Vintage Fabric DIY Teepee

I'm back after a bit of a break, with a fun project. A DIY teepee!
I'll be watching my little niece while she's on her summer break from school, so I try to have something new for her. I had been saving the sturdy cardboard rolls from upholstery fabric thinking that they would be useful for some craft project and this was it!

I used an awl to make a hole through the top of each one...

 

 

 

Then threaded twine through the holes and wrapped the 4 together.

 

 

Next I found a large piece of vintage fabric from the stash (It was a couple pieces that had been sewn together, probably for use as a quilt back). I made a rough template and used that to cut out the pieces I needed. I also added a contrasting trim fabric, just because. ;-)

 

 

In order to keep the seems lined up on the poles, I sewed small ties on the inside.

 

 

It was a quick project, folds up and stores easily, and finally got those cardboard tubes out of my sewing room...crafting success!

 

 



Flea Market Fabrics!

The exclamation mark in the title is to convey my excitement.  :)
It seems like F O R E V E R since I've been to the Lawrenceburg (antique and vintage only) flea market.  Many of the scheduled weekends last year were rained out or conflicted with family events and I was sick for the first one of this year.  But Mom and I finally made it there this past Sunday.
It was a beautiful day and I was able to find several pretty fabrics.
Let's start with the one that did not make the group picture above.

It's a mid century modern rayon dress fabric with orange poppies...and there is over 7 yards! Love it!

I also found a couple of cute border print fabrics in pink.

And what I really like about these is that the pretty floral border is mirrored along the other selvage, too.

A couple of aqua quilt fabrics also came home with me.

And last but not least, a few rolls of pastel blanket binding...just because they were so pretty.  :)

So , although it wasn't the largest haul of fabrics, it was a nice start to flea market season for me.  What about you? Any good flea market finds lately?

Baby Gift Items in Flannel

 

I had fun sewing baby items for a friends shower last week. I used super soft flannel fabrics for bibs and burp cloths.  Joanns had their Snuggle flannels on sale so, I pick up a few.

I also had a couple of solids in my stash and a pretty vintage pink rose flannel that I found at an estate sale last summer.

For the shower gift I used the mint green cherry blossom paired with a pink minky dot for one set...

And the vintage pink rose and solid pink for the other set.

I used the same pattern for the bib as the last one I made. Its from Heather Bailey's blog.
For the pink rose burp cloth I just free-handed a pattern.
Then, along with several items from her registry, I packed them all into a handmade fabric bin.

I constructed this one slightly different than the others I've made here and here.
It is a bit smaller and the handles are attached to the sides rather than the top edge.

I think bins are always useful...for toys, diapers, blankets, dvds, books, etc.  So, hopefully she can find a place for it.  :)
Babies are so fun to sew for! And I'm always looking for new ideas.  What type of projects do you like to make for baby?

Cold Weather and Warm-Hearted Friends

Like much of the country, we have had our share of snow and cold weather this winter.  And earlier this week, found ourselves in the deep freeze of the polar vortex.  brrrrrr  
But a sweet package arrived to brighten my week.  A lovely pair of handmade kitchen goodies from the talented quilter, blogger, and pattern designer, Stephanie of Loft Creations! (Who, by the way, now has her very own book!)
I just had to share a picture of them in front of the vintage bread sign hanging in my kitchen.  Look how awesome they go together.  And the little pear applique on the hot pad is all vintage fabrics...too perfect.  :)

 

And in an effort to make peace with all the snow, I've put together a few vintage fabrics that remind me of snowflakes.

These are all from the 1950's.  The design is sort of a Penn-Dutch, geo-floral that was quite popular at the time.  I've always liked them as they were reminiscent of the Spirograph designs of my childhood. And although similar, they were each unique, like snowflakes.  :)

Stay warm, everyone!  Only 10 more weeks until spring! (ugh, can that be right?)lol

Sewing Party Projects

This past weekend I got together with a bunch of friends at the local library for a sewing/craft party.  We had coffee and snacks and all brought projects we wanted to work on and fabric we wanted to trade or give away.  One girl was teaching crochet techniques, another was hand sewing a doll, and several of us had our sewing machines and were finishing up half-started projects.

