Thrifted for $3.72

I bought three sewing patterns for a quarter each. The first is this 1970s dress pattern. I thought the cut of the dress was nice; I liked the shorter dress and thought it would be cute without the lace (the lace just brings it to a girly level that’s just too much for me).

I got this 1980s dress pattern that looks very simple. I like easy-to-sew garments because I’m more likely to actually try to sew them.

And I got this coat pattern from the early 2000s. I got it specifically for the middle coat (as I do not like the oversized collar on the other two coats). I had a specific mission to try to find a very simple straight jacket, and I thought that with a couple of adjustments, I could make this pattern work for me.

I also got three cds for 99 cents each. I bought Oasis’ What’s the Story Morning Glory?, Poe’s Hello and Duran Duran’s Greatest.

Thrifted for $5.22

For $3.41. I bought this blue Adidas jacket.

I got this cool vintage travel book. And a garment bag that wasn’t interesting enough to photograph.

For $1.31, I got this cute white and navy sailor dress. It’s super simple but I like the detail around the neck. The one downside is that it’s a bit long in the bodice—as though it was made for someone much taller than me. So I think I’ll have to alter it in order to wear it.

I also got this blue with black trim Express top. It’s very simple. I liked the color and the rolled-up sleeves.

And I got two cds, Sheryl Crow and No. 1 Hit Mix for 50 cents. The No. 1 Hit Mix cd has an interesting array of songs—about half I like—like Jon Secada’s “Just Another Day Without You” and P.M. Dawn’s “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss.” There are some great 1990s songs on the cd—and I’m not going to lie, I enjoy Right Said Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy” and Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back.” They’re utterly silly, and while I would never have paid full price for them back in the day when they were new, I will enjoy them now (along with the other songs here) for a quarter.

Things I Didn’t Buy 71

I really liked this 1950s dress pattern. Sooooo cute. I love the way they worked the red stripe dress and the navy dress is so adorable.

This 1950s dress and jacket was pretty nice.

I liked this 1960s simple top and skirt pattern as well.

This 1970s long robe is awesome (although I could do without the lace trim).

These 1970s separates were nice.

Finally, this 1970s wedding dress is fantastic. I love the sleeves, the high collar and the buttons down the front. The bridesmaid’s dress I mostly like—I’m just not a fan of that collar.

Two Dresses

I went thrift shopping and bought two cute dresses that were $28 each. It was a big spending day for me, since I can’t remember the last time I spent that much for an article of clothing. But…I just couldn’t resist.

The first dress is this awesome 1950s dress that’s in pretty good condition. I love everything about it. I like the little details—like the little white collar, the small gold buttons, the triangular bit of fabric under the buttons, and the gathering in the skirt. It’s a fairly long dress, stopping around mid-shin. And the teal color is just so pretty. I really appreciate the craftsmanship of this dress.

The second dress seems newer; I’m not sure when it was made, but it was made in the U.S.A, so my guess is it’s a couple decades old. I really liked the pattern on this dress—kind of southwestern. There was a time I was against wearing patterns, but I’ve gravitated towards them in more recent years. The elastic waistband is nice because it makes the dress comfortable (and forgiving). I also love that this dress has pockets—I looooove pockets.

The one small downside is I think this dress is probably a little too big for me. I think the shoulders are maybe about half an each to wide, and maybe the waist is a little low on me. It’s not a huge deal (and I doubt anyone will really notice).

Thrifted for $6.57

I got this Brooks Brothers navy dress for $4.50. I didn’t need another navy dress—but it fit well and I liked the cut of it. It has a 1940s utilitarian feel to it that I liked. It’s comfortable and it has pockets!
 

I also bought six Corning mugs for $2.07. I just like the simplicity and durability of these mugs.

Navy Dress

I've sewn a raspberry version of this dress some years ago. I remember it being fairly simple to make, so I thought I'd make it again. My new navy version of this dress turned out…okay. I admit, I didn't go back and try to recall what I did on the raspberry version of the dress, and I pretty much made the same mistakes as I did before. [Sigh.]

