This crazy business that we're in...it's like unraveling history, and hearing stories that go along with the item's we find, and also hearing stories that are prompted by the objects we're working on. Yes, we enjoy selling the final product, and seeing how excited our customers are about their new find, but all along the journey, I appreciate and enjoy each step.
The adventure usually starts with something forgotton, or ignored for quite a white. It's been left in the basement, the attic, or even pushed out to the garage. Something that's been useful, essential, loved...but it's seen it's day. It's no longer what it once was.
A friend from years past invited me over for her parent's home's estate sale. As I was digging around the very full garage, I spied this old container. I love vintage labels, and thought this carton may make a cute side table. The friend explained that it was full of her parents clothing. Someone had offered to take them off her hands and create rag balls, but that offer had not come to fruition. I decided to bring home the stinky mass of fabric, and see what would become of it all!
Once home, I opened the lid and was greeted by the most musty smelling pile of laundry I've ever gotten into! I decided it was the safest to just dump the whole lot out in the grass, for fear of what else had decided to live in this pile over the years! I was pleasantly surprised to see that no furry creatures had been nesting inside! In the clear sunshine, I began to appreciate the faded, vintage fabrics of these turn-of-the-century clothes. I began sorting them by color and decided I would give them a good soak, and a line-dry in the sunshine, and see what evolved!
I washed the darker load first. As I began to hang them on the line, not only the beauty of the vintage fabrics could be seen, but the designs and details could also be appreciated.
The pintucks, the eyelet ruffles, the different styles of collars. These were the clothes I remembered my 90 year old great-grandma wearing. Their lives had been extended as long as they possibly could. There were patches everywhere, the fabric was thread-bare, and their buttons had long ago been taken off and used elsewhere. The extension of usefulness amazed me. How quickly we throw things away, and only see their usefullness in their prime. Hmmm... I wished I could revive these clothes to their original purpose but they needed to be re-invented. Take the weaknesses, and make them strong again.
The bright color load was even more beautiful than the blues and greens!
Once again, I loved each and every detail of this generations-ago wardrobe.
The contrasting fabric inlays, the rickrack, the polka-dots all had me charmed. I even loved the store-bought tags I found on some of them!
The clothes looked so pretty hanging on the line in the sunshine! It was like vintage, clothing bunting that even coordinated with my flowers!
The rag ball idea that my friend had given me sounded like the best fate for these beautiful clothes. I've been taking a stack of clothing wherever I go and have some time to dis-assemble these beauties. As I was ripping strips of cloth at the cabin, my aunt remembered how she had ripped fabric strips for her grandma, as a child. My great, great grandma instructed her to sew the strips together smoothly, so the rag rugs she made would not have bumps. I cherish and use those very same rugs my aunt helped to make. As I was learning how to make my first ragballs, my 8 year-old neice was eagerly learning also.
I love how the generations before made use of everything. They took what was weak, and combined it together to make something strong and useful. The ragballs are a work in progress. They are time consuming, and relaxing at the same time. The finished product isn't anything too special...but I've enjoyed the journey. I'm picturing them with evergreen boughs for Christmas, in a primitave wooden bowl, or maybe piled high on a footed cake plate or metal urn!
Those clothes are DARLING! I bet it's so relaxing taking them apart and making the rag balls with all that beautiful color to look at!
Posted by: Elisabeth F | Friday, September 14, 2012 at 07:20 AM
It is relaxing! I don't relax well, but I sure have enjoyed looking at the beautiful fabrics and winding their timeworn softness into a pretty ball! When I was stuck in a car for a 19 hour drive out east, it was very relaxing!
Posted by: Lora Bloomquist | Friday, September 14, 2012 at 09:04 AM