Thrift Store Find: Butterick 4808 - Late 1970's Dorothy Hamill Tops

This is another pattern I found at a thrift store recently and would have purchased it had it been in my size.  

I sort of wished I had bought it as I liked the pleated sleeve detail I have on a garment before.  I might have been able to adapt that to use on another pattern, but I am trying not to drag home anything I will not actually use.

Those under the age of 30 may only know her from her brief stint on Dancing With The Stars in 2013, but Dorothy Hamill was a 1976 Olympic figure skater and this was one of her endorsement deals after that win.  She was captivating to watch on the ice.

In the above picture, she is wearing her signature hair cut that many a gal copied as it was flattering if you have a nicely-shaped head, long neck and pretty features (which left me out of getting this cut) and easy to care for.

Hong Kong Seam Finish

 Photo:   Sew-Easy

Most of the time I don't finish my seams (except pinking shears) when sewing as it adds time and can add cost, but if you are sewing something you want to last, making a higher-end piece, using expensive fabric or alternately an inexpensive fabric or one that prone unravel or lose its shape, it is a good idea to finish the seam as it will help it to last longer and look more professional.

I had not seen or heard of this method before and read on it on a blog I follow, Sew-Easy.   

It involves sewing a seam binding to one edge, folding it over half over the seam and stitching it down.  I like the clean look it has in the pictures above.  I have been thinking about making a coat and if I do, I think I will try this method.

For the tutorial, visit the post on  Sew-Easy.  

Thrift Store Find - Simplicity 5009 - 1972 Dress and Paint Suit Pattern

While I left this at the thrift store as it is to make a Size 12 (but I am not) but I put in took out of my cart many times before leaving it there.

It is a Simplicity 5009 pattern from 1972.  It has simple lines but still had that 70's retro vibe that could be updated by just using modern fabric.  

It looks like a fairly simple pattern and I could probably easily upsize it except it has one element from some 70's fashions that I hate; the dreaded back zipper.  

I made a pair of pants that were similar in the mid-'70s and it was a nightmare to get off and on as you have to reach in back and unhook (most called for a hook and eye closure) and unzip.   

I think I only wore them a few times when the zipper got stuck in the back and I could get it up or down and ended up breaking the zipper.  

I ended up tying a jacket around my waist for the rest of the day because the only thing holding it closed was the hook and eye.  Even with the jacket there, I still felt a breeze.  

Yeah, the back zip pants can stay in the '70s as far as I am concerned.

12 AMAZING & FREE Sewing Patterns to Sew THIS Fall Season!

Alisa Shay of Thoughtful Creativity is perpetually perky as a pre-school teacher and shares 12 free sewing patterns that are on trend for this Fall.

The one I am interested in trying is the Shauna Coatigan from Sew.   You have to sign up on their website to download the pattern (sign up is free).  

The pattern is actually from October 2017, but as I live in the Midwest in the US we are usually 3-5 years behind on trends.  

While I like to see what is out there and maybe pick up something so my wardrobe doesn't look frumpy, I usually go for things I like and looser drapey garments.  This one and a long loose draped jacket that is sort of timeless and can camouflage a multitude of figure flaws and keeping you warm.   

From my experience with online free printable patterns, it is fine as long as the design is fairly simple and where to tape things together is clear and most of these in the video seem to be.

There are several other cute garments with links at the bottom of her video on Youtube in the description box.

More Thrift Store Donations - Undergarments and Son's Clothing from Early-Mid 2000's

Yesterday I started going through more items in one of my dressers and in my son's closet.   Most of the above was in a drawer that I had some of my craft stuff in front of I don't think I had opened it since 2004.

I had stopped at a garage sale a week ago and picked up 6 items so I needed to get rid of at least that many items to stay of my continuing declutter plan.

It has some pretty lacy bras from Frederick's of Hollywood, Victoria's Secret and other such brands that I used to wear.   I now buy more utilitarian ones and the goal is not to look sexy, it is to try to prevent sagging.

There are also a few girdle-type products for a flat tummy under all garments.  That too has changed and I now buy one with a less firm hold for more comfort and the goal is not to jiggle. 

There are also a few pairs of socks as I need to wear ones with more support/compression:  either athletic socks, like Puma (which my son left behind when he moved out) or lighter weight compression stocking, mostly off of Amazon.com.

I have to admit it was easier to let go of the above that it was some of the items that remained in my son's old closet that I have been going through. 

