I’ve discovered something almost as diverting and satisfying as finding a great vintage garment — searching for and then stumbling across striking and authentic vintage fabrics. Part of the beauty of sourcing vintage fabrics is the amazing possibilities that each remnant or more sizeable piece carries with it. There’s almost endless potential for creating sensational garments or craft projects with each piece. For smaller fragments it could be a tote bag or cushion cover. For larger pieces it could be a fabulous sixties shift dress, a stylish tailored jacket or a groovy maxi dress. How brilliant to step out in an outfit you’ve made yourself! And imagine the admiring comments you’ll receive for your authentic-looking vintage piece.

Of course, I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m not much of a seamstress, but I’m hoping to change that by taking some sewing lessons with a friend and partner-in-crime from work. To that end we’ve been collecting remnants of vintage fabric to use when our skills are up to the task. I’m so glad to have a friend to share the journey with.

Pictured above and below are some of my favourite recent finds: amazing sixties designs from psychedelic prints to bohemian florals. I love the bold colours and patterns and am longing to embrace them in all their glory to inject some much-needed spark into my wardrobe, which largely revolves around black, black and more black.

So what should you look for when tracking down vintage fabrics? In actual fact you should search for many of the same qualities that you aim to find in a vintage garment: good quality fabrics such as cotton, crepe, wool and silk. That’s not to say that synthetics don’t have their place. However you might think twice about constructing a summer shift dress from polyester as it won’t breathe or be nearly as comfortable against the skin as a fabric made from natural fibres. And a warm southern-hemisphere climate such as Australia’s is unforgiving for wearers of synthetic fibres like polyester.

There’s so much joy to be had from opening a parcel of vintage fabrics and being able to see them up close for the first time, feel their texture and imagine what can be made from them. Do you have someone in your family or circle of friends who can sew, perhaps someone who has a collection of remnants and fabric scraps hidden away in a cupboard that they might be willing to relinquish to a keen vintage collector? If you’d like to build a collection of your own, that might be a good place to start. Many people who sew, especially people who’ve been doing so for many years, have a stash of leftover fabric remnants and scraps. Other sources of vintage fabrics include numerous online shops around the world, your local thrift or charity shop, vintage fairs and fetes.

For my own part, I prefer to use the vintage fabrics I find to recreate authentic garments using original vintage patterns. That way you create ‘new’ outfits using the fabrics that might have been used decades before. It’s a way to combine the best of the old and the new.