Link Love ~ Setting Lotions for Pin Curls

This is a great post from Lisa of Snoodlebug on the different types of setting lotions you can use for pin curls.  Check it out ~

Ready, get SET go!:


Yep, another bad pun – I do love a bad pun. 

I’ve had a lot of questions about setting lotion lately – both online and in real life - so I thought a quick post on what it is and what it does might be useful. Back to basics for a lot of you I’m sure but that never hurt anyone. 

So. Let's begin at the beginning...

What is it?

Well, somewhat obviously, setting lotion is product that is applied to hair in order to set styles. i.e. to make them neater and last longer. It comes in many forms – liquids which do or do not need dilution, crèmes such as boots curl crème, foaming products and even gels. Some people even make their own. Some are best applied to wet hair and some to dry – some can be used on both. Finding the right setting lotion for your hair can be a little like finding your Holy Grail foundation, but once you have found it you won’t ever want to change....

xox,

bonita

How to ~ Crochet a 1940’s Snood

For some time now I’ve been eyeing off various gorgeous hairstyles around the place that have involved lovely snoods, but I have hemed and hawed about purchasing one for myself.  Why, the ease alone of popping one on and waltzing out the door for the day is very tempting for a busy vintage mother.  The only problem ~ $16.00 or more seemed like a lot to spend on one snood….

And that was the local ones!  Overseas shipping cost a lot more.   I decided to whip out my Google fingers and see what I could turn up, and et voila!  I present to you the “Perky Snood” pattern.   A vintage 1940’s crochet snood pattern for a medium sized snood. 

~ *  Please click on the photo to download the full pattern  * ~

The pattern is very simple, but calls for a long treble crochet stitch which is rather old fashioned and not used that often these days.  Here are the instructions on how to do it:

Long Treble Crochet (long tr.) -  YO 3 times before inserting the hook into the work, YO and draw through 2 loops on the hook 4 times.

Decreasing Long Treble Crochet (dec. long tr.) - YO 3 times, insert hook in next long tr. and YO. Take off  2 loops 3 times in succession, leaving 2 loops on the hook. YO 3 times, insert hook in work (6 loops on hook), YO, take off 2 loops, 3 times in succession, YO and take off 3 loops at once.

Yarn Over -  YO

Now, I have to warn you that although I found this pattern easy to get the hang of in terms of stitches, it doesn’t seem to be easy to put together the right sized hook and yarn ply to get a large enough snood.  I actually repeated this pattern three times before I finally turned out a snood that was large enough to wear!

So I’ll give you my notes so that you don’t make the same mistakes that I did. 

~ *  Second snood on the left compared with the third snood on the right.  The first one was even smaller, can you believe!  More like a bun net than anything else…  * ~

First I tried using a small 1.50mm hook like I thought the pattern called for, and the yarn to match.  That turned out all wrong ~ it was far too small.  So was the next one, with a larger 4.00mm hook and the yarn to match.  I looked like I was wearing a lunch lady’s hair net rather than a snood!  So then I went back to my original yarn, which was actually 2 ply cotton, with the 4.00mm hook and somehow that worked.

I still think that the pattern ended up a little shorter than what I would have preferred, but in this case that’s ok, because my hair is quite short at the moment and won’t really suit anything longer.  If you want a longer snood, simply add more rows in the middle before you start your decreases and you will be all set!

Last, but not least ~ here’s the finished results in action. 

 

Remember to swatch your work, as the gauge is crucial, and enjoy your snood making ladies!

xox,

bonita

P.S.  ~ Pictures are from this outfit post ~  Wet & Windy Spring Days

Link Love ~ How to wear 1940’s Lipstick

Glamour Daze comes out with another handy, era authentic post on “The Lipstick Decade”.  Find out the history and discover how to do the 1940s red lip from this handy guide. 

1940′s Make-up – The Lipstick Decade

The 1940′s, despite a world war, saw a huge leap in women’s use of daily cosmetics. If ever there was a decade for lipsticks then this was it.

