Thrifted Threads, literally

On a recent thrift store round, I found some DMC perle cottons and rayon stranded thread, priced very affordably. I have a lot of regular cotton 6 stranded threads but I haven't actually seen DMC rayon thread before. So of course I bought as much as I could. It's so shiny! 

I'm looking forward to experimenting a bit and seeing how I like working with it. Maybe I will even use it on my next project, one I've designed for myself. Here's a sneak peek. 

I first designed the colour version in Canva, then made a line drawing from it that I will use for the pattern. The original can serve as colour inspiration. I'm planning on doing a lot of sampler style filling stitches according to whim, as I go. Once I start on it I will also start sharing my progress! Can't wait to show it to you :) 

Thrifting Day!

It was just a long weekend here in Canada - we have a Victoria Day weekend, apparently we are the only country to still celebrate Victoria's birthday, not even the UK does! I guess we just like a holiday ;) 

In any case, not only did I get to do a bit of sewing room cleanup, and cut out a blouse over the weekend, I also did a bit of thrifting -- of course! I did my regular rounds and at my favourite shop (the one with the big craft section) I was able to find 3 beautiful solids. The pinkier red on the left and the blue are both a cotton/linen blend, I think, maybe some rayon? They are heavy and soft. The orangey red on the right is a stiffer linen, we'll see how it looks after I wash it. It may be a bit too orange toned for me, I'll decide later. I don't tend to buy solids but lately have come across a bunch all in my wardrobe tones at thrift stores so now I have a good stash of non-poly solids.

At another store I was fortunate enough to find a few of my favourite things -- patterns! One from the 90s and the two "Non-Stop Wardrobe" McCalls from the early 2000s. I love wardrobe patterns. Have one or two of those and you could sew up an entire capsule wardrobe. I actually feel like taking on a challenge to sew up every piece in a wardrobe pattern -- as long as the size range crosses both my upper and lower body sizes ;) I'm usually right at the break. But these are fun and I've already enjoyed just looking over each one.

Then I stopped in at Fabricland for a couple of basic notions, and went through the pattern discard rack. I ended up with a random Butterick Katherine Tilton top, and two Vogues that have been on my wishlist for a long time. Now I just need an occasion to sew up the Tom and Linda Platt dress for! 

My plan to sew down my stash this year is being thwarted by the amazing thrift fabrics I've been finding. But I am sure it will all balance itself out in the end. And I have some fabulous fabrics to draw from now. 

Embroidered Simplicity 3684

I finally did it -- made my very own Vyshyvanka! A vyshyvanka is a Ukrainian embroidered blouse, but mine is not traditional. I found this lovely soft yellow cotton at the thrift store recently, and decided to use it to make Simplicity 3684. I chose View C as the one with the most "vyshyvanka" feel to the sleeve and I also liked the simple collar band.

I did all my regular adjustments to this blouse pattern - shortened above the waist by 1/2", shortened the sleeve (in this case I shortened both top and bottom parts of the sleeve by 1" each) and graded from 14 at neck to 16 at bust and 18 at hip. This usually does the trick for me. I do find the shoulders a bit wide, so may take those in at the shoulder seam a bit, would definitely remove some width if I make this again. And the fit is quite close, check those finished measurements before you choose your size. 

It went together quite smoothly. The sleeve/cuff used a continuous lap, which I am used to from Burda patterns, but I do have to stop and think hard about it every single time! I found that the most difficult part of the whole thing, the construction was pretty straightforward otherwise. And as it turns out, I don't have to unbutton the cuffs to slip this on, so it was unnecessary anyhow! There were also two fisheye darts on the back, but when I tried it on I didn't like the way the blouse sat with those darts, so unpicked them and pressed them out again. This fabric is pretty forgiving.

As for the embroidery: 

I tested out various stitches and thread weights on my scraps, to see what I liked best. This cotton is lightweight and translucent so I was concerned about shadowing from the threads on the back. I found a simple motif that didn't require heavy stitching, again because this fabric doesn't have the weight to support lots of stitching. 

I ended up using the rhomb pattern, which can symbolize nature's rebirth, abundance, fertility, etc. From what I could find, this is often used in men's traditional designs, but I thought it would work nicely in my modern, non-traditional project. I used single, small motifs on the cuffs, button placket and collar, but created larger double rhombs for the sleeve decoration. All of these except for the sleeve are interfaced, so the stitching is supported well. I will keep my eye on the sleeve and see how it holds up. 

I chose three threads from my stash - all DMC. White, light blue (827) and a darker blue (996). I used three strands of each and the motifs were all done with buttonhole stitch and a few straight stitches, while the white was all straight stitch. I considered french knots but when I was testing I realized they would be too fragile for regular wearing. Using buttonhole stitch means there isn't much thread on the back, either, which is perfect. The stitching, after the testing and tracing, took me about 4-5 hours to complete. Not too bad, but these are simple motifs so it wasn't as lengthy. I don't know how to cross-stitch so went very basic here, also I know I am a slow stitcher so didn't want something really complicated for a first try. 

