vintage shop update! pleated polka dots and cable knits

Shop update! I took a long, long hiatus from updating my vintage side of the shop but that doesn't mean I haven't stopped vintage hunting and hoarding.. here is a small compilation of pieces I've recently found, just added to the shop - a good mix of late winter pieces from lightweight sweaters in spring hues to mid length pleated skirts.

From now on, all vintage updates will hit the shop on Monday.

1970s sheer floral chiffon dress

Vintage cream cable knit sweater

Vintage pleated polka dot skirt (sold)

1990s black grunge crochet mini dress

Vintage red suede pencil skirt

1960s cream polka dot blouse

Vintage blush cross stitch sweater

For my fellow crafters and sewers, I have plans to start a supply shop as well, with plenty of vintage fabric, buttons, and patterns for the taking - all in the next few weeks. I have to come to terms with the fact that I can't use all of the stuff in my sewing room and they should go to worthier hands.

Happy February!

haute couture

Kind of liking the photos coming from Paris Couture this week.. these are from Valentino's Spring 2012 Couture, found here. High necks and country floral prints in sheer, whip-like fabrics and art deco embellishments.. grandma-ish in the best way.

I'm always on the fence when it comes to Haute couture (unless it's vintage, which I love). I'm very much into wearable fashion and couture is such a huge departure from my lifestyle that it's hard to judge it or love it, really. Not to say I'm not blown away by the idea of custom-fitted, hand sewn clothing - just that I'm not as enthusiastic about couture collections as I am about ready-to-wear.

No Sewing Saturday post this weekend, unfortunately. I finished some work on last weekend's jumper, but not enough progress to really warrant a post - this weekend has been busier than I expected. So I promise a finished jumper next week with a bigger set of steps!

I have an update hitting the shop tomorrow.. lots of great vintage pieces that I've stored up for this day, like crochet dresses and sweaters in neutral tones that work well in all seasons (if you're anything like me and not willing to commit to any season right now). Hope you had a great weekend!

leap of faith

Meet the latest addition to my sewing room.. my new (old) Pfaff Synchromatic 1215!

In my 3(ish) years of sewing, I've finally made the jump from my first machine - a starter machine but a hardy one, the Brother CE4000 - to this all-metal, refurbished Pfaff 1215, made in the 1980s (or late 70s.. need to check out its manufacture date). It has taken some getting used to (its motor is so powerful and I'm not used to all this metal, or not having to adjust tension so much.. good stuff but some bad too, like thread breaking and funny bobbin problems) and dresses take twice as long to sew while I get the hang of it, but it's worth it. I feel like giving him a name but I'll probably forget the name like I did when I named all my cars in high school, so he'll just be my Pfaff 1215 (a male of course).

Which leads to my bit of news - I'm officially a day job quitter. Just this past week, I put in my two weeks notice at American Apparel, which means no part-time job funds. I've been thinking and praying about this decision for awhile and ultimately decided that it would be the best thing for my shop - total time dedicated to making my clothing line and updating the online shop with vintage (which restarts on Monday, by the way!). I'm heading into my last week of work soon, which kind of bums me out since I'll miss the girls there a lot.. but it also makes me really excited. I'm taking a leap into doing what I really love, full time. And the pressure to afford to do what I love - to help support Neil and I from this venture alone, with no more part-time wages to fall back on - will hopefully drive me even further.

I appreciate all prayers and well wishes you might have - and thank you so much for your continued support! Without this blog and the encouragement I receive from you, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing.

Right now, I'm working on the scrapbook board for my spring/summer 2012 designs and stocking up on fabrics (some 1930s-40s vintage print fabric, happily).. I'll share them soon! And Sewing Saturday tomorrow. Happy weekend!

monochromatic sparkle

Vintage gold sparkle sweater, platform sneakers - Thrifted

Sheer white chiffon blouse, gold sparkle tights - American Apparel

Vintage black leather satchel - courtesy of Nashville's Baron

Rust blazer - Forever21

Gold metal headband - H&M

This is my monochromatic gold sparkle outfit, a thrifted sparkle sweater dress cut short layered over a sheer white chiffon button up, metallic gold headband in my hair and my favorite shoes in the world on my feet - early 90s high platform sneakers (thrifted for a dollar in 2010) that have seen better days since I wear them so much. Wish you could see the sparkle in my tights more in these photos, because they're awesomely sparkled.

The leather bag with gold clasp is from my friend Jeanette, who seriously has the best thrifting luck in the world. I need to talk her into starting a blog because her style is so good and rare. Her boyfriend runs Nashville's Baron, a great shop catering to all your menswear needs - check it out (I really want that tweed jacket for myself)!

