Wednesday 21 December 2011

A little Catch up...

Now that I finally have access to the Internet at home I can give you all a quick round-up of some of the things I've been up to over the last few months...

I Moved Home Hurrah!!
I've gone from one very overfilled room...


...to four rooms...oh and a share of a bit of garden!!!

These are the letting agents pics which make it all look much bigger than it really is, but even so, I can't begin to tell you how lovely it is to have a bit of space!

I've Done a Lot of Low Budget Decorating!
As we are only renting there is no way I can justify spending loads on making this place more presentable (though I can dream) But it is amazing how much of a difference a splash of white gloss can make and just how far a £12 giant tub of magnolia paint can go!!! (More on this later).

I've Found the Perfect DAB Station to Decorate To!
and cook too, tidy too and just generally dance and sing very badly too.
It's Absolute Radio's New Digital channel Absolute 60's (Listen to it online here) We listen to
BBC 6 Music at work which I really love, but when I come home I need something a bit more nostalgic to keep me going through the chores and as the 60's is my favourite era for music this station fits the bill perfectly!

I Now Officially Own White Goods!
A washing machine, cooker, and a fridge freezer...oh I feel like a grown up at last!
Oh and the Microwave was a birthday present from my parents!


I Had a Bath for the First Time in Years! 
I now that sounds worse than it is...promise!! The last place had a bath but it was very small and ALWAYS filthy, so showers were the only way to actually get clean!

I Had a Birthday and Finally Finished my 1950s bolero!
 Which was knitted as part of Bea's Vintage Knit Along and I got the chance to wear it with my Audrey Dress for a very yummy birthday meal!
 I Harvested Some Crops
A small but mighty allotment bounty, some was eaten straight away, some was pickled, some was frozen, but all of it tasted delicious!

I Bought a Tiny Real Christmas Tree!
The Boyfriend has named her 'Fiona' (Fiona Spruce to be exact!).
She is currently sitting by my front door waiting to be swathed in her festive apparel, of some solar powered lights!
After reading Katrin of Per bar one Penny post on how comfortable she had found her smashing new brogues, I decided I had to get myself a pair, hers were from Deichmann and to my complete surprise, I found they have a UK website! I was even more delighted to bag these little beauties for only £17.99 inc postage! I will certainly testify that they are the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn!!

So there you have it some of the things that have been keeping me busy. Sadly with moving I have not been able to find time to do my usual Christmas present crafting, which means I have had to buy store bought gifts for everyone this time which I do feel bad about, but there is always next year and hopefully they will be even more special! I'm off now to finish some more low budget Christmas decorating - posts to follow. The tree is up (although it's fallen over 3 times already...argh!) and sparkling I just need to add a bit more festiveness to the rest of the place!

Wendy x

Saturday 17 December 2011

A Little more Chrismas Swapping

So what was in that ever so tantalising parcel then...

Just look at that Beautiful handmade card!!

1. An Embroidered Christmas Apron. 2. A Shabby Chic Handbag. 3. A Bag of Lavender with some gorgeous Lip Balm (smells divine). 4. A Kath Kidiston NoteBook  5. A Piece of Lacey Trim! 6. An Embroidery Kit (with a butterfly!...eek!) 7.  An Embroidered Christmas Table Cloth (see below).


 The Christmas table cloth has found a very fitting home underneath the
tree with Christmas Ted to keep it company!

I love absolutely everything! I let out a serious squeal when I realised I had now my own Christmas pinny, I had toyed with the idea of making one, but with the move, I just didn't have the time to craft. I honestly was like a child in a party dress, I pranced about the house all evening refusing to take it off.

The Gorgeous tablecloth is the perfect fit under my little Christmas tree and it looks just lovely!

I am going to fashion a fabulous 1940s collar out of the lovely lace trim and I can't wait to start on the Embroidery it will look great in my new living room!











Here's what I sent to Shirl...


1. A Deco Style Necklace.  2. The Book 'What Every Woman Should Know: Life Lessons from the 1930's'.  3. Hand crocheted Christmas tree angels.  4. A 10x8 Print of a 30s Train Poster.  5. A Shell Mosaic Picture Frame.  6. Some Shabby Chic Fabric.

