Me and my Bobbie Brooks

I bought this late 50s/early 60s cropped jacket when I was in Nelson a couple of weeks ago. It was one of those things that I didn't know I'd been missing until I saw it. It's getting hotter here, but there are still days when you need something against the wind. It's perfect because it's light enough for the warmer weather and it's a good length to wear with full skirts.

The colour looks greyish here but it's an apple green

 
It isn't lined but all the seams are finished with bias binding. Bobbie Brooks is an American clothing manufacturer that started in 1939. The label in my jacket is similar to some of the ones on Vintage Fashion Guild that are from the 1950's and early 1960's. It came with a belt. I assume there was a matching dress at some point because the belt can't really be worn over the top of the jacket.

Jacket: Eclectic Antiques Centre, Nelson
Skirt: I made it
Bangles: Etsy and Ebay
Shoes: the Warehouse

Mash-up

I bought this blossom patterned quilting cotton on sale a couple of weeks ago. I'm trying to stop buying new fabric, but I couldn't resist the print. I knew I wanted to make a slim skirted dress that I could wear to work but also just wear generally.
 

I've made both these patterns before so I knew they fitted reasonably well. I used the bodice from the pattern on the right and the skirt from the pattern on the left. 

I cut the bodice out on Thursday and then didn't do anything else until about 3 in the afternoon yesterday. It was quick and easy to sew up and I finished it in time to wear it to work today. 

This was my attempt to take a picture of the zip. I used an op shopped vintage metal zipper. I have a huge stash of op shopped zips. They're mostly still in their original packaging. I hardly ever use them though because I never have the right colour or size. I was excited to finally use one.  

This is what happens when I take pictures after work/around sunset

Dress: Butterick 8459 skirt and Vogue 4260 bodice

 Belt: Op shopped

Tights: Kmart

Shoes: Tony Bianco

Back in black, button back blouse

It's not really a blouse, but it sounded better than top. 

I've had this pattern for quite a while but had procrastinated about making it because it was a couple of inches too big for me. I don't mind grading patterns up, but grading them down is always painful.  In the end I cheated and didn't really use the pattern. I wanted to make the button back top on the right at the back. Rather than bothering to grade the pattern, I just redrafted one that already fitted me. I added the square neckline by laying the pattern pieces from this pattern over my other pattern and redrawing it. This is definitely not the mathematically correct way of doing things, but whatever, I'm lazy. Adding the button closure at the back was simple. I just added a few of inches to the pattern pieces for the placket and a self-facing.   

I'm not a massive fan of the heart print, but it was the only black 100% cotton broderie anglaise I could find. Weirdly, cut on the straight grain the hearts are sideways which is better for me I guess because they look less heart-like. 

 I used some vintage buttons I bought from a market for the back. They are really pretty and faceted, but it was hard to get a good picture. I got them on the original piece of card. Half the fun of buying old notions is the funny packaging.  Apparently, the buttons were plant-tested and approved by the Research Institute of Launderers, Dry Cleaners and Dyers of NZ. I wonder how they tested them. Put them through the wash loads of times, maybe? Hopefully this means they will withstand the spin cycle.  

I could probably do with making a couple more of these tops in different colours. I'm a bit lacking in plain(ish) tops to go with my patterned skirts. 

Yeah, the colours are weird in this one. I tried to edit it but probably just made it worse.

Skirt: Op shopped
Belt: Op shopped
Scarf: Op shopped by my mum
Top: Simplicity 3937
Shoes: The Warehouse
Sunglasses: The Yellow Brick Road

Is she pretty on the inside?

I bought this pattern with a bunch of other early 60's ones. I liked the bow-type thing on the neckline, but didn't find either of the skirt styles very appealing. I decided to do a box pleated skirt instead of the a-line or straight skirts from the pattern.   

Most of the seams are french ones because I'm lazy. You see, the overlocker is in a different room to my sewing machine. This means I have to go all the way to the other room if I want to overlock anything. It just seems easier to stay at my machine and sew an extra seam. As an added bonus, the finish you get with french seams makes the inside pretty.

This is the detail on the neckline.The background colour is weird. It looks white next to cream things and cream next to white things. I topstitched it in white which looks alright, but doesn't match perfectly.

There was a picture of me smiling in this pose, but the dress didn't look good so bored face it is

I love this dress. Yellow and cream/white are not normally colours I would go for, but I love lemons, both real ones and prints.

Sunglasses: Vintage shop in England
Dress: Simplicity 4987
Belt: Op shopped
Shoes: The Warehouse

McCall's 8813 Suit: Finished

My suit is finally done. I was waiting for some good weather to take pictures outside but it doesn't look like that's going to happen any time soon (it's meant to snow tomorrow), so inside photos will have to do.

I've written a bit about the construction of the jacket in the previous posts, so I'll spare you any more about that. The skirt was pretty easy to sew. I tapered the bottom in a few inches because I don't like straight skirts.

I really should make some sort of effort to change my facial expression between photos

I lined the skirt in a black satin from my stash that someone had given me, because I didn't have enough of the fabric I used to line the jacket. In fact, almost everything I used for this suit was from my stash and/or second hand. 

I look surprised, probably because I managed to make a suit. 

Hat: Saltaire Vintage Fair
Hatpin: I made it
Suit: I made it
Vanity case: Sumner Street Fair
Shoes: Op shopped
Tights: Columbine (still made in NZ)
Gloves: From the dressing up box we had as kids. They probably belonged to my grandma.

I took this photo with the flash on. It gives a better idea of the actual colour. It's not as dark green as it looks in the pictures above.

My hair is always messy at the back...and at the front, but more so at the back. 

Here's one of the hatpins I made in action on the hat I was wearing.

Leaving Riverton

I bought this fabric ages ago on sale from the quilting section. I then put it in my fabric stash and ignored it for about six months. When I pulled it out recently I noticed that it had the designer of the fabric and the collection it belonged to printed on the selvedge. I looked them up to see what other people had made with the fabric. It turns out that the collection that this fabric belongs to has a novel that goes with it. The novel (and the fabric) is called 'Leaving Riverton'. It is a quilting romance novel. I had no idea that such a genre even existed. It's kind of hilarious because I dislike both romance novels and quilting. The book sounds pretty crap anyway, if the Amazon reviews are anything to go by. I hope no one thinks that my dress is an homage to the novel. I just like the fabric, okay? 

I used Simplicity 4744 from 1963. I originally drafted some three quarter sleeves, but when I sewed them on they didn't look right so I scrapped them.  

I didn't use the pattern pieces for the skirt, I just cut two rectangles, sewed them together and did one inch pleats.

Shoes: Brumby's garage sale

Belt; Op shopped

Bangles: Op shopped

Dress: I made it 

Socks: Columbine

Lotsa Hats

Hats are one of those things that are slightly annoying to travel with. They take up quite a bit space and you have to be careful they don't get crushed. This did not stop me coming back from England with four new (old) hats. 

I should really have taken the plastic wrap  and tape off my hat block before I took photos

I bought this cocktail hat in a charity shop in Ilkley, (I think). I have no idea of its age but I think it's the 'youngest' of the ones I bought.

This juliet cap-type hat was from a vintage shop in Saltaire. It doesn't look like much here but I really love the way it looks on.

Front view

I got this one at the same vintage fair in Saltaire (yes, I bought lots of stuff in Saltaire), that I got the two dresses in my last post.

Side view

I love the bows at the sides.

My favourite is this black pillbox with the red top. My aunty got it for me for Christmas. It's from Circa Vintage in Harrogate which is a lovely shop.