed, so I painted it to match the decor, covered a loveseat pad for outdoor furniture to match, then put it at the end of my bed. Now, I need a coffee table more than I need a place to put on socks, so I will repaint it a more neutral color and set it out in the living room. I plan to recover the seating pad and leave it on - it is flat (level) so items can be placed on it if needed, and it will provide extra seating when needed.
That's all I can think of right now
We recently replaced the tile on our hearth. One piece was missing, and several were cracked. I will save the old tile to use in mosaics. I have made some neat table tops for outside using broken tile/stained glass scraps.
I save all our old coffee cans. The list of things they can be used for is almost endless.
I recently used a fruit lug as a bookcase. Works perfectly and ties into my 'old country' decorating style.
When my DS#1 passed, I took his favorite shirts, cut them into strips, and made several 'memory pillows' for family. I bought some transfer fabric on clearance, and printed a picture of him, then framed it inside the strips. Backing was made with larger squares. Also made a few pillows with his favorite t-shirts. I realize people have done a variation of this (crazy quilts) for decades, but I liked the addition of the photo. Also, I didn't want to pay the price they wanted for pillow forms, so I bought std size pillows ($3 each, I think) pushed the stuffing to either side, stitched two lines down the middle, then cut between them. Since it's hidden, the ragged edge didn't matter.
I had an old blanket chest that sat in a corner of my bedroom. I wanted a 'dressing seat' at the end of my bed, so I painted it to match the decor, covered a loveseat pad for outdoor furniture to match, then put it at the end of my bed. Now, I need a coffee table more than I need a place to put on socks, so I will repaint it a more neutral color and set it out in the living room. I plan to recover the seating pad and leave it on - it is flat (level) so items can be placed on it if needed, and it will provide extra seating when needed.
That's all I can think of right now
but I can take old rags or old cloths and make dog toys with 'em since they don't really need to look like anything recognizable 
