My Sewing Room

The roads were terrible when I woke up this morning. My boss had already told me not to come in if the roads were bad so I stayed home. This meant I could spend all day inside doing nothing, which I did :D

Well I suppose I shouldn't say "nothing" since I got a lot of knitting done, and I also managed to snap a few quick pictures of my recently made-over sewing room. My "sewing room" serves a variety of functions. It is a place for me to watch movies, hang out with friends, store a lot of my stuff, and is sort of a hallway to our upperdeck. Which all these other functions, it perhaps isn't the best room for sewing. Still, I love having a space to relax and create something beautiful. So without further ado here is what my sewing room now looks like:

Bird's eye view of my work space. The craft show sign I actually found in the middle of the woods. I have to sewing standing up due to the height of the counter, which doesn't help the straightness of my seams...

On the back of my door I have re-purposed a broken embroidery hoop and some clothes pegs to create an "inspiration board".

1930's hats make any space beautiful.

I use a thrifted silver tray and a piece of vintage fabric to decorate my folding wall table.

Ribbon storage and antique postcard display.

This "side table" is actually a small stool with a box and a tray on top. I store most of my knitting supplies in the box.

I love this trunk for storing fabric and materials for sewing projects.

Where do you ladies sew/craft/be creative? I just love looking at other peoples work spaces so if you feel like doing a post in response to this please leave me a link in the comments :)

I would just like to give a big thank you to Betty2Tone Vintage for giving me a Stylish Blogger Award. Since I just did this one a few posts back I won't bore you with more facts about myself. But thank you!

That's All.

Simple Fingerless Gloves

This post took longer than anticipated due to the fact I couldn't seem to take decent pictures. So please excuse some of the pictures, since my camera hates the colour red and I had to use my own hands for modelling (I would never be able to get a job as a hand model!).

This weeks crafting project is a pair of fingerless gloves. Not super "vintagey" but very practical. I live in an old house, which means in the winter my hands get very cold when inside. These gloves are warm but still allow you to have use of your fingers (for typing or knitting!). This is a very simple project; if you can knit a scarf then you can knit these gloves.
Simple Fingerless Gloves

-Yarn (I used 100% wool to keep my hands extra toasty)

-Knitting Needles (around a US size 9 or 10)

1) Cast on stitches to create the length of the glove. I used 25 stitches for mine but add more if you would like them longer.

2) Use a plain knit stitch, and continue knitting until it can comfortably fit around your wrist (without stretching). Cast off.

3) Repeat, creating another rectangle of the exact same size.

4) Decide where to put your thumb hole (trying placing your hand on the rectangle to get an idea of size and placement). I used bobby pins to mark the spot.

5) Use some of your yarn to sew the top and bottom of your knitting together (leaving the hole for the thumb open).
6) Turn inside out and you're done! You can embellish these plain gloves any way you like. Perhaps a row of buttons up the side, or some lace around the edges? I knitted little bows from this pattern and attached one to each glove.And that's it! Very easy and very quick to knit. Want something more complicated? Check out my Etsy shop for some more challenging vintage patterns. Yes I know, shameless self promotion ;)

Two (late) New Years Resolutions

I wasn't going to make any New Years resolutions this year. There was nothing that really seemed worth making a resolution about. Then as I was trying to tidy up a bit I realized how much stuff I actually have crammed in my room. I now have two resolutions:

1) Stop buying things I "want" and only buy things I "need"

2) Use up what I have

The last resolution mainly pertains to my craft supplies and fabric stash. My fabric is overspilling its storage unit, as are various things I have saved with the intention of "one day doing something with that". Well that "someday" is now.

So far I have used up fabric by making:

-Pajama pants (really cute but in the wash so no pictures)

-Hair rollers

-A really ugly little purse (I hate quilting!!!!)

-A dress from a 1950's pattern I wanted to try

I actually wore the dress for a girls night out, but had to pair it with a little wool sweater and tights since it was freezing out!

I also made a random pom-pom today. No idea what to actually do with it now... (It is the same size as the picture. Any suggestions?)
I am also dying a sweater as I type this. I had two packets of red dye left over from a Halloween costume I never made. Red dye+White (stained) Sweater=(hopefully) Cute Red Sweater.

How is everyone else doing with their resolutions? I only made mine three days ago and already kind of broke resolution #1. I bought a copy of a 1951 Life magazine. I "needed" it for scanning :D

That's All.

