Totally Thrifted

A few kind friends at church complimented me on my outfit last Sunday.  One even asked where I purchased my clothes.  I admitted without a trace of self consciousness that I am a second hand stylist, it may even be obvious from the photo below.

This wool Ralph Lauren dress was picked up at a thrift store for $4 on my birthday date with Paul.  I don't care so much for designer labels except for the fact it guarantees lasting quality.  Originally the dress was a little bit big and since I wasn't up for extensive altering I threw it through a warm wash cycle.  It now fits perfect with the exception of the hem length, but I added a little ruffle to the bottom of the lining to compensate for that.

  

The blouse was picked up at a garage sale in Salt Lake City a few years ago.  It was $0.25 and constructed entirely by hand!  You can see where the lace is fraying along the collar, this piece will be worth mending over and over because I love both the fit and the style. Who knows the days' it has seen before my many wears.

This bracelet was also from a Salt Lake City garage sale.  The woman selling it said she bought it in Greece many years ago, she sold it to me for $5.

And now the shoes, these were picked up just last Saturday.  I earned a trip to Salvation Army after cleaning out all the closets and dropping off six bags of clothing.  

Without even reading the designer label I couldn't resist these - they were $10 and fit me perfectly so in the cart they went.  When I got home I noticed the Made in Spain label and a closer look led me to Rosina Ferragamo, I thought, oh Ferragamo knock offs.  But further research led me to learn Salvatore Ferragamo had a sister named Rosina who also designed shoes from the 60's to 80's.  I love vintage shoes because they have already stood the test of time, unlike other modern shoes (no offense Target) that seem to fall apart with in just a few wears.

Again, what I love about second hand style is the stories both gathered or imagined.  It is kind of like dressing in a costume that takes you to different countries and time periods.  It is so much more romantic that shuffling through a loud and sterile mall.  

Here's what else was picked up last Saturday - just for fun, international soccer T's.  William and Henry helped me pick them out.

My children actually love accompanying me on my thrift store adventures, maybe because I'm sure to at least pick them up a $0.30 book that they can read while I sift.  On one of our trips Henry picked out these pants, he calls them his "starfish pants".  He loves to wear them and I love that they were handmade.

Here is another pair of vintage boots I recently picked up for just $1.75.  They may not be designer but they do say "Made in Canada" and the shearling lining is still soft and warm.  They spoke to me so that is why I bought them.  I'll admit though, I've only worn them twice.

And if I don't wear these boots (or any of the above items) again in the next couple of months and they still have wear left in them, I'll be sure to pass them on.  Quite possibly to the same thrift store they were purchased from.    

Sunshine and Sewing

The sun decided to show its beautiful face here in Michigan after a long gray winter.  We are enjoying it so much that there's been little time left for blogging, and barely enough for sewing.

In celebration of the coming spring I sewed up these dance leotards for the girls.  These are from Kwik Sew pattern 3507 they proved to be quick.  I spent more time switching the serger thread than on actual construction.

Though made from a cotton/spandex velour I believe the design is seasonless.  At least I anticipate the girls wearing these frequently without question of the weather outside.  Here they are in action, the girls like to pair them with their clogs because I'm told clogs make great toe shoes. 

It did get chilly as the sun set but Clara found a simple solution.

Maryanna chose not to mix up the leotard with tights and mittens.  She found a sunny spot inside instead.

Here are a few close ups of the flower details I added.

In the end it got too cold and both girls ended up dancing by my side as I prepared dinner.  Do you know this tiny kitchen space also doubles as a dance floor?  Even for the mom.

Meanwhile the boys found time for their own sewing and food prep.  This is a gourmet meal Peter and William sewed up for Herky the Hawkeye - it is a hot dog and three pot stickers.  They found the pattern in my Japanese felt food book and although they did most of it by hand, I was impressed they figured out how to thread my sewing machine.  I am told this is the first of large menu that will be offered at "Herky's Hamburgers", a gourmet restaurant for stuffed animals.

Dyeing for Spring

We still have bits of snow decorating our yard - it is not the pretty kind of snow, but all grey and muddy only surviving in little patches.  Kind of like the the old surviving white t-shirts and tops from last summer, then into the fall and winter - now dull and stained with wear. 

 I cleaned out a nice pile of them from the closets last week knowing a quick dye job would not only give them new life and wear for spring but also energize me through the process.  I even let Henry help.  Here he is dumping 3 cups of salt into 6 cups hot water.

I did the messy mixing with the older boys during nap time.   Here is my batch of yellow in the mix. 

These bold colors are energizing!  I am happy with the result.

I always use the procion dyes form dharma trading co.  Here's what I mixed for the lavender:  1/2 Tbs wedgwood blue, 1/4 Tbs bubble gum pink and 1/4 Tbs fuchsia red.  I regret not straining the mix because the reds tend to clump and I do have a few tiny red spots on the pieces.  But over all they look good (or at least better than stained white).

Now the yellows.  I had to be careful with this batch because it included one of James' favorite Michigan football T-shirts.  Lemon Yellow would not be as authentic as Michigan's maize so I added a bit of deep orange and a dash of golden brown.  Again - very pleased.

