Debbie at Baubles Buttons and Beads takes bits and pieces of vintage jewelry, buttons  and whatever strikes her fancy and handcrafts the most luscious pieces.

(Can you tell I am coveting?)

She says;

“I’ve been gathering baubles, trinkets and buttons for years and have finally found a time and place in my life to repurpose my vintage and found objects, mixing them with the beauty of nature, gorgeous crystals and pretty beads. Creating jewelry reminiscent of an era of vintage elegance. However, my ‘PlAyFuL SiDe’ also gets into the creative mix, and adds a touch of whimsy~” I’ll say!

See more of her creations as well as the beautiful vintage pieces from her thrift shopping excursions at Cottage Hann~Me~Downs .  If you love vintage you won’t be disappointed.

I am often asked how to tell the fiber content in a garment that no longer has tags. My answer is always burn it!

Set aside an area with some small non flammable receptacle, a baking dish or ashtray will do nicely. You will also need a flame and long tweezers or kitchen tongs, perhaps. Have water nearby… just in case!

Each fabric has its own burn characteristics, how it burns, what it smells like as well as the nature of the leftover ash.

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• Cotton, Hemp, Rayon, Ramie, Linen: Burns, but does not melt. Has the odor of burning paper, leaves, or wood. Residue is a fine, feathery, gray ash.
• _____________________________________________________
• Silk: Burns, but does not melt. Shrinks from the flame. Has the odor of charred meat. Residue is a black, hollow irregular bead that can be easily to a gritty black powder. Is self-extinguishing, i.e., it burns itself out.
• _____________________________________________________
• Wool, and other Protein Fibers: Burns, but does not melt. Shrinks from the flame. Has a strong odor of burning hair. Residue is a black, hollow irregular bead that can be easily crushed into a gritty black powder. Is self-extinguishing, i.e., it burns itself out.

• ______________________________________________________
• Man-Made fibers melt into a bead and give off black smoke.

After a while you will learn to trust your fingers and who knows, maybe it is all about color for your project anyway.

T shirts are a good item for experimentation. Inexpensive, plentiful and usually 100% cotton I shop for them in the men’s department. These shirts are larger, without seaming, yielding more usable “yardage”. They do not need to be finished on the edges  although I blanket stitch my raw edges. Serging would do as well. For the de-constructed look leave the edges unfinished.

Although I adore silks, velvets and wools they are not suitable in the warmer months.I needed to think of a way to use this abundant resource. Since many of the shirts are white and white was not in my plans I decided to dye the cotton, cut it in strips and “weave” it together .I also decided to use the words as a design element.

Attaching the strips to fusible interfacing I had “yardage” .Using my own pattern I cut the necessary shapes and stitched them together .After adding millinery wire in a channel I had created I started the trimming.

Maybe you won’t start with a hat, maybe you will. Throw caution to the wind, after all you’re only out $.99… tops.

Although you can expect to pay less for material you should be prepared to make up for it in labor. If you decide to take the plunge I have a few starting suggestions-

1) Become a regular at your local thrift stores.

2) Be prepared to spend time sorting through a lot of undesirable stuff. Dig in to bins, good stuff is often at the bottom.

3) Most thrift stores have a half price day, find out what day it is and GO.

4) If you see something that really speaks to you buy it on the spot for it will be gone when you go back.

5) Have a general idea of what you are looking for, but be flexible.

6) Bring a tape measure

7) Look over the garment and don’t dismiss stained or otherwise damaged items since they may have trims, buttons and the like that you can employ.

Happy Hunting!