Blogtoberfest Day 31: Thrifty Hallowe'en

Not too much thrifting this weekend due to the number of concerts and services in which the family was involved and me feeling poorly. On Thursday, my husband was told that the orchestra were expected to wear costumes for the Family Adventures Concerts on Saturday and Student Matinees today and tomorrow. Since he is required to play his instrument while in costume there are certain possibilities that would be out of the question i.e. anything that limits movement or the ability to hold the instrument, restricts vision or causes difficulty sitting are off limits. This year he did not have enough lead up time to really get creative but recently I found an Aussie cowboy hat that looks really good on him. On Friday we went to the closest Sally Ann looking for cowboy boots and found them! I really thought it would be a long shot but there they were.


Here he is showing off the hat while hiding behind its big, black brim. I suppose it wound up at the thrift store as a discarded tourist's souvenir just like all the beautiful Australian tea towels that I find. I have another Aussie 'drover's' hat that belonged to my Nanan. She regularly visited Australia to see her sister and her family and her older son. She loved to wear hats and encouraged my love at a very early age so I am thrilled to have her hat as well as this one.







We are really starting to feel the chill and the furnace is on at least a little bit everyday so I was happy to find furnace filters at the thrift store for less than half of their price at the hardware store. The crafty/nesting urge has brought me into our family room to do some handwork. This handwork basket is a recent find and has just the right amount of 'Granny Chic" to make me happy! It is the perfect size to put my felted sweater projects while I am working on them.


Since I found it, I have seen similar work baskets that have been made over but I am quite happy with the way it looks as it is and will give a full view in a future post. I have quite a few other projects on the go, including another sewing basket/stool so it is a relief to find thrift store items that do not require alteration. After searching for a long time, I have not been able to find a good craft/reading/task light when thrifting so we ended up buying retail this lamp. While the company makes a dedicated craft lamp, this one was less expensive and suited the room.



The youngest two 'shopped' for their costumes in our house. The youngest decided to fuse a clown costume with a skull mask which created the creepy, scary result he desired while his older brother opted for a 'nerd' costume. I really appreciated how creative they both were, working with what we have. It was a much more stimulating exercise than going shopping, even at the thrift store, for stuff that we will not need after Hallowe'en.


For other thrifty inspiration check out all the blogs that have linked with Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday.

Blogtoberfest Day 30: Almost There But Not...

Well, Blogtoberfest is almost coming to a close; I am happy to have been posting almost everyday, but it has been a bit challenging this weekend, as I have been under the weather health-wise and I was frustrated by my adhesive disappointment. Here are the decoupaged pieces, which I am pleased with, save for paper that won't stick to the paint! Given that I was feeling poorly, I hoped that this project would boost my mood, but that was marred by the lack of adhesion, grrr. I think that my only option is to try using the 'modge podge' and hope for the best. I am really pleased with the combination of flowered papers. With Halloween tomorrow, other activities will be my focus.

Blogtoberfest Day 29: Work in Progress

Back in September, in preparation for the urge to nest and craft with the cooler weather, I sanded, primed and spray painted these wooden office organization pieces. I needed to prepare the surfaces for decoupaging them with pretty papers. Unfortunately, I forgot to photograph them in the intermediate step of paint only and launched into applying the paper today.


Here are some of the vintage wrapping paper I have found while thrifting in the last year or so. My plan for the storage pieces is to use a mix of pattern and I quite enjoyed choosing and cutting the paper today. I was so inspired by how the project was coming together that I went ahead and braved the crisp air outside and applied the the spray glue to the wood and stuck on the paper. Generally, I was pretty pleased with the results and went inside to let the solvents of the glue dissipate for a few minutes. I retrieved the pieces a little later to let the glue dry fully indoors but have ran into a frustration: the adhesive is not providing a consistent bond! I do not think that I can lacquer them if there are parts of the paper not sticking to the wood, I am not sure that I can try white glue or 'modge podge' when there is already spray glue applied and I do not have enough paper to start again. Help!!! I do not remember having these issues the last time that I tried something like this and I am not sure how to rectify this situation. Any suggestions?



