I love to dye and I love old and vintage fabrics. When I’m shopping at thrift stores, the place I first head to is the area with napkins and tablecloths.
Here at Happy Acres we try not to use a lot of paper products. We quit using paper napkins many years ago, using old and vintage napkins instead. Unless the meal is really messy, we can get several days out of our napkins. Then they all go in the washer with other towels and return clean and ready for the next meal. We even use them on picnics.
On my last trip to the local thrift store I found these lovelies. They are made of the same fabric that I’ve found in old tablecloths. I absolutely love them and will be using them on our table. I’m thinking about scanning in the art, printing it out on fabric, and adding it to placemats so they’ll all match. Or easier still, I could make some placemats and dye them one of the napkin colors.
I have a boat load of white vintage napkins. I love to dye them. The patterns just pop with the color.
We also don’t use Kleenex. I’m not sure when that started –Â maybe when I ran out of them – that we started using hankies, or in my hubby’s case, dyed bandanas.
On my last trip to that thrift store IÂ found these beautiful hankies.
Over the years I have bought a lot of these men’s hankies at thrift stores. The pattern is hard to see on the white.
Here they are dyed.
You can really see the pattern now that they are dyed. The yellow hankie’s embroidery is also lovely dyed.
They are almost too pretty to blow into, but what is better than when you are suffering with a cold than to have a colorful hankie to suffer with you. It’s also nice to open up my purse and see some color peeking out!
Hope you are having a colorful week.
Love how all your lovelies look dyed! I need to do a little digging in my closet… might have some treasures to send your way!
I just love the look of these!!!!
Lisa Chin recently posted..I’m Still Quilting!
Lisa, Thanks.
Judy, Thanks!
I sure do enjoy your posts. You probably don’t “need” more fabric, but I want to give you a tip. When I’m at my favorite thrift store, I too am looking for fabric to up-cycle into something else. I look at women’s skirts, women’s large or long dresses, curtains, and men’s shirts. I wish or could see my stash! Thank you for sharing your ideas.
Lee, Thank you so much. Yeah, I do a little of that and that’s how I’ve found fabric to spray through as a stencil. There certainly is some beautiful fabric out there. Now to learn to sew better!! Thanks for dropping by and commenting. And I’d love to see your stash!
Very nice Lynda. Dyeing is so rewarding. I’ve been doing more eco-dyeing with flowers and leaves. Thanks for sharing.
Diane
Diane in NH recently posted..Sunny Days!
Diane, Thanks! Love eco-dyeing and how it looks.
Apart from the sustainability aspect, the colours and patterns revealed
really do make it worthwhile ditching the paper.
Maggi recently posted..Screen printing, a purchase and an exhibition
Maggi, Yes, the patterns that are revealed are just awesome. And they are so much prettier than paper! Thanks for dropping by.