Things I Didn’t Buy 28

I saw a few lunchboxes that were a blast from the past. First, a New Kids on the Block lunchbox…the cartoon version of them.

A Popples lunchbox. I have vague memories of this cartoon (basically that the characters could make themselves into balls). But when I see the characters now, all I can think is: those characters are ugly.

A Strawberry Shortcake lunchbox.

At a thrift shop, I saw Star Wars framed art that a kid must have drawn. It was kind of endearing. This is the first one.

And here’s the second one.

Flashback to the 1980s (and 1990s) Estate Sale: Tops

I don’t think I bought any tops Saturday at the estate sale, so on Sunday I really stocked up. Somehow I’d overlooked certain areas of the store so when I stumbled upon the previously unseen garments, I grabbed a whole lot of stuff. I didn’t bother too much with the size because I figured I could probably alter them to be smaller if I needed to. Some blouses I’m not very excited about and others I loved once I tried them on.

White bow blouse. (Top photo) This is one of my favorite tops that I bought. It didn’t look particularly special on the hanger, but when I put it on I immediately loved it. It fit me and draped beautifully. I love the pleated detail and the feminine bow.

Sleeveless black silk top. I love the pleated detail at the neckline. It has covered buttons down the back. It’s just very simple and elegant.

Sheer top with beaded shoulders. I unexpectedly liked this top (unexpectedly because I’m not really into beading). I saw it on Saturday and put it to the side thinking, “When am I going to wear this?” But on Sunday it was still there and I was still drawn to it so I bought it. It fits well and I think it’s cute. Some of the beads have gotten loose, so it will need to be mended.

Off-white blouse. (Left) It’s not the most exciting blouse.

Off-white flower pattern blouse. (Right) I was on the fence on getting this blouse (I swear my grandmother had this exact same blouse…).

White high collar blouse. (Left) It wasn’t really exciting-looking on the hanger…or on me. It’s too big.

Cotton pleated shirt with buttons down the back. (Right) This fits very strangely. It’s loose in the body and tight in the sleeves. When I look at I just feel like I’m an extra in Anne of Green Gables.

Blue and white stripe button down shirt. (Left) I like that the sleeves have that optional button if you want to role it up.

Blue shirt with pleated trim. (Right) I thought the pleats along the front and neckline were kind of interesting; the shirt is way to big for me though.

Sheer gray blouse. (Left) It has buttons along the shoulder and some frilliness at the collar.

White top with pink and blue trim. (Right) I bought this on a whim; I knew it was super 80s, but I still thought it was interesting. (I think I was channeling my inner Molly Ringwald.) Not sure I’d ever wear it…

Red short blouse. (Left) I like the pleating down the front and the wider neckline. It fits well and I think it would work well with skirts.

Red silk tie blouse. (Right) This blouse is a bit large on me…

Pink silk top. (Left) I like this simple top and it fits well.

Cobalt blue blouse. (Right) I like the blue color but the fit isn’t very great.

I love getting a good deal and I think I spent a grand total of $7.50 for these 15 tops.

Flashback to the 1980s (and 1990s) Estate Sale: Skirts and Dresses

While I photographed many of the estate sale items on me, I didn’t for some of them because it was either to large or small for me; or because of the hanger it’d been on. Some of the hangers (for dresses and blouses) had those sponge strips on them (so they’re less likely to slip off the hanger). Well, after however many years these items had been sitting around, the sponge had rather disintegrated; it became a dust that went everywhere. It made everything feel grimy and disgusting, so I couldn’t bear to try them on until they’re washed.

I got a lot of skirts; they’re older so they tend to be longer—about mid-shin.

Purple wool polyester skirt. (Top photo) I love the deep purple of this skirt and I like the pleating. (I wished it was lined, but for 50 cents, who cares?)

Black polyester wool skirt with slit in the front. I didn’t think I would like this skirt as much as I do, but I think the fit is pretty good.

Gray wool skirt. It’s a fairly loose fitting skirt; the best part about it is the pockets.

Navy blue skirt. It’s a simple skirt and a nice color.

Gray pleated skirt. I really like the pleats in the front and I like the lightweight material it’s made of. It has pockets too (which is always a plus). It’s one of my favorite new skirts.

Olive green wool culottes. I’m not really a culottes person (or an olive green person), and this pair is large on me, but worst-case-scenario I got some quality material to use.

Red button-down wool skirt. This isn’t the cutest skirt (I’m not a fan of the waist with the belt loops). I like the color; maybe it can be altered into a short skirt.

