Thread in a Vintage Milkglass Bowl

Organizing my sewing recently led me to my monstrous bag of crochet thread that I use for tatting. These are variegated colors that I will probably not use, only because the smaller spools have a longer distance until the color repeats itself. This would be perfect for those who tat or crochet larger bookmarks, dollies, and lace.

There are eleven spools of size 30 thread, all in various lengths, and most likely have been used at some point so I can not guarantee or estimate the yardage on these. If you're interested, I put them up in the shop last night!

Yes, I'm Still Sewing!

On the occasion when I have time to think, (such as when I was on a two week vacation to Michigan recently!) I remember when blogging and sewing up items for my etsy shop was quite often. Indeed, this summer has already proven to be quite busy, eventful, and productive however.

And yes, I am still sewing. :) I've been blessed to be able to work for/with the same local bridal alteration business as last summer. One of the biggest projects was working on a bridal gown (took it from a size 10 to a size 0), though the business owner did the major stuff while I worked on smaller details. There was a flower girl dress to alter, as well as four out of seven bridesmaid dresses; I did all of those.

I don't have any professional pictures for you yet, but here are a few small snapshots that I took along the way using my "new" iPhone. Yes, I have been using one of my Dad's first cellphone's (a flip phone, mind you) and I told myself that I was allowed to buy an iPhone when I graduated from college. Per typica of me, I bought a used iPhone 6s, but it was in next to new condition and a beautiful rose gold color. 

Oh yes, you're not here to read about technology...ahem.

The flower girl dress was darling! I took the picture more for myself to remember the company name for the future. :)

Love being surrounded by beautiful textures, fabrics, lace, and tulle!

I put this gorgeous lace on the hem to make it a smidgen longer, and it gave the dress an overall completed look. 

The bride wanted a custom veil (finger tip length) and once we made it using fine tulle netting and a hair comb, I added the lace appliques to an otherwise simple veil.

Outside of bridal sewing, I have two aprons to make for some friends of mine who are getting married this summer. One of them I'll be attending next month up in Maine (can't wait!!) and she's planning a coffee shop themed kitchen. The fabric I found for her will work perfectly. I'll post pictures when it's finished.

If you were hoping to read that I'd be making aprons for the shop, don't lose heart! I have three fabrics on my sewing table that were just cut into aprons this evening. I'd sneak in a little sewing yet this evening, but alas, I'm out of bias tape. Quite rare for someone who has made hundreds of aprons, isn't it?

Well, toodles for now and I hope to be back writing more often in the next few weeks!

As I Promised

In the last couple of posts I've eluded to "the last apron" and this morning I finished the last apron made for the shop. It was fun to put together with vintage lace and rick rack. I even found a golden button from my stash. It certainly has an autumn-ish flavor to it, one that you haven't seen yet this summer. :)

But think of the pumpkin spice lattes, the apple picking and fresh donuts at the local orchard, nippy weather for plaid scarves, boots for jumping through autumn rain, potted mums on the front porch, or the smell of pie in the oven. This apron seems to embody all of the delights of an autumn in the country.

See it in the shop here. And one last reminder that the coupon code 15SALE will expire at 5pm on the 25th (that is tomorrow) if you're wanting to place an order and save money at the same time! ::wink::

Summer Sale!

Summer is here and our weather has no problem reminding us! A friend of mine shared this on FB the other day and I knew that I had to post it somewhere. Perhaps any Jane Austen fans will appreciate this? :) Now I'm curious where she quotes the following: "What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps one in a continual state of inelegance."

Taken several summers ago in Greenfield Village, Dearborn, MI

It has been quite awhile since I've offered any sales or discounts in my etsy shop, so I just added one this afternoon. Type in SUMMER as a coupon code and receive 10% off any order. And check back later this week, I should hopefully have another apron (maybe two) in the shop!

A Bit of Spring, Sewing, and Books

Since I've been home, I've spent a good part of my time outdoors and mostly in the morning hours while its still cool. Almost all of the roses are in bloom now (its so nice that they take over after the lilacs are done!) and we've been enjoy their many blossoms indoors, too. I'll save the introductions of some new English varieties for another day...

But I've also been enjoying the opportunity to sew again. The other day I was looking through old posts of aprons that I've sewn over the years and became really inspired. Not sure if it's a good or bad thing to be inspired by what you did a long time ago. Somehow I never tire of sewing aprons though. :) Just this morning I sewed up the above Tasha Tudor-inspired apron.

Before I came home from school last month, it was my plan to not read a single book this summer. Between heavy class work, and extra books to read (on top of heavy textbooks) I was DONE. Well, my resolve lasted for about a week. ;) To be fair though, it was a small vintage children's book by Anna Potter Wright called, "The Little Shepherd." It's such a sweet story and has several practical truths for grownup's, too! 

