Beach Bra Frustrations

It seems no matter how I tweak the pattern I cannot seem to get it right. It gets baggy at the sides where the fabric is gathered, and although it holds the bust it cannot be said to be flattering. I am trying to find a way to get the back to carry the weight of the bust, but alas, no luck. I think I'll have to give the beach bra pattern a rest and come back to it later. For now I'll see if I can turn the bra pattern from the sew along into a beach bra. I think I have some iron on interfacing I can use to stiffen the cups in the stash, and I am thinking perhaps a shirred back panel. It should keep the bra in place and hopefully also look good.

Beach Bra and Knickers

Sorry about the long silence, guys. Now I'm back and I'll try to blog on a more regular basis.

At the moment I am working on a beach bra I bought from PamoolaVintage. The pattern is quite straightforward, and it was easy enough to enlarge to fit my 40-inch bust. Unfortunately the fitting was not quite as easy. I have made 2 mock ups already, and I believe I will have to make one more. The pattern calls for one dart. For a 32G UK sizing bust, this will just not do. So I have added 2 more. I also found that cutting it on the bias might work for small busted ladies who doesn't need much support, but as I do, I cut the second mock up on the straight of the grain. In the next mock up I will add a curve at the centre front. A bra pattern I'm also working on from Mrs Depew has a curved centre front, and it fits very well (Please check out her sew along, it's full of useful information on lingerie sewing).

Here's a picture of the beach bra:

Once I've finished the (hopefully) final mock up of this beauty, I will start working on the matching knickers. The pattern for the knickers weren't supplied, so I'll have to wing it. I think the knickers will be easier than the bra though, as I can adapt a pattern I made for a 1930's-40's style pair of trousers for them.

Cold Cream Musings

In January this year I discovered the advantages of cold cream, and since then I have been using it religiously. It really does wonders for the complexion, and if I had known the results I would have started years ago. I have spent time browsing the net reading about other peoples experiences using cold cream, and I have noticed that many have been introduced to it by elder relatives. In my family the only one from the older generation (as in grandmas generation) I can remember ever having used skin care products was my great aunt Gudrun, and she used Nivea. I am not sure if she used it as a cleanser or just as a moisturiser, but I understand it was made for both purposes.

Up until now I have been using Pond's cold cream as cleanser, followed by Nivea, and a cotton pad with rose water to remove the stickiness. This has worked really well, but I don't like having to order the cold cream online (for some reason Pond's are not available in Norway), so I have decided to try out Astral Cream instead. What I do is I clean my hands well, apply the cream, and give myself a facial massage. This makes the cream melt, and it feels like a heavy oil. I then remove the oil with rose water and cotton wool. So far it seems to work even better then the old regime. It leaves the skin glowing but not oily or greasy in any way, and the skin tone gets evened out better.

Skirt guards

Some time ago I decided I wanted to make a crocheted skirt guard for my vintage bicycle. I couldn't get hold of the yarn the pattern called for, and so I had to do a little bit of experimenting to get the size right. I also discovered that the slippery quality that made the yarn I had chose so pretty also made the ends escape even if I anchored them really well. I solved that with discreet use of fabric glue. The skirt guard had to have some sort of opening in the back half as well as the front to make it fit the bike. I rummaged around my button collection and found the coloured ones you see in the first picture. I stitched them on, and buttoned the skirt guard in place.

Here are some pictures of the new skirt guard:

Here's the skirt guard on the bike. Isn't she a beauty? She has no gears, but rides really well. And for the dark autumn evenings she has a dynamo operated front light. She also has a drum brake in the front, which apparently is fool proof, only lately the front wheel has started making odd, suffering squeaking sounds when I ride her. According to my cousin, who builds bikes for fun (I'm so impressed by that man, give him any practical sort if problem, be it electrical, bikes or what have you, and he manages to solve it), I need to remove the front wheel, open the drum brake, and check that everything is evenly positioned in there. I'm working up courage as we speak. It might take a while...

In Norway in the 1960's it was common to have skirt guards made of fabric. Usually oil cloth. I made one of these as well, and use it on my modern bike. I prefer to ride the modern bike on longer trips, as it's less likely to break down on me. I also made the matching padded seat cover. The shopping box at the back I got through ebay.

More Vintage Laundry

In the time passed since I did my first experiments last year on vintage laundry, I have continued testing on vintage dresses, and so far I have found that with regards to odours there are two major categories. Smells caused by bacteria (such as sweat), and smell caused by mildew and moulds. Of these two the former is by far the easiest to get rid of. In most cases all that is needed is to spray the garment with rubbing alcohol, let it dry, and repeat. Once dry again, wash the garment, and the smell is gone.

Mildew and mould, on the other hand, is more tricky. I first tried to spray the garments in vinegar water (half and half of white vinegar and water), and then launder, but that didn't help. I finally resorted to leaving the garment overnight in vinegar water. I rinsed the garment, and washed it with woolite. I then hung it out in the sun to dry, and now it's fine. But next time I see a smelly dress I really like I'll only get it if the price is right. At the moment I still have 2 more dresses in this category, one of them the dress you see in the below picture. It's made of silk taffeta and covered in hand painted net. This one will have to go to the dry cleaners, I think.

Yarn for the skirt guard!

I went shopping for yarn yesterday, and ended up getting something called Drops Muskat, which is a mercerised cotton. It has a lovely sheen to it, and I think it will make a very pretty skirt guard :)

Finally Improvement!

I am pleased and relieved to say that the arms are finally well on the way to recovery, thanks to this chap. I got his e-book on wrist tendinitis 10 days ago, and it was worth every cent.

Consequently I have been pondering what my first project will be, and I have decided to give a go at crocheting. This will not be done today or next week, but hopefully fairly soon. I'll be making these:

I have a very cute old bicycle from the 1960's, I think. It's a dark red/orange colour, and I'll be making my skirt guard in matching colours, so I can ride in style :)