sewing II

project #1 (the blue chenille dress) was cut freehand and tailored to the dressform. above is #2 - wayway cuter on me than the dressform, i'll post a pic once i do some laundry! it is from another demolished chenille blanket, and for this i made and adapted a pattern from another piece of clothing (an 80s sweatshirt from the farmer's market - shorter sleeves but not as short in the torso.) i will also wear this probably a lot. i'm calling it a toplet, as it is meant to be worn w a long tank/tshirt/turtleneck or over a little dress.
next one will be from a pattern made off of sketches i've done for a little bolero-type jacket. up to now the patterns have been for cutting and joining 2 pieces of one shape. the jacket will be made of 2 shapes and 6 pieces. it'll be very geometric in the 30s style, but made from the blue chenille outside and lined in a turquoise chinoiserie flowered satin.
huzzah! this is like when i discovered as a kid that i could draw the toys i wanted and cut them out and play with them. i remember first making smurfette and a birdcage for gargamel to keep her in..
++ added 1/1/8
here it is on! told you it was cute

sewing!

i finally finished this dress! my first foray into garment making, made from a badly damaged 1960s cotton chenille blanket (w a huge beautiful peacock on it.) one of my goals for the coming year is to learn to sew from patterns so i can recreate vintage things. this is not from a pattern, just free-form cutting on the floor. i finally got myself a dressmaker's dummy using up my birthday cash and a 40% off coupon. i also had some important facetime with my sewing machine manual and figured out all the things i'd been doing wrong. i have had it in my head to make this dress for way more than a year and am super pleased. i will definitely wear it.. probably a lot. i have always wanted to be able to make my own clothing! i have a long way to go but i am psyched.

paper top-hat 02

i can never make just one of a thing!
paper doily
antique child's book pages
pink foil krackel wrapper (from last easter, i save all sorts of candy wrappers)
the 'buckle' is the front of a tiny gift card from the 40s (it has black mica on it!)
purple & white tulle
inside lined with green tissue w glitter embedded (saved from xmas)
all built over floral wire frame & coated in antique decoupage finish.

paper top-hat

spurred on by a flickr pal i just had to make a tiny paper top-hat. it is my first hat with a wire frame inside, and is really made very much like a real hat.. with some very huge differences. this proved to be an enlightening project, my ultimate goal being a real little leather top-hat - of the softest thin camel-colored leather from a jacket i am still sad to have ruined...
i used floral wire to make the frame, measured against the inside diameter of a small paper doily. the doily (or rather a small stack of them) became the brim. the outside is covered in a scrap of flowered wrapping paper with a bit of a page from an antique demolished reader for the top - both coated in antique color decoupage finish. once the finish cures it is actually water resistant and can be cleaned with a damp cloth. the inside is an unfinished scrap of printed tissue saved from the netherlands. the mint tulle was w a bunch of tulle scraps in a bag in my stocking from ma - clearing things out of her sewing box.
more pics here.

no-knit knit scarf

file under: recylcing other peoples' crafts
one of the things ma gave me for xmas was a big bag of crochet circles she found thrifting. she didn't know i had bought a similar bag of smaller ones a long time ago, but didn't know yet what to do with them. i knew immediately upon seeing the bag from ma though. two different sizes meant i could just run a ton of them together free-form through the sewing machine - loose tension, widest stitches, heavy thread & patience. then i stitched on a bunch of different old metal buttons from my stash - mostly different miltary ones and those buttons with family crests. they cover some nasty snags and reinforce it in places that were suspect.
i'd like to do one backed with heavy wool felt (cut to the irregular shape, bright yellow would be nice), but it's so expensive. maybe i'll settle for polar fleece..

notecards

shutterfly is always sending me free offers. i signed up w them a long time ago and uploaded some pics i wanted printed, but then i never ordered anything. so first they offered me a free 11x14 poster (pay $2 shipping) which i couldn't pass up. i wasn't pleased with the color quality (the self serve kiosk at kinko's is more accurate & vibrant) but it is still a nice print, just not what i wanted. i have heard others say that they liked their shutterfly stuff very much - to be fair i did send them a really difficult picture, on purpose.
this time they offered me 12 free notecards ($2.50 shipping) which again i couldn't pass up. i chose an old image of corny for a sort of all-purpose card, and the preview picture totally kills me!



i cannot wait to get these.

yay xmas

i am not really of the christmas persuasion, but boy do i like christmas. it was just me & ma this year so she made a giant turkey and all the usual extras, and i made large pearl tapioca from scratch. the first batch was bad, but batch #2 was really good. i'll have to make it a few more times before i post a recipe here for you. it is a long and intense process, but totally worth the work.
ma got me way too much stuff, as mas tend to do. i now have a full set of real utensils! no more plastic for guests (though i do love my big pink plastic utensils.) she also gave me a bunch of great books that she collected over the past year. one is on a whole lot of different crafting techniques - Create Your Own Jewelry - like working with leather and stained glass and metal jewelry making and enameling and lots of sewing crafts. really super handy with lots of neat ideas and basic techniques. it is totally worth the 4 cents plus shipping that amazon is quoting.
she also gave me a great old book on antique advertising that she found thrifting - The Promise & the Product. great pictures, many in full color, and a nice overview of american advertising history. i have always always been enamored of victorian adverts so this is just my kind of thing. i read the whole book last night when i got home.
she also gave me (way too much!) a book that she wasn't sure if she had borrowed from me or bought for me (always a good sign that a gift is on target) - a singer sewing book from 1949. it covers a whole lot of sewing techniques and of course it's all how to do it 40s style. it even has full color plates of interior designs using fabric. i would really really like to live in this blue room (click for detail):



there are lots of plates like this too:


which are helpful not only for making new things that look old, but also are most necessary for repairing old garments.

