Retro Restyle: Men's Ties

It's been a couple of years now that the Little Rancher declared a moratorium on anything pink and girlie.  Not only her bedroom but also her closet received a thorough going-thru.  Blue and yellow were allowed to stay and anything that invoked thoughts of horses, cowgirls or Southwest Native Americans.  After some thought, I decided I could work within these new parameters, and out of that came this collaborative restyle project. 

Retro Restyle: Cashmere Sweaters

I love sweaters.  They are part and parcel with the whole sheep and yarn hobby.  Some day maybe I will do a proper write-up on my sweater addiction, but not today.  Today I have a story of two oddball sweaters that never were circulated in the daily wardrobe.  One started out life as a men's XL v-neck in grey, the other was a women's L crewneck in red.  They were cast-offs, one too big, too baggy, the other too tight around the neckline and stained on the lower cuff. Eventually they were taken to the sewing room and  left folded in a pile, waiting for redemption.  Individually they were not particularly exciting, but together they created something beautiful. 

Sheep Talk: Composting

It seems that Mother Nature has flipped her calendar, realized it's now October, and said, "Time to drop the temps by fifteen degrees!"  The days are notably cooler here in Wisconsin, and the nights are down-right nippy.  The Little Rancher is bundling up in her winter jacket for morning chores.  I prefer to wait until the sunshine has taken the chill off a bit before heading out for my chores.  The chickens will have to do with brunch these days instead of breakfast.

bucket of treats

As with every year, it's also time to start cleaning out the garden.   Time to round up the last tomatoes, find the giant cukes that got away from you, and keep a close eye on the growing squash.  While many of these vegetable plants can now be weeded out of your garden, take a few minutes to think about which of your barnyard animals can benefit.  Everyone immediately thinks of feeding their old veggies to the pigs.  Pigs have a fabulous composting reputation that's been in place for centuries and, quite frankly, is one of their biggest selling points.  That and bacon.  However, chickens follow a close second for composting.  They love tomatoes and zucchini, peppers and overripe watermelon.  If you toss them anything red or seeded, they'll love you forever.  I suppose goats do pretty well in this department, too, but I've not had any personal experience with them.  To be quite honest, I'm a total snob and have no intention of ever raising goats, feeling that sheep are far superior.  Besides, don't goats just butt things and eat tin cans?

Waverly upholstery samples

 

Recently I purchased a pack of Waverly upholstery samples from the 1960s.  The line was titled "New Hope" and came still stapled to the cardboard hanger.  Each smaller swatch had a label on the back, and the larger piece was almost a half yard.  Hmmm, a pencil skirt?  A tote bag?  Throw pillows?

Retro Restyle: This tater sack's a humdinger!

Over a year ago I made up my mind to make something out of burlap.  There are so many fabulous potato sacks out there with catchy slogans and vintage graphics, and they all can't be made into tote bags.  At first I was thinking corset or vest, paired with gingham perhaps, but this particular sack wouldn't lend itself to cutting.

what I started with

what I ended up with

Retro Restyle: Felix and Val's

This past winter I scored a fabulous wool club jacket at an estate sale.  It was dirty and moth-eaten and my husband couldn't believe I actual put it on to take these photos, but the embroidery on the back was too cool!  Felix and Val!  Well, that's almost as slick sounding as Lenny and Squiggy! 

Hoffman Construction Co.

On the front of the jacket was a large patch advertising the Hoffman Construction Company.  After a little online research, I found that they were started before the turn of the century and based in Appleton, Wisconsin.  So why was Wausau listed on the patch as well?  Did Felix and Val own a local branch office of Hoffman's?  Like a lumberyard?  I immediately sent an email off to the company to find out.  

The Magic of the Swants

Have you heard about swants?!  The can't-help-but-stare, gotta-try-for-myself trend coming out of Europe?!  Born from his sheer love of sweaters, Stephen West, of Westknits, is the mastermind behind this recent trend. Originally hailing from Oklahoma, Stephen currently lives in Amsterdam, and I suspect the change in scenery really affected his creative arts.  He has written three knitting books, offers patterns on his website (some free, too!), and heads up a FunSquad that hosts online knit-alongs.  Talk about building your passion into an enterprise!  But enough about his business savy, let's talk swants.

