I thought it could be fun to post some pictures of items we have made ourselves. Maybe we have reused vintage garments or made items that are reminiscent of times gone by. Perhaps we have 'up cycled' or adorned old garments or even restored them. I'll start with a little dress i made (not me in the picture). I used some modern stretch fabric and an old tapestry panel, which had disintegrated in places, to allow it to live on. I also placed some faux pearls to make the tapestry pop a little. I have made quite a few garments mixing vintage with new. A really fun cape which I will post when i take pics of it. Hope it's ok to post this here since it's not officially pure vintage. Let me know if not and I can delete it.
Thank you!!--I found a use for broken items that were taking up a lot of space and insomnia (everything was damaged beyond repair. Anything that was repairable was)
Tiffany, I have been admiring your fabulous handbags on IG - what a great idea! GemGem, your dress looks great! Here's a few things I've made for myself. Using a 40s fabric and 40s buttons to make a blouse from a 60s pattern... and I still have lots of that fabric left ! Here a modern Hawaiian shirt that my best friend found at a secondhand shop became a 50s-style blouse It buttons up the wrong way because I left the button band as it was. It was a men's size small and there wasn't a lot of fabric to spare. Using modern Marimekko fabrics, using another favourite vintage pattern. These were fabric leftovers that my mom gave me from her sewing stash. And this was an XL 80s silk blouse that I got in a secondhand shop. The cuffs were pretty much gone, but the fabric was still good otherwise, and I absolutely love wearing this - so light and airy for hot days! It was an adventure unpicking this and making it work though. Repurposing like this is not less work than making something up from just fabric .
I love this topic, thank you GemGem! Karin, I think your Marimekko fabric tops are the bomb.com, and Tiffany's purses are like I still love Hollis' @pastperfect2 eCouture dresses, which she reworked from contemporary 2nd-hand clothes that had "good ingredients," adding vintage flourishes and her own design sensibilities. This black silk number of hers has gotten not a few compliments out on the town: I haven't had much time recently, but I made a number of vintage button bracelets and vintage fabric handbags. This was one of my craft show setups for Material Girl Bags
midge i really like the fabric you use on your creations....and maggie I want one of the button bracelets--so cool!
Love the bags, Tiff! and Karin's sewing skills and choice of fabrics are great! That dress from Hollis really looks fab on you, Maggie. Thanks for reminding us Gem, of what can be done to salvage some of the amazing things we have that are no longer usable as they were but we can still save them with our creative skills! Your model looks wonderful in your creation, that looks like an interesting piece of old tapestry.
I just knew there would be so much talent here! It's great to show the creative flair that vintage lovers & experts so often have. I wish there was a 'LOVE' button! @Midge, that remade hawaiin blouse is just amazing!
GemGem - if you click on smileys, there is this one - I too love this topic. I wish I had Karin's sewing skills. I often see pieces of embroidery that are so fabulous and I would like to incorporate them into a top. A friend once made a maxi-skirt out of old hankies.
Maggie, that is one killer dress! Love your button bracelets (what a great idea!) and bags too! I just wish I had more time for sewing... just got two interesting African wax print fabrics in. Something new to try! And may I also add, if I use vintage fabrics, I have bought most of them from VFG members .
This thread inspired me to post a blog article I had been sitting on to magsrags.net regarding one of the favorite vintage fashion books in my personal library. I suspect many members here are familiar with The Complete Book of Sewing by Constance Talbot circa 1943. Well, there was a war on, and in addition to sewing their own clothes, women needed to Make Do when their clothing wore out, got too tight, or went out of style. Just one of the beautiful line drawing illustrations:
What a great book! I have a WWII-era booklet that has this sort of reworking, including remaking a man's jacket. I think we get to the point where we've seen a share of these make-do-and-mend beauties in real life (not to mention feedsack pieces). It would make a fascinating museum exhibit or book...loved your blog post!
You are all very inspiring! I have made some simple gathered skirts out of feedsacks for the summer - sorry no pics. I used to sew quite a bit but I have gotten so busy with other things. This gives me thoughts about doing something creative like that again. Thanks for the topic!
Just found a pic of the cape I made. The denim shoulder are a vintage denim and I used vintage placemats to keep the shoulders stiff. The butterfly print chiffon is modern (vintage looking) but the styling is supposed to be my own interpretation of the 40's film star era. When not being hugged in the cape sits square. And in a more whimsical burst of creative activity I created these fairy costumes using a mixture of vintage and modern fabrics and trims.
These are all beautiful creations! I've been thinking about getting private sewing lessons so I can make my own clothes and vintage clothing repurposing. The shirt wasn't vintage, but I've made this jeans bracelet with Calvin Klein buttons from the sleeves. The shirt had ripped apart because it didn't fit me anymore.
