Op shop goodies

I used to be completely addicted to op shops. I couldn't drive past one without getting itchy fingers. "I'll just pop into this op shop" was met by groans from the children. However, I found that I got carried away and bought things that either didn't suit me, or didn't fit, and more often than not I'd end up donating the items back to my local op shop. So I've mostly steered clear of them for the past year.

Last week I found myself with loads of time before the afternoon school pick up, and realised I was right near an Endeavour Foundation store. These stores are extremely overpriced for second hand goods, but I've occasionally found a bargain there. I've been on the hunt for a wool coat and found this absolute gem for $17. It's Australian made by Urban Tailors and fits me perfectly. The colour does not photograph well at all, but it's a lovely pistachio green.

I also grabbed this little blouse for $7. The shape is hideous and boxy, but I love the fabric and sleeves.

I bought it with the intention of reshaping it, but it actually looks quite nice on. I may add some darts or tucks to the front of it.

Me Made May: Week 2 Part 1

I've decided to do two blog posts per week for Me Made May. Mostly because Blogger is being a pain with loading pictures.

 Day 6: Study Hall Skirt;  knit top from op shop, Target flats.

I've only worn this skirt once before. For all the work that I put into it, it's a huge disappointment. The pleats don't sit well and it's too short by far.

Day 7: New Look 6000; beads from op shop.

I've only worn this dress once or twice but I love it. I feel incredibly sexy in it, even though it shows that I have no hips whatsoever.

 (This photo taken by Jimmy, bless him!)

Day 8: Self-drafted circle skirt; New Look 3668 blouse; Target cardi (a hand-me-up from my stepdaughter!)

I started this skirt on Saturday night. I thought it would come together quite quickly. Well, it did- the actual construction only took about an hour and a half. But the hem took FOR EFFING EVER. My god, I never want to do that again! Measure out the hem line and mark all around it, press the hem, cut off excess hem allowance, finish raw edge (I was going to use lace to finish it but the 4 metres of lace I have wasn't enough! So I overlocked it), gather the hem to ease it, sew basting stitches in preparation for machine blind hemming, sewing the blind hem, and then when I thought it was finally finished...unpick all the basting stitches! That part alone took me an hour! WHAT A PAIN.

Whinging aside, I ADORE the skirt. It's made from some suiting I got for $4.95/m and it has a lovely drape, washes really well, doesn't fade, and DOESN'T NEED IRONING. EVER!!!! 

I am going to wear this baby to death!

I'm enjoying MMM so far as I've had to put a bit more thought into what I wear, instead of picking the same favourites all the time.

Me Made May: Week 1

So here's the roundup of my first week of boring (compared to many other bloggers), badly photographed me-made outfits.

 

Day 1: New Look 6078 blouse; Portmans skirt

 

Day 2: Sew Liberated top (made before I started blogging); Country Road skirt, $5 from op shop

 

Day 3: Op shop dress-to-skirt; Review top

 

 Day 4: Self-drafted a-line skirt (not blogged), Review top, Target cardigan

 

 Day 5: My first frock (photo by Jimmy, my 5-year-old)

I started making a black circle skirt last night and just need to sew the mammoth hem. Gah!!! It's enormous!

Op shop goodies

I popped into Lifeline last week and came out with these goodies for $11.

6 metres of what feels like very fine lawn. Or maybe something synthetic. Who knows, I'm hopeless with fabric identification! It has a lovely drape and the backgroud colour is lovely.

 

4 metres of some kind of cotton. Voile, maybe? Not my colour scheme at all, but as if I could pass it up at $4!

 

A really cool cushion cover for my music room.

 

I haven't done any sewing since my Pastille dress. I'm not quite sure what to make next. Maybe Gertie's shirtwaist dress? Anyway, it won't be for some time as I'm soooo busy lately. I teach all day every Saturday. I have an orchestral gig all day this Sunday and I also had a gig with my big band yesterday. The venue wants us to play there once a month, which is hugely exciting!

Here we are- that's me in the front!

Hawaiian skirt-dress

I bought this skirt a while back from an op shop. It never saw much daylight as it was slightly too big for me and sat too low down on my hips (especially recently as I've lost about two inches from my hips) and the rather hideous 1970s colour scheme made it impossible to make a decent outfit with it. So I decided to make a dress out of it!

 

I used Kwiksew 3521 again for the bodice. I know, I'm so boring! I just can't be bothered going through the drama of trying another pattern and getting it to fit me. After the teeny tiny bodice I produced last time, I added a bit here and there to compensate, and it came out huge! Gah! So frustrating. It was much easier to fix than the too-small one, though!

The fabric is some lovely butter-yellow cotton sateen that I just adore, and I lined it with an old pillow case.

The fit is still far from perfect, but it will do.

You may have noticed that the bust darts are freakishly high. No, my nipples are not that high up on my bust. I really have no idea how this happened as I didn't touch the dart position when I made my 'improvements'!

 

...but wait, there's more!

