Inspired By the Colors of Fall

We have had the most beautiful fall weather the last couple of weeks! Sitting out on the deck, looking up at the trees, I was inspired by the gorgeous colors of the leaves against the vibrant blue sky.

I decided to look through my vintage velvet stash for similar colors. I discovered that many of the cut velvets were in autumn hues.

I also found this lovely printed floral velvet with royal blue flowers with touches of yellow, red, and green. I paired it with a vintage camel colored cordouroy for this wristlet.

Most of the items shown are available on my website or my Etsy shop.

What Fall inspired projects are you working on?

New Vintage Velvets for Fall

I was thrilled to be able to buy more of these wonderful vintage cut velvet or sculpted velvet upholstery fabrics a couple of weeks ago. They are from the same local estate that the others came from. A talented woman, who did freelance upholstery work for years, had acquired many, many lovely fabrics. Her daughter has been working to clear the house and fabrics and was so sweet to contact me again. Some are large pieces cut from bolts, and others are swatch size pieces, which are great for wristlets and pouches, and many have multiple colorways.

There are cut velvets ( or raised velvets, sculpted chenilles, not sure of the correct term)...

printed velvets...

And my favorite, the multi colored floral velvets! Here are just a few...


I have 2-3 large bins filled with these types velvets as well as other damasks, brocades, and

matelasse. Needless to say, I've been busy sorting and hand washing these beautiful textiles and creating new wristlet and bag designs for the fall and winter seasons.

Have a great week and happy sewing, everyone!

Vintage Fabric Mini Wristlets

These are the newest little wristlets to come out of the sewing room. I used vintage 60's fabrics featuring poppies and daisies for these two, and made the handle with a lobster claw clasp for versatility. I was also able to use the rivots that I like so much. :-)Measuring just 7.5 inches by 4 inches, they are a handy size for a cell phone, keys, and a couple other essentials.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

From Vintage Barkcloth Samples to Wristlets

My lastest sewing project has centered around a group of vintage barkcloth fabric samples. I acquired these about 4 years ago, and although I didn't know at the time what I would do with them, they were just too pretty to pass up. There was a variety of different textures, colorways, and prints, but all featured the romantic florals so popular during the 1940's.
The floral and scroll print below is my favorite. There's a deep blue colorway, too.

The average size of the samples is around 7"x11", which turned out to be a perfect size for making wristlets! I've paired the barkcloth with natural linen and made some of them with zippered tops....
And others have a front zipper style... So, the next time you come across small or odd shaped vintage fabric pieces and think, "I don't know what I would ever use them for", get them anyway! Inspiration will come eventually. :-)
Happy sewing everyone!

For Love of Roses

Sorry for the quick post and run. :(

I'll leave you with a few pictures of my latest project. I love having coordinating pouches to go with my totes, well, I even made a little key fob to match this set. I decided to indulge my "girly" side with this beautiful pink roses linen. The wristlet is lined with a pink and green plaid. I can't believe how well it matched! I've had it in my stash for over a year. And here's the back side of the wristlet. I reversed the patchwork, so I could get a bit of the berries in there, too.Have a fun and safe weekend everyone! I'll be up to my armpits in potting soil. :)