Pillowcase projects

As a person with absolutely no sewing ability, I'm impressed with people who can create with fabric and thread.

Here are a few fast projects giving new life to old bedding as new items for kids.

Diaper bag
As my daughter approached the end of being the single child in our lives, we thought about how we could best mark this milestone.

We opted for a "Big Sister Party" the day we returned from the hospital. It was a smashing success: family members, pizza, cookies...what more could a 2 year old want?

Sure, gifts were included. Her own baby stroller (she'd been playing with friends' ones for months) and her own "diaper bag" of her very own.

This pink flannel diaper bag has since joined us to the store, to church, to anywhere that might require a sippy cup, a stuffed friend, crayons or whatever struck her fancy. But it's truly a one-of-a-kind gift. And did I mention it's green - and took no talent to create?

To make the diaper bag, I refashioned the bag that packaged the bedding-in-a-bag we'd purchased a few months earlier for my daughter's room. I took the bag, cut off the drawstring top and removed the string. That became the handles.

The diaper bag itself is the remainder of the bag fabric, shortened for size and cut to allow for a flap to cover the top of the "diaper bag." (This way, three of the sides were already sewn together.) The sides were puckered in with a few stitches to allow it to lie flat. That's it. Thirty minutes of hand stitching, and we had a bag that's been carried around the city.

Pillowcase projects
If you're looking for something to do with an old pillowcase, this month's issue of Family Fun magazine had a quick project for an art smock fashioned out of an old pillowcase and brads. There's also listed another project on the Family Fun Web site for transforming pillowcases into bright skirts for your little ones.

Want more green tips? Visit this week's Thrifty Green Thursday for links for information on baby shower decorations, saving money while going organic, sealing air ducts and more.