A reader alerted us to Maya Donenfeld’s great book Reinvention: Sewing with Rescued Materials. Donenfeld writes the popular blog Mayamade. We are impressed by her philosophy which underlies every project: to create something new from what already exists.  She loves the challenge of making “something out of nothing” (and so do we). There are 28 projects in the book, from a rugged burlap log carrier to this very cool color blocked zippered pouch.

The projects are all comprised of simple techniques so even if your skill level isn’t the greatest, you’ll be able to build very cool things out of series’ of manageable steps. As novice sewers, we especially appreciate the first chapter on Sewing Basics.

Each chapter is dedicated to a different material, from linen, wool and denim to tyvek and vintage fabrics.  Since Donenfeld loves graphics and printing, you’ll learn to print fabrics, using her stencils and templates as a jumping off point for your own.

We see Reinvention as a jumping off place for ideas, applicable to rescued materials or new…

Check out how Elsie Marie riffed on a Donenfeld idea.