Inspired by this post on Craftster, I've been on the lookout for fun vintage sheets to turn into articles of clothing. I was successful this past weekend and found these two:
The photo doesn't do the butterflies on the left justice - they are really stunning, and the color combinations are great. And, I love the greens in the fern/butterfly/ginko print, which also happens to be a Vera design.
I was also lucky enough to find this set of four grey linen floral print napkins and this other linen piece which eludes me as to its function (not quite large enough to be a tea towel, but wrong shape to be a napkin...), but I love the appliqued roadrunner:
I can see making some sort of quilted wall hanging centered around the little roadrunner.
I love the idea of using vintage linens in my quilting, but I've read numerous warnings not to do this in the quilting books. They claim the fabric may already be quite worn, may have been cheap quality to begin with, etc. Anyone have opinions on this, either positive or negative? Or success stories? It just seems that there are too many beautiful vintage pieces begging to get re-used and recycled into something new.
I think that if the vintage piece looks like a decent candidate for reuse, go ahead. Especially if the end use will be as a wallhanging and not a heavily used bed quilt.
Posted by: Jan | March 16, 2005 at 07:25 PM
I love your thrifting finds, lucky you! The butterflies are my favorite :)
Posted by: Cassi | March 17, 2005 at 01:19 AM
sow beautiful! i want one to! :)
Posted by: raquel | March 17, 2005 at 03:36 AM
i wouldn't worry about it. sure it might fade quicker than the rest or wear out quicker. but it's not like you're going to make an everyday use quilt out of it right. you can use cheap fabric to make a quilt, it just might not last as long as expensive fabric. that's not necessarily the consideration that matters. :)
Posted by: carolyn | March 17, 2005 at 06:30 AM
Great finds! I love both fabrics, the butterflies do look gorgeous. I would totally use them for a quilt. It might not last 50 years but if it lasts for 10 that's 10 great years of enjoying a beautiful quilt.
Posted by: Sara | March 17, 2005 at 08:31 AM
those sheets are awesome.. great find! and that roadrunner is too cute. I used some vintage fabric in Oscar's roadway quilt. worth the risk I think.
Posted by: hillary | March 17, 2005 at 10:49 AM
I think recycling is a wonderful idea, and it also gives appreciation to the designs. There are several books out about sewing with vintage linens. I have one, called Sew Vintage. I have seen others on ebay (they're on my "gimme" list). I've made a pillowcase skirt (craftster is a great source for ideas). I say go for it!
Posted by: Barb | March 31, 2005 at 11:31 PM
Don't be overly concerned about what the quilting books say. The whole point of patchwork quilting was to use up bits and pieces of fabric--and quite often the pieces were re-used from dresses and shirts and other articles of clothing that were too worn out to wear.
My suggestion is to wash any material you're planning on using for a quilt in hot water and dry it on high heat, then hold it up to the light and look for any holes, thin bits or weak spots. If the material can handle a hot-water wash without disintegrating, it ought to be strong enough to make a good quilt.
Posted by: Sooz | April 10, 2005 at 11:54 PM
Haha! We have that green/butterfly print as a curtain in our boys' room right now. My mom made two from a sheet to fit a short, long window in their apartment in the '70s. My husband hates it, but it was the perfect size already for the window, so a good solution until I can make some to match their room.
Posted by: jubgulia | October 01, 2008 at 09:45 AM
I am interested in knowing what size, and how many of the green fern sheets you have...how do i order them.....???
Posted by: janet hogan | October 05, 2008 at 06:00 PM
I am looking for someone to give several old sets of sheets to. Some are decorative as above. please let me know if you can use them!
Posted by: Betsy Russell | June 04, 2009 at 07:11 AM
I had some beautiful Hanae Mori by Martex bed sheets purchase in the late 1970's. Peach with dark peach ferns and with blue birds on them. I still have a flat sheet and one pillowcase. Don't know why only those are remaining!
Has anyone seen these in their travels??
Thanks sooo much. Have 'Googled' for an hour and can't find anywhere.
Posted by: Christine McElroy | November 04, 2009 at 12:47 PM