Posted on 10 Comments

Fun with vintage sheets, part two

Here’s part one, in case you missed it.

Do you remember, I had made three out of the seven patterns I’d cut out?

Well, I finished two more of those this week. Plus, I cut out and made four other patterns from two different sheets I’d had in my stash. That’s six garments. I think I’m sewed-out. And even if I’m not, the sewing stuff is going away this weekend because I’m getting really tired of looking at it all over my desk. It doesn’t matter how neatly I stack it, it still feels too cluttered to me!

So, first let me show you those last two patterns from the first set of sheets:

More vintage sheet sewing.

I don’t have much to say about this one. It’s another Sorbetto. I’m wearing it now as I type. It’s fine.

I’ve got a bit more enthusiasm about this second item:

More vintage sheet sewing.

It’s a Barefoot Summer Sheath Dress, which is a pattern I made by backwards engineering a dress that I bought at a place in Ocean City called Barefoot Trading Company. I made a bunch of these last summer, and wore them a lot.

As soon as I saw this sheet, I knew it had to become one of these dresses. During the hottest days of summer, it’s perfect worn just like this, either barefoot or with flip-flops. During the cooler months, though, there are other options:

More vintage sheet sewing.

I was pretty excited about the idea of wearing my new boots with it, but both Neil and Aidan were not fans of that look. Pfth.

The bottom right look features jeans and a handknit sweater and uses the dress more like a tunic. It’s an idea I just tried on a whim. I’m not sure I’d repeat it, although it probably would work well for St. Patrick’s Day with all of that green.

There is still another Sorbetto and a pair of Wide-Leg Lounge Pants to be sewn up from the first batch of vintage sheets, but I’m going to set them aside for another time.

The other stuff I sewed this week came about because of a trade I’ve got going with my cousin. She’s getting these two dresses for her daughter, G, and I am getting some goodies that she made.

2015 72/365

G picked out the sheets from my stash, and I made these two pillowcase-ish dresses for her. I say “-ish” because they are the width of a standard pillowcase, but they are significantly longer. G wanted them long, and she’s a pretty tall kid, to boot.

I think her taste in vintage sheets is pretty groovy and it inspired me to use those same sheets for a few things for myself.

First, and somewhat less-impressive than everything else I’ve shown you so far, is an experiment I tried:

More vintage sheet sewing.

I’ve been wanting to attempt a sleeveless version of Simplicity 3835 for such a long time. In finally figured out a way to do it.

I love this idea in theory, but in practice I’m not particularly happy. For one thing, I need to wear a strapless bra with it, and that is so not comfortable.  In addition to that, I don’t find it flattering.

Oh well.

It’s ok to have a dud in the batch. At least the thing I made with the other sheet makes me happy:

More vintage sheet sewing.

I used my own Easy A-Line Skirt pattern, and I love it! Those gigantic flowers are perfect for skirt-wearing.

Of the nine things I’ve sewn in the last two weeks, this one was by far the easiest, and quite possibly my favorite.

In particular, I really love this look:

More vintage sheet sewing.

I wear fine-gauge sweaters all. the. time. but always over a shirt, and usually open in the front. I decided to try this one all buttoned up without a shirt under it, and I really like the way it looks.

And those shoes? I had an eBay alert set up for those shoes for seven years before a pair showed up in my size. Technically-speaking, I was looking for a different color, but I gave up and went for the black when they became available. Who knows how many more years I’d have had to wait for the brown-and-red ones?? I haven’t had a chance to wear them yet, but they are so comfortable (a rarity with heels, as far as I’m concerned). This outfit is definitely coming with me when Neil and I go away for our 20th anniversary next month.

I feel like maybe I should have broken this up into three posts instead of two. I did rather go on and on and on here. Congratulations for making it all the way to the end!

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Posted on 10 Comments

10 thoughts on “Fun with vintage sheets, part two

  1. All those look great! I love the green dress 🙂

    1. Thanks! And it’s finally warming up enough to consider bare legs. Yay!

  2. You whip things up so fast! I’m amazed. I love all your vintage sheet makes. Cute little fashion show you put on for us. 🙂

    1. Glad you enjoyed 🙂 I did about one item per day for a week. I’m kind of burned out now though!

  3. I love all of your re-purposed sheet fashions….so adorable!! I think the daisy top looks great on you 🙂 To bypass the strapless bra issue (hate them!!), how about a little cap-sleeved white t-shirt underneath? I have several sleeveless tops that I wear this way because they were too cute to pass up even though I am not a sleeveless person.

    1. I thought of that idea, too, but it looked pretty bad. Maybe if the sheet had been more broken in and flowy, but it’s just too stiff. It looks baaaad 😉

  4. those are great! I especially like the skirt and I actually really like the sleeveless top, though I can see why the necessity of a strapless bra makes it not ideal. I hate to admit that I purchased your pattern for the skirt last summer and still haven’t made one! I really need to hack out some time to do that before this summer passes me by too.

    1. Thanks! I’d have to really be in love with it to put up with a strapless bra 😉

  5. When I get my craft room put together, I’ll have to lay in a supply of sheets! Your upcycled sheet fashions are inspiring.

    1. Glad you enjoyed them! I love how inexpensive old sheets can be, and how much material there is to work with! Not to mention the funky patterns 🙂

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