There’s something very gratifying about finally using your stash. But there’s more to the satisfaction I’m feeling than that.
Old things aren’t just old, they’re different than their contemporary counterparts. They were made when quality mattered more. Their weight and textures and the sounds they make are unique to their time.
I wish everyone could feel the fabric Maddie’s dress is being sewn from. You can’t buy anything like it now. The threads it’s woven from must be miniscule, because the weave is tight but the fabric weighs nothing. Judging by the cut of the skirt panel I disassembled, it’s likely from sometime between 1890 and 1910.
In addition to this beautiful piece of fabric, I’m also using antique twill tape on the lower bodice. And for the closure, I have hooks that are surely pre-1900, because they don’t have the third, center prong. They’re loose in their original little packet and when I pour them onto the table the sound is special in a way I can’t explain. They’re heavier than what we can buy now, but somehow more delicate.
It’s a joy to touch and sew with these treasures from my stash, and to watch them become part of something new. Yet they’re not just being turned into a dress. They’re also being woven into my memory, in a way that will always be unique to this particular piece of Maddie’s wardrobe.
As Martha Stewart likes to say, it’s a good thing.
For information on where to find “old things” for your next project, click HERE.
To continue following along with Maddie’s first dress project, head over HERE.
And to see all of Maddie’s wardrobe projects so far, click HERE.