Opulent Poppy: Homemade Clothes from bedsheets

[Glass Cowcatcher]

New to me blog, apologies if it's been discussed here already:

theopulentpoppy.blogspot.com/

By the end of the first page she has TWO posts about making clothes from bedsheets. WTF. I often buy old bedsheets to make patterns with, because that's a lot cheaper than muslin, but there's still a bottom line to my cheapness and I would never actually wear a bedsheet.

Also, for some reason despite the general emphasis on modesty, there's a post at the end of the second page about helping her kid wipe after using the bathroom... with a picture of the kid on the crapper. :shock:

ETA: Reading farther back, not all of her outfits are so awful, but bedsheet clothes!!!! no not ever ok!!!

[ladypuglover]

New to me blog, apologies if it's been discussed here already:

theopulentpoppy.blogspot.com/

By the end of the first page she has TWO posts about making clothes from bedsheets. WTF. I often buy old bedsheets to make patterns with, because that's a lot cheaper than muslin, but there's still a bottom line to my cheapness and I would never actually wear a bedsheet.

Also, for some reason despite the general emphasis on modesty, there's a post at the end of the second page about helping her kid wipe after using the bathroom... with a picture of the kid on the crapper. :shock:

ETA: Reading farther back, not all of her outfits are so awful, but bedsheet clothes!!!! no not ever ok!!!

You never dressed as a ghost? You had a deprived childhood. ;)

[Glass Cowcatcher]

You never dressed as a ghost? You had a deprived childhood. ;)

Ghosts were verboten in my fundylite house :roll:

Edit: Shit! German! *runs*

[Third]

She watched too much Sound Of Music as a kid and didn't have enough curtains.

[Elle]

I used to have a California king bed, and I bought a set of sheets for about $300 ON SALE. When I downsized, I kept those sheets, and eventually will make them into a dress or something. Gorgeous sheets, high threat count. Not what you would find for a quarter at a thrift shop.

I might make my daughter a summer dress from an old bed sheet from a thrift because kids grow out of things damned fast, but I would have high standards for what I'd look for.

[No Fun My Babe]

Eh. I'm not commenting on the blog itself, but you can actually make nice clothes out of sheets, believe it or not. My grandmother was dirt poor growing up and her mother made all of her dresses out of sheets and FLOUR SACKS. She still has a couple of them in a trunk, after all these years and I've seen them, plus tons of pics. Beautiful prints and just lovely.

[Jessica]

leethal.net/zine/?p=1552

[Third]

The skirt is pretty. :)

For me I find most of my skirts for $1-3 second hand so it would cost more to buy sheets and make them into a skirt.

[Elle]

Some of those old flour sacks were really nice. The qualify of fabric has gone down tremendously, and so-so fabric decades ago was often nicer than our "good" cotton fabrics of today.

[No Fun My Babe]

leethal.net/zine/?p=1552

Those are nice. Love that tye-dye one.

Some of those old flour sacks were really nice. The qualify of fabric has gone down tremendously, and so-so fabric decades ago was often nicer than our "good" cotton fabrics of today.

They really were. I'm a yarn person, not fabric, so I'll take your word about the quality. I mean, I wear fabric obviously, but I only know very basic sewing. Anyway, it doesn't surprise me. Like most everything else, crappier quality/quantity yet more expensive.

P.S.: Fuck you, Breyers!

[Black Aliss]

When I was a little girl my mother made my dresses out of chicken feed sacks so I'm not judging. I'm sure the sheet fabric is nicer than what my mother used.

Which is not to say that there isn't plenty to snark about. I never made it to the sheet skirt post. This stopped me dead in my tracks.

I just don't know if that's going to happen any time soon...homeschooling takes president over my personal projects right now.

I think when homeschooling takes "president", it's time to outsource the education of your children to someone who knows the difference between a president and a precedent.

[Witsec7]

This is a painful thread. My mother was an immigrant and dressed me funny, and she made my clothes. I did have dresses made of sheets. :(

And now you all know why I prefer a bacon bra.

[luckystone]

I think when homeschooling takes "president", it's time to outsource the education of your children to someone who knows the difference between a president and a precedent.

