· A Practically Vintage Plaid Skirt ·

Several months ago, I posted about some fabric I found on our first-ever estate sale trip.  I'm pleased to report that I have indeed finally done justice to it!

The fabric originally came with some magazine clippings that were very inspiring, but it soon became apparent that the quantity of fabric was so limited that I would need to use very judicious cutting to even manage a skirt from it!

I had a few different options for the skirt style, but I wanted to be certain that whatever I chose would do justice to the fabric and be something I'd love. :-)  It was so fortunate that one of my tried-and-true skirt patterns fit perfectly!

To add interest to the skirt, I made decorative welt pockets.  Whew.  That single element was more work and stress than the rest of the skirt combined, but considering how simple the rest was- I think I could manage a bit of extra mind work. ;-)

My cute little brooch from Switzerland!  My mom has had a similar one for years, so when we went to Switzerland I knew a brooch like this would be on the top of my souvenir list!  One of the charms is inscribed with the town of Murren, which is where I purchased it.

My shoes are from Amerimark- an "old lady" store with a remarkably large amount of classic styles at affordable prices!  This style is almost sold out, but a few sizes are still remaining!

One thing is for sure though- I have no previous experience with stiletto heels!  I haven't quite reached the appropriate level of gracefulness yet. ;-) 

At an estate sale this past fall, we found a treasure trove of old metal zippers from the 1940s- this was one of them.  I never realized how wonderfully thin and garment-appropriate metal zippers used to be!  I always thought of them like the chunky versions for sale today, but these have a very low profile (less obtrusive than modern plastic "regular" zippers) and are so smooth!  I'm a fan. ;-)

This hat is among our collection of "rarely worn" hats.  Its demure little bow is charming, but not quite my usual, and the overall shape works much better now that I have shorter hair!  Time will tell whether it becomes a new favorite or whether this was just a good opportunity to give it a bit of love. ;-) 

Matchy, matchy!  This fabric was so obliging and willingly submitted to matching the plaid on the *first* time.

I'm enamored.

· Photos, as always, by the wonderful Kathryn! ·

· A Fern Green Skirt ·

In an amusing twist of fate, I'm posting a very St. Patrick's appropriate outfit, and it's even on the appropriate week!  Totally unplanned. :-)

Anyway, on to the outfit!  I've been a huge fan of pink and green for about a decade now, and early on I reached a point where I continually reverted to them whenever I'd be getting new clothes.  After a few years, I decided to make a conscious decision to branch out into other colors to see if I had other favorites.

Well, I do have lots of favorites now, but these particular shades of fern and coral are still the reigning favorites!  And what better place to showcase them than in the Fern Room of a conservatory?

This fabric was an impulse purchase from JoAnn's- I had never seen it before (or since), but since it was a unique twill AND in my favorite color.... I had to do it.

The fabric is 100% cotton with a satin-weave and woven dots.  I love how unique it is!  And apparently it wrinkles quite well, too.  You're seeing this outfit in a completely natural setting- I usually try to keep my outfits to the same standards I have on a day-to-day basis... but I also usually have them freshly ironed for photos. ;-)

This outfit has just been through a day's worth of city-traipsing, donut-eating, humid-conservatory-wandering (if my hair looks like it's drooping in some of these photos.... now you know), and a little bit of toddler-wrangling (not pictured: said toddler or the berry stains he bestowed upon my blouse moments before these photos).  It's a great season of life; it's been full of lots of new experiences, and this has proven to be a practical outfit at any rate!

The skirt is made from a vintage pattern- McCalls 3404 but altered to be a normal waistband instead of a raised waist with suspenders.  I love the style and the pockets are perfection!

I wanted to add a bit of interest to an otherwise rather plain skirt, so I chose to do 3 rows of decorative top-stitching along the pockets, hem, and waistband.

If you noticed a difference in my hair- that's because I recently got a new cut!  This time I went with a chin-length bob and I'm the happiest I've been so far!

My blouse is made from Simplicity 2154; I posted about it in more detail here.  The sweater is one I altered this year using this method.

A great perk of making a green skirt is that I finally have the perfect excuse to wear this vintage hat!  It's been sitting around for years just waiting for me to love it... and now it can finally get its time in the limelight. :-)

· Photos by Kathryn ·

Skirt · self-made from vintage McCalls 3404

Blouse · self-made from vintage repro Simplicity 2154

Cardigan ·Kohl's, altered by me

Hat · can't remember, but I think it was from the school play costumes sale we went to in 2009 where we got our first batch of vintage hats!

Shoes · Clarks

A Superfluity of Strawberries!

With some wonderful spring-like weather this past week, my thoughts have been turning towards cottons and warm-weather clothes!

While I was browsing Penny Rose Fabric to look for inspiration for a new project, I was struck by the number of different strawberry prints they offer and I got totally inspired to wander down the rabbit trail to look for vintage strawberry-themed clothing!

Here's a mini Vintage Strawberry Fashion Guide and a glimpse of what I found! :-)  Enjoy the inspiration!

