new garment

I’m not sure exactly what this is.  It is old -my guess would be  depression era – and it’s home made.  The back is shorter than the front  and that  seems intentional, as opposed to a missing piece – I wonder why.

 antique teal jacket

The fabric is spectacular – wonderful teal flannel with a very fine stripe to it and the color variations where it is faded and worn very thin are  shades of soft grayish teal. The little collar is cotton sateen –  a fancy little detail on what seems like a plain everyday type garment.

antique teal  flannel garment - detail

And it had a surprise -when I disassembled  it I found  the lining was  made from  a  perfectly  a preserved printed feed sack .

feed sack lining

teal songbird

I started making a songbird with it this weekend.

14 Comments

  1. wonderful!! as a bird and as a jacket!!! I <3 it!

  2. beautiful repurposing – those colours suit the songbird very well.

  3. …Gorgeous – both as a jacket and as a bird! :o)

    …The jacket reminds me of what we call “shrugs” nowadays. Love that it had a feed sack lining. That’s the kind of stuff that just rocks my world. :o)

    …Have a wonderful week!

    …Blessings

  4. no idea what it is supposed to be, but it would make an excellent coat to wear over a backpack. love the new birdie.

  5. A feedsack makes me think of a farm. Maybe the jacket fit snugly over a pair of overalls? or a thickly gathered skirt?
    And I get weak in the knees for your songbirds. Just gorgeous.
    xx
    julie

  6. Robyn Ayaz

    It looks just like Peter Rabbit’s little jacket! But the bird looks even finer.

  7. Ann, what an exciting and peculiar find – it must really be something to sit with these old pieces and wonder about their story. I just sigh every time I see one of your bird creations made from these old garments… they’re for sure matches made in heaven meant to meet at this time.
    P.s. I sketched your Spring Camper bird last week – I just find him the cutest thing!

  8. I wonder if that cute little jacket was worn over a dress that had a big bow at the waist in the back? Interesting – don’t you wish you knew the history of every vintage fabric? So much fun guessing.

  9. Wolf Song

    I believe this to be a “Bed Jacket.” I have one similar and much older, and when given to me was told that they were used when a lady was ill but yet able to still receive visitors.

  10. I just got e-mail update from your blog – didn’t see this earlier. My guess would be a bed jacket…my Mom had a lovely one she used when she was in the hospital having us kids years ago. Though they were probably more dainty than this – pastels and lace! I wonder if this short back jacket could have been made for a lady in a wheelchair – would be much easier to help her on with it if there was no back part.

  11. I raised on our kids for decades for the sea food I’d get from River Mich. I will not forget the resources the lake provided if you ask me in hard times.

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