Skirt Bag

Years ago, I had some wool skirts that didn’t fit me too well, but I liked the fabric so I ripped them up thinking that I would use the fabric someday. That day finally came. I decided I needed a new tote bag since my old one was raggedy and gross, and thought this was a good opportunity to use up that wool fabric.

I had three fabrics from wool skirts to use, a black, a dark gray and a red. I ironed them and measured them to see how much fabric was available to me and sketched out a design for the bag.

I realized that I didn’t have quite enough fabric from my repurposed skirts. So I decided to use some vintage wool fabric my grandmother gave me. The checkered red, gray and cream fabric matched well with my color palette. The one problem was that the fabric had quite a few moth holes, so I had to position my cut outs just right. I barely had enough fabric.

After I had sewn the fabric panels together, I saw that one of the black fabric blocks had a moth hole smack dab in the middle. This was unfortunate as I had already cut the fabric and didn’t have enough to replace the damaged piece. So first I used some thread to sew over the hole, hoping to patch it enough that it wouldn’t expand. Sadly, this looked like a pimple breaking out on a forehead. I didn’t like the way it looked and wanted to cover it up.

So I decided to put a pocket on top of it. Ideally, I wouldn’t have to do this because I wanted the bag to be simple. And quite frankly, I dislike useless pockets. And I’m never using this pocket…for anything. However, it fulfilled its purpose of covering my moth hole. [Sigh.]

The red fabric in the handle wasn’t initially part of my design. However, the black strips of fabric for the handle seemed short to me, and as I didn’t have any more black fabric, I could only use what I had left, which was the red.

When I pinned the straps to the bag, the thickness of the fabric concerned me. I didn’t think my sewing machine would handle it well, so I decided to hand sew it. Unfortunately, my hand sewing skills aren’t very pretty. I used embroidery floss to help cover my poor stitching.

The bag is reversible. At first, I thought I wanted the black and gray side to be on the outside of the bag, but I soon realized that I preferred the red side more. The bag is a bit larger than I anticipated, but it fits everything I need.

Thrifted for $6.63

I got this red wool jacket for $3.50. It looks like it’s the inner jacket that can zip into an outer jacket. It fit well and I like the collar and snaps down the front. I didn’t need another wool jacket—but it’s different than my other jackets in that it’s more casual...and I liked it because it’s red.

The next two items I got for $3.13; I probably shouldn’t have bought either of them. First is a gray and maroon wool sweater—it’s clearly a man’s sweater as it’s large on me. It also appears to be handmade (since I can see the yarn ends on the inside); it’s a well-made garment. I like the design and color choice of the sweater.

And I got a petticoat that I thought I could wear under skirts and dresses to make it more voluminous…and it does, but perhaps too much for me.

Vintage Wool Dress

I bought this wool dress at a thrift store for $10. I didn’t need it. Perhaps I shouldn’t have got it. But it was interesting…

The dress looks to be from the 1950s. It has kimono sleeves (which makes the top feel a bit large on me). It sort of fits. But I love all the details the dress has. I love the cute little collar. I like the buttons down the front. I adore the decorative stitching the top has (that goes all the way around). I love the pleated skirt. And the color is nice.

The dress needs some mending. It has maybe two small holes, the buttons are a little loose, and the sleeve stitching may need to be fixed. Truthfully, this warm wool dress isn’t the most useful of dresses (just because it’s only really cold a few months out of the year). But I would totally wear this dress…once I get around to fixing it.

Bought for $6.83

I got a few things at a pay-by-the-pound thrift store. First is the adorable Pendleton wool red short jacket. So cute.

Next is this navy wool jacket.

I got this black sweater that’s perhaps a bit large for me.

And this white woven belt that I thought would be good for summer.

I liked this light-weight floral skirt. It’s also a bit large for me, put I thought the pattern was interesting.

And I got a pair of Not Your Daughter Jeans gray pants that are super comfortable. I was needing some pants for cooler weather, so I was really glad to get this.

Vintage Pincushion and Wool

My grandmother gave me a vintage “pincushion” from the late 1800s. Many scrap pieces of fabric were sewn together to create this little pillow.

It has different bits of embroidery throughout the piece. It’s interesting to look at and I appreciate the amount of craftsmanship that it took to create this.

And a cousin gave me some wool fabric from she had received from our grandmother. She had had the wool for years, but eventually came to the conclusion that she wasn’t ever going to get around to using it, so she gifted them to me. There are four different fabrics (with different yardage), and all are cute plaid patterns. I’m not sure what I’ll do with any of them yet, but it’s all very nice fabric.

Wine Winter Coat

Over the weekend I went thrift shopping and I felt certain I wouldn’t find anything…but (inevitably) I did. I found a lovely wine-colored winter coat by Jill Jr. It’s 75% wool and 25% nylon—so it should be quite warm (which is good since I currently lack a thick winter coat). I love the classic silhouette of this coat; the price tag said it was from the 1960s, but regardless of age, this coat is in really great condition.

I love that the collar can be opened or buttoned all the way up, and I love that the skirt portion flairs out. Although I’m not incredibly partial to the cuffs (they’re okay) and I wish the color of the coat wasn’t so mottled, the overall design is so interesting. Even the back had thought put into it; there are pleats that go down the skirt portion and the waist ties that are attached with buttons can be removed—which I think is so great.

And I couldn’t get a better coat for the $48 I spent on this one. I know I can’t get a new coat at a department store made of quality materials with good design for this price. And quite frankly, I lucked out that this coat fits me pretty perfectly. I can’t tell you how hard it is to find a good fitted coat that actually fits me. So I’m extremely satisfied with this purchase. Although now that spring has finally hit, I won’t be able to wear this coat for a good six months. [Sigh.]

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.

It Almost Fits…

Recently I went thrift shopping and I did something dumb: I bought something that was too small for me. I’d never done it before but I couldn’t resist; it wasn’t like they had it in another size. It was that size or nothing (and I didn’t want nothing).

The item in question was a pair of wool culottes…and it took me by surprise; because it looked like a skirt and it was in the skirt section, but when I tried them on I realized they were pants. Generally I’m not very interested in culottes (in fact, I don’t think I’ve even owned a pair…ever), but for whatever reason, these particular ones spoke to me.

My first impression of the culottes was that of a vintage German military uniform; I think it was the little brass buttons and the decorative detail in the front that felt a bit militaristic to me. I could tell right away that it was a well-made garment (it’s made by the Austrian brand Geiger). The fabric’s a combination of wool and lambswool that at first I thought was blue, but later in different light I realized it was purple (although either way I liked the color). I also loved the pleating and the fact it had pockets (pockets are always difficult for me to resist).

So I was incredibly disappointed when these culottes didn’t fit me. I put them aside to try on other clothing items, but then when I finished, I went back to the culottes and tried them on again [as if they would magically fit me (Sigh.)]. They almost fit; so then I went into “can I alter them to fit me” thoughts, and although it would be a pain, maybe, just maybe I could change the seam allowance to fit me. I wasn’t sure if it was a thought of folly or if I would actually follow through…but I bought them anyway. [Pause.] So far it’s been folly since I haven’t made any attempt to alter them. [Sigh.]