Musings from a Moonspinner

My dear non-fleshie friends Kate and Millie (newly returned from exciting adventures in Sierra Leone!) have been nagging me for a long time to watch the Hayley Mills dream fest The Moonspinners (1964). Well I finally got my chance to see it (thank you so much, Kate!) and boy oh boy were they right about it’s scathing brilliance! I’ll share some of my reactions with you in a lovely picspam.

^the theme: I watched this over again three times before I actually started the film. Such a marvelous song. I was thrilled to find it on YouTube!

^Joan Greenwood and Michael Davis as Aunt Frances and Alexis. I think Michael Davis is a lot like Kate’s brother. Agree or disagree?

^Eli Wallach as the evil Uncle Stratos. A dramatic switch from the last film I saw him in, Babydoll.

^Once of the first good glimpses of Peter McEnery…isn’t he a dish?

^Hayley was SO lucky!

^The famous pink outfit! Kate, Millie & I find it hugely inspiring. I’m already working on a reproduction version of the top in my head.

^Better view of the shirt. See the amazingness? A button front and crazy tie belt. OH, and see who the other lady is? Irene Papas! I only knew her from Zorba the Greek, so I was glad she actually had lines in this film.

^And an amazing swingy back. I bet you are wondering where the belt is! And notice the red canvas shoes…red and pink…hmm. Normally I wouldn’t attempt such a combination, but Hayley really pulls it off.

^Pete is shot in the shoulder of the arm she’s pulling. He’s in huge pain and she pulls his bad arm?! Hayley! What were you thinking?!

^Eli is either really afraid or he’s been running around in the hot Greek sun too much…

^Lovely crazy cats! There are tons of them!

^Well, you’d run too if cats were hissing at you!

^Wow, Hayley Mills with a rifle! She must really love the guy…

^Wolf in sheep’s clothing, maybe?

^This has got to be one of the craziest scenes of all time: Joan Greenwood riding in a hearse with Hayley and Peter in the back, trying to get through a street celebration and being attacked by bizarre revelers!

^EhHEM! Just when did Hayley learn to drive a speedboat?

^Cats are everywhere in this film! Look at this unbelievable cat bed! Lap of luxury for kitty!

^I was so sad when it ended. Did anyone else think it ended rather abruptly?

I highly recommend The Moonspinners, if you get a chance to watch it. It is on DVD (thankfully, and only because it was a Disney movie): Amazon, Half, Ebay.

Happy Thanksgiving darlings! :D

Headbands and Sachet Set

I got my little headbands all finished!  It was touch and go there for a while.  I though maybe I wouldn’t finish them in time for the event where I was going to see my 5-year-old friend.  It all worked out, though.  :)  Have a look at the finished product.

I fashioned a “headband sachet” (a play on handkerchief sachet) out of the pink bandanna fabric and the remainder of the pink taffeta from the Vogue jacket.  I have a handkerchief sachet that is this same size and it served as my model.  My version has satin ribbon ties and an iron on embroidery initial.  I also used fusible fleece on the wrong side of the bandanna fabric to give the sachet more body.  It worked out well and has a great aesthetic feel when you hold it.

I treated the edges of the ribbon with Fray Check, because there is absolutely nothing worse than frayed edges on ribbon.  It’s one of my sewing pet peeves.  I just think it ruins the whole look of the piece.  I feel that if, as a sewer, you’re going to go to the trouble of making something lovely, it should be as professional and finished looking as possible.

The inside of the sachet – It has two pockets for keeping headbands and other treasures.  I’ve heard that some ladies used their sachets as hiding places for love letters and other sentimental items.  I think that’s a lovely idea.

If you’d like to make headbands of your own, have a look at Heather Bailey’s instructions.

Happy Sunday, my dears!

Fashion Backward: Veronica

Darling Veronica is finally finished.  There is also a small matching zip-top purse for maximum organizational purposes.  Just for the record, Veronica comes from this book.I had a bit of a hard time trying to come up with the proper embellishment for the front of each bag.  The original instructions called for a butterfly to be cut from leather and attached with vintage buttons, but somehow, butterflies just didn’t seem right for this bag.  I was thinking of a large velvet ribbon to echo the velvet already present, but that seemed slightly impractical and a tad boring.  In the end, I settled for 4 inch wide strips of the bag fabric (Laura Ashley, btw), top stitched 1/2 inch from the edge and fringed (pulling out the long horizontal fibers of the fabric and leaving the short vertical ones).  I folded these strips in half and then folded gathers into it and pressed it.  For the large bag, I covered the largest button I had on hand and sewed it on top of the fan.  For the small bag, I used an opaque, pearl-look button to secure the mini fan.

