Yeah, I Made It Myself - The Bed Cover Capelet

Whenever I volunteer at the jumble sale before the leftovers are gathered together, bagged up and sold off as rags, I can't resist one final rummage. Zips are removed, buttons snipped off and interesting fabrics, no matter how tatty, are snaffled for future projects. In my seven years of sewing I've yet to buy a brand new zip or a button.

McCall's 3542 1970s cape pattern, all pinned out and ready to cut - pincushion made by Emma's fair hands, pro scissors a most welcome birthday pressie last year from Liz.

At some point in its past this vintage bed cover had been chopped in half but, too small for its original purpose, it remained unsold . Thinking that it looked like the perfect fabric for a capelet, I rescued it from its inevitable sad fate of becoming a factory cleaning rag.

The pattern called for a frog fastener which I didn't have, so I concocted a military-style closure instead, finishing it off with a couple of 1960s brass buttons chopped from a moth eaten blazer (a previous rag bag rescue). The original blue fringing awaits a future project. The thread, bias binding and concealed hook and eye fastening (at the neck) all came from the biscuit tins crammed with sewing notions I can never resist buying at car boot sales. The only new purchase was the interfacing which I buy in bulk from eBay every few years.

Recognise the vintage Scottish Plume brooch?

 Another jumble sale leftover as the pin had broken. I've made do with a safety pin here but I'll do a proper job using an old brooch eventually.

The best thing about making your own clothes, other than creating something totally unique for  pennies?  Its getting emails and Facebook messages from women who've read my blog and been inspired to have a go at dressmaking themselves. Even with no training whatsoever (like me!) you'll be amazed at what you can knock up if you give it a try.

Go on, I dare you!

Now its back to the day job, repairing a mountain of clothes ready for our debut at Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair this Saturday (see HERE) . Thank goodness for my thrifty ways, all those replacement buttons and zips would cost a fortune if I hadn't salvaged them for free.

Me-made cape worn with vintage Compass, Australia lurex maxi (courtesy of the lovely Nelly who no longer blogs), 1960s tapestry & vinyl bag (£1, car boot sale), River Island leather knee high boots (£2, Salvation Army)

See you soon!

PS I pinched the title from my sewing bible Yeah, I Made It Myself  by Eithne Farry. 

Rumble In The Jumble

When I joined the ranks of the self-employed six years ago, I discovered an underground society to which those in paid employment remain oblivious. The details are often hazy, communicated by Facebook messages (thanks, Shabby!) or via whispered conversations in charity shops. Forget the illicit raves or blues parties of my youth, these days its the wonderful world of the lunchtime jumble sale....... and we've been to two this week.

1960s suede mini (courtesy of Liz), 1980s bodysuit (jumble sale), 1970s Stirling Cooper fringed velveteen jerkin (Garbo Antiques @ Vintage Village at Stockport Market Hall), original 1960s go-go boots (inherited from my Mum), crazy tights (courtesy of Kerry, House of Harrie Hattie)

On Wednesday we set up and sorted the donations out for the regular Methodist church event, yesterday we served the buyers, cleared away and bagged up the leftovers for the rag man and today we went to another jumble as ordinary punters.

Jumble sales are a Black Country way of life. Whilst the weekend ones are packed out, the week day ones aren't quite so hectic. The buyers tend to be the retired and stay-at-home mothers along with a handful of second hand dealers and there is little competition for vintage stuff. Most of the regulars chuck anything old in my direction. Apparently I'm known as "that nice girl who dresses weird."

Want to see what we got?

This Sona percolator makes a mean cup of coffee but, according to my friend Gail at Essentially Eagle Vintage, they sell pretty well which should help towards the flight fund.

I found all three pairs of 1950s skates in the same donation bag, the cream pair at the end have bells threaded through the laces with Queens Ice Club, Bayswater W2 etched inside. I haven't been ice skating since I was a teenager but they'd look fantastic hung on an interior wall.

This Rococo mirror has a fair bit of age to it, it fits in well with our mirrors in the bathroom (there's a song there!)

This hideous thing actually lights up and plays Its a Long Way To Tipperary. Unsurprisingly it was unsold at the end of the jumble so I had to rescue it, much to Jon's disgust.

More Spanish tat.

See, Jon gets stuff too. A groovy retro ice bucket (with the 1960s guarantee still inside) and a vintage camera.

