Saturday, August 29, 2015

༺ How To Crochet A Rose Hair Flower Accessory ༻

Hello lovelies! (•ᵕ ᴗ ᵕ•)❀

HairFlowerClip

This is a simple tutorial on how to crochet a flower hair clip like the one above.  You might have noticed me wearing it in my hair in my last Mother & Daughter outfit post?  Anyway, now you can make one just like it for yourself!

HairClipMe

I do not have my usual step by step photos in this tutorial, as it mostly about following the crochet pattern, so if you have any questions; please do not hesitate to ask.  ( ^ _ ^)∠☆ 

Materials List:

  • Yarn in two different colours {I used 2 ply cotton yarn in ivory & pink}
  • Crochet hook in the appropriate size for the ply of your wool
  • Hair clip finding {I used a mini millinery barrette as the clip}
  • Needle for sewing the flower to the finding

Gauge:

I used a 1.75mm hook with my yarn.  For your standard 3-4 ply wool, a 2.00 - 3.25mm hook is recommended.  Hook & yarn chart.

Abbreviations:

ch – chain
sk – skip
sc - single crochet
dc – double crochet
sl st - slip stitch
* – repeat

HairFlowerClip6

The Pattern:

~  Flower Centre  ~

Ch 21.
Row 1: *Dc, ch1, dc* in fifth ch from hook. *Ch1, sk1. Dc, ch 1, dc in next stitch* till the end (repeat 8 times).  You should end up with 9 double crochet V’s.  Ch 3 and turn.
Row 2: In first ch1 space between the double crochet V’s, dc 4 times. *Sl st in next ch1 space between the double crochet V’s. Dc 5 times* till the end (repeat 9 times).  Sl st in last stitch in row.

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Step 1:  Fasten off and leave long tail for sewing. With the tail on the right side, roll the flower inwards (clockwise motion), placing the petals how you would like and sewing to hold it in place.

~  Flower Petals  ~

Ch 48
Row 1:  Sk 1 ch, sc in next ch and across, ch 3, turn
Row 2: *Sk 1 sc, 2 dc in next sc, sk next sc, 1 dc in next sc, continue from * across, ch 3 turn
Row 3: *2 dc, ch1, 2 dc in space between 2 dc, dc in next dc, continue from * across, ch 3 turn
Row 4: *3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc in ch space, dc in next dc, continue from * across, ch 3 turn
Row 5: *8 dc in ch space, dc in next dc, continue from * across – finish off with sl st leaving a long tail to sew the clip on.

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Step 2:  Take flower centre and roll the outside petals around it, sewing the petals in place with the rest of the flower centre’s tail.

Step 3:  Using the flower petals’ long tail sew the hair clip finding onto the back of the flower. 

Step 4:   Wear and enjoy your crochet flower hair clip. (✿◠‿◠)

༺ ♡ ༻

HairFlowerClip

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻

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Wednesday, August 26, 2015

༺ WoreSawHaul: The Fifties Fair That Wasn’t ༻

*Alternative title: “Rain, Rain Go Away!”

The Fifties Fair that wasn't... | Lavender & Twill ~ See? Gloomy skies all around… ~

This Sunday past was supposed to be the Fifties Fair up in Sydney at the Rose Seidler House, and as you might be able to guess from the title ~ things went slightly awry! But I’m getting a little ahead of myself ~ let’s start back at the beginning shall we?

I had been preparing for the Fifties Fair for weeks.

Over the last month or two, I had procured all the items I needed for a special vintage look for the day ~ I went with a lavender and white color scheme. (•ᵕ ᴗ ᵕ•)❀

The plan was for Mister and myself, {along with the baby!} to drive up to Sydney for the day whilst my Theo and Belle had a sleepover with Nona and Pop. Now a day trip to Sydney is a bit of a haul, and to top it off we had a few contingencies to consider besides the three and half hour travel time ~ including and not limited to ~ feeding the baby and a chance for me to get dressed as I didn’t want to travel in my outfit and crush the ever-loving daylights out of it!

So to get there at ten, we woke up at five am{ (ô д ô)!! } and left at around 5:45am. I thought I’d do a vlog of the day to show you all what I got up to, so here it is….

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~ WHAT I WORE ~

Lavender BonBon for the Sydney Fifties Fair 2015 | Lavender & Twill

Mint, lavender and white color pallette | Lavender & Twill

I match the wall! | Lavender & Twill

Lola, the Lucite White Wicker Vintage Handbag | Lavender & Twill

I did a whole shoot of the outfit I had planned for the Fifties Fair the evening before, just so I didn’t have to worry about getting good shots on the day. You’ll get to see those photos later, but these are a bit of a preview. When the day changed so drastically, my outfit changed a bit too. I nixed the hat, gloves, petticoat, high heels and decided to stick to flats and a simpler outfit.

