hart + sew | Vintage Baby Clothing: July 2011

Friday, July 29, 2011

shop update: citrus colors

I am working on an update inspired by the colors of citrus! Here is what I've got listed in the shop so far... go check out the back on that cute yellow fruit top!

Follow me on twitter for real time updates.

Happy Friday friends!

Thursday, July 28, 2011

I promised you a tour of the girl's shared nursery this week, but it turns out I am still waiting for a package to arrive in the mail... but once it does come I am finished!!! Oh, it's going to feel so good to call this room done. I am really happy with how it is all coming together.

In the meantime, here is a zoomed in tour of some fun spaces...

LM's art display above her bed, hung up with clothespins on glitter ribbon. She is so proud of her art - it's a mix of what we do at home, and what she makes at a neighborhood art class she attends. There are also a few vintage French flashcards thrown in...

LM's bed. I thrifted this green gingham animal blanket when LM was a baby and she has since become very attached to it. I suppose now it has become her official baby blanket, instead of the one I made for her (which never gets used), but that's okay!

The beginnings of a ceramic animal collection in the works on top of the dresser, and a peek at one of the crib sheets I made from a vintage sheet the other week.

This Noah's ark crewel was made by my mom for my older sister's nursery in the 70's. It's one of my favorite decorations in the room.

A quiet nursing corner, and some fluffy clouds and birds above the crib.

What LM sees as she is going off to dreamland...

Vintage suitcases full of essentials - a dollhouse, a flashlight for shadow puppets, a bottle of water, puzzles, favorite bedtime books, and anything else a toddler decides is important to put in there... always a surprise to open them up!

And, it's no secret I am slightly obsessed with this rug and the colorful background it creates, but it also makes for a good hiding place... hmm, do I spy Cars undies? :)

Can't wait to show you the zoomed out version!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

little vintage style v.15

Welcome to Little Vintage Style, a place to show off your little ones wearing vintage - whether it be clothing you thrifted, bought, used to wear yourself, made using a vintage pattern or vintage fabric, we want to see! Link up every Wednesday, and make sure to click around and say hello to all of the other vintage lovin' mommas like you!

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You may recognize this week's guest host if you've been clicking around the LVS submissions every week, Corey has been participating from the beginning and her daughter always looks so cute! I'll let her take it from here...

Hello, Hart & Sew readers! I’m so excited to be hosting Little Vintage Style today! My name’s Corey Moortgat. I am a stay-at-home Mommy, wife, artist, decorator, sewer, thrift shopper, and probably lots of other things I'm forgetting right now! I have two boys, Riley (5) and Noah (4), and a daughter, Avery (almost 2). Two sweet boys, and finally a little girl to share in my passion for ruffles and dolls and shopping and all things girly!

I am a vintage-lover, and have all sorts of vintage collections, including baby planters, little girl figurines, doll clothes, doll furniture, dollhouses,….do you catch the theme here? I was so excited when Stacy started doing Little Vintage Style, because it became a place for me to showcase one of my other collections- vintage girl clothes! Avery has become my own little “doll” (at least as long as she’ll stand for it!), and is a perfect little model for all the sweet clothes!

This week, she’s wearing a sweet vintage sailor-inspired dress that I found out thrifting. I have a soft spot for this dress because it’s got a Noah’s Ark applique on it (since my son’s name is Noah). Her shoes were thrifted as well, and are the brand “Candy Coast”.

Thanks so much for having me, Stacy! I’d love it if your readers came to visit me at my blog, where I post about all my vintage treasures, my art journals, and of course my kids!

Thanks Corey! Avery definitely is a little doll!

Link up below!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

CHEEKS!

I just can't stop kissing her sweet baby cheeks (the ones on her face).

Monday, July 25, 2011

making your vintage last: fabric care

A lot of vintage clothing no longer has the original tags, or if it does there aren't any washing instructions included, so it can be a bit of a guessing game knowing how to care for it. You can easily ruin a vintage piece if you aren't sure what the fabric is, or how to wash it - unfortunately I know this from experience and it is heartbreaking!

Below are some of the most common vintage fabrics I have come across in children's clothing. I'll go over how to recognize fabric types by giving a definition and showing a picture of an example, and then tell you the recommended way to wash them so you can be confident your vintage will last.

Cotton - a natural fiber made from the cotton plant. It is a soft, breathable fabric that wrinkles and shrinks easily (although most likely your piece has already been washed and shrunk).

How to clean - vintage cotton can be hand-washed, or machine-washed on a delicate cycle in cold water. Keep in mind the age and condition of your item when making this decision. Very old clothing will not hold up to the stress of a washing machine, so hand-washing is the safest option of the two. Lay flat to dry. Iron as needed.

Polyester - a synthetic fiber that is strong and keeps its shape, therefore making it wrinkle-resistant and shrink-free. It can melt with high temperatures, and is not breathable.

How to clean - vintage polyester is quite durable and can usually be safely machine-washed and dried on low heat. You may want to turn it inside-out to prevent snags. Cool iron if needed.

Poly/Cotton Blend - a blend of cotton and polyester threads made to mix the softness of cotton, with the wrinkle-resistant property of polyester. Usually it is a blend of 65% polyester and 35% cotton.

How to wash - a blended fabric will take on the properties of the materials it is made from. Since most poly/cotton blends have a higher percentage of polyester they are fine to be washed and dried in a machine. If cotton is the higher percentage, you may want to lay flat to dry to prevent possible shrinking. Cool iron if needed.

Nylon - a synthetic fiber made to mimic silk. It is sheer, lightweight, strong, holds shape well, and is water-resistant.