:clap: :clap:

I was a huge "Sound of Music" fan, and very upset my parents always bought my clothes instead of using their curtains! Bah

[geniebelle6901]

experiencedd...my great-grandparents were so poor, that my great grandma saved her old dresses and altered them to fit her girls or she wold find patches of discarded fabric to make them dresses. She did the same for her boys...used altering great-grandpas old clothes and scraps of fabrics. Hearing those stories made me think of Dolly Parton's song "Coat off Many Colors"

kZlgDQbvo9I

[Sola]

You've never heard of a pillowcase dress? They make cute summer dresses for little girls. I don't see anything wrong with using a sheet to make a dress. It gives you a wide expanse of fabric to play with, is cheap and you can customise it by dyeing it.

[Guest Anonymous]

I think the vintage sheet worked well for the gored skirt. The only major problem with sheeting for clothes is that it doesn't tend to drape well when used in larger pieces, as it wasn't woven with fashion drape and handle in mind.

[Talitha Cumi]

I have a top that was featured in Belle Armoire that I made from vintage pillowcases. Also a couple skirts made from pillowcases. I love them. :)

[constantgardener]

I've made a lovely quilt from old bedsheets and a super skirt from some curtains! My mum never gets rid of old linen and she has some really nice old sheets, much thicker and better quality than you generally get now (unless you spend a fortune). I used them for the backing of the quilt.

[Avalondaughter]

Any fans of Etiquette Hell here? One of the stories of a beleaguered bridesmaid talked about the bride making her BM dress out of bedsheets. There is a photo of the dress on the site and I recognized the Laura Ashley sheets in that dress that once had on my own bed. She fabric really looked sheet-ish.

I guess the type of sheets and the patterns make a huge difference in how sheet-based clothing will look.

Scarlett O'Hara was pretty good with the curtains too. Rhett Butler saw right through her though.

[dawbs]

I actually bought a pillowcase last week @ the thrift store to make into a dress fo rmy kid....

But, FWIW, I can probably dress her cheaper in 'store made'thrift store clothes than I can make her stuff out of thrift-store bedding. (The V of A store does 'color tag sales'--so on 'green tag' day, I shop only green tag clothes. Because it's 75% off 'normal' thrift store prices)

[emmiedahl]

I have made pillow case dresses, and I just got done tie-dying some old stained boys' undershirts into something cute for my daughter to wear. Thrift stores are full of mismatched sheets and pillow-cases, so you can get them for a couple of quarters.

This is how poor people dress their children. :) My school children get nice clothes, but the younger two wear whatever I can throw together for free or for pocket change.

[maybeizfundie]

lol. I made a bedsheet skirt once. Total fail.

But, more recently I found the awesomest 100% cotton brand new flat sheet with a gorgeous delft style print, and pieces of it went into 3 quilts and 3 adorable baby outfits. That was a really fun project. I guess the etsy term is "upcycle"?

[Cannelle]

I would TOTALLY make a dress/skirt out of bedsheets! It's just fabric. As long as it's good quality, wearable, and not stainy, I don't see why it's a problem. There are a lot of threads over on Craftster about repurposing old sheets. I've seen some really awesome projects over there (man, I wish I were that crafty!).

When my ds was 5, I found an old (still bright, in good condition, no stains/tears,etc.) Pokemon bedsheet at a thrift store for pocket change. It was twin bed sized. I bought it, washed it, folded it in half, added some quilt batting in between, then edged it with baby blanket edging, and turned it into a nap blanket. He LOVED it. He'll be 10 this summer and still has it on his bed. <3

[FireIsCatching89]

I've only used bedsheets as togas (Cleopatra for Halloween when I was twelve, fuck yeah!), but I can see how some sheets would make nice clothes for kids. Not for me, though, since most bedsheets don't drape well, and I am pretty curvy. I mostly just used old bedsheets to make forts and tents when I was little (and by little I mean, I made one last year with my friends in a dorm lounge). Then again, both my mom and I lack sewing skills, so I just get all my clothes from Target.

[clibbyjo]

I BUY clothes that look like those bedsheets dresses! I would totally wear them and if I could sew I would make them.

My style is a bit "eclectic"(yeah, we will say that instead of crazy) so whatever. I like them and would proudly wear the bedsheet clothes . :dance: