New toys and an old dress

I've danced again! After a 4 month long break from all dancing I'm finally swingin' it on the lindy-floor again! I'm carefull not to dance a full night (3-4 hours) but to warm up, stretch, dance one hour, stretch and then rest. The resting is the hard part, but it helps that the program actually seems to be working. Yay! Herräng, here I come... Only 2 months away now.

This is a dress some of you have seen before, and some of you will even wonder if I ever wear any other dresses while dancing. And I do! I just haven't remembered to take photos, and it's been ages since my last outfit-post. So here it is, an oldie but a goodie!

My hair in flat victory rolls. The hairdo is one I haven't done for at least a year. I couldn't remember why until I tried to make it look smooth... Ah, well. It was for dancing, it got messy anyway. This is the after-dance picture, I'll just blame it on that =)

I of course had to test how it worked with my hat collection! I liked this combination for a summer outfit. Maybe with the dress I'm making? Good or too much when matched with a pink flower-print? (The fabric in question is in the last post before this one).

On a whole different topic: remember I talked a while ago about my passion for sewing toys tools? I had to order some things (honestly!) and the shipping was the same no matter weight or size so I ordered some extra stuff...

Belting material, zippers, shoulderpads, chalk wheel, bias-tape maker, belt-turner, magnetic pin cushions and... a rotary cutter with a cutting mat. The last ones are apparently great for knits and silk, which means: fabric shopping! Wheee!

It's finally spring for real, I've had a great weekend and now I'm happily playing with my new tools =) This week I hope to finish the dress I cut out last week, only have hemming and inserting sleeves left to do. It's amazing how fast sewing is when one isn't tailoring a coat =)

Love, Erika

Shopping spree

I had a few errands to run, and then I wanted to have buttons made for the coat (the wool is so thick I figured it was smart to leave it to a professional). So how did I end up carrying so much home? Lol!

I went to the lovely Sidenateljén, and as always had a great time chatting with the charming lady who runs the dressmaking/fabrics-shop. This is what ended up in my bag:

Buttons (total of 8, so I have a few extra), lace for the red slip I'm making to match my red dress, and lining material for a slip to my sister Kajsa (late birthday present).

On my way home, I stopped by the big fabric store and bought this, also for Kajsa. I'll be making her a coat for fall! I know, I'm crazy... =) But this fabric had her name written all over it!

A visit to Make up store resulted in me now owning lipstick suitable for work and everyday life.

As for sewing, I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere with the coat! The back is sewn together, and today I'm making the bound buttonholes. This was my first attempt at it, so I did three trial-holes first. I think it's going to look good, but one never knows for sure until all the pins are out and the piece is ironed, right? =) Some photos of what I've been up to:

It's been a really quiet and productive weekend, couldn't have wished for more! And to top it off, the last episode of BBC-production "Sherlock" is about to start in a few minutes. Time to make tea and gather the handsewing supplies!

Oh, and a quick photo of a hat I bought from Tradera (Ebay):

As you might have guessed, I have a thing for hats... And this one was too cute to pass over! =)

Love, Erika

Fancy Frock Friday

This week we had our first Fancy Frock Friday! An event inspired by this lady and her project Posh Frock Friday. We dressed up in pretty dresses, did our hair, donned the high heels, and then dedicated an evening to tea, cakes and sparkling drinks. A great evening!

First out: tea with pretty cupcakes, a yummy almond cake, swedish raspberryjam-cookies and gingerbreads.

I wore my sailordress with two newcomers in my wardrobe: white, seamed stockings (used to be my late grandmothers) and blue heels (gift from Kattis).

The tea party was at Kattis place, here you get a glimt of her pretty pink dress and lace stockings. Also note the gorgeous teak coffeetable from her grandparents house, and the china from the same house.

Later we switched to drinks with a bit more bite and the cheese to go with it. I set my mind on the blue cheese and accordingly had portwine in the glass.

 

Coming home I started trying on hats. Weird? A bit =) But isn't it the perfect time to see what hat goes with a certain hairdo? Just making my hair to test the hair-hat combo seems like a lot of work. And testing before leaving the house doesn't seem smart, as it messes up the hair. The favorite turned out to be the fur headband with white veil (not very surprising). I just adore this hat!