I must say I enjoyed an excuse to do a bit of charity shopping and I think I was very lucky with my finds! Such as the book which is packed full of fabulous advice and images from the 30's I highly recommend getting a copy if you can!

When I realised that Shirl lived in Clacton and that she liked the 20s and 30's it gave me the perfect excuse to use my graphic design skills to recreate (ie draw over in illustrator) an old 30s train poster of her hometown.

My mum was kind enough to crochet me up some little angels for the parcel. Seriously I wish I had her skills with a crochet hook, she took no time to make these up and the crocheting is so delicate and tiny that I struggle even to see the hook!


Thank you again, Shirl, for taking the time to make up my fabulous parcel and also a big Thank You to Lakota for setting it all up!! It has been a lovely pre-Christmas treat to have something to open before the big day!


Wendy x

Thursday 8 December 2011

Christmas Swapping!

Eeek!!! How Exciting!!!!
I have just received a fabulous parcel from the lovely Shirl who blogs over at The White House all as part of 'The Festive Charity Swap' which was expertly organised by the remarkable Lakota - if you fancy a bit of inter-blog swapping then keep your eyes on her blog!
Doesn't it look enticing!!
I can't wait to open it, but I am being remarkably controlled and I am going to try and wait until I know that she has got hers (which I just need to pop in the post!) before I open it! Wish me luck with my resolve!! Thanks, Shirl!!!

I hope you all have great weekends! Fingers crossed (for the 3rd time now) we will finally get the internet installed on Saturday so it should be back to blogging normality, shortly! Hurrah!

Wendy x

Friday 18 November 2011

Sew It - Vintage Vogue

Well hello there! Sorry for my prolonged blogging absence I have been internet-less for a few weeks now (I feel like I have lost a limb) due to finally moving out of my grotty room in a shared house, into a one bedroom flat with The Boyfriend, which to be honest is a bit grotty too (the flat not the BF), but all it needs is bit of a clean and a touch of paint here and there and it will be fine and sooooo much better than having to live in a place that could easily be featured on How Clean Is Your House!

More on all that stuff in another post. I have really just popped by (I should be working shhh!) to tell any UK pattern addicts among you, whilst perusing the web this lunchtime I spotted that Jaycotts are having a 50% sale on their range of Vogue Patterns, this includes the fabulous Vintage Vogue collection, many of which I have been lusting over for ages, I'm sure I am not alone. I have managed to be good only buy a couple, though it was quite a difficult choice I could have easily bought them all! Luckily I'm currently sporting 'insufficient funds' (shakes piggy bank forlornly) so a lack of cash has proved to be positive thing for once, as it has saved me from myself!

So here are a few of my favourites...

1930's - V8767 - Jacket, Dress And Belt Vogue Pattern 

1940/50's - V8686 Misses' Dress Vogue Pattern ( AVERAGE )

1950's - V1083 MISSES' COAT Vogue Pattern ( AVERAGE )

1950's -V1137 MISSES' COAT, DRESS AND BELT Vogue Pattern ( AVERAGE )

1930's - V2859 MISSES' JACKET, BLOUSE AND DRESS Vogue Pattern ( ADVANCED )

1950's - V2934 MISSES' JACKET Vogue Pattern (AVERAGE)

1930's - V1136 MISSES' JACKET AND DRESS Vogue Pattern ( AVERAGE )

1950/60's - V8729 - Dress and Underskirt Vogue Pattern ( Advanced)

We get re-connected to the interweb on the 26th (fingers crossed) so I'll be back soon with more random ramblings, news of a much overdue giveaway and a catch up on what I've been up to!

Have a great weekend!!
Wendy x

Friday 11 November 2011

In Rememberance

 Image source: Oswald Skene
  In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields, the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place;wait and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead, short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields!
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands, we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields!
 John McCrae 03.05.1915

Tuesday 11 October 2011

Sweeter than Sunshine

After my Oscar the Grouch style post I thought I would change the mood a bit with an awards post!

