Bike Picnic

After making this Spoonflower fabric Bike Picnic for the weekly contest, I looked up related pictures on Pinterest. The following are just so beautiful I had to share:



This is from Country Living Magazine.

Audrey Hepburn!

Vintage Vacationers

These photos are from a massive gallery on The Weather Channel called Before the Bikini: Rare Vintage Beach Photos. They are super interesting, so here are some of my gallery favourites from the 1930s.

 April 1935: Fishermen and girls on holiday near Bigbury in South Devon, England.

 April 1938: The Silver Sax Six rehearsing at a resort.

 August 1930: Swimmers doing the splits in Eastbourne, England.

 August 1931: Deauville, northwestern France.

 August 1935: Children on the lawn of a seaside hotel in Birchington, Kent, England.

 August 1935: Dancers from the International Institute of Margaret Morris Movement on the beach in Sandwich, Kent, England.

 August 1937: Southport, England.

August 1937: Women playing cricket on the beach in Blackpool, Lancashire, England.

 The girl on the right's facial expression is fantastic!

 August 1938: Women playing billiards on the beach with a table made of rope in Oregon, USA.

 August 1939: Girls on the helter-skelter slide at Coney Beach Amusement Park in Porthcawl, Wales.

 August 1939: Hastings, Sussex, England.

 1930: Young ladies listening to a BBC studio broadcast on the beach.

1934: Women wearing beach pajamas. 

 1935: A seaweed jump rope!

 February 1931: Lifeguards in a balancing contest on a beach in Sydney, Australia.

 July 1933: People on a beach in New Jersey, USA, waving goodbye to an airplane full of friends.

 July 1934: The Eight Step Sisters rehearsing in Worthing, Sussex, England.

July 1935: Star formation sunbathing in Havre de Pas, France.

 July 1935: Little ice cream eaters in Littlehampton,West Sussex, England.

 July 1935: Sailors from HMS Fury and two women jumping rope on a beach in New Jersey, USA.

 June 1930: A birthday girl gets the bumps at Brighton seaside resort in East Sussex, England.

 June 1935: Women using inflated swim bars to exercise on the beach in Worthing, England.

June 1935: Two girls dancing with beach balls in Sussex, England. 

 June 1936: Bridlington, Humberside, England.

 May 1936: A beach fashion show in London, England.

May 1936: Beach vacationers riding donkeys in Blackpool, England.

November 1931: Sydney, Australia.

 May 1930: Enthusiastic vacationers playing leap-frog on a beach in California, USA.

I love how these old photos capture the free-spirited essence of summer!



Straw Hat Restoration

I don't wear hats very often so I can't call myself a "hat person", but I'm all for restoring something to its former beauty (and adding some extra beauty while I'm at it!). This dishevelled 1990s straw hat needed some TLC, so I made a few repairs.

I removed the damaged ribbon around the edge and replaced it with some mustard seam binding.

Now it's all set for summer use, and can be embellished in many different ways!

 

Here I whipped up some fabric flowers to decorate it with a gingham ribbon.

This version is reminiscent of a boater hat.

And oh hey, look! Another use for the multipurpose sash! Versatility is a great thing!

Something old can almost always be made fresh again with a little time and creativity!

DIY Multipurpose Sash

When I am putting together an outfit I frequently find the need for some sort of colorful print embellishment in the form of a belt, bow, or whatever. Most ribbons don't come in floral prints, and are normally just solid or two color designs, so that is why I decided to whip up a fabric sash. Here is a tutorial for this useful multipurpose accessory that is quite quick and simple to make. 

 Materials:
Fabric of your choice (half of a meter will be more than enough)
Matching thread and a sewing machine OR matching thread and a needle if you prefer hand sewing
Sewing pins
Sewing scissors
An iron

Depending on what you plan to use the sash for you can make it whatever size you want, but I find that a 40 inch by 1.5 inch sash is a good general size.

Step 1: Measure out and cut a 41 inch long by 4 inch wide rectangle of fabric. Please note that this factors in half inch seam allowances.

Step 2: Fold the rectangle in half lengthwise with the wrong side showing (important!) so it is now 2 inches wide. Pin the strip so it stays folded.

Step 3: Sew a seam down the full length of the edge of the folded strip to create a tube.

Step 4: You have two open ends of the strip. Choose the scruffier one and sew it shut.

Step 5: Remove the pins.

Step 6: Turn the tube right side out.

Now you have a sash that is right side out with all but one end nicely sewn together. However it will likely be puffy and have a twisted seam at this point.

Step 7: Iron the sash so that the seam lays flat and straight along the side.

Step 8: Find the final open end and fold it into the tube to create a straight, clean edge.

Step 9: Sew the folded in end of the tube shut. You will have visible stiches here, so try to make them as neat as possible!

Now you're ready to use your versatile sash to liven up your outfits!

It makes a great belt...

...And headband...

...And bow tie...

...And sash tie...and whatever other use you can dream up!

You'll likely soon realize how useful theses sashes are and start to make a bunch out of all your favourite fabrics!
Enjoy accessorizing!