Aprons as fabric art! I hadn’t thought of placing aprons in this category.  I’d always considered them as utilitarian, sometimes as an accessory if frilly and fancy.  However, I  recently saw a program,  on a Quilting Arts DVD, that featured aprons throughout the decades.  Perhaps you’d call them wearable art.

Collecting aprons of the early 20th century seemed the focus here.  You also could make aprons using patterns from this era.  Embellishing the aprons is another art.
My mom, grandmother and aunt, as well as other ladies of their era always wore an apron over their dresses.  In those days, most women …read more

Collecting and using vintage fabrics for various projects fascinate many quilters and fabric artists, as well as multi-media artists.  By “vintage” fabrics, we mean those of more than 50 years ago.
Sometimes you find them simply as pieces of fabric.  More commonly, vintage fabric comes from clothing, coverlets, and even quilts.
According to Mary Engelbreit’s book, Winter, you’re most likely to find these vintage treasures in small pieces.  So…what kind of small projects would you use them for?
Mary Engelbreit suggests “Fancy Pockets” made into cases for eyeglasses, limpstick tubes or combs.  In the book, there are directions for these.
What about other vintage …read more

I was recently given this lovely old tea towel, that was originally my Nana’s:

It’s definitely been well used, there are a few spots, some wear & tear… and I think it might have accidentally been washed with a red t-shirt at some point in it’s history
But, I love the flower print and the fabric itself it still in pretty good condition – I don’t think it’s going to get used as a tea towel anymore!  I’m thinking about using the fabric to create a covered notebook, maybe even embroidering the flowers…  I could also scan it and print …read more

I’m a little concerned about the weather right now… my studio faces west and there’s a menacing looking thunderhead building up. Of course, the fact that there are severe thunderstorm warnings out now doesn’t help either!
I need something to distract myself
How about a daily blog all about vintage dresses?
“A Dress A Day” celebrates vintage fabric, patterns & dresses with daily photos, links, tips & tricks. They even have sources for hard to find patterns, both current and discontinued!