This is a shirt my son wore all of the time for several years, but he now shies away from bright colors and it is too big on him as he lost a lot of weight when he worked at a scale company and was lifting weights to calibrate machinery and walking vast distances.   

This shirt is still in good condition and I hope it goes to a good home,

I remember my son wanting to get this at the thrift store and begged me to get it because it had a race car on it and he has always loved cars.  I am not sure he wore it more than once as he was worried about getting it dirty before it made its way slowly to the back of the closet. 

This is another one my son liked to wear during his skateboarding phase as it protected his arm from a rash in case he felt .

I don't think he ever fell while wearing this one because except for being a little faded, it is still in good condition.

There are a few other items like a short sleeved denim shirt and a khaki outfit that always seemed to need ironing so I would say "pick something else" and it too made it's way toward the back of the closet.

This is the one item that is newer - itis a pair of Propet shoes I bought 2-3 years ago.   The black area on the right shoe is cosmetic as I only wore the shoes a few times.

They are to be washable and after they got a little muddy after wearing a few times I washed them in a lingerie bag and put in the dryer.  They shrank.  I tried a trick I found online to try soaking them in water with a high concentration of fabric softener and air-dried but it only helped a little so it is time to donate them. 

I have purchased over half a dozen pairs of Propet shoes in the past five years as they are very comfortable and the soles have 1,000 guarantee and they have styles that are more contemporary without looking gym-shoe-ish (which is not suitable for work).

I have a pair I have put at least that many miles on and the soles are fine, but the uppers started falling apart early on and I have repaired them several times with E6000 glue.

This was taken to the North Franciscan Family Thrift store.

Thift Store Donation and a Haul

A local thrift store, the Franciscan Family Thrift Store, was having a half-price sale recently, so to keep up with my de-clutter agenda to not bring home anything without getting rid of the same or more I packed up a few items in the box above.

There is an answering machine with caller id as some school kid might have a "Bring some old technology to school" day to share with the class. 

There is a Halloween mask tucked in the right lower corner that was my son's from probably 2002. The Teddy bear is probably from the same year and I had planned on making a shabby chic wreath using him until I realized he was too thick for the screen door to close if I did. 

The rocking horse candle holder I bought through a fundraiser at my son's school when he was in Jr. High.  I rarely burn tapered candles and the rocking horse with toys looks a little out of place a middle-aged woman's bedroom.  For some reason, I keep picturing an old movie with Bette Davis called "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane" that I watched on late night tv one time.  Let's just say her character was a few quarters short of a roll so it was time for it to go.

The Christmas decoration is attached to a wicker sleigh that I had intended to take the decoration out and adapt the sleight for a  GI Joe and  Barbie my son had that he no longer played with (he insisted GI Joe needed a girlfriend when he was young.  Mostly of the time her legs were stuck in a dinosaur's mouth and GI Joe would come to the rescue).  The pinecone were to have been transformed into me reindeer with pipe cleaner legs and googly eyes and red pom-pom nose.  That was over 10 years ago too and as I never got around it, maybe someone else can enjoy it.

In the back is a light-up Christmas painting of the Nativity that I won at a family Christmas bingo game and put up for years.  Since my son moved out, I don't decorate for Christmas anymore so in the box it went.

As the box was full, the below Trivial Pursuit game ended up in a plastic grocery bag. I thought this would be fun to play but no one was interested in family gatherings we had so no reason to keep it around.

THRIFT HAUL

This is less than half the stuff I started out with inside my cart t as I went through it several times and asked myself:  "Will I really wear this on a regular basis?".

I ended up with a sweater for $2.50 and 3 scarves for .99 cents each.  On the scarf on the left, I was on the fence about because it has colors that are in my wardrobe and I don't have a scarf with those colors, but not a really liking the blotchiness.  I decided if I find I don't wear it much I may bleach it, dye it or just donate it back.

Does anyone else have these dilemmas?

9 Easy DIY Spice Blends from Women's Health

Source: Women's Health

Sometimes you might have a favorite dish but want to serve something a bit different and can do so by changing up some of the spices with this chart of easy DIY spice blends chart from Women's Health.

When added to vegetables it can make them more interesting if you are on a diet and trying to keep the calorie count down but change things up a bit. 

If you like more of one thing that another (I am a big fan of garlic) you can add more, or if you don't like something add less or not available (I have had no luck in finding Hing/Asafodtida) you can omit it and make it your own special blend.