Winnebago stuff, Gunne Sax, Burlap definitions

well my little gas guzzler Home is now sporting some fine curtains....Burlap and vintage fabric (of course)....

 I made undercurtains of burlap! Burlap! I love burlap!! see below to see more Burlap ! I think they're the perfect textury touch and they are Burlap !
and we ate dinner at the dinette the other evening....
The tree curtains are made of a 70s acrylic momie...a rather lightweight barkcloth, that was most often used for dresses, men's shirts, and halter tops...It's bright! and it's tree trunks and branches....in oh so 70s brown and orange and green....

mmmm....dinner !  organic broccoli, vegetarian corn dogs, garden salad, baked potatoes....and a martini to wash it down....

When the nasty nasty mini blinds were still up, I clothespinned the fabric in place to see if  I really liked the fabric, and the colors....and I do!

I used the selvage of the burlap panels to sew stretch wide lace to make a top casing. I also sewed a line around 3 edges to I could fringe the sides and hem....I love burlap fringe !!  I hung them up and they were too stiff........so I washed them. Warning !!! They Shed fibers!!
Oh well.  I hung them up again, fringed the edges, and bingo!! I really love them. This is about the 5th time I've made curtains of burlap.....

Look at that!
Trees!
I bought it about a year ago, and I had no idea what I was gonna do with it......because the rule is "The lady with the most fabric when she dies, wins!"

It could have become a ...tote bag, skirt, pillow.....but curtains for the Winnie is the right choice.
(If you want to see the beginnings of the re-do of my Winnebago, click the ----> Winnebago posts.)
This is what I mean, when I say "the recycled life". Winnie is recycled, and so much of what is here is re-used...thrift store, yard sales and stuff I've had for decades....

 I look at this fabric and I am reminded of the deep redwood forests of Northern California. That totally suits me fine.
Like I said,"When decorating, I'm trying to make Ralph Lauren cry.....
 and referencing a California cabin in the woods on the Marin coast, and a bit of classic 70s stuff....the kind of things I had when my kids were little...."

I've noticed looking around the blogosphere that birch trees and birch tree wallpaper is very popular right now....and I love love love birch ...it's on my Top Ten Trees I Love....but I adore this ...and you know me, I like to do my own thing, and not follow fads.


this neat vintage  fabric is from etsy seller vintagesistersoup

I also made little valances....one over the sink.....and one over the door....(pictures coming soon)

....the other thing I've noticed when I go looking for RV related topics is that many folks are painting their  trailer and RV interiors white........so, I get it. It can be dark and claustrophobic in there, but I adore the faux bois, so I won't be painting it white. I am thinking of doing something with the refrigerator door......but we'll see.

This is a sweet cottage style RV....lots of fabrics, lots of white paint, and so very cute....

Here's the original source, an RV blog that needs translation !


and now ....BURLAP. Burlap is bur·lap/ˈbərlap/ Noun: Coarse canvas woven from jute, hemp, or a similar fiber, used esp. for sacking. Lighter material of a similar kind used in dressmaking and furnishing. Synonyms: sackcloth - sacking - bagging.

 Origin: 1685–95; earlier borelap, equivalent to bore ( l ) coarse cloth. from Old French burel (see bureau ) + lap. burlap 1690s, probably from M.E. borel "coarse cloth," from O.Fr. burel ; or Du. boeren "coarse," perhaps confused with boer "peasant." The second element, -lap, meant "piece of cloth." Definition of Bureau: Origin: 1710–20; < French: desk, office, originally a kind of cloth (used to cover desks, etc.), Anglo-French, Old French burel, equivalent to bur- (probably < *būra, variant of Late Latin burra wool, fluff; compare bourrée ) + -el noun suffix. More info »Dictionary.com - Answers.com - Merriam-Webster - The Free Dictionary

 ...and also see Hessian cloth at wikipedia.
So,yeah, fabric used to cover a chest or desk, from Middle English and Old French. Coarse cloth. And yes it is! That's what I like about it...simple and basic. also let us not forget gunny sack. From which I am sure, Jessica McClintock took the name Gunne Sax.
Just after The First Depression, and WWII, after 16 loooong years of poverty and make do.....folks had been mighty accustomed to making clothes from that which was discarded...you know recycled and repurposed.......such as flour sacks and gunny sacks....such as this....

 Hi Marilyn! Nice dress made from a very itchy gunny sack!



here's a gal who made her own burlap curtains.....her inspiration was Ballard Designs....here's her tutorial....Way Cool....

here's one of my favorite things of all time....a 70s vintage jacket made from....burlap. yup. I wear this all the time.

made by Campus Casuals, of California....
of course, and I do love the rips in the jacket....
I blogged about this jacket before......go here to read all about why burlap was used, and who might have bought this jacket originally........

