Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Vintage Scarves


My mother loved scarves and hats. I wanted to do something special with the scarves that she left behind after her death. A group on Pattern Review is making chemo hats and I thought this would be a good way to use her scarves.





In the 1970's head scarves were all the rage. Among her scarves I found some that would be great to use as patterns for chemo hats. I will try to post full instructions for making the scarves soon. Click on the pictures to make them larger.

This scarf was made by my mother to match an outfit, but it could easily be made from a large ready made scarf.















This scarf would be great for a child. The scarf is a large bandanna folded in half, the bottom fringed and pony beads are tied on to the fringe.





This scarf will require a pattern. McCall's pattern 4116 view G is very similar.

This scarf was store bought and much to my amazement has a piece of lightweight foam to hold it on the head. I was able to find 1/4" foam at this site, if you would like to try this method.










This scarf is a double layer, is large enough to cover the entire head and is very easy to tie. This scarf is made from a polyester silky and is very slippery. I would suggest making it in cotton to keep it on the head more securely.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

You Can Sew

I saw this video at Internet Archive. It is a Singer advertisement shown at movie theaters prior to WW II. The "can-do" attitude really struck me. Apparently no one had a problem with the assumption that teen-age girls could make ballgowns at that time in history. Today, I encounter so many people who say, "Oh, I couldn't make that." They are not even willing to try. The girls in the video also saw sewing as a way to save money. During my recent gown shopping trip with my friend, the girls were more than willing to spend hundreds for poorly made gowns made from fabric that would be miserable to wear.




I long for the days when there was a store in every neighborhood where young girls could go learn to sew and whip up a ballgown to wear to the big dance.