This bib necklace is made up of mostly recycled materials. I found the leather at Fabricland. It was leftover from various projects (nice to see them recycling!). The necklace is mine and has been broken for a while which I guess is the positive side of buying cheap jewelry – re-purposing!
Instructions
- Cut out your base fabric that you will attach everything to. I recommend using a heavier fabric like denim or leather so it will hold it’s shape.
- Cut slits and add rings to the ends for your closure. I chose a ribbon but you can use chains or whatever you have lying around.
- Play around with layout. This was the most challenging part and I’m not sure if I feel I’m successful yet but I’m getting there with my picasso-crazy layout.
You’re done! Super easy! I would love to hear your thoughts or what you would do differently.
Sorry for the delay in posting this DIY. It’s a been crazy-hectic week!
Categories: Blog
Russ Martin is an amazing person, great journalist and always manages to entertain. So I was very excited when he said he would fill out my vintage questionnaire. Below you will find his hilarious and interesting accounts with vintage clothing including his fascination with Chloe Sevigny and her overalls. Get a regular dose of Russ’s personality at his site, Close Your Eyes.
What draws you to shop for Vintage?
Growing up in southern Manitoba, shopping vintage was a necessity, not a hobby. It was either the MCC thrift shop across from the grocery store, or the Gap. Back then we still called clothing “used”, thinking vintage was a word our parents used to describe wine. Years later sifting through second hand shops is still cheaper, easier, and more fun than boutiques or the mall. You never end up in that same sweater everyone has from H&M.
When did you first shop in a vintage store? Do you remember your first buy?
See above. Don’t remember the first—something in grade school my mom picked up at Value Village for me, I’m sure.
What is your best Vintage find?
A 1980s Harley Davidson motorcycle jacket (pictured above), which I wear through warm weather, rain or shine. Leather jackets are easy to find at thrift shops, but to find a biker jacket in my small size you usually have to look at vintage boutiques. I found this one at Hooper’s in Winnipeg while I was home for Christmas vacation last year. It fits like a glove when I wear it I can’t help feeling a bit like a Ramone.
Everyone seems to be addicted to certain vintage accessories or garments? What vintage items are you obsessed with?
High-waisted men’s trousers. These are easy to find and simple to work into a wardrobe—I have a pair in almost every colour. My standard uniform right now is a pair of vintage trousers matched with a fast-fashion printed dress shirt, buttoned to the neck.
Right now, what era does your style fit into? What are your favourite trends from this time?
Last autumn I joked my style for the season was 1950s academia, which meant lots of sweater-vests and an occasional argyle or houndstooth print. Lately I’d say I look like the only gay banker in small-town-somewhere, circa 1963.
Is there a vintage accessory or garment that you crave/are looking for?
Right now I have my eye out for the perfect pair of sweats. Usually I steal the ones my dad buys out of the Sears catalogue, but after seeing so many sweats on the runway this season, I’m looking for a pair made of an interesting, comfortable material I can have a friend re-work to a more tightly tailored harem. Too much?
When you go vintage shopping do you have a vintage buddy or prefer shopping alone? What is your vintage shopping process?
The cardinal rule is: go together, shop alone. Two sets of eyes are better than one, but hit the racks alone so you never have to argue over an item. I have a set of vintage buddies and we all are always on the hunt for stuff in each other’s style. The best vintage pieces I own weren’t my own finding, they all come from friends who saw the clothes and thought of me.
If you could steal anyone’s style from the past whose would it be?
Chloe Sevigny back before Kids in the early nineties, when she was a Sassy intern and the coolest girl in the rave scene in Manhattan. For years now I’ve been trying to convince my friends to let me wear overalls, just like Chloe did.
Was there a tv show or celebrity/musician from your childhood who influenced your early style?
When I was a teenager I fell hard for Conor Oberst and wore striped sweaters for an entire year.
Do you own anything that you want to pass down?
