CHIC ON A SHOESTRING BOOK REVIEW...

 

Why throw out your old clothes when they can be transformed for very little money? With an eye for all things 'stylishly vintage', Mary Jane takes throw-away items and illustrates how they can be used to create a host of covetable clothes and accessories.
An old tie can be turned into a purse, knitting needle holder, cute corsage and a belt. Silk scarves can make a return as a sexy top or skirt, and T-shirts as funky 40s-style turbans. 'Chic on a Shoestring' will take you through - step-by-step - all you need to know to create fabulous clothes and accessories you actually want to wear, and provide you with lots of variations and inspiration to foster your own style.
And with advice on how to find useful treasures at markets, charity shops and vintage stores, you will be making your own creations in no time.
It's packed with brilliant ideas for sewing vintage-style accessories for virtually nothing.

HARDLY EVER WORN YOUR OUTFIT?...

How many outfits have you got in your wardrobe that you have hardly every worn? I bet you even have some that still have their tags on them. Well if you have some original designer outfits or accessories then a new website HARDLYEVERWORNIT is the one stop shop for you.
Sharon Wolter-Ferguson has spent the last two years developing this site which is a one stop shop for all those designer items you have hardly ever worn.
They call this' the crème de la crème' of designer clothing. So, if you're a shopaholic in remission, or a fashion magpie who just can't say no at the checkout, this is the place for you.
It works a bit like Ebay in that you upload and manage your own listings, and then the site just takes fifteen percent from your sale or Sharon and her team will sell it for you.
Its basically an online resource where you can find your designer clothes at a fraction of their retail price. http://www.hardlyeverwornit.com/
'A verified designer version of Ebay - Grazia'

DO YOU REMEMBER THE SPIROGRAPH...

Did you have a Spirograph?

It was developed by Denys Fisher a British engineer in 1965.

They called it a 'toy that kept children entertained hours on end', and was simply comprised of plastic circles and rings as well as different shapes with ridged edges that resembled gears. I bet you'd never see children today playing with this like we did.

You could make some amazing unique designs by using coloured pens and tracing the inside of the plastic ridged shapes.

Apparently it became so popular that it won the Educational Toy of the Year award for three years running from 1965 to 1967. Due to its popularity Spirograph designs started appearing in the world of fashion as well as in Op Art.

SEWING VINTAGE MODERN by Nora Abousteit and Jamie Lau...

SEWING VINTAGE MODERN...

BurdaStyle Sewing Vintage Modern by Nora Abousteit and Jamie Lau [Hardcover]is due out on the 11th December 2012, so an ideal Christmas gift and available from www.amazon.co.uk

The editors show key fashion looks of the past and deconstructs them so sewers can learn to use these iconic elements to make their own sylish clothes.

Using five basic patterns for a dress, blouse, trousers, trench and skirt, the book gives step-by-step instruction on how to apply versatile techniques from the 1920s through to the 1980s to create an inspiring collection of fresh, new looks.

Fashion designers have always looked back to move forward and budding designers and fashion savvy sweres will use this indispensible resource as a springboard to an amazing range of sewing possibilities.