For the Love of Yo-Yo's

I have always loved yo-yo's and no, I'm not talking about the kind you probably played with as a child, I'm talking about fabric yo-yo's.  These fabric embellishments have been around for forever and they have such a lovely vintage, nostalgic quality about them.  They used to be used on quilts, aprons and dresses and still are today.  Add a yo-yo to any of your sewing projects and it will instantly have a vintage charm about it.

At the beginning of April I attended a very large local flea market in our area that is held once a month.  This is one of my favorite places to hunt for treasure.  You can find anything your heart desires here - vintage fabric and linens, antique furniture, salvaged wood, old buttons, crates, vintage jars and the list goes on and on.  It seriously is one of my favorite weekend outings!

During my last trip to the flea market I came across this huge glass container of old fabric yo-yo's.  I couldn't believe my eyes!  If you know much about yo-yo's, you know that they can be a little time consuming to make and this jar contained over 100!  It was a yo-yo lover's dream come true.

These yo-yo's were some of my favorites in the jar.  I have so many ideas for projects and creations that could be made from these beauties.......oh, the possibilies.

So, does anyone else share the yo-yo love?  Or is it just a strange addiction all to my own?

What would you make if you came across a huge jar of yo-yo's?

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The Cottage Mama Published in Altered Couture Magazine

I have some pretty exciting news!  I just had my first two pieces published in the summer issue of Altered Couture Magazine.  The magazine is a quarterly publication and hit newsstands on May 1st. It is available in many different stores such as Barnes and Noble, Borders, select Joann Fabrics, as well as online through the publisher, Stampington Company. 

Altered Couture is a magazine focused on "altered" and embellished clothing and accessories.  It is filled with gorgeous photographs and inspirational pieces.  The artists explain the tools and techniques used in creating each project and how to transform your ordinary clothing into wearable works of art.  There is definitely something for everyone, from super-funky jeans to sweet summer dresses. You will also pick up lots of new techniques such as stamping, dying, embellishing, sewing, beading and more.

Altered Couture is my very first print publication and they chose to feature two of my pieces in the summer issue.  I have about four pieces coming out in the fall issue as well.  I was put in contact with the editor through my aunt Sarah, who had met her at an art show she was doing in LA.  The magazine requested several of my pieces that were found on the blog and we just went from there!

This piece of paper arrived with my copy of the magazine and I think it's definitely something I'll have to save for my scrapbook.  There's really nothing like seeing your writing and creative work in print!

So here are my two pieces that can be found in the summer issue.  The pictures were taken by the magazine after I sent them my pieces, but both articles were written by me:

This was one of my first "altered" pieces I had done on the blog.  I took a women's turtleneck sweater that I had found at my local thrift store and turned it into a ruffle cardigan for Savannah Rose.

The ruffle cardigan has a lot of fun details such as fabric covered buttons, piping, trims, and of course, a giant ruffle.

My second piece featured in the summer issue is a dress that I made using a woman's skirt.  I fell in love with the fabric on this skirt that was found by my mom at Goodwill, but it was way to large for me, so it became a dress for my girls.

Again, my favorite part of this look is the layered yo-yo and fabric covered button detail on the front of the dress.  I'm a little nuts over yo-yo's!

What ended up being even more special about this magazine publication was that, not only were my two pieces featured, but my Aunt Sarah had one of her pieces featured as well!  Here is her piece......

Doesn't that top just make you want to hit the beach?  I love it!  So classy with a hint of vintage charm.  My aunt is an incredible weaver and has had some of her handbags featured in another one of Stampington Company's publications called "Haute Handbags".

Working with Altered Couture was a wonderful experience for me and I look forward to working with them in many issues to come.  

Stampington Company publishes many different magazines that you may have seen in stores such as "Where Women Create", "Where Women Cook", "Sew Somerset", "Artful Blogging", and "GreenCraft"......just to name a few.  The magazines are very high quality and have the feel of a book.  If you've never picked one up, head out to your local bookstore and check out the most recent issue of "Altered Couture" magazine!

To check out many more of my "Altered" pieces, click HERE and check out some of my sewing tutorials.

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Dick and Jane Inspired Easter Dress - Bodice Tutorial

In case you missed my guest blog post on  "No Big Dill" about a month ago, here it is...........

To me, the "Dick and Jane" books are the epitome of retro, children's storybook classics.  The images in these books bring me such comfort.  They remind us of simpler times, they remind us when life was slower and more easy going.  I often wonder if I was born during the correct time period because it seems that everything vintage always has a soft-spot in my heart.

