The Blue Danube Cardigan

Blue Danube Cardigan  ~  Me Made from this Vintage Knitting Book; Bulky Knits    Classic Collar Blouse  ~  Thrifted   Vintage Lilly Love Brooch  ~  Love Vintage Clothing Show, 2011   Plaited Belt  ~  Thrifted    Swingin’ Circle Skirt  ~  Me Made in Casey’s CSSA   Gingham Picnic Wedges  ~  Modcloth

~ * ♥ * ~

You guys, do you know how absolutely excited I am?!!  See that pretty blue cardigan I am wearing?  I made it myself!!  It’s my first knitted garment and I am completely adoring how it came out!  I think that it looks exactly like the picture for the pattern ~ don’t you?  ᵔᴗᵔ

Well, almost exactly the same, except that I haven't yet sewn on the hook and eye at the neck, and I also made mine a wee bit shorter because I couldn’t get enough of the same dye in the yarn I bought. 

Still, all that aside, I can’t wait to start on my next knitting project.  This one was finished in about a month, so I think I might be able to squeeze in another heavy knit in before the end of winter and then I’ll have to start on some more lighter weight {i.e. ~ finer yarn which equals a lot more time on the needles!} projects.  I might even have enough garments to participate in Me-Made May if it’s on next year.  > – <  Fun times!

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ Fitting & Dealing with Pattern Ease

As always our beloved Gertie from Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing is a fountain of sewing techniques and knowledge ~ her latest post on dealing with pattern ease is very helpful to anyone out there who is wondering why their dresses don’t fit as well as they should.  Check it out over here:

Dealing with Pattern Ease

Here’s a topic that gets a lot of discussion, but I think the info bears repeating: ease in patterns. I’ve been making more contemporary patterns than usual, and also featuring them here. I’ll often get comments (virtually and in person, when I teach) warning me to watch out for the sizing on a certain pattern because it’s all off and it came out ginormous, etc.

So, here’s the thing: the sizing on a pattern doesn’t have to be a surprise. Actually, let me restate that: the EASE on a pattern doesn’t have to be a surprise. (Ease being the extra inches built into a pattern for wearing room.) It just takes a couple more steps in preparation than usual.

As traditional sewing wisdom would have you believe, all you have to do to get your correct size is measure yourself, check the size chart on that pattern, find the size that corresponds to your body, make that size, and ta-da! Your dress will fit you perfectly. Unfortunately, this is completely untrue…

xox,

bonita.

Bohemian Hipster vs. Parisian Chic

Be Mine Beanie  ~  ? Can’t remember!    Pearl Headband  ~  Equip     Fuzzy Friend Cardigan  ~  Thrifted    Classic Top  ~  ?  Can’t remember   Louis Bird Brooch  ~  Acorn & Will    Plaited Belt  ~  Thrifted   Seeing Spring Skirt  ~   Thrifted   Maroon Socks  ~  Local Dollar Shop   Bow White Flats  ~  Tightrope

~ * ♥ * ~

Dressing for playgroup is an interesting experience.  On one hand I don’t wish to stick out like a sore thumb amongst the “mom uniform” wearers {y’know, the jeans/track pants + t-shirt/hoodie}, but on the other, I feel like I should remain true to myself and my style even though I know that a dress and heels {and stockings!  *gasp* > 0 < } is TOTAL overkill for playgroup mornings. 

Throw in the fact that you need to be able to crawl around on the floor or grass with your baby and possibly get smeared with some unidentifiable substances {and identifiable ones, like mashed banana, or toddler snot!} and you have a recipe for some rather random outfits on my part.  Like this one ~ it’s not totally me, yet it sort of is.  And I can’t decide whether it’s bohemian hipster or Parisian chic style!

The good news is that my style or not, everyone liked my beanie and I got to hide my deplorably bad hair day.  I’d call that a win all-round.   > U <

xox,

bonita

Wordless Wednesday ~ 1st May Ed.

     

     

xox,

bonita

How To ~ Pretty-fy a Hair Comb

This is a super simple tutorial on covering a hair comb with yarn to make it pretty.  It’s very quick to do, but has some lovely results, so let’s get started.

Supplies needed:

• Some pretty yarn
• A hair comb or two
• A darning needle
• Glue {optional}

  Step 1:  Secure the yarn between the first two teeth and leave a tail at the back to wrap around.  

  Step 2:  Turn the comb over, and start wrapping the yarn a ‘fan’ shape ~ laying the strands next to each other* See below.  I found that five wraps was enough for the thickness of my yarn, but you may need to experiment to achieve the coverage you would like.

  The fan shape you are aiming for.

  Step 3:  Thread the yarn through the next space between the comb’s teeth and over lap the strands with the next fan shape.   

  Step 4:  Continue in the same fashion across the top of the comb, until you reach the end.