Here's the hot pink which was simply fuchsia red with a bit of deep orange.  I'm sorry my little models were too cold to try these on for photos but I don't blame them.  One of my sisters passed down the dress below, it was originally a tan corduroy but has not been worn by my girls because it was not "pretty".  Now it is.

The green below was an even mix of avocado and chartreuse.  Can you believe I've had that H&M wrap blouse for 8 years now!  A quick touch up with the iron and it's gonna look brand new. 

Now the orange batch.  It is a mix of mostly deep orange, a bit of fuchsia red and a dash of lemon yellow.  I got lazy with this and forgot to stir resulting in uneven dye. But the color is so vibrant it is hard to tell (it's actually not a color that is fun to look closely at).  In fact, these pieces will need some careful pairing to pull off, but my girls do take joy in awful mixing so these are sure to be worn and loved.

So here's to a colorful spring (and summer)!  May these pieces, so vibrant and new, be as fun to wear, wash, fold, pick up and put away as they were to make.  And who knows.....maybe by end of summer there will still be enough wear in them to dye a bit darker and muted for fall.  

Birds and Binoculars

Last Saturday morning I spotted a wild turkey right in our front yard.  It was only a few feet away from me as I tiptoed down the drive way to the car.

This was a very big bird - big enough that I thought it'd more likely chase me off then the other way around.  But I didn't want to chase it away, at least not before allowing a few of the kids to share in the joy of this sighting.

William, my "naturalist", was the first one out the door and by my side.  He ran right back inside to get his North American Wildlife field guide.  We confirmed it was a male wild turkey, he fluffed his feathers a bit but was not too shy as we crept around him.  

William was so excited about the siting he decided to join me for the 45 minute ride to my early morning destination.  The whole way we talked and he read to me about wild birds in our area.  He expressed interest in bird watching but frustration about the plastic binoculars he got several Christmases ago - they were both lost and broken.  I assured him we'd get some real binoculars someday.

Just before we reached our destination I spotted a sign I could not pass by - Estate Sale - 1/2 off everything.  This was a high class neighborhood so even if we were "just looking" it promised to be good.  When I asked William if we should stop he answered immediately, "oh yeah, I love looking at people's stuff"!  It was raining and he was a few steps ahead of me, not because of the rain but out of excitement.  

I couldn't get passed the first room full of vintage costume jewelry and clothing but William urged me on.  There were all sorts of treasures!  But I had George in my arms and that saved me from my grabby urges.  

I did find two really nice wool blankets for the girls and William gladly carried them.  

Guess what he found?  Binoculars!  These were pretty heavy duty and preserved perfectly in a leather case.  They said "Made in Germany" but also had a $60 sticker on them, but at 50% off they were worth considering.  I called my Dad since he is the optics expert in the family.  He assured me "never pass up German made optics" - especially for $30 and if in the end we weren't happy with the purchase he'd gladly buy them off me.  So I bought them along with the wool blankets and another vintage typewriter (yes I already have 3 at home - this was for my sister's family).

What a memorable morning with William - we both agreed we'd never forget how exciting it was.  William rode the whole way home with the binoculars up to his face.  It was still raining so the visibility was not great but he spotted out all the necessary exits far sooner than I could read them.

When we got home we checked ebay and my dad was right - never pass up German optics for $30, or even $60!  New they start at $400 and being vintage they are doubly valuable.  But the experience I had with William that morning was priceless - these are his to keep.

I called one of my friends and laughed to her about my morning.  She shared her "mystic wisdom" and explained in ancient cultures the wild turkey signifies gratitude, abundance and fertility.  I laughed even harder.

We've actually been spotting the turkey quite frequently since last Saturday, so have our neighbors.  Here it looks very natural next to the plastic slide and cold forgotten basketball in our backyard.

The boys enjoy getting a closer look with the binoculars.

I keep spotting this boy spotting birds.  There were 43 robins outside my bedroom window the other day - some very fat, looking like they are ready to lay, that is what I'm told.  

I kind of like "boy watching", I think as William likes "bird watching".  

This is going to be an exciting Spring indeed. 

Quick new jammies for the girls

School was called off for all of last week due to illnesses.  We spent our days mostly watching movies and napping - it really was a blur.

I did find bursts of energy here and there and took off with it by cleaning out every corner of the girls room including their closet and drawers.  It was clear they were in need of new jammies.

I've had this Kwik Sew 3234 pattern since the new year but let it sit because I was tired of making knit jammies.  Of all the pj's I have ever made this pattern is the quickest!  It is my new go - to pj pattern.

My go - to knit fabric source is the fabric fairy and we are very happy with both the quality of the knit and the design.  Clara picked the rainbow hearts and Maryanna picked the Russian nesting dolls.

Not much more to say about these except they will be made again and again as long as we need new jammies.  

Here they are in "action" - since being "active" is always a part of the girl's bedtime routine.

After clearing out their room the girls convinced me to rearrange the furniture so their beds were right next to each other.  They told me they would sleep better.  It looks a little strange but it actually worked! Instead of getting out of their beds to play together they just stay in their beds and play and soon fall asleep. 

They're not really sleeping in this next photo but at least they're trying.  

Next up - clean out the boys' room and possibly make some more pj's for them too.