Bike and burlap pin I made and a burlap heart with custom calligraphy.....

so not only do I make lots of things from burlap.....I also use a huge coffee bean sack for the rug in my photo area....

you've seen this a billion times....

this 60s dress is available here.....

Little Miss Sew N. Sew

Sometimes I find things that are destroyed.....and I have to figure my valuable time to put it back together, or not, and what to charge for it when I list it.
Well, I always think about what to charge.....and here's a story....
Of Redemption....Of Capitalism spelled with a small C. This turned out very well.....what started as a  wreck of a vintage dress......here's the end result....
I'm never intimidated by a project to put something back together, a garment or purse or hat, and even shoes, sometimes, even when someone has wrecked it, ruined it, and Gawd! made a Halloween costume from a pink 1950s vintage ruffly OTT Prom dress.
I have to figure my hours....because this is my work. This is what I do. Thank the heavenly stars that you value vintage and the handmade. Have I told you lately how much I appreciate your good taste?

Thanks to mom, I learned to sew when I was about 9, and once I figured out I could Make My Own Clothes, I grabbed on to that Magical Thing and it might be the one thing that's followed me, year in year out over my entire life. Oh that's not true. Gardening has a stronger hold....I'll put a garden in anywhere....

and here is where it started.....It took me all day to fix it, and then the expense of a dry cleaning ...so....roll  back up and feast your eyes!!

It had been ripped and several rows of ruffles were hanging on for dear life...the shoulders had holes poked in them, and black lace and rayon fringe had been tied on for straps....must have been going for some kind of Prostitute from Mars....you know, the young ladies like to dress like sluts.

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I had to remove all that crap, and then I hand sewed the holes closed (not too bad), replaced the busted zipper (of course) with a matching era-appropriate 50s pink long metal zipper, then I hand sewed the rows and rows and rows of net and lace ruffles back together. It turned out so pretty! Then I dropped it off at Morrell's Cleaners and they worked a miracle on the stains. Then I listed it on ebay, and it sold for well over a 100. bucks. These days, I'd list it for 350. Because it's worth it!
this project was from 2002 or 2003....
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Now.....Long before the economy crashed into the drink, people asked me for discounts. Most of the time they are fair. But once in awhile they are just brain-dead and quite insulting.
This is  how I price a vintage widget...That is the question. If it's a dress, I look at a comparable price on a new Nordstrom dress of like kind, then drop the price by about 50%, because it's used.
I start the comparison and research with new items that are perceived to be quality.....excellent fabric, attention to detail, and a design that is worthy of wearing again......all of these factors influence my pricing decisions.
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Often, I sell something that is a great everyday dress....I think vintage should be reused and reworn....it's far past the time to buy everything new. Thank goodness it's now mainstream to recycle and reuse and rewear...  I choose things that are cute, are useful, are decorative, are classic, or so weird or bizzarre! that they simply must be worn, used, displayed...again!

Have you bought a new dress lately? If it's quality, and not from Hot Topic, H&M or Sears, it is pricey. Is it made in the USA? Or where in the heck did it come from? I take pride to offer quality items, that are probably made in a 1st World Country.
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With pricing, if the item is rare, pink, or a bust size over 40, the price goes up. Because, it's worth more to more people. I spend about 60 hours a week on my vintage buy and sell business. It Is A Business. I have to find it, clean it, remove stains and stinky stuff, iron it, steam it,  store it, photograph it, list it, pack it when you buy it, buy all the packing supplies, pay postage, get it to the PO, do all the bookkeeping and taxes... go shopping again, and pray I find something excellent! You pay for my time to go shopping, to find awesome stuff, and to provide it to the World Wide Web, so you can shop from the comfort of your work desk, or late at night...and never have to brave the mall or the stinky thrift store.
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You also pay for the trust you have in me....I'm reliable and not out to rip you off...I'm here to offer good stuff....I'm here to recycle and make neat stuff....
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So yeah, you can guess what I think about the movie Pretty in Pink costume department taking a  50s pink dress! (I'm sure it was fake, but hey!), and turning it into this Flash-In-The-Pan UGLEY 80s crappy dress. Love Iona (Annie Potts!!!) and the rest of the wardrobe in the movie IS FANTASTIC !!! It's packed full of amazing vintage....yes VINTAGE. and um, James Spader.

Road trip...

a sunny day for sewing !

Sometimes you feel like a short bag.
Sometimes you feel like a cross-body.
Translation.....
Dilemma solved!

If  you're  hanging out, seeing the sights.....shopping for a few things, you want a bag  you can put up on your shoulder...
If you're in a casual mood, being busy.....wanting to keep your hands free...to carry coffee, to carry stuff, to look thru piles of things.....well, you  want a cross-body bag. Er, uh, tote bag.

The long strap looped thru and buttoned.

then if you choose,  pull the strap farther thru the loop and button it shorter.
I made the straps wide...so they'll feel good resting on the shoulder.

