I have always loved Peanuts cartoons. As a teenager I collected the books. A friend gave me a lined Jaeger skirt when I was 17. It fitted perfectly, but was mid calf length on me. I shortened it to mini-length, and made a pocket with the trimmings, on which I embroidered Snoopy sleeping on his doghouse. I adored that skirt and wore it all one summer. [I had slim, tanned legs back then!] Sadly no photos remain.
When I was 21, a friend sent me a Snoopy Teeshirt as a birthday gift. In 1981, there was a hitch with a house move. I rang cousin Gill and said "Everything is packed in teachests and I just have an overnight bag. I'm running out of clean clothes" The next day, a large envelope arrived containing two pairs of pants and a Snoopy Teeshirt. I wore the tees often and treasured them both. But after having children, I never got back into size 10 tops, they went into a memory box. At the last Winter/Summer wardrobe swap I took them out. My granddaughters like Snoopy too. So Rosie now has the pale lemon one, and Jess has the white one [a little big, but it will make a good summer nightie]
I repaired that during lockdown and it's still in use as a garden blanket inside the teepee.
I do try and squeeze as much use as I can from my textiles!
Do you still have any garments from decades ago?
Have you recycled them into other projects?
That’s wonderful! My very first thought was... "to sew a T-shirt quilt!" :-))) —and sure enough, there it is right there in your post!
ReplyDeleteI’m only on my fifth quilt so far, but I’m currently collecting men’s shirts from family members with the intention of sewing a quilt out of them. I’ve already sewn things using many different garments—for instance, items belonging to my mother—such as a hat for myself or summer tops made from her favorite blouses; it brings me such joy whenever I wear them! :-)
Thank you for your lovely post, dear Angela. I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful week ahead.
Viola
A hat is a great idea, I must think about that one!
DeleteI have pieces from a bridesmaid dress of 1976 I recycled into a favourite skirt (a lovely liberty lawn) now incorporated into various quilts. The viscose Next dress my mother had (1970s), and passed on to me, also ended up in a quilt but the viscose has biodegraded itself into threads. I keep meaning to repair it. I think son and daughter both have their respective quilts made for when they started university (2006 and 2008)... my wedding dress, and the first outfit my husband ever bought for me are still in the back of the wardrobe (1977!) I wear the Guernsey we bought in 1978, and my mother's (same sort of date). Patrick whatshisname would approve.
ReplyDeleteI shortened my wedding dress for Steph's baptism. My 1979 Guernsey actually wore out. Quilts are a great way of keeping family heritage fabrics
DeleteI'm sure Rosie and Jess love your Snoopy t-shirts. Love the blanket you made from the sweatshirts, too. Yes, I still have garments from decades ago. The oldest one is my 1st year birthday dress my mother made with some of the tulle from her wedding veil. :)
ReplyDeleteOh how lovely to still have that baby dress
DeleteWhen my son was about 6 months old I made him a small white pillow for when he was in the pram and in the top right corner I drew with a black indelible pen snoopy asleep on his kennel with a balloon coming out of his mouth with ZZZ in the middle, you reminded me of it. THANKS. Shirley in OZ
ReplyDelete💤♥️👍
DeleteMy daughter wears a sweatshirt and t-shirt that my husband bought in his first year of college (1982). They seem to be indestructible!
ReplyDeleteI have a cotton kimono that I bought a couple of years before that. It is now edge to edge, rather than overlapped :) but the colours are still fresh and bright.
I love the "edge to edge" comment! I have a much loved jacket which I still wear, but always unbuttoned now!
DeleteI am in the process of making a quilt made from a Clothkits sundress which I originally made over 40 years ago. Lots of my clothes are over 20 years old. I also have an edge to edge kimono which I can’t bear to part with!
ReplyDeleteI loved the clothkits catalogue, but could never afford to buy anything!
DeleteSnoopy was a much loved staple in our house when we were kids, and my mother scoured the charity shops for Snoopy books because they were so expensive!
ReplyDeleteI love the look of the quilt. Last week I was wearing a cheap top, that I think cost around £3 and I bought it before we moved into our house in 1994. It's bleached out under the armpits and looks like nothing on earth, but it's the most comfortable thing to wear in a heatwave ever!
I love tops and dresses like that that you can pull on when it's hot
DeleteI loved Snoopy too but never had any clothing with him on. I do still have clothing made by my grandmothers. One of the oldest is a black cardigan, my granny knitted for my mother . It was handed down to me when I went to secondary school and when the cuffs started wearing thin the bottom of the sleeves was undone and re knitted with the sleeves lengthened at the same time. Unfortunately slightly small for me now but my daughter often wears it.
ReplyDeleteMy mother in law taught me how to reknit cuffs when I was first married. She was Flemish, so knew many of the continental knitting techniques
DeleteI still have remnants of very old Laura Ashley fabric, cut from various projects way back in the eighties!
ReplyDeleteI still have LA remnants in the loft. The dainty prints make them useful for small projects.
DeleteIn 1980 I lay-buy for several months a beautiful pure wool, pleated, tiny checked, long skirt. On our first cold day of the year last week my tall slim daughter looked very stylish and professional in it at her job as a school principal. She said she was complemented on it! Wish my waist was still that size😂 JennyP
ReplyDeleteOh how lovely that she can wear it now! Buy well, buy once, buy to last!
DeleteMy dear old dad used to love Snoopy and Co and had a big Peanuts book collection.
ReplyDeleteYour resourcefulness always impresses me.
Alison in Devon x
Thank you - my Dad loved Peanuts too
DeleteI still have an Irish cardigan bought in Shannon Airport Duty Free shop in 1969. What I love about it is that the "buttons" are actually crocheted balls of the wool. It's the only one I have seen like that. When I bought it the saleslady told me it was knit by local people "with a prayer in every stitch". JanF
ReplyDeleteOh how lovely
DeleteI still wear my Clothkits jacket 1980s vintage.
ReplyDeleteClothkits forever!!!
DeleteI do manage to make my clothes last a long time, in fact I was only looking at the blouse I am wearing today and trying to think when I actually got it, years ago for sure and it's a regular all through every Summer. But I have nothing as old as your Snoopy t-shirts. I love to see well loved and well used clothing.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I ought to write the date on the inside somewhere with an indelible marker , when I get the garment. "Occasion" dresses acquired for weddings/graduation days etc are easy to date. A lot of our family 'slogan' teeshirts went to a disaster relief appeal in1997. Since then , most replacements have been plain or striped.
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