Here are a couple of pictures of some fabric I have acquired in this way. I absolutely love the butterfly fabric. I am planning on making this into something for my daughters bed…maybe a canopy.

Another thing you can find at thrift stores is vintage lace. Lots of time you can get great lace off of dresses or you may even be able to find it in bags, usually with the yarn and ribbon. Lace is so expensive in fabric stores and I have found the best quality lace this way. It requires more time and effort on your part but it is worth it if you are looking for something unique.

Another thing I look for a thrift stores is buttons. Often I find awesome wooden or metal buttons on a shirt or jacket and I cut them off. I also take them off of clothes I am finished with.

Good luck on your hunt for exceptional findings and fabrics. I will share what I make out of the vintage sheets with you.

Materials:

20 inches of three types of lace or ribbon. You may want to double up if one of your strands of lace or ribbon is significantly narrower than the others. As you can see in the picture I used two strands of the narrowest type of ribbon to even out everything.

Scissors

2.5 inches of elastic

Sewing Machine (glue will work also)

EXTRAS:

If you want to make the flower extras you will need. A silk flower, a button, some extra ribbon, a couple of wooden beads, and a crocheted doily. I purchased all my items from JoAnn’s Fabrics.

Ok, Lets get started! Tape your three equal lengths of ribbon and lace to a flat surface.

Braid the lengths and tape them together at the other end. The length of the braid should now be around 18 inches. Pull the taped ends off the table and fold it around the end of the braid so both sides are now taped.

Sew the ends of the braid to either end of the elastic. If you have a sewing machine make sure you do two rows of stitching on each side for the extra reinforcement.

Once you have done this you can add some ribbon around the outside of the place where the braid and the elastic intersect. As shown in this picture.

Now you have a beautiful braided headband. If you want to add the flower so it looks just like the picture here are the instructions for the extras.

Take your silk flower apart. Pull the center from the petals and carefully separate the petals.

Fold up the doily and as you sew the button through the hole in the center of the flower also sew the doily to the back.

Also sew your extra pieces of ribbon to the back. I threaded a few wooden beads onto the ribbon and tied the ends before I attached the ribbon.

Once you have attached the doily and the ribbon to the back of the flower tie all of your extra frill to the braided headband.

Wear and enjoy!

In honor of one year I am introducing TWO new patterns. Also for today only I am discounting all my patterns to $3.00 apiece! If you are a Ravelry member the Double Take Cowl/Hat is $2.00 for today and will be $3.00 any other day. It pays to be on Ravelry!

Double Take Cowl/Hat

Who says that knitted accessories have to be warm and cozy? With a light, breathable fiber such as cotton, you can make a wonderfully versatile Spring and Summer cowl that doubles as a hat! It will add a little extra personality to your favorite outfit and keep your neck warm on those cool spring/fall days.

Use your favorite ribbon or lace to provide the personal touch to this loose and breezy cowl. For example, I used an absolutely delicious piece of vintage lace I found in my grandmothers sewing closet!

Thick and Thin Stripes Head Wrap

I adore stripes. So I decided to incorporate them into my newest head wrap pattern. This pattern includes instructions for both the “thick stripe” and “thin stripe” head wrap pattern (as pictured above). This pattern calls for sock yarn and is a perfect stash buster!