It's on again!

If you're a Melbourne-based vintage lover and have not yet experienced a Unique Vintage warehouse sale, take a trip to Cheltenham tomorrow (8th Feb) and be prepared to go nuts!

Unique Vintage is located at 10 Hewitt St, Cheltenham, roughly 30 minutes by car from Melbourne's CBD.  You can also get there via public transport - catch a Frankston line train to Morrabbin, then an 811 or 812 Dandenong bus to the Keys Rd bus. The draw-backs of using public transport are: the buses seem to only run hourly and it's no fun having to change vehicles while carting a giant garbage bag full of clothes. 

Dresses - $15

Cowboy boots - $30

 

At this months sale, they're offering playsuits for $15; skirts for $10; women's shoes for $10; and handbags for measly $5. The amount of stuff on offer is phenomenal, quite literally a warehouse full, and it can be a bit daunting for a first timer. That said, I still managed to pick up a few good buys the last time I went.

 

This day dress has had quite a few outings over the last couple of months.

Another day dress which is new old stock and still had an original price tag attached.

This awesome number has a few small moth holes (it's wool) but is otherwise perfect. 

My best buyer's tip is this: Don't wast your time going through every garment on the rack; scan for vintage prints and fabrics - they'll most likely be cotton & blends - then take a closer look. Oh, and don't forget the ever handy 'waist around the neck' measurement, it saves having to try things on. Believe it or not, if you can reach half the full waist around your neck, it will fit. Give it a try, it really works!

For more details on the warehouse sale, check out Unique Vintage on Facebook.

Happy shopping!

- Tamara

Some New Additions

Back in December, I had a big clean out and sold a heap of stuff on Ebay. With a surprisingly healthy PayPal balance, I decided to treat myself to some new patterns. 

One of my favourite places to shop (online) when I have some spare cash to splash is Patterns from the Past. I find the redesigned site a little cumbersome for searching but if you have some time to browse, your efforts are likely to be rewarded.

New York 1612

Simplicity 3802

As you may recall, I'm a massive Vogue fan, mostly actual vintage era but I won't pass up a new Vintage Vogue if the price is right. Spotlight were offering all patterns at $5 each, plus members also get another 10% off which meant I scored my Vintage Vogues for $4.50 a pop! Too good.

 

Vogue V8812

The above pattern has been re-released as V8788 and is dated 1954, but looking at some of the design features, I'd say it's more like 1956. Either way it's a super cute wrap dress which needs to made ASAP.

Ebay has also been good to me in terms of bargains, which seems to be somewhat of a rarity these days. I picked up a Butterick repro & a real vintage Vogue for less than $10 each.

 

Butterick B5708

 Vogue 7505

Ahhh, so many beautiful patterns, so very little time to sew.

- Tamara

Playing Dress-Ups

I am one of those people who like to read the classifieds/auction section of the newspaper on a Saturday; you'd be amazed at the weird and wonderful things that come up for sale. A couple of weeks ago, I spied an ad for a costume company sale and made a note of it in my diary so as not to forget.

 

 

What a sale it was!! The Costume Factory in Kensington is preparing to move to another site and they are selling off a crazy amount of stuff. There are wigs, hats, shoes, theatre company and former hire costumes, a whole heap of suiting fabrics, pieces of theatre sets and even an industrial overlocker!

 

 

They were offering giant plastic shopping bags as you entered the warehouse, but I declined so as to avoid over-shopping. The prices were extremely cheap so it would have been easy far too easy to get carried away.

 

 

 

There were quite a few costumes from the J.C Williamson Company, which was formed in 1904 and controlled a network of theatres across Australia and New Zealand. They organised successful tours by Dame Nellie Melba and Anna Pavlova in the 1920s and later brought the Ballets Russes and the Bolshoi Ballet to Australia.

 

 

Australian readers will recognise this guy...

 

 

 

This lady gave me a giggle - a hat with feathers and a pair of legs sticking out the bottom. The hat she had scored was in amazing condition and one of the staff even filled her in on its history.

 

Below are my two purchases: a pair of military jackets. I had just watched 'Easy Virtue' (for the umpteenth time) - the thirties fashions in it are divine - so when I saw the white jacket, I knew I had to take it home. It was a bit grotty but I stuck in the wash when I came home and it came up a treat. Not bad for $20!  

 

 

The khaki jacket, I picked up for only $5! It's in reasonably good condition - there's a small hole in the front pocket and a few wear marks - but there's nothing that can't be repaired.

 

 

There is one more day of the sale remaining - Wednesday 12th Dec from 9.30 - 5pm - and all stock must be sold. So, if you're in Melbourne and you've some spare time tomorrow, get down to the Costume Factory at 290 Macauley Rd, Kensington and grab a bargain.

 

 

- Tamara

 

 

Be a Saver, not a Spender

As I mentioned yesterday, there weren't enough sewing related stalls at the Love Vintage Summer Show for my liking but, surprise, surprise, I still managed to buy something.

Australian Home Journal, April 1st, 1946.

The seller I purchased this April 1946 edition of the Australian Home Journal from had loads of these for sale - in varying condition and she even had multiple copies, which is almost unheard of. They all came complete with their patterns but were sealed so you couldn't get a look at the condition inside.

 

Ordinarily, I don't like to spend more than $10 on these magazines, especially if I don't get the chance to woman-handle it first, so $18 for this one was a bit excessive. But look at that dress on the left! Would you have been able to resist?

 

While the quality of the inside pages left a lot to be desired, I did happen upon a couple of lovely knitting patterns and adverts I'd like to share with you guys. 

 

 

 

 

Even though the weather here is on the improve,

I want one of these two-tone jumpers!

It's so freakin' cute!!

