Au Revoir for a spell

Well my friends I am off to Holland tomorrow for an adventure, and I shan't be back for three weeks. This of course means that I'm going to be going AWOL for a while. I have no idea if I will be able to get internet access where I'm staying, so I can't promise any updates, but I'll do my best! Although I won't really have anything exciting to say on the sewing/crafting side of things, because obviously I won't be able to take my sewing machine along with me! I will however be taking my Briar Rose Sweater with me as I finished my mighty calculations on the pattern today, just in time to pack in away in my suitcase :)

My swatch, all washed and measured up!

Measuring, Calculating, Adding up, Writing down, Hard Work!

I'm hopefully going to get a good chunk of the Briar Rose finished before I get home, and then I can wear it when Spring starts sprunging! I can't wait for the weather to start picking up so I can stop trudging about looking like a snow beast and wear something pretty for a change :)

I must admit that I have missed being able to make things recently, it's been driving me a little bit nuts! But one of the nice things that comes from these forced breaks is that I can plan the type of lovely things I'm going to do when I return. So I thought I'd share with you some of the things I'm hoping to do post Holland - hopefully you'll stick around through my absence if I tempt you with what's to come! :)

• Well firstly I'm going to finish both my Crepe Dress and my Swing Dress (which was rather rudely abandoned after I had a little sulk I'm afraid! But I'm determined to get back on that horse soon) as I can't stand being surrounded by UFOs, and I really want to wear them both as the weather starts picking up :)
• Recently the blogosphere seems filled with fabulous vintage hair - Yesterday Girl, Wearing History and Land Girl 1980 for a few examples - and I am so jealous! So one thing I am determined to get a good quality hair cut upon returning (perhaps at a fancy vintage salon) and really try and learn as much as I can about vintage hair styling, sets in particular. You may remember I recently bought Belinda Hay's Style Me Vintage, and last weekend I tried out a hair roll which I feel was quite successful, so hopefully I'll have a go at most of the styles in the book - watch this space!

The Hair Roll!

• I've actually got a few book reviews in the works, I've collected some lovely vintage fashion books that I'd love to share with you and I have also been reading The Party Dress Book and Couture Sewing Techniques, both of which are great. So I'm thinking of adding the occasional book review into the mix with the blog, so hopefully you'll all enjoy that!
• I have also developed a terrible habit of buying vintage dress patterns, I've really got to stop buying and start making! So my return will also herald the return of my make-not-buy challenge :) I intend to start again with a vengeance, hopefully being away from my sewing machine for such a while will see me coming back full of ideas and inspiration.

I feel like I have a lot to look forward to at the moment, I'm going to a beautiful country with a beautiful group of people and when I get home I have a whole bunch of ideas to get stuck into. Happy days :)

Anyway, I guess this is goodbye for now, but I'll be back soon so I'll just say "Au Revoir!"

Wednesday Wonderfuls #6

Preparations for Holland are getting pretty crazy, I've been working solidly for the past three weeks and I have to say I'm pooped! This is the reason for the lack of any updates on the sewing/knitting side of my blog, by the time I get home I'm so exhausted I hardly have the energy to eat let alone make clothes, so unfortunately I have lots of UnFinished Objects lurking around at the moment. I just keep telling myself that in three weeks I'll be back and have all the time in the world to complete my Crepe dress (just the hem to finish now really) and my knitting projects! And I am having a marvelous time so I can't really complain, plus I'm looking forward to the sights and sounds of Holland, has anyone else been there? I've heard it's lovely, let me know if there are any places I should try and visit while I'm there :)

Anyway, here are some little bits of loveliness from the land of blogs that have kept me sane during this crazy time, enjoy!

• Tami's post on finger waves has me longing for the day when I can pull of a bob and try them out!
• Lauren of "Wearing History" has created another fantastic outfit, this time some WWII Factory Coveralls, she looks absolutely adorable in them, what an enviable wardrobe she must have :)
• This week is embroidery week over at Tuppence Ha'Penny, so go and check it out if you fancy brushing up your stitching skills
• Bobbins and Bombshells has shared some amazing photos of Dita Von Teese's home in LA, after seeing them I think I love her even more than before, if that's possible!
• And finally I just want to draw your attention to the wonderful blog of Dear Golden, and her amazing etsy shop. I really think she may be selling the most beautiful pieces of vintage clothing I have ever seen! It's a real treat when one of her updates pops up on my feed reader :)

I hope your weeks are filled with relaxing baths and lots of sleep, that's what I've been dreaming about recently anyway! 

If the shoe fits... even though it usually doesn't!

Unfortunately for me I will never be the slender footed Cinderella who seems to fit every shoe! This fact was made sadly evident to me at the Clerkenwell Vintage Fashion Fair on Sunday, when I was left drooling over several beautiful pairs of shoes but could only dream of having them grace the ends of my legs. I have always loved a pretty pair of heels and there is something about vintage shoes that is just so feminine and graceful, something I find a bit lacking in modern footwear, that calls out to my soul. How very dramatic :) So even though I cannot wear them myself I thought I'd share some of my favourite online shoe finds at the moment. If you're lucky enough to have the kind of feet that would fit these beauties then I do wish you well, even if I may be turning a little green with envy... :)

Perfect peep toes, I love the lacy fabric and the velvet bows!