I personally did not grow up with the "Dick and Jane" book series, but my mom grew up learning to read from "Dick and Jane" books.  The books contain simple words with simple images, perfect for the new reader.

One of the most enjoyable parts of looking through these old classics are the illustrations of the children's clothing.  If you've ever been to my blog or etsy shop, you know that I love classic children's clothing so this time period is right up my alley!

I chose to do a "Dick and Jane" inspired look because I love sweet, classic, feminine dresses on little girls which is what Jane is all about.  So I guess we could say I came up with a "Jane" inspired look.

This entire dress (aside from the notions and the lining) was made from a $1.49 full-sized sheet that I found at my local thrift store last weekend.  I was waiting for some inspiration for this look and the sheet did the trick.  I love the pretty floral as well as the vintage feel I get from the sheet.  The scalloped edging was another vintage touch that I thought would be perfect for the "Jane" look - I can just see her wearing this dress in one of those books.

The above picture is the sheet prior to being turned into the dress.  It had this fabulous border across the top and little flowers on the rest of the sheet.

I thought I would show you today how to embellish the bodice of a dress.  You can take any tank dress pattern that you love and change up the bodice to make it your own.  If you don't have a bodice pattern that you really like, you can print my party dress pattern HERE and use that pattern.

The main, featured trim on this dress is this pink picot edge trim.  You can buy this online or you may be able to find it in your local fabric shop.  Since the lines of this dress were very classic, I wanted to make sure the trims were as well.

Cut four pieces of trim that are the same height as the bodice.  I like to cut mine a little longer just to be safe.

Next, grab your Wonder-Tape.  You all are probably so sick of hearing me talk about this product but it is one of my absolute favorites!  This is a double-sided tape for fabric that disappears in the wash.  You can use it to secure any trims that may be difficult to pin or where pin marks might show.  I find it holds trims with much more precision than pins - I use this on my piping as well.  You can definitely pin if you don't have this product, but I think this makes life SO much easier.

Apply your Wonder-Tape to the back-side of each piece of trim.  When you are ready to put your trim in place, remove the paper backing.

Apply your first two pieces of picot edging with the scalloped edging pointing outward.  Stitch down each piece of trim in coordinating thread.  I stitched close to the scalloped edge because your second piece will end up catching the other side.

Next, place your second piece of picot trim on top of the first.  Make sure to line it up perfectly so you can't see the plain edge of the first piece.  Stitch down the side close to the scallop edge.

Take a piece of coordinating fabric to use as your center focal point of the bodice.  I used two pieces since the sheet fabric was fairly thin, but you could definitely just use one and press the edges under.  To use the two pieces, measure the distance between your trims and add enough to account for your seam allowance - I used 1/4".  Stitch both pieces of fabric together leaving the top and the bottom open.  Turn right-side out and press.

Place your fabric in the middle of your trims and stitch into place.  You can leave the top and bottom edge raw because that will become concealed once you add your collar and bodice lining.

Stitch very close to the edge of the fabric - about 1/16" or 1/8" seam allowance.

Do all the embellishing on the bodice before you start sewing the dress.  That way your lining will conceal all the stitching on the bodice and you will have a beautifully lined top.

I did three pin-tucks on the skirt of the dress.  You can do this by adding an inch per pin-tuck to the length of the skirt.  So for this skirt piece, I added an additional 3 inches. 

I used petite piping in the collar.  You can make your own piping or used a packaged variety.  Click HERE to view my piping tutorial and HERE to find out how to make your own custom piping.

I think its in the little details that make the difference between a nice dress and a truly special and unique dress.  Back in the 50's and 60's, parents definitely valued quality over quantity when it came to clothing.  It's fun to take the time to make something special for our little ones - they deserve it, don't you think?

I think "Jane" would have been proud to wear this dress and Savannah loved wearing it on Easter!  She told me, "Mama, I look like a beautiful angel." - what a sweetheart!

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The Art of Thrifting

I had a wonderful "day-off" on Saturday.  My husband was judging a beer brewing competition and my in-laws took the girls for the entire day and offered to keep them overnight.  So, I was left with a WHOLE day to myself (aside from the brief meeting with our accountant to finish up our taxes).  What to do?  What to do?

I chose to spend my day leisurely thrift store shopping around my area.  This is something I rarely get to do and there were some shops in the area that I had never even checked out before.  My number one priority was to find a comfy wing-back chair to re-upholster.  I have been searching for one of these for some time now.  And while I was searching for my chair, I happened upon lots of other fun treasures that were just screaming my name.

