From Country to Catwalk: Re-styling the Aran cardigan

A spring time Saturday morning has sprung and I am enjoying a welcomed visit to Scotland, and a day trip to Edinburgh. 

Ireland and Scotland have many things in common, landscape, weather, humour and of course...lots of sheep.  Both countries are famous for their tweeds, Harris in Scotland, and Donegal in Ireland to name the most famous ones. 

We have just literally stepped out of winter and into spring, but the winter woolies are still our wardrobe staple for the next few weeks.  The arrival of spring brings the new lambs who will over their lifetime provide the fleece to be spun and knitted into our woolies.  And so the circle of life spins round and round.

I love wool, but I can see this blog going off in a tangent already so I am bringing myself back to the Aran knit.  This link brings you over the the West coast of Ireland, the Aran Islands to explore the History of Aran knitting.  I will blog a dedicated post to the Aran knit at a later date.

This is one I found unloved in a charity shop for £5.  They are priceless to me.

This picture is after I had removed a worn zip.  I don't have a fondness for zips on aran cardigans so it had to go.  The cardigan needed updating.  Heres what happened next....

The ribbed collar was cut off and again, inspired by Chanel I made it into a corsage.  Binding it in a  salmon coloured soft leather.

Adding a centrepiece pearl button.  I also bound the front and neckline with leather.

Wrapped a plaited pink suede belt around the waist to complete the transformation!

What happened next....

I spotted this fabulously frilly skin toned dress in our local Oxfam and knew that it would work great with my new cardi / Chanel style soft jacket.

Not forgetting the shoes of course!

I added a pair of clip-on pearl earrings to the front of my shoes.  I had bought these when I dressed up as Marilyn in the Seven Year Itch.  (another blog post perhaps!!)

The finished look, ready for summertime to come.

Now off to get the bus to Edinburgh and enjoy the cobbled streets, vintage shops and pottering about!!  Happy weekend everyone. 

Christine xx

Little Black Dress transformation

Monday morning has passed through from afternoon to evening and I treat myself to T&T...an abbreviation of tea and toast, a daily essential either for morning, evening or both.

An essential wardrobe ingredient has to be the Little Black Dress affectionately christened the LBD.  I shall refer to it as the latter in this post so I can keep the space for photographs!

The iconic Audrey Hepburn in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' wearing her LBD designed by Hubert Givenchy. 

I have to admit to having more than 1 LBD, which gives me a great idea for sharing them all with you in another post.  I have 3 from the 1950's which were given to me, but I must stop there and save these stories for another day. 

This evening I would like to share the story of the ugly duckling dress from flat to fab...

I came across this dress at at vintage fair in the Red Barn Gallery in Belfast.  It was £10, 2 sizes too big and a left over from the late 1980's.  My mind immediately began to tick with the possibility of a complete 're-vamp' as the phrase would have been back then.  Today it is re-fashioning, customising, up-cycling.  I like to call it 'Crafted Couture'. Time and patience.

 

The taffeta puffed skirt lacked 'oooph!'

 

 

Off with its head!

The halter style neck band gets the chop.  The new bodice shaping gets marked with pins.

 

Handstitching in the new lining. 

The original dress was not lined at the back as it was stretchy. I made it non stretchy by adding a fused interfacing.  Boning was added to the front panels.

 

 

All dressed up with somewhere to go!

 

Modern but still a true classic.

 

 

Till next time...xxx

 

Crafted Couture: Bias Binding with TLC, patience and time

Friday has arrived and that means I am already enjoying a long weekend and an afternoon coffee in my favourite mug.

The weekend never actually means time off as I am just one of those people that even when watching a film, I'm knitting or unpicking something!  I'm sure I am not the only one that does this!!

Later on today I will be designing and making new things for the Three Crafty Birds stand at St Georges market this weekend.  After last weeks trading my sister Linda and I went for a rummage in The Rusty Zip. The Rusty Zip is a fantastic vintage and retro store that is an institution on Botanic Avenue, Belfast.  Lets look inside the bags!...
 