also i finished my pillow made from the free people gift bag. it was just a rectangular canvas pouch w 3 floral panels down the center and drawstrings of yarn. i saved the yarn and used it with some fluffy chenille that joy sent me (thanks!) for the tassels. otherwise just turn the bag inside out, sew up the last seam leaving a little opening, then turn back through and stuff. whipstitch closed by hand. i am pleased because (1) it was super easy, and (2) it goes with both my girly bedroom and my tacky hawaiian livingroom.



alright, back to post-christmas clean-up. two batches of tapioca makes a huge mess. i used almost every pot and pan that i own.

deanna durbin dress mystery continued

i woke up this morning to find a very helpful comment on last night's post with a link to the deanna durbin tribute site, which has over 700 photographs of her in some truly inspiring outfits. about 300 pics into my hunt i started to think how dippy it is for me to assume that the doll's dress in any way resembles a real dress she'd have worn, and that up close the fabric probably wasn't even remotely close.
well, I FOUND IT! Deanna wore a similar dress in "It's a Date", 1940. not only did she wear it in the film, but for at least this one promotional photograph as well. i can't find a full length picture, but the fabric is the same. something in the neckline doesn't look quite right so now i'll just have to get the film and see for sure. apparently there were not only deanna durbin dolls, but also deanna durbin dresses. i bet now i'll start seeing that tafetta all over the place, it seems it was quite popular in 1940.
so thank you texasoperastar for your help! i could not have figured it out without you.
mystery solved. and i now have a whole lot of movies to add to my netflix queue.

vintage confusion solved

i saw this dress at joanne's yesterday and had this feeling like i had just seen it elsewhere. i asked her if she had maybe gotten from another dealer we both frequent. she said no but she knew i had looked at it before a while back. she had a very good price on it because it's in need of some repairs, which i think i can handle, so i got it and it fits nicely - doesn't look like much on the hanger but is very nice ruched velvet and striped tafetta with just a bad open spot under one arm and a snap needs replacing. no tag, but not handmade. then this morning i was flipping through an antique doll book and i realised where i'd seen that dress just within the last few days:



hard to tell because i had to use the flash (i live in a cave) but they are almost exactly the same fabric - the deanna durbin doll is a much better representation of the color. that doll is almost 2 ft tall, and the stripes are in different order, but the same colors and widths. so i must've taken note of the doll since i had seen the dress long ago at joanne's, and been nutty for the dress because i had just seen the doll. i have been hunting all day for a pic of deanna durbin in a similar dress but haven't found one yet. she was quite famous - like judy garland famous - so there are hundreds of photographs of her. now i have a solid date for the dress too, 1938, just like the doll. she was still a teenager in 1938, really at the height of her career as a young opera singer signed to universal. deanna durbin dolls were apparently quite popular as i have seen several styles and haven't been paying attention long. i don't know when i'll get to wear such a dress, but once i fix it it will be worth more than i paid and i'll get to twirl around in it a few times!

upcycled shopping bag hat

i popped into Free People last night amidst the throngs of xmas shoppers and found a dress on the sale rack i just had to have (below). i was as psyched about the dress as i was about the reusable shopping bag they gave it to me in (above). it's a roomy screenprinted cheesecloth bag, quite sturdy and with a wide long strap. as i have plenty of bags but never ever enough hats i immediately envisioned this sheer day-glo floral turban and ran right home to make it.
i followed my favorite chemo turban pattern, ignoring the bit about using bias cut stretchy fabrics. just be sure to adjust your measurements an inch or two larger than your actual headsize. start by cutting the strap to the correct length for the headband part and go from there. in 10 minutes (including time to play with the dog in between steps) i had this cute hat with which to hide my awful limp blow-out!
also be sure to ask for a gift bag at free people whether you need one or not, mine will be a pillow once i unstuff some other pillow.
**both bags may have that funny new-stuff smell.. just soak them in cold water w a drop of shampoo, then lay them flat on a towel, roll up & squeeze dry. i didn't try but i think heat would probably be bad, especially for the cheesecloth.

angry gorilla

violet ink on heavy paper

a whole week i've neglected you blog! so sorry. what have i been doing? i have no idea. it seems to be cleaner here though. and my hair is red now. i have done lots of little drawings and ink things. i have made a few pretty girly things to wear. i have finished a few books and started a few more, and reread some old ones for good measure. i started my serious education in identifying antique furniture, and antique dolls, and continuing education on vintage costume jewelry. it has been a pretty good week, up until the mean hairdresser tonight hating on my bangs and insisting on blowing out my hair. crazy. like there's no tip involved! so, yeah i tipped her anyway. but seriously, ladies, that look is over. and bad for your carbon footprint.