While I was off on my hols the gorgeous Katrin awarded me 'The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award' How kind! Now this is one busy little lady as she has not one but two fantastic blogs, the first is about all the vintage in her life which is called Per Bar one Penny. You must check out her post on cutting her own midi, it looks amazing! So go and pay her a visit you won't be disappointed!



Part of the rules of receiving this award is to list 7 Random facts about yourself:

1. I am 5'9" tall, which makes vintage clothes buying difficult as they tend to come up too short, this one of the reasons why I took to making my own clothes.

2. I have size UK 7/8 feet which again makes getting vintage options almost impossible.


3. My love of the past began with a love of all things 60's. I am sure It was triggered by watching re-runs of The Avengers (can't tell you how much I wanted to be Mrs Peel, catsuits and eye liner what's not to love!!) and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (The most hilarious name for a Nemesis ever, shame no one told him all he needed was some yoghurt and his problems would be over;)).

4. I love chocolate but I don't like chocolate flavoured ice cream or chocolates with runny caramel inside... I've no idea why just both seem really wrong to me. I'm very strange:)

5. I am a slightly obsessive list writer, I really can't go a day without jotting down some form of list, be it of the shopping or Things to do variety, I will seldom be found without one on hand!

6. I bite my nails and have done so on and off since the age of 2. I tend to only bite them now when I am stresses or worried, which luckily does not happen often. The weirdest thing is that I am unaware of actually biting them until it is too late.

7. I could not live without my Converse trainers I bought my first pair with my first paycheck and have had a pair in various colours ever since.

Now I must pass this on to some fellow bloggers - This is the hard bit as all the blogs I follow are really wonderful and have helped to keep me the right side of sane over the last few weeks. So I have chosen some of the newest arrivals to my Google Reader!

Radka from Moon River and Me
Donna from Hook and Stitch
Rueby from Rubey Retro 
Toria from Girl meets Wolf
Lyra from Pretty Oddity
Mayday May from Walking in May
Catlin from Caltlin Rose

 All that's left for me to do is to pop by to let you all know!

Wendy x

Its been a while

Well hello all, I'm sorry for my lack of blogging lately I have just been tied up with really dull stuff that I have not found much time or enthusiasm for anything fun, to be honest, the last few weeks have put me in a really baaad mood. 
Now I have debated talking about this, as, well it is supposed to be a blog about all things lovely and vintage, but I thought by sharing it might help me to stop wallowing in negativity, and get back some of my motivation!
But If you are not in the mood for a Tuesday morning ranty type post then please skip to the last two paragraphs where the mood lifts, I can completely understand :)

After my fabulous holiday (post on that to follow) I was brought back down to earth with a bump once I was greeted with two new housemates, who had moved in while I was away. 
Don't make me mad...
I rent a room in a shared house, and I have for about 6 years and for the most part it has been an interesting and enjoyable time. I have lived with some truly fabulous people such as the wonderfully fiery Carlota, an Italian Buddhist (interesting combo) who taught me how to brew and drink proper coffee, also Marzena and Thomas a Polish couple who were just the most friendly and truly generous people I have ever met, and there have been many other fascinating people from far and wide who I have learnt many new things from.  I will add at times I have also shared the house with a few kitchen knife-wielding crazies, who have made me want to sleep with one eye open, and my door securely locked, but all in all my time there has been enjoyable and above all the rent is cheap!

But these new additions to our household have just pushed me to the edge of reason, they are both bright young women who seem to have no personal or communal hygiene standards at all, no matter how often you politely ask them to have a bit of respect for the others in the house. Honestly, the tales I could tell you would turn your stomach and are certainly not fit for description here, and these are the kind of well spoken, well educated, young women who you would see on the street and think they looked classy!

This has lead me to try and find somewhere new to live which in turn means I have now had the misfortune of coming across "The Letting Agent".  Now I am sure there are hundreds nay thousands of wonderful courteous and friendly letting agents out there, who are ready to help, the problem is ones that I have met so far, have been rude, smarmy and just plain stress inducing.

