Dusty old dust jackets

It’s the Queen’s Birthday long weekend in this part of the world. We get Monday off – along with the washing, I have some plans!

I have come across some lovely old books lately. I think the art work on the dust jackets is so charming.

I think they would look great enlarged made into artworks for a vintage themed home.

I have also had some luck in finding 1950′s art prints recently.

This one called “Sea Scape” no artist, is in the living room – the colours are perfect for that room.

The “Nutcracker Suite” is much more restful so its going into the sewing/guest room, where I have visions of creating a Kate Spade Gallery Wall, I hope I can get this little project up this long weekend. Do you have any plans for home decoration or sewing this weekend?

Fifties fashion from Australian Home Journal advertisements

You may like to do your Vintage Wardrobe Research using original source materials. In Australia, Australian Home Journal magazines from the forties through to the sixties are easily obtainable for under $20 on eBay or in Junk shops. They are a rich source of inspiration for your wardrobe, hairstyles, and make up.

This ad has has it all.

* Divine fabric
The diversity of fifties fabric never fails to surprise me.
This print features what looks to me like a night scene of fireworks over a Chinese village.
The cornflower blue with the pink background really appeals to me.

* Five cute fifties looks:
- two simple buttoned up blouses
- what would have to be a pleated or gathered waist skirt
(but is drawn as a circular skirt)
-and a classic button front skirt for whipping off at the beach
- revealing a pinstriped sun suit
- a shirt using the border print over the hip region,
just like a menswear style!

* Period make up – heavy, unplucked, brows,
winged eyeliner, pink lipstick

*Three hairstyles

* A palm tree – love!

If you can’t get your hands on Australian Home Journal – you probably have a local equivalent in your country.

Source: Australian Home Journal September 1959

Please don’t lick the jewellery

Even opshops have rules and vinyl records are hard to shift, so I reckon these upcycled, in-house, advisory messages from one of my favourite places um, rock.

I felt so guilty when I read this one – as I am totally guilty of tapping jewellery on my teeth – to determine if its plastic or glass.  You probably can’t see but this blue lady even has a real vintage earring on!  Mixed media!  Noice!

Ah yes, the “No tag, No sale” rule.  I have never actually seen this rule enforced.  Personally I would think you would have to be a bit of a scumbag to try they old “I’ll rip the tag off and hopefully get it cheaper” stunt.

My favourite thing about these “artworks” is the model’s hair and make up – all false eyelashes and lacqured hair – they deserve to be seen, even if no-one wants to listen to the music!

Wonder who the clever person who created them is?

And finally – a note to myself too – Nobody wants to handle jewellery after you have put your saliva all over it.

50 60 70

Here’s a selection of recent patterns finds from three of my favourite decades.

It’s been ages since I have found a fifties pattern in an op shop – so this was a lovely surprise and it appears unused.  It cost $12.50 – this particular op shop is aware of the collectible nature of vintage patterns – some of the prices on the vintage fabrics are sky high – and some are not – probably to incorrect identification.

The artwork is pretty but the blue with a large white collar is not my thing it would look much more sophistocated in a wool with a velvet under collar.  Don’t you think?  Or is it that I just can’t  break my 80′s addiction to black?!  It is described as “Princess Style” – thats because of those extra seams.  The collar is called a portrait collar – I like that name!  It’s a more formal day look (or evening in an appropriate fabric).

Sydney is experiencing it’s hottest March week in a decade – the thought of a cape is silly at the moment. But the double breasted front of McCalls 9028, from 1967, would be super warm and stop it blowing about. Something my Warm Hug cape from last Winter did.  My favourite look is the short length but I like them all!  Not that useful for driving a car in though!

I adore the red-head’s hair-do.  There was a girl at my Fashion Design School who had hair like that,  must show it to my hairdresser next time!

I love the easy, breezy feel of this 1975 top and shorts. I need some new shorts – these ones have a slight flare – great on a pear shaped figure – below the knee for me!

Have you had any great pattern finds lately?  Keep looking, its the secret to finding great stuff!

I nicked the name of this post from 506070 which is a great Sydney source of furniture (mostly) from those decades – I used to love to pop in when they were in Annandale, – I am not sure if they are still 0perating a storefront but you can visit online.

Friday Fabric Find – Delft Tile Fabric

Another trip to the dentist with the big boy today so we visited two op shops out of our neighbourhood.  He doesn’t mind visiting an op shop and he found two pairs of All Stars (sneakers) and one pair of Vans – nice!