I've got some news to share with you guys, but it'll have to wait til tomorrow. I work at American Apparel all afternoon today and tonight, I'm finishing up a gold brocade birthday dress for a lovely lady - but tomorrow, I'm focusing on the future and with it, some cool plans I'm setting in motion (as well as getting in some much needed thrift store shopping oh yes). Until thennnn.

current/elliott spring 2012

I think I've posted about Current/Elliott before, maybe way back in the day, but I can't remember. Either way, the line is awesome. Their spring/summer 2012 lookbook has all the right moves. Colorful jeans, simple white button ups with thin black ties, floral denim in blush tones. Saddle shoes and the best blue chambray shade - even a drop waist denim dress (third photo down) that's kind of perfect.

Saddle shoes saddle shoes saddle shoes. So good.

Hope you had a great weekend!

sewing saturday! plaid wool jumper

Sewing Saturday! I'm so excited to finally start using that vintage wool stash I bought last summer. This week, I'm making a jumper with suspenders and matching covered buttons from an old Simplicity pattern from the 1960s.

What I used for this project.. just over a yard of plaid wool fabric, two 3/4 inch buttons used for DIY fabric covering (I recommend Maxant, NOT Dritz - Dritz buttons have broken on me several times), a six inch zipper for the center back, and muslin for facing the suspenders and a couple of small pieces of inner lining (where the suspenders attach.. thought facing it with muslin would make it sturdier with a more structured fit).

Begin by ironing out all pattern pieces and fabric (I used wool, so I had the iron on a very, very low setting when I pressed it), lay out your pattern, and cut. For those interested in learning how to match plaids (or stripes) when sewing, here's a great tutorial.

Since I only had so much time to sew this weekend, I decided to focus on attaching the muslin facing to the lining and suspender pieces, as well as cover the buttons with matching fabric. With the suspenders, there were two pieces - front and back - as well as one muslin facing piece. I sewed all three together at once, making sure to leave an opening in the center to flip the suspenders right-side out. To attach the facing and form the suspender, simply match and sew the muslin facing and two suspender pieces (right sides inward and together), following the suggested seam allowance. Then, trim edges and flip right-side out using the opening you left for yourself (we'll worry about pressing and topstitching next week).

I then sewed the facing to the wrong side of the wool lining, making sure to stay outside the seam allowance (that way, you don't see any stitches on the outside when you sew the faced piece to your garment).

Next, it was time to cover the buttons. I've already posted a short tutorial on fabric covered buttons here, but I've taken some photos so you can follow along with each step. Whenever you buy a button cover kit (available at your local craft/fabric store), they come with directions. The process is really fast and rewarding.

After I stitched the lining to the facings, I had to fold in 1/4 inch on the flat edge of each lining. I decided to serge the edges (lining and facing together) to make it easy, then simply fold the serged edge inward and stitch to finish.

That's it for now! Next week, I'll finish the jumper by piecing it all together, sharing some hand-stitched buttonholes, and adding a zipper. As for tonight, I'm having a hard time falling asleep - tornado alarms keep ringing. The South is crazy.

tiny spark

Just rediscovered this Tiny Spark photoshoot by Always Sometime Anytime - I remember liking it last November but now, I love it even more. Maybe it's this bad in-between seasons bout of noncommittal-ness I'm going through, but it has all the lovely colors I'm planning on wearing this winter and into the spring. Pleated midi skirts and high waisted bottoms with mesh cutouts and quilted metallic vests? Yesssss. Not to mention, polka dot blouses with bell sleeves and floral bustiers with peplum waistlines.

Sewing Saturday tomorrow! Thanks for the votes last week - the skirt jumper won out by a vote or maybe two, so that's my chosen project this weekend.

january sun

Photos by Neil!

Vintage polka dot turtleneck - Thrifted
1970s high waisted jeans - Nashville vintage
Copper leather clutch - Red Earth Trading Company
Black straw hat - Forever21
Gold watch - American Apparel

The weather won't make up its mind in Nashville. Today we had tornadoes and last week we had snow. Over the weekend when Neil took these photos, we had sun and beautiful weather.. so who knows what this week will bring.

Wearing all vintage save for hat, shoes, and clutch - the straw hat was a last minute find at Forever21 (it reminds me of the 70s, I love how wide the brim is - can't wait to wear it in the summer with a striped top) and the clutch is a camel colored leather bag from Red Earth Trading Company, made in Kenya by a local artisan.

More photos here.

Just got home from work, now I'm taking a Skyrim break before I fill some last minute orders (video games before sewing? my priorities are bad). Happy Tuesday!