But speaking of books, I'm passing on these lovely Tasha Tudor books to anyone who loves her work, or simply is looking for some wholesome books for a child's library. They're both 1st editions from what I can tell, but they will easily go many more years of cherished reading.

You can find them in the shop this afternoon!

Goodies in the Shop!

It was time to sort through some things that have been just sitting or hanging around. The result was that I added some of my vintage-inspired clothing and some vintage patterns up in my shop tonight.


Take a look!

Flora Bella

Well, I decided to take the time to sew up that last apron. And I'm glad I did.

You can't go wrong with a lovely linen by Moda or a whimsical music print, can you?

There are Roses in the Winter

Sceptical? Well, I'm sure in other parts of the world there are blooming roses in abundance, but you can bring a lovely Frosted Rose Apron to your kitchen! :)

Later this week I head back to the Carolina's for college and while there is one more apron "in the works" on my table, there is no guarantee that I'll make time to sew it up. And speaking of time for sewing, I ran out of time to sew up my 1950s dress. It will just have to wait until later this year. But it has been a pleasure to hear the sewing machine humming while I've been home.

Acorn Tops

Most often when I'm putting together an apron; working with the fabric and fun little extras that its name comes to me.

This one sports two unmatched buttons from my stash that resemble acorn tops. I thought they were fitting for an autumnish cotton calico, and thus it is named Acorn Tops up in my shop! :)

Historical Items now in the Shop!

Well, after teaching violin this afternoon I set to work in my sewing room ironing some historical clothing I've had packed away. In between ironing I would list another item. If you like Edwardian styles or those of the 1940s, you'll love the four listings I have up in the historical section. Including this shirtwaist & skirt ensemble that I made 7 years ago.

Wasn't that only a couple summers ago??

Joy & Peace

"For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." Isaiah 10-13

Often quoted are the two verses just before these ones. The ones that speak of God's thoughts and ways that are higher than our own, but the above verses are just as full of promise and hope if you really think about it. God's Word is true and not some source of floating bubbles to try to catch and hold onto in hopes of it not breaking, but something that goes far beyond the visible to the invisible … and works in wondrous ways.

One of those wondrous ways is that it's looking more and more probable that I'll be back in school this fall. Most of you know that I've been home working this past school year (hence, my irregular blog posts!) and have been working towards my tuition for the college I'm transferring to. I can't tell you how exciting it is to see details starting to fall into place.

If you could help me out with the fruition of a small, but important detail, I'd like to ask if you might help spread the word about my etsy shop. All of the proceeds (obviously) go to my college fund and it would honestly be nice to have it emptied by the time I leave, Lord willing, next month. I'd rather not lug around shop items with me to the east coast! :) I'll be going through some personal historical clothing that have been lying around, and hope to get those up in the next couple of weeks.

If you're needing some "bait" to throw out to your FB friends, blog readers, or whoever, I'm offering free shipping to all US customers on any order, any size.

One Day, Three Aprons

Today was my day off this week (other than Sunday, which I always have off) and I decided to fire up the machines in the sewing room, pull out my apron patterns, grab the piles of fabric on my table, and start cutting out. My intention was to sew at least one apron for the shop today and leave the others for another day.

But as the saying goes, "there's no time like the present" I sat myself down and hardly got up all day. The radio was on and Charity (my Persian cat, if you're new to the blog) was sleeping on a quilt beside me, so I was in good company. Perhaps it helped spur me on by not stopping and to complete three aprons today. While I've done my share of sewing over the last 15 years, to my knowledge I have never completed three items from fabric yardage to garments in the space of one day. Here's the proof.

Now I'm off to fix a cup of tea and continue on in my newly-acquired vintage book of "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall."

Thinking of Springtime

With such a title as that, you'd think I'd be tiresome of the cold weather and snow but in reality I'm loving the crisp nights and the crunching of snow under ones boots. :)

 

But it is equally true that my Dad and I are in the beginning stages of planning our garden. Perhaps that's what inspired me to pull out the rest of the yellow calico fabric and make another apron with it.

 

It's certainly a cheery apron and it's up in the shop this morning!

What You Should Know About Peasant Cottage Aprons

On occasion I receive questions about my etsy shop, Peasant Cottage. Not necessarily how to run one (though I get questions like that, too) but more detailed ones that brings me to the making of this post, of which I hope will prove helpful. I wrote it in a Q&A format, and will most likely keep updating this post so if you have any questions for me, write them down!

Where do you buy your fabrics?
Literally all over the country. Ebay, etsy shops, thrift stores, flea markets, antique shops, quilt shops, JoAnns, and (very rarely) Walmart.

How do you choose your fabrics?
Quality of fabric is very important to me, which is why I rarely buy from the $2 table at Walmart. Once in a very blue moon, I'll find something decent from there.