 

 

This is the rest of the instructions for both the blouse and jumper

should anyone out there want to knit one up.

 

 

 

 

Oh, and before I forget, this was what I wore to the Show (sans hat).

 My all time favourite dress; a Madeleine Faith design from Saks Fifth Avenue.

It cost me a small fortune but it was well worth it, it fits like it was made for me.

 

 

¡ Qué belleza!

¡ es hermoso!

- Tamara

 



 



Summer Lovin'?

I had hoped to do this post last week, but things got crazy 'round here - several unexpected visitors, evening activities and the like - and before I knew it, the week had disappeared.

 

Last weekend was the Summer edition of the Love Vintage Show, you may recall the winter show was held in mid-May. I hadn't intended on going this time, but the weather turned nasty and all outdoor plans for the weekend were abandoned. Plus, we had nothing better to do.  

 

Although I had been assured there would be more stalls at the Summer Fair, things really weren't all that different from the previous one. The sellers were all still crowded up one end of the building and there only seemed to be one or two new stalls. I don't know, maybe it's all starting to look the same. There were also some sellers who were super-protective of their merchandise with regard to taking photos - I was very nearly crash-tackled by one when I tried to snap a pic of a pretty dress! Poor form I say, it's never been a problem before.

 

Thankfully, not everyone was that militant...

 

 

An adorable take on the vintage poodle brooch by Erstwilder.

 

Gorgeous vintage inspired head wear by Dandy Long Legs.

 

More divine creations from Dandy Long Legs.

 

This compact/cigarette case combo almost makes me
 want to take up smoking, just so I can use it!

 

An original birdcage veil, still in its box.

 

A pretty green party dress. I would have liked to
have tried this beauty on, but we were on our way
out when it beckoned to me.

 

A timely reminder stationed next the change rooms.

 

While there were still lots of lovely things to look at and it was a pleasant day out, I don't think I'll bother to attend the next one. There were nowhere near enough sewing stalls!

 

- Tamara

Button Bonanza - The Bounty!

As anyone who sews knows, the right buttons can really make an outfit. I'm currently working on a 1950s coat dress and went to Buttonfest hoping to find the perfect fastenings to finish it off - unfortunately I neglected to take into account I'd need fifteen identical ones. Large quantities of vintage buttons are a rarity (apparently), but I was lucky enough to find some buttons I could work with and they were only twenty cents each!

 

While I don't really have any projects in mind for the rest of my treasures, at five cents to one dollar a piece, they were too good a bargain to leave behind. Plus, you can never have too many notions in your stash.

Can you tell I have coats & jackets on the brain?

 

 

Some random black & reds...

 

 

For some reason, the pink & brown buttons at the front

make me think of ice cream.

 

 

The holes in the blue/grey buttons have been made on an angle which means when they're sewn on, they'll sit asymmetrically. I can't wait to use them! Oh, and the green buttons on the right are carved glass and were $1 a piece! Hello, 1930s blouse? 

 

 

And lastly, my favourite find of the afternoon,

pale blue glass with gold accents.

So pretty & shiny....

 

- Tamara

 





Button Bonanza!

Last week's school holiday workshop was quite the success! We had twenty three participants and the lone male ended up being the star of the afternoon. Personally, I would have liked there to have been a bit more structure to the class, with a few quick demonstrations to get them started, but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. My group was apparently a bit too over-simulated after we'd packed up and were asked to wait outside for their parents - what did the organisers expect after feeding them biscuits and soft drink for afternoon tea?

 

 

This weekend The Victorian Button Collectors Club held their annual 'Buttonfest' event and what an event it was! This year's theme was buttons from three related eras, each with distinctive styles - Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau and Art Deco. I purely with the intention of shopping for buttons, I had no idea there would be Art Deco loveliness on display!

 

Be prepared to 'Ooooh' & 'Aahhh' over these beauties, some of them were even for sale!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can imagine, I came home with quite a haul so stayed tuned for another pic heavy post tomorrow when I share my bounty.

 

- Tamara

Wild About Wool

Readers, I've been a very bad girl these last few days; despite being on an extremely frugal budget, I've been shopping again. It wasn't intentional, when I see a 'SALE' sign I just can't help myself.

Last Friday, I made a quick trip to Spotlight to find some buttons for a 1940s blouse I'm working on. I was short on time so I made sure to divert my eyes from the clearance table. But when my button hunt was unsuccessful, I figured I could fit in a quick rummage. To my delight, it had recently been restocked and was piled high with potential treasures.

With winter coats at the forefront of my mind, I quickly glanced over the printed cottons and other light-weight fabrics left over from summer - nothing there for me. Then I spied a large roll of dark navy wool which had been reduced to $6 metre. I could make a full length coat for less than $20! Let's see what else they have...

Over in the suiting section, I found the rest of the range and it too was reduced. It was too good a bargain to not take advantage - this stuff is 80% wool and normally $20 a metre - plus The Stash could do with a bit more wool. 

I now have 1.5m of each of the hounds-tooth and brown picnic blanket weave and 2.5m of the navy for a full length coat (fingers crossed!). I bought the red & black weave back in April when they had 40%. I dislike having to pay full price for anything.

My Marc Jacobs wool was also washed over the weekend and is now lovely and soft and whispering my name. I've a couple of patterns in my collection which might work but with only 0.8m to work with I'm likely to only be able to make a bolero with long sleeves. Is that a fashion faux pas - long sleeves on a short jacket? Here's the pattern I'm considering...

Simplicity 3463.

As for the other new pieces of fabric, I've a few ideas floating around in my head but nothing that's inspiring me enough to get cutting.

My name is Tamara and I'm a fully functioning fabric addict.

Are there any others out there? Put your hands up, there's no shame in it.

- Tamara