They laugh at you when you ask to see a rental property at a certain time as they know due to the high demand it is going to have gone to someone who is available at 10 am on Monday morning, not after work on a Weds. They never call you back, or they leave property's on the search engines months after it has already been let, just so that you waste your time working out if you could live in said flat, in said location, to ring up only to find that "oh it sorry it went last Monday, we have this one though but it's ££ more than the one advertised".

After four weeks of looking, I have still not even managed to get a single viewing!!!! Argh!!

Deep breath...ok ok...I am calm now... I know that in the grand scheme of things this is a minor blip on the radar of life, and soon it will all be forgotten, but boy I can empathise now when people say moving/buying a house is one of the most stressful things you may have to do in life. It's just horrid.

You will be glad to know I have (other than sulking and kicking things:)) been reading all your wonderful bloggy goings on, though I haven't been commenting much (something I will remedy very soon!). I will say you guys have given me a much needed 'Technicolor Happy Place' to retreat to when I have wanted to scream and have toddler style tantrum :)

So let me end this post on a high and onto something much more fun. I am currently sorting out a little giveaway as a big thank you to all of you for sticking around and following me and getting me to 160 followers! Gosh, I honestly can't believe it, I never imagined that would ever happen! So thank you all, you're all totally Brilliant! x


Wendy x

Sunday 18 September 2011

The Modern Girls Beauty Book - Sculpt Your Way to Beauty

Hi, guys! or should that be Salut les gars! (yes, I went to France!) I hope you are all having wonderful weekends! I'm back from my lovely relaxing holiday and thought that while I spend my weekend putting away all my holiday stuff, sort through all my photos and battling with the slowly decreasing pile of washing and rapidly increasing pile of ironing, It would only be fair to pop by to give you the next chapter of 'The Modern Girls Beauty Book'.

So I hope you Gal's are ready for the next instalment from our acerbic-tongued 30's Beauty expert Miss Cross.  Today's Chapter is all about making and using face masks and facial massage...


 
The Modern Girls Beauty Book
 By Beryl M Cross (1938)
CHAPTER II
SCULPT YOUR WAY TO BEAUTY
FACIAL MASKS
            A facial mask is an excellent thing for smoothing away lines. Clearing the skin, and tightening up the contours of the face. It depends on the state of your skin what kind of mask you should use, and how often you should use one.
            If you are in the early twenties, then, expect for a mask once every few months when your skin looks as if it needs it, you should need only an occasional dabbing with milk. Dab iced milk on the face; leave to dry – keeping face still while the milk is on – and you will find that it has a very faint tightening effect. After five or ten minutes this can be rinsed off with lukewarm water, to which a few drops of toilet Benzoin or a little toilet oatmeal has been added.
            There are some excellent masks, quite reasonably priced on the market, that the girl in her late twenties and over may use.
            No mask, however, can better an egg mask.
This really means making yourself into as good an imitation of an omelet as you can.

EGG MASK
            Separate the white and the yolk of an egg, and beat them very little, the white somewhat more than the yolk.
  • Now clean your face and then apply a face flannel rung out in quite warm water to the face. 
  • Apply white of egg all over the face, paying special attention to the lines around the eyes; when this is dry apply another coating, and when this has dried then a coating of yolk. 
  • Leave this on for about 20 minutes and then rinse off with lukewarm water. 
  • Lightly dab over your face with your cleansing milk and make up as usual. 
  • You will find that your skin has a delightfully fine texture. 
  • An egg mask every week, if you are in your late twenties and over, will keep your skin lovely. For those in the middle twenties, just the white, very slightly whipped and one coating applied, should be sufficient.  
  • Of course skins do vary, and you may find a woman of thirty-five with a very firm contour and a girl of twenty-eight who needs more attention. But that can be left to your own discretion.
Another light mask that can be used with effect is fuller’s earth and milk, or fine oatmeal mixed in to a paste with milk.