 

Quite simply, swants combine two of my most favorite things: (1) a restyle project involving (2) sweaters.  I had to be part of this movement.  And I'm not kidding when I say movement.  Swants were showcased on Good Morning America shortly before Christmas (if that's any barometer on cool).  I have never been so trendy as I am in this moment.

DIY: Steampunk keychain

This past Christmas one of my friends on facebook posed a question regarding homemade gifts.  She wondered if they were still appreciated in this day of "money can buy anything."  What if they weren't exactly your style?  Or if they were done a bit shabbily or resembled a doorstopper (like the fruitcake I've been gifting for the past couple of years)?  The resounding answer was YES!  It seems that home-sewn or -crafted or -baked goods are always appreciated for the time and effort the Giver puts in.  And as a Giver of so many homemade things over the years (dishtowels seem to be my favorite here and here),  I'd have to agree.  The gift doesn't need to be extravagant, just sincere.  Homemade gifts require a bit more forethought, more understanding of the Recipient.   To that point, I thought I'd share a small gift that my daughter made for my husband.

Retro Restyle: Your Grandma's Blanket!

Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess overworked shepherdess.  Every day after brushing her long golden hair pitching hay to the animals, she would sit on the couch and dream of spending time in her sewing room.  One day she awoke...

...to find that all her sewing dreams had come true!
 

details on the wolf pillow are here

My daughter's poodle skirt

While shopping at Saving Grace Salvage Company last weekend, my daughter found the small, curly poodle applique.  It was in its original 1950s package.  Now she's a horse-lover first and foremost, but dogs are a close second and before I knew it, I was looking into those "Pretty Please" eyes that she can do so well.

Let's fast forward to Monday.  The temps were hitting 90degrees and the humidity was so high that hanging laundry was out of the question.  Seemed the only logical thing to do was hunker down in the sewing room.  We scrounged my stash of quirky-and-vintage-but-good-for-something fabric and found a cotton/poly aqua tablecloth.  It has a slight slub in the weave and a nice drape.

Jetpack Test Flight #1 : Success!

You read that right.  I said jetpack.

A couple of summers ago, Mr. Hank Schimstock (shown above) stumbled across a three-fer deal of Electrolux vacuum cleaners at a rummage sale.  One he generously polished up, and I use it for my housework.  The other two went in the barn and proceeded to get lost in amongst the thrifted furniture and swapmeet car parts.  He joked that they would be perfect for a jetpack.  I rolled my eyes and forgot about the whole thing.

Fast forward to last month when the Oshkosh Public Museum put out a facebook call for any and all ray guns in the Greater Wisconsin area.  Ray guns?  This warranted more investigation.  Come to find out that they are busily working away on a Steampunk Exhibit scheduled to open this summer.  They were asking for masterfully crafted guns to be submitted for consideration.  I forwarded it on to Hank as a 'here might be fun project' idea.  Well, let me tell you, the whole thing has exploded.

Feed Sack Tote Bags

Here at the Homestead, we go through a lot of feed bags - chicken feed, sheep mineral, whole corn, rolled corn, oats, alfalfa pellets, dog food, cat food - but none of them are as cool as this one.  I found this plastic woven Honey Bee Alfalfa bag at a local antique shop for $5.  It's still in very good shape considering the abuse it most likely went through.  No holes or tears.  And so I repurposed it into shopping bags.  Just another quirky farmpunk project...

This is the no-fuss, tote bag pattern that is pretty common now.  I purchased double-fold quilt binding for the trim and handles which made this a really quick project.  It seems almost every store is selling reusable bags (which is good), but you know me, I have to make it myself. 

Tube socks turned playthings

What do you do when your son declares that his brand new tube socks are "all wrong and feel weird?"  Grab the buttons and felt, of course!  We're in the puppet business, Baby!

Our rainy day weekend lent itself perfectly to this project.  My daughter grabbed her sewing tin and magnanimously shared beads and bells with her little brother. I sewed around the mouth to secure the opening because there is nothing more frustrating than when your new puppet turns inside out in the middle of a conversation with his new puppet friend.