Winter Mode and Christmas Crafts

The last few days have been cold and blustery. Dresses have not been an option for school, so I have slipped into "winter mode" in terms of my clothing choices. This is a typical outfit, not actually vintage but rather vintage inspired:

Top: Elsa's (She owned a great little store in my home town but it retired now)

Wool Pants: Winners

Flower: Made by Me

Lipstick: Ruby Woo by MAC (I love this colour!)

It is getting closer and closer to Christmas everyday! I am getting quite excited and have already started making some new decorations. I have a lot more on my "to-make" list but that requires a trip to the craft store. I am still in the process of making some of these, so this is just a little sneak peak. Martha Stewart's website really does have the best Christmas craft ideas. Most of the above crafts were based on tutorials from there.

On the sidebar of my blog, you may notice I have started a poll. I would love if you could take a second and vote on what type of posts you like to see here. Just leave me a comment if you have any other suggestions. I write this blog because I enjoy doing so, but it is nice to know what people want to see more of :)

That's All.

Meow

I hadn't really planned on doing a Friday post but I need a break from studying. Next week I have 3 midterms and several assignments. The week after that I have 1 midterms and quite a few projects and assignments. All and all I am a little stressed.

When I'm stressed I tend to craft. So far this week I have been working on my knitting (that skirt isn't getting done anytime soon...), finishing up my Halloween costume, and making plenty of hair flowers. Since the fall crafting season is over, all the fall floral items were on sale at Michaels. Instead of paying between $5 and $15 per flower, I paid $10 for 8 flowers plus the hair clips I glued them on! Yay for clearance sales!

Friday seems to be the only day I have time to take outfit pictures in the morning before class, so here is what I wore today:

Sweater: Winners

Skirt: Thrifted (its actually a floor length skirt but I am wearing it as a dress here)

Tights: Zellers (but darned by me!)

Belt: I think it came with a shirt I bought a long time ago...

Necklace: Either borrowed from my mother or my grandmother and never returned...

I noticed that I've never posted pictures of me in my glasses on this blog. So, um surprise? My long distance vision isn't very good so I have to wear glasses if I want to see things clearly. I tend not to wear them outside class because I find them annoying to wear. And besides, the world is prettier if it's a little blurry :D

And let me just state that new "cat-eye" glasses are extremely hard to find! It took me months to find this pair.

One last thing, I know I said I would be announcing the giveaway winner today but I have decided to extend the deadline until next Friday. I haven't gotten much of a response and I can't get to the post office this week anyways so I have pushed it back a bit. If you want to enter just go to the post with the word "Giveaway" in the title and leave me a comment. Good Luck!

That's All.

Well if I drop out of Math I can always become a Milliner...

I really do not enjoy university. That whole thing about it being the best years of your life? That better be a lie or else I am going to be veeerrryy disappointed in life. Right now I am looking forward to retirement.

As I am sure you can tell, it has been a hard first week (and the week isn't even half over yet!). My room is still a disaster so no pictures yet. Here instead is a picture of the hat I just made (the glue gun is still hot!). It is the result of my latest shopping trip to Michaels. I bought the flowers (on sale for $1!) and a square of felt (also $1). I was going to try and steam the felt into a 1930's shape but that didn't quite work. Still I am happy with the result. Total cost for new hat? $2!!!! :D

Also bought on my Michaels trip were some lovely notecards. 8pack for $1.50 (well actually it was $6 for 4 8packs but that is a lot of notecards)! I love writing letters and these give me the perfect excuse. I also bought a mug with the same picture on it (my old mug seems to have gotten lost in transit....)



And finally, just before I left I made one last trip to the Kirby book sale.

Some I bought just for their covers:

And some I bought just for their age (this book is circa 1890 and I got it for $1!):

That's All.

DIY Natural Hair Pomade (or Hand-Salve, you pick)

I have been dying to get some hair pomade for a while now but all the major brands contain waaaayy too many crazy sounding chemicals for me. So I decided to try to make my own. Several failed attempts later here is what I have found works best:

1) Gather your supplies. You will need some beeswax, some oil (I used a combination of Jojoba oil and Olive oil) and microwavable glass bowl.

2) Melt beeswax in microwave. Heat it for 30 seconds, stir then repeat until melted. You can also use a double boiler but the wax really sticks to metal, and using a glass bowl over a pot takes a long time to melt the wax.