HONEY MASK
            Then there is the honey mask, which, as honey is the one thing that does not age, is supposed to impart some of its ageless qualities to the skin. The honey is just spread on perfectly clean skin, left for twenty minutes or so, and rinsed off with lukewarm water, to which a little toilet oatmeal has been added. But be very careful that you bind your hair well away from your face, for this is a sticky job!
Image Source : Time Life

HOW TO GIVE YOURSELF A FACIAL
            A facial once a week is the ideal, and that should not be difficult to manage. For the business girl, of course, Sunday is the ideal day, because you have more time to relax. In any case, if you really feel that once a week cannot be managed, take one evening every ten days, or two weeks.
  • First of all, put all the things you are going to need on a small table, on the dressing-table, or on a shelf in the bathroom.
  • Make yourself comfortable in a dressing-gown that you can keep right away from the neck. 
  • Tie back your hair with a ribbon, or headband, or fold a handkerchief corner wise, and fasten round your head and pin at the back of the neck. 
Image Source : Time Life
  • Cleanse your face thoroughly with cream, milk, or soap and water, according to your skin type.  
  • Now press on a face flannel wrung out in warm water. Spread skin food over your face, and over the palms of your hands. Let it remain a moment or two, and then massage your face with firm sculpturing movements as given farther on in to this chapter. 
  • When you have done this, wipe off the cream with facial tissues, keeping your movements upwards. 
  • Now cut a strip of butter muslin, about six inches wide, fold it, and putting it under your chin, tie it on top of you head as tightly as you can bear it. 
  • Cut another Handkerchief of butter muslin, and after cutting holes for eyes, lay it over your face. 
  • Get a scent spray bottle filled with skin tonic over the butter muslin. Put down the scent bottle within your reach, and press the damp butter muslin to your face.
  • When dry, sprinkle on some more skin tonic, again press to your face, and rest about five minutes, or of course, longer if you feel inclined. 
  • Remember, it is hardly necessary to warn you, to keep your eyes closed while you apply the skin tonic, or it will sting.
That is a good facial. If you want to make it a facial de luxe, slap your face with cotton wool soaked in milk and rinse off, before applying the butter muslin and skin tonic. Give yourself a gentle patting over the lines with a patter, and put, and put swabs of cotton wool soaked in eye lotion over your eyes while you are lying down.
After this, get up, remove the butter muslin. Leave any skin tonic on the skin to dry naturally, and then make up.

SCULPT YOUR WAY TO BEAUTY
A few words on the important subject of massage. Lovely ladies have no lines, Nor have they drooping tired skins, which are caused more often than you may realize by destructive emotions… a downward droop of the mouth, a discontented look in the eyes.
It’s all very well to talk of people having “laughter-lines,” but actually this very rarely happens. Laughter and vivacity exercise the facial muscles, and the lift of the face is upwards, therefore laughing people usual have much younger looking faces than those folk whose faces are still and disagreeable.
Now when you massage yourself, you have got to know what you want to do with your face. You must imagine that you are smoothing away the lines and lifting the tired look. A little imagination in beauty care helps you to set a goal and to achieve it. You are out to “sculpt” your face the way you want it to go. Therefore you pass the hands with an upward movement, because the line must be upward, and take the fingers mostly across lines, to smooth them away. Here are the movements –
1. Start with the first two fingers of either hand at each side of the nose and gently pass these back up to the ears with an upward movement towards the temples, the thumbs following under the jaw-line. Do this ten times.
2. Put the first and second fingers of your right hand at the left side of your chin, and with the first two fingers of your left hand, describe a circular movement over any nose-to-mouth line there may be. Repeat with changing hands.
3. Put the first two fingers of your left hand on the right cheek just under the eye, to keep the skin firm, and draw the first two fingers of your right hand across the lines, from under the middle of the eye towards the temples. Repeat with the other hand under the left eye.
4. Put all four fingers of each hand so that they meet in the middle of your forehead. Then hold the skin firm with one hand, while you draw the fingers of the other back to the temple. Repeat ten times then change hands, holding the other side firm, while you move the other hand.
5. Smear the backs of your hands with skin food and draw first the back of one hand from underneath the chin along to the back of the ear, each time you change hands, giving a little firm smack under the chin with the back of the hand.
6. Give little gentle pinches round the mouth, very carefully along the top of the cheeks under the eyes, and along the jaw-line to behind the ears. Fill your cheeks with air, and massage in a rotary movement from just below the mouth to just above it.
This, the corners of the mouth, is one of the places where you will most need your patter, as patting “plumps out” the cheeks and gets rid of nose-to-mouth lines. Just pat on and across these lines when you have removed your skin food.
This is a simple routine that anyone can follow.