Here's what I accomplished that night; A little bunny wristlet and a few vintage fabric key chains.

I had cut most of the pieces for this little pouch years ago, but as with many projects, it got stuck in a drawer and forgotten.  I love this vintage children's fabric (its a 1940's Puritan Print called "Mail Time") and have used many of the cute little scenes before.  On this wristlet I used the bunny on the front and a strip with the bluebird on the back.

I also tried out some new key chain hardware.  This was just another way to use up tiny scraps of vintage fabric that I can't throw away.  I only needed about a 1.5 inch strip for these.

It was a fun and fairly productive evening.  I wish I would have remembered to take some pictures while I was there, but apparently I felt the need to defend my title as "World's Worst Blogger".  lol
Have a great week everyone!

Vintage Feedsacks from Arkansas

I just returned from a trip to Arkansas.  We were there mainly to visit dear friends, but also to see a part of the country we hadn't been to before.  We spent a few days in the Ozarks in the lodge at Mt Magazine.  Gorgeous place and stunning views. 

Then we headed over to our friends in Fayetteville.  Fayetteville is a cute little college town with a Farmer's market in the town square, little coffee shops, and hip vintage stores showcasing Midcentury Modern décor. 

While I would have loved to come home with some of the furniture pieces, room in the car was tight, so I had to limit purchases to smaller items.  As with many of the antique malls around here, fabric yardage was scarce, but thankfully, I was able to find some fun feedsacks.
Of course, the pink is my favorite.

I really like it when I can find multiples of the same print and this navy blue dot and pink & blue floral came in pairs.  :)

And I thought this blue one with little doodle flower pictures was just too cute.

I also found a couple yards of a Waverly Glosheen fabric in pink and orange...such a fun color combo!

I bought a 6 yard length of vintage toweling, but it's still drying on the line, so I'll have to share that one another time.  :)
It was still pretty green in the Ozarks, but we drove through some pretty fall color in Missouri.  Have the leaves turned yet where you are?
Enjoy the week, everyone!

Antique Fabrics

I think most collectors categorize "antique fabrics" as those that are 100 years old or older.  In quilting cottons, that means that generally the selvage width is around 24"-27" wide.  (By the 1930's, most cotton quilt fabrics had transitioned to a 34"-36" width.)
 Although I've found small scraps and quilt blocks, I can't say that I've found very many unused, full width antique fabrics.  But I do have a few...so, I thought I share them with you today.

This first one is my favorite.  Its a double pink or cinnamon pink dating from the 1880-1900's.  It is a 4 yard piece in lovely condition with a 24" selvage width and it retains it's original "Allens Pinks" label.  SCORE!

I also have a cute paisley with polka dots likely dating to the early 1900's.  It, too, is several yards long, has a 24" selvage width, and is in amazing unused condition.  (I should hold up so well after a hundred years on this planet. lol)

Another paisley, a popular design motif of the era, this time in darker, richer colors.  This one feels like a brushed cotton or light weight flannel and has a slight twill weave.

This next pretty paisley is terribly faded and was likely used as a part of a quilt back. But, it was so pretty, it had to come home with me for reference or just a bit of eye-candy.

I can only imagine how pretty the colors were when it was first made...pink, tans, and robin's egg blue. Such a pretty combination!
That about does it for the quilt fabrics of that era, I think the only other antique piece in my inventory at the moment is an unused toile home décor or drapery fabric.  It has a 30" selvage width and a finely detailed cherub and pastoral scene in a deep aubergine or eggplant color.

I imagine that these early fabrics may be more readily found on the east coast, but around here, they are few and far between.  So, I'm grateful for even the small collection I have.  :)
I have a couple listed in my Etsy shop this month, but they are also available on the website.
How about you?  Any antique textiles in your stash?