And then here’s five skirts that didn’t fit me. Red skirt: wool nylon. Gray skirt: wool polyester. Dark gray skirt: wool polyester. Light blue skirt: wool. Black and white skirt: wool viscose.

And while not photographed, I also got two slips that still had the tags on them; truthfully I’m not sure what all I can wear them with since they’re fairly long slips (below the knee).

Next, I got some dresses.

Blue plaid polyester shirt and skirt. I was on the fence on getting this outfit… It’s not my favorite piece (but for whatever reason I thought it was kind of interesting); I have yet to try it on so I have no idea what the fit will be like.

Blue silk dress. This dress has sun damage along the shoulders. Really I bought this dress thinking I’d either make it into a skirt or tear it up for the fabric.

Red silk shirt-dress. This is a very simple dress. It does have a small hole in it (maybe the hanger poked it?), so that will need to be fixed.

Blush silk dress. The shape of the dress is fairly simple; it has a tie to bring it in at the waist. I like the covered buttons that go down the back of the dress. I am not a fan of the sleeves or the beaded shoulders. While I can appreciate the workmanship it may take to create the beaded detail, I can’t see myself wearing this as-is…ever. It’s so 80s—like what you might see on Dynasty. I thought I could just use the fabric for something.

I think I got all my skirts and dresses for around $10. Pretty great deal.

Flashback to the 1980s (and 1990s) Estate Sale: Jackets

So I bought more clothes than I’ll ever need at this estate sale. I just couldn’t stop myself. I sort of restrained myself on Saturday when clothing was $1 a piece, but when it became 50 cents the next day, I kind of went overboard. I thought, “When else am I ever going to get clothes this cheap?” If I can wear it as-is great, but I could also tear it up and use the material. At worst, I’ll donate the items I don’t want to a local thrift shop.

It took quite a bit of effort to try anything on. I dragged my pile of clothing to an available mirror in the store and tried them on. It doesn’t sound like much work, but the room was pretty warm and some of the clothes were a bit grimy. I basically felt gross so I wanted to try on as few items as possible. I really only tried on jackets since they were easy slip in and out of; I didn’t bother trying on the skirts and blouses because I think they would be easier to alter or tear up for material.

Here are the nine coats and jackets and I got for under $10.

Short black wool jacket. (Top photo) This is my favorite jacket. The fit is pretty good (perhaps a smidge large, but still fairly good). I love the simple collar and the short length that I think would work well with skirts.

Reversible tan and black coat with a tie; mid-shin length. (Left) It’s a lightweight coat that would be good for spring and fall. I like the simplicity of it; it’s unfortunately a bit large on me.

Tan mid-shin length coat. (Right) Although I like the collar and sleeves, I wish it came in at the waist (I could probably add a waist tie). And it’s annoying that the sleeves are a bit short of me.

Blue mid-shin length coat. (Left) The stitching detail at the collar and wrists feels rather dated, but I do like the overall shape of the jacket.

Blue jacket (part of a suit with a skirt); made of polyester, acrylic and wool. (Right) I initially thought the pocket detail was rather interesting. The jacket feels a bit big and the skirt is a bit small.

Tan jacket; made of wool and polyester. (Left) I don’t really wear a lot of browns, but I do like the coloring of this jacket; it’s a good neutral.

Camel jacket; 100% camel hair. (Right) I generally avoid this color, and the jacket is unfortunately large on me, but I love the way the material feels—it’s so soft.

Gray button down jacket; 100% wool. (Left) This is also a suit that has a matching skirt that’s too small. The jacket isn’t as fitted as I would like, but I like the style of it; it feels very 1940’s to me.

Gray jacket; made of wool, acrylic, rayon and nylon. (Right) Good neutral color. I like the cut of this jacket.

Flashback to the 1980s (and 1990s) Estate Sale: Fabrics

I went to the most amazing estate sale the other weekend that was the liquidation of a fabric store and returned Nordstrom clothes from the 1980s and 1990s. On Saturday I went with a friend and we were there for about three hours, and then on Sunday I went with my mom and we were there for about two hours. It really did take up a large part of my weekend because there was just so much to look at.

On one side of the store was the fabric section; bolts of fabric were $5, trimmings were $3 and zippers were two for $1. On the other side of the store was the Nordstrom clothing for $1 per item. The clothes were in excellent condition (some of them still had the tags on them). There were skirts, blouses, dresses, coats, pants, swimsuits, shorts, sweaters and belts. It was clothing from back in the day (and Nordstrom clothing), so there were many garments made from higher quality materials (like wool and silk).