The products you will need on your dressing table:

Butter Muslin:  Find it here, essentially a loose weave fabric like medical gauze.

Fuller’s Earth: My first reaction to reading this was 'what! you want me to put cat litter on my face!!!' But after doing a bit of Goggling, I found out that it has many other uses other than lining kitties litter tray. It can be bought as a cream or as a powder and seems to be just the ticket for many a skin complaint, due to its deep cleansing properties. Another face mask recipe I found whilst researching is to mix two tablespoons of Fuller's earth with and one egg white and apply as a mask every day to rid your face of Acne!

Toilet Oatmeal: Essentially this is oatmeal (who would have guessed:) ) which was chopped into smaller pieces than the breakfast verity, So I guess whacking some in the food processor/blender would do the trick! 

(Now if you google Toilet Oatmeal, and I realise there is no reason why you should! You will find nothing relating to a beauty product, but some very strange things on youtube...there is a whole channel for flushing food down the toilet?? Just bizarre!!)


Wendy x

Wednesday 31 August 2011

Things To Make and Do - Union Jack Tea Cosy

As I mentioned in my last post I have recently forced myself to sit down and write a list of all the sewing and knitting projects I have currently on the go (or should I say on the floor, in a box in the corner, not be looked at until utter boredom sets in) and quite frankly it is worrying just how many UFOs there are, especially as most of the things I started were intended to be for my (two years in the saving and planning) summer holiday, which starts at the end of the week...no pressure then!


Union Jack Tea Cosy
(UFO & Stash Buster)


First to be ticked off the list was this fabulous knitting pattern for a very patriotic Union Jack Tea Cosy by the lovely Anna from Audrey's Tea Shop. I knew the moment I saw it that I would have make one as it is not only very patriotic but it is also in my favourite colour combination red white and blue!


Meet the cosiest teapot in the country!


It is a very simple and surprisingly quick pattern to do (though I have to confess to only doing the fair isle flag on one side, as I didn't have enough blue wool) and is the first time I have attempted to do Fair Isle in garter stitch, which proved a little tricky at first as I kept forgetting to bring each yarn through to the back before starting on the next colour, but after a few rows I was all sorted and knitting up a storm (in a teapot! does that even work?!)


My first  pom pom since childhood, I used to make tonnes of them if you ever had a gift from me as a kid there would have been a pom pom on it!
I did need to scale the pattern a bit down to fit my petite pot (2 cuppas rather than a 4), but found after doing a bit of maths (eek!) and test swatch, that if I knitted it on smaller needles and used 4 ply wool instead of DK then I could follow the pattern to the letter, with no complicated pattern reworking to contend with, which made me very smug indeed!

So there you have it my very first tick on the mighty UFO list...Now I just need to put the kettle on and test this cosy out...Fancy a brew?

Wendy x

Tuesday 30 August 2011

Bomshell Dress Sew-a-long!

Thank you all for your lovely comments on my last post I really do appreciate each and every one!

I'm excited, I've just signed up to do Gertie's Bombshell Sew-a-long on Craftsy after reading about it on Miss Katie's blog. I had been pondering signing up for a while, I was worried that it may just be another thing I leave half finished when something goes a bit wrong or that would never be able to keep up with the pace of the other sewers, which has been my main reason for never being brave enough to take on any other Sew or Knit-a-longs, but after reading all about it on Gertie's Blog and on Craftsy
I was convinced!

