Butterfly dress

Hello my lovelies!

I am thrilled so many of you are entering into our competition. It is lovely hearing all your comments. If you haven't entered yet then please do so! It closes on Monday evening. Good luck!

The week is whipping by so fast and this weekend will too as on Sunday we are trading at the Northern Military Expo in Newark. Do pop along and say Hi if you are around there.

Since the weather is really starting to turn, I took the opportunity to wear a dress today because soon it will be to chilly to wear. It hasn't had an outing yet and I had already planned the whole outfit for an event we did about a month ago and it seems a shame not to wear it.

I think it is late 30s to early 40s, as it features full sleeves at the cuff and a hook and eye closure at the side. It could equally be later, especially since it is home-made, so it could be an eclectic mix of what our mystery seamstress had on hand at the time. Pattern + fabric + collar but no zip. Zips were hard to get in the war years. Or maybe a zip was too hard for her (remember they had just come in domestically) and she knew her stuff when it came to a hook and eye placket so stuck to that. That is one of the things I love about vintage, is the sleuthing part of it.

In a moment of MASSIVE accessorising ability, I pinned a Cath Kidston hair clip to the strap of one shoe. Ahhh the stylish-ness off it!  In fact it lasted very well and I will use that trick again - I quite like a bit of modern whimsy. (The shoes are from good ole Clarks by the way).

I took fabric from the hem and made a belt, and this buckle from my stash was begging to be married to the dress. Good match eh? The buckle might be older than the dress, but the colour and butterfly-like shape was just too perfect. And since it is home-made, our mystery seamstress could have had a stash of buckles just like mine...or maybe hers was a just a wee bit smaller...(a-hem)...

Two little crocheted butterflies also were at home here worn as scatter pins. They are cooler in the pair rather than just one don't you think?
I best leave you and get myself organised for a big day here tomorrow so toodle pip till Tuesday when I'll announce the winner of the Fleur dress! 
Have a good weekend.

Shona

Gypsy top Salvage No.2 and SHOES

Here is Tuesdays Gypsy top salvage # 2.  It was £2 at the Next sale in Jan and I also bought its close cousin in orange.  Again, it has been turned from a smock style into something me-wearable with a massive seam in both sides.  I am super happy with it! 

And some new Miss L Fire shoes turned up.  My Postie is getting used to me squealing when it is something good.  He also turns a blind eye to hot rollers and fluffy slippers.  Now these babies are going to go great with my new 40s dress I have been beavering away at.

I have actually met Miss L Fire herself, and she is a very clever lady. She does all the designing and is very hands on in production. She is stunning, and nice, and had a cool hairdo that day (note to self, must copy).  I got to dribble over her winter range. It was a good afternoon.

Shona x 

The info bit:

Miss L Fire: They were on sale and I fluked them in my size from ASOS These are called Catalina, but I think you might have to try other sources now - Ebay perhaps?

Pencil skirt - my own design from Heyday - only a few sizes left until I get more stock in.

Shoes and belt - charity shop

Gypsy top salvage No.1

Yesterday was a really busy day, so I didn't get a pic until late. 

Here is my Me Made May contribution, which is Me altered.  It is a Ex Primark top purchased at a Cancer Research Charity shop. 

Lots of last seasons blouses are hitting the Charity shops and I am going through the same anguish as I did when they hit the high street shops. The prints are all gorgeous but the style would be much better suited to me if I was 8 Months preggers.  So this is one that I got on a whim and have whipped it down the sides and put some quick and dirty darts down the front, just enough so it falls in the right place.  With the success of this one I have some more coming.

Ohh... and I got these vintage earrings out of Winter storage - Yippee!  I look blue not just because it was getting late in the evening, but also because it was freezing outdoors.  Brrrr.  (The flash made things look even weirder sorry)

Shona x

Button Botox

Probably like most sewers, I have a back log of projects that need doing that takes up considerable mountainous space in my sewing room (and back of wardrobe, under bed, and behind doors... separating it out is part of a cunning plan to hide how much I hoard).

I got cracking yesterday, a sunny spring afternoon on a button-a-thon and wanted to show you how much difference a button makes.

I am rather in awe of my own button collection, I seem to always have just the right button in there for the project at hand, and it rarely fails me. I think it is a bit magical really, as I just buy on a whim and a fancy when pretty buttons find me at charity shops and the like. This sunny afternoon was no exception!

First up, here are the "before" photos of my three vintage items in need of a facelift:

A recent acquisition, lovely navy with polka dot 40s dress. Bought from Panama Hattie (no website sorry, you have to see her out and about, which you can do at the Crich Tramway 40s weekends). The fabric is great (though see-through as Polly, my dolly, pointed out), and it will be super cool even with a slip for summer. I am not normally a lace collar type of girl but this one was just right. The buttons though, were rather solid and too white for the collar, and the top button showed through the lace collar as a big white blob. You will see further below how I dealt with that!

A sweet 50s blouse, purchased at the recent Brighton Jukebox show from a lovely Dutch guy whose name I didn't get (he also had lovely linen garments and homewares that I wish I had scooped). It was obviously well loved and cared for but sporting two types of gorgeous buttons. Too distracting for me. (gosh, I thought I wasn't so much into lace collars, but that is two items in a month! I better watch out or it might become a bit of a 'thing' with me)

And finally a 50s/60s dress and jacket, bought from Home Sweet Homestyle at Hep Cats Holiday. The Jacket was nearly going to be left at the back of the cupboard, being terribly boxy for me in a typical 60s style, but I gave it a try to see if I couldn't liven it up, starting with my magic button box! (I have now taken it in with some darts and will show you in another post). The buttons it is sporting here are not the original, as they are a half inch out of placement, and they may have faded. At any rate, it was not helping the jacket step out of the doldrums and into wearable land.

So this is what the Button box turned out:

Some fabulous 40s buttons with little holes around the outside, creating an inverse polka dot of about the same size.  They are a off white and not as chunky as the original.

Under the collar I planted an plain navy button, to do away with that solid blob that distracted from the lace work right in the centre of things.  It will never be seen, and that is just the point of making it a background button.

As for the 50s blouse I opted for plain plain plain, it is a actually a modern button which I was thankful to find three of, with a slight pearly lustre just right for being stylishly subtle and to look vintage-esque enough.

And finally - the most amazing match, a 50s/60s button in a pearlised blue that does just the right amount of matching and lifting the jacket. I doubt I could have found a better combination of colour, style and decade anywhere!

So there we have it, a case of Button Botox bringing new life to old garments. I am really looking forward to giving these all an outing and I will show you how they look in action then.

I will leave you with a selection of spring inspired buttons I found during my fossick.  The plate, amazingly is Royal Albert "Blossom Time", how fitting!

Shona x