Veronica has a nice shoulder strap with that glorious velvet ribbon on the outside.

Just one more photo, I promise!  I attached a Fleur-de-Lis charm to the zipper on the small purse.  I always notice the large zipper pulls on vintage bags and I think they’re so lovely.

I had a lot of fun making Veronica and I hope my friend enjoys showing off with her!

Look for a Sweater Refashion a lá Barbara Stanwyck soon!

Happy New Year to everyone!

Sneak Peek: Veronica

The luscious velvet ribbon arrived yesterday, so Veronica is on her way to being finished.

I got two colors, one lighter and more orangey the other duller – more gold.  I wasn’t exactly sure which would match my fabric and I didn’t have the patience to wait for samples.  Have a look.  The yellow floral fabric underneath is the outside of Veronica.  The inside is equally pretty. ;)

Choice #1 – Gold

Choice #2 – Marigold

I decided to use the Marigold color.  The Gold color will show up in another project soon!

BTW – Here is the one and only Veronica Lake.  I am guessing that she is the inspiration for the name of this bag I’m making.  She’s the originator of the infamous “peek-a-boo” hairstyle.  She made some simply marvelous film noir movies with a guy named Alan Ladd.  She was perfect as the femme fatale.

This Gun For Hire (1942)

Fashion Backward – Shirley

Well, here it is – as promised.  Christmas present #1 for a great friend of mine.  I would have had it posted yesterday, only we got a dreadful ice storm and I had to go outside with my brother and clear our driveway of fallen trees.

Shirley is made of Navy Blue Herringbone Twill and Sky Blue Stretch Twill.  There are two covered buttons on the front.  She is lined with Sky Blue “Peachskin.”  I have to admit that I had never heard of peachskin before I saw it in my local Joann’s.  It’s a great lining fabric.  It has a soft, almost velvety feel but no nap.  (Nap is kind of like the grain of a fabric.  Like when you feel velvet – if you run your fingers over it one way, it’s smooth and soft, run them the other way and its bristly.  The same concept applies to animal fur.)

Shirley comes from this terrific book by Australian author Emma Brennan.  I love how this purse is named Shirley.  It suits the style so well.

Here’s some more photos of Shirley:

Side view – The back is all navy blue.

The handle is navy blue on the top and sky blue on the inside.  It’s large enough to slip over the wrist.

Inside view – A chic magnetic snap so necessities don’t fall out of Shirley.

The lovely peachskin lining is here, too.

So, that’s Shirley.  Stay tuned because Veronica is next!

The Trials and Tribulations of Small Town Shopping

Look at my new velvet ribbon!  I just ordered it in two widths.  I’m so excited about using it.  I have searched high and low in the sewing supply shops of my mid-size Midwestern town and have had no luck finding velvet ribbon in this shade.  The closest I’ve come to any VR at all is in Joann’s where they have some VRs in soft green, burgundy and light blue.  These will not do for my purposes.  So, I took my future sewing happiness into my own hands and found the thrilling M&J Trims site.  I have a little project I’m furiously working on as a Christmas present for a friend of mine and this ribbon is the finishing touch.  I’ll be posting photos of it soon.  I have another project I have almost completely finished for a different friend and you’ll be seeing that, too.

I’m getting tired of trying to satisfy my high fashion hopes in these small town stores.  We only have two around here that even sell anything in the line of what I need.  Those two being Hobby Lobby and Joann’s.  Hobby Lobby has some different, interesting fabrics sometimes but their stock is not rotated often, so a trip there once every two months is all its worth.  Joann’s is way better, especially in the line of terrifically priced, lovely fabric remnants that are perfect for purses.  Even Joann’s, though never always has everything I wish I could use in my projects (such as brass purse feet!).  I have several English books that I make projects from and they often use trims or findings that are not available in my stores.

So, all of this is leading up to my very first New Year’s Resolution:  I vow that I will never allow the limitations of my local fabric stores to stifle my creativity again!

Long live online stores with their limitless stock, 24/7 hours and non-existent lines at the checkout counter!