I've never been completely happy with those Yawn! metal slide mechanisms that every bagmaker uses...so, as per usual for me...in addition to using fun and  unique blends of mix and match fabrics and prints.....and of course...there is a lot of recycling going on........

so, not only did I give my anything-but-boring line of tote bags/purses a sense of humor, but I invented a simple changeability feature to go to from a shoulder to a long-strap tote...using buttons...
Vintage buttons of course!

always with the vintage buttons....

This is the road map fabric, lined in a weird novelty fabric. Some in this series have ticking stripes..some have solid moire. They're lined so they have body, yet aren't completely stiff.
They can carry the daily......or even a laptop...or your electronic book....(i  Pad)

Here's a typical view of the inside....pockets....and a loop that flips over the top and buttons closed.

The other side is a recycled pair of pants with big pockets.....the better to keep things in ..my dear!
Each in the series is slightly different....yet they're all roomy and easy to take care of....made of cotton or cotton blends.......They wash and dry by machine. Yes.

*****The next set of tote bags I'm working on are Bike bags...tie ons for the handle bars, or they can be tied on a belt too.*****

There's always a bit of lace and lots of topstitching too. I make sure it's all sturdy, and I really love my signature loopy stitching at the edges.

and....tho there are lots of pockets to keep the keys handy...to stash the transit card, the lipstick, the hanky.....
I made little zipper pouch purses to go with...
these are handy for a billion things!

each is a mix and match of cute, sweet, romantic, sharp and quirky cotton and cotton blend fabrics, laces and ribbon......some have vintage metal zippers....some have vintage nylon zippers.

my label in muslin....

They're about 7" x 7" or so. They're machine wash and dry...
or hang to dry......whatev'

it is by magic

and my sewing........
another collection of vintage fabric trees.......
last year the set of 12 sold out within 2 days of listing and displaying in the store.....

the trunks are old wood spools of thread........this another project I designed....from the pattern....(ha) a triangle and the base, to thinking of the vintage spool as a tree trunk....oh sure.........someone else may have thought of it.....but I  haven't seen this anywhere else ..yet!
Just listed in my thatyountvillegirl etsy shop........

this set...I think I can get about 2 dozen floral evergreen trees from this bit of very old printed muslin.....The next sets will be of similar barkcloth, and other fabrics and other shapes......so they will all be listed in the next few days...before Thanksgiving day. The goal is to try to make about  4 dozen

Time to adjust

Sometimes you feel like a short bag.
Sometimes you feel like a cross-body.
Translation.....
Dilemma solved!

If  you're  hanging out, seeing the sights.....shopping for a few things, you want a bag  you can put up on your shoulder...
If you're in a casual mood, being busy.....wanting to keep your hands free...to carry coffee, to carry stuff, to look thru piles of things.....well, you  want a cross-body bag. Er, uh, tote bag.

The long strap looped thru and buttoned.

then if you choose,  pull the strap farther thru the loop and button it shorter.
I made the straps wide...so they'll feel good resting on the shoulder.

a sunny day for sewing !

I've never been completely happy with those Yawn! metal slide mechanisms that every bagmaker uses...so, as per usual for me...in addition to using fun and  unique blends of mix and match fabrics and prints.....and of course...there is a lot of recycling going on........

so, not only did I give my anything-but-boring line of tote bags/purses a sense of humor, but I invented a simple changeability feature to go to from a shoulder to a long-strap tote...using buttons...
Vintage buttons of course!

always with the vintage buttons....

This is the road map fabric, lined in a weird novelty fabric. Some in this series have ticking stripes..some have solid moire. They're lined so they have body, yet aren't completely stiff.
They can carry the daily......or even a laptop...or your electronic book....(i  Pad)

Here's a typical view of the inside....pockets....and a loop that flips over the top and buttons closed.

The other side is a recycled pair of pants with big pockets.....the better to keep things in ..my dear!
Each in the series is slightly different....yet they're all roomy and easy to take care of....made of cotton or cotton blends.......They wash and dry by machine. Yes.

The next series will be wool and wool blend tweeds, vintage lace and leather-like synthetic. They'll have a more masculine air.....but perfect for the ladies too.

There's always a bit of lace and lots of topstitching too. I make sure it's all sturdy, and I really love my signature loopy stitching at the edges.

and....tho there are lots of pockets to keep the keys handy...to stash the transit card, the lipstick, the hanky.....
I made little zipper pouch purses to go with...
these are handy for a billion things!

each is a mix and match of cute, sweet, romantic, sharp and quirky cotton and cotton blend fabrics, laces and ribbon......some have vintage metal zippers....some have vintage nylon zippers.

my label in muslin....

They're about 7" x 7" or so. They're machine wash and dry...
or hang to dry......whatev'