Hello everyone! I hope you all had a lovely weekend. We just kept pretty low and quiet (except for all the grocery shopping we had to do); Sailor Husband had a boatload of homework to finish, and I occupied myself with a few little projects and some knitting. I’m making quick progress on that 40s snood I’m creating, so hopefully in a few days it’ll be done!
( click for larger view. )
Remember these shoes I thrifted last month? They are so cute, but one is missing a button at the ankle strap. I finally picked up a leather needle this past weekend to repair the buttonless shoe, and raided my button collection for some suitable replacements! Here’s the three pairs that I settled on; I just can’t decide which I should go with… The flower shaped ones with the red centers are certainly calling me (they look like candy!). I would love your opinions: which buttons would you choose? Do tell!
Also, a bit of eye candy for your Monday! Did you know Lady Melbourne has a YouTube channel? She covers some enchanting and fashionable Melbourne spots in her videos, but they’re worth checking out for some inspiration and ideas. Have a lovely Monday, dear friends!
April 20, 2009 ·
38 lovely thoughts
posted in Uncategorized
· tags: refashion
Just popping in because I wanted to show you a picture of my finished shirt refashion! I love how it came out–I’ve been wearing it for days. lol. I’m not sure if it’s the stripes, or lace, or just the fit that keep me coming back to it again and again. But it sure is a versatile piece!
Also, last week the lovely Paper Doll gave me a blog award! She has the most amazing, vintage-inspired style, and I’m just tickled to pieces that she included me. And so, I’d like to pass on the love a bit and gift these blogs with awards:
Alyson writes about a variety of design and style related topics at her blog Unruly Things, and always has the most beautiful photography to accompany many of her posts!
Kelly just started her new blog I’m Nobody Too, and she writes gorgeous, inspiring posts.
I just started reading Jennine’s blog, The Coveted, but I absolutely adore her variety of fashion-related articles!
Betsy blogs about a lot of retro-inspired fashion that just makes me swoon at From Betsy with Love!
Sally’s vintage-infushed style always inspires me at her blog Sally Jane Vintage.
I just found that Ranna writes a lovely blog, Only Shallow, in addition to her stylish Flickr photostream!
I know for awhile I didn’t do these sorts of things, and suddenly it seems like I’m doing loads of them! But I really think it’s fantastic that everyone in the blog community can have the opportunity to be generous with each other. Not to mention it gives me an excuse to post about blogs I love to read, but you may not know about! hehe! And, because I’m always curious… please feel free to comment with a link to your blog–I’d love to see it!!!
October 7, 2008 ·
14 lovely thoughts
posted in Uncategorized
· tags: inspiration, links, refashion
Sometimes the design process is very straight-forward and easy. Other times, not so much! Yesterday I was browsing through the new, Anthropologie catalog when I spotted this beautiful top. I love how the lace is arranged on the front, and the dramatic scoop neck. I had a striped tshirt I thrifted a month ago, that was needing to be redesigned anyway. So I started to work on it, arranging some vintage lace from my stash on the front.
But then the little design “rabbit trails” started to emerge: should I do the lace bib, or a peter pan collar with a big bow instead? How about a ruffle? Or maybe a modified sailor-style collar would be cute! I kind of like the look of the lace on the stripe, but I’m also smitten by the sketch I did of the collar/bow combination. Oh the Design Agony!
This is how many of my refashions go: I get started, and often times am bogged down as the plans are altered, either by force of circumstances (such as the fabric not cooperating, or mis-cutting something), or just whims (like this one). Occasionally in all this I feel that it’s akin to being at the eye doctor’s when they have you looking through various lenses to see which is sharper: choice 1, or 2? *sigh*
For the record: I decided to go with the lace, Anthropologie-inspired version. As Mom pointed out: I already had a collared tshirt (though I argued that one can never have too many of a good thing!)… Now I just need to stitch everything down!!
September 30, 2008 ·
12 lovely thoughts
posted in Uncategorized
· tags: creativity, inspiration, refashion
Thank you all so, so much for your outpouring of lovely comments on my last post!!! You all are so sweet and so kind–I’m so overwhelmed and delighted that you loved the results of Kate’s photography and my camera-hamming! lol. Thanks bunches!!
This post marks the beginning of a new blogging schedule for me. From now on, I’ll be writing later in the evenings. Schedule-wise this works best for me (so I don’t *coughcough* waste time blogging first thing in the morning.), and I also found from the survey I did that most of you are catching up with your blog feeds first thing in the morning. So this way they’ll be a fresh, little post waiting for you! Hopefully it’ll work out…
I wanted to share with you all a recent refashion I did! I spotted this dress in the thrift shop a few weeks ago, during one of their $1 days. Although the style is quite mid 1990s (gosh–I remember a dress that had an similar silhouette that I wore when I was 11 to my piano recital–circa 1996!), the fabric and “bones” were good. For the price, I couldn’t say no, because I kept thinking that the waistline and skirt cut were just screaming late 1930s/early 40s! The most obvious change was shortening the skirt (harder than it would seem; the fabric didn’t want to cooperate!), but I also removed the shoulder pads, and redid the sleeves a bit. Those were easy-peasy: taking up the sleeve hem and creating a pinch pleat on the side, topped with a button. This gave the sleeves a sort of puffed look, and echoes a lot of sleeve styles from that era.
I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out! A little shorter than most real 40s dresses, but I prefer this length with my short legs. And the key to refashioning, after all, is customizing something to your body or aesthetics.
I recently acquired some new magazines, chock-full of drool-worthy fashion images from the early 1950s. Here are a couple of my favorites for this week’s Vintage Monday feature! Enjoy!
September 29, 2008 ·
16 lovely thoughts
posted in Uncategorized
· tags: refashion, sewing, thrifting + vintage, vintage inspiration
While recently brainstorming my early autumn wardrobe, I was offered a basic cream tshirt my mom had thrifted and no longer wanted. It was a little too basic for my taste (scoop neck, 3/4 length sleeves and just very cream), but the material was good, and it fit nicely. The sleeves I first chopped off and hemmed (very easy: just put your machine stitch a bit longer, and be sure not to pull the fabric while sewing!). Rummaging through my fabric stash, I found a pretty vintage cotton print and cut out a peter-pan collar, following the how-to in Kayte’s Complete Embellishing. A little bow and brown button were added, and for next to nothing, I have a new top!
I love the beautiful, vintage inspired collections at Bea Szenfeld [ source ]
Ez wrote a lovely post on how to start blogging, which has some great tips for even seasoned bloggers!
this label-making tutorial looks like a fun project! [ source ]
five completely free vintage knitting patterns courtesy the Telegraph! [ source ]
this Flickr photostream has so many inspiring, vintage images–I could spend all day browsing!
I also wanted to add that I finally put together the links page, which has all the blogs I regularly read, as well as a few other sites. It’s still growing of course–but I hope you’ll enjoy exploring!
What plans do you have for this weekend? I’m hoping that the weather doesn’t turn nasty this weekend, and ruin some outdoor plans I had. But we shall see, since a hurricane is supposed to be heading up the coast and dump lots of rain. *sigh* Though if that doesn’t work out, there is always a sewing project to work out! lol. Have a lovely weekend!
September 5, 2008 ·
11 lovely thoughts
posted in Uncategorized
· tags: refashion, sewing, weekly inspiration