Here the sites blurb...
"Sometimes a girl needs a wee bit of va-va-voom. Gretchen Hirsch - creator of Gertie's Blog for Better Sewing - gives you the skills you need to create gorgeous dresses that fit like they're painted on, yet let you dance all night. You'll learn how to assemble and customize the included BurdaStyle dress pattern, create a muslin to check fit, and construct a highly tailored garment using some very cool techniques. In 15 high-definition video lessons, you'll learn how to make a moulded bodice with underlining, boning, bust padding, a waist stay and convertible straps. The draped sarong skirt makes a beautiful contrast.
In luxurious shantung, this bustier dress exudes midcentury sophistication. Gertie says, "Think Alfred Shaheen. Think Dorothy Lamour." Make it in a tribal print for a sexy tiki vibe, butter-yellow eyelet for that Audrey Hepburn ingénue-at-a-picnic look, or ivory silk (with a fetching hat) for your wedding day. Come join the fashion fun and sign up for Sew Retro: Perfect Bombshell Dresses today"
If you fancy giving it a go It is currently on sale for $29.99 which is about £20 down from $59, for that you get all of the above and also personalised help via the on-line community and from Gertie herself who is ready to answer your questions no matter how big or small!

The clincher for me was the promise to teach you how to make a dress that fits properly, by showing you how to make a muslin and then how to modify it for a great fit. Making a muslin is something I very rarely do (OK I've done it once) as I have no idea how to actually tweak it to make it better, so this will be invaluable!

I'm really looking forward to getting started on it, though I have promised myself I will finish all my other outstanding sewing UFOs (written a list of them all... ugh, it's worrying how many there is!) before starting which may take a while, but as access to the course doesn't expire should give me plenty of time!

Wendy x

Wednesday 17 August 2011

Fabulous Film Fashions - Glorious 39

The last bank holiday weekend in May (yes it's taken me since May to get this sucker posted!) I had the chance to do a bit of DVD watching and finally got around to watching one of my Christmas gifts Glorious 39.
Fabulous Film Fashions  Glorious 39
In Glorious 39, acclaimed Writer/ Director Stephen Poliakoff has crafted a tense psychological thriller set against the idyllic British countryside during the glorious summer of 1939, just before the outbreak of the Second World War.  Anne, a budding young actress, stumbles across secret recordings of a sinister plot to appease the Nazis. As close friends die in suspicious circumstances, she finds herself swept into a web of dark secrets and in increasing danger from a powerful and menacing enemy. With her most precious certainties destroyed and unable to trust even those closest to her, she comes to realise the full extent of her own betrayal and vulnerability.

Glorious 39 is definitely a gorgeously opulent looking film, every shot is dripping with period detail and beautiful to watch. It is well acted by a stellar cast (including the wondrous David Tennant although a very short appearance:() and has a plot which quickly sweeps you along.

I did really enjoyed this film and would certainly recommend giving it a watch, the only downside for me was that it left me feeling a bit confused, I just didn't understand the relevance for certain plot devices and scenes.

  • Why is the main character Anne's nickname Glorious? Is this relevant?
  • Why does Anne's mother only ever seem to be arranging flowers or gardening?
  • Why is there lots of young women asleep on the Country house floor in one scene?
Perhaps I'm not supposed to understand it, perhaps that's the beauty of it, perhaps I'm thinking too much about it! But if anyone could explain any of this to me, it would be greatly appreciated!
 

So anyway on to the part I can understand, the clothes, and on this front, Glorious 39 certainly does not disappoint, they are just wonderful! Here are some (well all) of my favourites!