One thing that didn’t change however, was the wonderful, glorious purse of my dreams!

Her name is Lola.

She is a 1950’s white wicker and Lucite handbag made in Florida, USA and was gifted to me by my best beau ever ~ the Mister! She was the cherry on top of my pretty outfit, and I just had to bring her with me, no matter what I ended doing for the day!

Thank you Ellen for taking these photos!

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Vintage Mint & Lilac Hug Cardigan | Facebook Vintage Group
Violet Starburst Vintage Milk Glass Earrings | eBay
1950’s BonBon Ruffle Vintage Dress | eBay
Starburst Vintage Milk Glass Necklace | eBay
”Lola” 1950’s Vintage Lucite and Wicker Handbag | Etsy
Repro Fully Fashioned Stockings | Old Stock, What Katie Did
White Bow Jelly Flats | Mel by Melissa

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~ WHAT I SAW ~

We saw Newtown again!  So when Ellen of A Wild Tea Party and I realised the day was going to be a wash out ~ like, literally, we decided that what better way to cheer ourselves up than to drink tea, do brunch and go shopping? So that’s what we did ~ along with a lot of chatting and giggling too. ヽ(*⌒ _ ⌒*)ノ

And Nora arrived by special delivery to join us! 

@missbjvear on Instagram | Lavender & Twill@missbjvear on Instagram | Lavender & Twill @missbjvear on Instagram | Lavender & Twill@missbjvear on Instagram | Lavender & Twill

Bonita, Nora, and Ellen ~ Vintage Girls Across the World | Lavender & Twill~ Selfies, much talk of vintage, blogging, books and more, several teas as well as a milkshake consumed & just so much fun to be had! ~

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~ WHAT I HAULED ~

Collectif Freddie Knit Top in Antique Green | Lavender & Twill

I don’t know if you remember, but in the last WoreSawHaul post, I mentioned a certain knit top in a certain sage green color…  And you’d be one hundred percent correct if you guessed that this was it!

There’s actually a bit of a story behind this purchase ~ when I saw this top the last time I was in Sydney, I couldn’t buy it at the time. I tried to find out where I saw it so I could ask about buying it and getting it posted down, but I couldn’t remember the name of the shop.

Then I tried to find it online but everywhere I went it was either super expensive {like $150.00 to purchase it and get it posted to Australia!} or it was sold out. I pretty much had to give up the hunt. But on Sunday we were in Faster Pussycat, which is a Pinup style shop, looking at a gorgeous navy gingham skirt with pockets {that I totally want in my wardrobe… Gah!} ~ also by Collectif ~ when I spotted it: my top!!

I wasn’t sure if the small they had left would fit, but it did and I am soooo thrilled. Dream top scored, and my first Collectif item!  (ノ´ヮ´)ノ*:・゚

Bubblegum Pop Top from Retrospec'd | Lavender & Twill

I also made another purchase from Retrospec'd ~ we where looking at some items on sale and Ellen pulled out this bubblegum pink top and handed it to me. It was half price due to a small makeup mark, the perfect color and just my size! Yup. You know that was an easy decision. (*≧▽≦)

Erstwilder Fairy Wren Brooch | Lavender & Twill

Last, but certainly not least, I couldn’t resist adding to my Ertswilder collection again. It was a toss up between Bésame’s Red Hot Red and this stunning little Fairy Wren. Now I have a veritable TON of red lipsticks, but wrens have a special meaning to our family and I knew that I probably wouldn’t be able to find this darling little blue bird again, so that clinched the decision for me.

Plus, the cherry blossoms on the brooch are too perfect! Now if I could just find the Ertswilder Wattle brooch I feel like my Australiana novelty brooch collection will be almost complete.

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So that’s the tale of the Fifties Fair that wasn’t. It was a bit disappointing and sad not to be able to go to the Fair and meet all the fabulous vintage guys and gals {I ALMOST met Kayla of Gracefully Vintage! Ahh!}, but I really did have the most fantastic time hanging out with Ellen, so much so, that the day really was a success regardless!

