plimsoll

making summer clothes for the nipper

11 April 2014

I have squeezed in some perfect days (and nights!) sewing away in my shed lately. I have made 5 toddler outfits, but here are three of them.

By the way, I didn't use any pattern to make them but I did use some existing vintage clothes as inspiration and to get a rough idea of shapes to cut out. Basically they are clothes that look great on the little'un so I wanted to recreate them...thats what I usually do to be honest, as sewing patterns make my eyeballs implode.

I found a lovely little 1920s romper suit which is simply two bits of fabric sewn together with a side neck tie. I love it but its worn a big hole on the bum, so I made a new one...

with ickle poppers...

a few modelling shots...

and these were the original clothes I used for inspiration...

1920s romper

1940s short dungarees

1980s smock dress

In other news, some flowers have finally popped out...

I have also been working on my vintage shop, I have about 29 items of clothing to list. It should be ready to go live in a couple of days. Very exciting! Some of the dresses I have had in storage for over a year...I have been so busy that it kept getting put off but now it's finally done.

you turn your back for a few seconds and your seat gets nicked.

(there is a toddler fast a kippo under that blanket)

I made some labels! they are vintage wallpaper with stamped cotton sewn on top.

I am mad about labels as you may have noticed.

So my next post I'll let you know that my online shop has re-opened : )

And then after that I'll be working on our Rust online shop, with lots of new items, phew!

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our Kitchen type room

18 January 2014

I started the year with a massive long list of things I need to do, written down in my book. This resulted in a sort of brain spasm. I just decided that there is no hurry so why panic myself when really all I want to do is eat and stay under a blanket and not look outside at the dull, grey, drizzly murk that is Great British weather. Anyways, as soon as I decided to take the pressure off myself, I actually ended up getting a few things done. One of those things was to make it a bit more homely in our kitchen, sunroom dinning room type room.

It is a newly built extension (by previous owner) and opens out onto our sparse and soggy garden.

Its basically a blank white box with a big window. Today I set about arranging things in an ~~arty farty~~ orderly fashion.

I recently painted the bottom half of our table, which we bought from a local vintage yard. Its made of scaffolding planks (hence knot holes as big as my fist).

My Mister recently procured various hooks and put them up around the house. Hooks, I have realised, are my saviour.

We also have some new chairs to add to the family, we were very grateful to have been given two string woven seat chairs, they are from made.com. We have two but the other has been stolen away to my shed in the garden which I am also in the process of decorating. I love them so much, I was after some vintage ones like this but always the seat has gone all dried up and brittle, so I'm so happy to have found these. It's nice to have some modern bits of furniture for a change...

and Jo's tortoise (a very treasured xmas pressie from Nao) looks very at home on there.

I found this wooden elephant in a junk market and loved the way its been skilfully made and the design just kills me. I gave it to our daughter for xmas, it goes really fast on those wheels believe it or not.

A few more recent acquisitions...an Ercol rocking chair from same said vintage yard. One bonus of living in the sticks is the great price for furniture like this. I'm going to put it out on the patio in the summer and sizzle myself in the mythical British sun.

Unfortunately we have had some leaks in the roof around that window which has left a nasty stain, so thats another job to add to the list!

Guess who sits at the head of the table.

We have got some Bi-fold (?) doors which open right out. I think this was why we bought the house.

A plant I managed not to kill, has rewarded us with some surprise flowers. I didn't even know it flowered at all! ...and in January!...

another Mister find...

...yes I know we haven't taken off random names stickers (I think they were for clocking-in cards?) ...thats another job for the list.

But any hows, I have the house to myself for a couple of hours and this pasty is about to be scoffed by moi, and then straight to the 'puter to do this blog post.