vintage inspired

Chintz & Cosmos

, , , , , 0 Comments

standing in front of a rock wall with a flower garden behind it

Happy September, Dear Readers! The air is feeling crisp and it’s beginning to feel like Fall, but before the season completely changes, it’s about time I shared this dress-turned-skirt I made back in June. I don’t know why I forgot to take photos of if (I’ve been wearing it quite a lot!) but it actually turned out well leaving it until now to take photos, because look how nicely it matches the front flower garden. Cosmos, petunias, evening scented stocks and sunflowers. This flower bed used to have two giant peonies in it, but this Spring the bed had to be completely excavated for plumbing issues, and the pink peony didn’t end up back up in this flower bed. (It’s been planted elsewhere now…)

blue and pink chintz floral skirt

So yes, this halter dress came up on our church’s free group last year and I hesitated to claim it since I was thinking of altering it, so I let it go to someone else. And then a year later it came back up for grabs and I didn’t hesitate to claim it then! And I am so happy that I did because I love how it turned out. As far as refashioning projects go, this was one of the simplest and it only took a few hours to complete.

light and dark pink cosmos flowers

navy eyelet detail sleeveless shirt

Paired with my navy tie front blouse (or a navy t-shirt some days) it has been perfect for summer.

navy blue silk scarf tied onto the handle of a wicker purse

I’ve been really into tying scarves onto handbags lately. I don’t always like wearing scarves because I find them too hot, but they add such a nice touch to a bag.

pink and white cosmos flowers

I’ve been wearing my dainty heart pearl pendant on repeat lately. It pairs well with a more casual outfit to elevate it, but it’s also not overwhelming with a more dressed up outfit.

gold heart and pearl necklace pendant

sitting on a rock wall in front of a flower garden

It’s definitely starting to feel like September. I hope we get a nice warm Fall this year. I never thought I would say it, but I’m sad Summer is almost over. It’s never been my favourite season (re: heat), but this year we didn’t get much sun, so I would love a little bit more!

How is your September so far? Are you ready for Fall, or still holding onto the vestiges of Summer? And how does your garden grow? 

in front of a flower garden full of cosmos blooms

blue chiffon scarf tied around the handle of a wicker bag

standing in front of a rock wall with a flower garden full of cosmos, sunflowers and petunias

wearing a chintz floral skirt with a navy blue shirt and standing in front of a flower garden

Christmas Velvet

, , , , , 2 Comments

black velvet and lace christmas outfit paired with silver rhinestone jewelry and accessories

Our church Christmas banquet was yesterday. It’s not a super formal event by any means, but when not many opportunities to “dress up” come your way, it’s nice to pull out the velvet and lace when you can!

decorating the christmas tree wearing a black lace outfit

I thrifted this vintage (1980’s?) velvet skirt in 2017, and after I brought it home, discovered that a piece of the hem had been cut out. I wore it a couple of times like that, but finally decided that it was time to actually fix it before it frayed to pieces. So I cut the hem off, stitched it to a grosgrain ribbon and then turned the hem up and hand stitched it in place. The skirt got shortened about 1″ over all and it’s actually a better length now, and the grosgrain gives the hem a nice shape.

vintage rhinestone earring detail

Paired with my black lace top, it gives the impression of a dress.

christmas outfit vintage rhinestone and pearl necklace

And then I accessorized with silver and rhinestones: shoe clips, earrings, necklace and a silver, metal clutch.

And that’s all for this blog until after Christmas; I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Dear Readers!

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Galatians 4:4-5

rhinestone bow shoeclips on low black pumps

vintage silver metal clutch purse

standing by the christmas tree wearing a vintage velvet and lace christmas outfit

Filling in the Gaps

, , , , , , 0 Comments

standing in front of a birch tree wearing a plaid skirt paired with a brown top, beret, boots and a black purse

About a month ago I realized that I had a gap in my winter wardrobe: a black purse.

I did use to have a vintage black purse, but I sold it a few years ago, since it wasn’t very large and couldn’t hold both my wallet and phone. I hadn’t replaced it, though, because over the past few years I’ve been working to curate my closet to have brown as my neutral instead of black. When I purchased a new everyday purse a few years ago, I chose one that was cognac.

