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! 

Thank you for your engagement well wishes!  They really made me smile.  As you can imagine I have become a little consumed with wedding ideas and planning; the reason being I’d like to get married this year.  I’m not interested in a long engagement (partially, I suppose, because we’ve been together for 5 years and I’m not getting any younger!) and have very quickly come to realize that stuff (venues, photographers, etc.) gets booked up well in advance.   Seriously, the idea of eloping becomes more and more appealing as I traipse my way through wedding-related sites on the internet.  Anyway, I haven’t forgotten about my Sewing Basics series!  Just, you know, trying to wrap my head around so many things.

Anyhow, wanted to share some vintage finds (and related wedding ideas).   I decided a couple of months ago that I wanted a regular phone, one that plugged into the phone jack without needing to be plugged into an electrical outlet as well (I presume so that the answering machine will work).  I was going to get something cheap at Goodwill and store in the closet just in case - just in case the power goes out, my cell doesn’t work and I need to make a phone call.  You never know!   But since I was in the market for such a phone it dawned on me to get a vintage one - a rotary phone!  At first I wanted aqua or Robin’s egg blue but when I saw this chocolate brown one I knew that was the one I wanted.  And I think I paid about $10 or $11 (plus shipping) on eBay.   And yes, it works!  The really hilarious thing is, to test it out I dialed my cell phone number which has a different area code from my home phone.  By the time I got halfway through the darn phone number, I forgot which digit I was on - hahaha!

A few weeks ago I won this vintage quilt, also on eBay.  I don’t know about you but I don’t necessarily want my vintage finds to be in pristine condition.  I love the yellowing and fading and little threads hanging out;  I love things that were once used and loved very much.  This is a bow tie quilt and I’m sure you can see why.  Probably 1930s with lots of feedsack prints.  The grey fabric you see on the far right is what I’m going to use to make bias tape to rebind the edges; while I love the tatteredness of the quilt, I don’t want what stuffing that is left to fall out.

Ok, wedding stuff!  I haven’t decided if I’m going to carry a bouquet or not.  I’m thinking not but who knows, I might change my mind later.  I have my dress mapped out in my head and I would love to wear a vintage flower at my waist with a ribbon or a sash in a color besides ivory (which is the color of the dress).  I haven’t finalized any wedding colors yet but I’m leaning towards ivory, chocolate brown, mustard-gold and lavender/iris.  Possibly a spot or 2 of aqua, reminiscent of the mermaid ring box.  And instead of a boutonniere, my fiance could wear a vintage hankie in his breast pocket.

More hankie possibilities here.  And the yarn for something I might make to keep me warm after the ceremony.

So I figured out that the next Sewing Basics post will be about deciphering the back of your pattern and selecting the fabric. (Hmm, did I say this already?)  I will try to post this in the next couple of days so you can get your things ready if you choose.  More soon!