Sunday, June 2, 2013

Vintage View Sunday: Patterns and Barkcloth

Happy Sunday to everyone!
So sorry to post this late, but I've had to push through a migraine since Wednesday!  Ugh!  
All better this morning and ready to show you what vintage things 
have inspired me and my party goers this week! I've been HOOKED on patterns 
since I got a whole bag at a thrift shop a few weeks ago for 4.00:

Diane from Vintage Zest is also hooked on patterns, 
especially when they're free--lucky lady!

And Lisa from Helen's Legacy found a living model of 
50s vintage patterns in Taylor Swift. Check out Lisa's blog to see more of 
the adorable vintage clothes that Taylor wears:

But if you aren't sewing right now or wearing vintage clothing, what do you  do with 
all those patterns?  My solution-- buy pattern styled supplies! 
I bought clear stamp pattern ladies and wood block pattern girls, 
and pulled out items in my current favorite color scheme:

Wanting to do something with the pattern tissue, I tried punching it with a flower punch.  
Not too difficult, and I really like the resulting flower:

I can see these clustered on a wreath or package, which now that I'm feeling better I will put together and show you soon.  I will continue to play and post my creations.

Moving from patterns, I want to share with you about barkcloth. I didn't know anything about this wondeful fabric, except that I LOVED it, and it was the fabric covering so much of my grandmother's furniture.  It was just a faint memory until Michelle from The Day before This Day posted a shoulder bag she made from barkcloth:

A Wikipedia entry on barkcloth indicates that it originated in Asia and Africa and was made from beating damp fibrous bark strands from the Moraceae family of trees into sheets that are then made into different items. In the past, clothes made of barkcloth were often called "paper clothing." In the 30s through 50s, a soft, dense woven fabric that resembled barkcloth became popular in home decor for slipcovers, upholstery, and drapery. The prints were exotic: tropical flowers, scenes of Asia, and many others. This is the barkcloth I so fondly remember at my grandmother's house. 

It must have provided a small escape from the daily sameness of farm living 
year after year in the landlocked Midwest.

You can find a lot of examples on Pinterest:

and Google Images:

And there are a few books published by Schiffer on barkcloth, available at Amazon:



Thank you Michelle, Lisa, and Diane for this wonderful inspiration 
on this Vintage View Sunday! 
Laura 

If you've been featured, 
please grab my button from my left side bar and post on your blog.

 Now for the Next Vintage View Sunday Party!
I'm going to change the party theme just a little bit.  I am always inspired by the past and will continue to write a main post about vintage and antique items that are part of my life, but I realize that not everyone posts vintage things. 
I would like to open the party to what inspires you.  Please feel free to link up any of your creations or decor that has been inspired by something or someone--esp from the past--and that you think would inspired us.  
Let's get inspirational!

If you are linking up, please link back to my blog. 
And I would love for you to become a follower!  :-)  



7 comments:

VintageMom said...

PS - Thanks for the feature! :)

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

Okay, I was able to link up!! Laura, thanks so much for hosting!! Love this post! the fabrics are still stunning in my book and I hope that when I lose even more weight, i will bee able to wear sun dresses like that!!

Hugs,
Deb

Anonymous said...

Hi Laura, sorry to hear you had a migraine. I get those too, I know how miserable they are. Glad you feel better. I enjoyed seeing your fabrics and the pretty flower you made, makes me miss my quilting days. Take care - Dawn

Unknown said...

Thanks so much for the feature! And on my first time joining the party too. :) I'm glad that I was able to share and I look forward to looking at today's link-ups!

Decor To Adore said...

Oh two of my favorites! I love barkcloth and vintage patterns. I hope to create 4 new pieces from vintage patterns this summer.

Tea in the Library said...

Glad you're feeling better!Great post. Bark cloth makes me so nostalgic. And I love Pattern images. I am thrilled to learn there are pattern people STAMPS!!!!OMG!!! Thanks for hosting!

Unknown said...

Hi! I totally love seeing all the vintage inspiration, so I nominated you for a Liebster Award today!

http://vintagezest.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-liebster-award.html