I got some patterns which I shall show you on another day – but how do you like this?  I think its very Fifties – because of its hand painted look.  The subject matter pictures what I assume are supposed to be Delft Ceramics – which are white and blue – but look lovely in the grey tones.

There is a subtle tile pattern in the teal background – can you see it?  I will have to make it up into a little top and see if my Tiler husband gets the joke!

It was a bit of a bargain 90 cms wide (definitely vintage) 1.5m in length for $6.50!

The fabric is cotton but has a lovely sheen to it – because it’s a sateen weave.  You can feel the difference when you run your fingers over from top to bottom (it’s smoother) and across (more rough).

Still not much sewing going on around here – ok none!  It’s still T-shirt weather in Sydney – the mornings are cooler but the afternoons still in the high twenties – it’s lovely actually.

The big boy had to have an adult tooth removed – it was weakened by Asthma drugs as a baby and was never going to be any good – no matter what we did to it.  He was a little anxious on the chair and started to hyperventilate (just like I did as a kid).  The retail therapy improved his mood – like mother like son!

Hope you get some sewing done this weekend!

New Shoes

Hi !

There has not been a lot of sewing going on lately but here are some quick snaps of my new shoes from Target!

It rains a lot in Sydney and your shoes get ruined – gumboots (or rainboots) are a must.  Aren’t they cute?!

Also in the photo is some of my collection of concrete pots. My collection continues to grow – I love the one with the little “atomic” legs and the boys were keen to help spray paint them.

They are addictive and they will form part of our garden design when we get some landscaping done (one day!),

I have been selling lots of things on eBay lately so I can buy more!  Just as an drug addict turns to drug dealing this is how I am funding my addiction!  Well, it’s not hurting anyone is it?

Actually – with joining the gym and the eBaying – there has not been much time for sewing – that, and it’s been so hot!  I can’t even think straight, let alone sew in the heat and humidity !!

Roll on Autumn I say – then I can wear these:

Platform wedge heeled shoes have been readily available in the last few years – they add an authentic vintage look to your vintage or retro outfit and if you don’t do stilettos – they are a more comfortable option which look great – and feel more stable wihch is important when you are 175cms tall (or almost 5’10″)!

I can’t wait to feel some cool breezes instead of sweat trickling down my back.

Are you so over summer (or winter as the case may be)?

Valentines Day and Divorce

Hi, Happy Valentines Day!

Did you get roses?! I hope so!

Did you have a special outfit? I noticed some people on Instagram were dressing accordingly so I dug out this baby:

It’s Moschino Cheap and Chic skirt from about 1999 or 2000.

I remember because I was a newlywed when I bought it. I was working in fashion at Double Bay at the time for an importer of High End Italian clothing. I fell in love and I popped it on lay by – no worries right?

Well my husband was wondering where all the cash was going and there were a few choice words exchanged.

Let me tell I have not spent $300 on any garment since -except for a rain coat I have had for five years now!

I didn’t end up wearing the skirt today as our good friend Kieran came over to do some work in our garden. We were out there for three hours sweating it out!

Our garden has gum trees which rain leaves and banches down on all below! The lawn is self seeded since the drought ended and scruffy. There is a real mixture of Australian native plants (the gum trees, bottle brush, native violet) and exotics (frangipani, bird of paradise, nz flax, bougainvillea, aloe vera).

I am so pleased with how it looks and we discussed a few simple things we could to make it nicer.

So luckily that skirt didn’t cause a divorce but back then it felt like we were pretty close to it. Thanks Mark for organising the work on the garden – that makes me really happy – it’s better than chocolates or something from Michael Hill. 💌

Polka Dots and Crosshatch

Just picked up this baby!

Score! It’s a vintage apron probably made from leftover fifties fabric after cutting out a dress.

Three of my favourite things feature, polka dots, cross hatches and yummy shades of green – kelly green and chartreuse.

And all for just $2! Worth walking through the rain for!

Don’t just bin it! Donate and give back!

Sam, the greenest girl I know in the sorting bin room at Anglicare Op Shop at Summer Hill

Today’s Sydney Morning Herald has the following article on Businesses that appear to be a Charitable Organizations, but, who end up sending your donated clothing to third world countries, where they are resold. I feel there is a place for businesses such as this – but they should be honest about the fact that they are, in fact, a business! I also think we should think a little more thoughtful about our unwanted garments rather than just taking the easy way out and chucking everything into a drop box or a plastic bag left in your letter box.