Even the five am wake up was worth it! :P

If you know me, you’ll know the only thing that can get me up at five am is either a horse show or snowboarding… Well, not quite ~ now you can add hanging out with fabulous vintage friends to the list too! ヽ(*^ー^)人(^ー^*)ノ

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻

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Tuesday, August 11, 2015

༺ Perfectly Pill-a-licious ༻

Vintage winter style ~ a 1940's look | Lavender & Twill

Shades of red for a touch of color | Lavender & Twill

Grey, black and red 1940's vintage ensemble | Lavender & Twill

Vintage winter style ~ a 1940's look | Lavender & Twill

Shades of red for a touch of color | Lavender & Twill

Grey, black and red 1940's vintage ensemble | Lavender & Twill

*meep!* I’m so, so, excited to show you all this outfit ~ mostly because of this super amazing hat of awesomeness! “But it’s a pillbox hat” ~ I hear you say ~ “and you don’t like pillbox hats! You even wrote a post about it!”

Oh yes. So I did.

This lady reserves a woman’s eternal right to change her mind.  :P

After all, when you come across fabulous posts on how to wear and style a pillbox hat, such as the one written by Tanith of Tanith Rowan Designs, suddenly the endless eye-catching possibilities of styling a pillbox chapeau are revealed!

When I read Tanith’s guide to wearing pillbox hats, I was really excited to discover that not all pillboxes are the same, and that there are actually some really cute pillbox hats out there. Now, Tanith and I had been discussing a sweet offer for a loan of a pillbox hat from Tanith’s hat collection, and I was extra excited for it to arrive after I saw that post.

Much to my joy, when it arrived, the hat was everything I had hoped for and more!
(ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧

I have discovered the important difference between pillbox hats I like, and pillbox hats I don’t like.

Because the pillbox hat was so popular in the late 1950’s ~ early 1960’s that’s the era that I most associate the hat with, particularly with the First Lady Jackie Kennedy and her classic style. As I am an enthusiastic fan of the 1940’s to mid 1950’s fashions, and much prefer those looks to anything later, I tended to dismiss the pillbox style as outside of my chosen era.

Recently however, I have discovered that the pillbox is actually quite a wide spread style, that spans back further than I initially thought. But there does seem to be quite a difference to the shape and the way the pillbox is worn between the different periods.

If you look at the classic 1940’s pillbox, they are actually quite small, and are usually worn on a tilted angle positioned towards the front of the head, or perched on the back of the head. Whereas later on, the hats are larger ~ they are taller and wider, and usually worn squarely on top of the head. You might also see them tilted towards the back of the head in a similar manner as in the 40s ~ yet the results of the look are entirely different due to the hair styles and shapes of the pillbox.

Now, whether this darling maroon pillbox hat is a vintage 1940’s chapeau or not, I’m not sure ~ but it works so perfectly for a 40s look that I just adore it!

I smitten with the cute bow on the front, the rich garnet color and the tiny size. Smaller is definitely better when it comes to pillbox hats I believe!

What do you think? Do you prefer small pillbox hats, or large ones? And have you ever changed your mind about a fashion piece ~ hate to love, or even visa versa?  ヽ(゜∇゜)ノ

Do tell me about it ~ I think it’s so fun when you discover new taste changes in your style preference!

xox,

bonita

P.S. ~ That’s 19 mentions of the word “pillbox” ~ er, 20…  How many times can I write pillbox in one post??! 21 apparently!   ….. (~ ̄▽ ̄)~

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Vintage Garnet Bow Pillbox Hat | Gift from Tanith 
Dove & Heart Brooch | The Moby Duck, Made 590
My Valentine Bolero | Thrifted
80s-does-40s The Pan Am Dress | eBay
1940s Russet Ruched Gloves | eBay
Garnet & Gold Belt | Thrifted
Black Stockings | Old
Red Alert Heels | Old

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Tuesday, August 4, 2015

༺ Currently: Brainstorm ༻

‘Currently’ posts are a little snapshot of the events that are occurring in my day-to-day life. These episodes feature photos from my Instagram, do come and say “Hi!” if you are around. Also, if you would like to participate in this feature yourself, please feel free! I’d love to read your posts, so don’t forget to leave a link.  ♡

WinterSky

READING:

Not much. I’m too busy working on other things.

Rainbow

WONDERING:

If I will ever feel fit and healthy again… (TT ^ TT)

Teacup

FEELING THANKFUL:

For all the support and encouragement I’ve received on my new project! I really have some amazing friends.  ヾ(^∇^)  

Bunny

EATING:

Loads of good meals from our new Thermomix. That thing is the bomb diggetty for sure!

Blue

WATCHING:

Agent Carter! Whoo-hoo!  Actually, we just finished the first season, and yes, was it great! I enjoyed the story, the characters, but boy, oh boy, those clothes!!  I was exclaiming over the outfits every new scene ~ “Look at the pleated detail at the neckline!” “I love the hue of that plum dress; and look her lipstick matches her dress!” “Sigh! Those shoes!”, etc… 

The Mister was all “Trying to watch a show here!” so in the end I had to keep those thoughts to myself, but really… How distracting was the fabulous wardrobe?!? Now I know what everyone has been raving about!  And yes, I want all of the clothes. Particularly some of those stunning knit pieces!! °(◕ o ◕)°

IMG_2487

WORKING ON:

Illustrations. My sewing machines are silent… They sit sad and dusty, with fabric draped around them while I’m off with my pencils and eraser putting together a whole new project that I’m super excited to be rolling out soon I hope!