If possible, I love to buy vintage fabrics since, obviously, they are from the time periods I'm seeking to represent in making an apron. Again, the quality of the fabric is screened closely. At times they don't come to me in perfect conditions, so that means I get to make myself another apron (ha! sorry friends!) or I'll sell it in the shop with a reduced price and explain why it is reduced

Choosing fabrics for me is generally along the lines of, "Is this something that I or previous customers would like?" As with our own tastes and personalities, the aprons I make are not at all like vintage-inspired aprons you'll find in other shops. "The bigger, the bolder, the brighter the fabric" is not something I personally gravitate towards. Next I ask myself, "Would this look good in an apron?" and "Would this look better in a Ginnie apron or a Gracie apron? or in the Margaret style? or a Tasha Tudor style?"

Sometimes I'll get notes from would-be-customers or returning customers asking if I could make a solid white apron, or "the next time you make a Gracie in blue, let me know!" or "my colors are butter cream and purple, could you find a fabric like that?" It's fun for me to please customers, so I always welcome suggestions!

Can you tell me more about your trims?
Bias Tape: Since all of my patterns are from actual vintage aprons, most of them call for bias tape which seems to be a signature look among those well-loved. Most of the time I buy this brand-new, though there are times I'll come across a few packages of vintage bias tape. There are a few times where I'll make my own using the same fabric I'm using for the apron. While it doesn't give the fun contrast like the solid color gives, it provides a uniform finish.

Rick rack: All of the rick rack I own is unused vintage. There was maybe one or two aprons when I first started out that came with modern rick rack, but I quickly discovered that I didn't care for it for several reasons: it looked to much like polyester, felt at times like recycled plastic, limited color choices, the points and overall shape of the rick rack did not compare with the vintage cards I was glad to find.

Lace: The laces I will occasionally use are a mixture of vintage and modern.

Buttons: My button collection looks like I'm a professional hoarder, but only because I was at a thrift store once and saw a huge bag of vintage buttons weighing nearly a pound for just a couple dollars. Once in awhile you'll find buttons on my aprons but they usually go on my historical garments, tote bags, or other modern wear.


Can you make me an apron like the one that just sold?
This is a frequent question and my reply is always that I rarely make the same apron twice. As a seamstress, it would be boring repetition if I were to make 5 aprons all identical. (Though I think I've come close to making 5 aprons out of an all-time favorite fabric. I've been combing ebay and etsy on a regular basis to find more of it! I'd tell you what I was looking for, but then I'd be afraid you'd snatch it!) ;) Since many of the fabrics I purchase are pre-cut, what I get is what I get to work with. If it's less than 2 yards, I'm only getting one apron out of it.

Do you sell patterns?
There have been times when I've considered making patterns off of the ones I use to make the aprons in my shop, but there are to many factors involved for me to do it, some of which are:

1. I wouldn't even know where to begin or how to begin that process.
2. I like sewing aprons and if I were to sell patterns, I think I'd go out of business. ;)
3. There are SO many apron patterns out in the sewing realm (the "big four" pattern companies, ebay, and etsy for example) that I don't think it's worth trying to sell my own.

Oddly enough, I've never been able to find actual vintage patterns of the Ginnie, Gracie, and Margaret aprons I sell. Maybe they were designed by the seamstress who made them? :)

300 = Something Special!

Happy news! We just reached the 300 bench mark in sales in my etsy shop! God is so good and all my sweet customers are wonderful.

The original "Ethel" apron, my apron that is worn the most if I'm in the kitchen!

Running the risk of being ridiculous and not making any money off of such a sale as this, I've decided to put out a coupon code of 30% that is good for 3 days (get it? 300 sales, 30 percent off, 3 days) towards anything in Peasant Cottage!

Use promo code: 30SALE until 12noon on Saturday PST

Calicos in the Shop

Yesterday I spent most of the day in the sewing room (when I wasn't, I was teaching violin) and had fun cutting into new fabrics. When Mother-dear and I went to JoAnn's the other day, I was horrified to see how much fabric has gone up in price! Why it seems like just yesterday we all of us girls were buying blue calico to match family friends of ours for Easter Sunday and only paid $3.99 a yard (and probably used a 50% off coupon!). The cheapest price I saw was $6 a yard for ugly and cheap feeling yardage. Feel special that I didn't change the price on these aprons even though I used premium cotton.

 

I finished two aprons and listed them yesterday in the late afternoon/evening hour:

 

This one in the 1930s style reminds me of the springtime in Georgia when the the skies are often grey with a cool drizzle, but the pink and white dogwoods trees bloom on in profusion.

This one just seems like a classic 1950s calico apron that you'd find hanging from a cabinet in a antique store. The fabric almost looks like a vintage print.

Now I'm off to start baking our Christmas cutout cookies. I have a whole entire post in the works designated just for the baking endeavors I've done since I've been home. Stay tuned!