With more and more women working on the home front and as army nurses, the convenience of the roll up lipstick – rather than a brush and palette, established the lipstick tube, once and for all ,as the main cosmetic accessory to have in your handbag.

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ Shirt Dress Buttonhole Placement

This post from Sunni of A Fashionable Stitch is part of her 2-in-1 Shirt/Wrap Dress sew-a-long, and while I am in awe that she’s showing us how to sew two dresses at once, I also love the fantastic tips she’s giving us!  This one in particular is extremely useful, particularly for adverting that dreaded button-up blouse gap-age {ladies, y’all know what I’m talking about!} so do check it out!  ^ u ^

2-in-1 Sewalong: the Shirt Dress Buttonhole Placement

….This is a tip I picked up awhile ago and I’ve been dying to share it. Few people realize that buttonhole placement counteracts gaposis. Actually if you’ve ever made anything that buttons down your front, and you’re a girl – because let’s face it, guys don’t have breasts – then you know about the gaposis. In fact, if you’ve ever tried on anything from the store that buttons down, you definitely know about gaposis. It’s even very possible that a man pointed out to you that your shirt was gaping you-know-where.

Having your buttons in the right place counteracts gaposis, as does a good fit. But if you have a great fit on a garment and you have poor button placement, you’ll have gaposis. Promise…. 

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ 2 ply, 4 ply, Why ply??

I found this post from the Purl bee extremely helpful in understanding why the heck all 4 ply yarns aren’t created equally.  So, for my fellow yarnites {nerds of the hook and needle variety!} who find this kind of thing fascinating, please hop on over for the full run down on all things ply.

2-ply, 4-ply, Why Ply?



Simply put, ply is a measurement we use for yarn, like inches, yards, and meters. Unlike these other units of measurement, however, ply has no standard size.   All of the yarns pictured above are made of a single strand of fiber.  As you can see, they are all very different.  An inch is always an inch, but one ply? That's another story.

There are several factors that determine the character of a single ply of yarn: the fiber, the spinner, and the tension…

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ Refashions of a Shawl Collar T-shirt

I love the look of this shawl collar t-shirt; comfortable but stunning and vintage styled at the same time ~ what could be better?  Pop over to So, Zo… What do you know? for instructions on how to make this lovely refashion for yourself. 

Refashion Friday Inspiration: Shawl Collar T-shirt

…There's one of two ways you could create a garment like this from an existing T-shirt. You could either take a T-shirt that already fits you (or the indented recipient) well then recut the neckline, make the new collar and then attach the collar to the T-shirt. Or you could do what I did here: take a large loose fit T-shirt originally intended for a guy, and cut it up and remake it using a T-shirt sewing pattern to fit you before getting involved in the collar section.

I took the collar pattern from New Look 6808 (pictured above) to make the collar. I also used that sewing pattern's front and back pieces as a guide to recut the new T-shirt neckline…

xox,

bonita

A Pretty Vintage House Decorating Guide

I found this lovely 1967 Woman’s Weekly Home Sewing Decor Guide last year, but only just had the brilliant idea of making it in to a .pdf to share! 

It has lots of instructions on how to sew just about everything you could possibly need for your house; everything that that can be sewn that is, and it also tells you how to make interesting window dressings like pelmets, valances and cornices.

      

I like these examples of window treatments ~ although that floral wallpaper on the right is a bit much for me!!  >  <

The instructions for the table clothes seem simple, but with a nice variety of trimming styles from the normal boring square, which is useful. 

    

    

I love the colour pallet in all of the photos above that I saved from various websites ~ the fresh pastels really seem to lighten and brighten the spaces, don’t they?  Shabby French Country Chic is one of my favourite decor looks, although I love dark woods instead of all the white~washed furniture. 

