Embroidered Baby Bits

Recently everyone at work seems to be pregnant! With this baby boom in full swing I've been embroidering lots of baby gros and bibs as gift sets.

I love making these! I use scraps from my stash for the picture and then free motion embroider around that. I use Primark plain baby gros and bibs. And add my Vintage Bee label! I think these make really special gifts for expectant parents-to-be, and everyone who has recieved one so far has been thrilled!

Lily May's Summer outfit

This cute little summer outfit is a present for a friend's new baby, Lily May. I found the patterns for both free on blogs, and I used fabrics that I already had in my stash. So a pretty thrify gift in all as it only really cost my time. 

Knitty Gritty

Recently I've been brushing up on my much neglected knitting skills. I get so carried away with sewing that I haven't knitted anything for some time.

My Mum got me the Knitty Gritty Beginners & Next Steps book for Christmas. I have to say this is the best 'learn how to knit' book I have found! It has clear instructions, photos of what your knitting should look like at each stage, and even a 'what could go wrong' section at the end of each project.

The first two things I've knitted from the book have been baby related - booties and a hat - as almost everyone I know is pregnant right now! These cute little items were happily recieved in the new home and will be worn by Lily May as soon as she is born!

Bronwyn's New Clothes!

With winter drawing ever nearer, and Bronwyn's reluctance to go out in cold weather, I decided it was time she had a new coat. I'm not sure she was thrilled with this idea, but it's her fault for being a wimp about the cold!

The fleece 'dog poncho' was made from a cheap pet blanket, picket up for 70p in a baragin shop. As fleece doesn't fray I didn't even need to hem the edges, making this the quickest sewing project yet!

To layer up over the top of the fleece I made a waterproof coat from an old umbrella donated to me by my friend Rachel - I even reused the red frill from the edge of the umberella, which I'm sure you'll agree Bronwyn looks thrilled about!

Her reputation as the best dressed dog in the village is safe for another season!

Matilda Doll - part 1

The green floral fabric was purchased on ebay

The pink polka dot fabric came from Ikea, £5/m

We are going to try to make all of our Christmas presents again this year as so many people liked the handmade presents last year. Given how time consuming this is I started making the first present this weekend - sorry, I know it's too early to be talking about Christmas!

I'm making rag dolls for a couple of special little girls this year. This weekend I sewed all the clothing for the dolls, little bloomers, dresses and pinafores - the tiniest stitching I've ever done, and I can't believe I didn't sew my own finger into it at some point!

I'm thrilled with out the clothes turned out. Just need to sew the dolls themselves now!

The sewing pattern came from Sourdough designs.

Peggy from Mad Men dress

This weekend I made a dress from a pattern I'd found in my local charity shop for only 20p. As the fabric I used was purchased on ebay for only 99p for 5 meters, I think that offically makes this dress an absolute bargain!

I'm calling it my 'Peggy from Mad Men dress' as I definately think it's something she would wear to the office. Joan is usually much more my style, and my workwear fashion inspiration, but in recent series of my favourite tv show Peggy has been improving her wardrobe so that I now regularly lust after her clothes too! I love that I will be able to wear this dress plain in summer, with a shirt in Autumn and a jumper in winter - truely versatile!

Alienfox

Recently I went to a charity fashion show for the headpiece designer Alienfox. The event was raising money for lesbian & gay charities, specifically after recent events in Russia.

As you can see from the photos above the headpieces are fantastical & certainly not something you'd wear to pop to Tesco! I like the feathered mohawk one in particular. You will be seeing Alienfox's headgear in the new Wella advertising campaign soon. 

Have a look at some more of his beautiful designs on http://www.alienfoxdesigns.com/

Makeup by the lovely & talented Charlene Howells http://www.charlenehowells.com/

Red & White (On Blue!)

I've not done any sewing for a week as I've been on half term holiday in Plymouth. However, the week before that I made another version of the 1950s dress I posted before - this time with a plain neckline instead of the cape collar, and 3/4 length sleeves. I love this fabric, but as it's very thin cotton I'll need to get a fabulous net petticoat to go underneath - oh what a shame!

