Vintage finds, AKA the only shopping I've done in months

Last weekend was the Chicagoland Vintage Clothing, Jewelry and Textile Show, an overwhelmingly large show about an hour away from Chicago in Elgin. Last year I had a great haul. This year I was a bit more restrained, even though this show, more than any others, often has the largest portion of things to my personal style and taste (though not always my budget, of course).

Once we knew we were going to buy a house I stopped shopping of any kind that wasn't food or essentials... unless you call inspections and earnest money and packing supplies and iPad games to keep me sane "shopping" (I consider it essentials). So while it was a nice treat to actually go to this show, as it was the only vintage show or shopping I'd done since last year (wow!), I passed up a lot of great things.

Here's what I wore...

Outfit details: cardigan knit by me, pintuck blouse from Small Earth Vintage, wool skirt from Retro Kitten Vintage, 40s peep toe shoes from Randolph Street Market, vintage brown basket purse

Mel and I each picked up four things. (Mel's all went into the laundry already, sorry.) You'll have to pardon the fact that I clearly did not iron anything. They're going to get packed right away so I couldn't bring myself to iron, not even for the blog. ;)

These first two of my finds came from Nicole Hughes of BombshellShocked. I was so excited to see her there. Not only does she have great taste and prices on vintage clothing, she is a super awesome person!

First up is a pleated shirtwaist dress, white with a thin checkered print in red and light gray. I think this will be a great summer dress, and layered with a cardigan it will work nicely in spring, too. (I might even dare to combine prints and try it with my cardigan above.)

I love the mother of pearl buckle and flower-shaped buttons.

It has great puff sleeves, too.

The next is an absolutely killer pair of 50s pedal pushers. I commented to Niki when I bought them that I rarely find actual vintage pants that look good on me (more like rarely find them, period), and the two pair I have are both from her, and both pedal pushes from the 50s, and both plaid. I guess when it works, it works!

Have you ever tried to photograph pants on a dress form?

Yeah, it wasn't until I was actually trying to do it that I remembered there's no crotch on a dress form. Never mind the fact that the dress form currently stands in our living room and I look at it about a 50 times a day. 

So you'll have to make do with a photo on the hanger. Trust me, they look fabulous on. I can't wait to wear these this summer!

I need to sew up a top or two for them—what style or color would you recommend?

Oh, they also have a great label with a needle, fabric and scissors motif. It's really fun.

The third item on my list I got from Karyn Dethrow of Dethrose Vintage. I was so pleased to finally meet Karyn, who is gorgeous and charming!

I've been hoping to find more solid-colored skirts. I say "hoping" because of the aforementioned not shopping for months, so it's been more like "hoping in the future to obtain (or sew)". I go back and forth about why I don't really wear my short-sleeved sweaters in spring and fall as much as I think I want to, and I've decided one of the reasons is I don't have very many solid skirts to pair them with. This light blue one will be perfect. It will also be great with a yellow v-neck pullover I plan to knit from A Stitch in Time vol. 2 (just started swatching for it last night).

I love the details and the topstitching on the top of the pleats. I wish my topstitching could be this even!

And last but not least is a dress I bought from a vendor whose name I unfortunately don't know. If any of you out there who went to the show can identify her, please let me know. Her booth was upstairs, to the left of the entrance and she had a rack of some of the best printed cotton day dresses I have ever seen. Many in larger sizes, and all in beautiful, bold prints. (I'm actually kind of kicking myself for not buying this second one of hers I really liked.)

Now, it should be said that I don't usually wear a lot of purple. Actually almost none. It's never been a color I particularly liked. But I love this dress something fierce, and I already know it's going to be a summer favorite. Though it will require a bit more shopping to properly accessorize due to the aforementioned lack of purple in my closet. (Tsk tsk, what a shame, right?)

The whole thing is just a great mix of lavender, eggplant, white, navy, sky blue and royal blue. Throw in tiny polka dots, flowers and an overall checked print. And look at that amazing collar! I just love it.

Awesome pockets and buttons, too.

And last but not least, another fun label. I love the candy canes for Kandy Kottons.

So there you have it, that's what I found at the show last weekend. I won't be doing any more shopping again until after we've moved and settled in. As of this week, closings are a month away. Back to packing!

Bombshell Shocked winner!

And the winner of the Bombshell Shocked giveaway is...

Kally of Kalandra Jane Millinery and Musings in the UK!

Everyone should check out her blog, too, she's a very talented gal. Can you believe this is not a vintage necklace but polymer clay sculpted fruit that she made herself? Wow!!

Image from http://kalandrajane.blogspot.com/

So Kally, please email me at tasha {at} bygumbygolly {dot} {com} and your vintage sewing and knitting goodies will wing their way around the world to you! Congratulations!