There are of course, a ton more inspiration pictures out there, but combined with your handy DIY guide, your own vintage home decor and furnishings shall be easy to create ~ download it here.   ヽ(*≧ω≦)ﾉ

xox,

bonita

How to ~ A guide for seaming a knitted cardigan

I was so eager to finish off my last {and first!} knitted cardigan that I didn’t bother blocking it, or learning how to seam it properly.  While the ribbing is very forgiving, and has settled down nicely into the shape I wanted, I thought that for my next cardigan I should learn a few more tricks for finishing a knitted garment. 

 

First off:  how to block a cardigan using wet blocking, or spray/steam blocking techniques.   Blocking is done at the end of the knitting process, usually before seaming a pieced garment. Here’s an article detailing the benefits of blocking and which fibers respond to what kinds of blocking ~ To Block or Not to Block, as well as a video on how to do the three different methods.

Then, you can seam it together with your choice of stitch style. This video is great in demonstrating how to set a sleeve in.

This one is good for stockinette shoulder seams.

And this website has some great knitting and finishing tips, including this great little video on mattress stitch, which is good for doing up side seams.

I hope you find these resources helpful.

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ 1940s Collegiate Fashion Video

Amazing 1940s fashions!

I love this fashion video from the archive at Glamour Daze ~ the clothes are really cute and I do so like the circle skirt playsuit!  I am thinking I shall have to see if I can sew up a set for myself come summer.  If you want a better look at some of the outfits, there are some neat stills from the video here.  Enjoy!

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ 1940’s Dress and Style Guide

Glamour Daze is a wonderful source of authentic vintage style inspiration.  I love their latest mini series on 1940s fashions, it’s chock full of fabulous original material.  Swing by and check out their style guide post for a full run down on how to achieve an authentic 1940s look. 

Easy Guide to a 1940′s Woman’s Dress and Style

I wouldn’t call it a costume, but this video still has some helpful tips to start off your 1940s style.

… First of all, before you go looking anywhere else, try your own wardrobe. The 1940s day suit is a little harder to create, so keep it simple and find a frock ! A calf length or knee length will do, preferably pleated, and buttoned up at the front, with a fitted waist. If you can’t find a dress with a fitted waist, then a nice belt with a bow tie, can cinch your waist quite adequately. Shoulders were padded or ruffled, so remember that…

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ Free 1954 Vintage Knitting Pattern

You all know my favourite thrifted red cardigan that I wore about three times in a row for outfit posts right? {It features here, here, and here ~ and probably else where, but I can’t seem to remember where. 
> o < }  Well, it starting to get a tad bit shabby, but thanks to Tasha of By gum, by golly! I can now knit myself a replacement.  It’s not quite the same, but the shape is very similar, and I think it looks super cute, so I can’t wait to try this as my spring knitting project! 

Yes, winter has not even come in full force down under and I am already thinking a season ahead.  Oh well, that’s what you have to do to plan your wardrobe right?  Visit Tasha’s blog to download the free .pdf.   ^ U ^

Vintage knitting pattern: 1954 Mother & Daughter Shrug

I don't know about you, but I have had shrugs and boleros on my mind lately!

As the weather finally seems to be staying nicer and I creep closer to rotating my closet (yay for seeing pretty spring and summer fashions that have been hidden away for months!), I've been thinking about what cover ups I like to pair with my not-too-cold weather clothes. I have a multitude of boxy cardigans, but lately I've been really wearing a couple of my favourite boleros the most. I love that they're just a bit less bulky and nip in at the waist, which is perfect with dresses. I really need more of them in my life!

So I thought what better time to share a vintage shrug knitting pattern?…

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ Back in the Day; Photo Archives

I adore these sneak peek snaps into the day–to–day wear of the 1940’s!  Betsy Hatter does a lovely guest post for Retro Chick, so hop along and check it out.  ^ _ ^

Vintage Inspiration - Photo Archives

I want to use my guest post on Retro Chick to introduce you all to brilliant, under used online historical picture archives which everyone can access. These amazing resources are local newspapers picture archives. Many of the pictures in these collections are wonderful day to day snapshots of life from the 1940′s onwards (sometimes further back but those pictures are rarer). You come across pictures of people at work and children playing as well as people all dressed up in their best for royal visits and official openings. You can see what people were really wearing and use the images to help put together your own style….

xox,

bonita

Quick Share ~ Identifying Bakelite

This is an incredibly useful post from Brittany of Va-Voom Vintage.  She details quite a few different tests you can use to determine authenticity when buying Bakelite or figuring out whether the random bits of plastic at the thrift shop may be Bakelite, Lucite or just plain old plastic.  Read on for all the great tips she has for identifying Bakelite.

