My new business venture- I'll Be Darned!

Of late, there have been a few changes in my life- namely, I've gone from full time employment to working freelance and setting aside some time to start my own small business!

Elegant ladies and dapper gents of blogland, may I introduce to you all......

 I'll Be Darned! is a London based business offering vintage clothing alterations and repairs. Don't worry if you live further afield though, as you are more than welcome to pop items in the post to me.

Of course, I can also alter and repair non-vintage garments too, so please don't hesitate to get in touch!

Email me at rosie-alia@hotmail.com for more information.

If you would be so kind as to head on over and 'like' my I'll Be Darned! facebook page, and help me to build my business I would be forever grateful! Please share this with anyone you think might be interested in my services and wish me luck with my new venture!

Pip pip! xx

Attention, attention! Vintage knitters, seamstresses, crocheters!

For those of you who haven't already stumbled across The Vintage Pattern Files, you really must go and check it out.

No, really, I insist!

It is a new blog by Wendy of The Butterfly Balcony, where she intends to keep an up-to-date online link-library (if you will) of free vintage and vintage-inspired sewing, knit and crochet patterns. This is going to be so incredibly useful...you can even sort them by decade!

 

Here are a few of my favourites, to give you an idea of the sort of wonderfulness she has links to on the blog:

Clockwise from top left:

1) Source, 2) Source, 3) Source, 4) Source

Pip pip! xx

Sewing machine of my dreams....

Has anyone else seen the Singer 160 years anniversary machine?

 

This beauty is available from John Lewis for £399.

It has been designed to reference the iconic design of the early metal singer machines, but with the needs of the modern dressmaker in mind. And I think it's pretty darling.

I dislike the design of modern sewing machines; there seems to be a rule about making sewing machines white and boring nowadays, and it has always baffled me. Sewers are creative people....and creative people like things that look pretty, right? I know I am a sucker for a practical item that has been designed to look more interesting than the norm, hence my laptop purchase being swung by the fact that I found a pink one amidst what was then a sea of black and chrome (That might just be me, although I'm sure it's not!).

I feel like the world is unjust because I can't afford to own it! I'm pretty sure that my life would be much improved by this glorious machine.*

Are you an advocate of form over function (or at least form equal to function)....or a practical buyer who is not taken in by bright colours and retro style?

Pip pip xx

*NB if you are rich and frivolous/kind and would like to donate me said machine, I will be forever in your debt....FOREVER!

Hats off! (and onto the wall): A DIY storage solution

I have had this big picture frame in my possession since I was about 15...my Step-Mum painted it pink for me and it had been housing various things within it's frame since then.

Now, as we are finally making some headway with the spare room of me & Mr Mike's new flat I thought that the frame was ripe for reinvention! And what better than a novel way of storing and displaying my hats?

I thought I'd share with you all how to do it.

What you will need:

 A paintbrush, your chosen paint, some strong wire or twine for hanging the frame, a hammer, nails, and a large frame.

*First, be sure to cover the floor with newspapers to avoid any disasterous spillages*

Now get painting!

Make sure you get into every nook and cranny of the frame. I painted the back board in the same paint as the frame, but you could cover the board with a beautiful fabric from your stash, or simply a contrasting colour paint.

 

Wait until the paint is thoroughly dry before hanging in it's designated wall space (you may be an impatient kinda gal like me, but you certainly don't want paint marks on your wall, so just hold tight!). 

My frame is a particularly large and heavy one, so I restrung the back with wire bought from a local hardware shop to give it plenty of strength.

 

Hammer nails carefully into the back board in whatever arrangement you like, thinking about spacing to fit your glorious hat collection in as best as possible.

Et voila!

A simple solution to the age-old problem of so many hats, only one head!

It keeps them from getting crushed in boxes, airs them to minimise the attack of damp that always seems to strike (at least in our home) in the cold winter months, and saves precious space for....well, more stuff!

This is also a great trick for fellow renters who are looking for storage and display solutions without putting too many nails in the wall!

I was feeling a little trigger-happy with the paintbrush so I also gave this chap a little lick of paint as his yellow pine-y appearance was just not cutting it...

 

Pip pip xx