out thrifting. flannel plaid, high waisted denim, suede clogs

Photos by Neil!

Preppy Flannel Plaid Blouse - Thrifted

High Waisted Denim Jeans - Vintage (bought at Fanny's Sale from a friend's booth)

Studded Black Suede Clogs - Urban Outfitters

Vintage Leather Satchel - Thrifted gift from Quincy

This past weekend, Neil and I shared a day off.. we ran errands, did a little thrifting, and spent the evening out together (Italian food and a movie! The Social Network.. have you guys seen it yet? it rocks). This is what I wore for the day!

I bought the high waisted jeans from my friend Pierette's booth at the Fanny's Sale over a week ago. High waisted denim is something I've wanted for awhile.. I'm not a jeans person (I have one other pair besides these, and I never wear them), but I can definitely get into them if they're shaped like cigarette pants with a high waistline. I'm planning on pulling an Alexa Chung with double denim and wearing a light chambray button up with them sometime. I just bought a blouse at Music City thrift for it.

The other recent purchase of mine are these Ecote suede studded clogs. Remember those suede mary jane platforms I bought for my birthday? Well, after putting them on that day, I realized they were a little too big to keep - which really sucked, because I had bought the smallest size they offered and I absolutely loved them. So I returned them and bought these clogs instead.. which were less than half the cost of the mary janes! I really recommend buying them. They're pretty uncomfortable but that may go without saying.

My sister once told me that a good way to keep an all-vintage outfit grounded (ha, literally) in the present is by pairing it with a pair of new, modern shoes (I'm a fan of entirely era-specific looks on other people, but they're not for me. I have more fun mixing decades up and making them my own). While clogs definitely get their inspiration from the past, these seemed kind of fresh to me - maybe because of the shape of the platform heel? I don't know. At any rate, I feel much more comfortable with the idea of wearing a full skirted 1950s dress when I have black tights and these shoes to put with it. Also, these shoes bring a bit of masculinity to my wardrobe. No kitten heels for me, please.

I have some very important decisions ahead of me.. like what to wear for Halloween this year. You guys have any good ideas? I'm thinking about Coco Chanel, Loretta Lynn, or the guy from An American Werewolf in London.

sewing saturday.. part one: striped overalls, and romantic thrifting finds

Sewing Saturday! This weekend, I started a pair of navy and white striped cotton overalls. But before beginning, I wanted to share these thrifted finds with you all.

I've never found as much goodness in antique malls and thrift stores as I have in the past month or so, and of course my sewing room is stuffed to prove it. The little brown bag was originally a binocular case that I'm now using as my camera case and the 1990s white polka dot blouse is magic (and the double denim overalls too!), but my favorite recent find is the peach gown. It's a 1940s silk dress with floral embroidery and a scalloped hem. I found it while shopping with Quincy last week at Goodwill.. have I ever found a 1940s dress at Goodwill? I really don't think so.

The yellow rose afghan is sitting on our couch as I write this.. Crochet afghans remind me of my grandma and her comfy recliner she always sits in.

Alright, no more thrift store talk. The pattern I'm using for this Sewing Saturday project is a simple overalls pattern from the 1970's with alphabet embroidery transfers (super fun.. but not my style). I decided to make the shorts variation.

What you'll need? One and a half yards of fabric as well as the usual supplies - matching thread, a sewing machine, sharp scissors, pinking shears (optional), an iron, pins, a marking pen, and a large, flat working surface. Special items include a 30 centimeter zipper and two overall buckles with two matching buttons.

I had to choose between three kinds of fabric.. the toughest choice for me was deciding between the navy and white striped fabric and a vintage patchwork style fabric. The patchwork fabric has a stiff feeling to it, which is perfect for overalls, but I went with the cotton stripes just because I know I'll wear stripes more often. I also have dreams of making a fall dress with the patchwork fabric, or at least a high waisted full skirt.

The striped fabric is actually a flat twin sheet. I love reusing old sheets.. you can always find them at Goodwill and most of the time, they're super cheap and have fun patterns like 60's style flowers and stripes.

The pattern was cut by a previous owner at the lengthen/shorten lines, so I had to tape the leg pieces back together and cut to the shorts line.

I ironed the fabric flat as well as the creased pattern pieces (gently!). Once I pressed the pattern pieces and the fabric, I laid the pieces out to match the straight edges, pinned them, and cut them out. Then, I marked the seam allowances and darts, using pattern pieces as reference.

Next week, I'll start the actual sewing steps and finish up the overalls. And tonight, I'm working on floral hair wreaths! Happy Sunday!