Skip to main content

New Tops from Old Clothes? Maybe


The other morning I went through the last of Mama's clothes hanging in the closet. Hanging at the back of the closet was a little girl's red coat with matching red bonnet.  The outfit is in pristine shape, as if it had been bought yesterday. It was, about 64 years ago, at least.  Most likely I wore the jacket a few times. I was a fast grower in my early years, both in height and girth.

See how cute the hat is on the camel in this collage. Yes, that little girl being directed to look at the camera was me sporting the red hat. Mama must've just put it on me because in another photo with only Big Brother and me, the bonnet was perched limply on the top of my head, as if Mama said to Daddy, "Put the hat on Susie's head." Snap. 


I'm thinking about cutting the red coat apart, along with a few other things I found in Mama's closet: her wool black dress, a blue tweed jumper Mama made for me in 7th grade, and a blue wool skirt I bought during my early days as a freelance editor/writer in the late 1980s.

That blue skirt came with a tailored blue jacket, which I didn't like to wear together. As it was, I rarely wore the jacket and skirt so I gave it to Mama, who never got around to fixing the waist to fit her.

The jumper is a busy print that doesn't go with the red coat. So, maybe I'll make two patchwork tops. Possibly three. I also found two Pendleton plaid shirts, one red, the other green, that were Daddy's, which I think I'll cut up, too. Why not?


I'm hanging out at All Seasons, hosted by Jesh of The Jesh Studio, and at Mosaic Monday, hosted by Angie of Letting Go of the Bay Leaf. Come join me.


Comments

  1. Sallie, from the way you are writing these clothes are precious memories. It's a great idea to rework them in something else, that you use:) Great you would share something this close to your heart with All Seasons! Have a happy Thanksgiving, Friend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jesh. The same to you. I think my clothing--the red coat, the jumper, and the blue skirt--were more precious memories for Mama. The thought that Mama kept them frozen in pristine condition in the time they were worn is what melts me.

      Delete
  2. To have such memories to look back on must be utterly lovely
    Happy Monday

    Much🌻love

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Gillena! I was about to say "most times", It's all times. The crappy ones are behind shut doors. And, I can find the funny in many, if not most, of the bad ones that stay in my mind. :-)

      Delete
  3. The coat is a classic. When my sister died her daughter cut up her clothes and made a quilt of them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The comfy coziness of a quilt full of sweetness, tinged with sadness. Life.

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Mama probably saved it for my daughters, which, unfortunately, did not pan out.

      Delete
  5. Wow, you ARE handy. Perhaps Molly would like a holiday outfit? And Oliver says, "What are you again?" He seems to like cats but not quite sure what they are. That red coat and matching hat is adorable. I think I would have liked that as a kid although my favorite thing was a Tinkerbell shirt and a Dale Evans outfit. But then again that last one almost killed me. Did I ever tell you about that?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Put back the "Wow", Jeanna. I'm great at coming up with ideas. My machine sewing skills are limited to a meandering straight stitch and the first notch on the zig-zag knob. With youtube and Google, I no longer have an excuse not to learn more about how the machine works.
      Molly won't abide with anything on her sweet body, even a blanket. I made her a cat harness during her first year with us. Ha! She slipped out of it in a snap of a finger or two.
      Tell me about the Dale Evans outfit and your near death with it, Jeanna. Pretty please with a cherry on top.

      Delete
  6. It would be nice to use the clothing to make something to enjoy now. I made a teddy bear with part of an old quilt from years ago. I don't know if I could cut the little red coat though. Can't you just hang it on a door knob? heehee! Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. For now, the coat will hang on a door knob. Hmmm, you've given me an idea, Diane. I think it's time for us to buy an indoor ladder.

      Delete
  7. Repurposing the cloth will made something new to embody the memories. - Margy

    ReplyDelete
  8. The coat is precious and adorable. I would put it in a frame and enjoy looking at how small I once was and how much my mother loved me.

    ReplyDelete
  9. You could repurpose the clothes but the ones with real and good memories maybe you could make a quilt or a throw just for your knees while reading and remembering
    MB

    ReplyDelete
  10. It's amazing what mothers hold on to. When my mother died, I found 3 plaster of Paris hand prints which my sister, brother, and I made in elementary school. They were carefully wrapped in put in a drawer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I found snippets of my baby hair and baby hair of my sister's. If I find them again, I might leave them out for the birds.

      Delete
  11. Su-sieeemac - I can't wait to see what you create from these items! That red jacket and hat are ADORABLE. Happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday!

    ReplyDelete
  12. You must be very creative. I used to sew but I got tired of pulling out seams and starting over!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Some days. :-) I go through a sewing phase every decade. Here I am again.

      Delete
  13. Thank you Su-sieee! Mac for visiting my blog. Treasures of your Mom's from your closet - some to find new uses. I loved seeing your childhood coat and hat - they look brand new all the many many years later and yet so very vintage.
    Joy.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hello, I love the photo of you wearing the hat. The jacket is pretty. You have a great idea, finding a new use for these clothes. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. Enjoy your day, wishing you a good week ahead!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Eileen! From the looks of the photo, I'd say it was a late Sunday morning in late winter/early Spring at Pacific Grove. Where we parked is above our favorite picnic spot on Asilomar Beach, way before I knew it had a name but bye-bye (phonetic spelling for Ilocano word for beach).

      Delete
  15. ...how creative these project will be, please share the results.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I have a dress that my mother made me for my first Christmas. I was 6 months old. So the dress is WELL over 50...in great shape. Blue velvet. I have some of my Daddy's shirts I've thought about repurposing but can't bring myself to cut them up.
    Thank you for stopping by, it's my first Mosaic Monday.
    Dawn aka Spatulas On Parade

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. After 30+ years, I finally cut up two of Daddy's Hawaiian shirts for projects soon to be thought up. If I could fit in his Pendleton shirts, I'd wear them. Your first Christmas dress sounds divine! Blue velvet, sweet.

      Delete
  17. Those combinations will look fabulous! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gotta have a bit of whimsy peeking through the solid colors. :-)

      Delete
  18. Interesting plans. It'll be interesting to see what you eventually come up with.

    ReplyDelete
  19. don't cut that precious little red coat... the rest okay but the coat is too too cute.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for the good cheer. :-)

Popular posts from this blog

❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❣️

Little Old Lady, Me. :-)

13 Delightful D's for Me

Every So Often — Snow on Them There Mountains!

Some Things I Like