I ended up finding these three vintage sheets (all at different stores).  Sheets are great to use as fabric.  I bought these with the intention of making dresses out of them, but if you come across any other great sheet patterns consider using them for window drapes or pillows.

This was my favorite one, by far.  It cost me $2.00 and I just love the border around the entire top of the sheet.  It has this beautiful floral print and the embroidered scalloped edging.  I can just see this as a hem for a sweet, spring dress.  The rest of the sheet has little flowers that will also be great for dress fabric.

 

I thought this sheet was fun and whimsical.  It was only $1.50 and is full-sized (which is a lot of fabric).  It has all different little animals and trees on it.  Fun for a little girl, I think.

And this one, well this one, I bought with my daughter Matilda in mine.  It just looks like her to me - sweet and feminine.  I think it will make a really sweet smocked dress for her and it was only $1.50.

I don't know about you, but I don't have a ton of disposable income to fix up my house these days.  With having two little girls and another one on the way, we are definitely on a budget.  I found these inexpensive frames and have an idea for a little wall-decor project with them.  I'm planning to spray paint them all to match.  These frames can be pretty expensive if you bought them new, but these were just a couple dollars.  And of course I will share with you once I get my project complete.

And this was a really fun find!  Someone had donated all these designer upholstery books to our local thrift store and I scooped them up for .99 cents per book.  I also got all these great seperate pieces of fabric as well - some are square and some are quite large (they are folded up in the picture).  I can see some serious pillows being made from these - and it was $5.00 for all of this fabric.  I don't know if you remember, but I made my Fall Pumpkins from home decor fabric remnants and they turned out great.

I can see these remnants making something really great for Christmas - maybe an advent calendar or a patchwork stocking.  Oh, the possibilities are endless!

And finally, my chair!!  I actually found my chair!  I couldn't believe it, but all the lines were just what I was looking for and the chair was super-comfy as well.  The legs are all carved and, it's hard to tell in the picture, but there is some carving up around the top of the back of the chair as well.  I LOVE it and I got a wonderful deal on it too.  I plan to recover it in a much more updated, modern fabric.  I don't know if you can envision it, but I can, and I think it's going to be great!

Tips for Thrifting:

• Bring a List:  Make sure you know what you are looking for.  It's much easier to go into a store with some sort of direction.  You may find other treasures on the way, but if you don't know what you are looking for, you may get overwhelmed by the whole experience.
• Don't Bring Children:  If you are really treasure hunting, this is best done on your own.  Children are too distracting and you may miss that diamond in the rough trying to keep them happy.  And it's just so much more fun to browse leisurely, then have to worry about when your child is going to melt-down.
• Be There When the Store Opens:  If there is a store that you know carries what you are looking for, be there right when they open.  Most furniture goes very quickly and the good stuff is gone early Saturday morning.  Make sure you don't miss out!
• Think Outside the Box:  Look at things from a different perspective.  What could this be used for other than its intended use?  If you get creative, you might find some really great deals and be able to create something truly fabulous.
• Don't Be Afraid to Ask:  If you don't see what you are looking for, don't hesitate to ask the sales staff.  I was once looking for 100% wool sweaters and finally asked about them.  The lady took me to this back room where they had been holding over 200 sweaters for a woman, but they had lost her name and number and said I could have any I wanted for $1.00 each - SCORE!!  Also, ask if they know of any other thrift stores in the area - they might know of some that aren't well advertised.
• Do Some Research:  If you are looking for a bigger ticket item, such as a chair or dresser, make sure you get an idea of what is a reasonable amount of money to spend.  Some thrift stores can grossly over price these types of items.  I had done some looking on craigslist and ebay for wing-chairs, so when I came across mine, I knew I had found a great deal.
• Negotiate:  Especially in used furniture stores - it never hurts to try.  All they can say is no.  And you are even better off if you have cash and are prepared to walk away with the item right then and there.
• Have Fun:  View this as a treasure hunt.  The hunt is almost as fun as the find and if you don't come away with anything, that's ok, there will always be new treasure to find in the future.

I hope these tips will help you find some unique treasures.  You don't have to spent a lot of money to have fabulous things, you just have to be a little creative.  It's probably going to take me awhile to get around to recovering my chair, but I can't wait to share that project with you - it's going to be an adventure!

What has been your best thrift store find?

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