Blue Eyelet

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wearing a smoke blue eyelet shirtwaist dress with a rattan bag walking underneath elm trees

And here’s the dress I finished sewing…three months ago! I gave a sneak peek in this post, and then never got actual outfit photos. So here they are finally.

smoke blue eyelet shirtwaist dress paired with a leather belt

I started sewing this dress back in 2018, I think it was. I was going to finish it in time to wear it to the Ladies’ Garden Tea that year, but, well, obviously that didn’t happen. I threw it aside in despair for 8 years, and then pulled it out this past spring to finish it. The way I had left it actually wasn’t the best fit, so no wonder I wasn’t pleased with it. I ended up raising the waistline, cutting 8″ off the hem, (originally I had planned for it to be floor length) and adding sleeves.

smoke blue eyelet shirtwaist style dress

The button placement is wonky, and there are some areas that aren’t the best fit, which I shan’t point out to you, but it’s done! And I’ve worn it several times already! I was planning to sew a matching belt, but haven’t gotten around to it yet. I like it with the leather belt, though, so we’ll see whether I end up sewing one or not.

shirtwaist collar and sleeve details, paired with a dainty pearl necklace

wearing a blue eyelet shirtwaist dress and walking underneath an arch of trees

Paired with my new round rattan purse, and my old ankle strap sandals: I absolutely love this outfit and am so happy this dress is out of the Pile and into the wardrobe.

This round purse is the most impractical thing, it doesn’t even fit my wallet, but I have no regrets. I have always wanted one of these, and found this one on Poshmark. I just noticed it’s facing backwards in the picture below-oops!

round rattan and leather purse

And I guess that’s all I have to say about this. I had a goal this year to sew one new garment for myself. So far, I have only finished up half completed projects, and alteration/mending projects, and I don’t know whether that’s a goal I am going to actually achieve this year. Still, I have been sewing a lot more this year than in past years, and that’s the important thing.

Do you have any sewing (or creative) goals for this year? Any half finished projects sitting in the Pile that you just need to push through and finish? 

peering over shoulder standing underneath elm trees

walking under an arch of elm trees wearing a blue eyelet shirtwaist dress

Thrifted Treasures | #6

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vintage lace handkerchief draped over books with a miniature tea set on top

Hello and happy August Dear Readers!

I have some recent thrifted finds to share with you today…

First up, is a new computer power cord! Mine broke a couple of weeks ago and only worked if I held it in one particular position, kind of like the radio antennas of old. Needless to say, my screen time was drastically diminished last week, which was probably good for my brain. However, I was able to purchase a secondhand one on Poshmark (which took forever to arrive!) so I am back to full computer capabilities now.

lace and embroidered vintage handkerchiefs

Now onto the textile department…. a stack of pretty vintage handkerchiefs, above. I am using these to style items on my book shelf.

woven vitnage cream coloured bedspread

Next was this beautiful deadstock woven bedspread still in the package.

tapestry woven bedspread vintage packaging

I have always wanted one of these, so to come across one in mint condition was a great find!

woven tapestry bedspread

Then, some various tablecloths and vintage sheets and pillowcases that I want to upcycle into some dresses. The table cloth is stained, and the bedsheets don’t fit modern mattresses, so they are the perfect candidates for refashioning into something new.

vintage floral sheets and a battenberg lace tablecloth

Now for dishes…I saw these one week and I resisted buying them. It was $10 for the incomplete set, and I told myself I didn’t need any more dishes. But then, the next week I stopped in and they were still sitting there!

blue and white transferware dishes

So of course they just had to come home with me, and even though my shelves are a tiny bit more stacked, I don’t regret it at all. Sometimes when you see something again after thinking about it, you just have to get them. At least that way I knew it wasn’t an impulse buy, right?

