Linda's NDAD Creations

Today's pieces come in from my new friend Linda in San Francisco.  See, Linda came to my book signing at RGB Shop + Gallery in December with a few pieces she wanted some advice on.  Well, she took that advice and made some fab new pieces.  Here's her story...

I have been following your blog for over a year now. I especially love the fantastic redos the NDAD family has created!  My daughter, Joelle, and I were fortunate to have met you at the RGB Shop in San Francisco in early December.  You encouraged me to do my own pieces and here's what I came up with.  I love treasure hunting at the thrift stores and found these two maxi skirts.  One had beautiful colors with a chevron design and the other was a classic gray tweed.

My intention was to make pillows out of them, but...

Will Linda still make pillows out of these guys??

 I tried them on at home and they fit (well, one did) and the best part was that they were both lined,  about $3...

...and made of good quality fabric!  I thought to myself, so why not wear them!  I decided to shorten both as per your suggestion - I used another skirt as a guide and was able to stretch out the waistband on the smaller one to make it fit.

Voila! 

I am also sending you two pictures from the SF event. I really love the restyle of the Mandarin collared dress that lovely lady did...

I give credit to Joelle for taking these photos.  Thank you so very much for your wonderfully inspiring blog!  And it was so nice to have met you! 

Lots of Love, Linda  P.S. I plan to make boot stands with the excess material from the skirts.

Thank you SO much for sharing Linda.  The length changes everything and you styled both skirts SO well!!  I love that you're still going to work with the excess material left over.  Boot stands are going to be a perfect way to repurpose!

Sidenote, that lovely dress that Linda pointed out crafted by Julia will be featured tomorrow with more photos from the SF signing!

My Mother's Attic: February

So My Mother's Attic usually runs the last Friday of the month, however with February being short and fickle, it's technically falling on March 1st.  However, fear not...this just means there will be two this month.  Enjoy this Valentine's amazingness from Ash!

Much like last month's post, I was very much inspired by the monthly holiday for my remake. This muumuu-esque red sweatshirt dress was a cozy piece my mother rocked in the early 80s.

Given its roomy girth, it was the perfect post-partum wardrobe item - and apparently was very on trend for its time. My mother relayed that she used to pair it with leggings and a baby stroller (I was born in '83 - and now as a mom myself, I totally see the appeal of an ensemble like this. Oversized + forgiving = A new mama's dream). But there were some holes in the hem, the collar was absurdly large...

...and I found that it was just too dang wide (even for my taste). But I loved that it was sweatshirt material (ideal for these freezing Vermont winters!) and the red was perfect for Valentine's Day.

My youngest insisted in helping with the before photos.

 I started by removing the collar and resewing the hem of the neckline.

I then pinned the dress at a smaller width (which conveniently removed the holey hem). I sewed the new side seams, and opted to wear the dress in reverse (with the buttons down the back).

To add an extra touch of holiday-flair, I followed this tutorial with a little white wool roving (to match the white buttons)...

...and a heart cookie cutter.

I finished the piece and wore it just in time for Valentine's Day!

I paired it with some opaque black tights, black boots and my favorite belt.

I was warm, festive and far more current than I would have been had I kept the floppy collar. I HEART this dress!

I HEART this dress too, Ash!!  Can't wait for next month!

To keep up with Ash online, find her over at Blog a la Cart and here on Twitter, Instagram, & FB!

Thursday Remake

This velvet blazer has been in my collection for years!  It was one of the first vintage pieces I bought in my 20s because I was obsessed with the color and perhaps the old Sears tag that hung on the back.  It was my vintage velvet blazer phase and it replaced an amazing brown one that I left on a plane once.  I don't think it ever fit well, but at the time I really wanted it and needed a replacement blazer to add to my collection.  As I'm trying to sort through and edit my closet that has gotten quite massive now, this piece was on the chopping block.

We had many, "will she, won't she" moments going in and out of the donation pile.  I'm still obsessed with the color but the fit was just off.

Blazers are totally meant to be tailored and because the fit was off I was just planning on tossing, but then decided to give it a second chance...

I figured it would be worth a shot to try and tighten it up before giving it away, so I put it on, measured the amount I wanted to take in from the sleeves and the body and then stitched everything in place.

I got the sleeves tweaked and then adjusted the body a few inches.

Post stitch, my jacket really fit me perfectly!

I paired my more fitted jacket with a vintage blouse and a pair of bootleg American Eagle jeans that I thrifted!

I totally feel like the more boho version of Mariska Hargitay on Law & Order: SVU.  I'm totally ready to take down some criminals!

I just love that a quick tweak completely changed this piece into something I'd wear all the time.

I already know what I'm pairing with this next time!  I did love the pop of gold from my vintage clip-on hoop earrings and gold Steve Madden heels.

Nothing like a little photo shoot in the sun to take in the rays and the 70 degree weather.

From Goodwill pile to brand new layering piece!!