I managed to bring quite a lot of fabric back from Mum's house with me as she was getting rid of perfectly good curtains & bedding, so I'm going to have a think and then reinvent them into something pretty. I'll post pictures when I'm done.

Hope you're all enjoying the sun!

1950s Dress

This is definately my favourite thing I have sewn so far! The pattern for this dress came free with Sew magazine. It was so easy to follow and allows for several variations, so I'm already planning my next dress!

This one has a cape collar and is sleeveless, with pockets in the full skirt. I made it with cotton fabric I bought on ebay with a lovely bird & bows design. It has a zip in the back, and I managed to construct the whole thing in 4 and a half hours one evening!

Thrifting!

This weekend I got several nice bits of clothing in the charity shops in Wells. Such a good place to go for thrifted goodies, there are at least 6 charity shops along the high street, plus the market on a Saturday is really good - photos of that to come in another post.

A pinafore dress, a floral skirt, two tops and a shirt, all for under £15 - a good days shopping!

Candy Cute!

I LOVE this dress! And the fact that it was a Primark bargain only adds to it's appeal! It's super flattering with a fitted bodice and flared skirt, the stripes are slimming, it has ruffles.... I could go on all day, sigh!

The tights (which you can just about see) are those 'fake stockings' ones you can get now. I love proper stockings, but they're not always practical!

The gorgeous shoes are from ASOS, and were a Christmas present from my in-laws.

And yes, that is a wig. I love them and have many - stops me getting too bored with my look!

Ladylike Chic

This dress is from Marks & Spencer - another sales bargain! I love the unusual coffee brown colour and the peplum style. It's really flattering, and would be perfect for a wedding or formal party. 

The giant flowers in my hair are brooches which I've attached hair pins to so I can wear them both ways. It's good to adapt what you already have!

The amazing painted tea chest was a charity shop find. 

The Circus

These photos were taken at The Circus in Bath - one of my favourite spots in the city. They were taken by my lovely friend Stacey (http://eyetoeye.carbonmade.com/) 

This is a proper thrift shop outfit - the skirt came from my local charity shop, and the coat was an ebay bargain. The boots are from New Look, and I've pretty much been living in them recently. The bowler hat & Mischa Barton handbag were also brought via ebay - the hat was new, the handbag second hand. 

Lady In Red

This is one of my favourite dresses. I love the vintage feel, and lace is always a winner in my book! I got it in Jane Norman, but since then have seen various copies on EBay, so I'm sure you could find it cheaper. 

The blue velvet ankle boots are killer to walk in, but too beautiful not to wear! Unbelievably I got them in Tescos in the sale for a fiver!

The blue suitcase is genuine vintage, and came from The Vintage Hideaway in Glastonbury.

Film Inspiration

I am a total movie obsessive. Sad but true! Of course as a vintage girl I love all the classics - Breakfast at Tiffany's, Casablanca, The Red Shoes.... But I also get great vintage clothing inspiration from modern films. These are some of my favourites - mainly for the clothing!

Atonement - Obviously the green evening dress is the famous outfit from this film. But I love all the clothes - even if I do wish Keira Knightly had a more womanly figure to put in them! I love this era of fashion, and spend the duration of the film sighing with outfit envy. The book is wonderful too, as is the soundtrack album.

Mona Lisa Smile - This film is a bit cheesy, but a bit of cheddar never hurt anyone eh?! I love the beautiful full skirts, cute little cardigans, and Julia Roberts's bohemian look. 

Cracks - A bit of an odd film, but one that I love without quite knowing why! Has a real feeling of menace throughout. And the clothes... sigh! Oh to look as good as Eva Green in everything!

The Edge of Love - Ok, it has some pretty dodgy accents in it! And again Keira Knightly needs a sandwich.... but I have a girl crush on Sienna Miller here! And the clothes are fab - makes me want to run around wearing floral skirts, jumpers & wellies - and why not?!