Altered Couture for Home Decor

Have you ever heard of Altered Couture?  It isn't just a magazine (pictured above) made by the Stampington Company.  It is a movement in fashion that has taken hold (revived) in the last several years.  By this, hobbyist and artist create one-of-a-kind individual pieces with the recycling of past fashion materials.  A few examples that are a treat to look at are Armour Sans Anguish and  Supayana.

Image: Supayana

 Image: Armour Sans Anguish

Neat huh.  Imagine recycling clothes to look this good.  What if it was done for home decor?  I have seen a lot of things repurposed, upcycled, or altered, whatever you want to call it.  In home decor you really need a lot of yardage.  It isn't as easy to take clothes and recycle for the home.

You know my tea cozy.  It was altered from a Woolrich wool vest.

One commenter said it looked like a sweater for my teapot.  She was really close.  Here is the original vest.   

What do you think about upcycling?  

Do teapots look good in sweaters?

How about this table runner?

The shabby chic fabric for this table runner came from a Liz Claiborne dress.

Here it is after I used the bottom for the table runner.  These are the only two pieces I have ever upcycled.  I really found it fun to do.  I liked challenging myself to look at something and find another use for it.  Have you ever altered any clothes? 
The tea cozy in for sale in my Etsy Shop.

I will link to these ladies go and visit them.

Get Your Craft On at Today's Creative Blog

Toot Your Horn Tuesday at A Silly Little Sparrow
Second Chance Tuesday at Bella Rosa Antiques
Boring to Better Party at Savvy Southern Style

Whatever Goes Wednesday  at Someday Crafts

Show and Tell Wednesday at Blue Cricket Design 
Whassup Wednesday at Elements Interiors

Shabby Flour Sack Towel

I was so excited to go into the Dollar Store yesterday and find flour sacks. 

 

These are very old fashioned.  My MIL uses something like this to dry dishes.  They were packaged and hanging by the dish towels.  Many years ago they used flour sacks for drying dishes.  They are very Shabby Chic if you shabbify them.  Here is what I did.

 

I first ironed the edge of the flour sack where it was hemmed.  Then I pinned a lace trim on the edge.

    

I sewed the lace trim on in a zig-zag stitch to stabilize it.  I am sure the lace will curl up on repeated washing so I used this stitch to prevent that.

 

I turned under the edge of the lace and sewed in place at the beginning and end of each piece of trim to finish it off.

 

 Click any picture to enlarge

I then went back and sewed a straight stitch on top of the zig-zag to prevent  the lace from curling when washed.

 

That is all I did to this flour sack.  You could put even more lace trim on them.  Rachel Ashwell, known for her Shabby Chic style has this type of flour sack dishcloth in one of her books.  (The Shabby Chic Home)   Her dish cloths have a wide, hand crocheted style trim.  The flour sack dish cloth is not as absorbent as terry dishcloths, but they have a place in the kitchen.  They are great for drying crystal or glass leaving little or no lint on the dish. I purchased these flour sacks in a package of 3 for $3.  I picked up the lace at a thrift store for a very reasonable price ( $2 for 4 pieces of lace).  I will be linking this post to The Thrifty Home's Penny Pinching Party, Blue Cricket Design's Show and Tell Wednesday ,  and My Backyard Eden's Make It Yours Day.

  

 

Shabby Chic Napkins

I have loved Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic style since she published her first book.  One of the things she had in her books I have had my eye on for years.  She has shabby white linen napkins with a ruffle, so pretty, so informal, but yet formal.  I just love the style. 
Materials:
1 and 1/2 yd of white linen or linen look fabric
white thread
fabric marking pencil
yardstick
scissors
8 and 1/2 yd of 3/8" white satin ribbon 

Click on any picture to enlarge.
 

I finally got to a sale at the fabric store and got the linen to make these napkins.  Now I will show you how.

 
 

I believe the standard dinner napkin is a 21 inch square.  I laid my linen out and cut a 20 inch square.  The ruffle will be the extra inch all around. 

 

Next, I laid out the linen and marked off 2 and 1/2 inch strips with a fabric marking pencil.   The linen was 54 inches wide; and marking and cutting these strips on the width, you will need 2 strips per napkin.

After cutting the napkin and the strips out, take the strips and fold them in half and iron.  This will be your ruffles.

 

 Next, you will take the strips and sew a basting stitch on the unfolded edge about a 1/4 from the edge.

  

You will next pull your basting strings and make the ruffle.

 

You then pin the the ruffle to the napkin square so as when you turn the ruffle out it will hide the seam.

 When you get to the end of the ruffle you will sew the next strip to it.

  

I sewed the two ruffle pieces together and then made basting stitches up to the seam.  I don't have a great basting stitch on this machine so I make several basting stitches all around the ruffle and then gather them up as even as I can.

 

I then have the entire ruffle pinned all around the napkin. The end edges will meet up at one corner as shown above.

 

I then sew those two ruffle ends together and trim the seam. Pin it in place and you are ready to sew the ruffle in place.

 

Sewing ruffle in place.

 

The pressure foot is my guide to how big I make this ruffle seam.  I sew with the pressure foot right on the edge of the ruffle for a uniform finish.

 

When you turn the corners just follow edge of ruffle.  Go back later and trim this square corner off.

 

Trim off threads.  Turn ruffle out and press.

 

Now, turn your napkin back over to the exposed seam on the underneath side and pin your 3/8" ribbon to cover the seam and sew in place.

 

Sew the other side of the ribbon in place and the napkin looks as good on the front as it does on the back.

 You are now ready to have a shabby style table.  I have seen 4 of these napkins for sale for $80 and with some work at the sewing machine you can have your shabby napkins for a fraction of that cost.  Mine were just the cost of the fabric $6, the ribbon $2, and my time.
I am linking this up to Kathleen's Faded Charm Cottage for White Wednesday, Jen's The Thrifty Home for her Penny Pinching Party, and for Blue Cricket Design's Show and Tell Wednesday.