The week has come and gone. It started with a Monday holiday (Martin Luther King’s birthday) which always makes the rest of the week go by quickly. Monday holidays also cause me to remain in a state of confusion for the rest of the week, wondering exactly what day it is. At any rate, it’s nice to be looking toward the weekend.
I was focused on my Etsy shop this week so not a lot of regular quilting was accomplished. I had two custom orders which are finished and shipped off. I also decided to cut into a pile of vintage sheets that I have been collecting and get those listed in the shop. For the past several months I have had my eye out for vintage sheets whenever I was in a thrift store. As the pile grew, it became clear that I don’t need to keep all of it. Sheets are large! I decided to cut some into fat quarters to list.
There are some really pretty sheets to be found.
The florals are so sweet and feminine. I try to look for flat sheets as opposed to fitted. The fitted sheets can be a bit worn but the flat sheets don’t take the abuse and are often in great condition. Vintage sheets are almost always 50/50, cotton and polyester. I haven’t quilted with them yet but have a plan in mind. Jeni Baker of In Color Order has posted about some really cute projects she has done with vintage sheets and I am using her work as inspiration. I like her use of stripes with the florals. I haven’t found any stripes yet but my eyes are peeled. They will show up!
The three in the picture above are my favorites so far. Especially the middle one. The colors are just gorgeous. If you’re interested in working with any of these, check my shop. I bundled a few sets but if you see colors you want I am happy to create a set of the pieces you like. This week I sold a few sets to a young woman who is making bunting flags for her wedding this coming spring. The venue is a rustic barn and I think the flags will be adorable. Hoping she will send me a picture when she gets the buntings finished up.
Moving off topic a bit, I found a pile of vintage magazines this week when I was in a thrift store. They are a blast to read. Not sure what I want to do with them but am so enjoying looking through them.
Kind of a risque cover for 1965!
Take a look at the upper right corner of the Look magazine shown below. A “hot dog” diet? For real? I couldn’t help but laugh. Just in case you want to try it, the article suggests that you eat three hot dogs per day with all the trimmings (mustard, onion, relish and bun). This diet allows you to add a beer or coffee and suggests you add a glass of tomato juice or a piece of fruit for added nutrients. They estimated that this would be equal to about 900 calories a day and if you follow this diet for a week, you should drop a pound per day. 900 calories a day? Three hotdogs for seven days?? Ugh, 21 hotdogs? Nutritional insanity circa 1963!
Check out these ads for cigarettes. Print ads for cigarettes were banned in January of 1971 but wow, prior to that they were on every other page. Love this one. So glamorous. Except, why does he get to go swimming and she has to settle for wading and wearing jeans and a long sleeved shirt? No fair.
I don’t think I like the way this guy is checking her out….
This guy is the epitome of sophistication.
Finally, I leave you with this chart showing average income and spending for a single income family of four in 1973. I found this interesting. (My apologies for the crummy copy. I was being lazy so I took a picture of the page rather than scanning it.)
Have a great weekend everyone!!
Linking to WIDTW at Sew Stitching Cute and Molli Sparkles Sunday Stash.
OMG – look at the tag line on the ad with the guy sitting on the stair eying the girl. “It’s what’s ‘up front’ that counts.” Talk about subliminal advertising! Except it isn’t quite so subliminal, lol! Fun to look back at those vintage magazines. And good to read about your sheets – I just bought one at our thrift store yesterday and will put it to use some way or another.
Wow, I totally missed that. You are so right!! That’s awful! As you find these sheets,and if you are ever interested, we could swap out FQ’S to have better variety. Have a good weekend.
Love those sheets! haven’t used them in a top yet, but I have used them as backings and they’re great! I really miss percale sheets to sleep on. And those vintage ads are something else. When we cleaned out my mother-in-law’s house we found issues of the Catholic Herald newspaper from the 60s. They were hilarious! Not the same kind of ads, but just as awful in their own way.
Have a great week!
Oh I am loving these magazines. Each issue of Look has a food related article and the diets are hilarious.
I’m going to keep some of the larger pieces of the sheets for backings. Easy when you can back with one piece and not have to create a pieced backing.
Have a good weekend.
B.
Ooh, those sheets are dreamy. I think that chopping them down in size is a great idea. I just started making strips out of sheets that were on my brother’s bed when he was in high school–gonna crochet them into a rug for his 50th birthday. Needless to say, I have a tendency to hold onto things (especially fabric).
Hi, thanks for stopping by. I am really loving the look of these sheets. Hard to decide when to start a project with them. I keep finding more that I like. At some point I suppose I just have to draw the line and make something with them. ☺️ Just peeked at your blog and really like your sense of humor. I am going to go back and read some of your recent posts.
Take care,
Bernie
The world is full of some pretty insane diets, but that hot dog diet is pretty high up the crazy list 😀
Wasn’t that funny? I could not believe it was even suggested!! Not to mention I would never last on three hot dogs as my daily food intake (plus that optional beer!) So glad you stopped by. Come back and visit some time.
Enjoy your week,
Bernie
Love the vintage sheets! I hadn’t even thought to look for them but it’s a great idea. And the classic ads are so much fun. Thanks for sharing!
I love ‘vintage’ things, more than what I think others do. I really appreciate the ‘older’ items. I seem to be hoarding a lot of ‘vintage’ fabrics which is why I am trying to use them this year (at least most) but yet I can’t seem to let go! You definitely have an amazing little collection of ‘older’ things! Those vintage sheets are adorable!!! I love using those as backs for quilts,… they seem just as good if not better (less cutting or piecing a back) but they also allow the ‘coolness’ of the blanket to be created and not have it so heavy.
Hi Megan, I have such a passion for all things vintage. I found the prettiest striped sheet today. Great one to add to the collection! I like the idea of making a cooler quilt by backing it with one of the sheets. Thanks Megan!