Some Scottish jewellery (complete with the tartan gift boxes)

...and a fascinating 1937 edition of Every Woman's Enquire Within covering everything from animal husbandry, politics, travel advice and beauty tips. 

Whilst there's a fair few vintage clothes on offer I only buy stuff that excites me, like this amazing array of 1970s dresses.

I also found the vintage swimsuit of my dreams but that'll have to wait for another post.

Wearing: 1970s Crimplene maxi dress (the lovely Linda at Hey Homewrecker!), bastard massive 70s Stainless Steel cross (£1, car boot sale), 1960s go-go boots (as before)

...and here's something I wasn't tempted with - the biggest pants in the world.

Jon'll be taking Kinky Melon's Retro Boutique to Bridgnorth tomorrow - alone! I'm having the day off. He's a star, isn't he?

See you soon!

Tie Dye, Pompoms and a Moan

These Indian leather chappals were on sale at a jumble sale I went to recently.
"Euggghhh....look at them, they're bloody foreign!" said the woman in a Primark tee shirt & obscenely thin leggings to her partner, dressed in head to toe Nike, throwing them down in disgust. I felt like pointing out that everything they were wearing probably got made in an Asian sweatshop but held my tongue, grabbed them and handed over my 40p.

Everything I'm wearing is bloody foreign - from the 1970s Carol Classics of New Zealand beach dress (from Op Shop Mama), the velvet Pakistani tote bag (a jumble sale years ago), the Nepali pendant (courtesy of Heather in California) to the earrings I bought from Colaba Causeway in Mumbai.

My tie dyed shrug started life as a tablecloth I found at another jumble sale. I tried to do a tutorial but you'll find a far better one over at Krista's.

 The turquoise pompom trim was 50p a metre from the Indian haberdashery stall on the market 'cos everything's better with pompoms.

Is it just me or is the type of ignorance displayed by the jumble sale couple steadily on the rise? A trip into town coupled with the behaviour of many of last weekend's campers show a general lack of intelligence or respect for anybody else. Feeding tiny children tubes of Pringles & fizzy pop for breakfast, throwing litter, pissing wherever they fancy, thinking its acceptable to tell another woman she's got great tits in front of their wife, spitting, drunkenness before 9am. Poor Liz's cat, Disco, even got shot by an air rifle last night. God help us if this is an example of the Core British Values the government are proposing our schools teach.

Anyway, moan over. We've stock to buy, a vintage fair in Derby on Saturday to prepare for, a house that looks like an explosion in Oxfam and I really ought to crack on with some sewing before the rest of Blogland utterly put me to shame.

Barry M nail paint - made in the UK!

But stuff that, we're pushing the boat out and having a curry from Nessa's for tea tonight. I don't know what day of the week it is any more so I'm treating today as a Friday - Cuban rum & coke, an Indian vegetable Karahi with extra green chillies and catching up with Wallander, a Scandinavian detective series with subtitles. My life would be a whole lot duller without bloody foreign stuff.

See you soon!

What To Wear To A Jumble Sale....

...if you're me!
 (If you're not then wear what the hell you want to, I'm a blogger not a style expert).

Yep, its that time of the month again, sorting through the stained undies, greasy pots & pans, out of shape Primark tee shirts & rancid shoes in preparation for tomorrow's jumble sale.

Its not all rubbish though, these are today's finds!

 (Clockwise from top left): 1970s Spanish souvenir key holder and flamenco dancer fan; 1970s bed cover for Gilbert's festival season; an odd vintage cruet; 1960s handbag mirror; French star shot glasses; 1960s ice bucket (in its original box); Plastic OBD (obligatory blogger deer).

Clockwise from top left: 1960s gold evening pumps; 1980s blingy festival chic jacket by Ciro Citterio (remember them, fellow British 40-somethings?); A pair of Harris Tweed caps; 1960s mustard shift dress; Levis denim jacket; Waxed shooting gillet; 1970s Reldan of London blouse; 1980s Aran sweater ( a perennial hipster favourite) ; Pink 1960s shift dress; Ex-army camo jacket; 1960s swimsuit; Hand made wool shawl.

There's absolutely shed loads left for the general public. Donations include everything from leather fronted tee shirts to dresses with exposed zips, dip-dyed leggings and Ikat prints - a sure sign they are no longer in vogue with the Black Country hipsters. There's Burberry, Ted Baker, Yves St Laurent and Gant menswear, Clarks' & Hotter shoes, Jaeger and Monsoon with the tags still attached and Jasper Conran bags. Some people really do have more money than sense.

