A Question of Etticut

This was a book of my Grandma Eileen's that I found earlier in the week from 1964, Just the contents page makes me giggle!

Memories,

Morning all. Have just come back from my Grandad's house laden with fruit from his fruit tree's.

It makes me pretty sad as he died in February and Im not quite there with it yet. But it made me come home and look at some lovely old photos, Its nice to think about the fun he and my grandma had when they were younger. So I got out the photo's. Heres some of my favorites.

This is my Grandad Albie and my Grandma Eileen at a party in the early sixties, He was that sauve!

Slightly earlier here he is with his Sister Betty in the early fifties, I think he's in mid sentance or else pretty plastered!

I also found some of people I don't know but who are very stylish,

I'm not sure why but I imagine her to be a Vera, No idea who she is but gosh I wish I looked like that!

My great Auntie Myrna I Love her dress here! I'm guessing this is forties/fifties I'm tempted to make a replica!

This is Grandma Eileen with a friend the photo is labelled 1950. Eileen is on the Right I love their smart suits. Similar to this lady, (potentially the same friend)

This one could be of my Great Grandmother Florence (Grandma Eileen's Mama) She looks very wistful don't you think?

and finally I leave you with a bang, Grandma Eileen is in the middle in the faux fur with the dog. surrounded by some strange band, looks like fun though!

It's All Happening!

I must get into this blogging more often I have a backlog of stuff to put up. So I'll start with two bits I've been meaning to upload.

First Dadadaaaaa

Outfit post. I was very very nervous about this but if it helps my confidence it's gotta be a bonus right?

So here It is, me looking fairly miserable for some reason, probably because my brother was behind the camera lens shouting DAHHHHLING at me, This Dress is from Joules and is called Posey I love the shape of it and it fits nicely. The pattern reminds me of a Pierre Bonnard painting I have on my wall.

Of course I can't remember the name or date (Fashion History Student I should be ashamed!) but doesn't it look like the bedclothes have a similar pattern? I love the light and colour in that painting! The Cardi I have on is from TK Maxx and Is one of my best buys, I wear it all the time and the fifties style embroidery on it makes it really fun! You will see a lot of this Cardigan I guarantee. The shoes are amazing 30's looking heels from Jones the bootmaker, They are a similar pink to the Cardigan and because they are such a nude shade with that gold detailing they can potentially go with everything! (I say this to justify all shoes but I think these will go with quite a lot.) I will do a close up of them another day they are sooo pretty!!! But onto other news...

You will also be shocked to know instead of just warbling on about it all the time I've actually done some sewing! I have finished my muslin for my Butterick Retro dress. Which needs a nicer name any suggestions welcome!

My mannequin Evelyn is my Auntie Karen's 1970's model but alas she lacks wicked curves and a big enough bust size for me to fit my clothes to. So she may be retired to the Attic soon in favor of a Lady Valet. Overall I'm pleased with the fit of this dress the waist is a little snug but I have adjusted it a teeny bit and intend to lower the neckline about 2 inches. I am making it in the knitted kingfisher polyester fabric here. But i'm debating if I should go the whole hog and interface and fully line it, I was always crap at that at college but with no time restraints and actual use of the instructions I could do it. Any comments appreciated.

Rita Hayworth, You were Never Lovelier!

Anyone else got an obsession with a filmstar? I have a bad one with Rita Hayworth. To the point of dying my hair red and watching her films over and over again.

Tonight it was "You were never Lovelier" with Fred Astaire. So many beautiful costumes and songs!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k72XIuUIxYE

She was the most breathtakingly beautiful serene looking woman!

Blue, blue and more blue

After a very exhausting two days trucking up and down to Devon with my parents and grandma, I have pooled a lovely little make-shift stash to start sewing away at. I'm sorry that so far all you've seen is inspiration and patterns but this post is different it also has... FABRIC! A little bit of a trip to Totnes yesterday brought me to an amazing little sewing shop called Stone Fabrics and I wish I'd taken my camera it was sooo beautiful with staff that knew absolutely everything. I'm pretty sure I heard one lady talk another through each step of an entire pattern! I was in search of slightly Autumn/Winter fabrics and boy did I find them I got this amazing medium weight Polyester knit in a kingfisher blue perfect for my Butterick B5032 Vintage 52 reprint, which I also purchased.

There was also a lovely moss green version but my funds did not allow sadly. However they do offer an internet service woohoo! So that is next on my list.

Today however it occurred to me I had spent a fair bit on this fabric and have recently made a pretty dress in a greeny tweed which I have had endless fitting problems with (see previous post) So I have to swallow my pride and admit that at college they were right that doing a Toile is the right thing to do (I hate them, I am far too impatient but this leaves me with a million and one unwearable garments due to my lack of care in the bottom of the pile to be sorted.)

