How to get rid of yellow stains in vintage lace and linens!

The vintage lace is on its way to our giveaway winners in New York, UK and Canada; and I while I was packing it today I thought it would be a good idea to share with you some tips on removing that typical light yellow staining from the lace before you use it.

So, here are couple of things you can do to get rid of it:

• Lay the lace out in the sun and turn it over after a few hours. A day in the sun should be enough to get rid of most of the staining.
• Next, soak the lace in one gallon of hot water mixed with one scoop of OxiClean for a few hours (OxiClean is milder than a regular chlorine-based bleach), or until the stains are gone. Do not use OxiClean with anything metal (such as metal container), because due to resulting oxidation, the metal can rust and stain your lace even more. Also, test on a patch before using with colors.
• After a few hours, remove the lace and drain it out.
• Now, rinse the lace first in a distilled vinegar solution to neutralize OxiClean and then in cool water.
• Drain and let it dry on a drying rack or a towel outside in the sun.

Voilà! Enjoy your lace!

Mad Men Project: Reality Check

So, Mad Men Fashion Project #1 (and part of my holiday wardrobe): circular skirt!

Digging in

I did find some nice full skirt patterns in my vintage pattern stash, but there was always something I was not happy about. I knew I need to be able to manipulate the garment and the best way to go about it is draping it.

Draped it will be

This draping book - Draping: Art and Craftmanship in Fashion Design, by Annette Duburg and Rixt van der Tol – is exactly what I need. (By the way, it seems it was sold out on Amazon and the price is outrageous now.)

It has instructions on how to drape a one-seam circular skirt. With holidays approaching faster than I can handle I need the simplest possible design. I will compensate it with fabric and trimming and choose something special.

The Plan

I want to finish this skirt by Christmas. I will drape it, cut it, sew it, wear it and while I am working on it I will be posting instructions and observations on this blog, so, dear friends, if you want to DRAPE-ALONG please join me.

Small Print

I have never draped in my life! And I have never hosted any drape-along or sew-along! But if I don’t try I will never know, right? Remember, we set our own limits! And if we manage to put together a small drape-along circle I am sure we will learn from each other.

Next Steps

Starting from tonight, I will be posting instructions and comments on the project. We will use the draping textbook as inspiration for this project. Please reply to this post so I know if anyone is interested in it. If yes, I will set up a separate group on Flickrso everyone can upload images and exchange ideas and feedback.

Ok, wish me good luck!

Mad Men Project

I love Med Man fashion. Those early 60s silhouettes with pencil skirts and circular skirts with hems falling right below the knee, slips, petticoats and boned long-line bras, and gridles… I want to own every single piece from this show.

Oh, frabjous 60s!.. And despite the fact  that the show is sometimes seen as sexist, it has had a great impact on today’s fashion. Yet again – just like “Dallas” and “Dynasty” in 80s.

Look at these silhouettes by Louis Vuitton and Prada:

Whatever the answer is, I want to have at least one of those circular skirts! And I haven’t even attempted looking for it in stores. This is going to be my Mad Men Project and I will begin it with one of those circular skirts. 

And if you want to read more about Mad Men Fashion and how it relates to the show's female characters read this post on Fashion in Motion Magazin.

For those who get hooked, read regularly Mad Men Fashion File  

(to be continued)

Holiday wardrobe: what can be done in 4 days?

I have almost abandoned my holiday wardrobe dreams, but luckily my machine arrived yesterday evening. Yes,  I am a proud Bernina user!

But, well, I need to catch up on my holiday wardrobe. The flight is on Saturday, I have no day off 'til then and my plans to finish several garments and leather gloves for my husband need dramatic modification.

I did finish one skirt - done completely by hand. Now I do need a blouse or top to go with it. I went through my neatly archived vintage patterns and found this Advance 6068 Sew-Easy pattern.

My plan is to make it from a dark navy silk organza and line it with nude silk chiffon.

 It would be probably faster to do it without lining and use facing only, but I wanted to give this top some body and finish  the armhole and neck openings using decorative binding from the same silk charmeuse.

The size on the pattern is smaller than what I needed, but after measuring the pattern I decided to try it on muslin before making any alterations. I haven't changed a millimeter. Judge yourself:

I don't think I need to alter anything, it looks pretty good. That means I may finish this one in time.