Lavender & Twill : July 2015

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

༺ A Day Of Books ༻

Vintage books and vintage looks | Lavender & Twill

I wanted to call this post “A Day At The Library” but realised that was rather misleading as I don’t think my bookshelf at home is a library per say ~ even though it might be my ‘personal library’.

Yes, the writer side of me is being persnickerty again.

And technically, it wasn’t a day of books either. We went to playgroup instead. (⌒▽⌒) ☆

So today I’m introducing one of my favourite outfits for around the house or casual outings, like playgroup, for this winter. It isn’t a terribly period accurate look as far a being either 1940’s or 1950’s, which are my two main decades to dress from, but I do feel like it has a bit of an Edwardian feel, or perhaps 1910s?

Anyway, it really is a comfortable combination. I love this emerald plaid skirt paired with my favourite grey Victorian/Army mash-up boots, and the ankle length keeps me surprisingly warm, which is fabulous for cold winter weather. Add a delicate lacy choker necklace with my black knit top, finish the look off with an oversized floral bow, and it’s a perfect simple-but-effective outfit.

I feel like long skirts for winter should be more of a thing. I know that skirts in general tend to have a bad rap for letting your legs get cold, but I’m always surprised at how warm my legs stay when wrapped with all the excess fabric of a longer skirt. Mind you, this one is lined as well, so that helps. Also, we don’t get snow. I’m pretty sure that’s probably a factor too.
(~￣▽￣)~

Do you like long skirts for winter? Or do you prefer to stick with the longer lengths in summer? I’m always surprised at the versatility of skirts ~ they seem to be able to keep you as warm or as cool as you want to be. Perhaps I shouldn’t be though ~ there is a good reason they are such a firm favourite in my wardrobe!

xox,

bonita

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Saturday, July 25, 2015

༺ Thoughts On Blogging and ‘The Taste Gap’༻

*le sigh* I told the Mister to tell me if my petticoat slipped down in these photos, but here it is making an appearance in just about every shot! (￣。￣;)

Oh well, no-one is perfect, and I don’t have to mention ~~the lipstick I photoshopped off my teeth~~ petticoats and the like to tell you that, do I? (*◕‿◕*)

Time for some real talk though ~ I find it hard to post pictures like these when I feel like they are not my ‘best’ work. In this particular outfit shoot, this one, and this one, {there are more, but we don’t have to go through all of them do we?} I feel like the photography is a bit subpar. Now, photography is one of those tricky things. When you are posting outfit shoots, how much of the photography matters, and how much is a good clear picture of what you are wearing?

Is it about the outfit, the writing, or the pictures?

~ Isabelle wants to show you her pretty pink shoes; these are her favourite! ~

As blogger, I think it’s definitely a combination of both. As a writer ~ it’s all about the words because I’m painting a verbal picture. As an artist ~ it’s all about the composure, the subject, the ‘story’ your picture is telling.

I have this back and forth pull as a writer and an artist, as to which creative expression is more important and I guess that’s how I ended up being a blogger as well! It’s the best of both worlds. Well, most of the time…

The problem is my inner art critique gets quite dramatic, and looks at the results of a 300+ photo shoot without enough decent shots and goes “I cannot post this! It is insufferable! Intolerable! It simply will not do! You will have to go out and take these photos again!” while my inner blogger is all “That’s all well and good, but I’ve got to post something. Empty blog space = bad. Static content = bad. Not posting regularly = bad! You will loose engagement in your community. Talk to people. Talk darn it!!”, but my inner writer shrugs, and just wants to write about how hard it can be to get good photos!

Haha. I’m not the only one with those ~~voices inside their heads~~ kinds of thoughts right? (⌒▽⌒)

As you can tell, my blogger side wins the argument most of the time, even to the point of putting up videos that are a bit grainy, or eking out a post from a scarce handful of photos gleaned from a shoot gone awry.

I think in some ways this is a good thing for me ~ it tells my perfectionist side to be quiet and just keep on turning out pieces {or posts in this case}. Sure, they won’t be like what I envisioned for the first little while {see this super amazing video by Ira Glass on the artist’s ‘taste gap’ if you haven’t seen it before!}, but the more I practise, the closer I get to creating what I see in my head.

And really, when it comes down to it, I think most of it is in my head. I know it’s not quite there, I know it’s not quite good enough. But the rest of the world isn’t holding it’s breath waiting on me to make the most amazing thing ever ~ and if it was, and if I did ~ how would I go on making more art if I couldn’t get over the fact that the next one might not be better than the one before?

