Sometimes I think fabric finds me…not the other way around! So I thought I would share with you my wonderful collection of thrifted and vintage fabric. If I have metres or scraps to spare I am happy to sell you some of it….please do not be shy about asking me for some if you like it. It will be a lot less expensive than buying new …even with postage and you will be helping save the planet …and me as well! Just email me to let me know.
The first one is a Sanderson lookalike from 1982. I have 50cm x 140cm piece of this lightweight cotton, it is screen printed and dated 1982. It is by House ‘N Home Fabrics and Draperies Inc.
Then I have this gorgeous piece of German made chintz with a HUGE print….this is a really big fabric sample which is about 130cmx100cm….now what to do with it…would make a great table topper or a big bag or a table runner. Available
Then about two metres of cotton chintz…shabby chic style bouquets. Available
Then two metres of what might be Liberty Of London…fabulous quality lawn. Available
The EDITH Toile , an exclusive design for ASCRAFT fabrics 1992
8 metres of lightweight upholstery weight fabric found in a thrift shop. Available
I found some great accessories charity shopping this week, just in time for the cold weather.
The ankle boots are leather and so comfortable . As they were brand new I did not mind paying $25 for them, last time I bought some ankle boots I paid $160 and they were more casual black ones. These have a little stacked heel so are perfect for the more dressy occasion.
The leather gloves with tags attached were originally $49 from the Tie Rack, I paid $10 for them.
So for under $50 I have some wonderful accessories which will really brighten up my winter gear…and keep me warm as toast too. Hope you have had fun thrifting this week too.
Countdown to 200 posts continues with my most popular ever post.It has Kaffe Fassett, it has vintage shopping and it has patchwork and lush textiles and it is sustainability at its best….no wonder it’s my most read post!
The heart of my all time favourite throw started life as a brocade floor length skirt found in a local charity shop. Looked to me like something from the sixties or seventies and when my friend saw me with it she wanted half so I ended up with the back piece which was basically two pieces with the zip and a long opening in the middle. I had been collecting fabric for about a year since purchasing the first Kaffe Fassett hard cover book on quilting and have long been a fan of Kaffe since the early nineties when I discovered his wonderful designs and radical ideas for knitting via Glorious Knitting and Glorious Colour.
His first astonishingly beautifully photographed book on quilting just mesmerized me and I spent many months drinking in his truly glorious colours and original takes on this traditional craft. After purchasing the skirt I realised that all I needed were a few selected greens and then I would have enough to get going on this throw. I had been collecting brocade from sample books for some years and had really wanted to replicate the colourway of the throw in the book, however when I found the skirt something clicked and I knew it would work with everything I had been collecting, just in case, for a few years.
I had a large piece of Liberty of London upholstery weight fabric that I used as a border for a door curtain so the hunt was on for the remaining pieces of that. Also from the charity shop was a formal shirt in gold silk brocade so I added that to the pile as well. Recently I had found some fabric samples from a new range in Spotlight [Australia's Joanne's] which were very deeply textured and patterned and also had some deep red jacquard which I had bought as a remnant. All I needed for the rest of the throw were the 30cm squares which I had been collecting for some years of gorgeous brocade samples in golds and reds and greens and some red floral fabric which I had bought several weeks before.
Once I started cutting out and arranging the top it was very quick to come together….I was held up for a few days when i realised that I needed another floral of some sort……. knew I had just the thing…somewhere and had to search the garage for them. The overall design was very easy and as a lot of the samples already had overlocking around them that saved me a lot of time, upholstery fabric frays a lot and requires some kind of stitching either before sewing the seam or after you see. Once I added a border, which Kaffe was not always adding in those days, it seemed to really finish off the top perfectly.
A week or so earlier Spotlight had just introduced a divine chenille….darkest red with gold swirls throughout…I just had to have it for the backing even though it was about $30 all told. That’s a lot for me as I usually use thrifted fabric or sale fabric for backings. this was going to be a leess expensive option anyway as I did not need wadding or batting inside the two layers as the chenille was so thick and heavy. I had been drooling over several throws at Laura Ashley and I was so excited by this chenille as it as even more lush than the ones in that store.
I slip stitched the border to the backing fabric and then top stitched around the inner border. It has been three years now of fairly constant display and during that time it has faded slightly so that it looks truly vintage…I even washed it once in case the dreaded mould had infected it and it came up better than new. After a few months I made a few companion cushions with some of the remaining skirt brocade and a tiny little piece of embroidered silk that as it was $185 a metre was all I could afford! The minimum cut was 30cm and I made every centimetre count! It is well placed I think in the heart of the brocade…..I think the woman who wore that skirt would wear something made out of that silk today…a little bit goes a long way and both the silk and the brocade are truly the stars of this throw!