new guy

there's a new guy at zern's whose prices are too low! yes there is such a thing as pricing things too low, and according to my business books it is a common rookie mistake. he and i will both learn this important business lesson together.. he the hard way and me the fun way. i was good this time around and didn't give more than a glance inside his stall once i snapped up this bunny band:



you must click on that picture and glory in them along with me. they have pearl eyes!
i had seen them in the case last week but didn't ask about them, assuming they would cost a fortune (at least $15, right? even with their obvious repairs) especially since the previous occupants of that stall (whom i hadn't realized had retired) had ridiculous high prices, albeit on pretty good stuff.. today i asked and the new occupants said $5, for all together! they shoulda known something was up when i said 'i'll take them' a bit too fast, and without even looking at them. they had so much other good stuff in there, including a 16" stuffed alpaca covered in real alpaca fur, he looks just exactly like a real one, with huge fluffy body and a sweet tiny face. next week i will inspect their place much more closely, before they realize they need to bump their prices just a little (or i will buy their whole stand!)
i held off today because i had to prioritize when i managed to also find the most gorgeous 1940s dress, off white with high nehru collar and gold cord edging and frogs (the chinese knot-buttons, not the amphibians.) will post a pic of that soon as i won't be able to look at it too long without wearing it and it fits like it was made for me - most 40s dresses do not, too big in the bust every time. joanne also hooked me up with the best little beaded hat - gold lame' with pink, red, blue & green beaded danglies - which she practically gave to me. i saw it as i was leaving and said 'no way!' and she said 'you want it? i can give it to you cheap. like really cheap.' she cut off the $38 tag and said $5 - practically free since she discounted the dress much more than that from its very reasonable price. she said the hat had been on her wall since she opened and it was just collecting dust and going to be ruined before anyone else appreciated it. yay for me!!

new old glasses

i am super psyched to have found a vintage eyeglass guy. i take him my prescription and he grinds and fits all types of vintage frames.. normal eyeglass places won't fit lenses into vintage plastic frames (often won't fit into any vintage frames at all) but this guy can melt them like they used to do it. he can repair damaged and cracked old plastic frames too. he has an amazing selection - you have to sift through a ton of dusty crap to find the real good old stuff, but there's specs from the 30s in there and cat-eyes and pretty much everything you could want. so far i have collected the above (click pic for detail) from him over the last few months. mostly $8-$13 each.
i think i have settled on these:



french, 1940s
but he also has a box set aside of things in his attic he says he is sure i will really like.
so hard to choose!
i am happy to source for you if you're interested in hard-to-find vintage styles.

wardrobe remix

i finally started doing daily outfit pics for flickr wardrobe remix. today was day #4, and the first day with adequate lighting. i doubt i can manage to be fabulous and photo worthy every day but i will try. i bet corny will weasel his way into as many pics as possible. i won't blog them all, but you can see them all here.
also jones restaurant in phily is awesome, as are s'mores-tinis.
and i splurged on a set of new pen nibs today in all different shapes, so there will be lots of new drawings in the coming weeks as i break them all in. right this moment i am printing a test batch of notecards with my bird drawings on them. once i have them tweaked i will post a few limited edition sets for sale on etsy.

all i want for xmas

i have done your xmas shopping for you!! once you've hooked yourself up with one of my bird sketches for your mom/sister/secret santa check out my etsy favorites for super awesome and slightly weird handmade things. seriously, i want it all. upside down baby head bowls?? for reals!! and yes, one day the blue rubber sofa will be mine. except mine will be flesh colored. there are a few cool boy things on that list too.. ray-gun cufflinks and badass hats w 2 brims. best handspun yarns and crafty things, tasty soaps, stuffies, super dramatic jewelry, custom handmade oxfords.. seriously those may be the best shoes ever.. there's something on there for any price range. i'd like to spend my xmas $ on one of these lovely corsets please! but i may rein myself in and score the fox & chicks rings.. i win either way.


















buy handmade!

check out the rest of these sellers' items too, especially if something i've listed is marked sold.. if they don't already have another one listed in their shop you can always ask a seller if they can make another widget for you.

lemur

ring tailed lemur:

gorilla gorilla

the latin name for gorilla is gorilla gorilla

bought & sold

what a fun day! market research.. e.g. checking out the competition in philly, e.g. hitting as many vintage/antique shops as possible in a day. i didn't mean to buy anything, in fact specified that i would not be tempted.. which is of course a guarantee that something will be too good. we found some lame places and some pretty great places, or at least places with some great stuff. i found a fabulous circle skirt from the 50s, quilted dark pink, and a new sweater i practically wore out of the store.
got home to find i had sold not one but two bird drawings! they will be headed off to california on monday... i'll have to get a pic of all the birds together before the flock is broken up. they have been staring at me for a couple of days now and look pretty great all together.