However, since then, I have also realized that I have a cool undertone, and have started to seek out more cool coloured items of clothing, which don’t always pair well with warm browns.

plaid skirt with green, taupe and red lines

This outfit came together kind of like “if you give a mouse a cookie”, starting with the plaid skirt. This skirt is actually a perfect example of the colours that work best for me: a dark sage green, taupe and merlot plaid.

plum purple toned top with a bow tie

Which meant that this top was the perfect colour to match. Depending on the light and what it is paired with, it sometimes looks brown, sometimes plum and sometimes wine.

oxblood lace up leather riding boots

And then as I was going along with these purple undertones, my oxblood coloured riding boots were the obvious choice, paired with hint-o-black hosiery. And the colour scheme worked so perfectly with my taupe-pink beret and a dark purple hatpin.

taupe pink beret with a jeweled hat pin

Everything was working so well together, but then it came to the final detail: my purse. What purse would I pair with this colour scheme? My green purse was the wrong shade and all of my brown ones clashed with the boots. Cognac leather would look terrible paired with oxblood leather, so obviously I needed to get a new purse!

In all seriousness, I have been thinking of getting another black purse for the past few years, I just haven’t earnestly looked for one. I’ve only worn these oxblood boots a few times since I bought them in 2019, all because I didn’t have a bag to carry with them. I also have a lot of black shoes, so having a black bag to create a “set” wasn’t a bad idea.

black leather purse with a top handle and a gold clasp

So about a month ago, I turned to Poshmark and found the perfect one. A leather bag with a suede flap, gold clasp and top handle which can also be turned into a shoulder bag or a backpack with the additional straps! It’s also not too big to carry as an “everyday” bag, but it’s still big enough to hold all of my essentials.

convertible backpack purse paired with a plaid skirt and boots

And you know what? I have already worn this bag four times; I guess there was more of a gap in my wardrobe than I first realized!

sitting on a birch tree wearing a plaid skirt, riding boots a brown top and a beret

As for this outfit, I was going to mention which items were new and which were secondhand, but then I realized that the only things “new” were the tights. One day I should figure out how much of my wardrobe is second hand and how much is new; that would be interesting. I think the secondhand would win the majority….how about in your closet? And are you on the hunt for any “wardrobe gaps”?

necklace and bow tie on top detail

outside in front a birch tree wearing a plaid skirt, boots and a beret

walking towards the birch tree wearing a convertible backpack purse

 

And It Has Pockets

, , , , , 1 Comment

wearing a blue and cream floral border print skirt paired with a lace top and a wicker basket outside in front of fall trees

That was such a selling feature a few years ago for any dress or skirt. I’m sure it still is. And I must say that pockets are handy..even if just for hands! However, to be quite honest I never put pockets in any of the skirts or dresses I sew. They interrupt the “line” of the garment when you actually put things into the pockets, and I don’t usually carry things around with me that I can’t put in my purse, so the trouble of putting them in isn’t worth it. However, if I find a garment already sewn with nice pockets in it, then that is a bonus. 

wearing a blue and cream border print skirt with pockets in it outside in front of fall trees

I found this lovely border print skirt in the the thrift store earlier this spring that features pockets (which had never even been cut open). It is made out of a lovely cotton sateen, a fabric that is quite hard to find these days in a sea of rayon and polyester. I wasn’t sure if the colour would work in my closet, as it’s a different tone than all of my other blues, but it pairs splendidly with this off white cotton lace top, tan leather sandals and wicker purse… all of which are also thrifted!

vintage wicker purse

I did these photos on a different day from when I wore the outfit and then realized later that I had forgotten to tie my blue scarf to the handle of the bag. So just imagine a blue bow on the handle of the purse.

cream lace top paired with a blue border print skirt outside in front of fall trees

a dainty pearl and chain necklace

I got this necklace years ago and haven’t worn it for ages, so I listed it in my Poshmark shop, but since I did that, I have worn it several times this summer, so I deleted the listing. Sometimes you don’t wear something for a season, and then you’ll bring it back out later. It’s worth keeping the things you like (if you have space), even if you don’t wear them a lot.