On a more successful note I was very happy that I had brought in all my geraniums and fuchsias into our sun room the other day as we have had frost at night. The sun room is only a three season room and the plants will need to come inside for the winter but it does serve as a quarantine zone where I can apply insecticidal soap and make sure that the plants are pest free before I expose them to my houseplants.

Blogtoberfest Day 28: Patterning My Dreams

Many vintage sewing patterns that I find while thrifting are uncut, supporting my belief that dreaming about making certain garments is as important as making them. Some of my earliest memories are of sitting at the pattern catalogue counter turning the pages and dreaming about the dresses. Playing dress-up was a favourite occupation and this was just a mental extension of that activity. Other sewers must also feel this way, that possessing the actual pattern is a way to grab onto that dream just a little more securely, with the expectation of it being attainable. The pattern for the dress and coat combination pictured is cut, but the sew-in label that was available with the pattern was not used. I love the seaming details and would like to make it but that would require grading up the pattern size.


This outfit also suits my tastes and is fairly close to my size. As usual, I am a sucker for a jacket especially if it has three-quarter sleeves! The notched collar on the jacket would make a perfect spot for a standout vintage brooch. A brocade, lace, linen or raw silk are all fabric suggestions on the back that fire my imagination.









I cannot decide which view I like the best of this Vogue "young fashionables" design, styled for the young woman who emulates an older woman's elegance. This is somewhat the opposite of current trend of middle-aged women seeking to be fashionable often choosing styles that, at best, erode their elegance.
While in high school, I longed for the time when I could make and wear couture-inspired suits and gowns. This style features darting from hip to bust which was a common detail for fitting a figure before the prevalence of lycra.







The controlled fullness of the skirt would be easier to wear than the above sheath. Although it has bridal and bridesmaid's view, this pattern is also suggested as an evening or cocktail gown. The simplicity of the figure-flattering bodice, self-fabric belt and softly pleated skirt would showcase the beauty of the fabric without overwhelming the wearer.


This apron pattern from the 1940's would be a good place to start turning these pattern dreams into realty, the charm of a vintage design with the practicality of full coverage. It only requires 2 yards and I am sure that I have some great rick-rack for the trim.


Which designs are your favourites? These come from my collection of vintage patterns. I have more than a few collections that I have linked with Vintage Velda's collections post.

Blogtoberfest Day 27: Outings and Thrifted Outfits

This week has been full of outings with my eldest. I was able to borrow two museum privilege cards from the library: The Museum of Science and Technology and the duo pass for the War Museum and the Museum of Civilization. With such a good deal, I have made several visit to each. I find that it is very easy to take the easy, comfortable route for wardrobe when home keeping and creating in the studio but that usually spirals into a not so good place for me. When an outing is in the plans, a little fashion inspiration is an excellent thing. With my extensive thrifted collection of clothes, getting dressed is another opportunity for creativity. I had planned to post several outfit photos but was unable to upload them to the blog. More than a little frustration has led me to conclude that today's blog post will not have any photos. I hope that everyone has a wonderful evening and I will try again tomorrow.

Blogtoberfest Day 26: Pin Cushions and thrifted sewing basket

If you sew, even occasionally, you likely own a pin cushion which is this week's theme at Punky and Me's My Place and Yours. I have several in my possession: the one I have owned since a child, the vintage one that came in the pictured sewing basket and the magnetic one that I have used since my Mum bought me a sewing machine when I was 21. Ubiquitous as it is, the tomato pin cushion is actually very practical: some have an elastic wrist strap and the little attached 'strawberry' contains emery which keeps your needles and pins sharp and clean. When I was in second grade, my parents presented me with a Singer Junior Miss sewing machine along with the pincushion and scissors shown in this picture. A lot of doll clothes were made using that machine before I start using my Mum's Singer four years later. I have come across them at the thrift store and wonder if I should own one now? I am happy that I still have the pin cushion and scissors.