The low-cost of clothes means that they are very disposable these days, eg Kmart shirts for $7 – it’s tempting to go nuts and buy – but I am concerned about the sweatshop labour that has made these clothes and the ultimate environmental impact of this. I feel fashion designers at the high-end make investment garments, intended to last for years. These are sometimes on sold to Second Hand Designer Clothes shops – or make it to eBay. This is great and extends the life of garments. These garments are the vintage clothes of the future. But in my less than illustrious career in fashion, one of my position was in the low-end of the fashion industry. Where clothes were made super cheap in Fiji or China, – it’s all about getting the product for the cheapest price for stores like Target, Kmart, Best and Less etc. And yielding the highest profit – there was a little saying taped to the wall went was something like “Making discount clothing in low volume was like eating soup with chopsticks”. Which means, to make money producing cheap clothes, you must produce in large volumes. We as consumers should be more responsible with the earth’s resources. If we refuse to buy, they will stop ordering so much which gets marked down to ridiculous levels at the end of the season. This is a massive issue – one which I think we all need to take responsibility for.

When you take a load to your local Vinnies, Salvos or Lifeline – you are contributing to the poor of your local community, if they feel your donation is below their standard – they will ultimately pass the goods on to one of these company’s that on sell to the third world. But you have given your local charity the chance to get a few dollars, that they can feed the homeless or down on their luck people in your community. Believe me, they are out there, many times I have been shopping in, my local, Chatswood St Vincent de Paul and people have come in to ask for some help with getting clothing or other needs met.

I therefore have a grading system for my unwanted clothes.

CLOTHES SWAPS – I save my best, lightly worn clothes for clothes swaps that my friend Sam runs. You and your friends could get together and do this too. She charges $10 – buys some wine, we all bring 10 pieces and usually go home with a few really fun nearly new pieces and the profits go to a charity of her choice. Its a total hoot – most memorable was one of her friends modelling the 1960′s Speedo bathing suit, that I donated, she has worn it to parties and elicited the same reaction – what fun, maybe one day it will end up in a museum, as it should.

DONATE – For clothes that are a little more dated, that I am sick of, but that are only lightly worn and in good nick, they go in a box – until the next time I visit the op shop.

DROP BOX OR BAG – For clothes that are faded, pilled, stained, have small holes, dirty collars, have buttons missing or maybe the elastic is gone from the waist – they can go and have another life in the third world, where fashion is not a concern. Sometimes I do feel bad about that too big waist but I hope they are creative enough to make it work. I have been to Fiji – they can’t go to Kmart and buy a whole new wardrobe for their kids cheaply.

PRESCHOOL – They need spare clothes for “accidents”, they love Dress Up Costumes, and they love fabric and paper/cartons etc for kids craft activities.

LANDFILL – Really?! I don’t put garments in the bin unless they are my husbands old clothes, covered in glue, which have been worn for best, then work to work, got covered in glue then used as a cleaning rag mopping up oil or something in the garage.

If you want to read more about Sydney’s great op shops I have blogged about it here.

I hope this inspires you to plan and be more thoughtful about your consumption this Christmas and how you might give back more next year.

I have one more sewing project to share with you after it goes up on Sew Weekly.

Then I will be sharing my holiday Instagram photos and will be blogging my phone so it will be very brief!

Blessings to you and yours and may all your dreams come true in the New Year!!

Love and Kisses!

Trish

That place that has “Cool” in it

That’s how Noah described the place I disappeared to recently – he says the most poetic things at times. I hope he always does, but Alex doesen’t speak like this anymore! He’s all about the facts!

But, enough about the kids.

Here are some quick snaps of the things I bought on my trip to Coolangatta

From “That Shop” came this “Sourpuss” patent handbag – it fills a gap in my handbag wardrobe!

I also picked up this little bolero cardigan there too. It has very cute Day of the Dead skulls embroidered on it.  I do buy quite a bit of knitwear – well you can’t sew everything!

From the 21st Century Collectables place next door came this gorgeous 1940′s rayon fabric. I had some fabric similar to this that my grandmother gave me. I loved wearing the shirt I made from it and I have photos of me wearing it at a dance party in the 90′s. I need to dig that out for a laugh!!

If anyone has any idea what kind of plants or flowers these might be – I would love to hear it!

And finally – How cute is this tin? Still working at getting the very stubborn label off. I have added a couple to my collection recently. They are great for transporting food to places in the car and won’t break or chip if I drop them! Important for a klutz like me.

Please note – these photos were taken in my phone – still reading the manual of my new camera – watch this space.