3) Add oil, and quickly stir until it is thoroughly mixed. I used an almost equal amount of oil and wax, with slightly more oil. If you want a thinner consistency, add more oil. (Mine turned out thicker than normal pomade but it still works well).

4) Pour into a jar or container and let cool. When cooled it will have somewhat solidified.

To Use: Warm a bit in your hands then apply as you would a normal pomade.

I actually found this recipe also works fabulously as a hand-salve. After applying to my hair, I rub a bit into my cuticles and any dry patches on my hands (or feet). It has a lovely honey scent, but if you wanted to get creative you could add some essential oils and create your own scent.

New Clothes, New Shoes, and Old Lace

My cousins came over for my mothers birthday a couple weeks ago but I only just remembered I took a picture of the table setting. I am completely in love with the lace table runner. I was searching for table linens and I found it stuffed in a drawer. My mom thinks it belonged to her grandmother.

For a centre piece I gathered a bunch of antique glass bottles and filled them with forget-me-nots. They are by far my favourite flower and our gardens have grown wild with them. I must remember to pick some more for my room.

The property search continues so I haven't had much time for shopping, but I managed a trip to the Softmoc warehouse outlet this morning. Yay shoes! (I am hopelessly in love with the boots. They were more money than I should have spent but I was too smitten to leave them)

And now as promised, some pictures of my latest sewing creations. I am still working on the slippers and 1950's jacket but as soon as they near completion pictures will be posted
Skirt-Made by me!
Shirt- Designer Depot

Dress- Made by me without using a pattern :)


And after nearly a year of not working on the hat, I sat down and finished it! It is a gift for my friend Jesse and it turned out much better than expected.

Patterns and Pincurls

So ready to see the final results of my pincurl efforts with my new haircut?

Yes, I know. I look a bit like a poodle. So it didn't turn out nearly as well as hoped. Actually I had worried it might not hold the curl well enough. Turns out it holds it quite well. Too well. I was actually forced to go out with my hair like this since I had an exam review period and no time to de-poof.

On the plus side, it did allow me to test the new recipe I found for hair setting lotion. Link here. It is made from flax seeds that are basically boiled in water. It was a lot thicker than I expected but it really works. My hair held most of that poof all day. Which may or may not be a good thing.... But it didn't make my hair greasy or crunchy like normal hair products.

In other news, I went to the antiques market after my exam. I know I was just there but I figured it was one of my last chances before I move. I ended up scoring some lovely patterns. They cost only about $3.50 each, which is amazing considering last time I was in Fabricland they had new patterns "on sale" for $15 each!!!

The first one I think is from the late 1950's. The other two I know are from the mid-1960's.

I am quite looking forward to being reunited with my sewing machine. When I get home I am going to hit the fabric store and get some nice new fabric to make something. I may start with the jacket since it looks quite easy and I haven't sewn with a pattern in a while. Normally I just wing it and hope for the best.

I also saw the cutest sewing box at the antique market. I didn't buy it since it was a little pricey and I couldn't figure out how to get it back on the bus with me. I am hoping it is still there when my parents pick me up in a week and a half. I will be heartbroken if it isn't. I couldn't find an exact picture but it looks like a slightly more 1950's version of this:

Results of the haircut

I took before pictures as proof that my hair actually is a lot shorter. It is still long but I cut at least 4 inches off the bottom and added some layering. I like it and am excited to see if it pin-curls any better. My hair actually has a lot more volume now without that excess weight. And it likes to fall slightly over one eye, so perfect for the Veronica Lake look I was trying to go for. Overall, not bad for 10 minutes in the bathroom with a pair of scissors.

It is a little hard to see the haircut in the pictures below due to the fact there isn't enough light in the apartment to use my web-cam for photos but I couldn't get all my hair in the picture with my SLR.

Before: Freakishly long, gross and only wearable if pinned up.

After: Still long but not freakishly so, with more layers.

My weekend craft project was this lovely ribbon holder. It was my BFF's idea (link to her blog --->) and is basically just a piece of ribbon strung though the middle of the ribbon spools and then tied to my desk shelf. It works quite well and is expandable as I get more ribbon.

That was basically all I did this weekend other than study for my Applied Math: Differential Equations course exam.

Anyone else listen to Max Raabe? I just discovered him a couple days ago but I love his rather tongue and cheek take on modern songs. His voice reminds me slightly of Rudy Vallee. Here are two of my favourite covers he's done: (first one because I like how it sounds, second one just because it makes me giggle)