Lavender & Twill : October 2016

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

༺ Stitching Stories: Corbett Tulips ༻

You know, sometimes having too much to say can almost be as bad as not having anything to say at all… Where do I even being? At the beginning? Haha, that seems about right! But be warned ~ the beginning of this story literally started months ago… It’s a long one, so you might want to fetch a snack and a cup of tea. I’ll wait.

Ready?

My friend Tanith {Tanith Rowan Designs} and I have been trying to meet up since the start of this year. We picked Bowral as a nice “right-in-the-middle-for-the-both-of-us” spot and made plans, but between sick children, rain, cars breaking down, and goodness knows what else, six or so months later and we said we are doing this no matter what, and guess what… We did it! ╭( ･ㅂ･)و ̑̑ ˂ᵒ͜͡ᵏᵎ⁾✩

I drove up to meet her by myself {the traffic was horrendous} so I was very glad to arrive and have lunch and tea at a cute little Alice in Wonderland themed café. Tanith and I both agreed that their Sweet Potato chips where the way to go!

We had a little wander around the town after lunch, and while we were both disappointed to find that the fascinating antiques shop we were planning to explore had shut, there was still a nice little fabric shop with all sorts of gorgeous silks, lush velvets, and buttons ~ vintage buttons!

Then we made our way to Corbett Gardens. I’d driven past it when I was hopelessly scouting around for a parking spot {main street was MUCH too busy} ~ and we thought it might be nice to take a proper look.

And even though it was freezing and the weather was miserable, I must say, the garden was certainly worth the time!

I didn’t even mind so much about missing the antiques shop {But only because I’m planning to go back..! I do really want to see inside ~ it’s an old ‘shops within a building’ historic site and the whole thing has been converted to into an antique shop and café which I think is just marvellous} ~ all those beautiful flowers where so delightful!

The Corbett Gardens are a veritable tulip wonderland, and so excellently designed. There were two rotundas, one small one nestled under a cherry tree, and one large one surrounded by all the flower beds ~ which were these fantastic terrace gardens. They looked like blooming layer cakes, or colourful pyramids, but the great thing about them was that it was so much easier to take photos of the flowers with all the height to the flower beds! Which of course, made it blogger heaven… Haha! (*≧ꇴ≦)

And best of all, I totally blended right in because everyone else was taking loads of selfies with the flowers too… :P

Now onto what I wore ~ this is a Stitching Stories post after all!

I had started this Simplicity 3688 skirt to go with a matching Simplicity 1940’s pattern of a bolero jacket last year. I had to put it aside to work on something else ~ my Christmas blouse I think? Anyway, I knew I could finish this skirt to wear out, but I needed a top to go with it.

I’d seen Christina of Gussets and Godet’s blog post where she wrote about the 1940's wrap top she had made and I really wanted to make it so I thought ~ why not? And went for it!

It’s a super easy pattern to make up and works beautifully, but I must say that my photographs are not the best example of how well it can work, and yes, I’ll tell you why….

Story time…. Again! Still have that tea? Or do you need another cup by now?

I had parked the car before meeting Tanith, I needed to change from my driving shoes ~ flats, to my co-coordinating with my ensemble shoes ~ heels. As I was bending over to buckle my shoe I heard something pop… “Uh-oh… But what could it be?” I thought. “Anyway I’m running late, must ignore it for now.” Then I buckled the other shoe, heard some more popping and nothing else. Quick check, couldn’t see anything wrong, “Well okay then, we must be alright…”

Fast forward to me messing about with my blouse while taking photos ~ “Why is this thing floating about everywhere!? I know it’s windy, but yeesh, it doesn’t want to stay tucked properly!” Fiddle, fiddle, fuss, fuss… Tuck it in and smile for the camera!

Fast forward again ~ I’d finished taking the photos, Tanith had had to leave before then, and now it was my turn to drive home. I hopped in the car, but before I started off I wanted to shed some of the constricting elements of my outfit for a more comfortable trip home. As I took off my blouse to change it for a knit top, I realized that the back tie was dangling by one strap ~ *ding!* “Oooooh! That’s why the dang thing wouldn’t stay tucked in properly!” … And also why it looks a bit poufy and weird in some of the pictures. It’s not solely the wind and the rain blowing right down one sleeve and out the other!

