Boats in the Sunshine

Scarf - vintage, blouse - made by me, everything else thrifted (except socks!)

Today was a rather lovely sunny day, and after deliberating for ages on what to wear (I've forgotten how to dress myself for warm weather and in a way that doesn't involve jeans) I had a very long train trip out to visit a friend and do some wedding planning!

I apologise again for posts being so sparse, but I have gotten myself a job (at last!!) and have been working like crazy to save money so we can move house.. Once this happens I won't have to sit through an hour and a half of public transport every day so I'll have more time to blog. It doesn't help that the days are getting shorter - waking up and getting home in darkness are not really conductive to taking outfit photos, and neither are the rather boring work outfits I've been scrimping together (apparently I have an embarrassing lack of tops that go with jeans.. must remedy this.)

I am planning to try to come up with some non-outfit-related posts so I can try to post more than once a week, but I'm afraid I can't promise anything just yet!

Hope everyone had/has a great weekend!

Teddy Girl

Helllooooo!!! Long time no blog!

I apologise for this, I've been super super busy and also managed to get myself sick, boo.

To be honest, I haven't really been dressing up as much as usual so there hasn't really been a reason to take any photos. But today I decided to make an effort, for myself as well as so I would have something to post!

* * * * * * * * 

I've been doing quite a bit of research lately on the Teddy Boy/Girl scene of the late 1940's/early 1950's. I think the look is super cool and perfect for colder weather, incorporating elements of Edwardian style (which is something I've never really delved into) as well as the usual 50's look.

Teddy Girls were an offshoot of the underground subculture of Teddy Boys - young lads and ladies who had grown up during the war rationing of the 1940's and adapted the look of the Edwardian era into a style of their own. Teddy Boys and Girls were said to be "collectively rejecting the post-war austerity" - as one young man is quoted as saying "our dress is our answer to a dull world."

They were among some of the first teenage-rebel groups. The men dressed like dandies, and the women in a wide range of edwardian-influenced styles - oftentimes wearing manly suits, drape jackets and jeans.
They were into rock and roll, and known for causing a bit (or a lot) of trouble.

I hadn't set my hair last night so when I woke up this morning wanting to dress up my thoughts went immediately to the easy-breezy Edwardian up do's sported by these stylish gals, and then an outfit formed itself around this!

Excuse all the eyes closed/looking down poses - it was very bright and glarey out.

Coat - stolen from Eli, blouse and shoes - thrifted, "bolo tie" - ribbon and a thrifted brooch.

I always find it so interesting to think that while we are here in 2014 wearing vintage clothing from the 40's/50's/60's etc, you never really think about people from these eras being into or wearing vintage-to-them looks. I guess because it wouldn't have been so accessible for them (they couldn't just jump on Etsy/Pinterest and search for something!) and also there were just so many more new ideas around that hadn't been thought of before. It's pretty cool to see these kids drawing inspiration from so long ago, just like we are now!

There is a great article about the Teddy Girl subculture here, and a whole website of info here (mostly on Teddy Boys, but some nice pics of the girls too!
Katie over at Butterfly Loves Snapdragons  showed her take on the style here and also did a fab hair tutorial which would totally work with this look.

What do you think of the Teddy Girl style? Is it something you'd try?

Some sunny day

Phew!

Today was a long day. Eli and I woke up extra early (ok, half an hour earlier) as we were meant to be visiting my parents for dinner.. But first we had to return a shoe (singular), visit an op shop and have a doctors appointment!

It was a lovely, sunny, slightly-too-warm day, so I wore a somewhat weather appropriate outfit, with a sun hat of course!

Hat, belt & shoes - thrifted, blouse - eBay, skirt - made by me, scarf - borrowed

My skirt is the first of a (hopefully) three piece outfit I'm making from that lovely wool blend fabric I mentioned a while ago.. it was maybe a little too wool for today.

Also, that scarf may have been protecting me from hat hair, but coupled with the black hat it was also making my head a little bit too toasty, so off it all came (not the skirt!)

Muuuuch better.

In other news, my sister and I will be hitting up Coburg's Trash and Treasure market tomorrow bright and early with the hopes of nabbing ourselves a stall space and offloading a bunch of clothes and shoes (and other random stuff that our Mum just dumped on me) - if you're around and looking for cheap random clothing pieces do come by!

UFO's and house dresses

A couple of weeks ago, while I was cleaning my sewing room, I decided it was time to devise a new organisation strategy for my "UFO's" (that's unfinished objects), because having them slung over a clothes-rack was really not conductive to me actually finishing them.

So I pulled out a tub, folded them neatly (after throwing a bunch of no-longer-relevant projects away), stepped back and realised I have a LOT of unfinished projects that I for some reason have just not gotten to. Some of them are literally as simple as sewing a button back on. Like a 5 minute job. Yeah.

I set myself a goal to get through at least one of these a day (two or more for the simple jobs) until they're all done, at which point I can start making new stuff.

