Day Project: Dyeing cotton stockings

I was fortunate a few years ago to find a great grouping of vintage seamed cotton stockings. They were in great unused condition so I snapped them allllll up. It was about 7 pairs or so. A few I've sold, but most I've kept. They are comfy, but horrible colors.

Next to my skin tone they make my legs look like thick carrots.

The dark brown ones I dyed a while ago. The bottom pair are the ones I'm dyeing. I want to get them into my normal rotation, so I decided to dye another pair to match my two-tone dress. The goal is to have cool colored stockings like in the 40s

when regular nylon was out of the question.

You'd see all sorts of colors for sale. Aimed at the youth, you could brighten up any outfit with a simple pair of cotton or silk colored stockings.

I broke out my pals.

The scarlet dye that I'm saving for my evening gown (I haven't forgotten about it). Some denim dye I forgot I had under the sink, and a big old thing of salt. I call it my craftin' salt.

Heated up the water and added about 1/4 cup of salt.

I just mixed a small batch of dye in a saucer pan (my only one) that I have. I played with the color a tad, adding a bit of the denim and also some yellow so it wouldn't get too purple.

I did a test dip with a paper towel and liked the results. It's like a salty staining soup.

After about 40 min of simmering, I drained the water and rinsed them about 5 times.

I then added salt to some cold water for a cold soak to set the dye. I did that twice then gave them a final rinse. Here they are hanging to dry.

After they dry, I'm going to give them a wash with a delicate soap to knock out the rest of the lingering dye.

I think they will work great with that dress.

This was practice because I bought two all cotton sweaters from LLBean and I'm totally going to change their colors.

One reason I really like vintage catalogs...

Didn't you just finish a blouse?

I sure did! And a lot of this afternoon I spent cutting and prepping the pieces for my next one. This blouse will also be long sleeve, and from the same 40s reproduction pattern I sell, but it will be two tone. You all know how mama loves her two tone.

I'm going to start with the navy/chartreuse rayon I have. Mainly because I think I might wear it somewhere this weekend and it's better to have it on hand, you know?

I finished off the edges to most of the smaller pieces, and used the remaining cotton feedsack from the previous blouse on this one. It was nice to know I could get two garments worth of facing from that feed sack. Make & Mend we all say.

Because this white rayon I have is particularly light, I face the yoke with the cotton. I think that will aid the fabric as it has the weight of the front pieces hanging from it. I also think it will look better not to see through the front of my blouse. You know, small things.

The back, which will be white I'm not facing, that would be silly,

but you should not put it past me.

The cuffs are going to be in the vintage rayon, as well as the collar and back yoke. Change things up a bit. If all goes well I can start construction today, but I might get off my keester and take my serger to the repair shop today.

I think it's time.

Finished blouse, y'all.

This morning I'm listening to my favorite Violent Femmes album, Hallowed Ground. It has three of my *absolute* favorite VF songs on it; Country Death Song, Jesus Walking on the Water (AUTOHARP!!!), and It's Gonna Rain. Awesome stuff!

Onto other news. I constructed the blouse yesterday. Once the collar is completed, the rest of the top just falls into place. I put a bit more curve in the lapels because I had to piece them, but that only adds to the sassyness.

I like the hint of white from the feedsack cotton showing beneath the collar. I think it brakes up the print on the fabric just enough.

The buttons were a big choice.

Like with the facing, I was just going to use some generic nondescript buttons. Then I got to thinkin', I'm saving my good buttons for fabric like this! D'uh! I decided on my great red vintage ones, glass mind you.

They compliment the wagon wheel look of the fabric perfectly. I'm very pleased with that.

I also got to put the pocket on this one. On the last one I added too much gather to the bodice, so the pocket stuck out. With a bit of positioning I was able to add the pocket just fine. A friend asked why the pocket was so high. I said its 2" above the nipple, and about an inch below the collar bone. I'd say thats pretty perfect. People are so used to pockets being so low.

Same with jeans.

But in any account the blouse is complete. Also, looking in my stash, I found some white rayon! Like 5 yards of the stuff, so I don't have to make dickies of the other rayon I have, I can make complete blouses, yay!

I'm starting on the palm tree rayon today. Squeeee!!!

Finished images of the gray rayon blouse are on NVL.

Catalog Sunday

This December Sunday carrying on with the holiday theme, I have early 30s images from a sale catalog by National Bellas Hess.

Enjoy!

Progress on the blouse.

I've been steadily working on my rayon blouse. Since I don't have my serger, *sniff *sniff*, I over cast the edges of the fabric with a ziz-zag stitch.

I had to piece some parts that don't show. The inside facing of the front blouse I had to piece in order to make the most out of the fabric.

As I was looking for fabric to use as facing on specific pieces, I grabbed some cheap old cotton/polly from my stash. That would be good enough, I thought. Then I realized, this is vintage fabric, it deserves a better grade of facing than this.

I looked in my stash and pulled out some vintage feedsacks.

Perfect.

The cotton of the feedsacks is a fairly loose broken in weave and will give a soft stiffening, a perfect compliment to the rayon. To finish the edges, I first did a basting stitch then overcast the edges. I didn't back stitch but just knotted the tails like you would of had to do with an old machine. When I tried to back stitch because the fabric is so thin, it would get caught in the feed dogs.

Lame!

I love the look, it's clean and very secure. On the plus this was a great use of all my half filled bobbins. Got through them pretty fast. This process did take longer, and I stopped for an hour twice to let my machine have a brake but I do feel the craftsmanship in doing this. I still miss my serger, though.

I've finished up all the pieces and plan on starting construction today.

More to come!

My 2010 Christmas card

Every year for a long while now I've done a custom Christmas card for family and friends. For a while I did a linoleum run (when I had access to a press) and signed and dated them. MAN I miss printmaking.

This year, like last year, I've been knee deep in Adobe Illustrator, so I decided to do a second version of last year's card, gingerbread me. It was hugely successful. Between the Lady and gingerbread me, you all must think I'm this HUGE egomaniac.

No, not at all.

No more than what's healthy, I guess...

Now I need to have some cards printed. I still have time!