Pendleton

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Cedar Boot Bags

Posted by James on November 24, 2013
Posted in: New Home, Projects. Tagged: , , , . 12 Comments

Cedar boot bags are essential. They help boots keep their shape, dry them out, and most importantly, kill odor causing bacteria.

(We thought that maybe these were strictly a Texas thing – but then I saw that a friend from the Great White North made something pretty similar)

A few years ago a coworker bought a couple of Pendleton blankets to make pillows, and she asked me if I wanted the scraps.

Honestly, I dug the scraps out of a trash can…….(sigh)

I couldn’t sleep at night knowing that these glorious pieces of red/black Pendleton wool were just rotting in a landfill somewhere.

Pendleton Scraps Collage.jpg

There was really only one thing I could do with all those 8 inch wide scraps.

Make Boot Bags…..

Here’s an easy tutorial to make some enveloped-shaped boot bags of your very own….out of any old fabric.

Start with a strip of fabric that’s about 30 inches long and at least 8 inches wide.

Lay Out a Strip of Fabric About 30 inches Long

Fold the short edges over about 1/2 inch and pin down.

Fold Over the Top Edge and Pin in Place

Then sew along the edge…..

Sew the Top Edge Down

Repeat on the other end of the strip.

After sewing each edge down, flip the whole strip over and fold the top part down about 4 inches.

The raw edge should be facing up at you.

Fold the Top Edge Down About 4 inchesand Pin

Then bring the bottom up to almost the top and pin the whole thing to hold it together.

Should now have a piece that’s about 13 inches long.

Sew along the 2 longest edges now, leaving about a 6 inch distance in the middle. (Note* We have Man-Sized boots, I’d make them a little trimmer for lady-sized boots – maybe 5 inches)

I didn’t really try to match any patterns, I just let them land where they would.

Sew Along the Edges

Trim the edges off to about 1/4 inch from the stitches.

Trim the Edge to about a Quarter Inch

Now turn the whole bag inside out so the seems are on the inside of the bag…..but leave the top flap unturned.

…so you can fill the bags with cedar chips.

(When I was a kid with a guinea pig, we would pick this stuff up at Kmart. These days, it’s not that simple. I had to honestly find a feed store for a $5 bag of cedar chips)

Cedar Chips from the Feed Store

Once your bag is stuffed with cedar chips, “flip” the top over like a closed envelope.

Fill the Open end of the Boot Bag with Cedar Chips

It didn’t take me very long to whip out about 10 of these. Even with my minimal sewing skills.

Because they aren’t sewn shut, I can always replace the cedar or even just add a few drops of cedar oil in a few years.

I made a few about 13 inches long for tall boots and a few about 8 inches for our shorter boots.

Finished Boot Bags Made from Pendleton Blanket Scraps

That’s how easy they are.

Stick them in your boots and enjoy how fresh they keep them.

Boots With Upcycled Cedar Boot Bags

Boots with Cedar Boot Bags in a Row Under our Jackets

Boots Filled with Cedar Boot Bags Made From Pendleton Fabric Scraps

Pretty cool idea, right?

…..and that, kind readers, is why I never throw anything away.

Swiss Army Blanket Chair

Posted by James on January 31, 2012
Posted in: New Home. Tagged: , , , , , . 4 Comments

SOOOOO, A few days ago, whilst prowling the internets, I came across this picture….

Everybody knows that I am all about a Hudson Bay Blanket. My Pendleton obsession runs a close second to my glass ornament fetish. (Both border on the fringe of 12 step program help) This picture totally reminded me that we have a very similar chair that belonged to the previous owner in our living room. That’s the “formal” room at the front of the house where Harley sleeps all day – also the only room sans a television. It is possibly because of the dog smell and lack of TV viewing that we don’t really use this room for much.

I did install can lights a few weeks ago…so there’s something.

When we were at the house for the home inspection, I snapped this picture of a heap of crap the previous owner had in the garage.

See it there? Underneath what could have possibly once been a side table and some scrubbing pads? Pretty Groovy chair, right? Obviously has a cool 1950s vibe. The cushion covers are hainus in person…olive-green-pea-green-chartruse pollyester stripe……. Now the chair shape, on the other hand, I knew I could do some magic with that. Jamie was eying the lawn mover and weed eater to add on to the closing, I was scanning this chair and an orange light fixture that has yet to be used anywhere in the house. But I digress. We offered 200$ for crap in the garage…the previous owner excepted.

Here’s my second piece of chair inspiration…

Beautiful, isn’t it? Mid-century office mixed with Swiss Army Blanket….AAAAhhhhhhh (wheels are turning ) See where I’m headed with this post folks?

I posted this picture on my Pinterest page, and my dear friend Amy quickly informed me that this chair was from her shop, Red Barn Mercantile, a few years ago… Small world.

Hudson Bay blankets are about 200 dollars….Swiss Army Blankets, on the other hand, are much more reasonably priced. Mostly because there are so many reproductions available……if you aren’t “married” to the idea of 100% wool, that is. Since I plan on chopping this baby up, 100% wool isn’t that crucial…actually, a little poly in the mix will keep it all-the-more stain resistant.

Every online military surplus shop I tried was completely sold out of these blankets (in the 25$ range). Every time I placed an order, I would receive a follow up email refunding my purchase because they were no longer in stock. What the Hell? Of course, there are plenty available for 300 bones.

Maybe I could do some shopping in person, like people did in the olden days. We took a chance and hit up The Army Store in Garland Texas. I’ve driven by this shop hundreds of times, it’s 2 blocks from H. Depot, but Never been inside. Honestly, it looks a little, well, ummm, sketchy. I’m giving them props because I completely loved the place. There was inspiration hanging from the ceilings. Literally, HANGING FROM THE CEILINGS. Boiled wool peacoats, vintage foot lockers, silk parachutes, and just like I wanted …….”mostly” wool military blankets…

50% wool, and 50% something else…Not really sure what the “Something else” is, but who really cares? They were 22 bucks each. We bought 4. Navy with a reddish stripe, grey with a yellow stripe, and (big sigh of relief ) brown with a red stripe.

We bought 2 of the brown. These will be our new chair cushions. Too bad they are the only blankets with a little whip-stitch around the edge…because it will just be hacked off in the process.

They also have this crudely sewn cross…..

After much consideration, we decided to seam-rip the cross off, and focus on the red stripe as the detail of the cushions. Genuine Swiss Army blankets have a cross woven into the red stripe. This sad sad cross ain’t fool’n nobody.

I kinda love this project, because I have already done most of my part. The remainder is left up to my seamstress. ( under my supervision , natch ) I can sew a pretty decent pillow, and occasional Christmas stocking, but I feel much more confident having a professional line up the 2 stripes on 2 separate cushions.

I went through a similar dilemma a few years ago trying to decide if I wanted to pay a framer or just tape a cherished picture into an Ikea frame……I assure you, I am WAAAYYYYY happier with the professional framing job.

And I will be with this chair as well…..

We’ll keep ya’ll posted on the finished product.