Thrifing has found its way into my life once again. Lets be honest, its cheap, unique, and I’m always up for a challenge. Craigslist has been the major culprit and I’ve gotten pretty lucky on some really good finds for the house (blog posts to come). My crafty friend and I ventured out on a rainy day to the Alameda Antiques Fair earlier this month and scored some pretty awesome deals! Here is a pic of our joint spoils:
(keep an eye on the brown leather jacket on the cool metal chair)
Ivy the Dane shared in our excitement for our big day
That is what a smiling dog looks like
Anyway, remember the leather jacket? I snatched it up at a booth that had a pile of old leather coats for sale. My first thought, ::gasp:: “cheap, good leather?!”. Not only could I recycle some awesome leather, but its better than buying expensive hydes! So after narrowing it down, I picked out the super soft caramel colored Michael Jackson era jacket. I told my husband it was for him, but in between my giggles I think he knew I was only kidding. I still made him model it for me….
I was anxious to get my scissors working on a new life for this jacket. Baby moccasins would be perfect!!
I started with the sleeves, I knew I could get atleast 1-2 pairs out of each sleeve.
I cut around the seams to try to keep as much continuous fabric as possible
Look at this beautiful piece fo leather!
And now the jacket is morphing into a cool vest, hehe. I started imagining the Michael Jackson song “Thriller” at this point.
I then very carefully cut the little moccasin shoes out by trying not to waste any of the precious leather. I wanted to mix the leather with some owl printed fabric that matched perfectly.
A little sewing and a some elastic later….
The cutest Southwest inspired baby moccasins.
These shoes are great for new little walkers. The leather which has held up for who knows how long as a jacket, will continue to be durable on tiny feet.
I was proud of my happy project which came from an UP-cylced item.