Thanks again ever so much to the lovely Nicole Hughes at Bombshell Shocked for sponsoring this awesome giveaway! ♥

A thank you and a reminder

A huge thank you to everyone for your support when I announced last week that I'm planning to design a sweater pattern. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it! ♥ Each comment has made me feel great and really cements it for me that I made the right decision to dip my toe in the design pool.

Honestly I've had so much going on that I really don't have anything fun or interesting to share right now! I even looked at my schedule for the Briar Rose Knit-Along for the week and saw that I wrote down "Week of March 28th: Buttonholes". Huh? What was I going to say about buttonholes? Hmm. I'll have to figure that one out.

So instead I give you just a couple of photos from today from a fruitless thrifting adventure (two thrift stores, not so much as a scarf acquired). The first was out by a neat glass block wall in Uptown. It was really cold, can you tell? I even had knee highs on under my socks. Sheesh.

The second was at a hot dog restaurant I've been going to since I was little. A nice surprise was that we ran into our friend and his girlfriend also out for a Sunday hot dog.

Mel liked that I matched the wall and the booth behind me...

I just had my hair in a messy ponytail. I've had to face the fact lately that my hair has gotten to the point where I can't get it to do anything! It's just too long. I rarely seem to be able to coax it into a style that works well, wet sets are a huge chore now (if they work at all) and heated roller sets only last a few hours. Now, sometimes I go through times when I seem to be all thumbs about my hair, but this has been ongoing for quite awhile. And I finally decided that three weeks before Viva Las Vegas is not the time for me to be having major hair trauma! No sirree. So I scheduled a haircut on Thursday after work. I don't know exactly how much I'm going to get chopped off, but I'm thinking at least 3 inches. Fortunately my hair stylist knows vintage styles so I should be able to tell her how I intend to set my hair and what I'm going for. Assuming I figure out what that is. (I admit there's part of me that wants to get it cut as short as Yesterday Girl, I just love that short look but I'm not sure my hair would perform and then I'd really be screwed if I discovered it didn't!) This will be my first haircut in 2 years, and my first time getting it cut since I've had a better understanding about setting my hair, so it'll be kind of a unique experience. Wish me luck!


And hey... don't forget tomorrow night my Bombshell Shocked Giveaway ends! One more day to get your entries in!

Bombshell Shocked Giveaway!

Today I have something super special, my very first giveaway!

This giveaway is sponsored by the wonderful Nicole Hughes, owner of Bombshell Shocked on Etsy. She's a Chicago-based vintage clothing stylist who I met at the vintage clothing show I attended earlier this month, where she sold me my amazing Mexican circle skirt. I'm really, really excited to announce this giveaway!

Now, what does the lucky winner get, you ask?

The winner will receive these three great vintage crafty items:

• 1946 Jack Frost Speed-Knit Sweaters booklet—Awesome vintage knitting patterns in some heavier weights. Particularly great for newer sweater knitters who don't want to have to commit to a fingering weight sweater, or those who just need a little speedy knit now and again (don't we all?).
• 1954 Simplicity Sewing Book and 1958 Vogue Sewing Book—Fantastic vintage sewing resources! I have later copies of each of these and they are some of the most helpful books in my arsenal, I have to say.

Here's a close up of the Jack Frost knitting booklet:

Aren't these sweater girls grand?

 

I adore the mom and daughter duo on the Simplicity Sewing Book cover...

Where else could you learn what colors you should wear by your eye color and hair color?

And the Vogue Sewing  Book...

There are a few pages of amazing colored drawings inside! Can you believe these gorgeous gowns? I don't even wear gowns and I want one!

Now for the important part!  

How to enter the giveaway:

1. Be a follower of this blog, if you aren't already. (And a warm welcome to any new readers stopping by!)
2. Live anywhere on the planet. I'll ship these goodies anywhere!
   
3. Leave a comment on this post. To do so, head over to Bombshell Shocked on Etsy and check out Nicole's vintage goods, then come back and in your comment, tell me what your favorite item was (I'm personally loving the peasant blouse and skirt sewing pattern!) Don't forget to leave a way to contact you if your blog or profile doesn't have your email address.
4. Want extra entries? Post about this giveaway on your blog, or link to it on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Just post a separate comment on this post with a link to where you mentioned it (make sure it's a separate comment since I'll use Random Number Generator to find the winner). You can get up to two extra entries this way.

The giveaway ends a week from today on Monday night (Central U.S. time), March 28th!

The giveaway is over, thanks everyone who entered!

Last thing! As an awesome extra for my readers, Nicole has offered  20% off coupon for everything at Bombshell Shocked on Etsy! Just enter the code "BYGOLLY" at checkout. Yay!


Good luck!!

Vintage show finds

I've been meaning to post this all week! Last Saturday, we went out to the 'burbs for a huge annual vintage clothing, jewelry and textiles show. We missed last year (though I can't recall why), so I was particularly excited about it this year. I was literally talking about it for days leading up to it. I took some photos of my finds, but mind you nothing has been ironed and I just threw them on, so forgive the lackluster appearance.