I thought I bought a lot of stuff on Saturday, but on Sunday I bought even more stuff because everything was 50% off. Over the course of two days, I ended up buying 7 bolts of fabric, 8 lace trimmings and 42 clothing items. The grand total was $64.

I’ll share the fabric items I bought this post and share the clothes in other posts.

By the time my friend and I arrived on Saturday, the sale had been going on for an hour and there was already a long line to check out. People had bolts of fabric in their hands, so I’m sure many of the better fabrics (and colors) and been picked over by the time I looked at them. And while there was still a lot of fabric to choose from, much of it didn’t interest me. Some of the fabric was scratchy or I didn’t like the colors or the patterns were too frumpy.

On Saturday I bought these three bolts of fabric. I got a thick gray wool nylon polyester blend. I also got an olive green wool nylon blend; I’ve never really been into this shade of green before but I thought maybe I could use it (it’s sort of a military “neutral” green). The last fabric I got was a light blue 100% cotton fabric that had an interesting woven pattern; it’s probably rather old since it was made in the U.S.

On Sunday, I was a bit less discriminating since it was $2.50 a bolt. I got this cotton star pattern fabric (that I’d almost bought the previous day but didn’t quite like it enough for $5). I got this 100% wool green and gray plaid (I’m not really into green much, but it was so cheap and the fabric felt nice). I got this red and white bottom weight fabric and this teal lining material that I thought was okay.

Finally, I got lace. I like lace…sometimes. Lace is one of those items that can look really elegant or really trashy depending on how you use it. I’m also not excited about lace when it becomes too girly. So I’ve never bought lace trimming before because I’ve never felt the need to use it and didn’t want the pay for it by the yard (because it can be expensive). So I thought this is my chance to stock up and get it for cheap—and maybe I’ll use it…someday.

So I spent $25 for the fabric and $13.50 for the lace for a grand total of $38.50. Pretty great deal. 

17 Patterns for $3

I think I’m addicted to buying sewing patterns. I went to two thrift shops (that I usually don’t frequent but happened to be in the area) and was on the lookout for clothing, but instead I found more sewing patterns. Most of the patterns at both stores were from the 1970s to the 1990s.

The first thrift shop I went to was a local one, and I like it quite a bit because it’s rather large and it’s cheaper than most other thrift shops in the area. It’s fairly relaxed and the type of thrift store where bargaining is more apt to occur. The patterns I stumbled upon weren’t marked with a price, so I picked out 14 patterns that I liked (to varying degrees) and if they wanted more than I wanted to spend then I’d just pick out my favorites to buy. However, when I asked the cashier how much the patterns were, he said “50 cents.” I asked, “For all of them?” (Since it was unclear to me if he meant the price for the patterns individually or all together). And he replied, “Uh, sure.” I decided to pay him a dollar. I almost felt bad that I got so many patterns for such a small price.

Here are the sewing patterns I got there, from oldest to newest.

First up is a dress pattern that I couldn’t find a date on, but looking at the packaging, it’s obviously from the 1970s. I liked this cute simple flowing dress that’s reminiscent of one from the 1940s.

Next up is a vest, skirt and pant pattern from 1974. I like the pocket detail of fabric that flips out.

This simple dress pattern is from 1976. It looks like a pretty easy dress to make.

The next pattern is a shirt, pants and reversible vest and back-wrap skirt from 1976. The reversible skirt could be a fun project to try to make.

This is a simple shirt-dress pattern from 1979.

The name “E.S.P. makes me laugh. And the red periods in the acronym confuses me—why are they red? Are the periods special in some way I don’t know about? These are questions the designer side of me is just wondering…

A very simple dress pattern from 1981; I like these basic dresses that would be so easy to make (as the “’Make it Tonight’ Wear it Tomorrow!” name implies).

A jumpsuit pattern from 1983. I’m not a jumpsuit person. I don’t think I’ve ever owned or worn one. And I wouldn’t make this one. But I kind of like the top half and think could see it being used in a dress…

And on a side note, at the bottom it has “Overnight Success” on it, which is not unlike its competitor McCall’s “’Make it Tonight’ Wear it Tomorrow!” When I see these lines, I envision people in the 80’s thinking, “What should I wear tomorrow? Hmm, I know! I’ll just whip out an outfit from one of these patterns.” [Pause.] I guess they still have these quickie patterns today, but they just call them better names, like the generic “easy-to-sew” (with no time constraint because really, for many of us, finishing a dress in a day just isn’t very realistic). 

Next is one of those ladylike blouses from the 1980s that I like; this one is from 1984. I like the simple blouse number 2.

