Lingerie Straps

Need some help keeping your bra or slip shoulder straps in place? How about some lingerie straps? This month's tutorial is, you guessed it, lingerie straps! When I have a neckline that is a bit wider or unusual, I will add these to the inside of my garment to keep my bra and slip straps in place. These small but mighty straps keep your underpinnings out of view in your neckline area and can also stop them from slipping over your shoulder. What is great about these little bits is that you can make them from your garments scraps or other bits of fabric. All the supplies you really need aside from the fabric are two snaps and thread . . .
To start, I cut 2 strips of my fabric about 3 inches long and about an inch wide

 Next I folded my long raw edges inwards to the middle and stitched the edges together to make a narrow strap.

Then, I took one end and folded it over and over again to encase the raw edge and then stitched a snap to it.

With my strap finished, I then stitched it to the shoulder of my dress, where to place it exactly is all up to you. Make sure your stitches are snug and then your are all done. Do one for each shoulder.

These are so quick and easy to make! I find them often in my really good vintage dresses so this is a nice little element to add to even existing garments that lack them. Another option worth discussing are those straps made from thread but I think that may be another post/ tutorial for a different month.

Black & Tan

This original 40s suit in rayon has been a spring staple of mine for awhile but styling it has always been a bit difficult because of the buttons. The mostly black or dark grey buttons make me fell like I need to style with suit with black accessories for the best results which is a bummer because if the buttons matched the suit I feel I could pair it with so much  more. Although . . . I think the black against this tan is really chic.

For this look, I chose mostly original 40s pieces from the Corde bag, the fur jacket, leather gloves, and then a 40s style black shoe. The hat I think is more of a 50s piece but it does wear well with this suit doesn't it? For the jewelry I really wanted to wear my new pieces from Splendette and I think they wear not too bad with this suit and my yellow vintage bangle does pair well with my two new ones from Splendette. . ..Overall, I think a nice look for spring that could even work with fall as well.

So far I am still getting used to wearing bangles but I am finding them to be a fun new addition to my wardrobe. I think they add a nice vintage touch and they can be mixed and matched as much as I want. . .Kind of fun really. The two I got from Splendette actually match my necklace and they were a bit of a splurge on myself but I am glad I ordered them. Between the chunky jewelry and the hat I think this look gets a bit into the 50s vibe.

Of course, when I was styling this look I had another hat in mind and I just had to break that one out. This has is an original German piece and is a fur felt or so. Around the brim is a grosgrain ribbon.

The Shaving Mug Frock

I have been sitting on this cute light blue material dotted with shaving mugs for a long time. I found this material at an antique mall for a deal I could not refuse and scarfed it up as soon as I could. As you can see, or else saw on my Facebook page for The Ugly Dame, I chose a 50s full skirted frock to make this fabric into a wearable garment.

 I chose this pattern to use again because I loved the neckline and the sleeve and this is now my new favorite pattern . . .. This also shows that you do not have to have a lot of patterns at your disposal to make a wardrobe but instead a couple good ones will do. . . .Just choose new fabrics, notions, and be creative . . .

Choosing the buttons was the hardest part, I swear! I had three narrowed down from large to small to dark blue to light blue but I chose the small dark blue ones with the clear edges .I wanted a button that would look good as a whole with the dress and instead of buttons that would "pop".

This fabric was so light and easy to sew and I think this is going to make a great summer dress for the heat. This fabric is so light too that I had a few Marilyn Monroe moments when there was a good gust of wind too . .  . .But I think that just goes to show that this is going to be a great summer dress and I cannot wait to wear it more. For this wearing, I chose to pair it with red. My red bonnet decked with little white flowers, a red belt, shoes, and my Poppy red beads which were a self treat. Oh, and some little white posies that match the hat's flowers. . . and some bangles too.

I did have one hairy situation where I cut the skirt a hair too short but I think its still a good length and I did a small baby hem to save as much length as possible. . . Long story short I did shave it a bit close so I made a note on my circle skirt pattern to add lots of length. Tired of the hair puns here? O.k. I''ll stop but it is a shaving mug print dress after all.

The Second German Photo Album - Part 2, Outdoor Adventures

Welcome to the second part of my show and tell of the second German photo album in my collection. Now that we are getting warmer and warmer out side how about a look at the great outdoors? This family loved to be outside enjoying the countryside, roaming the mountains, and having family picnics. There were so many images in this category that there was a lot to see and to study. I think you will really enjoy these so enough of me . . . enjoy!