Etsy Shop Update & My First Juried Show!

I can't believe I haven't done a post about this yet!  When I ran the Cherry Blossom 10 miler back in April, I bought a headband at the expo there.  I've never been able to find one that actually STAYED in my hair AND held my hair back.  This one did.  But I paid $15 and I realized that I could easily sew them myself and better yet, I could use vintage ribbon.  Yahtzee!

Here are what they look like.  You can find them in my Etsy Shop here.

Here's the best part!  They will be featured at my FIRST CRAFT JURIED CRAFT SHOW!  It's Saturday, November 16, 2013, at St. Peter Claver Church in West Hartford, CT.  Much, much more to come on that.

I also started a running blog, which you can find at The Reticent Runner.  I'd love to see you there!

Upcycled Sweater Baby Blanket

A friend of mine at work is having a baby.  Yes, it's the same one I made the Seven Seas quilt for.  But every baby needs a stroller blanket right??

I made this from repurposed sweaters, both wool and cashmere.  I added some vintage trims for texture.  And this time, I added some basic quilting, stitch-in-the-ditch style, so that it would hold it's shape when it got washed.

What's your favorite baby gift to make?

New! Cloth Napkins made from Vintage Christmas Tablecloths

The last set of Christmas cloth napkins I had in my Etsy shop sold last week.  I happened to have two other vintage tablecloths that had seen better days, so I made some more napkins!  Both sets are available in my Etsy Shop.

The poinsettia ones are large, 15" square, and there are four of them.

The candle, garland ones are 12" and there are SIX of those!

Making these is like therapy for me.  I get to make something new out of something that might otherwise never see the light of day again.  It was a great way to start thinking about the holidays!

Music to my Ears - Vintage Fabric Jackpot

I got an note in my Facebook inbox last week from my aunt...it held the magic words "I'm cleaning out some stuff at my house, do you want some fabric?" Uh. Yes. Yes I do.

Everyone on my mom's side of the family are avid collectors. They all collect different things, but my aunt Tala is a quilter, so you can imagine how excited I was to see what she had for me.

I took the kids and drove about an hour to meet her and was met with six huge bags of fabric and vintage chenille bedspreads.

There are tons of pieces that are 3 yards or larger...just awesome for backs for quilts. There are also a lot of Waverly fabrics, which are fantastic quality.

The colors of vintage fabrics are so wonderful to me. The one in the front of this picture with the grey and maroon...to die for.

Some of the pieces are smaller, and I think they range from a pretty wide time frame. Some feel really old. I am not great at telling how old things are. The fantastic green and blue plaid in the upper right of this photo...I might have 10 yards of. Love.it.

It all needs a seriously good wash and iron, but that is a small price to pay for so many goodies. I can't wait to show you some pictures of my favorites when they're al cleaned up.

Where do you find great vintage fabrics? Do you use them on any special projects?

Earth Day Sewing Using Vintage Fabric

Happy Earth Day everyone! One of my favorite ways to be eco-conscious is to use something that's already around or re-use it. I love finding vintage fabrics at yard sales or Goodwill. This fabric came from an amazing estate sale I went to last year where I scored TONS of vintage fabric on the super cheap. My grandmother just re-did her kitchen, so I decided to make her some potholders from some of that fabric. Boy do I love me some orange!

I used the pattern from One Yard Wonders by Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Haskins. It's the first project I've done out of this book, and I was pleased that the directions were good, and the writing complete and straightforward. I'm looking forward to making more from this book!

What are you doing for Earth Day?? Remember, Love Your Mother!!

She-Werewolf...from a vintage Simplicity 9206 pattern!

I keep saying this every time I mention this project, but I am SO happy with how it came out. This is the werewolf costume I made for my 7 year old daughter for Halloween. We had to hunt for a pattern that she liked, and when we found this one, the smallest one I could find was the 8-10. She's no 8, so I had to re-size the pattern pieces myself to make her a 6, which is something I've never done before.



There was virtually no "fitting" to this costume. It went together like a raglan sleeve set of zip up pajamas. A nice easy fit so that she can wear clothes underneath. As great as this looks, it certainly is no Project Runway garment.

