I’ve been trying to make some progress on a cute crewel embroidery design.  It is by Dimensions, copyright 1989.  I got it from a flea market (all unopened and mint condition).

It is a crewel piece, but uses embroidery floss instead of yarn.  I prefer working with yarn when I do crewel as it feels more satisfying to me.  However, the effects of satin stitch when done using floss is very lovely and shimmery.

This piece uses mostly satin stitch.  Other stitches used are back, stem and straight as well as lazy daisies and french knots.  Luckily for me, the internet has video tutorials on these stitches, I’ll be using them!

Filed under: Crafts by Angie
No Comments »

I had a ‘72 issue of Woman’s Day Needlework Ideas with this horrifying ad. It features some lovely textiles with detailed embroidery and a golden vintage collectible needle-case.
Isn’t that the perfect time and place to light up. I bet nicotine stains give it the old shabby-chic look.

Filed under: Crafts, vintage by Angie
1 Comment »

These magazines are all from 1961 and are a v. interesting look at the history of the Beta Sigma Phi sorority. As always, images open up larger in a new browser or tab.

Grandma Moses at 100!

Spring Parade of Enrolled Daughters: “The lovely little ladies in the Spring Parade are representative of the young girls whose mothers, aunts, and grandmothers have enrolled them in the daughter enrollment program. When the reach the age to join a chapter, their membership fees will have been paid and they can become members simply by signing the current pledge agreement”. Lucky things!

Who Are You Going with Now? Apparently it’s a good question for a rushee. Nice artwork. They look so captivated in conversation.

This photo won 3rd place. It should have won first. Sing, cats, sing!

Cowgirl theme parties are the best. I like the calm, insouciant way the one on the right is holding her gun.

Filed under: Ramblings, vintage by Angie
1 Comment »

This past Satarday I went to a nearby flea market and found several darling, vintage 1960s knitting pattern booklets.  They are so awesome with the dramatic poses and the Jane Jetson inspired hairdos.  The patterns are pretty choice also.

The thing that stood out the most were the men with pipes clenched firmly in their square jaws.   Of course, considering that pipe smoking can be a contributor lip and tongue cancers, that might not be the best way to preserve that masucline visage.  But, it looked cool at the time and that’s what mattered.

Take a peek at some of these fellows puffing away.  Also I’ve included a couple of the lovely ladies.  I think the changing room girl is channeling Goldie Hawn — though she would have preferred a mod mini dress to smart little knit twinset (images open up larger in new browser or tab):

Filed under: Crafts, vintage by Angie
No Comments »

I have a copy of a November, 1943 Ladies Home Journal. It is 168 pages and measures a whopping 10 3/4″ x 13 3/4″. It was originally 15cents!

The ads are gorgeous. They are so colorful and beautifully illustrated. Many of them have a war theme, unsurprisingly.

There are plenty of articles and some really nice fashion sets. The articles are pretty deep too. This copy has articles on the war. I think they are actually more thought-provoking than the magazines you’d find in modern editions of LHJ.

I’d totally suggest looking into collecting old magazines. They are super insights into days gone by. They have all the fashions as they were happening and those fashions make for great inspiration for modern designers.

The articles are now historical, but they are still engaging and there is a lot to be learned from them.

The advertisements are often so colorful and seem very different from the ads of today. Often times, the ads seem very controversial by today’s standards. Sexism was not an uncommon theme at all.

Here are some pictures from the magazine for you to gander at.  Click the images so larger versions appear in new browser or tab :
Cover:

Lucky Strike Ad (so round, so firm, so fully packed):

Playful Cannon Towels ad:

Notice the wide shoulders?:

Rita Hayworth from the film “Cover Girl”. This is an ad for pan-cake make-up by Max Factor:

Vargas Pin-up girl, ad for Jergens Face power:

Really good artwork by Roy Spreter for a short story by Faith Baldwin, When a Wife’s Away. :

Filed under: Ramblings, vintage by Angie
4 Comments »

I got this neat Jack Skellington pattern off of  Ravelry.com– it is a knitting pattern. I think it came out pretty good but, as usual, I had loads of trouble seaming.

Since he’s Jack, I figured I’d pose him with some Halloween type decor.

