Winter Things

This plain scarf was £2 from a charity shop. I loved the pom poms but felt it needed something more. I added some satin ribbon overlayed with lace down the centre, velvet ribbon borders and completed the ensemble with a selection of quirky buttons and velvet bows around the central pom poms at each end.

 

The lace and ribbon were from the fabric market, the buttons were from charity shops.

 

 

I got these Saxone leather boots for £10 in November. Great flat boots for winter.

Purple Velvet

Another dress I made last year from plush curtain fabric.

 

 

Vintage buckle was 20p from a charity shop.

 

Peacock

This gorgeous cotton Laura Ashley dress I bought from my favourite vintage shop for £15. I couldn't do the zip up all the way so I unpicked it, fitted satin modesty panels in a matching teal and corset laced across it using ribbon and concealed D rings. Definitely a success, this dress will fit whatever size I am now :-D

 

Beads

Two strand necklace - self made

Princess Dress

This gorgeous Liberty raw silk dress started out as a 1980s princess dress with gigantic puff sleeves trimmed with lace. I decided to tone it down a bit. The beautiful fabric should speak for itself, don't you think? I cut several inches off the sleeves and regathered them with thin elastic in these little cap sleeves. I added the lace trim to the neckline instead.

 

Now it reminds me of one of Gwen's dresses in the earlier series of Merlin. Beautiful fabric and subtly detailing but also sturdy and an unflashy colour.

 

1940s Dress

This dress is a charity shop find I received as a Christmas gift. It's a good 1-2 sizes too small but absolutely gorgeous. I love the floaty fabric, the draping across the bust, the floaty but not too poofy skirt and the not too short but not too long length. Shame I couldn't do the zip up. Instead of giving up and selling it on ebay I decided to unpick the zip at the back, insert some broderie anglaise trim and refit the zip. Then because I have small shoulders relative to the rest of my top half, I redarted the back to prevent gaping.

Everything is inside-out-sewn so even in the inside there are no raw edges visible.

 

Petticoat

I've wanted a netting or tulle petticoat to wear with 1950s style dresses for ages but they all seem both a little too poofy or too expensive for what is essentially a very simple skirt made from a bit of net fabric. So I decided to make my own. The 2 metres of netting was £2 and the scalloped gingham trim £3.50 for 3.5 metres. I gathered 3.2 metres of the netting around an elastic waistband which is enough to still have considerable poof should I need to make the waistband bigger later. This is definitely a petticoat I want for life.

Shoe Clips

I got a glue gun for Christmas so have been making some shoe clips.

 

 

 

 

These cats were originally earrings but are now glued onto hair grips.