A settled sort of day.... tackling some of the mundane, but necessary jobs around the home .... the sort of thrifty little jobs that give me a feeling of satisfaction .... a job well done and all that .... bit sad I know!
I managed to fit in a bit of patchwork here and there.
I gives me a silly little thrill to think I am using all the little offcuts of fabric (for the hexagonal patchwork) that perhaps would otherwise be thrown away. And it means I have a little reminder of all the lovely fabrics I have sourced and passed on to new homes.
So today I spent a good deal of time with my trusty old friend ... and a pile of mending!
My old friend Singer is looking a bit battered but works as well as ever .... she's a treadle sewing machine.... so the old legs get a bit of a workout too.
We found these Vintage woollen trousers for Hubby P ... they needed altering slightly to fit Hubby P's ... erm.... elegant, manly.... 'well built' figure ....
They have a label inside with details of who the trousers were made for and his measurements etc .... there were uniform issue Railway I think. Such care taken over the fitting ... nowadays you are probably be given a choice of Medium, Large or XXL and have to make do with an ill fitting uniform.
The trousers had stripes down the legs so I removed those ....
You can see they are 'fishtail trousers' .... they are worn with braces and have button fly. They had lots of 'spare' fabric in the back seam to allow for the letting out/altering of the waist. So sensibly made, the tailoring detail is amazing ... something that is made to last.
Hubby P has another couple of pairs of similar trousers, he wears them all the time and says they are so warm and comfortable .... no skinny jeans for him!
I actually got around to laundering these too...
Dress shirts from Harrods.
Again amazing tailoring and wonderful cotton fabric, these are destined for the Vintage clothes rail at the Emporium. Ladies like to buy these to wear over their jeans, shirts tend to be a bit on the small side for Hubby P .... Men tended to be on the smaller side years ago.
They are such elegant, well made garments ... makes clothes nowadays look positively shabby.
And a few buttons to sew back on ... what would we do without our trusty button jar!
So there we are ... not the most exciting day but lots done, and a feeling of thrifty smugness!
Bye for now x
My 'rag' bag is overflowing with all of my "too small" pieces of fabric !
ReplyDeleteBrave girl getting them all out and actually doing something with them...
Now I might get brave and have a go at a quilt as well !!
xoxo
You can't beat the quality of the fabric and making of these garments, after all they've stood the test of time.
ReplyDeleteSo satisfying to give them a new lease of life, well done!
Sandie xx
I absolutely agree about the quality of vintage clothes, you only get decent fabric these days with designer clothes which are way out of my budget! So fed up of high street cotton jersey or viscose tops which develop holes after just a couple of wears.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to have you back!
ReplyDeleteLove the vintage clothes and fabrics! They are just the best!!
I agree, patchwork is great for keepsakes from old clothes.
ReplyDeleteI've only ever done hexagons once, I found them too fiddly so I ended up giving them away to a charity shop!
Treadle sewing machine, I keep reading about them, are they easy to use?
Josie x
I've got a Singer aswell but it is one with a handle to turn. Do you sew your patches together by hand or by machine? Patchwork is something that I'd love to try but as yet I've not given it a go. As always your pictures are lovely to view.
ReplyDeleteLove from Mum
xx
Hi everyone, thanks for all the comments...
ReplyDeleteJosie you asked about the treadle machine, well I learned to sew with a treadle so I know no different, I dont think its hard, just a case of getting the knack... working feet and hands at the same time.
and Mum asked about the patchwork.. yes, I sew them together by hand, I find it very relaxing, time consuming but relaxing!
Vicky x