  Step 5:  Cut the yarn leaving a short tail to secure off.

  Step 6:  You can either glue the tail down, or tie it in a knot around the yarn.  You can do this by threading the tail onto a darning needle, passing behind and around the back of the wrapped yarn. Tie your knot, then thread the remainder of the tail behind your yarn to hide the rest of it.

Et voilà!  You are finished!

Now enjoy your pretty new hair combs! 

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ Make Many Dickeys pattern + post

More reformatting!  Instead of going for the “Quick Share” on Fridays I thought I’d call it how it really is:  “Link Love”.  Links that I love - get it?  Anyway today we have a guest post from the amazing Angie of Quality Time on Stephanie’s blog The Girl with the Star Spangled Heart. 

*whew!* Got that all straight?  Anyway, do hop on over an check out both these lovely ladies’ blogs if you haven’t already.  Lots of vintage sewing goodness to be had!

In the mean time…

Make Many Dickeys...a Vintage Pattern

 

Hello Star Spangled Readers!  My name is Angie and I blog over at Quality Time. I was so excited when the very sweet Stephanie asked me to guest post for her here on her blog….

…I've been poring over my recent purchases of vintage sewing and pattern magazines looking for the perfect thing to scan and share with you all here. My own blog is more miscellaneous sewing adventures than vintage clothing adventures, but I do like to combine the two when I can.

This pattern I'm sharing is from a dressmaking booklet from the 1940s.  Some of the pages were missing, but luckily not this cute article about wearing a "dickey", or a "faux" shirt.  (Basically, a dickey is a partial bodice but usually a full collar, to wear under sweaters, cardigans or other garments).
I hope you enjoy the article! …

xox,

bonita

Pretty Broach Giveaway

There’s a lovely giveaway going on at Grandmother's Pearls.  Elsa is hosting the competition ~ she has a darling vintage blog is a great source of inspiration and pretty vintage modelling/pin-up pictures.  She’s teamed up with Sarah of Snövits äpple {which the ever~handy Goggle is telling me means “Snow White’s Apple”}. 

Sarah makes stunning jewellery pieces that are very vintage inspired, and are simply beautiful for adding that special touch to any outfit of choice.  I adore her photograph broaches ~ they remind me very much of an antique glass locket, or an Edwardian keepsake. Thankfully, everyone who enters the giveaway has the chance to win a custom broach for themselves!

This is the picture of Joey and myself that I would love to have in my broach if I won:

That or this one:

~ * Actually, I think this second one is my favourite! * ~

Now most of you may not really know this, but horses are such a big part of my life and I wouldn’t part with my boys for anything!  Joey and Copper play a big role in teaching me about myself ~ my mental attitudes, my physical talents and limitations, and the strength of my character.

Honestly, I can’t really describe the kind of bond that is formed between a horse and his rider ~ it’s not like a human friendship, but something else; a mental connection…  Sharing that with my boy Joey is a very important part of who I am. 

My vintage world and my horse world don’t often mix, but with a customized piece of jewellery, I would have a small memento of how much the horses in my life mean to me, and I would love to be able to wear that wherever I go!  So here’s me hoping, and if you want the chance to have your own customized jewellery piece, you can meander over to the giveaway post here:

Blog competition - Win a custom made brooch!

Good luck everyone!

xox,

bonita

Don’t Leaf Me Lonely

Reel Red Cardigan  ~  Thrifted   Nautical Navy Top  ~  Thrifted   Vintage Leather Belt  ~  Thrifted  Blue Sails Skirt  ~  Thrifted    Tan Penny Loafers  ~  Big W

~ * ♥ * ~

Autumn is here, and it is holding the rest of us hostage.  Seriously, 2 degree lows over night?  *brrr*  That’s cold.  Usually there’s a tradition in Canberra to only start lighting the fires/heating your house up after Anzac Day, but we really couldn’t wait that long this year.  I think it’s going to be a cold one.  

Yay for the snow season!  The Hubs and I have season passes again this year, so we are absolutely looking forwards to that.  Another thing that is making me smile is that my new loafers match the colour of the fallen leaves.   How epic is that? 

I have been wearing these shoes a ton.  Partly because I had been looking for a decently priced, cute pair of heeled loafers for the better part of a year and a half, so now that I’ve found them, I am super excited, and partly because I find myself turning more and more away from my ‘boring’ black shoes and going for the more colourful, quirky pairs. 

