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.

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.

My Lifestyle Wardrobe

I need to replace my wardrobe, everything is either worn out or doesn't fit properly. The research that I have been doing indicates that one should first look at their activities or lifestyle to determine what clothes they need.

I first started with the things that I do (I decided to keep this list to 10 things.)
1. sleep (I need clothes for this since I don't sleep in the buff)
2. hanging out at home
3. gardening
4. visiting my dad at the nursing home
5. doctor appointments for myself and my father
6. doing things with friends
7. shopping
8. parties
9. concerts
10. church

Then I added the type of clothes that I wear to those activities.
1a. sleep-pajamas, nightgowns, bathrobe
2b. hanging out-casual
3b. gardening-casual, aprons, hats
4b. nursing home-dressy casual
5b. doctor's- dressy casual
6b. friends-dressy casual, dressy
7b. shopping-casual, dressy casual
8b. parties-dressy casual, dressy, semi-formal
9b. concerts-dressy casual, dressy
10b. church-dressy casual, dressy

The next step was to determine how often I participated in those activities and determine how many outfits I would need for each category if I did laundry once a week and wanted some variety in selections.

1c. sleep, daily

• 5 pajamas
• 2 nightgowns
• 1 bathrobe

2c. hang out, daily

• 7 casual pants
• 7 casual tops

3c. gardening, 6 days/week, cannot overlap with other casual clothes

• 6 casual pants, must be made from a cool fabric
• 6 casual tops, must be made from a cool fabric

4c. nursing home, 7 days a week, must be washable

• 4 dressy casual pants
• 3 dressy casual skirts
• 7 dressy casual tops

5c. doctor's appointments, once a week

• 1 dressy casual pants
• 1 dressy casual skirt
• 1 dressy casual top
• 1 dressy casual dress
• 1 dressy casual jacket

6c. friends, once a week

• 1 dressy casual pant
• 1 dressy casual skirt
• 1 dressy casual top
• 1 dressy casual dress
• 1 dressy casual jacket

7c. shopping, 2 days a week

• 2 casual pant
• 2 casual tops
• 1 dressy casual pant
• 1 dressy casual pant
• 1 dressy casual skirt
• 1 jacket

8c. parties, once a month

• 1 semi-formal dress
• 1 dressy pant
• 1 dressy skirt
• 1 dressy top
• 1 dressy dress
• 1 dressy casual pant
• 1 dressy casual skirt
• 1 dressy casual top
• 1 dressy casual dress
• 1 dressy jacket
• 1 dressy casual jacket

9c. concerts

• 1 dressy casual dress
• 1 dressy dress

10c, church, three times a week

• 2 dressy dresses
• 2 suits
• 2 dressy tops
• 2 dressy casual skirts
• 1 dressy casual pant
• 2 dressy casual tops
• 3 dressy casual dresses
• 3 dressy casual jackets

Now I know why I do so much laundry for one person.
What makes something casual vs. dressy casual? The fabric.
If I coordinate everything what do I need? I have no idea. I have never had a coordinated wardrobe, so I guess my list will just cover the basics as I see them.

Summary

By clothing category:
Pajamas

• pajamas-5

Nightgowns

• nightgowns-2

Bathrobe

• bathrobe-1

Pants

• casual pants-7
• cool casual pants-6
• dressy casual pants-4
• dressy pant-1

Tops

• casual tops-7
• cool casual tops-6
• dressy casual tops-7
• dressy tops-2

Skirts

• dressy casual skirts-3
• dressy skirt-1

Dresses

• dressy casual dress-3
• dressy dresses-2
• semi-formal dress-1

Jackets

• dressy casual jackets-3
• dressy jacket-1

Suits

• suits, with both skirt and pants-2

By lifestyle category:

Semi-formal

• 1 dress

Dressy

• 1 jacket
• 2 dresses
• 1 skirt
• 2 shirts
• 1 pant

Dressy Casual

• 2 suits, with both skirt and pants
• 3 jackets
• 3 dresses
• 3 skirts
• 7 tops
• 4 pants

Casual

• 7 pants
• 6 cool pants
• 7 tops
• 6 cool tops

Nightwear

• 5 pajamas
• 2 nightgowns
• 1 bathrobe

That is a lot of sewing! I guess I went over the 11 garments recommended by SWAP. I am going to start with a SWAP, so hopefully I can learn about a coordinated wardrobe. Next I have to decide on my colors.