Fun with Buttons

 

These look like candy!

Love the illustrations...

"Pearls" (made from shells). 

I spent the past week or so sorting and organizing buttons from my HUGE stash--I "deaccessioned" a LOT. (Where did they all come from? Ha!)

Squeeee!

 

That thing where you buy a pattern at an estate sale and look inside to find not one, not two, but THREE Vogue sew-in labels! Whaaaat? So cool!

(For those who might not know, in the sixties and seventies, Vogue made cloth sew-in labels for their various "lines"--Vogue Paris Original, Vogue Young Fashionables, Vogue American Designer, and a few more--that you could ask for at the counter in your local fabric shop [the late, lamented freestanding fabric shop!] when you bought a Vogue pattern.) 

P.S. I love the vaguely Twiggy-esque model!

Sewing Zen

 

Made for a friend's little neighbor. Sewing things like this is so relaxing for me and takes my mind off of...everything. So fun!

Sock Monkeys in Love

 

(I made both of these...)

Ladies Having Coffee

 These ladies are enjoying coffee together...in their robes. Did they have a ladies' slumber party?

The ladies in the top photo are having a good time.

In this one, I think there might be some tension. The redhead seems to be giving the stink-eye to Ms. Yellow Robe...and from the look on the face of Miss In-the-Middle, I think she might have instigated it.

Fancy

 I collect vintage sewing and sewing-related books, pamphlet, etc., and I just treated myself to this rare booklet: Vogue's Book of Fancy Dress, from the 1920s. It is a catalogue of various costume patterns published by Vogue; the illustrations are beyond fabulous!

Finally...

Some Christmas gift making is happening up in here (so late!)...

Quilty Goodness

This is a lovely soft and faded quilt--alas, it's also QUITE ripped up so I will be selling it as a "cutter" quilt. All hand sewn, pretty pastel floral prints...so much work! Hats off the the quilters of yore.

Lucky Find

Just a few days after seeing the amazing quilt exhibition, I was lucky enough to find a quilt top at a rummage sale. I need to add a backing (no batting, just a plain back) to turn it into a lightweight coverlet. Love the vintage fabrics!

Faux-Mekko

I found this cute fake Marimekko fabric and thought I might make a sixties-esque shift out of it...stay tuned!

Quilt Love

Amazing handwork (and color placement) in these quilts in an exhibition at the San Diego Museum of Art. The exhibition is titled "Quilts and Color" and is from the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. These are all collected by a couple who then donated them to the museum. Some of them look very modern, but in fact all were made before 1930. Love! The amount of work boggles the mind...

Frumpy to Cute

I bought this long black linen dress at a thrift shop...way too long, kinda frumpy, but with cute pintucks at the bodice.

I cut off about 6 inches and added some vintage trim around the bottom. Ta-da: a much cuter frock!

Finally...

It's happening...I'm actually sewing something using my new dress form and new Janome sewing machine. Pics to follow (if I actually succeed, of course!).

Older = Better

I love vintage sewing books: they contain the same sewing instructions and advice as modern books but have MUCH nicer illustrations. The design of the cover of the Butterick book on the left is fab!

Pinned Tomatoes

I buy these every time I see them at a sale (and I see them a LOT). I just like them, for whatever reason...the one on the right in front is actually the one I use for hand-sewing purposes.

Pretty Patchwork

 I can fully understand why some people are obsessed with quilts. They are amazing little works of art, even when they are in a well-worn condition like these (technically these are not quilts since they are not "quilted"--they are patchwork). The fabrics, the stitching...I love them! I am not keeping them, though, because that way lies madness!

Say Hello to My Little Friend

I made this little felt skelly for B. for Day of the Dead, and Miss Mae, of course, was completely disdainful...although she IS resting her chin on it in the last photo. Silly girl!

Sweetness

Would you please look at these adorable little 1930s frocks? These are 1930s McCall sewing patterns. The bottom one has already sold (after being listed for just one day); the other is missing the cross stitch transfer but is still super super sweet! The illustrations are the best--check out their rosy little knees! Just one of the reasons I am obsessed with vintage sewing patterns (ahem).