Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Bow Tie, Baby!

Once again, I've neglected this blog for far too long; however, unlike in times past, I have a very valid reason this time: I've been suffering through the worst case of poison ivy imaginable! At least, I never imagined it would be this bad. As soon as the weather permitted, I began working in my backyard, thinking that this would be the year that I would finally get it under control. Though beautiful, my yard is very overgrown. I've never had poison ivy before and was not looking for it, but it certainly found me! I'm not one to go to the doctor or take any kind of medicine if I can help it, so at first, I decided to just tough it out, wear pants and long sleeves, and let it run its course. That was until it spread to my face. On my birthday. According to the doctor, I had a "very severe reaction". You know it's bad when you walk into the office and hear a collective gasp from everyone in the waiting room...even a man wearing a mask scooted away from me! Now, over three weeks, a shot, an oral steroid, and all manner of topical creams later, I'm still miserable and embarrassed to leave the house. So, while I am definitely not photographable right now, my little one certainly is, so here you go!


I made his knickers (or knicker-pants, as he calls them) with some herringbone wool from my stash. The bow tie was made from a scrap left over from a plaid vest that I made for my husband some time ago. I'd been wanting to make a bow tie for Henry but wasn't really sure how (or how to tie it). I found these wonderful instructions from Le Noeud Papillon, and discovered that a bow tie can be as simple as a straight strip of fabric, rather than the butterfly shape that I thought they all were. I tested the length and width with a ribbon, and then made it just like I would make a belt.


More pockets! Isn't he just the little gentleman? The rest of the outfit, including the sweater vest and cardigan, were found at a resale shop. This is one of my favorite outfits to put him in, and I'm sure you can see why my family cannot resist calling him "Bagger Vance" whenever he wears it!


Also, I wanted to thank you for your votes in the EvaDress contest; I won! I'm so excited and honored to have won this year, and I can't wait to start on those beautiful new patterns! Thank you for all of your lovely comments on my last post as well; please forgive me for taking so long, but I did go back and try to respond to those of you who had questions for me. I've gotten a few more projects completed, which I will be sharing in the near future (as soon as I no longer look like a leper)!

19 comments:

  1. The second photo is really adorable. Handsome lil guy.

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  2. He is so adorable, hope you are feeling better soon, Hugs! X

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  3. Oh, that is so terrible! When I was 10-15, I got poison ivy every single summer, without fail- at least twice. I just couldn't stay out of the woods! I spent most of my time wrapped in a light sheet, covered in oatmeal or soaking in a cool oatmeal bath. I hope it clears up soon! Your little guy is absolutely adorable!!! I picked up several vintage kids patterns at a thrift store a few months ago and I can't wait to start sewing for them. Congrats on your Eva dress win! x

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    1. That's awful! I hope that I never get it again, although judging by the amount in my backyard, I'm afraid that it is in my future. I can't wait to see what you sew for your little ones. You're so lucky to have a boy and a girl to sew for; those little vintage dress patterns are so cute!

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  4. Ohh he looks so darling! I can't wait until I have kids and get to make them cute things. Congrats on your win! That's so exciting.

    xo,
    Em

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  5. Feel better soon! And your little boy is adorable in his knicker-pants, what a cutie!

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  6. I recently stumbled across your blog and I absolutely adore it! I too make a lot of my own vintage re-creation clothing, but I had never thought about repurposing more modern pieces from the thrift! So brilliant and inspiring!!

    I'm so sorry about your poison ivy. I can completely empathize. I had it for weeks and the only thing that helped me was a poison ivy wash. You can pick it up at any neighborhood pharmacy. It washes away the toxin that causes it to spread and itch. You should notice your skin healing after the first couple of uses. I hope that helps!

    Olivia

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    1. Thank you for the suggestion! Now that I know how to recognize it, I've got to get out there and eradicate it. Hopefully I can do that without contracting it again...I'll be keeping that wash at the ready!

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  7. I made my son a plaid bow tie for Easter too! I learned how to tie it from Youtube and it really wasn't hard. Here's my blog post:
    http://thriftathome.blogspot.com/2012/04/easter-bowtie-among-other-easter-things.html

    I once had a terrible reaction to poison ivy too - ballooned up into big blisters and I had to take steroids. Hope you are all better soon!

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  8. Leaves of three, let it be. If you have a dog or cat, beware. The oil from the leaves can come in on their coats. You can have a reaction from the smoke from burning poison ivy, pollen from the ivy flowers,rain water dripping from overhead vines.
    Once I was walking with an elderly friend. Two rowdy, disrespectful boys ran past, almost knocking him over. Soon we rounded a corner to see the two boys pulling large poison ivy vines loose from a tree and swinging on them like Tarzan.
    My friend and I just looked at each other and smiled and kept walking.

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  9. Just found your blog and absolutely love it! It is a great inspiration to me as I have just begun learning the very basics of sewing.

    Thank you so much for the link to bowtie instructions. My husband has been wanting some bowties, and didn't want anything too fancy... now I can just get some nice fabric.

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  10. Man oh man oh man! How inspiring! I have a 10 month old boy, Maxwell and in the blogger world (of vintage and creative things) I find endless mothers with little girls making little girl vintage loveliness but to finally find these shots of your little guy warms my heart! I can do it too- except then I see you actually make this stuff and I'm floored! Wow!
    I love your blog! Following for sure!


    bxx
    from
    bybande (vintage goodness here too)

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  11. I love your blog and your little chap looks just 'the thing'!

    Fortunately the worst thing we have is the nettle - poison ivy doesn't live here! It is a while ago and I really hope you are feeling better.

    Can you get the weed professionally eradicated - one time the weed killer comes into play!

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  12. How are you? I hope that you are recovering from the attack of the vicious plant.

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  13. Just stumbled onto your blog-I'm enthralled!! I sold my sewing machine (well, my modern one) awhile ago, although I have a couple of vintage ones in working order...you've inspired me! I'm currently planning an Art Deco wedding and looking for inspiration for my dress/bridesmaids dresses, but looking at all your gorgeous outfits has me wanting to make some of my own! Hope you're feeling better after your poison ivy attack (luckily we don't get it here in Australia!)
    P.S. Your hair is amazing! Where did you get your fingerwave clips? :)

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    1. Thank you! You can buy the clips from Sally Beauty Supply, but I've found the vintage ones work better; they seem to be sturdier. I sleep in mine, and the newer ones tend to get a little bent. I got my vintage ones at a flea market, but I've seen them on Ebay.
      One of my biggest regrets is not making my own wedding dress. When I got married almost 11 years ago (eek!), I wasn't confident enough to attempt it.

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  14. Oh isn't he precious?! I love how smart he looks, you've dressed him really well and I just know he's going to grow up to be a stylish man!!

    Nora
    Nora Finds

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