The first error is that the skirt and bodice seams don't align properly in the back—it's about a quarter of an inch off when I zip it up. Which is why it's good to wear a belt or sash over my mistake.

The second error is that dress was too loose in the bodice. So after the dress was sewn, I just sewed the sides in. I know it's super sloppy, but I didn't want to undo everything because I'm lazy. So the dress fits a bit better than it did before, and I can and will wear it, but the craftsmanship on this dress isn't particularly good.

Thrifted for $3.97

I bought a few things at a pay-by-pound thrift shop. The glassware came to $0.86 and the clothing came to $3.11. First up, these cute Asian teacups.

Next up, what looks to be cups for sugar and milk for serving tea. Truthfully, I’m not sure if I’ll use these—but I bought them anyway.

I liked this Jones New York sleeveless sweater. I thought the pattern and colors were interesting. The only downside is that it’s probably a little too big for me.

I also got this pink polyester shirt that to me feels like it’s from the 1970s. I noticed after buying it there were a couple tiny stains that I’ll have to see if I can get out.

Finally, I got this vintage grass green dress that is also is too big (there’s too much room in the bodice area). I’m not crazy about the color and I don’t know if I will wear or even keep this dress. But it was so interesting. Simple, but I really liked the design detail on the sleeves.

Things I Didn’t Buy 53

I really liked this dress from the 1960s.

These pants and tops from the 1970s are interesting—I really like the white top.

I liked this dress from the 1970s, although it may be slightly too Little House on the Prairie for me.

I liked the dress quite a bit, and it looks fairly comfortable.

Finally, I liked this Asian-inspired dress from the 1980s.

Things I Didn’t Buy 49

These sewing patterns all appear to be from the 1960s. This suit is very cute—very Jackie O.

This dress and coat are nice.

And I liked this suit and cape.

A more summery dress and jacket.

I liked the buttons on the back of this dress.

And these are nice and simple dresses.

Things I Didn’t Buy 46

I love this 1950s dress. It would take a lot of fabric to make this dress—the skirt has a lot of pleats in it.

This 1950s dress is pretty cute.

I liked the full skirt on this 1950s skirt pattern.

These 1960s tops are nice and simple.

And I liked these 1960s tops as well.

Finally, this 1960s top, skirt and jacket are quite nice.

Bright Geometric Pullover Dress

I’ve made this pullover dress before—it was an easy dress to make and had wanted to make another one for quite some time. I finally got around to it. Since the pattern is so simple, I thought a more interesting fabric would be nice to use. For the bodice, I decided on using a bright geometric fabric that I got at a thrift store. For me, a little pattern goes a long way, so I picked a plain black crepe fabric I had in my fabric stash for the skirt portion to balance things out.

I didn’t run into any problems sewing the dress. But I’ll admit that I was too lazy to fix the seams where the pattern doesn’t meet itself properly. It was my intention to do it right, but I wasn’t paying too much attention when I was pinning the fabric together and sewing it. I realized my mistake after the fact, and truthfully didn’t care that much. I mean, how often are people looking at your side seams?

The one improvement I made was that I added pockets this time. The pattern doesn’t have pockets, so I took a pocket pattern piece from another dress and just added it in. It didn’t take too much extra time to do and was totally worth it.

Overall, I’m satisfied with the dress. I like the pop of color and interest the pattern brings—which is pretty vibrant in comparison to most of the clothes I wear. I also like the dress when I use a sash that I made some time ago (and is the same black crepe fabric as the skirt).

Things I Didn’t Buy 40

I love this 1940s dress pattern.

I thought this 1940s dress pattern was interesting.

I liked this reprinted 1935 sewing pattern of a cute suit and cape.

This 1950s blouse pattern was nice.

I thought this 1970s skirt and vest outfit was really cute.

I liked this peplum top pattern that seem like it’s from the 1980s. In particular, I like C version with the large puffy sleeves.