Vintage Notions by Amy Barickman: Book Review and Giveaway

There is no denying that the words of a book - the information it transmits and how we walk away from our interaction with said book - matter immensely, but there is a great deal to be said in favour of visually appealing titles, too, especially when it comes to the realm of how-to books.

As a voracious reader, primarily of non-fiction books, I come in contact with many volumes each year that fall into one camp or the other, but far less that nail stellar content and sublimely beautiful pages between the same two covers. The most recent title that knocked it out of the ballpark for me on both fronts is the tremendously lovely Vintage Notions: An Inspirational Guide to Needlework, Cooking, Sewing, Fashion and Fun written by esteemed craft industry leader Amy Barickman (who you may know from her companies Indigo Junction and The Vintage Workshop, amongst many other places).





I was sent a copy of this book, which was released in 2010, from its publisher to review and can't begin to thank them enough for this lovely gift. I had three other books on the go when Vintage Notions arrived, but they all quickly went on the back burner because I honestly could not put this title down once I'd started reading it. Every free moment I got, I poured over another chapter and lapped up this book with immense gusto.

Author Amy Barickman created a whimsical, yet very partial, book that focuses on the wisdom, work and life of Mary Brooks Picken (pictured below), who was at the forefront of the early domestic arts and sciences front in the early twentieth century. Ms. Picken was a leading authority on many topics pertaining to homemaking, sewing, and fashion, and was the founder of the Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences in Scranton, Pennsylvania (as well as being one of the founding directors of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute).

{Photo of Mary Brooks Picken via Wikipedia}

The Woman's Institute offered very affordable at-home courses that readers from across America, Canada and further afield could avail of to better their own sewing skills, and by extension, their lives (be it sewing their own wardrobes, making clothing for their kids, working as a paid seamstress, etc). The Institute also published magazines and pamphlets on a wide variety of subjects pertaining to the domestic arts and it is amongst all of these sources that Amy gathered the information that makes up the bulk of her beautiful book.

In it, one finds instructions, patterns, and advice on topics pertaining to sewing, crochet, cooking, housekeeping, parties, the holidays, and timeless wisdom to help us navigate the waters of life that first appeared in this extensive Woman's Institute literature during the 1920s and early 1930s. Accompanying the text is a plethora of original vintage illustrations, as well as a gorgeous overall design to the book that includes things like page borders that are images of charming vintage fabrics.

No matter if one is a sewer or not, this book is worth its weight in gold for the history it contains and important page space that it devotes to an institution that was once at the forefront of domestic like in America. Divided into twelve chapters, one to correspond with each month of the year, Vintage Notions also includes a heartwarmingly lovely prefix at the beginning of each chapter from Amy that covers some of her own thoughts on that month and the subjects covered within it by the Institute.

{Take an exciting peak inside Vintage Notions in this engaging YouTube video from author Amy Barickman herself.}

The Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences operated from 1914 until 1938, and though a focus on domestic arts remained a key point for many ladies in the ensuing two decades, by the 1960s, as the sands of society were shifting on many, many fronts, the age old arts of homemaking, sewing, knitting and similar crafts were no longer at the forefront of many women's lives in the ways that they had once been. As a result, the wisdom that the Woman's Institution had gathered, created, and shared largely fell out of the public eye, yet even in the 21st century much of it reminds poignant and practical - and for those of us who sew and sport vintage fashions, extremely handy on that front as well.

Amy Barickman has done a hat doffingly commendable job of gleaning some of the most enjoyable and practical information (and patterns) that the Woman's Institute offered its students and brought it to life in today's world with the help of her own notes and a book that is so beautifully designed, you'll not only want to keep your copy out on display, but to give this book to all of the sewing, history, vintage fashion and cooking fans in your life.

In addition to sending a copy my way, the publisher also very generously offered to give away one copy of Vintage Notions to a lucky North American Chronically Vintage reader.

If you'd like to try your hand at winning a copy of this awesome book, please feel free to do as many of the following seven things as you'd like, ensuring that you please leave a separate comment for each method that you enter with.


1. Leave a comment on this post letting me know what your favourite type of domestic art is and at least one of the ways in which it has impacted your life.


2. Blog about this giveaway on your own site, linking back to this post.


3. Like Amy Barickman on Facebook and post about the giveaway on your own Facebook page.


4. Follow Amy on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, including the hashtag #vintagenotions in your tweet.


5. Sign up to follow Amy's blog by email (you can do so at the top of the right hand sidebar).


6. Follow, or be an existing follower, of Chronically Vintage on Instagram.


7. Like, or be an existing fan, of Chronically Vintage on Facebook.


Giveaway details

This giveaway is for one copy of the book Vintage Notions by Amy Barickman. It is open to readers from Canada and America, at the request of the publisher (apologies to my wonderful international readers), and will run from today (January 27th) until February 3, 2015.

Once the giveaway has closed, I will select a winner using a random number generator and announce that person's name on Facebook and/or Twitter shortly thereafter. If doing so is possible, I will also try to contact the winner directly by email or Facebook private message to let them know that they won and to obtain their address, which I'll pass along to the publisher who will send your prize to you directly.

♥ ♥ ♥

I genuinely adore Vintage Notions and would have happily reviewed and penned every last word that I said in today's post regardless of if I received it as a review gift or not. It is en elegant, sweet, wholesome, timeless tome and homage to the domestic arts that deserves a place in homes and lives of those with a passion for any branch of this field and/or history in general - plus, those who sport 1920s and/or 30s fashions are bound to especially love that the patterns in it hail from those decades.