The moral to this story is ~ sew straps that take a lot of strain more securely next time. And maybe pay attention to any popping noises you might hear… (๑˃́ε˂̀๑ )

~ Project Details ~

Year: 1940’s
Pattern: Simplicity 3688 Retro Release & a 1940’s wrap top tutorial
Fabric: Mint pinwale corduroy and rose print poly-cotton fabric
Notions: One grey zip and a silver button
Time to complete: Two hours-ish for the wrap blouse, and I’m not sure, maybe that for finishing up the skirt? I had to hem it, insert the zip, put on the waist band, and do the button and button hole
Make again? I do like the 40s skirt pattern, it’s a good basic, but it’s not a pattern I really love so I don’t know if I will make it again. I will see. But the wrap top ~ this is not going to be the only version of this, for sure! I am itching to try it out in a crepe or silk, and a jersey knit, and… I foresee a few variations on this pattern. I like it a lot. It’s easy to make, easy to wear, and it’s just brilliant!
Wear again? Yes, once I mend the blouse… And re-enforce those strap seams!
Total Cost: I’m not sure, because I can’t remember the price on any of it, but I know it probably was under or around $20.00 for the skirt and blouse.

xox,
bonita

༺ ♡ ༻

Monday, October 17, 2016

༺ Reaching Out ༻

Only two days ago, I was shocked and horrified to learn that my dear friend Jessica Cangiano of Chronically Vintage has lost her house and all of her belongings to a devastating house fire.

Tony, Jessica, and their pup Annie escaped safely with minimal smoke inhalation, but sadly it appears that their precious cat, Stella, was lost in the fire as they have been unable to locate her.
They were unable to save anything more than their phones and the clothes that they were wearing. Their property was completely gutted. The fire swept away everything they owned, including Jessica’s livelihood of her Etsy shop.

I’m sure most of you know Jessica through her blog ~ she is a gracious, kind, and an incredibly generous member of our global vintage & blogging community, the sweetest girl that is friend to one and all. So if you wish to help out, here are some things that you can do.

Please consider donating to the YouCaring fund set up to help the Cangianos start rebuilding their life. There is also a Facebook page to help coordinate care packages and other donations of clothes and supplies that are desperately needed. Here you can also follow along to keep abreast of the efforts to assist them. Thank you for any assistance you can offer, I know that Jessica and Tony are deeply touched by the outpourings of love and care for them at this time. ❤

xox,

bonita

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

༺ Sweet Copper ༻

This may come as no surprise ~ but I just adore historic buildings and nothing gets my little heart beating faster than a cute cottage or stately old building. I am always excited to poke around and admire all the details of craftsmanship that go into creating such structures, and of course, take a picture or ~~two~~ …*cough*five hundred*cough*.

It was a weekend or two ago now, but my family and I had a lovely excursion out to Gold Creek, a historic village with loads of cute shops and ice creameries, and of course, Adore Tea. I think I’ve probably mentioned this specialty tea house before, so I won’t go on… But I did find a new tea to bring home with me, so that was definitely the cherry on top of a fun brunch!

It was a delightful day, my dear sister that had moved up to the Gold Coast at the beginning of the year was down for a short visit and I don’t think I can ever forget the fun and laughter that comes with the joy of having everyone together again… Can you bottle up sunshine and love into a shimmering jar of light forever? Maybe not, but I’m glad for the good times. (✿◡‿◡)੭✧*｡

Anyhow, I am rambling ~ yes, indeed, I am. Let’s come down from the boughs of fancy and set ourselves up for some real practical girl talk ~ regarding shoes.

I purchased my first pair of Miss L Fire shoes about half way through this year and when they arrived I was so dismayed to find that I had ordered a size too large! I had all these thoughts as to whether I should try to sell them on eBay, or just pay for shipping costs both ways and exchange them, and numerous other issues; it was giving me a headache just thinking about it!

The problem was solved when I ordered a pair in my size, and a friend said she was willing to purchase the too-large pair from me. So currently, I have two pairs of Miss L Fire Heartbreaker shoes in the their boxes under the bed, but I’d say the hassle was worth it as I totally love these shoes.

It’s the first time I’ve really invested in a pair of vintage reproduction shoes, rather than just purchasing whatever vintage appropriate footwear I could find. And although there was a bit of bother at the beginning, now that I know my size I have a feeling I will be frequently perusing Miss L Fire’s designs in hopes of filling my wardrobe!

I don’t know if this has happened to you before, but it almost seems like several pairs of my shoes have reached their expiry dates and for no apparent good reason I can decipher have decided to give up the ghost. The pleather uppers are absolutely shredded on at least three or four pairs and there are others that are looking suspiciously flaky . As I don’t wear them hard or often, I am a bit at a loss to know what has caused this, but all I can say it’s that it’s really quite tragic as now I have to replace up to half a dozen different pairs of shoes all at once! (๑o̴̶̷̥᷅﹏o̴̶̷̥᷅๑)ᵒᵎᵎᵎ

It is quite vexing and certainly not something I will be doing all at once because I just can’t afford to replace that many pairs straight out. I will be trying to replace them slowly, one pair at a time, with good quality shoes that {if well looked after} should last a lifetime, or at least half of one ~ and not just a mere six years!

But if you have any tips on keeping faux leather in shape, I’d love to hear them. I think the material just dried out too much to be supple anymore? Is there some kind of conditioning you can treat pleather with?? Hmm, these questions make me feel that I should consult Google, but I also feel like I am just supposed to deal with it and buy new shoes as they have reached the end of their life cycle. This is just another reason why I like things that are made to last!