Susan Wears a Bed Sheet

This lovely 600-thread count sheet will become a caftan, or tunic in pants

My mother, Esther Natale Klindienst had a great influence on my personal style.

 She always told me to be different and not to try to dress like everyone else. And scarves and accessories were her first love, and mine too.  Mom also encouraged my sewing creativity.  She gave me many of her old New Look dresses with the voluminous skirts to cut up and use for mini-skirts.

 In 1968 at the height of the 60’s rebellion, and the bell bottom and beads era, jumpsuits were in style as well.  I wanted a jumpsuit badly, I had a pattern but no fabric to suit me. But I did have black and white sheets with a giant herring bone check that was trendy at the time.  I cut up the sheets and made a spectacular jumpsuit. The solid black sheet hem became the high collar. It had the high neck, halter shoulder look.  I looked scrumptious and sexy and felt wonderful.  My mother thought it was beautiful on me too.  But the way it showed off my perfect age-18 hour-glass figure made her nervous. 

 "Ooh I don't know" she said when she saw me parading around in it. Her "Ooh I don't know" could send shivers down the spine of a headstrong  18 year-old.

  I looked hot, and felt hot, and I went out with friends wearing my sexy, bed sheet jumpsuit. No one knew it was a sheet, but my mother knew. She was outraged that I wore an item of clothing made out of a bed sheet in public!

 Well Mom, as you look down on me from Hot Fudge Sundae Heaven, I am doing it again! I am making something out of a bed sheet to wear out to the beach or town, or to  wear to entertain dinner guests.

 I am taking part in the Pattern Review(PR) Re- Fashion contest. It starts on November 1 and ends on November 15^th.  The contestants much take an item like jeans, sheets, old shirts, pants, anything that can be sewn , and recycle and up-cycle them into a new garment or accessory.

 A few weeks ago the bottom sheet of my favorite set of sheets  tore beyond repair.

 “ Cut it up and throw it in the rag bag.” Said I to my Beloved.

 “ And what of the top sheet?” he asked.

 “ Put that in my studio, I want to maybe make a caftan, robe or something, the  cotton is too scrumptious to toss out.”

 And so it became part of my stash.  Well until the November challenge was announced.

The sheet hem with the repeating design and gold piping click to enlarge

 I told everyone on PR that my 600-thread count, Egyptian cotton sheet had a Greek Key design on the hem. Actually is does not. It has a nice generic, “global”  look. 

I am thinking of making the banded caftan as a tunic

 The sheets are a soft khaki with blue shot through it. The hem has three repeating designs with the khaki and some cream and blue, and gold piping. I am thinking of making  the caftan in the Vogue pattern, but shortening it to a tunic length and using MY TNT Connie Crawford  elastic waist pants. The hems of the sheets would  trim the front of the tunic, the ends of the sleeves and the hems of the pants. I plan to narrow the pants a little, let them crumple at the ankle and use  more of the sheet hem on the pants hem.

 I want a harem pant look without the droopy-crotch diaper effect.

 Or I may  make this robe and nightie from Lutterloh. I'll turn the facings to the outside and use the Hem from the sheet as the facings.

Instead of lace at the hem, I'll do a trim

 I have these two pieces of trim I may also use.

 I mean if  am going to wear a bed sheet as an “at home “ ensemble, it should be over the top.

One of these trim, or both w0uld add so much to my bed sheet

 I cannot  start the project until November 1, but I can plan it.

 

 Stay tuned for more details!

 Oh and Hurricane Paul that was deteriorating, and heading north to poor, besieged Mulege ( they get all the storms)  mad a surprise turn to the east and is headed straight to the Pacific side and will  hit us as well.

 We battened down, filled water bottles, I am going to make a big pot of soup and Jell-O, and  then get as much sewing done  on other projects as I can before we lose power.

 Here is a photo of the calm before the storm. Taken in front of my house.

 this is a shot I took this morning with my iPhone, no color enhancements. These black and white colors are what convinced my beloved to help me move everything of the patio. 

This morning, the beach in front of my house.

To give you an idea how high the tide is, those trees are usually 15 feetfrom the waters edge.