My neighbour gave me a bag of jeans a while ago and not surprisingly, nothing fit me- except for this hideous thing: 

 

I thought it was okay in theory, but when I put it on, I felt like a complete dork. 

It's like a girdle in the front...and check out the back! Corset!!!

 

I held on to them because the fit is really good, and it's basically impossible for me to get jeans to fit me well now since I've gained 3-4 inches on my derriere and lost a few from my hips. So off came the silly girdle-corset, out came my new denim needle, and hey presto! New pants!

New from old

After the sewing roll I had in the last couple of months, I've sewn nothing at all in the last few weeks. 

School finished up for me this week and the kids were at day care today so I took the opportunity to 'improve' a couple of items that have been sitting in my mending pile.

First up was this blouse, which I purchased earlier this year in an op-shop. I love it, but it was way too long. So I chopped a few inches off it and now it's much more wearable.

 

Secondly, these pants that I made a couple of months ago...

 

I wore them once and they looked terrible, so I turned them into shorts. I may actually wear them now. This pattern looks very cool as shorts, so I will make a couple of pairs in some printed drill for summer.

 

I hope to have something more interesting than mending to blog about soon.

Shitted Feet Dress

I decided to make another dress a few weeks ago, and to try a new pattern. I'd bought New Look 6910 a few months ago. This was my first time making a dress with princess seams instead of darts. I have to admit tht it was much, much easier to fit than a darted bodice.

I used some stiff kind of lineny-cottony stuff that I found in an op shop for a couple of dollars. It's quite sheer, so I lined the whole thing with an old fitted sheet. I posted a progress shot on Facebook and a friend commented, "I love dresses made out of shitted feets!" I laughed for about two days straight and ever since then I've referred to it as the Shitted Feet Dress.

It cost me a lot more than it should have to make because I burned the first invisible zipper....by burned, I mean I pressed it with the iron too hot and melted some of the teeth. That damn zipper cost me $4.95! So I was very careful with the next one. 

Pattern used: New Look 6910

Fabrics and notions 

Lineny stuff

Part of a fitted sheet

Invisible zipper (x2)

Pattern alterations or any design changes

Shaved a bit off the bust curve of the princess seams

Tapered the waist to size 10, which I won't do next time as it is a wee bit big

Lined the skirt

Used an invisible zipper instead of a normal one

Did you use any new skills?  

Princess seams

 

Problems?

Although it was easy fitting the bodice to my front, when I basted in the zipper I discovered I needed to add almost a whole inch to the seam allowance as it was too big. Easily fixed.

The neckline gapes a bit...a lot....I need to remember that this happens on all my dresses and to adjust accordingly. I have a very small chest, as in the part between my bust and collarbone (and my actual bust too, of course).

Derpy derp derp!

 

Oh! And I made the stoopid mistake of not checking that the sewn-in belt matched up at the back before I sewed in the second zipper. Whoops! Another easy fix.

Cost
Pattern: $6

Fabric: I think it was $2. I used pretty much the whole cut.

Lining: Nothing

Zippers: $9.90

Thread: Stash

Total: $17.90

Wearability factor

Good wearability factor. I wore it today to my father-in-law's 80th birthday party, and to a drinks night last week. It goes really well with a nice cardi that someone made for me a while ago.

Conclusion

A very nice, easy pattern that I will definitely be sewing again.

I forgot to mention that the skirt has pleats, which looks really nice.

Sub-$5 outfit!

I finished a new dress a while ago but haven't taken any good photos of it yet, so here are my two latest creations.

On my last trip to Spotlight they had a special on Kwik Sew patterns- they were only $6 each, so I grabbed this sweet little blouse pattern. I was very impressed by the fact that View B only requires 1 metre of fabric. Now I can use up some small cuts of fabric that I seem to have accumulated.

 

It was super easy and came together really well. I graded the waist and hips up to a 10 and kept it as 8 everywhere else.  

I always like to make wearable muslins because I hate wasting time and effort to be left with something unwearable. So I used this sheet that I found in an op shop earlier this year. And you know what? I  ACTUALLY THOUGHT ABOUT PATTERN PLACEMENT. First time ever. I'm rather pleased with the result.

 

Pattern used: Kwik Sew 3668

Fabrics and notions 

An old sheet

6 blue buttons from my stash

Yellow bias tape (for armhole facings)

Thread

Interfacing

Pattern alterations or any design changes

I used store bought bias tape instead of  making my own. As if I was gonna sit there cutting out more fabric and ironing in the creases! Pshaw!!!

Graded the waist and hips to a larger size

Did you use any new skills?  

Pattern placement!

 

Problems?

It only has 6 buttons, and I think it needs 7 or 8. It gapes a bit, and I'm not exactly over-furnished in the bust department. Next time I will leave out the interfacing in the button placket as I think it makes it too stiff and gapey.