How to Identify Bakelite

After my past few posts, I've had some requests for how to spot Bakelite. It's usually pretty easy to tell, especially because there are so many testing methods. Some of these testing methods have exceptions so it's always best to use multiple tests for the most accurate results.

Bakelite is an early plastic, created in 1907. It contains phenol, formaldehyde and a wood flour filler. When the phenol and formaldehyde are mixed together, the reaction of the the chemicals under the correct pressure and temperature creates this amazing, hard plastic. In the case of jewelry, the Bakelite was extruded, sliced, molded or carved to create the shape of the piece…

xox,

bonita

Quick Share ~ In Search of Charm

This lovely little snippet of the book “In Search of Charm” by Mary Young comes from Shona of In the Heyday and I wanted to share it because I apparently need lessons on how to take my coat off elegantly!

 Do you know how to take off a coat with elegance?

With Spring finally sprung here in the UK I've turned back to our "in search of charm" book for the advice of Mary Young for how to elegantly take our coats off…

xox,

bonita

Doing an Authentic Cut ~ 1940s The Middy Plus

The other day I went to my hairdresser to get a trim.  Initially I was planning to get my usual cut done, but at the last minute I found a diagram of the Middy Plus cut and popped it on my phone, just in case. 

I have been thinking about getting that cut for a while, but when I asked my old hairdresser{whom I love, but she went to the coast to set up a new salon}, she pretty much said that she didn’t want to do the cut like that because she thought I wouldn’t like my hair being that short.  All well and good, but I sort of wanted to try it anyway!

So when I went back to the salon to have my first haircut with my new hairdresser I bit the bullet and rather haltingly asked her if she would do this “retro 1940s haircut for me because I sort of like to wearing vintage-y style outfits and I know it’s kind of random, but it’s fun and….”  Yeah.  I was embarrassed ~ particularly after last time! But she was super sweet and loved that I had brought in an actual hairdresser’s diagram to show her.  {I took page number 3}

 

 

I won’t lie; when she made the first cut into my hair, I died a little inside….  I hadn’t realized just how short 41/2 inches at the back is!!  Still, I reasoned with myself that my hair does tend to grow quickly to a certain length{and then it just stops… : P } so if I really hated it, it would grow out.  Anyway this is the finished result:

I didn’t use any pin curls or rollers; just my natural curl with a bit of wax combed through it while it’s wet to control the frizz.  Overall I am happy with the cut, but there are some downsides to getting the authentic cut.   Here’s my list of pros and cons.

~  Deciding on a Vintage Authentic Cut  ~

Pros:    

1. It’s very easy to look vintage with your hair out.
2. It’s super quick to do a pin curl set, or rollers.  And a lot easier!
3. It’s cute and it’s different.
4. It helps to keep era-ambiguous outfits period correct.  What I mean by that is that even though back in the 1940-50’s there would have been fashion cross-over, you can look a bit ‘muddled’ if you don’t try to stick fairly close to one era when you dress vintage now a days.  Fleur de Guerre once commented that vintage styled victory rolls was her best accessory for looking vintage and I agree.  Get your hair right and the rest follows ~ little things like correct make up, shoes, etc, don’t tend to matter as much then. 

