Rag Bag Rescue - Babycord Shorts and Liberty Smock

If I'm honest this isn't exactly a Rag Bag Rescue in the same sense as the others I have done, as the only part of this that came from the charity shop is a triangle of felted cashmere no larger than an inch square!  

But the bottom half of this outfit is made with an item pulled from my very own 'rag bag',  the large Victorian trunk that sits in our attic room filled with larger pieces of fabric and old items of clothing that I can't bear to part with, all awaiting a transformation.

I love my trunk's original papered lid and the manufacturer's label

Something I had failed to part with, in spite of its ordinariness, was this navy baby cord skirt.  It's probably been languishing in the trunk for about twenty-five years - honestly!  But it had become so soft and comforting through all the washes it had in its life as a useful 'school' skirt that I was sure it would be useful - one day.  

The sellotaped hem a clear sign of days rushing out to work, with no time to pick up a needle to catch up the fallen hem!

The skirt was quickly deconstructed - waistband off, zip out...

Iron to prepare for pattern cutting...

Establish straight grain (easy with cord, otherwise use centre seams, in general) and cut pattern pieces...

A pair of bloomer-style shorts with front patch pockets were easily cut from the skirt, suitable for a two year old. 

 Then I found a length of Liberty Tana lawn that and made a smock to go with the shorts...

Front detail...

Back closure...

I edged the smock with some broderie anglaise salvaged from pyjamas I made when I was 18, but the pockets were missing something...

Ah!  That's better!  A little bunny peeping out...

Bunny's bottom is the bit of cashmere!