I can't understand for the life of me why anyone would buy new clothes when there's so much available for a few pence second hand. I do mean pence, too. The prices tomorrow are 40p for a top, 60p for a pair of trousers and 80p for a dress and people will still moan, say its too expensive and try to walk out without paying.

1960s maxi dress (Lily McMuffins Vintage Boutique), 1960s glass collar (£1, Newport Vintage Fair), a stack of bangles and a tiger print bag (courtesy of the divine Helgita)

Notice that ridiculously big smile today? There's very good reason behind it. One of our mates has only gone and scored us some f*cking Glastonbury festival tickets. To say I'm excited would be an understatement. I'm going to crack open a cider later and get into practice for June.

See you soon!

PS Check out darling Curtise's blog post (she's my campaign manager) and vote Vix PLEASE!

Kinky Afro

When I was in the Sixth Form the only people to bring a briefcase to school were the keenos, the girls who, unlike us, who didn't run off to the Butts Tavern at lunchtime for a game of pool and a swift half of Brew XI or fall asleep at the back of the classroom during double history as they'd been dancing to Tin Tin's Kiss Me till the early hours with some bloke wearing eye liner and winkle pickers at Max's Night Club.

In case you're wondering I'm 7 rows from the front, eighth from the left. Too much eye liner, big hair and a vintage man's granddad shirt I'd bought from a jumble sale - some things never change.

Back then our bag of choice was a canvas haversack from the Army & Navy Stores on which we'd stencilled The Smiths, Echo & The Bunnymen and I love Morrissey in black marker pen.

Check out Polly Piglet snuffling about in the undergrowth, classy just like her mother!

These days I still love Morrissey but with a credit card reader, a tablet, a flask of coffee, scissors, tape measure and cheese cobs and all the other paraphernalia associated with running a pop-up business I need something studier to carry my tat about.

So when I snaffled this vintage German-made vinyl briefcase from Saturday morning's jumble I gave Jon strict instructions to funk it up along with some other bags I'd picked up last week. 

Didn't he do well? Kinky Owl's already found a new home. The others will be making their way to  Kinky's website & Saturday's vintage fair at Stourbridge.

The rest of the jumble wasn't much cop, the guy who swears I'm Cher still does and Stephen Squirrel loves his blingy denim collar. 

1970s Richard Shops maxi dress (Courtesy of Liz), customised 1960s green leather jacket (details HERE)

In hindsight, those short sleeves were a bit of a mistake, it's bloody freezing out!

See you soon.

Linking to Patti and the rest of the gang for Visible Monday.

I've Bin Busy - The Bollywood Makeover

I know, I know, in the grand scheme of things there's little in life less mundane than a waste paper bin but the one in our bedroom irks me each time I look at it, shabby 1950s roses just aren't my thing.

Undeniably useful and stupidly cheap (I bought a pair of them for 20p from a jumble sale), yesterday I decided it was high time the damned thing got a makeover.

Using my best ever find from Poundland - a £25 coffee table book of Bollywood movie posters ( I was hyperventilating when I bought this, I'd lusted after it at Mumbai airport for hours), 

I scanned, cropped and printed off some suitably groovy vintage images, including ultimate bikini-clad babe, Sharmila Tagore, in An Evening In Paris.

I glued the images to the outside of the bin, leaving them to dry overnight.

Then I sealed the outside with a coat of varnish.

Finally I glued some leftover Indian pom pom braid to the top and ta-dah!

A Bollywood-tastic bedroom bin fit to grace any retro-lovin' babe's boudoir at a total cost of absolutely nothing.

I blame the gorgeous Suzanne for this creative madness, earlier this week she'd commented: I've decided you are a vintage wizard. I could give you an old tin can, some bobby pins and a straw hat and a piece of frill from an old apron you'd make that work too. I couldn't oblige with the rest of the list but I reckon the old tin bin counts.

Vintage nylon nightie (courtesy of the lovely Linda in Belfast), 1970s neon orange mules (Cancer UK)

We're packed and raring to go selling at Moseley's Vintage & Retro Fair on Sunday (Birmingham's hippest suburb). Have a fab weekend and see you on the other side!