I don’t know what it is, but I am feeling so anti-black at the moment!  That is fairly interesting considering at one stage my entire wardrobe was in shades of monochrome – ranging from white to black.  Now I’d say it’s more 45% black and 35% colour, with about 20% being white or grey.  Hmm.  Maybe I’m just growing out of my emo-teen years.  ; P

xox,

bonita  

Small Town Trucker

 

Cream o’ Green Crochet Top  ~  ICE   Gladys Owl Fakelite Broach  ~  Acorn & Will, Gladys Owl   Fakelite Carved Rose Bangle  ~  Dotti   Jadestone Bangle  ~  Hong Kong  Sailor Side Button Jeans  ~  Freddie’s of Pinewood ~ Note:  They don’t have the exact pair anymore, but these are close ~ 1940's Work Pants   White Sandshoes  ~  Thrifted

~ * ♥ * ~

I looooove this old ute!  It’s parked in the ‘back yard’ of the tumble down house I take photos by, and it’s got such character!  This outfit shoot was literally a ten minute “drive by”, but the truck makes it so full of win.  I am really, really happy that we live where we do!  So many interesting places to take snaps…  > <

Incidentally, do you all like the change of formatting to my outfit post?  It’s kind of subtle, so you may not have noticed, but basically I’m not numbering outfit posts anymore; I think it’s getting too crazy and what happens if I start getting into the hundreds?  What if I hit 1,000 outfit posts??  That would be nuts, but it could happen!  

I’ve also decided to cut down the picture content.  While I love outfit posts that have lots of details, I felt like 5 – 7 photos is just getting too repetitive.  I also noticed that a lot of my favourite bloggers only do a couple of pictures, some of them only one!  Because I’m not posting outfit posts that frequently though I decided to cap it at 3 main photos and one details shot.  What do you think?  Should I do even less photos, like just one or maybe two, or should I go back to my old format?  Feel free to let me know!
^ w ^

xox,

bonita

Offline….

 

Hey everyone, this is just a super quick post to say that I’ll be offline for the next two to three weeks.  My RSI has flared up in both my wrists and now my elbows too so I’m cutting all computer work to try and let it heal.

Talk to you when I get back!

xox,

bonita

P.S.  ~  I did a  post about RSI a while back ~ you can read the article I linked to for some great advice on managing RSI here.

Hey-Hey it’s a HeyDay Giveaway!!

Okay, so there is going to be a glut of these posts thanks to everyone wanting to win….  Therefore, I’ll keep this post short and sweet and leave you with lovely pictures of what I’d buy {if I won!} to drool over.

 

It’s a toss up between these gorgeous blue 1940’s swing trousers with a pink rose blouse to match or….

The new Fleur dress in pink floral gingham!  Ack!  I die!  So adorable…  I’d take all of these, but I’d have to decide what I’d buy if I win.  I reeeeeally hope I win.  *fingers crossed*    Go to the Heyday Givaway for your chance to win.  Good luck!

xox,

bonita

P.S.  ~ All images in this post belong to In the Heyday.  For more information about the products shown here please visit their website.  Thank you!

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

My Pony Boy ~ Outfit Sixty Two

Crochet Rose Clip  ~  Made by Me – tutorial here   Rose Red Cardigan  ~  SES   Bow Me Down Necklace  ~  Etsy  Gingham Girl Shirt  ~  Thrifted   Fakelite Bangle  ~  Dotti   Carpenter Jeans  ~  Thrifted and made over by me   White Sand Shoes  ~  Thrifted

~ * ♥ * ~

Everyone, meet my horse Joey ~ Joey, this is everyone!   > U <   I love that this outfit is easy and comfortable and I don’t have to worry about ruining it; hence the trip to the horse yards to un-rug the pony which turned into an outfit shoot.   ; ) 

If you’ve ever been around horses, you will know that as soon as you step near one you become an instant magnet for horse hair, dirt, scurf ~ you name it, it gets on you.  Still, what’s really great is that I got these jeans for free ~ so I don’t care what happens to them! 

When I picked them up they were actually a pair of gansta style hip hop pants; you know the kind ~ baggy, loose and worn around the knees…  Not my style, or my size for that matter, so I sewed them into a pair of high-waisted vintage styled pants by using the shape of my good old Freddie’s of Pinewood jeans as a guide.  They turned out pretty well if I do say so myself!  

I am also in love with my new-to-me gingham blouse; it’s so comfy and cute!  I think that I definitely need more gingham in my wardrobe, the checks are so awesome.  Joey wasn’t very impressed with it though ~ he doesn’t care unless there are carrots involved!  He did, however, ham it up for the camera quite a bit. Don’t you think he makes a great model?  Next time I have to remember to get a few shots with his legs in frame too!  ; P  

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

Polka Dot Polly ~ Outfit Sixty One

Pearl Hair Comb  ~  Vintage; off Etsy   Swiss Dot Darling Dress  ~  Vintage; off Etsy   Lace Peep Toe Pumps  ~  New Look; UK

~ * ♥ * ~

This lovely park is one of our favourite places to go ~ it’s so beautiful and really close to our house too; like five minutes down the road.  Don’t you just love it when there are gorgeous spots that you can enjoy as a family?  I know I do!  Here’s a little peek behind the scenes of this photo shoot… 

xox,

bonita