Upcycle: baby overalls to library tote

When I dropped Sarah's diaper bag off to her, she gave an item for another project we had talked about doing. (If I remember correctly the story is something like this) Sophia's (Sarah's little girl, you've seen her here before) aunt had given her a little baby outfit that Auntie had picked up on her travels. Unfortunately, Sophia outgrew the outfit before she had a chance to wear it, but Sarah still wanted her to have use of a part of this gift. The baby overalls were interesting because there was really no way to secure them on the baby. The legs were completely open and there weren't any fasteners on the shoulder straps.

I originally thought I would just cut out the middle of the outfit and frame it out to make a library tote. Instead, I pulled out my seam ripper and picked apart all the seams, ironed out the parts, and ended up with 4 pieces rectangles of fabric that were 6 inches x 14 inches.

I kept the bag simple on the outside to make sure the focus stayed on the original fabric.

There is a little secret pocket in the seam, just big enough for a library card.

This fabric, while beautiful, might not be considered particularly "girly." So, for those days when Sophia is feeling a little more girly, the bag is reversible to this print by Amy Butler. Lovely. I hope she likes it.