Similar to the style above but this time a peep toed boot!

More peep toes - I know what I like! - this time with gorgeous scarlet lacing

Talking of scarlet, how about some heels in my favourite colour? :)

The lace ups are incredible, I think I would wear them to death in the winter...

... or alternate with these brown beauties!

The buckles on these are just too sweet

I would love any of these shoes, wouldn't they go perfectly with my coat?

When it comes to shoes I know that I'm very lucky to live in the present day as apposed to one of my favourite vintage eras, because although the shoes were beautiful then my feet would still not be able to fit them, a fact I know I share with many modern girls, even the most glamourous, like "Diary of a Vintage Girl"s Fleur. In the 40s I would probably have ended up wearing mens shoes (gasp!) or maybe even crippling myself by forcing my feet into the teeny tiny shoes of prettiness. Is it wrong that in that situation I feel I might lean towards the latter solution...? :) And of course I am even more blessed to live in a world where many companies now make reproduction vintage shoes that can even accomodate my gargantuan hoofs (I'm kidding! They're not that big really, just by vintage standards!). Just take a look at these pretty examples from ModCloth:

Peep toe! A lovely day shoe

A shoe with the cut out style I like and sweet little bows!

Another pretty peep toe - am I getting predictable?

So there you have it, there's a vintage shoe out there for everyone, even if it's not strictly vintage! And I like to think there can never be too many pairs of shoes in a girl's life, so go on, go forth and collect shoe babies! And please don't find it too strange that I call them shoe babies...!

Bye for now :)

Clerkenwell Vintage Fashion Fair

Yesterday my Sweetheart and I went on a trip to the Old Finsbury Town Hall to go to the Clerkenwell Vintage Fashion Fair, and what a time we had! We arrived about an hour after the fair opened and I was very surprised to see a sizable queue outside, which wasn't made better by the miserable weather, but lucky for me my Sweetheart was on had to provide me with hot chocolates and macaroons! So in the end we had quite a lovely time in spite of the weather. And things just got even better when we went inside.

I have been to several different Vintage fairs in London - Frock Me Vintage and the Affordable Vintage Fashion Fair to name a few - and I have to say that Clerkenwell really blew them all away. For one thing the hall was absolutely stunning, and I'm a sucker for a sky blue interior, but the fact that this beautiful room was stuffed with beautiful things was almost too much to bear!

The racks and stalls were literally stuffed with vintage goodness, I could have spent my life savings in that fair and still wanted to get more :) 

There was a beautiful selection of vintage shoes and boots that made me heart ache because I knew that they'd never fit me! But the brown lace up boots made me very happy as did the beautiful white brogues below. Ah to have tiny delicate feet!

Another eye-catching find was the "leopard" coat below - not actually leopard of course, but hand dyed and painted rabbit, how much time and effort must have been put into it?? It was absolutely stunning...

... so I had to try it on! It was a little too expensive for my slim budget so sadly I left it behind  for the next lucky shopper, but it really was beautiful. I felt so glamourous in it I just can't tell you!

One of the stall holders specialized in 1940s and 1950s dresses, the one below being a particular favourite of mine, and the owner told me she will be taking part in another fair in Camden in April. I think I may need to pay that one a visit too! 

The fair even had a selection of crockery! I wish I could have taken it all home with me, and I have to admit I did purchase the little peach teapot and cup and saucer "Rosy tea-for-one" set below. It was just too sweet to leave behind :)

Oh and I also found what could very well be the coat of my dreams. Here I am wearing it on the tube home, and I may never take it off again!

I cannot stop singing the praises of the Clerkenwell Vintage Fashion Fair, the people were friendly and helpful, the prices were fair and varied - a little bit of vintage joy could be found for every budget - and the whole atmosphere was one of excitement and contentment. Basically everyone was just happy to be there surrounded by such an exquisite collection of all things vintage :) If you're interested in visiting the fair their next date is Sunday 13th March and I have included a link to their website at the top of this post. Believe me it's well worth a look, you won't regret it!

Happy Monday everyone! x

Snail Mail Love

I absolutely adore getting letters or parcels in the post, very few things beat the thrill of being greeted with something lovely to unwrap when you arrive home, and lucky me I had a real treat yesterday: my Snail and Pigeon parcel arrived, all the way from Finland and sent by the lovely Meri.

The parcel swap introduced me to Meri's blog, The Evil Dressmaker, and I think she's a superb blogger! She is an incredibly talented seamstress, blowing me away with her recent bustle gown, plus she has a great sense of style, not to mention she writes every one of her posts in both Finnish and English! One very cool lady :) 

And she also puts together an incredible parcel, I couldn't be happier with what she's sent me!

My gorgeous set of goodies!

A lovely lace insert

Sweet floral handkerchief

Rose patterned fabric  

Vintage photos

Beautiful floral head band - my favourite :)

Aren't I a lucky lady? :) I'm sure I will be using the insert and the fabric in one of my projects soon - I quite fancy a pretty rose print vintage style apron!

