Weekend Finds and Projects
07 February 2010 | by jen in Knit & Crochet, Sewing, Vintage
I’m now the proud owner of a dickie. I never thought I’d say that so feel free to laugh with me. But this is not a silly polyester/cotton blend faux turtleneck sweater. I don’t know how old this one is but it’s so pretty and, despite how delicate it is, it’s in such good condition. I particularly love the bow/ruffle at the neck. I’m either going to leave it as a dickie or somehow incorporate it in to a dress, perhaps as a bib. Wouldn’t that be lovely?
I’m also adding to my collection of millinery flowers and rayon fabric. Everything has a purpose; not that I’ve necessarily figured out the future lives of these treasure but I will - someday!
Last weekend a friend and I went to the Vintage Clothing & Textile Show in Burbank. It was a relatively small gathering of vendors but there were a ton of people there, so much so I felt a little overwhelmed at times. Nonetheless I found some pretty things. Some of the fabric I picked up is cute but kind of malodorous. (Something I did not realize until I got home, of course.) I spent some time searching online for remedies because, assuming the fabric in question was 60+ year old rayon, I wasn’t confident I could handwash it without suffering terrible consequences.
I posted a question in Etsy forums and lo and behold, answers! The black fabric is now non-smelly and ready to be made into a little dress thanks to 1 part cheap vodka to 1 part water in a spray bottle. But I have to tell you, the vodka/water solution I used on both pieces did not work out so well for the nutmeg-colored one. Initially it toned down the funk but after several sessions the stench simply evolved into another smell, which reminded me of old crayons. Pungent old crayons. That led me to wonder if 1. The smell will ever leave, and 2. Is this even rayon? Because, does rayon smell like smelly old crayons? I’m no textile expert so I really don’t know. But the smell was annoying enough that I took a chance and washed it. First, I hand-washed it. Now, it’s in the washing machine. Yup, in the machine. I mean, if it’s going to smell then it’s useless to me and I’m not going to pay a fortune at a fancy dry cleaner. I’m just not. (We’ll see what happens!)
UPDATE: After washing the rayon in the machine, using the delicate cycle (which included a good, long soak in OxyClean and Arm & Hammer detergent) and tossing it in the dryer on low, the fabric has come out smelling good and not worse for wear! Yay!
I also started two sewing projects this weekend: a 50s sundress in a kitschy Hawaiian print and a pair of shorts. Shorts! I’m excited about making a pair of shorts. (I only have one pair, from the Gap Kids clearance section.) I even made a muslin since fitting pants can be tricky.
Oh, and I’m working on the 2 Hour Sweater. So far I’ve logged WAY more than 2 hours for this project but it has been a breeze so far.
Stay tuned and Happy Week to you!
What are your thoughts, dears? | ♥ 
08 February 2010 | Casey says:
Oh wow!!! What treasures you’ve found! Funnily enough, I have been thinking about a dicky lately; one of the sewing books I have from the 40s shows how to easily make several different styles.
I just love the idea of versatility they lend! I really like the idea you have for using it as a yoke in a dress too–ingenious!
Oh, I hope washing that fabric turns out to remedy the problem! Both pieces are so beautiful; I think I gasped when I saw the photos!!
♥ Casey
blog | elegantmusings.com
08 February 2010 | Jennifer says:
I love the little flowers, they are just gorgeous. Good luck with getting the smell out.
08 February 2010 | Jennifer says:
The dickie is lovely. I didn’t think I would ever be able to write or utter that sentence, haha! But it really is. I have no doubt that whatever you use it for, it will turn out even lovelier! Love the tan fabric as well, I’m so glad that you were able to solve the smell issue.
08 February 2010 | Nancy says:
ah! so much goodness in one post
wonderful finds!
i’ve only been sewing summer things though mostly for little s who is too sick to model them for me
i really like the dickie and the millinery flowers and also the fabric they are lying on.
also- i hope the new kitchen looks nice:)
08 February 2010 | reilly says:
The dicky looks gorgeous! I would probably leave it as is to serve maximum use, but still sew a dress or outfit with it in mind.
08 February 2010 | Kara says:
A DICKIE! This reminds me of high school sewing class and Mrs. She-neigh-neigh-an or whatever her name was. Loooove it!
09 February 2010 | Andrea says:
Cute! The dickie looks late Edwardian (late 1910s or thereabouts), and the flowers are adorable.
Glad to see, also, that the fabric was salvageable.
xo!
09 February 2010 | Tracey says:
Very pretty! I wonder if you could use vinegar to get the smell out. I know that you can use it to neutralize odors in the air and in cloth diapers. I used this to get red crayon out of my sons clothes and it worked amazingly! It might be something worth looking into for future smelly fabrics you come across.
10 February 2010 | cindy says:
good that your fabric came out ok after washing. i have washed things that are not supposed to be washed also. not too many things ruined, but one or two. (i don’t want to pay expensive dry cleaning either!)
11 February 2010 | Lisa says:
Glad your vintage lovelies didn’t suffer any harm in the machine. I’m a hearty believer in washing machines - Most everything I have goes in, vintage or not. Of course, I have a small selection (wools and silks) that are strictly hand wash, but nothing ever goes to the dry cleaner. I’ve actually seen polyester and cotton garments with “dry clean only” labels in them - which I think is code for “extremely cheap and you probably shouldn’t buy this anyway.”
16 February 2010 | Stéphanie says:
That’s fabulous Jen !
17 February 2010 | Violette Crumble says:
I’m glad nothing bad happened to the fabric. I have NEVER washed rayon and had it keep its shape. I even once got caught in the rain in a rayon Boden dress (two years ago) and it shrunk so much I had to give it away. Curses. I wonder why your survived so well?
20 June 2010 | Faith says:
The dickie has a long history- in the past, women would not have as many dresses, so they used lots of accessories to change up a look. A lot of handwork would go into these neck pieces, mimicking the expense of a full blouse. They were quite common during the Civil War and Bustle eras, often worn with matching undersleeves. They also had a practical function in that you would only have to wash those smaller pieces rather than a whole dress!