Old tote becomes new...

Recycling, upcycling, those are popular words these days, and they should be!  I did my part yesterday by upcycling an old canvas tote bag.  I washed it, dried it, dyed it, and then embellished the front  with various fabric scraps and inspirational words.  The scraps were colored with acrylic paints and then let to dry.  I used my hands as paint brushes.  When all was dry I cut out pieces to please my eye, attached them together with fusible web on a panel of fabric the size of the bag, then stitched on top.  Machine and hand stitched with various colors and then attached the panel to the bag.  Voila, a nice bag for your art supplies, journal, or any other can't-live-without item(s.)

 

 

 I used a lovely teal dye and the bag was wrinkled and got this wave pattern.

Maybe recycle or upcycle something today??