As a scrapbooker, I go through a TON of adhesive. The recycling service in my town does not accept the slick paper that backs the adhesive tabs that I use, so I used to have to throw away all my backing. As a green girl, I was totally bummed out about that level of waste.
Finally, I got the idea that I could use the backing (as well as other tiny scraps) as stuffing in sewing projects. So, I started saving all my backing in my favorite storage containers--Russian nesting dolls! Here's a photo (below).
Once I had a few dolls filled up, I made a little ornament and tried stuffing it with the backing. It worked like a charm! My ornament--in the shape of a Russian doll (Do you sense a theme?)--is also made of fabric scraps, so I felt very Earth-friendly the day I made it. Here she is (below)!
The doll's body is made of two different pieces of denim (left over from turning old jeans into cutoffs), her hair is made of a felt scrap, and her face is made from a piece of an old (but clean) cloth diaper. The doll's face is drawn with Sharpie pens, and I used Neutrogena powdered blush to give her rosy cheeks. (Her cheek color matches mine--ha-ha!). The flower embellishment on her tummy is made of ribbon scraps and a button left over from other craft projects.
The doll is my own design, but you can find patterns for little "stuffies" and other stuffed toys and ornaments all over. Some good sources are _Sew Simple_ magazine, _Crafts 'n Things_ magazine, and the book _Felties_ by Nellie Pailloux. I think that the best stuffies for this technique are ones with simple lines. The backing is not as flexible and fluffy as polyester fiberfill, so it can't reach into tiny nooks and crannies.
Before I go, here is one more picture of my new dolly with her friends (below). :) Happy crafting!
2 comments:
I loved this post, Denise. I used to have these Russian dolls as a kid.
Thanks, Anupama!
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