lisalu
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Date: 2/28/11 10:08 AM Just wondering if there is a way to tell if a fabric is really vintage vs. a vintage style print. I bought this fabric at an estate sale (presumably the possessions of an elderly woman) and it looks like a design from the '40's or '50's. I have a good sized piece, about 2-1/2 yds. It is a light weight cotton with a medium grained weave (not extremely fine). It is such a sweet, old fashioned print, I would love to use it for something special, but I don't have any ideas yet!
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Margaret (Singer 201-2), Betty (Singer 15-91), Bud (Singer 503), Kathy (Singer 221), Liz (Singer 221 Centennial Edition)
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path49
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Date: 2/28/11 12:21 PM MOST (but probably not ALL!) cottons from the 40's/50's are only 36" wide. |
lisalu
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Date: 2/28/11 12:43 PM Oh! Well this one is 44" wide. It is definitely not "new" since it was in a batch of fabric along with sewing notions that had obviously been around for a while, but maybe it isn't exactly "vintage" either.
Thanks for the tip! ------
Margaret (Singer 201-2), Betty (Singer 15-91), Bud (Singer 503), Kathy (Singer 221), Liz (Singer 221 Centennial Edition)
http://runningstitches-mkb.blogspot.com/ |
Julia C
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Date: 2/28/11 1:04 PM I love that fabric. I believe I have seen it made into crib sheets years ago. |
path49
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Date: 2/28/11 2:17 PM I'm not saying it CAN"T be from the 40's/50's...there were probably some 44" cottons then, too. There were a lot of 44"/45" cottons in the 60's. So if it's not from the 50's, there's a real good chance it's from the 60's...still vintage in my book! By the way, it's adorable! |
nicegirl
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Date: 2/28/11 3:03 PM That looks a *lot* like a blankie I have from my childhood in the 70s. But it's a print that is fairly classic. ------
http://theslapdashsewist.blogspot.com
=================
2007: purchased 115+, sewed 105+
So close to parity, yet so far
Trying again in 2008
Yards purchased: 133
Yards sewn: Somewhere around 95
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MaryDB
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Date: 2/28/11 3:53 PM In the past I've found Vintage Fabrics by Gridley, Kiplinger, and McClure to be very helpful in dating old fabric. I check it out of my local public library; you might check yours to see if it's available. |
Montanasews
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Date: 2/28/11 3:57 PM My son had a blanket made with that same print when he was born in 1981. It was a blue background instead of pink |
sarah in nyc
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In reply to Montanasews
Date: 2/28/11 4:15 PM This is one of those prints that could have been used continuously from the 1940's -1980's for babies. In the old days, nursery stuff was not as consiously designed as it is these days. All of that baby stuff is far more design conscious than it was, not all that long ago.
I remember seeing some stuff offered in the stores in the late 1980's when my oldest was a baby that I remembered from my childhood nearly 30 years before.
there was child rearing advice from the 1930's that suggested soft colors for happier babies.
there was a big change in the 1980's with brain research on babies encouraged high contrast colors for better brain developmet. brighter stuff was in style in general then...so brighter sheets baby goods were being marketed as well. ------
sarah in nyc
www.sewnewyork.blogspot.com |
lisalu
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Date: 2/28/11 6:48 PM With all the coordinating designer schemes for babies now, this pattern looks absolutely quaint. I remember my crib from when I was a baby (early 60's) had a similar motif painted on it.
I just love the sweetness and innocence of it. It speaks of a simpler time when babies were babies and not miniature adults.
Don't get me wrong - I think the new baby fashions are cute. Little boys dressed in tiny replicas of adult jeans and polo shirts, etc. But I still have a soft spot on my heart for delicate, pastel "babyish" patterns. :)
-- Edited on 2/28/11 6:49 PM -- ------
Margaret (Singer 201-2), Betty (Singer 15-91), Bud (Singer 503), Kathy (Singer 221), Liz (Singer 221 Centennial Edition)
http://runningstitches-mkb.blogspot.com/ |
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