 

After this kick-off for the weekend, I was all set for two creative days. Baking and sewing it is! =)

Love, Erika

A hat, a dance, a fair and lots of snow

Did it again, didn't I? *sigh* Took an unplanned and unintentional blogging-vacation...
So what have I've been up to these past weeks? Honestly, not so much, hence the sparse posting. To begin with, I spent one week searching for a paper note. One week! It was a small note that had the vital information about the hat my brother had chosen and I was going to get for him for his birthday. After I got that note, I've moved and... So in the course of The Great Hunt of the Note I turned appartement, drawers, shelfs, bags and moving boxes inside-out. And no success. In pure desparation I winged it, thinking "How hard can it be?". I knew the brand, had a memory of the charachteristics of the model and guessed the size, and I was right!

Joakim, very out-of-charachter, agreed to model the hat for me and even let me post the pic here! Doesn't he look just like a 30s reporter? Keen for news, pen and paper all ready, glasses and hat in place =)

I was in Stockholm for a weekend, teaching dance at a medieval event. Lots of fun! Met some great people, learned a couple of new dances myself and had the rare oppurtunity to dance to live music in the evening. The musicians were amazing!

A snap-shot from a class.

I came home to a very cold Umeå, before it had been covered in snow, now it was almost buried. I love sitting by the table at noon, looking out at frost and snow. Even the windows becomes pretty! =)
2nd of Advent it was The Christmas fair of Gammlia, always a good fair to get in the mood of Christmas. Extra good this year, with all the snow! (We always get lots of snow, but sometimes it melts just around the beginning of December to come back later with the true cold).


The camera didn't approve of the cold, though, so only these two photos from that day. Look a bit closer at the snow on the trees, it's almost hanging beneth the branches!


All from the winter up here!
Report on the creative side of my life: the darkness and work has left me with little energy for sewing these past weeks. This quiet weekend has rekindled it, though! I've taken a break with the coat, figuring it's not going to be done for Christmas anyway and I need to sew something I can finish quicker, just to feel that I have finished something. What better than a Christmas dress in a lovely red eco double-knit? =)

I hope that you're all having a lovely 3rd of Advent! (Can you belive it's already 3rd of Advent?!)

Love, Erika

Hats! Lots and lots of hats!

A while ago me and Elin placed a bid on a lot of 26 vintage hats at Ebay (US), and we won the auction! The hats were ours for a very reasonable price, even including shipping. Yesterday we finally got to open the box, and I can tell you: it was like Christmas! =) As all Scandinavians knows, vintage hats here are usually quite boring and very expensive. So this was a real treat!


Elin, happy at the mere sight of all those hats.


Then the "trying them on"-phase beagan, with some very good laughs. This one took the price. Pretty? Yes, in it's own, very period-typichal style of the late 40s. Would I wear it on town? Good gracious, no! But for a special type of party, as a part of a more comstum-y outfit, then maybe... But still maybe. =)

OK, onto the hats we really liked and would wear to town:


This pretty pink feather cap was adorable on Elin.




I fell head over heels for this cute little summer hat. There's a small, flat bow in the back, and long ribbons that hangs loose down the back.


I usually don't go for pink, but in this hat it really worked with the blach details and the netting. I can't help it, I adore netting!
Ehh... The colour combination of the hat, the hair and the cardigan is a bit strange, but you get the idea of the cute back of the hat... Unless the colours strikes you blind first! ; )




This 40s boater was so cute! Just look at the embroided ribbon and the little fluff-ball =)


A round-up of the hats that came home with me:


The big white one will primarily be a interior decoration piece, and the red hat we have shared custody of =)
To finish this long string of hat-photo's, my favorite:

The netting lays in front and behind the hat, along with the small hearts over the ears keeping it effectivley in place. Why do I always fall for winter stuff? I've said it before, it's a good thing I live in such a cold climate! =)

I know a sewing post with a coat update and some other little things are long overdue, and this week there will be one on Wednesday or on Thursday (unless work turns crazy this week too). I've already written it in my head, now I just need some photos and text...

But right now, I just want to say "YAY for hats!" and do a little happy dance just looking at what laying on my sideboard. A little silly, but that's ok when hats are involved! Lol!

Love, Erika

A hat, an alomst-dress, and dreams

Den här lilla saken är det senaste tillskottet till min lilla men växande hattsamling. Själva hatten är i sammet, med små fina veck mot nacken. Jag gissar på 50-tal, några andra gissningar?

This little thing is the latest addition to my small but growing hat collection. The hat itself is in velvet, with small creases towards the neck. I'm guessing 50s, any other ideas?