We were looking for something scary, but still, well, cute. I think we found it!



Maybe a little tough. 7 year old girls don't get to feel tough very much.



Of course, the tail was a HUGE hit. There was much butt swinging and wagging to see how she could get the tail to move.





She did a lot of practicing with her "RRRAAAARRR" noises and holding up her claws. I am told that we have to cut the teeth out of the hood part. She tells me that she thinks she looks like she's in the werewolf's mouth.



Best of all, it's made of FUR. So it's super warm, and plenty cozy enough to actually lounge around in.



Given our success this year, I can absolutely see making more costumes in my future.

After a long dry spell...vintage sewing goodies!

It feels so good to have something fun to share again! I have been working on some larger projects (still....boring!) and then just not sewing as much as I'd like. But last weekend I was lucky enough to have a great estate sale to go to, and I got lots of great vintage sewing "stuff". The ad had said "hundreds of yards of vintage fabric". Of course, when I got there, a huge portion of it was polyester, and not very old...but there was plenty for me to take home, and I only paid $1 for each "piece".

In this first picture, there's some nice cottons, but the black is a gorgeous light, almost georgette fabric. And there's enough to make a small dress. The colors are fabulous.



In the next photo the floral on the left is from Mexico. A lot of the fabric was still in bags, with tags attached, purchased in the 60's. As I was pawing through the boxes and boxes of fabric I thought "I'd better get sewing or someone will find fabric still bagged and tagged at MY house!" The small print on the far right has the prettiest gold in it.



The blue red and white, second from the left is great. One of my favorite things about vintage fabric is the color combinations.

The dark blue is a heavier, almost home dec weight. That may become my daughter's dance bag for next school year.



These are basic cottons, but they are large pieces...each about 3 yards, and remember that price? $1/piece? How's 33 cents a yard grab you?? Many of the cottons say "Concord Fabrics". I think the company may now be part of Springs Industries. Anyone know for sure?



There were only about 50 patterns, but these that I chose (got all four for $1!) are all uncut, and actually things I would wear. I especially love the cape, which I am seeing in fall fashion previews already. Best of all, I got some great wools that I could make one in (next photo down).



The left two are wools, 3 yard pieces, no smells at all, and nice quality. At least one of these will become a skirt. I seriously LOVE plaid skirts and boots in the fall.

The floral is linen...not very old, but I liked the pattern. It reminded me of my grandmother, so I took it.



I foolishly didn't take the large bags of buttons they had. There were 4 or 5 of them, but they had really new looking buttons. Of course I wished I'd taken them when I got home. I did take these though.



Last but not least I got two great vintage tablecloths. The one with the ADORABLE deer is in perfect condition, so that will get used this year. The other is a Wilendur that has seen better days, so that will become some cloth napkins for my Etsy shop (someday).



And what may you ask did I pay for this haul? A whopping $18. I didn't even get pictures of ALL of the fabric, and I also got an adorable white wicker purse. Serious bargains for seriously great vintage stuff! One of the great benefits of living in New England.

Weekend project - cloth napkins upcycled from vintage tablecloths

So, it seems like forever that I've had this giant Rubbermaid tote full of vintage tablecloths that I've managed to accumulate over time. Lots and lots of them have small holes, or thin spots. Some of them have great patterns or images on them. Most of them have those gorgeous vintage color combinations that you just don't see anymore. Pretty much all of them had some stains. But I found one at a Goodwill store recently and it reminded me to pull them out. I made a huge batch of bleach and water to soak them in, and started cutting.

The first set had these great roosters, chickens, and farm houses. It also had lots of tiny pea-sized holes. But once I was done with them...





They are double sided, and not 100% perfectly square, but they are all intact, and what I did use is in wonderful condition. And who can beat that pattern?? Best of all, they are super Earth friendly, eliminating paper napkins, and re-using something that would have been in the landfill. They are absorbant as all get out, just to make them that much sweeter.

My favorite pattern and color combo of all time was in this cloth...the red white and blue (but more like teal). Best of all, these are 15 1/2" square, which is nice and big. Just the most gorgeous shabby chic looking napkins you'll ever want to see.






Both sets are now in my Etsy shop, with many more to come.