One step forwards, two steps back?

Maybe so, but as long as I keep stepping, I’ll keep moving forwards. My work will improve, that taste gap will close, and it will get better as long as I don’t quit and I keep learning.

This stretching process really applies to all kinds of creative efforts ~ writing, photography, art, sewing, outfit combining, knitting, blogging and just about anything else you do where you can say “Yes, I made it myself!”

Besides, who wants to make a perfect piece and never make anything again for fear of not being able to create something better? Sounds boring to me!

That’s why I keep on going on, keep on blogging ~ even those less than perfect posts ~ because I just can’t stop. It is continual cycle of metamorphosis ~ making, tossing, changing directions, creating a bridge to cross the gap so I can finally make the art I’m dreaming of.

xox,

bonita

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Wednesday, July 22, 2015

༺ Mother & Daughter: Pretty in Pink ༻

Getting Miss Wiggle-Pot to stand still and take a photos for this shoot was much harder than usual! Most of the time she loves to come and photobomb my blog pictures, however, this time I got lots of cute-but-not-quite pictures instead.

I guess that’s why they say don’t work with animals or children, but I keep finding myself breaking that rule. Oh well…

Funnily enough, she was very happy to come and show me her outfit after she got dressed in the morning. She runs into my bedroom while I’m getting ready for church and says “Look at my pretty!” And proceeds to bend down and point to her favourite pastel pink shoes with the white and pink daisies on the toes, then pick up her skirt and swish it around. She also pointed to her buttons ~ “Look! Buttons!” she says. ヽ(*⌒∇⌒*)ﾉ

I may or may not have proceeded to point my toes and say “Look, Mummy’s wearing pretty shoes and a dress too!” while swishing my skirts. *coughcough* (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

It is so fun having daughters! I find it so amusing how, without very little {or none at all!} encouragement from me, Little Belle has already decided that pink is her favourite color, and that pretty dresses are her favourite things to wear.

And I swear I had nothing to do with the fact that she’s been obsessed with shoes since she was six months old! Unless it’s genetic… Lol.

Mind you, if it changes later on, that’s perfectly okay, but for now I’m definitely loving the joy that we have from sharing fun things like pink and dresses. (♡◠‿◠)

On that note ~ how cute is this vintage pink and grey gingham 1950’s frock? It was an absolute steal on eBay {less than $33.00 including p+p can you believe it!?} ~ a rare, but sometimes lucky find. I just love that this dress has pockets, yes, two of them! I might have had to wait for a year to wear it, but it was so worth the closet space.

That’s one of the problems buying vintage out of season, or in this case, if you’re pregnant! Sometimes you have to wait several months before you can find out whether it fits… And sometimes you know straight away that it’s not going to. I have had one or two like that ~ where I was over-optimistic about how much give the cut of the top had, or some measurement somewhere else other that bust or waist ~ like arm scythes or shoulders ~ don’t fit like you’d expect from the bust/waist measurement.

To that end, I’ve created a new Instagram! @lavenderandtwillvintage where I’m going to be selling off the vintage, or vintage reproduction pieces, that I no longer love, or that don’t quite fit right. I actually have a huge box of clothes waiting for me to do something with it, so I’m exciting to finally be finding new homes for these lovely pieces so that they are no longer languishing in the bottom of my closet!

Please bear in mind, it will take me a while to get everything listed, but I hope you will follow along for the goodies I have in store. ( ^ _ ^)∠☆

xox,

bonita

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Monday, July 20, 2015

༺ My Pretty Pretty Rainbow Shoes of Amazingness ༻

Eeeeep!! Okay lovelies ~ I am sooo super excited to bring you this unboxing video. I had to wait a while before I had the chance to sit down and do the filming, but it was so worth it.

I recently purchased my very first pair of Irregular Choice heels ~ the “Mal E Bow” in Rainbow ~ after drooling over the unique and amazing styles of their designs for quite sometime. The gorgeous Irregular Choice pieces do tend to sell out fairly quickly, and these shoes really are pretty special, so I hope you enjoy the “live” peek at them!

And, yes, I’m wearing the same outfit as in this last post which I think is kind of cool, because you can get a better look at how that presents “in person” too. Isn’t it so funny how nothing quite looks like photographs, or like videos for that matter, as it does in reality?

xox,

bonita

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Tuesday, July 14, 2015

༺ Stitching Stories: Adventures in Baby Cord ༻

Color blocking fun - white, aubergine, grey and blue | Lavender & Twill

Gum leaves, a beaded purse, and shoes with bows on them | Lavender & Twill

Welp, as you might be able to tell ~ simply by the fact that a whole month has gone by without any progress posts on the Sewing All The Things challenge ~ that things have gone a bit squiffy for me recently!

