RePurposing vintage tea towels

Hello, welcome to my very first blog!

Let me first briefly introduce myself, my name is Jenny and I am the owner and maker behind Poppy & Belle, my little handmade biz. I am also a mother of seven, yes seven...and when I can make the time I also like to garden, knit and read.

I have collected vintage tea towels for about 5 years now. It all started when I came across a tea towel of my (late) mothers and it brought back nostalgic feelings from my childhood. I was expecting my last child at the time, and experimenting with making my own bibs so I whipped up a bib using this particular tea towel, and each time I used it I felt a connection to my mum to my baby, but also felt great that it had been given a new life!

I still make bibs today out of vintage tea towels, especially souvenir teatowels from Australia and other countries and towns. I have made a messenger bag using an australian bird vintage teatowel, but have also had vintage tea towel totes on my 'to do' list.

This is the bright and cheery tea towel I chose to use, since the weather at the time was so dreary here in the mountains.

One of my favourite things to do when creating is add pretty trims and buttons.

I sometimes have an exact plan when creating products, but other times work organically, and ideas and inspiration for the bag or product I am working on come to me as I go. With this tote I decided to add a co-ordinating vintage trim onto the inside of the red Upcycled corduroy fabric handles, for a special touch.

I felt to complete the bag I would include a few vintage buttons on the interior, just to be a bit different, and pick up on some of the colour from the outside of the bag.

Overall I am very happy with the end product. It is a large tote bag with added snaps on the sides, to make it's size and shape versatile. It is completely ecofriendly, and has been made from vintage and repurposed fabrics and haberdashery which makes it one of a kind and unique.

A bright and cheery tote for a lovely day out at the markets!

Here is the original tea towel bib I first made from my mothers tea towel. It has been well used but the picture of the lady spinning yarn in her kitchen is just so special, I have never come across another teatowel quite like it!