This dress pattern is from 1986. I like dress number 3. I think it could be a cute summer dress. I do not like the sleeves on these dresses.

A dress and jumpsuit pattern from 1989. I think dress A is cute; it’s simple enough that it’s pretty timeless. But that jumpsuit. [Pause.] Wow. It’s just so terrible. When I look at it, all I can think is “Hammer time.”

Simple pullover top pattern from 1991. It’s not a pattern I was particularly excited about, but I figured it could be a good basic pattern to have.

This dress pattern is from 1992. I hate the sleeves. Not super excited about the elastic waist. But I like the concealed buttons that go down the front of the dress.

Next is a dress and jumpsuit pattern from 1992. Man, this is so 90’s. I think if I took off the sleeves, the dress might be cute.

Finally, another ladylike blouse pattern; this one’s from 1992. I like C blouse.

At the second thrift shop, the patterns were more expensive, ranging from 69 cents to $6.99. I picked out three 69 cent patterns for a grand total of $2.07.

First up is a dress and vest pattern from 1973. I think the dress is adorable and would totally make it.

Next is an unlined raincoat and hat pattern from 1978. I’m not sure that I would ever make this jacket, but it is interesting to me.

And finally, a jacket, blouse, skirt and pants pattern (that I couldn’t find the year on). I really like these pieces; they’re simple and elegant. I mean, even the drawings look sophisticated. My favorite piece is the jacket that’s just so classic.

I know I don’t need any more patterns, but I find them so interesting. Hopefully I won’t find any more patterns for a while. On the rationalized upside, if I’m going to be stockpiling sewing supplies, buying used patterns is much cheaper than buying fabric…

Vintage Sewing Patterns

Previously I shared about the cool vintage stuff I picked up and here’s the rest of what I got: sewing patterns. They had tons of old sewing patterns (maybe around 100 of them that I probably could have bought for practically nothing since they were trying to get rid of them). But because I don’t need more patterns (and don’t really have room for too many more), I selected my favorites (whether it was because the cute pictures on the front or a desire to actually make the clothes). I got a total of 11 patterns; some have already been cut out and some are still uncut.

Most of the patterns span from the 1960s to the 1980s. To me, it was interesting to see the similarities and differences between the older and newer patterns. The older patterns don’t contain multiple sizes—you get the one size you need. And perhaps there are fewer design options within the pattern itself.

Also, it’s interesting to see how the sizes have changed over time. In the oldest pattern I got (from 1965), a size 12’s measurements are: Bust 32, Waist 25 and Hip 34. However, in a pattern that was made 1983, a size 12’s measurements are: Bust 34, Waist 26.5 and Hip 36. This is almost the size of a 1965’s size 14’s measurements (except the waist is a 26).

I’m going to start from the oldest pattern. First up is this cute coat from 1965. I thought it was a dress at first, but no, it’s a coat.

Next is this loose dress from 1967. Truthfully I’m not really into dresses that lack a waist, but I do love the mandarin collar and the buttons that go down the front.

This scallop dress is from 1968. It looks like a very simple dress to make (and it ought to be since it’s a “How to Sew” pattern).

This shirt pattern is from 1968. It’s not terribly exciting looking…it’s just a button down shirt. I thought I’d throw it in my pile of patterns to buy because the drawings were kind of cute.

This pattern has a short and long skirt, very voluminous pants and a very 70s shirt (just look at that collar); it’s from 1969.

This knit skirt and shirt pattern is from 1972. I think the drawings are adorable; I especially like the girl with the purple scarf.

A simple dress pattern from 1981. I’m not excited about that pink polka dot dress, but I think the gray drawing of the dress is quite lovely.

This dress and jacket pattern is from 1983. That jacket is pretty terrible—it doesn’t look like it fits the model at all. And those dress sleeves…well it was the 80’s. But I think the red dress on the drawing is cute and looks fairly contemporary.

Next up is the blouse pattern from 1986 (that I think screams Designing Women). It’s so 80’s. It seems a bit too voluminous in the body, but I admit, I like these types of lady-like blouses. I would totally wear “A” blouse.

This is the newest pattern I have from 2002. I probably didn’t need to get it. I thought the pants were kind of cute, but I’m not sure I’d ever make them. They lack a waistband, it’s just elastic…

Finally, I could not find the date on this pattern, but it looks like it from the 1980s. I think the dress is cute…and I’m a sucker for pockets.

I felt like I totally scored on these patterns that I spent a couple of dollars on. Most of them are around my size (although I might have to make some adjustments on them). There’s definitely a couple I’d like to try to make.