I got the hot pic of Christopher Lee at a flea market. That is where I got the white yarn also. Got to love the flea markets.

I want to try making him again only this time with a different black yarn. The black yarn was super splitty and gave me a lot of trouble.

Filed under: Crafts by Angie
2 Comments »

I mostly go on about crafts, but I also like discussing anything that interests me. I am especially interested in that oh-so-nebulous term “vintage”. I tend to love most vintage things…fashions, books, films, advertising, music, etc., etc.

What is vintage? Well, to me, vintage is anything that is very much of its time. The time, ideally being anywhere from the 1910s-1980s. Of course, we’re getting to where things from the 1910s are becoming antique.

Oh, and now Ebay has the 1990s covered under vintage clothing. I can’t quite get behind that because if we consider the ’90s to be vintage then I must be old!

What do I mean by “very much of its time”? By that, I mean a sewing pattern for a tight bodiced dress with a wide skirt from the 1950s is vintage. That same pattern repackaged for modern sewers (using modern sizes) is “retro”.

Of course, a lot of this is a judgment call. It is difficult to pick the exact right word when discussing some of these things because words like antique, vintage, and even retro often seem to get used interchangeably.

Shown here a couple of fab 1950s dress patterns, one is truly vintage (from the 50s), the other is redesigning of an old pattern (retro). Both are lovely!

The 1950s one is a Simplicity 1409. It is marked a Misses 12, with measurements of 30-24-33 (inches).

Wow! Talk about a far cry from a size 12 today! The second pattern is for a Butterick 4512, modern sizes Misses 6-12. A 6 fits measurements 30.5-23-32.5″ and a modern 12 fits 34-26.5-36″ (inches).

I could go on more about the differences between modern and vintage sewing patterns but I think I will save that for another posting!

Filed under: Crafts, Ramblings, vintage by Angie
No Comments »

As far as decades go, I think the 1970s gets a bit of a bad rap. I guess I’m partial to that time frame because that is when I was born.

One thing I like about the ’70s is that it was a time when crafting became very popular. Crochet and macrame really saw a good level of interest then. But, there seems to be a feeling that it was all about rope based plant hangers, crochet swimwear and poodle toilet roll holders. Not that there is anything with either item, now, but there was a lot of cool stuff being made.

In her 1975 book, Decorating With Crochet, designer Anne Halliday made some genuinely nice home decor pieces. Seriously, they are good. Take a look. They all have the fun, funky feel of the seventies, but would still look right cute in a contemporary setting (click on images for larger views):

Very colorful rug

Why buy an antique grandfather clock when you can crochet one instead? The ornamental kittens are cute.

Patriotic American Eagle and Medieval Bird (kind of looks like a roadrunner actually, lol):

Beautiful bouquet of thread flowers

Cool knot on a stool and some really nice looking glass pieces in a display cabinet

Filed under: Crafts by Angie
No Comments »

The 1960s are usually noted for their mod fashions that all ring of Twiggy and Carnaby Street. But, I have pattern book with very conservative styles to be knitted using Bernat Brawny Irish Knit Blarney Spun.

It looks like an upper class family enjoying the Irish countryside and doing upper class things riding horses and sending out the hounds. Take a peek (images can be clicked on to open in a new browser):

Pretty nice. And what wonderful use of cables. It is all very tally-ho. Makes me think of the late, great Terry-Thomas!

Filed under: Crafts, vintage by Angie
1 Comment »

This booklet was published in 1956. I just love how elegant the models are. They look so very, very poised. It is called “Stoles, Capes, Shorties” and most of the styles would still look very nice today.

Here are some of my favorite looks (clicking on the links will open the image in a new window or tab):

I especially like the last one. Look at that bendy posture. It is a bit like Dorian Leigh who, according to Wikipedia at least, seems to have a bigger claim to the First Super Model claim than Janice Dickinson ever could.

Now Ms. Leigh had some major spine control. Is her head on backwards here?

I really love looking through the vintage craft zines. There have been some really killer ones through the ages. It’s lots of fun to explore the different styles and images too.

Filed under: Crafts, Uncategorized, vintage by Angie
No Comments »