reinvention by maya donenfeld
May 8th, 2012
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED
Reinvention: Sewing with Rescued Materials is a beautiful new book by Maya Donenfeld . You are probably familiar with Maya’s blog, MayaMade, where she writes about parenting and making with the seasons. Years ago, Maya sent the craft blog world into a sewing frenzy when she came out with the burlap bucket pattern and for good reason: it is simple, beautiful, useful, and recycled. So too is every project in her new book.
Each chapter in the book is dedicated to a specific material: linen, burlap, jersey, wool, denim, tyvek, and vintage. The projects are, yes, made from recycled materials, but they don’t scream, “I’m recycled!” like say, a pop top vest would. They all subscribe to the same natural aesthetic, even the most seemingly unnatural of materials, tyvek. When my copy of the book came I was immediately draw to this chapter, because I’ve always loved tyvek, oddly enough, and I was excited to see someone else out there did too!
I chose to make the color block zippered pouch, but after painting a bit of tyvek I was less than thrilled. I used a silver metallic acrylic paint that ended up looking a sad gray and the blue was nice, but it brought out the texture of the tyvek more than I wanted. It is actually a nice effect, sort of like a faux leather, but it wasn’t what I was after.
Maya suggests painting the tyvek or simply drawing on it with a permanent marker, which of course makes sense as tyvek is as much like paper as it is like fabric. I picked up my ultra fine point Sharpie and went to town. The leather-like effect I got with the painted tyvek made me want to use some actual leather. A few snips from a vintage, buttery leather jacket and I had the makings for a fine recycled zip pouch.
I didn’t use the exact dimensions she specifies for the pouch, but the patterns in this book are meant more as guidelines. Maya even says, “…ultimately the size, shape, and color of each rescued piece informs the final outcome. If you listen carefully, the fabric will tell you what it wants to be.” This tyvek envelope told me to draw a geometric pattern on it, then sew it to some leather and attach an aqua zipper. Sewing the tyvek was easy, just like sewing paper, so use an old needle in your machine. It was my first time sewing with leather and that was simple too. My machine didn’t know what was going on when I tried to sew the tyvek to the leather, and I had to help it along quite a bit.
Maya also suggests leaving a bit of the original printing exposed, “..so that its reinvention efforts are not forgotten.” I think this quote sums up the book nicely. You get to make all these wonderful pouches and hampers and poofs from old materials, but hidden in these newly sewn things are little reminders of what they once were.
The lovely people at Wiley Craft have offered a copy of Reinvention to one of my readers. Please leave a comment telling me about your favorite recycled material to be entered in the drawing. The giveaway will close Wednesday May 9th at noon central. I’m sorry but this giveaway is only open to US residents. Please follow along with the rest of the tour to see more of this lovely book!
Ooh, fun one. Count me in, I love how Maya makes up-cycling look so beautiful. Old clothes are definitely my favorite recycled material. Especially my husband’s old work shirts…they make the cutest little boy clothes.
I want to (but haven’t done it yet) recycle or upcycle my kids’ old clothes. Now that they’re getting older, I find myself wanting to hold on to their babyhood (they’re 5 or almost 3) and the only way is to make a quilt of their old clothes somehow.
Old shirts and blue jeans scraps into whatever is my current sewing passion. I live in a college town, so there is a large transient population discarding many items when they move.
I don’t understand how everyone else’s doodles can look so much better than mine. My favorite recycled material has to be cotton. It becomes so soft!
My favorite recycled material is…YARN! So many wool sweaters at the goodwill….sooo little time :)
Sarah M
My favorite is old clothes as well! I’ve also wanted to try finding old wool sweaters for yarn, but haven’t had any luck finding any that I like in the second hand stores.
I love to work with paper bags and craft paper. Samantha, I’m with you on the doodles.
I have reused jeans, and have tried to felt old sweaters. And the burlap bags – made some buckets from Maya’s design before, and also use the plain old burlap bag for, for example, paper recycling. Seems like a great book. And that’s a cool design on that puch!
I love using thrifted leather clothing to make purses.
The book looks fabulous!
My favorite recycled material is old sweaters. I felt them and use them for clothing and home decor. This book looks fantastic and love your pouch.
I LOVE your pouch. It turned out so fashionable. I never knew doodleling could be used in such a fantastic way.
My favourite recycled material is canvas, painted one. I teach art classes for people with learning disablility, and we use LOTS of canvas for paiting, not all of it turns out to be art, or even liked by anyone. Noone ever dared to throw these old wasted paintings and they stayed covered in dust on the shelfs until one day I needed a bunting, fast. I cut triangles from the old paintings, sewed them on a string and there it was, my last minute bunting and very, very pretty! Since then I have used up most of the old canvas, I sewed with it, I made christmas tree decorations etc. great, great stuff!
While it’s not the most cretive or original, I re-use old thrifted bed linens often. I love the look!
wow, love your pouch! my favorite recycled material would have to be vintage sheets. i can’t pass one by.
i love to up-cycle. it makes me happy. i love re-using paper bags, burlap, linen and wool pants and skirts, and finding thrifted clothes and giving them new character!
I usually use fabric samples that designers toss out, but i’d love to be able to know what else I can recycle!
Thanks for the giveaway!
welll…I had to look at the bins to see who had the most…..the felted wools! but cottons are a close second. I have saved/cut up every old shirt from my sons and husband and daughter after they have either outgrown them or trashed a part of them.
Actually, I’m on my way out to the resale shop to find wool sweaters to felt!
Such a cool pouch!! I love the rustic look of the painted Tyvek, I’m definitely going to have to try that!!
those burlap tote bins are fantastic! thanks for the giveaway!
I’m always changing things up to fit my purpose better…I think clothes would be my most-often recycling project.
Mia
Hi! I like to use my mother-in-laws old quilting scraps to make fun things for my 2 year old :)
ribbon and fabric are going to be used over and over again in my house. though i absolutely love any input of recycling or much better said ‘up’-cycling…
Love your pouch! I really like using up old pants and jeans to make totes, bins, even stuffies.
I love to use food glass jars for different purposes. I think glass is one of the best inventions ever, is so beautiful like a jewel or something *_*
I love recycling. I always use thrifted or our old clothes to make my projects. I make t shirts for my 4 year old with my older children’ s t shirts. I love Maya and her blog. So excited for her and her book. Thanks for the giveaway.
Cheers!!! : )
I love working with felted sweaters!