Not yet—but I did recently rescue a pair of my mum’s tights from the eighties from my parents’ house. They are loud, bright, and busy, kind of like a print by Jeremy Scott.
Is there anything that you have inherited from a family member?
My grandfather—Russel Morden—passed a whole pile of clothes to me (along with a name). Luckily we’re almost the same size, so I’ve got some great suits along with my favourite pair of well-worn Wranglers, which I’m told qualify as “boyfriend jeans”.
Do you have a favourite vintage store? If you shop online where do shop for vintage?
Hands down Double Take. I’m convinced there is someone who lives in Cabbagetown who shares my size and style. I’ve found racks full of similarly sized and styled garments all in a single run. It’s my dream to catch him as he’s dropping off a bag and offer cash for everything he tosses out—if all those size 28” pants do belong to him, I want each and every pair.
What is your most memorable vintage item/story?
In my senior year of high school I worked at Value Village. We had a handful of regulars who would wait for the doors to open each morning and spend the day making the rounds. But my favourite was a silver-haired elderly woman we called Armani Lady. She’s the best vintage shopper I’ve ever met and would comb through every item in the store repeatedly until she found some sort of designer good.
Thanks Russ!
Do you know someone else that has great vintage stories and would like to be featured? Email me at kaitlin@myvintagesecret.com
I finally found the time to post the instructions. Sorry! I’ve been blog-bad… if that’s a phrase. Here is the full post on how to add lace yokes to a dress shirt!
The Final Result
The Instructions
- Cut off sleeves, fold under and sew. You can also leave this unfinished for a more raw look
- Decide where you would like to crop the shirt. I also finished this by turning up the raw ends and sewing and if you decide to do that too make sure you compensate for it. So if you’re going to finish it you’ll probably turn the ends up about 1/2″ so cut it a 1/2″ longer.
- Decide where you want the yokes and the style. I did a “sweetheart” style but marked where the yokes would come to so I wouldn’t reveal too much IF you know what I mean…
- Cut out your yokes. To make it easier just cut to the shoulder seam and the armhole seam and to the buttonhole placket (center). Don’t cut into the entire sleeve-hole. See the pictures below for reference.
- I wanted this to be quick and easy so I sewed the lace directly on. From the “right side” (the side that shows) I pinned the lace underneath the dress shirt so I could easily sew right around.
- Using the width of my presser foot (1/4″) as a guide, I sewed all around the lace applique attaching it from the right side.
- You’re done! Quick and easy!
The Gallery
I hope you enjoyed this DIY!
Categories: Blog, Do It Yourself
Hi Everyone! I hope you all had a nice long weekend! I’m back to the grind. The last few weeks of school are the busiest and worst – there are some stress-eating in my future. I thought I would leave you with some photos my friend Char took of me featuring some of my vintage finds.
Clothing Credits:
Blouse: $4 Double Take Thrift Store
Shorts: $10 Value Village – I altered these, they were pants but I cut them off and put a fake cuff on them.
Shoes: $7 Value Village
Categories: Blog
Cryssi from Get Craftee liked my DIYs and asked me to guest blog for her! Her amazing site just launched and will probably become your new craft destination! Check out Get Craftee to see how I made this T-shirt!
Categories: Blog
Lace! Whenever I think of lace I remember that crazy outfit Britney Spears wore a few years ago and I’ve been kind of turned off of the fabric (yes it’s a weird association, lace=Britney, but that’s just how my crazy mind works). Lately however, after a few vintage lace tops I’ve come to love the fabric and decided to play around with it for my DIYs. Here is a t-shirt that I added lace strips to. I hope you like it!
Materials
- Boring t-shirt
- lace strips
- sewing machine/hand-sewing skills
Instructions
- Cut off sleeves. This really depends on the placement of your lace inserts, if you want it below the sleeves you don’t have to take them off.
- Decide where to place your inserts and make t-shirt incisions… and measure unlike me (I had to go in and fix my crooked cuts).
