Tutorial - Upcycled Beach Bag from Thrift Store Skirt

This bag was my entry for the SYTYC upcycle challenge.  The challenge was conveniently scheduled for right after my annual family trip to the beach!  So right after I finished the bag I hit the beach with it, it saw lots of beach time.  I like that it is roomy enough for a couple beach towels and has a little pocket on the front so I can keep track of things like my phone and keys.

To make this bag, I started with a skirt I bought at the thrift store.  I took out all the box pleats at the top f the skirt and ended up with quite a bit of fabric.  You could also make this bag with 1 yard of fabric, something with a bit heavier works best.  You will also need two strips of iron on interfacing that are 25” x 3”, 8 grommets, a button for the front pocket, and 5 feet of rope.

I picked my grommets up at the craft store in the home décor section; they came in a pack of 8, perfect!  I got the rope at the hardware store; you can buy it there by the foot.

Start by cutting your fabric to two 20” x 25” rectangles.  Then cut 3” x 3” squares from the bottom corners.  You will also need cut two 9” x 9” squares for the pocket and two 6” x 4” rectangles for the handle covers.

Place the 9” x 9” squares right sides together and sew around all four sides leaving a small opening on the bottom to turn it right side out.  Turn the pocket through the hole you left and press it.  Add a button hole to the center top of the pocket.  Top stitch the pocket to the bag along the sides and bottom, make sure the opening in the bottom where you turned it gets closed when you top stitch.  Sew the button to close the pocket.

Iron your 3” strips of interfacing to the top of each side of the bag.  My fabric was already finished across the top from the skirt hem, but if yours isn’t you may want to leave ¼” of fabric above the interfacing to fold over when you hem so you have a finished edge. 

I sewed the bag with french seams so there are no exposed seams inside the bag.  To make the french seams, pin your bag wrong sides together along both sides and the bottom.  Sew the sides and bottom with ¼” seam allowance, leave the top of the bag and the 3” squares in the corners open. 

Turn the bag inside out and press.  Sew along the sides and bottom again, encasing the raw edge inside the seam allowance. 

Next you will sew the bottom corners.  Turn the bag right side out again; pull the top corners of the corner cut outs apart.  Line up the side and bottom seams and sew along the edge with a ¼” seam allowance.  Turn inside out press and sew over the corner again to make a french seam.  Repeat with the other corner.

Hem the top of the bag by folding it over at the bottom of your interfacing and sewing.

Measure 3” and 6” from the side seams on all sides and make a mark for your grommets.  Attach the grommets according to the instructions on the package. 

Fold the short sides of your handle covers over ½” and ½” again.  Press and top stitch along the folded edge.  Determine how big the covers need to be by wrapping them around your rope and marking where the raw edges meet.  Sew them right sides together at that point.  Then trim off any extra and turn them right side out. 

Weave your rope through the grommets starting by going in one of the middle grommets.  When you get to the middle of the other side, slip one of your handle covers on.  Then keep weaving until you get back where you started.  Slip the other handle cover on. 

 Sew the ends of the rope together by hand.  I used button thread and an upholstery needle.  Sew several places to make sure the handle is secure. 

Then slide your handle cover to cover the seam.  You can add a little craft glue under the covers so they don’t slide around if you want. 

Your bag is done, go hit the beach!

SYTYC Recap

It has been a fun 10 weeks, but today SYTYC season 17 is over!  I came in second place, not too shabby! Thank you so much for all of your votes and support along the way! Congrats to Lynda on her big win!

I wanted to round up all of my projects from this season and post them here in one spot.  I have a couple tutorials up already and will be working on getting the rest up over the next couple of weeks.

So here they are, 10 weeks of hard work!

Hand Embroidered Pencil Case

In the Kitchen - Chalkboard Serving Tray

Upcycle - Beach Bag from Thrift Store Skirt

Birthday - Pomander Pinata

Fall Decor - Reversible Fall Leaves Pillow

Scraps - Rainbow Baby Quilt

Fall Crafts for Kids - Pumpkin Bird Feeder

Pumpkin - Pumpkin Patch Dress

Halloween - Monster Bowling Set

Finals- Upcycled Kids Art Station

Tutorial - Chalkboard serving tray

Did you see my chalkboard serving tray I made for the kitchen challenge over at SYTYC?  It won first place that week! Today I am sharing the tutorial for how I made it with you!  

This tray is perfect for entertaining or breakfast in bed.  It can also be made without the handles and hung on the wall as a message board.  A friend of mine just used this tutorial to turn a really big cabinet door into a huge message board for her kitchen, it looks awesome!

To make the tray you need an old cabinet door, I got mine at a shop that sells used building supplies.  You can also find them sometimes at yard sales or thrift stores, or if you or anyone you know is redoing their kitchen, snag one!  Or if you can’t find one anywhere, you can buy new sample doors at the hardware store.

You will also need two cabinet door pulls for the handles and a drill to put them on, chalkboard paint for the center, and paint for the outside.  I used two shades of green on mine for a distressed look.  The bottom coat is a dark green (Wild Rice by Behr) and the top is a light green (lemongrass by Martha Stewart)

Tape off the center panel of the door and paint the outside of the door with the dark green.  After that coat dries, paint a couple coats of the light green.  I found it worked best to paint with my tray on top of a box, that way I could easily paint the top and all the sides.  Once the paint dried, I flipped my tray over and painted the back with the light green.

Once the paint is dry, distress it by sanding it some.  Focus more on the edges and corners where it would naturally distress more.

Find the center of the short side of the cabinet and mark where to drill the holes for your handles.  Drill the holes and screw your handles in place.

The last step is to paint the chalkboard paint on the center panel following the directions on your paint can, mine said to prime then paint.  I used a small brush to get into the corners and a foam brush for the rest. 

Once the paint dries your tray is ready to use!