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source · source unknown · expired eBay auction · source unknown

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object # P91.102.1 at FIT museum

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Hollywood Pattern 1152 · Simplicity 3265 · Simplicity 3987 · Simplicity 4953
(don't miss that first pattern! personal favorite!!)


Penny Rose "Shabby Strawberry" fabric line


Penny Rose "Milk, Sugar, Flower" fabric line


Penny Rose "Shabby Strawberry" fabric line


Penny Rose "Strawberry Biscuit" fabric line


Penny Rose "Shabby Strawberry" fabric line

Check out more of my finds on my Pinterest board, and stay tuned for my strawberry dress later this year!  Are you inspired to do make something berry-themed now, too?? ;-)

· Literary Ball 2016! ·

After having such a smashing success at our Literary Ball last year, we thought it merited repitition!  We were able to use the same building as last year and while we had a smaller crowd, we had a wonderful amount of dancers for the space and we even had visitors from 4 different states! :-)

Kathryn, Tara, and I all came as characters from Cranford.  Well, technically we came as the younger versions of our characters so we could all re-wear our regency attire!  We took our inspiration from the movie adaptation, so there are a few technicalities that are inaccurate to the book.  I'll leave it to the book aficionados to identify them. ;-)

Kathryn was Mrs. Jamieson- complete with the earliest predecessor of Carlo the dog

I was Mrs Forrester- one little known fact about her is that her unfortunate history with lime pits was a life-long problem... needless to say, she became quite adept at fashioning pyjamas for cows! ;-)

I jumped on the chance to hand-sew miniature pyjamas for our stuffed animal- they're even made from period-appropriate wool flannel.  Because, you know... I could. ;-)

Tara was Miss Pole- naturally a perky feather adds just the right touch!

My parents came as Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox.  I guess dressing as bovines runs in the family! ;-)

Something that's changed since last year is that I've now started calling dances!  There is a dedicated group at our church that have been ready and willing learners and it's been great fun spreading the love for English and Scottish Country dancing! :-)

I made my dress several years ago, and posted about it here (still one of my favorite photo shoots! :-)).  The apron was from my 18th c. wardrobe (because Mrs. Forrester always needs more fluffliness!) and the chemisette and cap were newly made for the event.

Everyone was requested to bring a copy of their character's book and as always, it's so fun to see the variety represented!  This time we had everything from historical fiction to children's books to manga to fantasy!

Dickens characters like Mr. Micawber are always great choices! :-)

Les Miserables characters!

This 100 year old building has some fun details!

Even the little boys had a great time and did a great job dancing! :-)  When the costumes were complete at the beginning of the evening, 3 of these boys were Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, and Tin Man and their sister was Dorothy!

· Photos by Kathryn! ·

· A Gold Dot Party! ·

Kathryn and I have had this thing for gold dots lately.  You know, the kind that show up all over Pinterest and on everything from sheets to sheet cakes nowadays.

It had been going on for a little while when I came across my gold dotty fabric.  I needed a few excuses before I'd be ready to splurge on the fabric, so one of my "reasons" was that K and I would host a Gold Dot Party.  Well, the time and place was now!  My dress was long-since done, Kathryn's outfit was complete (did you notice how we had entirely circular reasoning going on here?  Yeah, we don't care), Christmas decor was drastically clearanced, and the social wasteland of the early portion of the year was upon us!

Gold Dot Party indeed.  We did our best to live up to the theme, albeit there were some aspects where we had to cut corners.  Oh well, nothing too glaring. ;-)

So here you go- a party all about gold and all about polka dots!  Enjoy!

I made over 180 feet of garland for the party out of 1,250 gold discs (go big or go home is my motto when it comes to these things!)- it was a fun project and I adore the way it turned out!  Now I'm just looking for ways to incorporate it into every party we have...

We compiled a Pinterest board of our favorite gold dot ideas, and dotted champagne flutes were on the "must do" list. ;-)  Due to my job, I wasn't able to help out with the majority of prep but Kathryn did a wonderful job on them!

The backdrop for the food table is entirely the handiwork of Tara, Kathryn, and Kristen- didn't it turn out smashingly??  Clearanced Christmas ornaments for the win!

And I have to mention here- major props to Tara for her help in all the prep for this party!  Without her diligent work taking care of details, our party would not have been nearly as successful!!  Thanks again, dear!

Kathryn's amazing calligraphy is always welcome. :-)  You should have seen her handiwork on the invitation envelopes!  Stunning!

Kathryn has this cute antique end table (that I always want to steal from her), but the top is rather beat up.  We covered it with gold dot wrapping paper (another Christmas clearance score!) and voila!  A properly theme-fitting area for decorating nails. ;-)

Artisan Bread - from this book (*highly recommended!*)

Pear, Goat Cheese, Candied Walnut, and Craisin Salad · Authentic Tuscan Risotto

Here's a little preview for you of Kathryn's gold dotty outfit.... now we just need to find a great photoshoot location for a full-fledged post!

My dear friend Marie Michelle was able to make it for the occasion, too! :-)

All in all, it was a great excuse for a delightful day spent with a delightful group of ladies!! :-)

(and it was also a great excuse for that fabric!)

· Photos by Kathryn ·