 ---Warning screenshot heavy post. Click all pictures to make bigger---

So firstly we have Anne Keyes Played by Romola Garai.
I love the way the costume department have given Anne capsule wardrobe where they re-use key pieces through the film for me it gives her a much more realistic feel.
Glorious 39 Fashions Anne wears A Beautiful Burgundy Suit with calf length skirt and Pussy Bow Blouse
A Beautiful Burgundy Suit with calf length skirt and Pussy Bow Blouse
Glorious 39 Fashions Anne wears A very slinky red satin evening dress with deep V back
Glorious 39 Fashions Anne wears A very slinky red satin evening dress with deep V back
A very slinky red satin evening dress with deep V back, you really have to see this in the film to see just how lovely it is as these shots just don't do it justice. {Top Row Images Source}
Glorious 39 fashions - Anne wears A blue suit jacket teamed this time with a black and white polka dot tea dress,
A blue suit jacket teamed this time with a black and white polka dot tea dress, blue gloves and shoes and look at that fab snood!!!
Glorious 39 Fashions Blue suit, Paired with red beret, gloves and belt, and a stripy red and beige knitted Jumper.
Blue suit again this time Paired with a red beret, gloves and belt, and a stripy red and beige knitted Jumper.
Glorious 39 Fashions - Anne wears A simple blue and black striped jumper paired with cream skirt and cream beret
Very Chic! I love how all of Anne's outfits reflect the tones of the shot, A simple blue and black striped jumper paired with a cream skirt and cream beret.
Glorious 39 Fashions - Simple tea dress in yellow chiffon, floaty chiffon sleeves with side slits
Simple tea dress in the most fabulous shade of yellow looks like chiffon layer over a cotton one, has lovely floaty chiffon sleeves with side slits.
Glorious 39 Fashions - Red suit again this time paired with a wonderful blue beret
Red suit again, this time, paired with a wonderful blue beret adorned with what looks like a silver feather?
Glorious 39 Fashion - chiffon tie neck blouse with a calf length linen skirt.
Lovely chiffon tie neck blouse with a calf length linen skirt which brings out the greens in the blouse.
Glorious 39 Fashions - Anne - Cream linen skirt used above a knitted jumper in white and blue
Cream linen skirt used above and what appears to be a knitted jumper in white and blue.
Glorious 39 Fashions - Embroidered dressing gown
How amazing is this dressing gown with all of its embroidery !! Oh, and look she sleeping in pin curls! I can't tell you how irritated I get watching dramas when they appear to go to bed un-pinned tresses and the next day they have miraculously curly hair!!
Glorious 39 Fashion - Anne - Red polka dot tea dress with a detachable sailor colla
Red polka dot tea dress with a detachable sailor collar her beau looks pretty dapper too!
Glorious 39 Fashion - Anne - Gold Lame Bolero and purple floor length gown
Wow, what an outfit! Loads of lame in this bolero and amazing ruched sleeves! Very simple but very elegant long blue/purple dress flecked with gold thread.
Glorious 39 Fashion - Anne - Burgundy Skirt with grey jacket and red beret
Same burgundy skirt from above suit, black pussy bow blouse, with a grey jacket and another outing for the delicious cherry red beret. I definitely need to buy a red beret!
Glorious 39 Fashions - cream top with interesting neck detail, simple pair of grey slacks
Jacket as above, worn over a simple cream top with interesting neck detail, simple pair of grey slacks and some wonderful brown and cream wedges.
Celia Keyes played by Juno Temple
Celia's wardrobe is full of, lots of cardigans in bright contrasting colours and ditsy prints and some very flamboyant evening dresses, her style is much more quirky and inevitably much younger looking than her sisters!
Glorious 39 Fashions - Celia - Long white evening dress and head piece
This very debutante long white evening dress and headpiece are just lovely.
Glorious 39 Fashions - Celia - Flower border cardigan with floral tea dress and stripy beret
Love this outfit it shouldn't work but with all the colours and patterns but it does, especially love the knitwear, the beret and cardigan are beautiful!
Bit heavy on the makeup! The headpiece is just gorgeous! Just love the colour of this dress.
Glorious 39 Fashions- Celia - lame collar on a long green velvet dress with elbow length puff sleeves and front button detail to waist
This is a very cute outfit, a lame collar on a long green velvet dress with elbow length puff sleeves and front button detail to waist.
Aunt Elizabeth played by Julie Christie
Julie Christie who is almost unrecognisable here has some wonderful outfits though very little screen time to show them off!

So there you are all my favourites, and as usual, I would happily put all of the above gorgeousness in my wardrobe. I'm off now to find some modern patterns to try to recreate some of these wonderful outfits, and also do a bit of TV catch up on the latest episode of The Hour - which is just fabulous if you haven't seen you must, the series so far is still available on iplayer so catch it while you can!

Wendy x