How to clean - vintage nylon can be machine-washed on a delicate cycle in cold water. It shouldn't be mixed in a batch with other types of fabric. Lay flat to dry. Cool iron if needed.

Taffeta - a smooth, lustrous fabric with a slight sheen made from various fabrics such as silk, rayon, or nylon.

How to clean - vintage taffeta is most likely silk taffeta (rather than synthetic) and should never be washed in water - always dry clean! Otherwise it will shrink significantly, and when wrinkled in water it is very difficult to iron out. If you do need to iron taffeta, always iron on the wrong side of the fabric using a cool setting. Use light, circular motions and avoid leaving it in one spot too long as the fabric easily scorches.

Velveteen - a soft, thick fabric that resembles velvet with a short pile surface and smooth back. It is usually made from cotton.

How to clean - vintage velveteen should be dry cleaned since it has a tendency to dry misshaped and lose it's luster when washed. Never iron velveteen, instead put it in a steamy bathroom or over a pot of boiling water.

Acrylic - a synthetic fiber made to mimic wool. It is a soft lightweight knit that retains its shape well, but can easily pill.

How to wash - vintage acrylic can be machine-washed in cool water on a delicate cycle. Reshape and lay flat to dry. The more gentle it is handled, the less it will pill.

Other tips and tricks:

- If there is any ornamentation on your clothing such as delicate embroidery or lace work, patches, bead work, etc. always hand-wash and lay flat to dry.

- Test for color-fastness by running a little warm water over a small spot, if it runs then make sure to wash it separately.

- Never twist or wring dry vintage clothes as the fabric is in a weakened state when wet. Instead carefully roll it in a towel to press excess water out if needed.

- Put delicate items in a mesh bag, this can be a good idea to prevent dress ties from tangling together.

- Check for loose buttons before you wash an item to prevent loss.

- Make any necessary seam repairs before washing to avoid the holes getting bigger with agitation.

Did I forget anything? Add your own tips/tricks in the comments!

Coming soon - making your vintage last: stain removal.

Friday, July 22, 2011

recent thrift finds

I haven't done one of these posts in ages...mostly because I haven't been out thrifting as often as I was pre-baby. But, this week I decided to venture out to a couple of stores on my way downtown to meet my sister-in-law at the children's museum. I packed twice as many snacks as I thought I needed, lots of water, a few items I could use for bribery (LM will always behave to get her 'balls' - they are little chewable cod liver oil capsules. It's an unfortunate nickname, I know...but at least they are good for her!), and off we went!

I found this awesome chair at the first stop. Can I just tell you how comfortable it is? The design caught my eye initially, but the comfort sealed the deal. It's big and sturdy, and LM has already dubbed it her favorite chair- I think I agree. When I got it home I looked up the maker and found out they still make gorgeous chairs today. From what I can tell on the little research I've done, this was a major deal.

These little guys make me so happy! I have always wanted my own set of vintage sewing cards and I pretty much squealed when I saw these. The floral suitcase will end up in the girl's room as toy storage.

Here is a better look at the headboard I found on our last road trip. Now I am on the hunt for coordinating nightstands, new lamps, and a bedspread. Suggestions welcome, especially on the bedspread. I am stumped.

And, another thrift find I never shared but you may have spied in the girl's room is this old cradle. I was 9 months pregnant and super awkward getting this onto my cart, let me tell you how inconspicuous I felt. It's pretty big and I had to hold onto it while trying to keep a toddler from getting run over by other carts, so at one point it toppled to the ground and my heart dropped into my toes thinking it was broken. Amazingly, there wasn't even a paint chip to be swept up. Right now it serves as stuffed animal holder.

Next week I will finally have a tour of the girl's room to show you! 'Bout time.

Have you found anything fun and exciting at the thrifts lately? Do share!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

little vintage style v.14

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Upon arrival, this little number immediately made it into my top three. I snagged this sweet dress off Etsy the moment I saw it hearted (several times over, in fact) on my activity feed. Hopefully none of them were seriously planning on buying it, because I fell hard and fast for this amazing feather print and only hesitated long enough to check if LM would fit into it now, or if I would have to wait until Lark grew into it later - either way it was going in my cart.

If there is one thing I have learned since diving into the vintage clothing world, it's when you see something that makes your heart all-a-flutter and produces an audible *gasp* on air intake - buy it! It's not going to last for long, and you'll never see it again (although you might see the fabric somewhere unexpected!).

Okay... excuse me while I wipe the drool off my face....

This day we drove up to my mom's health food store to steal her away from work early and hang out while using her serger to make crib sheets. LM fell asleep in the car on the way, and we are currently in the 'extremely grumpy when woken up mid-nap' toddler stage, so I was not looking forward to her reaction when we pulled up. I quietly spoke to her in a gentle voice, and she groggily looked around until she recognized the place. After a short pause, instead of crying and whining, much to my relief she excitedly yelled, "This is where the ice cream lives!!!"

Yes, yes it does (except, it's really organic tart frozen yogurt). (and is the reason she was so cooperative for these pictures). (mmm mmm).

LM wore: vintage dress - etsy, jeggings (in a size too small, and thus too short) - Target, shoes (that she will probably be wearing every time) - Saltwater sandals

Have you ever had that heart-fluttering feeling? What was it for, and did you end up buying it?

Next week I have another adorable little guest stopping by for you to meet. Until then, link up your cuties below!

Monday, July 18, 2011

one year ago...

I finally got my roll of diana film developed from last summer. These pictures were taken on LM's 2nd birthday at the beach in San Diego. I was barely pregnant with Lark and it was our first official family road trip. I remember she was making us dance with her like in the last picture and laughing, laughing, laughing. She still makes us do silly dances.

Only a few more weeks until it's her birthday again...my how time flies.