 

The Rusty Zip has just had a complete refurbishment and lots of fantastic clothes swinging on the rails. 

 

I spyed this jacket... I'm a sucker for Donegal Tweed and a real find at £10! 

 

 

 

The fabric is so beautiful, but it didn't deserve to be finished in a tired bawley woven nylon binding.  I knew I had the perfect length of leather at home and that all this jacket needed was a little TLC, and a little patience and time.

 

 

Carefully snipping off the binding

 

Stitching the new leather binding on.

 

Large glass headed pins securely attaching the binding.  Much better looking than the tired binding now discarded to the left.

 

Bias Binding and a good pressing gives the jacket new life, with many more years ahead.  I added a soft leather belt, perfect colour match.

 

 

Think twice before you throw clothes out...give them a second chance!

 

Have a great weekend everyone, happy sewing, creating and crafting.

 

See you next week xx

Christine

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fashion finds @ Oxfam Books...Sew Delighted!

Yesterday was a busy day...covering classes in Belfast Metropolitan College, then a walk to The Beat Carnival via town. The shutters were already coming down at Oxfam Books, Rosemary Street, Belfast when I limbo'ed under.

A very small picture of Oxfam Books, Rosemary Street, Belfast...Its beside the store 'Fresh Garbage'.

A very kind lady had donated her collection of sewing books and I had arrived in time for the gems.

I left with change of £20, and got:

• Colette Sewing handbook with 5 paper patterns intact... I have just subscribed to her blog via finding this book!
• Stitchopedia
• The Batsford book of sewing from 1970...absolute classic! - now out of print.
• Fashion in Underwear - now out of print.
• Needlefelting

...and a 5 disc box set of Billy Wilder....oh my!!!

There are still plenty of gems in Rosemary Street and throughout all charity shops and 2nd hand book stores. I'm gathering together quite a library of reference books for a fraction of what they would cost.

Happy reading!!

Christine

Well hung: New Curtains

Saturday was spent ticking some things off my list, and of course to balance, adding a few more on.  I worked my way through paperwork and by 4pm my sister Linda and I decided to go and visit the parents.

It had been on my mind that a new curtain was needed for the sewing room as it only had a linen apron blocking out the sun, and a roller blind and neither were worth much. 
Mum is a fantastic crocheter and I have quite a collection of her creations.  I thought that one of  her blankets would make a great curtain as all the holes are already created.

 

Looks great tied back and drops to the floor which will block up all the draughts from the wooden floorboards. My lodger will be happy!

Tied back with a long necklace made from buttons...thrifty find £1.50!

 

Click on the link to show you:   How to make your very own crochet blanket

 

 

Sunday update!  I had to add this to the blog post.  I was reading my 1970's magazine 'Golden Threads' that I had bought in the charity store last week (10p each...I bought at least 30) and I saw this article for 'Crochet Door Curtain'...couldn't believe it!  I am SO a 1970's child!!

 

 

 

 

 

Crafted Couture: Instant Chanel with buttons

Good evening all

I have just returned from a wonderful weekend with my big sister, her husband, my niece Susie (7) and nephew Paddy (5).  It was spent trailing the thrift stores, reading both bedtime stories and craft magazines and giving my sister a tutorial on how to make childrens dresses.  A big highlight of the weekend was a visit to the V&A museum 'Hollywood Costume' exhibition.  More about that later. Best thing about big sisters is that they donate hand-me-downs and I came home with a new pair of boots and a black wool jacket....which I decided to customise.

Heres what it looked like before...

 

I had found a book on Chanel in the charity shop before Christmas and its been so inspirational!...

 

 

What would Coco do?

 

 

I replaced the black with gold buttons in varying sizes shape and design and added buttons to the cuffs and the front pockets where previously there had been none.

 

Throw on strings of beads with flowers that are crocheted by my mum Katie and hey presto...instant Chanel for a fraction of the price. 

 

Accessories shoes £4, hat £6.  Look a million dollars.

Buttons are one of the easiest ways to update and change a garment completely. 

 

Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel

 

Thanks sister!  I love my new jacket.