Vintage Ephemera and Feedsacks

Its time for another Vintage Alphabet Party! This month's letters are E and F, so I'm showing my collection of Ephemera and Feedsacks. (I know Fabric seems like an obvious choice for me, but it was too overwhelming so I narrowed it down to just feedsacks.)

First the Ephemera... the picture above is a group of advertisement cards. I also have a fun Cincinnati Reds Baseball schedule from 1956, a trio of items from The Fabulous Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas circa 1950, and a ticket to the Kennedy Inaugural Parade in 1961.

I also love this beautifully written letter on Dry Goods stationary dated 1882.Now for the Feedsacks. Here's a few from my current collection...
Be sure to stop by the Etsy Cottage Style Blog to see the other collections beginning with E and F.

I also wanted to share a quick photo of the chair re-upholstering project. Because I couldn't make up my mind about what fabric to upholster it with, I decided to cover it in a natural canvas and then make slipcovers in different prints. I'll show the process in my next post.

My excuse is Spring

Yes, I'm using Spring as my excuse for being absent. It has been so pretty outside and of course, there was some major spring cleaning. I also started an upholstery project.
First, I'll show you a few pictures of what's blooming in the yard...



And here is the cool 1950's chair that I'm re-upholstering...

I have the old fabric removed, and today I'll be making patterns with it for the new fabric. If all goes smoothly (ha) I'll be back within a week to show the make-over.

Now, get outside and enjoy the pretty weather!

Fabric Folder Portfolio Tutorial

This week I made a couple more fabric portfolio folders, and so as promised, I'm here to show you how I made them. I decided not to use the iron-on vinyl with these, but I'm not totally giving up on the laminated cover idea, yet. ;-)
Let's get started...

1.) First you'll need 3 pieces of fabric all cut to 13"x10". (you can customize the size to your specific needs). And 2 pocket pieces 6.5"x5.5".2.) Iron a fusible interfacing to the 2 fabrics that will be your outer and lining fabrics and cut the third piece in half so you have 2 pieces 6.5"x10".

3.) Next, hem the top of the pocket pieces and baste them onto the fabric that you just cut in half. I also added a small strip of fabric to hold a writing pad.

4.) Now, fold back the inside edge of these two pieces about a half an inch. Press and stitch down.
5.) Position pocket pieces onto your lining fabric. (I left a 1" gap between the two sides.) And sew around all four sides.

6.) Next, with right sides together, pin your outer fabric to your lining and pocket fabric. Sew around all four sides leaving a small opening in the bottom.

7.) Clip corners and turn right side out through the opening.

8.) Press and top stitch around the sides being sure to close up the opening in the bottom.

9.) Then sew several rows of stitching down the center in that 1" gap area. 10.) Cut cardboard to size and slip between the pocket and lining.11.) Slip in a 5x8 writing pad and you're done! If anything isn't clear, just yell.

If you're not ready to try this project on your own, I'll have a few of these in pretty vintage fabrics on the website or in the Etsy shop this week.

Happy sewing!

This project is also part of The Twice Remembered Cottage "Make Your Monday" link event. Click the link above to see all the fun things bloggers are making this week.

Vintage Cards ~ Treasures From Grandma's Attic and Vintage Alphabet

Welcome to another "Treasures from Grandma's Attic" post! In this installment I'll be sharing some of the prettiest vintage greeting cards that Gram had saved for that special occasion.

This also fits perfectly with the Vintage Alphabet link party held by Melody and the Etsy Cottage Style Blog...This month its the letters C and D.

Let's start with a few Anniversary cards...Roses, a pretty 3-D garden gate, and Marie Antoinette.

Some lovely Get Well wishes...

How sweet is that little bluebird?! And here's another bluebird card sending a hearty Congratulations...
And now my favorites, the cards welcoming a new baby...These are just as cute on the inside.This one comes with a little booklet inside to record all of Baby's "firsts"...Thanks for letting me share one of my collections with you. Be sure to stop by the Vintage Alphabet Party for more fun collections starting with the letters C or D. :-)

Mini Fabric Folder or Portfolio

I made myself a small fabric folder this weekend. I needed something to hold my pattern file cards since having them scattered throughout the sewing room wasn't working for me.

When I create a new design or pattern, I write down measurements along with small diagrams on basic file cards. I found that, for me, these were easier to keep track of than muslin or plasic templates.

To provide structure, I inserted pieces of cardboard behind the pocket sleeves...

I also used an iron on vinyl to laminate the outer fabric. While I like that it will be easy to wipe off and a bit more durable, I wasn't thrilled with the creasing that occured when it was time to turn the pieces right side out. You can kind of see what I mean in the photo below...

I'll have to play around with the vinyl and construction or maybe use the matte finish one that I have the next time. But, all in all, I like how it turned out and think it will be very useful. I didn't have time to put together a tutorial, but when I make my next one, I'll show you how I did it. :-)This project is also part of The Twice Remembered Cottage "Make Your Monday" link event. Click the link above to see all the fun things bloggers are making this week.

What I've Been Sewing~ Clutch Handbags

Just a quick post about what I've been making in the sewing room. Its sunny and headed to 56 degrees here in Ohio, so I need to get outside for awhile. :-)

As winter is drawing to a close (yea!), I wanted to design one last grouping of bags out of the pretty vintage cut velvet chenille upholstery fabrics in my stash.

I thought a simple clutch design would be nice for day or evening. And the bright colors and touches of linen should make these work even into spring.

Love the bit of pink and aqua that's in this green fabric.A magnetic snap closure and interior zippered pocket in this design keeps items secure. My favorite cerulean blue makes an appearance again.

Now that these are finished, I can start on some ideas I have for fun and very colorful spring and summer bags! :-)

Happy sewing!