Spring Time Swing Time Fever

Over the winter holidays, I got bit really hard by the retro bug. Last October I had made my spider web flare skirt. We had a mild winter in northeast Ohio so we've already had several bouts of warm temps (meaning 55-65 degrees F). As a result, I've had warmer weather clothing on my mind for a while already. With no upcoming historical events to attend as of now, I'm deciding to go outside of my comfort zone and work on some - recently - historical clothing. Not to mention I'll be able to wear it on a more day-to-day basis (Crinoline hoop skirts are fun, but they're a b!tch to wear around town regularly and while driving). Plus there's the added fun of doing research about it.

I had bought Vintage Vogue pattern V8788 a loong time ago, but have never had an idea of what fabric I wanted to use for it. Recently I discovered a love of cotton poplin and shirting fabrics because they're super lightweight and still have a nice dressy look even though they're completely natural. Wanting be able to wear it into work (We have a black and white only clothing policy), I found this pretty floral poplin from Denver Fabrics.

Then I went and saw the movie Brooklyn with Saoirse Ronan close to awards season, and that retro bug became a full blown infection. As I sat in the theatre trying to ignore the packed audience around me, I fell in love first with the story of Eilis as she immigrates from Ireland to Brooklyn, New Work, during the early 1950s, then with all of the outfits that she wears (And if you haven't seen the film yet, do!).

Better Late Than Never

So for the last week of February, I had a week off from work. While I had all sorts of plans for sewing projects for my days when I was sitting around the house, that sort of ended up going out the window once I sat down in my sewing area. I had more chore projects stacking up and small projects that I had put together.

I opted for the project pile since it would help to clear up some space for me. To start, a couple throw pillows that went with the curtains in the bedroom. Not my idea of anything exciting, but they were done in a couple hours. In addition, my friend Sarah had a baby recently so I was putting together some fun stuff for her.

In the process of cleaning through the project pile though, I did finish this small wedding sampler (also for Sarah) that was originally promised to her shortly after her wedding. As you can see from the picture, it's been a while.

With one cross stitch project being finished, that means I can have another in progress! Because these can sometimes be very time consuming, I try not to have more than two going at a single time. My next one is Charlotte from Mirabilia patterns.

Fashion Victims review

The Bata Shoe Museum opened an exhibit a while ago entitled Fashion Victims: The Pleasures & Perils of Dress in the 19th Century. Along with the exhibit, a book was released, Fashion Victims: The Dangers of Dress Past and Present by Alison Matthews Davis.

amazon.com

At the immediate time, I probably won't be able to get up to the exhibit, located in Toronto, and it ends June 2016. But the companion book was available through my library so I put in order

House Sewing and a Flapper Frock

Gadzooks! Where did January go? So I have been doing some sewing, but it's been off the "house work" pile. I don't obtain this pile too often, because housework = chores = stuff I try to put off. In this case, it was curtain hemming. Always a "fun" task in my book.

Curtains. Yay. Fun. Totally not exciting.

So on to the real fun stuff now. I don't know why I didn't put this up sooner.

In November last fall, I awoke on Black Friday and started perusing the online sales. And I don't mean the Macy's or Best Buy sales. Instead I head over to some of my favorite costume and boutique sites. In this case, Unique Vintage. 

Unique Vintage is well known for vintage style wear, but I've been stalking this site for a few years for their beaded flapper dresses. I've been wanting one since I first found this site about 3 years ago. On Black Friday, they do a huge sale and it's the best time to grab one of these because they normally go for about $100-$300 each (prices vary according to style, popularity, if it's on clearance, etc.). With some help from my sister, I selected this beaded beauty.

Teal beaded dress by Unique Vintage

2015 Year in Review

My year review is coming up a little late, but normal work keeps me occupied like always. Despite health issues during the springtime and a full-time work schedule, I got a number of small projects done a couple of big ones as well.

At the start of the year I finished two cross stitch projects that had been in progress for a VERY long time:

Mermaid of the South Seas

The Kiss