And then I hit a wall. I had no motivation, I just could. not. be. bothered.

After reading this post on Lucky Lucille, I decided to do what Rochelle did - just sit down and sew something. So I picked some fabric at random and made myself a little house dress.

I adapted view B of this McCall's pattern - I cut two of the front waist band and extended the length of one of them as well as one side of the back waist band as well to create the cross over tie. 

I cut two front skirt pieces so there would be a decent amount of volume and cross-over (no one likes to accidentally flash their house guests when they sit down).

It took me three days to finish (with the help of my assistant, Brian Wilson).

It's a little bit rough around the edges but it's perfect for sitting around reading books and for when I'm sewing since it's super easy to take off when I need to try something on.

Hooray for fancy lounge-wear!

Now I just need to make a few more of these, my house coat and maybe some 1940's lounge pants and blouses and I'll be all set in the lazy-glam clothing category!

1/2/3

Has anyone else made/bought any fancy lounging clothes? Don't they just make you feel a million times more amazing than pyjamas all day?!

Autumn sun

hat, belt, bag & shoes - thrifted, card - Big W, dress - made by me, glasses… no idea!

Weeeee it's finally autumn!!!! Although honestly it didn't feel much like it, so I got to get a little more wear out of this summery dress I made a few weeks ago.

I went with Eli's band to watch them do a photo shoot today at the big park near our house. There is a huge lake there and it's pretty nice and peaceful, despite the scratchy dry summer grass at the moment.

I was pretty pleased with my hair today - I used large rollers on freshly washed hair, both of which I don't usually do because they never work, but it worked out just fine with big, soft and bouncy curls. I'll have to set it again tonight (maybe with smaller curlers) to make it last but for today I was pleasantly surprised!

Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

Questions & Answers

I don't usually do these kind of things (usually because I forget about them), but I've been nominated for the Liebster Award by the lovely and talented Jennifer over at My Sewing Suite, and I'm going to make the effort to actually do it!!

So the Liebster Award is given by bloggers to fellow bloggers who have less than 200 followers, I've been nominated along with a bunch of other lovely ladies to take this little quiz, then make up my own and pass on the love!

Here are the rules:

• You must answer the 11 questions set by the blogger who nominated you.

• You yourself then pick 11 blogs who in turn have under 200 followers.

• You must then think of 11 questions for the blogs you have picked and also tell them.

• You must link back to the blog that nominated you.

• Write 11 facts about yourself

So here goes!

1.  What is your favorite thing that you have sewn or knit?

My favourite thing is generally the most recent thing I have sewn, as I always feel like I'm improving! So at the moment my favourite is the yellow-floral print summer dress I made last week.

2. What is the sewing tool do you use most?

Apart from my sewing machine, I would have to say seam ripper. For sure.

3. Why do you sew?

Well, mostly out of necessity at the moment! I love vintage clothing but find that in general it is well out of my price range. Making replica pieces myself means I get basically the same thing but for a fraction of the cost, not to mention the satisfaction of wearing something I've put a lot of effort into making! I think I started sewing mainly because I found it difficult to find clothing to my specific ideas (living in Australia has it's limitations where shopping is concerned). 

4. What Style icon inspires you?

I can't say I am inspired by just one person!

Everyday ladies from past eras really inspire me, theres just something so amazing at seeing these gorgeous women, dressed to the nines, but in a more realistic and accessible way than a celebrity. I'm also inspired by other bloggers, basically for the same reason :)

5. What is your favorite fictional character?

Hmmmm… I guess it would have to be Ariel. I wanted to be a mermaid with red hair SO bad when I was young, and I kind of still do.

6. What is your guiltiest pleasure?

I'm obsessed with pizza. I will happily sabotage any healthy eating attempt, no matter how long the streak is, just to eat a few (ok a heap of) slices of hawaiian pizza and some garlic bread. I will keep eating it until I have to lie on the floor because if I move I might explode. Our local pizza place knows our order and address off by heart, and the delivery girl is basically our bestie now.
I've also recently gotten way too into the TV shows My Kitchen Rules and The Block. Eli hates it, but I have to watch them now. I'm too emotionally invested.

7. What are you most proud of?

Giving up a job I didn't like to go travelling! It was the best fun ever, I definitely have the travel bug now and we're already planning our next adventure (and the one after that, too!)

8. Cat or dog?

I love both! But I do have two cats, so...

9. Why do you blog?

That's a really good question! I actually started blogging back when I was about 17 (on a different blog, of course) because I had stumbled into blog-land and realised that not everyone had to dress the same. There were all these amazingly stylish ladies with their own blogs that I followed religiously, and I initially decided to start blogging as a way to document my outfits - I would look back at the photos and start to see what worked and what didn't, and it was also awesome to be out there on this platform that others could give their input and opinion about my style too. That blog went pretty well, but eventually I stopped due to work getting in the way. After I stopped blogging I realised I actually missed it a lot. I wasn't putting as much effort into the way I dressed because I was thinking "well, who's going to see it anyway" and that was making me feel pretty down. I also missed interacting with the people who read my blog and those who's blogs I read. 
So I suppose, I blog because I miss it when I don't, and it helps me to remember to make an effort with my appearance, which has a positive impact on my mental health!