After all the trouble I had with my wrap dress, I was kind of feeling a bit ‘meh’ about sewing and wanted to do something simple. So I picked Advance 3886, and some mauve jersey knit I had in my stash, and went ~ “This should be fairly simple right?” …..

Ah, about that?

Spoiler alert: it wasn’t!! (￣。￣;)

Firstly, I was wrestling with a super stretchy knit fabric with tons of give, and all the pieces I cut ended up being around two inches shorter than the pattern pieces! Which would be okay ~ except for the bodice where it really wasn’t. I thought I’d have to bin the whole thing, but then I had the dubiously “genius” idea to add an extra piece in at the shoulders to make up for the missing length.

Okay, project saved right?

Nope.

Number one tip for cutting knits? NOTCH OUTWARD NOT IN! All the little “v” cuts I made to mark the seam joins went into the seam allowance, and apparently that makes it super, super hard to make sure the cut is all caught up in the overlocking seam so that there aren’t any holes in your dress.

Really hard.

As in going over the same seam five time in a row hard.

Yikes.

I’ve got to say, that was bad enough, but the lovely gathered detail at the shoulders ~ that really was the last straw.

I tried to follow the instructions, but I don’t know ~ something went wrong somewhere and the ruching just looked… wrong. So I ripped out the stitches and went “I give up!”. Hence the overly long story of how July’s dress ended up in a UFO* bag on my shelf. Humph.

Then I dusted off my unhappy sewing self and went with a really simple pattern ~ the blouse from Simplicity 3688.

This pattern, thankfully, was actually easy! Score! (ง •̀_•́)ง ☆

I used some pinwale corduroy from my stash in white and aubergine {or eggplant for us Aussies!} and while I don’t know what I was thinking when I bought it {one meter of each color? Really?}, it turned out to be a happy accident because I love how the color blocking turned out with this pattern.

Because the blouse construction is so simple, it really lends itself to playing around with your fabrics. Also, it’s a fun pattern to sew. I really enjoyed the process of putting it together. The sleeve heads are super cute with darts to add structure, rather than typical gathers, and the yoke section with bias binding around the neck line looks nice.

This time I cut the blouse to fit my nursing bust size rather than attempting an FBA, and while that helps with the chest squashing problem, I can see that the fit across the shoulders is too big. And I had to run two one inch darts down the back of the blouse to take in four inches of excess fabric from the back. I know the blouse is supposed to be “blousy” in fit, but there’s cute puffy and then there’s way-too-much-fabric-to-tuck-in puffy!

I paired the blouse with my grey scratchy wool skirt ~ yes, that’s it’s name ~ and thankfully in winter, stocking seem to negate the scratch. (¬ ᴗ ¬) I really like the combination of the simple colours, although *gasp* I just realised I don’t have any patterns in this outfit at all! This must be a first!

Now at last I can mark another pattern off the Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge ~ I have three down, {one, two and this one obviously!} and two to go. While my sewing schedule may be all out of wack {annoying my OCD list ticking self}, I am definitely learning things along the way. We are getting there!

~ Project Details ~

Year: A retro re-release of a 1940’s suit pattern
Pattern: Simplicity 3688
Fabric: 2 metres of pinwale corduroy; 1 meter of white, 1 meter of aubergine. From the stash: $7.00 a meter
Notions: A button and a hook and eye for closing the back slit
Time to complete: Two weeks
Make again? Yes. I think this blouse is pretty, and I’m keen to play around with some different fabrics using this pattern. It’s easy to make, comfortable to wear and has a nice authentic 1940’s look.
Wear again? For sure! I need some more 1940’s separates, and this is a good start.
Total Cost: $14.00, but that was ages ago. Stash busting ftw!

So color blocking? What do you think ~ yes or no? Personally, it’s not something I feel compelled to do all the time ~ {unlike floral prints. Yay! Florals!} but it’s certainly a fun change. ヾ(＾-＾)ノ

xox,

bonita

*UnFinished Object kind of UFO for all the non-crafters. Not the abduction, Area 66, X-file kind. ; P

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Tuesday, July 7, 2015

༺ A Foggy Day ༻

Brown and black vintage accessories | Lavender & Twill

Winter vintage style in Australia | Lavender & Twill

I wake. The world outside is white. Pale mist gently blankets the ground. Foggy tendrils curl, muffling the dim shapes moving beyond the curtain closed around my horizon. We are blinded by soft grey cloud, the limit of our perception tethering us to our own solitary islands. Which is just another way to say that not only was the temperature a chilly 1.5° on the weekend, it was also extremely foggy!

