Using Fabric Samples

Hello Readers. I have a very nice mother-in-law. She recently cleaned out her sewing room and sent a pile of sewing stuff to my house. She worked at a fabric store for years and had access to a lot of fabrics and trimmings. One thing she has given me a lot of is fabric sample squares.

 They are perfect squares with finished edges, 25 1/2 inches by 251/2 inches. I always thought they were too small for clothing but then I had an idea... shorts. It is hot, hot, hot where I live. I refuse to wear long pants in this heat if I don't have to.

 

They all have a cardboard tag on them with information about the fabric. The tag is stapled on so I removed it and I had some nice linen to work with.

I used my favorite shorts pattern and cut out my shorts. It was a tight fit.

 They were easy to put together. I made sure to finish the inside seams because linen will fray like crazy. I added elastic to the waist. The edge of the waistband was finished at the factory so I left it as it was.

The shorts fit and I am hoping linen will keep me cool in this heat. 

I said I had a lot of fabric samples right. I liked this striped canvas a lot. It looked very summery. It was too heavy for clothes so I made it into a summer tote. I have a 4 year so I often carry my things and his toys, drinks, snacks....

I cut the original square into 4 smaller squares. 

 I put all 4 squares on top of each other and sewed some bias tape around 3 sides connecting them all.

 The top edges were all finished at the factory so I left them as they were. They won't fray.

My bag has 3 sections. (It will probably be 1 for me and 2 for the little guy.)

I turned the bag right-side out.  Now the bias tape is inside and will keep the bag from fraying inside and looking messy.

 My bag needs a handle. I found this burlap ribbon in a bin from my sweet mother-in-law. It matched the gray stripe in the fabric. And it was just long enough for to make a shoulder strap. 

 I am hoping the 3 sections will keep me organized. I don't make any guarantees, but it can't hurt to try right?

The bag and shorts were great for going to the auto repair center to pick up my car. It wasn't very exciting but everyone does boring errands.

 

Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 ***Year End update-I used this bag all summer. It was light and roomy. The shorts were fabulous too. They are both favorites for sure.