Sunday, January 22, 2017

Valentine's Day Decor

Valentine's day is less than a month away and it's time to start thinking about decorating ideas. Table runners make an easy and festive decoration and can be used on islands, buffets, and tables. We have quite a few available for sale at our shop here.








Friday, November 25, 2016

Ready for Christmas!!!

We've been so busy since I last posted. We added table runners as an item for sale in our shop and they have been very popular. We've made some lovely Christmas runners and here are a few we have for sale. You can find them here: Holiday/Seasonal Items











Sunday, July 24, 2016

Sunday Showcase

I posted a pic a few days ago of this cute stuffed bear that we were working on for our Etsy shop and here is a finished version that is now available for sale.

He is really adorable! Here are some other things for sale at our site.

Crocheted Beret

Mother and Daughter Apron Set
Child's Apron





Friday, July 22, 2016

Vintage Catalogs and Fashion

You can look through an entire Sears catalog from 1934 here, but here are a few highlights.

I would love so much to be able to go back in time and shop for this stuff. My mom and I try to find material that has a vintage look to it when making aprons for our shop and finding these old catalogs helps us to know what to look for in colors and prints.


Look at these dresses, they are so pretty! Our Etsy shop is a side business but I do have a regular full time job (data analyst) and I wear dresses and heels every day. I'd love to have some of these.
 
These slips are beautiful too. I've seen lots of these at vintage clothes store and the material is still so soft and silky. Peach is one of my favorite colors and that was a very popular color for undergarments in the 1920s and 1930s.
We'll need a good way to organize and keep all of our vintage clothes so why not (go back in time) and try this from the 1944 Sears Christmas Catalog found here.

 
 
 


Thursday, July 21, 2016

1920s Ladies Jackets and One Big Fashion Faux Pas

 
I found the pictures of these beautiful jackets here in a crochet book from Corticelli dated 1922. Many of these are called tuxedo jackets or tuxedo blouses in the book. I think they are called that because of the collar they have that mimics the collar and lapel of a tuxedo as the patterns call it a tuxedo collar.

I think the ladies modeling these lovely items went a little heavy on the blush - ha! You can see the tuxedo style collar more clearly in this jacket from the same book.


I haven't tried to make any of the sweaters or jackets from these old booklets yet because it can be difficult to determine what type of yarn or what size hook/needles to use as the naming and numbering have changed. The terminology can be different as well.
 
Here is a yarn conversion chart that I found to be helpful. For now though I am mostly sticking with making scarves or wraps from these really old patterns as they are less complicated and easier to replicate. I am making things to sell so quick turnaround is important for me however, if you have time, it would be a fun project to try and make one of these. 
 
I know styles change, I mean I can look back at a picture of myself from 10 or 15 years ago and wonder why I thought something looked good at the time, but I can't imagine that the sweater from 1917 on the right in the picture below was ever in fashion. The poor guy wearing it is clearly in agreement with me. He's perfectly happy with the sweater on the left and then somebody put that abomination on him and he turned sour fast! Hopefully he at least got a decent paycheck for having to wear that thing.
 
 
 
 
 


Wednesday, July 20, 2016

A New Teddy Bear Friend

We recently picked up a pattern to make some stuffed animals (bear, bunny, fox, and wolf) and my mom just got done making the first one (the bear) and it turned out even more adorable than I had hoped.


I named him Humphrey.



How cute is that tail?! Then look at his little feet - it's cuteness overload!!!

This one was just a test (his left eye isn't place quite right) so he's mine but we will make a bunch more and have them for sale at our shop. These are going to make such precious gifts for the little ones in your life (or the big ones who are still kids at heart-like me!). Also the eyes and nose are made from safety buttons so they will not easily come off as they are anchored on the inside.

1920s and 1930s Outerwear and My Favorite Flapper

I know it's hot outside and the last thing people are thinking about right now are winter coats but, when you're running a shop, you have to be prepared ahead of time for each season. Before we know it, the weather will begin to turn cold and the coats will come out from the back of the closet.

The 1920s and 1930s are my favorite decades for fashion and I especially love the winter wear. Look at these beautiful 1930s coats (and hats!).
Fur lined collars were very popular during those years but I think this woman is taking it to extremes!

These coats below look like they are from the early to mid-1930s and I love seeing them in color. In the 1920s many dresses and coats had a somewhat straight line shape to them but in the 1930s style changes to be more feminine and figure hugging as you can see in the items below.  
I let out an audible gasp when I came across this pattern in Joanns. It's a reproduction of a pattern from 1927 and it's gorgeous! It has options for a removeable cape and a fur lined or plain collar.
1927 is one of my favorite years for many reasons. My grandpa was born that year, it's the year the first feature length talking picture debuted (The Jazz Singer), and it was also a big year for my favorite actress Clara Bow.


 
Clara was the quintessential flapper and in 1927 she had two big hit films with "Wings" and "It". It (1927) tells the story of a girl working in a department store who falls for the owner's son and after a bit of trouble and misunderstanding, she finds her happy ending. It's basically Cinderella for the flappers. It's a silent movie but don't let that put you off; it's a wonderful, fun film and Clara is so vivacious and alive she practically leaps off the screen and you won't even notice you can't hear them speaking.
 
You can watch the film here: 
This hat is so cute and I'd love to try and recreate it. The pic is from Clara's film Rough House Rosie (1928). It looks like a beret with a scarf attached to it along the brim.
We'll make a test coat from the pattern shown above first, and if it comes out well, we'll have them for sale at our Etsy shop later in the year. I have seen some beautiful faux fur at Joann's so we may be able to have that option as well. I love testing out new patterns because I get to keep the test version. If I can recreate Clara's hat, we'll have those available too!