Goodwill Style

I find that I am inspired by patterns on fabric. One of my favorite things to dig for at the Goodwill is vintage sheets. I like the look of the old flowers and the bright colors from the 60s and 70s. I like to imagine many of them have been broken in by years of washing and hanging to dry on clothes lines. Though, I try not to think about too much of its history. (Nothing a little bit of bleach can't help).

I also love that you can get so many yards of fabric from one flat sheet. I have stacks of sheets waiting to be reinvented. Here are a few projects I have made out of vintage sheets.

This is an apron I made from a faded blue sheet with little red and white flowers that I bought for $2.99. It was a custom order for a client giving the apron as a gift. The white bottom was the trim on the sheet. I loved the eyelet ruffle detail. The applique "LOVE" pocket was made from scraps I had on hand.

I recently made this dress from a sheet. It is Simplicity Project Runway Pattern 2360. It was my Easter dress.

This is a yellow sun dress I made. I added some new gingham ruffle to the hem. It is my go-to sun dress. I garden it it. 

This sun dress is my favorite. I've had it for years. I wore it through most of my pregnancies.

This was made from a fitted sheet. I used the existing bindings on the corners of the sheet for the top hems. Then I used elastic thread in my bobbin to shirr up the top. Here is a quirky little video showing you how to shirr. 

Keep an eye out for some groovy sheets next time you are a yard sale or a good thrift shop!

Crochet: My Newest Obsession

Last Spring my sister-in-law suggested that we take a crochet class together. I immediately had a flashback to my grandma's bathroom. All I could picture was a baby doll head attached to a buttercup yellow ruffled dress atop a roll of toilet paper. Remember these?

I'm actually diggin' this red and white with the pink tile.

It's not like I needed a new hobby. I am a full-time seamstress, mom to 3 boys (4 including my husband) and I always have some project going. But, I am always up for learning new tricks, so we set a date to take a lesson at Joann's Creative University. It was fun. We were a group of about 6 ladies including the sweet instructor. Her name was Twila and she looked like her name. There was a lot of giggling that took place within a span of 3 hours. You'd be surprised at how naughty crochet lingo can sound.

The trick to remembering the stitches is to practice like a spazz. Just forget about doing laundry and cleaning your house. Make sure you feed the kids, but screw the rest and just crochet... for like, hours. Do it for so long that you get Crocheter's Elbow. I did. Seriously, that is the key.

After I mastered the chain stitch, single crochet and double crochet stitch, I made this. It was my first hat. Click here for the free pattern.

My sis-in-law had to go on vacation to Disney with a ton of family members and didn't have a chance to put her skills to practice right away like I did. When she returned home, I showed her a "few" of my things. She said, "I went to Disney for a week and you started a new business?!"

Here is my new business. I never meant to do it. It just kinda happened and it's all her fault.