Bara för att visa att jag faktiskt gör något vid symaskinen, även om det går långsamt. Är klart osäker på hur pass bra den här blir, men har tänkt sy ihop den, och passar den inte så säljer/ger jag den till någon som den passar på =) Men är lite skeptisk, tyget är lite för styvt tycker jag. Kan mjukna med användning, men... hmm... Mer bilder, samt mönster och förebilder, kommer när den är färdig!
Just to show that I'm actually doing something on the sewing machine, even if it's a pretty slow process. I'm very unsure about how this one's gonna turn out, the fabric has a little bit too much body for my taste (but that could change with wear) and I'm not sure about the fit. Ah well, I'm going to finish it anyway, and if it doesn't fit, I'll find someone it does fit! =) More pictures later, when it's ready.

Jag gick till den lokala tygaffären för att köpa lite mer duktyg till swingkvällarna, och var hittade jag? 70% rea! Inte på allt såklart, men på de fantastiska, tunna ylletygerna jag längtasfullt kikat på hela vintern. Det var helt fel månad för tyginköp, framför allt av tyger som är mest aktuella till i höst, men jag kunde inte låta bli. Färgerna, vikten, fallet... jag är kär!
Ha en härlig helg! /Erika
So, I went to the local fabric shop to get some more material for the table cloths for social nights at the Lindy hop, and what did I find? 70% sale! Not on everything of course, but on the wonderful, thin, soft woolfabrics I've been eyeing all winter. Totally wrong month for fabricpurchases (esp as these are more for fall than spring) but I couldn't resist. The colours, the weight, the drape... I'm in love!
Have a lovely weekend! /Erika

En dag på stan

Igår hade jag och Kattis bestämt oss för att gå på stan i full mundering vintage. Vädret samarbetade perfekt, sol och 15 grader i slutet av september är vi inte bortskämda med!
Jag hittade några fina saker, lite smink och te. Jag tror dock jag börjar bli gammal, jag orkar inte gå på stan i mer två timmar innan jag tycker det är dags för fika =) Just denna lördag blev det fika på Schmäck.

Detta var dagens utstyrsel. Kom på att alla mina assesoirer var köpta second hand, kjolarna var arvegods, strumpor och gördel från What Katie Did, och allt på överkroppen nyproducerade saker. Skorna och hatten var en del i en sändning med saker jag köpt från Tradera senaste veckan. Mer bilder kommer så småningom...

Dagens assesoirer. En trevlig överraskning när skorna kom var ett de matchade handväskan! Lite otippat, de såg gråa ut på fotona på Tradera. Älskar när saker matchar!


Kattis var fin i blommig klänning med sötaste prickiga tyllkjolen under. (här ärhon dock lite trött...)

Och hennes skor! Så otroligt vackra! (ursäkta den suddiga bilden)

Min syster Kajsa var även hon på stan, och tog en fikapaus med oss. Älskar färgkombinationen!

Dagens fynd: ett par vintage mamelucker i vit bomull med rader av rynkad spets. Så söta, så praktiska, så perfekta! Går från midjan ner till övre delen av strumporna, perfekt för att hålla en varm när det blåser lite =)

Det var allt från dagen på stan!
Kram / Erika

Yesterday, me and a friend had decided to spend the day at town, shopping and having a cup of tea. In full vintage-style outfits. Amazingly, the weather cooperated and it was 15 degrees and sunny, not something we're used to at this time of the year. I found some nice things while shopping, some make-up and tea. I do belive I'm getting old though, after two hours of shopping I'm so ready for my tea =)
First image is of my outfit for the day. I realized while wearing it that all my assesoirs were second hand, the skirts heirlooms, stockings and girdle from What Katie Did, and the rest new stuff.
Second image, the secong hand things. I got the shoes and the hat along with some other things from Tradera (Swedish Ebay) this past week. Was it not an amazing stroke of luck that the shoes matched the handbag? They actually looked gray at Tradera! Love it when things matches.
Third and fouth image, Kattis in a flowery dress with an adorable dotted tuille slip. And just look at the gorgeous shoes!
Fifth image is of my sister Kajsa, who joined us for tea. I just love her colour-matching!
Last but in no way least, the find of the day: a pair of vintage bloomers, unused, in white cotton with rows upon rows of lace. So cute, so practical. They go up to the waist and down to the stockings, perfect for warmth when the wind is up! I fell in love at first sight, and they just begged me to come home with me. How can a girl refuse that? =)
That's all from my day at town!
Love, Erika