- I wanted to sew the strips on top of the t-shirt so I placed them on top of the incisions to measure how long the strips should be
- Cut the strips and sew together at ends
- Attach the strips to the t-shirt. Place them on top of the shirt and sew straight on.
Gallery
I think everyone has funny associations with certain fabrics. What comes to mind when you think of lace?
Categories: Blog, Do It Yourself
Altering clothing is always a bit tricky. There’s a 50/50 chance your final result can end up looking like a five-year-old got scissor happy, or with some little planning and a little luck, end up with something you will actually wear, like my floral dress. When I found this dress/wrap/thing at Value Village I loved the body of the dress but the sleeves and shoulder pads made me look voluminous so they had to go. After wrestling with the idea of alteration and visualizing my ideal end result, I decided to go for it. Hopefully I could resurrect this weird/cool garment with a few minor changes.
I took off the sleeves with a stitch ripper at the seams, and used a zig-zag stitch on the edge to prevent the woven fabric from fraying. I then turned the edge of the armhole under and sewed a 1/4 seam allowance. This is the end result and I’m really happy with it! The weather just needs to cooperate so I can take this dress/wrap/thing out into daylight.
Before
After
Thanks Mom and Dad for the Value Village gift certificates! They’re the perfect birthday gift… even though I know you secretly think I’m weird for requesting them.
I would love to hear what you think or if you would’ve altered it differently. Let’s hear your thoughts!
Categories: Blog, Do It Yourself, Toronto Vintage
After two miserable days of rain the sun is out again so I have been inspired to start adding my spring and summer items to my store! Here is a sneak peek at some fun shorts that will be up tonight.
I have some cute jumpers that I am excited to post too so keep checking back!
Categories: Blog
The Idea
A pocket actually – singular. I tested out several different titles for this post but gave up once I realized there’s no way to make it sound interesting… just weird. Don’t leave! I know simply adding a pocket sounds like a strange do-it-yourself project, but it’s a seriously easy way to jazz up a t-shirt! I have actually been thinking of this project a while (yes, I do some seriously pocket pondering) but haven’t found the right combo until now. I used some recycled leather from when I made shorts out of pants (always keep your scraps, especially leather!) and a plain over-sized black t-shirt that I modified. I hope you like my latest project!
The Materials
- Boring Tshirt: Thrift stores have great ones
- A Pocket… or fabric you would like to make into a pocket
The How-To
- The first thing I did, which may not be necessary in all cases, is modify my t-shirt. I cut off the sleeves and cropped it to my desired length.
- Play around with pocket placement – this is trickier than you think!
- Sew the pocket straight on your t-shirt! When selecting your shirt and pocket/fabric think about how the fabrics will react with one another. The leather that I used is a bit heavy and if the t-shirt wasn’t a thicker, sturdy, fabric I would’ve torn a hole right through it.
- Voila!
Cost of DIY: $7
Gallery
Don’t have a sewing machine? Get creative! To attach pockets think of other fasteners you can use such as simple studs, cool buttons or a hundred safety pins. Hand sewing is also an option (and really relaxing) and there are tons of tutorials available.
Other ideas I had for pockets were using some made of lace or with floral patterns which I still may try. Do you have any fun and easy ways that you like to update a plain shirt?
Categories: Blog, Do It Yourself
Every time I find an online vintage store, whether independent, on Etsy, or from Ebay I write it down (ie. copy and paste the link – who writes things down anymore? Although I do miss post-its…) I’ve accumulated so many I thought I would share some with you. Take a break to check out these amazing shops found at your fingertips.
Independent
Spanish Moss Vintage
Pure Awesomeness. Spanish Moss has much to offer from vintage to new items and their super cool blog. This classic Rolling Stones Tee is just a sample of their hot collection of vintage.
Bleubird Vintage
Bleubird Vintage is fun for the whole family! This shop carries clothing and accessories for “Lady Bird”, “Mister Bird” and “Little Bird” like the adorable skates below!
Etsy
James Rowland
Best vintage shoes ever. That’s all you need to know.
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