Cons:

1. You most likely will need to learn specific techniques for updo styles. I don’t know how to style my hair, besides wearing it out.  I think I need to see if I can find some instructions on 1940’s short hair updos.  The Middy Plus is supposed to be “a convenient length for updos” but I really haven’t found that yet!!
2. It’s short.  As in really short.  I can’t pull it into a ponytail which is a bit frustrating.  I have heard that a way around that is to ask the hairdresser to add length to the cut, so for instance, if the Long Length Femme Fatale cut is still too short, ask them to do the cut but add 4” all around, making 6” at the back 10” long and the 3” at the side 7” and so on. 
3. If you don’t want to look vintage, it’s a bit hard.  An authentic cut will vintage-ize any outfit.
4. Sometimes you think you look like a grandma….  And in an old way, not the good way.

So that’s my experience so far ~ I am writing this two weeks after my trip to the salon and I think I like the cut a bit more now that it’s grown out a touch.  Still, I am not sure if I want to let my hair grow out completely and then try a Long Length cut.  For now, the Middy Plus is working for me most of the time and I do like it….  I guess if I can figure out how to put it up then I will be totally happy with it.  : )  We’ll see.

xox,

bonita

Quick Share ~ Embroidery 101

This post from Kristin of Sew Techincolor is a wonderful guide if you are just getting started with your embroidery, plus she has some really pretty pieces that she’s stitched.  You can read all about it here:

Embroidery 101 {sort of}

In case you haven't noticed, I've been a bit obsessed with embroidery lately. :) And as I've been stitching, I've been thinking about the things I've learned since I first started.

When I was a kid, my grandma taught me the basics of embroidery (both of my grandmas embroidered and sewed, so I like to think I'm helping to carry on the tradition :). She gave me some embroidery floss and a hoop, and I worked on some of those little samplers that have the pattern printed on the fabric, and you just stitch over it. Apparently I didn't fall in love with it then, because I didn't embroider any more until just over two years ago.

Every once in a while I get emails from blog readers about my embroidery. They usually ask how I learned and if I have any books or websites to recommend. I do, and I'll share them at the bottom of this post. But for now, I give you...

8 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I First Learned Embroidery
{aka, the longest list title ever}…

xox,

bonita

Quick Share ~ Conquering the dreaded knit!

Oh my goodness you guys ~ I just had to share this post when it popped up in my feed reader!!   You might not know, but I have tried sewing with knits before and at the end of my little experiment I swore I wouldn’t touch them with a ten foot barge pole until I was a better seamstress. 

Well, this gem of a post by Lauren of LLadybird has stirred the itch and I am thinking that with her good advice in hand, I might try some knit sewing this year.  Knits are super comfortable and can look really cute as Lauren shows!  Check it out here ~

Conquering Knits: A Self-Help Guide

So you wanna sew some knits, huh? Maybe you picked up the Renfrew pattern and haven’t worked up the courage to slice into the pattern tissue yet. Or maybe you’ve been romanced & wooed by all the amazing printed knit fabrics out there. Or maybe you’re just ready for a new challenge that doesn’t involve zippers! Whatever you reason, it’s time to talk knits. Get a coffee and get comfy, this is gonna be a long ‘un.

First off, let me say something very important.

Knits are not scary or super difficult to work with!

I don’t know who is responsible for freaking out millions of sewers to be afraid of knit fabrics, but I wish I did know so I could stick some needles in his (or her!) face. Knit fabrics are actually MUCH easier to work with than a basic woven fabric. Yes, you have to pay special attention to the grain line, but aren’t you doing that anyway with your other sewing projects?  ; )  Yes, knits do curl up – but they don’t unravel! Yes, you have to use a special stitch & needle to keep your seams from getting too wavy and/or snapping – but what’s so scary about that?

Here is what is so awesome about knits. I made you a list….

xox,

bonita

P.S. ~ One tip that I picked up is to start with a knit fabric that doesn’t curl much at the edges.  That means that it’s less stretchy which also means that it’s easier to work with.  Works for me!  : D

Quick Share ~ Stranded {Fair Isle} Knitting Tutorial

This is a great tutorial from Tasha of By Gum, By Golly! on how to get started with patterned/stranded/fair isle knitting.  It’s an excellent resource to have on hand. 

