On Op shops and tank tops

I love op shopping (charity or thrift stores) and there's nothing I like better than a fabric bargain, so you can imagine the thrill I got the other day when I was in the op shop and the assistant said to me, "oh we've got a new lot of fabric out the back that I haven't had a chance to sort yet, would you like to have a look through?"

Would I like to have a look through? Pa ha ha haaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

I got seven marvellous pieces that cost me all of $9, but I felt a bit guilty and made a donation on top because buying them that cheap felt like one step removed from shop lifting.

And here's another funny op shop story for you. I had just finished going through the fabric box when a woman approached me and said, "I don't know what the etiquette of this is, but I read your blog." Way hey hey, my 15 seconds of fame. I milked it for all it was worth when I got home. "I'm too famous to do the dishes." And when my son pushed me out of the room so he could have his Dad all to himself I said, "mobbed by fans."

That's NZ for you though - it's really just one big village.

Now some of you are bound to find this very silly but the new pair of white trousers features underpants on the pockets. I got to thinking about how one reason people don't wear white jeans is the knicker show through - then I thought, why not make a feature of that and pretend like you can see my nanna knickers on the back. So I designed these full briefs with low cut legs and decorative elastic. No need to worry about visible panty line now. The great thing is that to a casual observer they'll just look like a series of decorative lines, but once you know what they are, that's all you can see.



One of my sisters was curious to know why I didn't go whole hog and put a thong or y fronts on, but that would cross the line from smirkery to mockery. Keep it smart, keep it subtle.

I also thought the whole white dirt thing is no big deal either. It's just like linen that never looks ironed, white never looks clean.
"oh gosh, look at all those marks, so dirty already" and that could be 5 days later. Truth be told they are filthy in 20 seconds flat. What's more white doesn't even stay white in the wash. If you think these look light blue, guess which idiot put them in with a non colourfast blue tee? That's right, that idiot was ME.

Next to blue, they still look white though, but Gail was right - that 2% elastane has taken these pants up a half size. I now have to wear them with a belt! Still, when I sit down, I am loving that extra room.

(top: Burda 07-2010-121, jeans Burda 7738).




I am working on the navy tank and in theory it should be an evening's work but it's taking forever. Sewing two jackets and two pairs of jeans in 3 weeks has knocked it out of me. So here I am struggling to the end of this outfit over a simple tank top.

Them's the breaks.

Happy belated Earth day

Ok, so now I'm a couple of days late with Earth day, but then, every day's an earth day, right? (Thinking of a couple of blog buddies posts as I say this, you know who you are.)

To celebrate, I wore a complete op shop (charity shop) outfit, lovingly and sometimes cussingly home sewn by yours truly using donated fabrics. It cost me a total of $10 for jacket, tunic and trousers (US friends, halve that). Talk about putting the thrift back into thrift shops (sadly wanting as of late). The bag was also made by me, with second hand handles and fabric scaps.

The jacket was made from an army blanket and was so altered by me I hardly want to reference it. Before it was a box: I removed bits from everywhere, but the lapel is unchanged. (Burda 8172).

Back view, with stripe going down centre back:




Blanky jacket, collar detail:



So here is my outfit. Shocking photo due to day-light savings and photographer getting home in the dark. So it's the old photo in the mirror trick. (I wish I could make my blurry bad light photos look cool like Iris)





Then I went up to my favourite second hand store, Salvage, on Mt Eden road which sells vintage fabric and buttons and purchased myself some jewels.



What on earth am I going to make with them? They look too beautiful to use.

The Nanna bag

While we were having a family day at Devonport on Sunday I passed an op shop selling a handbag made out of some very dated orange and brown curtain material. Now dated can be good and dated can be bad. It was marked down from an exorbitant-over-the-top price to half still-a-rip-off-price. But it was the handles my friends the handles. Genuine cane. Could not resist. Had visions of aluminium framed conservatories, smoked glass, bamboo furniture, chintz squabs and pillows with large ruffles. And here is : the Nanna bag. Now isn't that "good" dated?