I’m so glad to be finished with another dress – it seemed like ages since I made one, haha!  This one is made from 2 matching feedsacks, probably from the 1930s.  Luckily I had enough fabric (just enough, really).  When I acquired the feedsacks, I didn’t know I would use them to make something to wear; this type of feedsack fabric is thicker and more loosely woven than calico.  As a dress, I thought I might literally look like I was wearing a sack but the print was too pretty to languish in my stash for much longer so I went for it.  And in my own small way, I was paying homage to all the women back in the ’30s who really had no choice but to use their feedsacks to clothes themselves and their families.  (It’s amazing the pretty and eco-friendly frocks they created with similar sacks.)

The pattern I used is New Look 6889.  I decided on a simple, modern pattern because I didn’t want to spend a lot of time fitting the little pieces together that one often finds in vintage patterns, plus I knew this dress had to be 2 things: easy to put on without a closure and quick to make.

This pattern fit the bill although I laugh and laugh at their “2 hour” claim!  I must be the slowest sewist EVER because it took much longer than 2 hours.  (Even if you exclude the time it took me to make the ruffle and the belt.)  Thankfully, the fitting of this dress was fairly uneventful and not difficult to do.  Based on the given garment measurements I cut out the pattern 1 size smaller than my own.  I also took in the center front an extra 1/2″ (total 1″) and the center back 1/2″ (total 1″) at the neckline because it pooched out (extra width, I suppose, to allow for slipping it over one’s head).  I added some back darts to reduce the tent-like shapelessness which really helped.

To give it a ’30s vibe, one of the things I added is a ruffle around the neck made up of cotton/silk voile (my favorite fabric) that I edged with green thread using a zig-zag stitch.  A little green velvet bow tops it off.

I added elastic to the waist, the same way I did to my Built by Wendy dress.  Much to my surprise I had enough to make a belt!  At first I thought I might go with a vintage red bakelite buckle but opted for this sweet mother of pearl one instead.

Then I added some decorative mother of pearl buttons to the pockets.

(Don’t you love this print?!)

I really like how this dress is so comfortable and, as it turns out, the extra weight of the fabric has its advantages; it feels more substantial that quilt-weight fabric and probably holds up better on breezy days.  (Or should I say holds down better?)

What do you think – would you mistake this for a ’30s dress if you didn’t know I made it from a modern pattern?

Anyway dears, I hope your week is going nicely so far!  We got some rain which really makes me glad.  I just love listening to it.

Our living room is relatively spacious but we don’t have a ton of seating.  This is fine for the most part since it’s just the two of us (excuse me, 3, if you count Spoo).  But it’s nice to have some casual seating around, just in case.  My friend Angela has a couple of Moroccan leather poufs at her place and I always thought they were a fun addition to the space and feel a lot less committal than big, heavy pieces of furniture.  So I figured I could make something similar.

I started to look online for some DIY instructions.  I’d google “how to make an ottoman” and such and couldn’t find what I was looking for.  After a few different attempts I stumbled upon this DIY Pouf tutorial. (Oh, a pouf – that’s what that thing is called!)  It seemed relatively easy (Samantha provides pattern instructions which is great since I didn’t want to figure that part out myself).  I already had the perfect fabric picked out from my vintage sheet stash.  I love vintage sheets because they are usually very colorful and cheery, plus there’s a lot of fabric in one piece.

I followed the instructions as written except for #2 – Instead of creating a hole on the center of the pouf by folding under the pointed ends, I stitched each piece end to end and left an opening in one of the seams.

I flat-lined the pieces with a plain white sheet.  The stuffing is everything you can think of: unwanted clothing, fabric, sewing projects gone sadly awry (and that I felt too guilty about tossing)…even with everything stuffed in there I still couldn’t make it completely full; this pouf is almost 2′ wide and it’s mind-boggling how much can fit inside it!  I also added an over-sized doily in the middle which I really like.

It’s very squishy.  Not annoying “I’m stuck in this flippin’ beanbag” squishy, but just enough.  Doesn’t it look summery?   I’m already thinking about making another one.  This next pouf would be smaller and perhaps I’ll round off the corners a bit so the top (and bottom) will have a flatter appearance.

Are you working on any DIY projects for summer?  Do tell!

I couldn’t wait to post these, I just had to show someone!  I’ve been collecting vintage hankies for years, not entirely sure what I was going to do with them (curtains?  quilt?  aprons?) and feeling quite the hoarder.  Last year I put “hankie dress” on my never-ending to do list and I finally got around to playing with the idea this past weekend.  I haven’t seen a dress like this before (I’ve seen little baby dresses made from hankies but not grown-up girl ones) and I’m pretty happy with the results so far.

I was going for something sweet and not too patchwork-y or hippy.  I used all the same colorway (for this one aqua and yellow/mustard hankies) to help pull the dress together.  I did very little to alter the hankies as I wanted to preserve the look of them.  I also wanted to avoid having to make a pattern.  I recently finished a sundress from a 1950s pattern that looks ok but I spent forever trying to get the fit right (and it still isn’t quite right, dang) and I’m just kind of over patterns right now.  (That’ll be short-lived, I’m sure!)

Basically this dress is just a tube of strategically placed hankies of varying size.  The fanciest part is the ruffle on the front made from a wee hankie that has been one of my favorites.  I’m not 100% sure I’m done yet but I’m very close!

Happy Monday!

Me thinks my room is turning into a little museum.    What is it about these lovely and well-loved old things?  I know I’ve said this before but I adore vintage and antique things that are a little worn and imperfect.  But a couple of these recent finds are very worn and must surely have been deeply loved!

The best part is I got this old blouse, bag and hankie for $15!  Is it just me or is that a good deal?

The ’20s handbag is my favorite.  I really love vintage mirrors, especially when they’ve become foggy with that greyish cloud of a patina.  I also love old rhinestones, foil-backed buttons and sequins for the same reason.  Especially in silver and gold tones.

This bag sat forlorn in the corner of this antique dealer’s booth.  Sad and ghost-like.  I picked this up along with the pretty grey-blue and cream hankie.  The bag is actually in pretty good condition with just a few beads missing and some tiny stains on the interior (and again, I love that the foil in the sequins is very worn and old looking).

So I opened up the bag and spied a little mirror inside!  It’s foggy too although there is a clear spot on one side so that it’s actually still usable.  Snap works great.  And there’s a handle in the back – it’s too small to put my hand through so I suppose you can hold it or perhaps it could go on a belt?  Did they wear their bags on the hip like that back then?

I was interested in this Edwardian (?) blouse for its parts (re-purpose?) but got even more excited about it when it was apparent that it would fit me.  (An extreme rarity.)  But I don’t know if I could or should wear it, it’s so delicate.  The collar is yellowed and shattered and the front hem has been torn away.  And yet I love it so much it was meant to come home with me.

Here’s the back view (Edited to note: Lisa graciously has pointed out that this is most likely the front of the blouse, and I concur after trying it on again.):

Well for $15  for the whole lot , I couldn’t say no!  And speaking of decrepit things, I picked up this brass floral necklace piece from another dealer:

I like how the pearls are all but completely missing but then again I might replace them with new pearls or rhinestones; we’ll see.  And I might just remove the connectors and make a necklace out of the pendant.  The connectors I can use for a bracelet or two, or maybe a fancy brooch.

Ok, back to work I go, for it is Monday afterall!