VKC: Getting started with stranded (fair isle) knitting

The very basics of stranded knitting

Stranded knitting refers to knitting with multiple colors in a single row, with the unused color carried or stranded along the back when it's not in use. Hence the name "stranding" or "stranded knitting". Usually, that's limited to two colors, but you may find 3 or more colors in some Icelandic and Scandinavian traditional patterns, for example, and occasionally in vintage patterns. Though it's most commonly done with two colors in a row, so that's what I'll focus on…

xox,

bonita

A modern take on 1950s vintage housekeeping

I’ve been busy on Pinterest, pining away at ideas to help me keep my house tidy and organized; just the way I like it.  I have been falling down on the job this week I am afraid; it seems that when I go out, like to get my hair cut, or for Theodore’s immunisations, it takes all day and by the time I get back home I am too exhausted to start the housework! : /

But I suppose it cannot be helped, I just have to try and catch up or ignore it and live with it until next week.  Which method to you prefer?  I once read a book on organization that said that you should leave the weekly jobs if you don’t get them done on the day they are scheduled for or you will forever be playing catch up.  I suppose that is good advice if you really don’t have time to spare, but I find that if I just stop mucking around on the computer for a while I can often catch up on yesterday’s chores if I didn’t manage to get them done the day before. 

If you are interested in the weekly chore system I use, here are two chore charts that are currently hanging on my wall ~

 

They are both available for download here if you would like to use them yourselves.  Obviously there are personal things that you may want to change around, but I often find it helps to have some sort of starting point! 

I actually started with the traditional “Wash on Monday” nursery rhyme to create my weekly chore list ~ it was really useful to pin down what chores I need to think about doing once a week.  

Wash on Monday,
Iron on Tuesday,
Mend on Wednesday,
Churn on Thursday,
Clean on Friday,
Bake on Saturday,
Rest on Sunday.

And as for leaving the washing until later on in the week?  Well ~

They that wash on Monday
Have all week to dry;
They that wash on Tuesday
Are not much awry;
They that wash on Wednesday
Are not so much to blame;
They that wash on Thursday
Wash for shame;
They that wash on Friday
Wash in need;
And they that wash
on Saturday?
Dirty they are indeed!

 

Lol; so what does that mean that sometimes I wash on Sunday?  I don’t even want to think about it! 
> o <

Anyway, on a more serious note I find this statement to be very wise and true for my personal experiences regarding housekeeping:

...Our foremothers found, as others have, that having a certain day to do certain chores goes a long way to getting everything done. I have tried all manner of organizational tips and tricks for having a good schedule and always failed in the execution because of being overwhelmed. However, having one priority per day helped me get that priority done.

Not only will this work for your housekeeping, but for your business or home school as well. A priority-based schedule may work better for larger families and for ladies like me who just can’t cope with a stringent, minute-by-minute schedule…

So don’t think that you have to eke out your hours and organize your time by the second to get your house work done; I have found that with a simple routine it really is quite easy to accomplish a lot of work.  Now if only I could manage to apply those principles to my coaching studies and my sewing!  Oh well.  One step at a time I guess!

xox,

bonita

Quick Share ~ Top 5 Nail Tips

Jaci from You’ve Got Nail is very knowledgeable and has gorgeous nails so when she gives out her 5 top tips for keeping your nails in tip~top shape you know I am going to sit up and listen!  My personal favourite piece of advice is to stop using your nails as tools, i.e. don’t pick at sticky tape, your other nails, use them like a screw driver….  Okay, so the last two crimes are my very own, { –___-‘ } so that just goes to show how badly I treat them.  Well, no longer!   For more tips please check out the rest of her post. 

Top 5 Nail Tips

One of the most common questions I get asked about my manicures is how I maintain my nails.  What tools do I use?  What techniques do I employ?  What secret witches brew do I use to get my cuticles soft.


Really, I have no secrets.  I’ve just found methods and techniques that work for me.  Today, I will be sharing with you guys my Top 5 Nail Tips for keeping your nails looking their very best...

xox,

bonita