Buttons were a lucky match. I searched through a big box of shirt buttons that my sister gave me a few years ago, and found the perfect size and muted colour for this project. I wanted buttons that would blend in and not distract from the stitching. I think these worked really well. 

Well, after much dithering, I finally went ahead with a first simple Vyshyvanka project. I have a handful of other blouse patterns to try out and see if I like them for this purpose, but I had to start somewhere! This Simplicity pattern, which I put on my 2025 MakeNine list, was the one to begin with. Now that's 2 Make Nine projects completed for the year :) 

A Visit to the Thrift Stores!

This weekend was a relaxing one, but of course I had to spend some of it thrifting! We went to our favourite thrift, but also travelled a bit further to a few others in a nearby town. I ended up finding a bunch of fun things. 

I found some fabric - while I'm trying to reduce my fabric intake, I couldn't resist these. All in my colours and all on the 75% off tag sale. So 7 metres came home with me. 

Magenta: textured synthetic -- Rayon floral
Green linen blend

At another shop, I scored with some great 80s patterns. All from someone named Eileen (her name was written on the front of many of them). I ended up choosing 10 patterns from Eileen's stash, 9 of which are uncut. The ones she didn't get to, I will now try to make in her honour. We were obviously the same size and with the same tastes - thanks Eileen! 

And I finished off my discoveries with these two books by Jennie Rayment. I have her first book, Tucks, Textures & Pleats, which I enjoyed, and have been looking for book two for ages. I found it today, but also found book three, which I didn't even know existed. She is quite hilarious and eccentric, but her books also have some great ideas for fabric manipulation in them. I'm enjoying skimming through them already. 

I didn't do much sewing this weekend, unfortunately - it was in my plans but I only got to about half of what I wanted to do. This thrifting trip wasn't really planned but it was a fun sewing-related outing so I'm calling it even :) 

Thrift Store Scores

As regular readers here might already know, I love thrifting. I have always enjoyed it - but it's not just that I am cheap, I also love keeping fabrics, patterns and notions in use, so they don't end up wasted in landfill somewhere. 

I haven't been doing as much thrifting over the last while, partly because the weather for the first couple of months of this year was so dreadful I wasn't going anywhere - and partly because I am trying to sew from stash first. 

But I did end up doing some shopping this month! These are the fabric treasures I've found recently. Some black broadcloth right at the bottom (always useful), some silky  linings that I adore, a synthetic checkerboard print, some yellow cotton, a pillowcase with an interesting print, and a couple of fat quarters of quilting cotton. It's a wide variety and we'll see if I use any of it up soon. I enjoy finding interesting options while thrifting, especially odd prints that are more unusual. 

I also picked up a couple of older patterns, one of my favourite things to collect. I am particularly drawn to the white blouse in the Butterick pattern. Lots of interesting details in both though! I always seem to gather more than I can reasonably use but it is awfully entertaining 😀 

Thrifted Tools For Stitching

As many of my readers know, I love thrifting. I really love searching for sewing supplies and tools, and have found some interesting bits and bobs lately! I thought I would share some of the tools that are new to me from my recent shopping. 

First off I found this classic Bodkin - I've been wanting one so was happy to find this in its vintage packaging, all ready for me. 

Next, I discovered a retro needle threader. They sure loved reds and oranges with this retro packaging. This little desktop needle threader and cutter is simple - stick a needle in, press down lightly and you're set. It is all plastic, and they warn you in the instructions not to use undue force on the button ;)

I haven't used it yet but am planning on putting it into rotation shortly.

I had to pick up this unusual quilting thimble. It's a heavy-ish piece of steel with a dimpled end to push needles with. So if you don't like wearing a thimble, this one might be just the thing - you just pick it up whenever you need to push through your needle. 

And finally, I picked up two Clover plastic templates for shaped yo-yos. I wouldn't have purchased these new, but there they were for $1.50, so worth a try! The first one is for heart shaped yo-yos, and the second is for larger flower shapes. They both have a sheet of instructions included, which is good because a plastic template with little holes to stitch through confused me greatly - how does it not get stitched to the template? 😄Anyhow, the illustrated instructions really helped. I can't wait to try these out, they look quite fun. I'm not sure what I'll embellish but I'll find something. 

Do you like thrifting? Have you ever found something fabulous to add to your sewing notions?

Weekend Review: DIY Thrift Flip

 

DIY Thrift Flip / April Yang
Beverly, MA: Quarry Books, c2024.
152 p.

Another fashion choice with a DIY aesthetic for today's review! I found this via my library and was intrigued by it. April Yang is a popular upcyling Youtuber and IG sewing celeb known as Coolirpa. She shares ways to upcycle/refashion things you might find at the thrift store, and has 2.2 million followers interested in this on Youtube. So it makes sense that she's now putting out a book as well. 

This book is full of ideas on how to remake thrift store finds, but I didn't find all of them equally successful. Of course, Coolirpa is young and quite thin, so she can get a new outfit from something purchased secondhand, fairly easily. 

The book is organized well and is aimed at beginners, not longtime sewists. There's an intro all about her and why she got into thrift flips, then three sections: Getting Started, Shopping & Altering Basics, and then a few Thrift Flip Projects as examples and inspo. 

