Winter Wardrobe Sewing: the Moderne Dress

Flashback Summer: The Moderne Dress - Wearing History, 1930s vintage art deco fashion

I have begun the fall/winter sewing extravaganza, and I've finished my first project!  This is made using the Moderne Art Deco Dress pattern from Wearing History, a pattern I've had in my stash for a while but have yet to make up until now. 

THIS. IS. SUCH. A. COOL. PATTERN.

New Shades from GlassesUSA

Flashback Summer: New Shades from GlassesUSA

I'm one of those people that never buys nice sunglasses.  I get those cheap, $10 glasses, and I wear them for a few months.  They get scratched up because I just throw them in my purse, and my most recent pair are so foggy-lensed and rickety that they barely stay on my face!

I SHALL NEVER GO BACK TO SUCH SUNGLASSES AGAIN.

Season-Ahead Wardrobe Planning

Flashback Summer: Season-Ahead Vintage Wardrobe Planning

Last year I was caught horribly unaware by the cold weather.  Of course, I knew winter was coming (it does come every year), but I didn't realize how little warm clothing I actually had in my wardrobe until I really needed it.  I ended up making do and shivering through a lot of the season when I should have been enjoying it!

Reintroducing... Flashback Summer Emails!


Some of you that have been around a long time may remember that I used to send out emails to those of you that subscribed to my email list.  Well.... I began to lack inspiration and wondered what to do with that, so I let it fall by the wayside.

HOWEVER, I am excited to announce that I've done research, I've brainstormed, and I've been inspired to start them back up, this time with fresh, exciting content that I'm sure you guys will be glad to see in your inbox.

Intercultural Vintage: Questions on Qipao

Flashback Summer: Intercultural Vintage - Questions on Qipao Cheongsam
1930s Shanghai ad

Boy, am I excited about today's post!  We're going to talk about an aspect of intercultural vintage that originates in one of the world's oldest and most trend-setting cultures: China.

Trying Out Thred Up

Flashback Summer: Trying Out Thred Up - vintage sea foam silk blouse

Since I was a small child, I have had a love affair with the color sea foam.  I can't explain it.  I've just always really liked it.  In fact, when I was young my grandmother made me some sequined sea foam bell bottoms at my request. (They were fantastic, obviously.)

Outdoor Vintage

Flashback Summer: Outdoor Vintage - 1940s overalls

I haven't been fishing since I was a very small child, so I was excited when my husband suggested we go fishing last Sunday during the Labor Day weekend!  I love being out in nature, and I've found it does wonders for my psyche and morale.  We went to a local lake (Missouri has a lot of lakes and rivers to fish in), and we found a sunny spot on some rocks.  Although the only thing we caught was a tiny bluegill, it was still a wonderful time!  Sun, lake breezes, and time away from the daily grind is always welcome.

Florals Always Go

Flashback Summer: Florals Always Go - vintage 1940s dress

Even though it's starting to become fall here in the northern hemisphere, I walked out of my new workplace yesterday to find the little hill next to it covered in blooming white flowers.  I'm not sure what they are, but they smell fantastic and look amazing. I was inspired to pull out my florals and live up the warm weather as long as I can!

Healthy Living: Is Pyrex Poison?

Flashback Summer: Is Pyrex Poison? - Vintage Pyrex and Lead Content

I was pretty devastated when I read vintage Pyrex, as a general rule, has high levels of lead.  I had registered for a lot of vintage Pyrex for my wedding and had been happily cooking in them for months, thinking I was actually using a healthier option for food storage because it was glass, not plastic.  I really loved the size and convenience of them along with how they look!  In fact, I kind of swept the lead info under the rug for a while because I just didn't want to believe it.  If it was really that poison, why do so many people use and collect it still?