{Just for the seamstress’s peace of mind, the dust on my machine is figurative, not literal. ; P }

Milk

LOVING:

Faber-Castel Polychromo Pencils. My new drafting chair. eBay lucky finds and bargains! Pink roses. My Mal E Bow Irregular Choice heels! Family time playing Yoshi’s Wooly World. Sun on a crisp winter’s day. Pilates. My first dressage saddle!! Snuggles from my PirateCaptainTheo who is getting sooo big, my Belle who copies everything Mama does and keeps me company, and of course, all the giggles from my chunky pumpkin Lottie!  Last, but certainly not least, all my wonderful friends around the world. ❤

IRC

ATTEMPTING:

To keep eating healthier and get to bed earlier for more sleep. At over five months old, Lottie is still not sleeping through the night ~ she will wake up anywhere between four to three times a night to nurse and it is exhausting. So we are working on that still.

Gloves

WANTING:

TO GO TO THE SNOW!  We still have not done that yet this season, and I am jonesing for some powder… Come on snow, come on!

EverOn

DOING:

A whole lot of computer work, drawing, cleaning, running around with and after the munchkins, cleaning, cooking and staying up too late watching Netflix!

Lucite

(‘Currently’ post inspired by Danielle of Sometimes Sweet and Kaelah of This Charming Life!)

xox,

bonita

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Saturday, August 1, 2015

༺ How to DIY a 1940’s Crochet Snood ༻

DIY a 1940's Crochet Snood | Lavender & Twill

For some time now I’ve been eyeing off various gorgeous hairstyles around the place that have involved lovely snoods, like this one, or this one, but I have hemed and hawed about purchasing one for myself.  The ease of popping one on and waltzing out the door for the day is very tempting for a busy vintage mother, the only problem ~ $16.00 or more seemed like a lot to spend on one snood.

I decided to whip out my Google fingers and see what I could turn up, and et voilà!  I present to you the “Perky Snood” pattern.   A vintage 1940’s crochet snood pattern for a medium sized snood. 

Original Vintage 1940s Perky Snood Pattern - free download | Lavender & Twill

~ Download free snood pattern here ~

The pattern is very simple, but calls for a long treble crochet stitch which is rather old fashioned, and not used all that frequently these days.  Here are the instructions on how to do the stitch:

Long Treble Crochet (long tr.) -  YO 3 times before inserting the hook into the work, YO and draw through 2 loops on the hook 4 times.

Decreasing Long Treble Crochet (dec. long tr.) - YO 3 times, insert hook in next long tr. and YO. Take off  2 loops 3 times in succession, leaving 2 loops on the hook. YO 3 times, insert hook in work (6 loops on hook), YO, take off 2 loops, 3 times in succession, YO and take off 3 loops at once.

Yarn Over -  YO

Now, I have to warn you that although I found this pattern easy to get the hang of in terms of stitches, it doesn’t seem to be easy to put together the right sized hook and yarn ply to create a large enough snood.  I actually repeated this pattern three times before I finally turned out a snood that was large enough to wear!

Here are my notes so that you don’t make the same mistakes that I did.

Snood tests | Lavender & Twill

~  Second snood on the left compared with the third snood on the right.  The first one was even smaller, can you believe!  More like a bun net than anything else…  ~

First I tried using a small 1.50mm hook that I thought the pattern called for, and the yarn to match.  That turned out all wrong ~ it was far too small.  So was the next one, with a larger 4.00mm hook and the yarn to match.  I looked like I was wearing a lunch lady’s hair net rather than a snood!  So then I went back to my original yarn, which was actually 2 ply cotton, with the 4.00mm hook, and somehow that worked.

I still think that the pattern ended up a little shorter than what I would have preferred, but in this case it is ok, because my hair is quite short at the moment and won’t really suit anything longer.  If you want a longer snood, simply add more rows in the middle before you start your decreases and you will be all set!

Last, but not least ~ here’s the finished results in action:

A vintage reproduction snood | Lavender & Twill
Me made 1940s vintage snood | Lavender & Twill 

Remember to swatch your work, as the gauge is crucial to sizing, and enjoy your snood making!   ヾ(^∇^)

DIY a 1940's Crochet Snood | Lavender & Twill

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻

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