blue and white dishes styled on my display shelf

Now for a couple of free items: I have been looking for a vessel to hold my paintbrushes since I had them in a vase, but whenever I wanted to use the vase for flowers I had to take all the brushes out. For a while I had them in a different old mug, but it wasn’t really “sparking joy”.

milk glass mug with a tavern scene on it

And then I was putting some stuff away in the basement and saw this vintage milk glass mug my mom had and it was perfect. Yes, I asked her if I could have it, I didn’t just abscond with it! She said that peanut butter came in them. Why don’t they do cool things like that now with packaging?

tiny watercolour house artwork in a cream coloured frame

Also, for about 6 months I have been looking for a new frame for this artwork by Terre Pigment Studio that I shared in my last “thrifted finds” post. I had it in a pretty brass frame, but the dimensions weren’t evenly spaced. So I thought, no problem, I’ll just keep an eye out at the thrift store for a simple wooden frame I could cut down to size….and then apparently no one has been decluttering picture frames, because they haven’t had any frames of the correct size! Then a couple of weeks ago, my sister was getting rid of this vintage frame that was a square, so I only had to cut the top and bottom to the correct width and, ta-da! It’s perfect.

And to finish off this post with the best find I have ever found….sometimes you go to the thrift store and browse the entire store from top to bottom and don’t find anything worthwhile, and then other times you pop in when you’ve got five minutes before you have to meet someone and you find the perfect Victorian boots of your dreams!

victorian style leather boots

Not only do they look almost unworn and in perfect condition, but they are my size. I hardly ever find shoes in my size at the thrift store. I cannot wait for Fall to come so I can wear these!

So, those are my treasures lately. For August I have decided to do a “no buy month”…we’ll see how that goes. I’ll have to avoid “just stopping in” to see what they have!

Have you found any great treasures lately? Do you ever “just stop in” and then come home with things you certainly didn’t know you needed? 

vintage handkerchief styled on books with a teapot on top

This & That | July 1

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stack of books

Hello Dear Readers, lately I have been…

Reading:

So many good books! Endurance and Uncle Tom’s Cabin are definitely going to be making it into my “year end favourite books of 2026” post!

What have you been enjoying reading lately?

floral fabric button rings

Making:

So many smaller projects lately…

I made these two covered button floral fabric rings, above. I’ve listed them in my Poshmark shop, but I chose fabrics I personally like, so I will keep them if they don’t sell.

lace purse with bamboo handles

I found a small lace table runner at the thrift store recently for 50 cents. I picked it up to add to my stash for decorating, but then I discovered it had some damages along the edges and was the perfect candidate to turn into a little summer bag! This was such a quick project; the entire thing only took about 1 1/2 hours, including the time for hand-stitching the handles in.

floral 90's dress turned into a skirt

I got this 90’s halter dress because I love the floral fabric, but I can’t wear halter tops, so I took the bodice off and turned the bottom into a pleated skirt. It was such a quick project and it only took a few hours to complete. I love how it turned out. (I also hemmed the bodice and have listed it as a crop top in my shop.)

vintage dollhouse before

Working on:

Another project I have started on: renovating this dollhouse my sister and I had as children. It really had seen better days, and had some staining and damage. So far all I have done is the demolition, but I am looking forward to the fun part: redecorating!

dollhouse bathroom demolition

Eating:

So far the only produce we’ve had is rhubarb, so we’ve enjoyed some lovely rhubarb and strawberry crisp!  Also mint iced tea and mint lemonade has been lovely and refreshing, especially on a day like today when the sun is out.

hummingbird sitting in a tree

Finding: 

Instead of what I have found, here’s something for you to find: spot the hummingbird! We have several that come to our garden flowers and feeders and they are so fun to watch. This one wanted to sit in the highest lookout point.

Watching:

I really enjoyed watching these two videos by Jane of Snapdragon Life about the Schiaparelli exhibit at the V&A. In part one she talks about the women who helped Schiaparelli begin her business, and then part two is a tour of the couture collection.

What have you been loving, making or reading lately? 

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