Vintage and Antique

I have a small collection of vintage and antique collars that I have been given and have purchased. The whole purpose of collecting these was not to stare at them and admire them in a drawer, but to use them to make dresses for my children. You see, a collar that is meant for an adult is just the right size to become the bodice on a little girl's dress.

This first four are true antiques and have some very special features to them.
This first one has coronation cord that hasn't been made in over 80 years. Size 10 thread.

The next two have turtle braid in them that, like wise, has not been made in over 80 years. They are both in size 30 thread. I will also finish them all with the same size thread the collar was made with. If I believe the collar to be antique, the thread used will also be antique. The first also has Irish crochet. The second, somewhere along its life, has been dyed and not very well mind you. I gave it a light soaking; it got about 30 shades lighter, and the water turned brown. This was not dirt but un-set dye. Now it is fine and the color will stay as is.

The next I believe to be antique, but I'm not sure; it could just be vintage. I lean more toward vintage even though, when purchased, I was told it was an antique. Most people don't realize to be an antique it has to be 100 years old; to be vintage, just 20 or 30 will do.

The next two are definitely vintage, and I have started to convert them into bodices for my children's dresses.