 
Cost
Pattern: $6

Fabric: Sheet was $3.95; I used about 1/8 of it. So 50 cents. 
Buttons: From a box that I got for $2. Maybe 2 cents per button.
Thread: Stash
Total: $6.62

Wearability factor

Good! I'm wearing it today with my new skirt. I will make the next one in a bright fabric. Something not from an op shop.

I just love the little collar- it's so cute!

 

Here's the second half of the outfit!

I just decided on the spur of the moment on Monday that I desperately needed a black skirt. I have heaps of black skirts, but they are all very 'worky'. I needed something to wear with  my casual tops. I went to Fabric Frenzy and they had suiting on sale for $4.95/m so I grabbed 4 metres. It's great stuff- very good quality with a lovely drape.

I had this pattern in my stash for a while but hadn't used it.

 

Pattern used: New Look 6872

Fabrics and notions 

Black suiting

Interfacing

Snaps

Pattern alterations or any design changes

The pattern has a side zipper, but I prefer them at the back, so I cut two backs instead of one. I also made the waistband slightly longer so I could have it cross over at the back and fasten with buttons instead of hook and eye.

Did you use any new skills?  

No.

 

Problems?

When I cut out the waistband I thought it was miles too small....but it ended up fitting perfectly! 

I used plastic snaps instead of buttons and the placement is kinda dodgy but I can live with it.

 
Cost
Pattern: $6

Fabric: About $4 worth

Fabric, thread, interfacing, snaps from my stash

$10

Wearability factor

Great! I love it. It swishes really nicely and will look great both at work and running around with the kids.

I will definitely make this again. It only took me about 3 hours from cutting to wearing.

This week's purchases

I just thought I'd share some crafty bargains I picked up this week.

First up I got this single bed sheet and a long slip from an op shop.

The sheet will be used to make a summer frock and I will be chopping the bottom off the slip so I can wear it under my unlined dresses/ skirts.

I went to Spotlight on the weekend and they had some bargains. I picked up this lovely sage cotton at $5 per metre. I think I will make a top or even a dress with it. Or both!

This cute cotton was $2.40 per metre! I will use it to make something for Elizabeth and maybe a summer top for myself.

This is boring as bat poo, but it was under $4/m and I bought it to make some work pants.

My favourite! I got 4 metres of this gorgeous quilter's cotton and it was a ridiculous $3/m!!! I can't wait to make myself a pretty summer frock with a gathered skirt with this stuff.

I've nearly finished a blouse I've been working on this week but it's very clow going as I only have been able to snatch 10 minutes at the machine at any one time.

Some op shopping

The kids and I went to our local Lifeline shop yesterday and came out with this stuff.

A huge old Tupperware container. I have no idea what to do with it, but it's Tupperware and I had to have it as I'm a bit of a Tupperwhore. I love the colour.

Some gumboots and trainers for Elizabeth (2 years old). She hasn't taken the boots off since we got them. Her favourite pink shoes have been tossed aside.

A purple zipper and two packs of purple shank buttons.

Pretty boring, but still worth sharing!

Fancy a quickie?

Quick post!

Here's something I have been working on...just need to sew the hem and zipper!

I scored these WICKED yellow LEATHER shoes from an op shop yesterdee...they are Nine West and cost me the princely sum of $5! Aw yeeh!


I love this sudden cold weather we have had since yesterday. I am head-over-heels in love with tights!

Some recent op shop scores

So I've been pretty naughty lately...I've bought sooooo many clothes. In my defense, they have all been second hand, and I've mostly purchased clothes for work as I was seriously short on smart blouses.

It's only Wednesday today and so far this week I've been to 5 op shops and spent way more than I'd like to admit.

Here are some of my favourite purchases from this week, with a few old ones thrown in.


I've been looking for a yellow blouse for ages to go with a couple of skirts I have. This one was from Lifeline and looks great on.


I've been trying to steer clear of non-tailored garments as they don't flatter my body shape, but I couldn't resist the colour and neckline detail of this one.


This is my favourite. I love the ruffles! I wore it to work yesterday. It's a little on the small side but I can deal with it.



I found this cool Quuiksilver ruffled blouse in St Vinnies on Monday. The skirt was a buy from a few months ago, and it needed a bit of doctoring to make it wearable. It doesn't flatter Jane very much but it looks good on me.





I got this skirt from St Vinnies the other day too. It's lined with satin so will be good to wear with tights when it's colder. The blouse is one that I made- finished it the other day.

I can't tell you how much I love this skirt. It's so flattering- gives me curves where I have none. the knitted top was a buy from last year. It was $3 and has the most gorgeous blingy buttons.


Cute knitted top from St Vinnies. The bow is detachable.



I bought these two dresses yesterday. They were much more than I would normally pay for second hand clothing ($15 and $10 respectively) but they are in perfect condition, fit me perfectly, and will be great for work. They're really well made and fully lined.

I love this skirt. It's a funky printed corduroy with satin lining.


Lastly, a pair of Sachi wedges. I think I will wear them to work tomorrow.