Share in Style Announcement

Yesterday I was asked by my lovely friend Rosy from Sewingadicta if I would like to be her partner in "Share in Style". I had seen her wonderful contributions to those projects a few times, but had no idea what it was about really. Not before she asked me.

Just a few words about Rosy. Rosy is living on a beautiful Spanish island and she is an amazingly skilled sewer and very talented crafter. She even does hand-painting on fabrics that are made into dresses, and she makes her own hats - isn't that wonderful? (I have a vague suspect she's a master of the art, and I guess it's about time I ask her to find out. Her creations are amazing, and she makes the drafts for many of her dresses by her own! I like the fact that she proofs that women beyond 40 can look absolutely splendid. Wearing vintage inspired items is not only for twenty-something year old, but also for mature women.) So being her partner would certainly be not only a huge honour, but also lots of fun.

Now, I would have said "yes" in a heartbeat, if it had not been for the motto of the next "Share in Style" project: Gold.

I would have to lie if I said I disliked gold. Gold is my favorite materials - on jewelry. I think it has something to do with my Celtic ancestors that adored gold over any other material. (Yes, in Switzerland, we had Celtic tribes as well, the Helvetii in my region, only that they melted away to submerge with the Romans, but this is just the historian in me that goes wild once more...) I love the buttery look of pure gold.

Source

But gold on clothing? An absolute no-go. As you may know, I'm a curly red-haired, and it would simply look too exaggerated on me. I once bought in what I recall a fashion frenzy a golden lamé shirt for Christmas. Believe me: I never wore it. I had it in my wardrobe for about  two years, feeling guilty about the purchase, and then I gave it away to some charity shop.

Now, as dear Rosy came up with the question and I always love a good challenge, I had a look at my stash to get some idea if a participation for that obviously rather delicate motto would still be possible.

Guess what I found? Not only one, but two authentic vintage fabrics that had golden accents on them. (I have a few more, modern ones from Japan.)

The first one is an amazing barkcloth I bought on Etsy, and compared to other bark cloths it was almost ridiculously cheap very inexpensive. For a stay-at-home mom of two little ones - I have no proper income - it was a lucky find! It is 5 yards long, and it has the most adorable pink flower sprigs on a decent grey background and golden splatters all over the fabric. The fabric is from the 1950s, and even after such a long time and having been laundered after I got it, the print, including the olden accents, looks so gorgeous. And I'm absolutely in love with the "rough" structure of the material!

However, as it's a barkcloth - therefore rare - and also suitable for a less summery project, so I would like to save it for a different project.

The other fabric is an Asian inspired turquoise dress cut print, also from the 1950s. It seemed to be new, newer used nor laundered when it arrived. Still so beautiful after so many decades!

Dress cuts were pre-cut pieces of about 5 yards length that could be bought back in those times to make a dress. This makes sense, as most patterns of the 1950s require 5 yards of material.

The aqua blue background features white flowers and oriental lanterns in shades of purple and blue. The motives are highlighted with metallic gold.

It still had this paper tag pinned to the selvage...

I bought this fabric because of it's Oriental touch, not being sure what to make of it, and certainly not because of the golden accents that require the right pattern to avoid being too tawdry. I guess this will be a lovely material to create something nice. Otherwise it will be in my stash for another 60 years...

So I agreed to join this "Share in Style" with Rosy. I even think I have some lush gold jewelry to accomplish my outfit once it's finished.

Wish me luck I make in time. I still have to sew a pair of bermuda shorts for my husband's upcoming birthday!

If you're interested to participate, there are only very little "rules". Create your outfit from "off-the-rack" clothes or by making it yourself, have fun and share it with other that love to dress in a special way. Doesn't have to be vintage. :-) Just check Rosy's post about the guidelines.