Deadstock Olive Fabric...

I was given this nice fabric recently and decided to make a dress...behold!

















It's a combination of the Colette "Sencha" blouse and my own drafted skirt pattern.



With a tie neck collar. And a zip.


















And the finished product...I'll post a few more later.



Ta da!

New Toy!

My friends Ben and Sarah donated this fine piece of machinery to my sewing arsenal.


































It's a Singer 96K49, made in 1951.
Should come in very handy for a super secret project I'm working on...

Reshaping Vintage Hats...

I've had some requests on hat care after my last post. Solanah is probably the vintage hat queen, so I'll let her advice (via Queens of Vintage) speak for me!

- "All hats should be stored away from direct sunlight, not to say they should always be in hat boxes, but if there is a wall of shelf facing a window that brings in sunlight, avoid it and choose another location for your hats. Straw hats should be brushed regularly if they are not constantly in use. Take a baby brush (it has soft bristles) and gently brush away any dust collected."

- "All hats stored flat, such as in hat boxes should be stuffed in the crown with acid free tissue paper of unbleached muslin. This will keep its shape between wearing, and prevent any warping or bending that can damage the structure or design.”

- “If you have a misshapen hat, all you need to do is boil some water in a tea kettle until the water steams. Hold the hat a few inches over the spout at the warped spot. Hold for a few seconds then take it away and shape it with your fingers. Make sure not to let felt steam too long or it will shrink.” (I use a steam iron, simply because it makes stram faster and is easy to move around the hat. Either way is fine.)

Hope that helps!

Amassed Hats...

This is my newest hat - a funny little brown felt style with a black ribbon and netting. I found it crushed under some shoes in a local op shop. There were lots more - a theatre company had closed down and donated a heap of hats, which I promptly purchased. Problem is, felt crushes and gets out of shape easily, so I'm slowly steaming and reshaping them. All these hats necessitate storage...



So my wall now looks like this. I quite like it.

Have a nice night!