Repurposed Artsy Gift Bags

Gift bags made from old clothes

What to do with all these old clothes? Since I needed bags for my art to wear, I made some repurposed gift bags. Simple, lightweight and functional.

I have been using the FeltLOOM since 2009 and I have learned a lot. Below is a mini course of creating gift bags. I am in the process of creating a Creativity Membership Club to share more techniques. If you would like to join my waitlist, click here, and I will let you know when I launch.

Living a Layered Life 

Imagine walking into a used clothing store and seeing rows and rows of clothes, that, if they aren’t sold, will end up in a landfill. If they are synthetic, they may never disintegrate. Imagine your friends giving you clothes they loved but can no longer wear. 

Imagine picking out the old clothes with colors and textures you like, cutting them up and fusing them together using a felting machine to make new fabric. 

Imagine using this fabric to make new clothes or framing or pasting it onto cradle boards or cards. These old clothes become art. A history, herstory for years to come. Telling a story in colors and textures.

In many Asian cultures there is a tradition of wrapping objects with beautiful patchwork textiles that were often embellished with imaginative stiches. This patchwok is called chogak po.