Why not making a simple lavender-bag with a zipper from a scrap? It´s more comfortable to change the content and the bag is more shallow.
Month: October 2015
All because of Napoleon!
The first comment I got, after finishing this hat, was “You look like Napoleon!” I don´t think so, because ACTUALLY it´s an egyptian revival hat, style 1920s. But it gave me a fancy name for the hat….And Napoleon really WAS in Egypt. So here it comes: “Le Bonaparte”!
The metal applique is genuin 1920s and was meant for book embellishing. The ribbon with hieroglyphics is contemporary.
Autumn Days
When the leaves change their color, it´s time for a nice, warm crochet cardigan.
This one is made of banana fiber and recycled sari silk in tunesian crochet. The fiber is a bit heavy, but surprisingly warm. 
What to wear for Christmas?
Every year the same question: What on earth could I wear for Christmas this year?
I didn´t want to go green-red-gold like a classic christmas tree decoration and I also didn´t want to make myself up with a “rudolf the red nose reindeer”-hood And I absolutly refuse to wear one of this synthetic fiber evening gowns. That ment DYJ again.
I had a piece of never used art nouveau fabric, some smaller pieces of vintage lace from Plauen in Germany, parts of some 1930s curtains and bits of antique lace and velvet ribbon. I dyed the fabric, curtains and the Plauen-lace, -the velvet ribbon already had a matching shade- and made a loose gown with overgown, inspired by those beautiful Titanic era dresses. I think, by wearing this dress, I can survive another Christmas.
From China with love
The material for this jacket was found in a rag-fabric-box in a second hand store. It had a label with the producers name on it and a handwritten note “for our daughters room”. So it seems, the fabric was ment for decoration and the reminder ended up in a recycling bank and made its long intricate way to the second hand store, where I finally found it. Lucky me, the fabric is an expensive designer piece with beautyful golden chinese dragons on it. It wasn´t enough for the whole jacket, so I used a stiff cotton satin in a most similar colour for the sleeves. A big button for a closure on the front and ready is the next elegant evening jacket.
For summer partys
Imagine walking around a garden party on a bright summer evening in a dress like this….It´s made of some doilys, scraps of old linen and cotton, short pieces of vintage lace and two big embroidered triangles, ment for pillowcases. It´s very comfortable, but beware the barbecue sauce!
Tablecloth Ensemble
vintage tableclothes can make a nice ensemble for summerdays. The white dress with red stripe is made from a peasant tablecloth, embellished with bobbin lace and a little embroidered doily. The bobbin lace at the neckline was actually ment for a pillow-cover, but it suits perfect.
The wrapp-vest was a 1930s tablecloth, so heavily flawed, I thought it first a hopeless case and could not be used anymore. But I found a way in cutting out some little intact pieces and use the more sound middlesection of the tablecloth.
Always short pieces!
Frequently vintage lace comes only in small amounts and short pieces.
So what to do with this precious little bits? You could turn them into some patchwork projects or make cushion-covers, wallhangings….or maybe just a hem for a slip…..For this project I used a simple pattern, I found years ago in a sewing magazin and embellished the edge with a border made of antique lace and satin ribbon bits. 
Lingerie Dilemma
Why is comfortable lingerie seldom beauty and beautyful one seldom comfortable and at a high price too?
If you want both, you can find some good sewing patterns at the web, no matter if vintage or modern. Even free patterns can be found on Internet, if you look for them.
I had to think hard, if I could do it and finally I began to sew my own lingerie. It´s not perfekt now, but comfortable AND pretty and always good enough for me.
For your selfmade luxurious lingerie your can also use some old clothing, that´s made of silk, fine linen or cotton. For the Projects, you can see in details in the pics , I cut up a silkskirt I seldom wore and two unloved satin-silk tunics. NOW I love them much more!
Second Hand Piece ends Recycling
If I can´t do it myself, I always buy clothing second hand. That saves resources, is eco-friendly and much more sustainable, than buying constantly new cloth. And it´s at a cheap rate too!
But what, if the second hand piece is not longer wearable after some years? Than it goes straight into my recycling box. Once it was a damaged linen trouser, now it´s a vest. 