So I toddled into another fab shop in Exeter, aptly named Exeter Sewing Machines. Another brilliant place for tweeds and knits that I crave at the moment. However after a lovely chat with some other shop goers, I decided on a cheap 100% cotton in a chalky sky blue for my toile. (think nurses uniform colour) Problem is I am concerned I will look like a nurse if I ever wore it out...

Nevermind I also purchased a Navy cotton poly mix to replicate Tilly from Tilly and the buttons' Birthday party dress. It is such a beautiful dress, so easy and simple to wear with just the right touch of red on the sash so I'm sorry to say I will probably replicate it shamefully!

Sorry Its been ages...

Sorry I've taken so long to post, had a bit of crap news and have only just had chance to get calm.

I have no sewing to show you as i'm now back in Bristol for a few weeks, although i did do some sleeves on a Chanel inspired green tweed dress from a Burda pattern from last year,(8-2009-128)

but I left it in Brighton before I left and didn't take a photo (Doh)

I wasn't feeling so hot so I decided to have a break in Bristol for a week. But then as I got home I found out that I had lost my job at the Vintage shop.

I am still pretty upset but my parents are making me stay in Bristol to recoup for a few weeks before coming back to find another job. So posts shall continue! As well as some sewing projects I hope!

heres what Burda made...

Work, Emma, Tea and Lemon Cake and a Mad Men themed Window Display...

This is what my day has consisted of! Me and my friend Emma have been sat at work dreaming up a mad men themed window display for the shop spurred on by homemade lemon loaf and tea. Our last triumph was a pushing daisies theme so it was a hard act to follow! Especially with the lack of 1950s/60s full skirted dresses and slinky Joan style shifts, But I think its turned out ok, If your in Brighton drop by and take a look!
Photos to come tommorrow if I remember my camera, Our Mannequins are now coincedently called Betty and Joan.

N.B. I yet again have no internet at home due to stupid Virgin Media so posts may be few and far between again!

I'm now home!

Yay I am now home and have been playing with my new sewing machine making some bunting which i will post up when its finished and pretty,

The reason i'm posting twice today is to say thankyou to my sadly former housemate and all round awesome buddy Jake for designing my title bit thingy. It looks awesome, and as he is my only follower to date THANKS

I will proceed in a very Jake fashion by posting up random things that are semi interesting in my room including my new sewing machine and very messy floor.

I'm now home!

Wish I was Home...

Hello, Today I am itching to get out of work. I work in a cute little Vintage shop in Brighton as I've mentioned, but today i'm watching the clock desperate to try out my new beauty of a sewing machine which arrived yesterday! I got it out the box, but have yet to start the baby up!
But my lovely housemate Josh is at work tonight so I can lock myself in my room with the andrews sisters blaring and get to work. First on my list is to attempt some bunting as prototypes to sell at upper gardener st market in Brighton and as its Pride! this weekend, I thought it would be a good time to launch it! We will see!
My wishlist also extends to this caravan...

I did it!

It's official I have bought a new sewing machine!!!! I'm sew exited (geddit?) I have been awaiting a repair on my mum's 80s frister rossmann, alas it was not to be therefore I took action! So by tommorrow evening I shall be happily snuggled up in my room sewing away at all the projects floating about in my little noggin brain, Everyone elses blogs get me so inspired and it has been really hard not having a machine to use!


Hopefully this is the start of something beautiful, any suggestions for a name of said sewing machine would be greatly appreciated.
The Photos above are some bits of inspiration i'm feeling at the moment

New Patterns

Ok So like everyone else in blogland I also have Mad Men Fever, I am a similar sized girl to Joan and have the same hair colour, so in my head I could hypothetically be her!

I am also a Vintage Junkie due to my mother being a minimalist modern lady, I work in a vintage shop, I study fashion history, It all fits!

So imagine my uber exitement when I walked into an (un- named) Brighton shop and found a little teeny corner where there were some of the nicest quality and cutest vintage patterns i have ever seen! (I look a lot at vintage patterns and never buy them)

They were also stupidly cheap but bearing in mind Vogue patterns in the UK are around £13 each I was thrilled and bought three!

The First would be fab in a baby blue I think! or a sultry red very 1940s! and I want some 40's style trousers but these 1970's one are pretty close, and now the piece de resistance... Amazing full skirted dress, the date on the packet is 1963 perfect as late fifties early sixties is fast becoming my favorite era!

Now to buy a new sewing machine...