cream lace top and a dainty pearl necklace

And I think it’s time to put away the wicker and the sandals for this year. While it is still warm during the days, the evenings are chilly, the leaves are turning colours and the geese are flying south. It’s after Labour Day, and while I suppose you don’t have to follow the “rules”, it doesn’t feel right to be carrying a basket…unless it’s a harvesting basket with produce in it!

walking away towards the fall trees wearing a blue skirt and a cream top

The Wrap Dress that Almost Wasn’t

, , , , , 2 Comments

A long rayon wrap dress in black and tan patterned fabric paired with a large sunhat

This project was five years in the making. And by that I mean, I made a mockup, cut it out and assembled the front and back of the bodice and skirt, ran into a problem, put it aside for 5 years and then finally pulled it out a month ago in order to finish it.

The Gertie Sews Vintage Casual wrap dress in a black and tan fabric

That’s the thing with sewing, it’s 1% choosing a design and fabric, 1% sewing the original pattern and 98% troubleshooting when things go wrong. Or at least that’s the way it is with me! Of course it would be better if things turned out perfectly the first time, but most projects aren’t hopeless just because you run into a roadblock. Problem solving is a big part of sewing, and I find that if I put the project aside and let my mind turn over the problem in the background, I will come up with an answer… even if it takes 5 years.

maxi length wrap dress with a bamboo bag and a large sunhat

So what was the problem with this dress? The fabric, a lovely, boldly patterned rayon, was from the clearance rack (70% off!) and it was there because the pattern was printed slightly crooked from side to side. I knew that the pattern was crooked before I cut the dress, so I decided to place the pattern going from side to side in order to hide any unevenness with the fullness of the skirt. Or at least that was what I thought would happen, but instead once the skirt pieces were sewn I realized that the skirt wasn’t full enough, and the pattern instead created a straight line directly around the hip…not the most flattering choice for my body type.

This is where the project got put to the side and forgotten. But earlier this spring I started thinking about this dress, and wanting to get it out of my UFO’s, and I realized that I had enough fabric to split the back piece and cut another piece out of the fabric I had left, in order to create more fullness across the back. This way there would be a seam, but the print would be on the diagonal. Of course, if I could re-do it, I would have cut all of the pattern pieces in the other direction (my mom has the same fabric in red and black, and because of my mishap, she cut hers the other direction and it worked so much better!)

bamboo cult gaia inspired round bottom purse

Is the pattern still a bit wonky, and do I wish that the front piece patterns were more of a diagonal than they are? Yes, for sure. But, considering the limitations I was working with, it turned out really well.

The Gertie Sews Vintage Casual wrap dress shoulder and sleeve details

I used the wrap dress bodice pattern from Gertie Sews Vintage Casual, Gretchen Hirsch’s pattern book. With a few little adjustments, the fit turned out perfectly. In her book, the wrap dress has short sleeves, a ruffle and a straight skirt, so I only used the bodice pieces and Frankenpatterned the rest, using a bishop sleeve from a vintage pattern (Simplicity 5302), and drafting my own A-line/ half circle skirt.

black and tan bold patterned wrap dress

twirling under the trees in a maxi length wrap dress

And now I have the perfect long, billowy sundress I have always wanted! I decided to really go with that geometric theme for this outfit, pairing it with my architectural bamboo bag and black Amour Vert pentagonal earrings. I don’t think I’ve ever featured them on the blog before, but I’ve had them for years now.

amour vert pentagonal earrings

And of course, a large straw hat was the perfect finishing touch!

Gertie Sews Vintage inspired black and tan wrap dress paired with a large sunhat

Have you ever had a sewing project go terribly wrong and had to try and salvage it? What is the longest length of time you’ve had a project in your UFO (UnFinished Objects) pile?

bishop sleeve and skirt detail from the rayon wrap dress

walking under trees wearing a long wrap dress in a black and tan rayon fabric

1 2 3 4 5 >»