Reclaimed Vintage Dress Fabric

Earlier this month, I found a phenomenal vintage dress in a local shop. It didn't fit me very well, but I fell in love with the fabric and the shop owner graciously dropped the price until I couldn't resist it. At first I thought about taking it in until it was my size. But after examining the dress more closely, I decided to rip it apart at the seams and harvest the fabric to sew it into something else. 


I'm still in the ripping phase, but I thought I'd give a little peek at it while I'm figuring out my next move:

Pretty fun, right? 


It's been a few years since I tried to sew anything major, but I've really been drawn to any craft ideas that involve sewing lately. And I've got lots of inspiration for this project. I'll never forget the beautiful brocade outfit that Michelle Obama wore on inauguration day:

via life.com

And of course I drool over the examples on Mad Men:

via pennydreadfulvintage.blogspot.com

via amctv.com

But I know my sewing skills are too rusty to make anything as elaborate as the items above! So maybe a pencil skirt like this one?

via theoutnet.com

I could order this vintage pattern to get me started:

via etsy.com, seller bluettecourt

Wouldn't my fabric make a festive skirt for an upcoming holiday party? Wish me luck!

Blumenthal Gallery, Post Number 3

Today in the Blumenthal Gallery I'm going to feature our most recent acquisition, another painting by my father-in-law, Jack:

This one also hangs in our dining room. I love the warm tones and the way it feels like the sun is just coming up on a beautiful new day. Here's my favorite section of the painting:

"Juan Flora del Valle" -- does this sound familiar? Juan = Jack, and Blumenthal?

blumenthal Name Meaning and History

Jewish (Ashkenazic) and Swedish: ornamental name composed of German Blumen ‘flowers’ + Thal (now spelled Tal) ‘valley’.

from Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com/facts/blumenthal-family-history.ashx)

Blumenthal = flowers of the valley = Flora del Valle! Genius!

Blumenthal Gallery, Post Number 2

Here's another beautiful painting done by a member of my husband's family. This one, which hangs in our dining room, is by his Grandma Bertha:

I love the warm tones in this piece, which match so nicely with the golden light we often get in the room where this hangs. And I'm a huge fan of this kind of folk painting, which Grandma Moses, who began painting in her seventies after a career in embroidery, is famous for.