I did not buy the sewing basket for the basket, but for what was in it. I love vintage sewing supplies and this basket contained items that were definitely older than the basket. This photo shows darning wool, hook and eyes, pins and needles, a pin cushion, thimble and bodkin. The needles were all made in England in the town of Redditch which once produced ninety per cent of all needles in the world. The pin cushion had some hidden, slightly rusted needles, which I will see if I can clean up and I like its petite size which should be perfect in my chair-side kit in the family room. The bodkin is made of bone or ivory and is used for threading ribbon or elastic in a casing or eyelets and I am sure it will be more pleasurable to use than the plastic ones available now. I think about the former owner transferring all the vintage sewing supplies into the 'new basket'.


The yellow thimble is an early plastic, likely celluloid and fits me perfectly. I am looking forward to using it. With a fine level of finish and depth of colour it is very different than a modern plastic thimble that you might find in a cheap sewing kit. The fabric colour and design of the made-in-Japan sewing basket suggests the late 1970's or early 1980's and I think I will fill it with supplies for my daughter who is starting to show an interest in sewing.

Blogtoberfest Day 25: Clothing Care Secrets and More ThriftyFinds

Clothing care is an important part of any one's wardrobe. While most store-bought garments have a garment care label, it is really only a guideline. When you make your own clothes or you have bought used clothes, a deeper knowledge of how to care for them is required. Most, but not all, can be laundered if proper care is taken. The "dry clean only" recommendation is purely a recommendation and is certainly not necessary for all garments. Jodi at Couture Allure has just posted an excellent tutorial about washing vintage silk scarves which is a happy coincidence. I would use the same advice for washing silk blouses. My intended post for today was touching on spot cleaning. The photo here shows a chocolate-brown linen skirt with a mark, which I believe is chocolate. While travelling in Europe this past summer with the choir in which my boys sing, I learned a new method while wearing the same skirt. The wife of one of the men in the choir, a long-time wardrobe mistress for musicals, operas, ballets and theatres, noticed some marks on the back of my skirt and said that she could take care of it. She grabbed a bottle of alcohol-based hand sanitizer and applied it directly to my skirt and rubbed it in with her hands. Within seconds, the mark was gone and within a minute or two, the spot was dry, without a trace of a mark.


Here is the same spot shown in the above photo after using the same method. You may wish to do a spot test in an inconspicuous spot on the garment, but as I understand it, most fibres will not be harmed by the hand sanitzer. From an environmental perspective and frugal slant this method wins over the spot treatments available to the home consumer or through the dry cleaner.








Now for a little thrifting: Here is a lovely pink melamine bowl. It is not vintage, but I have a soft spot for melamine and this shade of pink should work well with my vintage pieces. This pink is a happy colour for me and with some rather grey days in the last week, it gives me a boost. I am also very excited about this ribbon which is also not vintage but drew me in with its colour.






I love using wooden hangers for clothing care and these will work well for skirts and jacket. Good shaping through the shoulder or waistband require a solid hanger that offers enough support. When it is not necessary to launder a garment, hang the garment and allow it to air out, to dissipate the heat and moisture from your body, before returning it to your closet. This photo shows a packet of craft magnets and two hem clips along with a package of suction cup spiders to aid in Halloween decoration.


I also found pyjama pants for my husband and a long-sleeved polo for my eldest along with this somewhat homely stool. I have been inspired by the lovely Tif Fussel at Dottie Angel rambling on about dumpties. I love all of her crafty world and would like to stay there for a while. I hope that my stool will live up to the magic of Tif's inspiration. I found the Dottie Angel Blog through Sophie at Her Library Adventures but immediately recognized its style having seen it in Mollie Makes and Uppercase magazines. Her blog is fabulous and I am linking this post to Flea Market Finds.