The heart of my all time favourite throw started life as a brocade floor length skirt found in a local charity shop. Looked to me like something from the sixties or seventies and when my friend saw me with it she wanted half so I ended up with the back piece which was basically two pieces with the zip and a long opening in the middle. I had been collecting fabric for about a year since purchasing the first Kaffe Fassett hard cover book on quilting and have long been a fan of Kaffe since the early nineties when I discovered his wonderful designs and radical ideas for knitting via Glorious Knitting and Glorious Colour.
His astonishingly beautifully photographed book on quilting just mesmerized me and I spent many months drinking in his truly glorious colours and original takes on this traditional craft. After purchasing the skirt I realised that all I needed were a few selected greens and then I would have enough to get going on this throw. I had been collecting brocade from sample books for some years and had really wanted to replicate the colourway of the throw in the book, however when I found the skirt something clicked and I knew it would work with everything I had been collecting, just in case, for a few years.
I had a large piece of Liberty of London upholstery weight fabric that I used as a border for a door curtain so the hunt was on for the remaining pieces of that. Also from the charity shop was a formal shirt in gold silk brocade so I added that to the pile as well. Recently I had found some fabric samples from a new range in Spotlight [Australia's Joanne's] which were very deeply textured and patterned and also had some deep red jacquard which I had bought as a remnant. All I needed for the rest of the throw were the 30cm squares which I had been collecting for some years of gorgeous brocade samples in golds and reds and greens and some red floral fabric which I had bought several weeks before.
Once I started cutting out and arranging the top it was very quick to come together….I was held up for a few days when i realised that I needed another floral of some sort……. knew I had just the thing…somewhere and had to search the garage for them. The overall design was very easy and as a lot of the samples already had overlocking around them that saved me a lot of time, upholstery fabric frays a lot and requires some kind of stitching either before sewing the seam or after you see. Once I added a border, which Kaffe was not always adding in those days, it seemed to really finish off the top perfectly.
A week or so earlier Spotlight had just introduced a divine chenille….darkest red with gold swirls throughout…I just had to have it for the backing even though it was about $30 all told. That’s a lot for me as I usually use thrifted fabric or sale fabric for backings. this was going to be a leess expensive option anyway as I did not need wadding or batting inside the two layers as the chenille was so thick and heavy. I had been drooling over several throws at Laura Ashley and I was so excited by this chenille as it as even more lush than the ones in that store.
I slip stitched the border to the backing fabric and then top stitched around the inner border. It has been three years now of fairly constant display and during that time it has faded slightly so that it looks truly vintage…I even washed it once in case the dreaded mould had infected it and it came up better than new. After a few months I made a few companion cushions with some of the remaining skirt brocade and a tiny little piece of embroidered silk that as it was $185 a metre was all I could afford! The minimum cut was 30cm and I made every centimetre count! It is well placed I think in the heart of the brocade…..I think the woman who wore that skirt would wear something made out of that silk today…a little bit goes a long way and both the silk and the brocade are truly the stars of this throw!
Earlier this week I re-donated some shoes[stunning avocado green suede sandals and one pair of leather sandals in sage green] that were heavenly to look at but absolutely hell to wear as they were 10cm heels. I don’t know what I was thinking as I am on the waiting list for two, yes two knee replacements. Well actually I was actually thinking they would go nicely with my green tapestry handbag while conveniently forgetting my age and surgical status. Imagine my delight the next day when I found this gorgeous pair of rust coloured Spanish strappy sandals that still look kind of cute and are comfortable to boot.
On Tuesday I found a beautiful necklace and bracelet set by Pilgrim. Love the name, and after googling found out that they are quite reasonably priced new and that Myer sells them, as well as a lot of boutique stores, including this shop in Paddington. I wore the set today and what I really love about it is that my neck didn’t go green! Copper based jewellery has a horrible affect on my skin but Pilgrim is sterling silver or real gold so although this looked like copper it didn’t have that result, whew!
The other jewellery pictured is from late last year from the same store, and no I am not telling you which one! That was a few months in the collecting, although all the Aurora were found within a week of each other. Not totally sure where the Aurora is made, it is signed AURORA, and on ebay they have it as being from the 50′s…does anyone know anything about AURORA?
Other wonderful news was that my dear Janey’s parcel arrived, a gorgeous handbag that she crafted herself. More of that next time, I’ll make sure I have it out well before my husband’s bedtime so that I can photograph it. She also made a lovely pink hearts tablerunner for Valentines Day today for her home and hubby said “but it is pink”. You can see it here. I have also found a wonderful young designer of handbags, Kara Smith, and she is hopefully going to help relieve me of some of my vintage fabrics. I am so happy they are going to such a talented designer. You can find her here.