I got two dresses, one of which is a housedress with a hidden front zipper, so I will probably dare to actually wear it out into the world. It was so wrinkled that even the photo looked terrible, so I'll give you a taste of the fabric. It's a neat light beige checkerboard print with antique scrollwork type of designs all over. The buttons are really cute, too, and I love the attention to the lap over the zipper.

Next was a blue dress in an amazing almost deco print. I'm not sure what the fabric is, but it's slightly stiff and sheer but very smooth, and rather unlike anything I've ever felt. Anyone hazard a guess?

I love the rhinestone buttons. The self-face belt is tied off with sky blue organza (or something similar), which is also used around the buttonholes. That is some serious attention to detail!

I also found a great skirt, sold by the guys who run Knee Deep Vintage, a vintage clothing store across town that we've never been to. They were really friendly and are having an anniversary sale at their shop next Friday that we're seriously considering going to. Randomly in conversation last night with a friend, we found out they're apparently good friends with another friend of ours. Small world. They had a lot of killer dresses that were right up my alley but way too big, sadly. The skirt I got from them is pleated all the way around, giving it a nice full skirt feel without the need for a crinoline (because if you're starting to get to know me, you might have guessed I'm not all that fussy of a gal...). It's really, really making me want a pair of green shoes to go with it. Or espadrilles. I'm not sure how my wardrobe doesn't have a pair of espadrilles.

I then found a great cowboy shirt, which I am always on the lookout for and they are rather rare! I didn't model it because, well, it's a shirt. You get the idea. I love the texture of the fabric in this.

The buttons are really interesting. At first they look like pearl snaps, but are actually buttons with a front and back part, inserted through a second set of buttonholes. I'm not sure I've ever seen a closure quite like it. At first I thought perhaps it was a way for the band to be reversible, making it a unisex shirt, but the shirt is clearly for a woman, so I'm really not sure.

I also got a carved butterscotch Bakelite bangle to add to my collection...

And then there's the pièce de résistance. Towards the end of our tour through the event, we headed into a great booth, where I spied a Mexican circle skirt. Now, I love these as much as the next girl, but as you probably know, they can be ridiculously expensive. I have one that I was lucky enough to get from my mom, from probably a couple of decades ago when she thrifted several vintage pieces that are now highly collectible. It's one of my most cherished pieces.

Anyway, I saw several Mexican skirts at the vintage show, all with the price tags I'm accustomed to seeing on eBay and Etsy. I seem to recall $95 was on the low end of the scale and $325 (I kid you not) on the high end. Then I spotted this one in the booth, and looked at the price tag. And it was cheap. And marked "as is". I noted a few light stains, but nothing I couldn't live with, especially at that price.  I am certainly not above wearing gently "whoops"-ed garments, especially if I can get a good deal. It adds a bit of history and intrigue for me, allowing me to play a bit of Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett version, only) with my garments. What fun did the owner have in this skirt? What cocktail or kitschy appetizer did she spill on it? On the other hand, it makes me crazy when I see people selling items on eBay for high collector prices and then they proceed to show you a series of photos of rips, tears, holes and/or stains.

So behold, my new skirt. (Don't mind the poorly tucked-in shirt, I was rushing.)

I talked to the woman who ran the booth for several minutes about it. She was super sweet and friendly (and obviously a very honest seller!), and runs an Etsy shop with several yummy items, Bombshell Shocked. My only regret was that I was too tired at that point to give the rest of her booth the attention it deserved, because I could tell she had some goodies in there!

When I was interested in the skirt, she said I looked like a woman who could wear a sombrero, referring of course to the skirt. Well, I was dressed in this jacket, so no wonder.

Photo from purevintagechicago.com

Pretty funny! (A woman asked to take my photo, so this is from her blog. The big white spot on the jacket is just a lens flare.) Even funnier, I saw two almost exactly just like it for sale there. I got sooo many compliments on this jacket at the event, I kept telling people there were other versions of it there if they wanted one too . :)

This weekend our plans aren't nearly as glamorous. House cleaning, a few errands and I'm hoping to get in some sewing and knitting time. I have a skirt 99% complete and it's just awaiting a closure. I'm thinking I may use a large vintage button, instead of hook and eyes on the inside. What do you think?

I'm really pleased with how the skirt came out, and will post about it soon (still have to photograph my Swing Dress anyway, lighting has been the pits in our home lately). My topstitching still needs some work, but overall I'm really happy with it, and the pleats make a spectacular shape with the somewhat heavier cotton I used. At first when I started it, I thought great, I've barely started my handmade vintage wardrobe challenge and I'm already violating my color palette. This is a cute cotton from my stash and it has a lovely novelty print, and I was itching to turn it into something. That's all I was focused on. But then I realized hey...many of those castles and turrets are butterscotch yellow!

 Have a great weekend, everyone!