10. If you could choose any super power what would it be? 

I think I'd have to say invisibility. Then I could do whatever I wanted and no one would ever know.

11. Describe yourself in 3-5 words
Lucky, creative, worrier.

And I am going to nominate the following. I could only think of 8, I'm sorry! (Also if you are nominated don't feel pressured to play along if you're too busy!)

1. Twirls, Pearls and Combat Boots. My best friend Katie writes this blog. She is awesome in general.

2. Princess Pin Curls. She finds the best vintage clothing at a local Melbourne market and I am forever jealous of her for it. Seriously, amazing.

3. Miss Fairchild's Charm School. A lovely lady I have been lucky enough to meet in real life and whom is a constant inspiration!

4. Little Heap Vintage. Whitney is a great writer and has some serious style.

5. Polka Polish. A recent find for me (I've been having such luck finding all these amazing blogs to read!), she has a gorgeous vintage wardrobe and styles it to perfection, as well as sewing some amazing vintage-inspired pieces (I'm obsessed with the housecoat she made).

6. Bess Georgette. Her Etsy store makes me drool all over my keyboard and cry into my (empty) wallet. Her blog is full of gorgeous vintage articles and photos, and of course personal style.

7. Gracefully Vintage. A very talented seamstress and wearer of beautiful vintage outfits.

8. Beauty In Insanity. Keit was one of my very first readers/commenters, and she is just amazing. She has an awesome, quirky style and is hilarious :)

To answer these questions:

1. If you could be any kind of animal, what would you be?

2. How many pairs of shoes do you own?

3. Scary movie or Rom-Com?

4. Do you have a special talent?

5. Are you a collector of anything?

6. What do you think is your best feature (physical or otherwise)?

7. Why do you blog?

8. Where is the farthest you have ever travelled?

9. What is your favourite outfit you have posted on your blog?

10. If money was no object, what would you do all day?

11. Who is your favourite super hero?

And finally, 11 facts about myself:

1. I am so clumsy. SO clumsy. I'm constantly dropping or tripping over things, breaking stuff, making messes and just generally being a total moron. It's gotten to the point where I'm not even embarrassed by it anymore because I'm just so used to it.

2. I'm not a vegetarian, but I don't cook meat at home. I'll eat it if someone else has made it for me, or if I'm out to dinner and the veg option sounds less-than-desirable, but in general I prefer vegetarian meals.

3. I currently own two cats and a parrot. I'd love to have a dog some day soon too, but they're a bit harder to hide all evidence of from real estate agents…

4. I'm a pretty messy person. It actually drives me a little bit nuts, but I honestly don't know how it happens. I think I tend to get distracted a little too easy, or maybe I'm too excited to move onto another project after the first and I usually just drop things and move onto the next. oops. 

5. I've never broken a bone in my body (touch wood!)

6. I dream of being a singer, but I am way way waaaaaay too shy.

7. I have hyper-extendable elbows and like to freak people out with them.

8. I'm a huge book worm. I will read anything, and even if I don't like what I'm reading I always have to finish it.

9. I can wiggle my ears and tie snake-lollies into knots with my tongue (I practiced for AGES in high school to be able to do that).

10. I really dislike Summer, and heat in general. Give me cold, gloomy winter any day. 

11. I'm a rather good cook, and I really enjoy cooking new foods (and eating them, of course).

Equestrienne

After my last post I couldn't stop thinking about all of the pretty Autumny/Wintery things I've had sitting in my wardrobe unworn for what feels like forever, so I couldn't help myself but get a little bit carried away with it all when yesterday was forecast with a top of 23C.

Of course, the sun came out and made it feel more like 25, so I ended up being just a tad too warm, despite the trousers being rather thin.

I think I shall call this my Equestrienne/fancy Land Girl look.

Scarf, jacket, shirt & trousers - thrifted / boots - vintage

I inherited these gorgeous boots from my Nana, I think they may be from the 1970's. They are absolutely gorgeous but a tad big.. If I wear thick enough socks I'm fine though!

In other news, I've been slowly working on plans and bits and pieces for mine and Eli's wedding, which is going to be this October(!) We have already booked our venue, celebrant and photographer, sent out our save the dates and started on our invite design. I've got my shoes and have finalised the design for my dress.. Did I mention I'm making my dress? Yikes.
I've ordered some fabric samples and have to start on a muslin soon.. I don't have a back up plan as of yet so I'm just hoping it works!!

On the to-do list next is work out a menu (why is this so hard???), sort out the ceremony and start on my many decoration ideas.

I think I'm doing alright at not stressing too much so far, but it's early days.. Just have to keep reminding myself that the only thing that matters is the actual marriage part, if anything else doesn't work out exactly how I pictured it's not the end of the world! Wish me luck!