Vintage 1940s McCall #1124 Apron

Working with original patterns is always fun, and if it's an apron pattern - well, even more so! I used vintage McCall #1124 view C for this apron, copyright date 1944. Take a look at that half apron: nothing boring about it! In fact, you'll be sporting around the house in vintage inspired glamour!

Another detail? I prayed over this apron. :) Yes, every now and then I pray over sewing projects. Sometimes whatever I'm working on is especially challenging, or perhaps the thread is running oh so low and I'm finishing the hem on a garment. This time I was 90% certain that the black rick rack that I was in the middle of sewing onto the hem of the apron would not be enough. Would I take it all off, or combine two separate lengths together despite it looking tacky? I asked God if He would please make it just long enough so I wouldn't have to rip or tack.

He answered, and I even had this 1/4" piece left over. :)

Like I read this morning in Ps. 34: "O taste and see that the LORD is good." Yes, it may be a very small or even insignificant thing to pray that there would be enough rick rack, but God still answered and I saw that the Lord is good.

Here be the finished product:

It really is a flattering style with the gathered flounce in the hem of the skirt (instead of ton of gathers at the waist making ones waist look larger; something most of us try to avoid!) and with that vintage rick rack all around, who could resist?

It's up in the shop if you'd like to make this lovely apron yours!

More Brown Suiting

My friend for whom I sewed a skirt using drapes of brown suiting handed back to me the left over panel. "Make another skirt" she said.

I did it just like how I made her's. That skirt is now available online.

Skirts, machines, tea, and other sundry things

• It was around 1:30 yesterday afternoon that I was able to call Mrs. L. up to say that her red brocade skirt was ready. Instead of the tiered skirt pattern, we used McCalls 5523. It seemed a touch dressier with all those cute options for the back of the skirt, and I'm glad she chose that because the brocade isn't a flowing fabric like a linen or suiting. We did view B, and added two inches the the hem. She also wanted it lined (does anyone else line the inside of their skirts? I never do!) so it felt like I was making two skirts. :) I prayed through the entire time of sewing it (this is for her daughter's wedding, not a Sunday School picnic!) and gratefully, it went together nicely. I can't say that I'd want to sew with brocade anytime soon though. It felt like it would easily snag, it's dense and it unravels like CRAZY, but not like a silk fabric. I and my sewing room was covered from head to toe, carpet to tables in little fibers that refused to come off even with a lint roller. But the skirt was finished in time, and Mrs. L loved it so that is what matters. :)

• Shortly after she picked it up, Daddy told me that my sewing machine and serger were ready to be picked up at the repair shop. While I've been so grateful to my sister for letting me use her machines these last two weeks (and her's a newer models with fancier buttons & things) I was so ready to have mine back again! Obviously, I got back to sewing a project as soon as we got home. Though very sadly, they didn't fix something right on my sewing machine so we're taking it back to the shop this morning.

• The sewing project I mentioned is almost finished! I just have to put the sleeves in, and make the belt. That is it! If you're a brand new blog reader (welcome!) I've been working on a 1914 dress in between sewing projects for others. I'm hoping to complete it today in between giving violin lessons, errands, and normal life.

[Molly, Leah, and I on Sunday after we went out for lunch]

• Late last night I relisted over 30 sewing patterns on ebay. There are a few vintage (30s/40s era) that I'll be listing shortly. Check them out if you need any girls or women's pattern.

• Oh yes, and in both of my etsy shops (Peasant Cottage and Tally Skirts) I'm offering FREE shipping today (5/2) when you use the code: SHIPFREE when checking out.

• So perhaps you read the title of this post and have read through the entire thing in hopes of reading about the delight of tea drinking, and have read nothing about it up until now. I wanted to save the "best for last" today, and truly, this is the best advice you'll read about tea today:

If you like french vanilla creamer in your earl grey tea like I do, and try to substitute it with almond milk (because said creamer is empty and there is no half 'n half to be found) you will be sorely disapointed.

The Loveliness of Toile

According to Wikipedia: Toile is the name of a fabric that entered the English language around the 16th century from a French word meaning "linen cloth" or "canvas" — particularly cloth or canvas for painting on. The word toile can refer to the fabric itself, a test garment (generally) sewn from the same material, or a type of surface decoration (traditionally) printed on the same fabric.

Mom likes to decorate with toile by using it in accents around our home, as you can see in this picture of the lampshade and clock on the antique end table in our living room. But there are other things that we have in toile prints. Mom has me looking for a toile settee when I'm out thrifting. :)

So as I mentioned in my post earlier today, I'd have a couple items in the shop that were toile, though I'm quite tardy in listing them. One looses the time quite easily when moseying around in antique shops.

I was originally going to sell them as a set, but at the last mintue decided to list them separately. If you'd like to purchase both, send me a note via etsy, and I'll send you a $2 off coupon code to use when checking out.