This delivers on what it promises. Getting Started really is an overview of both the basic supplies and basic skills you'll need to get started in upcycling. She goes over things assuming that the reader knows next to nothing - so explains basic stitches, terminology and even fabric types (even as basic as woven vs. knit). This would be really helpful to someone totally new to sewing in this context. 

The next section goes over her top tips for shopping secondhand whether in traditional thrift shops or other venues, or even online, and how to tell what can and can't be fixed. She goes over the best way to seam rip, to add sleeves or pockets and basic tailoring. She also talks about using sewing patterns to help you alter or reuse clothing, as well as tracing off a pattern from existing clothing. It's quite comprehensive but again accessible to someone new to this craft. 

And in the final section there are a number of projects by a number of different sewists of other sizes and shapes as well as her own projects. From embroidering on to sweaters with bulky yarn to cutting slits in a knit dress for decorative purposes to upcycling a pair of leggings into a short/sport bra workout set, there are varied ideas. She shows how to cover unwanted logos, or add embellishments to make a dress look totally different, or make a loose cardigan style jacket out of an oversized t-shirt. She uses pillow shams and curtains to make quick tops, or even a corset style top. I thought the variety of examples was a good feature, showing different styles of remakes on different people. 

While this book isn't exactly for me, I did like the approach and the casual tone of it. It's not intimidating, but also not so simple that the projects look cheap or unfinished. She gives a lot of info but it's all useful and at the beginner/adventurous beginner level. I think if someone was new to upcycling this would be a great starting place. 

More Patterns, Thrifting and Travel!

One more thing I like to do when I travel is to check out local thrift stores, of course! Luckily for me, my sister & Mom are also thrifters and we had a fun day checking out a list of shops when I was visiting them. We found a few books, some nice clothes & fantastic shoes, and of course I went straight to the craft/sewing area in each shop to see what was available. 

I had to be judicious as I didn't have much room to carry things home with me, but I did find some wonderful patterns at a great price in one shop. I ended up with a handful of more contemporary patterns, two of which (McCalls 5668 & Simplicity 2852) I've been looking for for a while!

I also found a few from the 80s/early 90s, my favourite kind ;) The two on the right are both culotte patterns, with a jacket in the Burda one as well. My fave of this set is the "Super Combination" Burda, 4709. I love the green tunic and plan on making that for my fall wardrobe. If you look at the line drawings, this pattern even includes stirrup pants! Shades of high school...somehow I don't think I'll be going there ;) 

I had a lot of fun shopping for these, and I think I'll enjoy sewing some of them up, hopefully within the year. Even if I don't, I always enjoy looking at the details in all my patterns and coming up with new ideas!

Hot Pink Burda Blouse

I had a lovely holiday, lots of reading, sewing, eating and visiting. And now I'm back with my first post of 2024! I thought I would share the blouse that I finished just before the end of the year, so that I can share my roundup of favourites of 2023 later this week -- this blouse will be a part of that :)

I thrifted some hot pink cotton (maybe a linen blend?) at my local thrift in 2022, and had been intending to use it for a blouse all year. I hadn't gotten around to it, though, until PatternReview's December Fitted Blouse contest rolled around. I thought it was the perfect time to finally make it! (and you can go on over to PR if you're a member and vote for me there now, until the 10th,  if you are so inclined!) 

I cut it out in early December but got distracted by Christmas sewing, so really got to sewing it up after Christmas Day. I used a pattern I've made before, Burda 105 from the April 2018 issue. I liked my first one and thought that the unusual darts and design of the blouse would show nicely in this solid fabric.

Of course, in the solid I had to be a lot more careful to have everything lined up so that the dart ends and waist seam would be even across the middle. That was the only really fiddly part. 

Sewing with solids is not my usual habit, so I had to add some print in! I used the scraps from my summer Barbiecore dress for the inner yoke and collar band; it was the perfect pink match. I was going to use some high contrast black buttons, but I discovered an amazing match in my stash. I had purchased some half-pink buttons of the right size in the bargain bin at Fabricland a month or two ago. I really needed another card to have enough and thought it was pretty unlikely to find any more in the random sale bin so much later. But I headed down to the the store to check, and like magic, found two more cards after sifting through the bin a while. It was meant to be! 

This one isn't very difficult, but it does take some time. Lots of little bits to get right. I really like the darts in the front, but also the narrow yoke in the back which adds shaping and some width to the back as well. I also really like the two piece sleeve, with the lower section more gathered. I didn't adjust the body very much but I had to take 3" off the sleeve length, split between the two sections. 

There is quite a bit of topstitching, on the collar, cuffs and button band, so I was glad to have my quarter inch foot to keep my stitching straight. I edgestitched all those areas, preferring a narrower line than a 1/4" topstitch. The foot really makes it so much easier.

I love how the colour of this really jumps out at you in natural light. The shape is great, the fit is very nice, and I just love the whole thing. It's the bright pink blouse of my dreams! 

I'll be sharing some of my other 2023 favourites shortly, and some more New Year kind of thoughts as well. Hope your holidays were restful and that you are ready to face 2024.