It always seems extraordinary to me how much fog does change the world; creating an air of mystery and adventure amongst everyday life by the mere act of veiling and obscuring our view. It even changes the weather from one day to another. Saturday was a delicious day of warmth and sunshine, on the other hand, Sunday was cold and miserable and I was extra glad for my new-to-me vintage coat. (♡◠‿◠)

I purchased this caramel wool coat back in summer because I needed a new coat for winter and I thought it would be just the thing. I was right! I adore the fur collar ~ it’s so soft and fluffy, and it keeps my neck super warm. Plus, the muted caramel hue is the perfect addition to my wardrobe.

I have needed to buy more basic pieces in shades of brown to build up an alternative to the black that has been be my only option for outfit basics {when winter comes} for many years now. Not that I don’t enjoy black, as you can see with my accessories I chose ~ I think this combination of shoes and purse are my new favourite pairing ~ but sometimes you need something a little lighter.

Also, the awesome thing about this black, brown and white plaid dress is that it allows me to mix my color scheme. And yes, there are tiny embroidered yellow daisies centred in every white square on my dress. Fun! ✧*✿❀✿*✧*✿❀✿*✧

Now I know it’s not winter for most of you, but I am wondering, do you have a core color scheme that runs through your wardrobe? Mine, as you might be able to tell, is black ~ a hang over from the days where I only wore shades of monochrome and had over thirty pairs of black shoes!

I’ve been slowly whittling away at my black items, and have practically tossed all of my old black spring/summer items. However, I hold on to my black basics for winter, even though I’m also collecting more brown these days, which I prefer in summer.

I find it interesting how I’m tending towards a more seasonal wardrobe in terms of color now, which I certainly didn’t bother about before. I think it’s the influence of you lovely vintage fashionistas out there keeping me up on the trends. (•ᵕ ᴗ ᵕ•)❀

xox,

bonita

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Sunday, July 5, 2015

༺ A Pin Up Girl Parcel & The June Haul ༻

Oh, I’m so excited! I’ve been wanting to film more videos, and when I received a bunch of fantastic parcels in the mail, I thought “Aha! Haul video!”

Today’s video features some vintage goodies from eBay, and my first Pin Up Girl purchase ~ the Canvas Underskirt in White by Laura Byrnes. Now, I won’t say too much more about it except that I’ve been waiting a while for this petticoat, so much glee ensues.

Also, I’d like to try to make this a regular thing, and put out a new video every second weekend, but I guess we’ll see how it goes. (＾ ε ＾) ♡

If you have any videos you’d like to see, please let me know, I’d love to hear your ideas! And please do feel free to ask any questions, or tag me for a video challenge. (´ゝ∀・｀)

xox,

bonita

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Wednesday, July 1, 2015

༺ How To Make Pastel Colored Bobby Pins ༻

Hello Lovelies! I have another simple DIY tutorial for you that produces some very cute hair accessories, so let’s get right to it shall we?

Supplies needed:

Clean bobby pins/hair grips ~ preferably new ones
Pretty nail polishes in your choice of colors ~ I used Mode Cosmetics – Cool As, Maybelline Express Finish – Passing By Pink, BYS Nail Enamel – 05 Light Purple, N.Y.C. Color – Lemon
Some cardboard or paper

Step 1: Arrange your bobby pins on the cardboard and make sure there is paper underneath them to catch any extra spills.

Step 2: Carefully paint along the top of the individual bobby pins using your nail polish. Be careful not to put too much polish on the brush or it will puddle over the side of the bobby pins.

Step 3: Rinse and repeat as often as you like!

Top Tip: It is better to use a thicker nail polish for this DIY than a thin one, as you not only get better coverage, but it’s also easier to paint neatly so that you don’t get puddles of excess polish everywhere!

Step 4: Double coat your bobby pins to cover up any see-through spots. When you are happy with how they look, very carefully move any bobby pins that are sitting in puddles of polish so that they don’t stick when dry and ruin the paint job when you take them off the cardboard.

Allow your bobby pins to dry over night and then enjoy wearing your new pretty accessories in your hair! (= ᵔ ᴗ ᵔ) ~ ♥

xox,

bonita

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Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Monday, July 20, 2015

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Wednesday, July 1, 2015