Grandmother's Sheet

On my third time around with this Cynthia Rowley pattern bySimplicity I decided to take a different route other than buying a new piece of fabric, and began this endeavor with a sheet I found while cleaning out my grandmother’s linen closet in 1998. The sheet with its beautiful hand crochet border was made by Grandmother’s neighbor who was a generation older than my grandmother. I suspect the sheet is around 100 years old at least.

I thought about making an apron or pillow with it but thankfully never got around to it.

I’ve always wanted a white tunic to wear with jeans, now I have a truly one-of-a-kind top with sentimental value.

Actually, I only had half of a sheet to work with, still trying to remember what I did with the bottom half of this sheet. Because of that I didn’t have enough fabric for the sleeves and had to piece them together. I put the heirloom sewing skills I learned 20 years ago to practice, and inserted a piece of lace in between the sleeve sections.

It’s easy in case you have never done it before.

My grandmother who lived in a small Kentucky town loved to play practical jokes on others and was constantly trying to get a rise out of people. She was always nicely dressed and had a gorgeous collection of Italian hats which I will never figure out! Grandmother would have never run around in an old bedsheet so maybe my tunic would get a rise out of her for a change.

My latest sewing project gave me not only a new f r e e piece of clothing, but also provided a gentle reminder that looking to the past often brings about modern results!

www.goodbyevalentino.com