So let me finish by saying a huge thank you to Meri for being so lovely and sending such a beautiful and thoughtful parcel. You've made me very happy indeed!

Wednesday Wonderfuls #5

Hello there! I hope you all had a marvelous V-day, I must admit my Sweetheart did very well, and we spent our evening at the BFI Southbank watching the fabulous Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in "To Have And Have Not". Needless to say a good time was had by all!

I also have to share with you the gift I gave my boy, an absolutely beautiful vintage book of love poems:

What really kills me about this book is that it was given as a gift to someone else's sweetheart over 100 years ago! It just makes it all the more special. I like to think of this book as a present for both of us, because I'll get just as much pleasure out of it as he will:)

And now let me bring you some of my favourite pieces of the blog world this week!

I've been thrilled that the topic of lingerie seems to be very popular this week, including:

• Casey's beautiful 30s style camisole (made from the "Undies Book", of which I have a copy! I need to use it ASAP...)
• Rachel's stunning lacy knickers, complete with a tutorial
• and these lovely 1930s pajama scans over at Wearing History

And other pieces of wonderfulness:

• Miss P is thinking of organising a draft-along for newbie pattern drafters like myself. This would be marvelous so if you're interested do pop over to her blog and offer some support!
• And finally these sandwiches, made by the genius that is Joy the Baker, could be considered perfection...

Happy Wednesday everyone! 

Holland Adventures...

Just a teeny post today, I've been uber busy, but I thought I'd let you know what it is I've been up to. In case you were curious this is what I'm going to Holland for :) I have to say I'm very excited!

Let the sunshine in everyone :)

Be My Valentine

I know that some people don't like Valentine's Day but I have always loved it even before I had my Sweetheart - although now I get the chance to feel extra lucky for my lot in life :) Basically I just want to wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day, love to you all, whether you're loved up and couply or gorgeous, strong and single.

Have a wonderful hearts and flowers day :)

Starting the Briar Rose knit-along!

Briar Rose!

Today I started taking a look at the Briar Rose knit along over at by gum, by golly! and I have to say that I'm excited! Tasha is incredibly well versed in the ways of knitting so I already feel in very safe hands :) Every one of her posts is detailed and intricate, but she also has a way of putting things that stops you feeling overwhelmed, so even after being faced with some pretty scary looking maths calculations in regards to yardage estimations I remained cool - quite an achievement for me!

Today I used said calculations to work out how much yard I would need for my sweater. I'm keeping my changes fairly simple, reducing the width of the sweater and lengthening it slightly too, so my yardage was fairly close to Tasha's example in the end. And I also - exciting times! - ordered my yarn online, so it should be winging it's way to me any day now. Hopefully it will get to me before I head to Holland so I can continue working on the sweater whilst I'm away :)

My yarn

I decided to use the above yarn, Regia 4 ply, it's a nice wool/nylon blend (75/25) that is suitable for machine washing and quite hard wearing, so although I always hand wash my hand knits it's nice to know I have the option :) Tasha also suggested thinking about what you would wear with your sweater, so you just don't start knitting something with a purpose, and I think that the blue will go with most of my skirts and dresses. Although I am also thinking of making a circular skirt to go with the sweater out of this fabric:

The white rabbit!

How cute would a skirt look in that fabric?? Swoon :)

And let me leave you with some pictures of beautiful blue vintage sweaters, my inspiration! Are anyof you also taking part in the Briar Rose knit-along? Any interesting colour choices? I love hearing your thoughts!

Happy weekend everyone :)

I always love a bow :)

Sweater glamour!

Blue + Pearls = Perfection

Scotty dog fair-isle!! Ridiculously cute!

That beaded collar is just beautiful

Busy busy busy!

I've been having a very busy time over the past few days, I've just started a new job that sees me working from 10am until 6pm, 6 days a week, and it will soon be taking me to Holland for 3 weeks! Phew! So my sewing time has been sadly depleted, and for this reason I don't have much to report on the project front, but here is my progress on the Crepe dress so far:

Bodice with sashes attached

I'm about 3 steps behind, Gertie has already posted the final directions on her blog, and I still have a fair way to go, but I'm liking how it's looking so far. Hopefully it will be finished in time for Valentine's day!

Also, do you remember my Vintage Revamp Red Blouse? I've finally gotten round to getting rid of those nasty white buttons and have sewn on some lovely red ones :) so it's completed at last and I think it looks perfect!

Pretty buttons!

Also I have decided to make a slight amendment to my make-not-buy promise for this year, I have decided that vintage finds and thrifting don't count! I feel that this won't make a big difference to what I'm trying to do, because I still want to make the majority of my clothes, but this means that I can occasionally treat myself and if I'm panicking because an outfit isn't ready for an event then I will have a way out of the situation that doesn't involve rushing out to a high street shop. So here are some recent little vintage finds of mind for your enjoyment:

Beautiful vintage peignoir - the glamour!

Darling little fur collar :)

Hopefully I will be able to keep posting regularly during the next few weeks, but if my writing becomes a bit sporadic please bear with me! For now TTFN :)