My Little Man decided on a snake with green eyes and red felt tongue.  He has a cryptic diamond pattern on his back (made with fabric markers) and a jingle bell rattler on his tail.

 

Big Sis did all her own sewing, adding felt ears, a pink tongue and a cotton ball tuft of wool on the head.  She braided yarn to tie around the lamb's neck and added jingle bells to make it more fun.  She could be the next Sherri Lewis!

And since this is the 21st century, animals these days are very accepting of each other.  They generally don't pay any mind to which species you are, so Slither and Blue Eyes played happily together for the rest of the day.  Now what to do with the rest of that package of socks...

Apron Challenge: September

September for most folks means heading back to school.  And we're no exception.  Both kids like their teachers and enjoy riding the bus with the new neighbors.  Since we're only just starting the third week of classes, homework's been light but already my son has been home sick one day with the start of a head cold.  Sheesh!

However, September is also my anniversary month.  So not only does it mark off another milestone year for the kids', my husband and I have a reason to celebrate as well.  Last year I did a post filled with photos from the wedding and sentimental memories.  But let's get back to the apron.

A few months ago my sister recovered her bridesmaids dress from the back rack of her attic storage and allowed me to cut off the bottom 18" of the skirt.  This is re-purposing at it's finest!

I made a simple gathered apron and added a scattering of rhinestones and daisies.  Even though it was a September wedding, I insisted that daisies be used in the arrangements.  On our first date, Hank brought me a bouquet of daisies.  This was the first time anyone had ever given me flowers, and it made a lasting impression. 

Instead of having the typical long ties in the back of the apron, I made a large bow to mimic the "big butt bow" I had on my wedding dress.  Incidentally, my mother and I debated about taking it off my dress, but decided that it was slightly hidden by my long veil and seemed appropriate.  Here, I used a rhinestone buckle to secure the center of the bow.  And the waistband has a snap closure under the bow.

So I guess this apron goes into the "one for show" category.  Polyester taffeta and rhinestones don't lend themselves very well to bacon grease and bread flour.  But then this was a sentimental sewing project from the start.

 

And keeping that in mind, I couldn't resist trying on my headpiece again.

I'll let my cookie jar owl model it for you while I explain...this crown was purchased in 1965 by my mother for her wedding.  I wore it when I was married.  Both my sister and I wore it for our First Communions, as did my daughter for hers.  The veil is adjusted for each occasion, longer for the brides and shorter for the little girls.  Hopefully it will get worn again, and the tradition will continue!

Well, if you've been sewing along with me, you know that this is the final month of the Apron Challenge.  I can't believe we've gone through a full year already!  Next time maybe hot pads?  Tote bags?  Knitted socks of the Month?!  Too many possibilities.  But I suspect I'll take a break for a while and get a few more of my projects in order.  Be sure to check out the Apron Challenge Tab at the top of the blog for photos from each month.  Thank you to everyone who participated, posted photos and kept me inspired this past year! 

Saving Grace Salvage Company

Open for the season! Housed in an old flour mill built in 1866, Saving Grace is a feast for the eyes.  An eclectic mix of salvaged architectural pieces, antiques and up-cycled decor, you should allow at least an hour to wander the three floors.  I suggest making several passes from different directions just to be sure you've seen it all.

The ten foot tall, yellow front door has been open for four years now, but only from May thru October, and only on Fridays and Saturdays.  But to anyone renovating, decorating or scrounging for their old house, it's definitely worth juggling your schedule. 

The front yard is loaded with garden and barnyard primitives - enamel, stainless washtubs, terracotta - not to mention this rack of vintage bicycles.

But one step thru that yellow door, and your senses reel.

I'll just stop talking now, and let you take it all in.

The kitchen area is probably my favorite.

But this is my daughter's favorite view.

 

Found the shifter knob for my Ford Shoebox on one of these shelves.

Somewhere in this photo are five sewing machines.

And I didn't take any photos of the basement.  Truly, if you are in the area, this is a must-see.  Or visit their facebook page to see more photos of the awesome-ness that is Saving Grace.