Monday, April 21, 2014

Three Sheets to the Wind: Upcycling Old Linens

I am a BIG fan of vintage, needless to say this includes vintage sheets. I especially adore the plethora of old floral print sheets that continually beckon to me from the thrift shop's linens section, and I'm always on the look-out for quality items to reclaim and upcycle. On a recent scavenging trip, I found the remnants of someone else's attempts to upcycle these lovely, nostalgic textiles of yore. They had cut sheets (and some other fabrics) into long strips and sewn the strips together at the end to create a sort of yarn or cordage. I was instantly drawn to the tattered, shabby look. 
Once the sheet strips are cut and sewn into lengths, they can be used for all sorts of creative applications. One thing I did was use some long strips to tie around the tissue wrapped packages I ship from my Furious Designs shop. You use it as you would a normal ribbon, and it adds a cute, shabby, decorative yet eco touch to packages and gifts. 
I also knew that I wanted crochet some of the ribbon-like cordage. It crochets up quickly and easily into braid-like chains. If you leave enough length on each end so you can tie it, these work great as headbands. The crochet work has a bit of stretch, which makes if super comfy and the tie closure makes it really adjustable. So cute! This can also be worn as a chunky fabric necklace, which I think looks pretty adorable too!
Thinking about wearing the crochet chain as a necklace made my mind wander and it went to some beautiful places. I wondered how it would work to incorporate one of the crochet chains into a dress or shirt, and I'm really pleased with the results of my prototypes. 


No comments:

Post a Comment