Thank you, Amy, for writing this book and introducing Mary Brooks Picken’s wisdom, advice, and knowledge to a new generation for whom - as I'm certain Mary herself would have known – it remains as pertinent today as it was more than eighty years ago when it was first presented to the world.

How to make an incredibly authentic looking 1920s bathing suit

✯ Day 261 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

Carrying merrily along with celebrating National Sewing Month, today's post comes in just under the wire - the end of summer wire, that is.

I am continually impressive by the resourcefulness and creativity of vintage lovers, especially those who know their way around a needle and thread.

Recently I came across a detailed set of instructions on the superb historical costume blog, American Duchess, which provides detailed step-by-step instructions on how to turn a large sized men's heavy weight cotton knit shirt and a belt (paired, optionally, with knee-high trouser socks and Mary Jane shoes) into a staggering authentic looking 1920s bathing suit.

 

With a bit of pattern design and sewing, the lovely woman (and creator of this tutorial) pictured above, has made a bathing suit that really and truly looks as though it could have been plucked from your great-grandma's attic.

Run, don't walk, over to American Duchess and feast your eyes on the (relatively) easy steps needed to transform the most basic of everyday times (a black t-shirt) into a very historically accurate looking, completely delightful bathing suit that's both inexpensive (especially compared to buying an authentic 1920s wool swimsuit!) and incredibly charming.

Though summer may be nearly over, you can always whip up this great sewing project during the nippy months to take on a tropical vacation or tuck loving away in your closet for next summer.

The prettiest 1950s sewing machine I've ever seen

✯ Day 252 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

In celebration of the fact that September is National Sewing Month (really, I like to think of it as full-blown International Sewing Month, as sewing is a universal activity and love!), I thought it would be fun to try and devote a post a week (roughly) to things that are both vintage and sewing related.

As I'm by no means a sewing expert myself (hem a skirt, make a simple pair of lounge pants, sure - sew an evening gown without batting an eye, not so much!) and haven't owned or had regular access to a sewing machine in about a decade, I likely won't be instructing you on any projects this month.

Instead we'll dig through (mid-twentieth century) history for some delight vintage sewing topics that you can enjoy all month long and well beyond!

I, for one, know that I'd just about melt faster than a crayon in Death Valley were I to come across the incredibly pretty pink 1950s Singer sewing machine in today's post.

While the colour of a device rarely has any impact on how well it will preform, when I gaze (longingly) at this machine, I  imagine my own output being so productive I'd quickly run out of places to stash my newly sewn creations.

 

Delightful - that was the first word I thought of when I came across this ad on saltycotton's fantastic Flickr stream, flat out delightful. Just look at it, glistening in its perfectly dusty rose hued pink, boasting 101 stitch variations, and being quite possibly the prettiest (non-antique) Singer sewing machine I've ever seen.

Why did Singer stop making pink sewing machines? Sure there's been other colours over the years, both before and after, but these days it's rare to find a real, take charge sort of sewing machine (as opposed to a cute, lightweight plastic one, of possibly unreliable quality) that isn't white.

I adore the idea of one's sewing machine doubling as a fashionable home decor piece when not in use, it's charming pink exterior beckoning you to sit down and whip up an apron, circle skirt, wedding dress - anything.

Yet it's not just the wonderful pink sewing machine itself I adore about this vintage Singer ad, there's also the fashionably resplendent outfits the three women and one little girl are sporting, as well as the classic 1950s pink wall colour and wonderful rotary phones they're all chatting away on (no doubt telling everyone they know about their gorgeous new pink Singer!).

In honour of National Sewing Month, I vow (never before knowing that such a marvelous thing as a pink vintage sewing machine existed) to henceforth keep my eyes peeled at every garage sale, thrift shop, flea market, and second hand store I go to, hoping that perhaps the gods of sewing will smile upon me and lead me to find one of these beauties, still in good working order, to take home and finally remedy my lack of a sewing machine situation!

Do you dress your children in vintage clothes?

✯ Day 88 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

The inspiration behind today's post came from part of a conversation my husband and I shared recently. Like many married couples with dreams of one day starting a family of their own, we often enjoy discussing all manner of topics pertaining to our future brood (from baby names to what we their education to be like). As we were capping off one such chat a few days ago, I tossed in the comment "and of course, I'm going to dress them in only vintage".

Well, this remark raised an quick eyebrow from the mister (though goodness only knows why, when that's nearly all I strive to wear myself!), who replied with something to the extent of,  "Um, no".

Sorry there, sweetums, but, "Um, yes!". 

Ok, chances are that not every single garment my future child/children will wear in their earliest years will be vintage, but ideally, I'd like to try and purchase and/or sew (using vintage baby and children's clothing patterns) a lot of vintage and vintage inspired pieces. In a sense pushing aside my own adoration with vintage clothing, when I look at children's styles from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s I see the most sublime pairing of elegance and carefree youthfulness.

Yesteryear kids clothing was ripe with skilful tailoring, immensely pretty patterns and fabrics, and lots of adorable features that make them leagues more beautiful, in my humble opinion, than the bulk of what's on the market for children today.

I tend to think my husband's raised eyebrow stemmed mostly from thinking (somewhat mistakenly) that vintage baby clothing costs an arm and leg. The wonderful truth is, that it doesn't have to. Thanks to sites like etsy and eBay, you can track down authentic vintage baby clothes for very reasonable prices (sometimes, for even less than what their modern day equivalents will run you at most department and baby goods shops). From Christening gowns to pajamas, dresses to short pants, there's actually quite an extensive array of vintage kids clothing to be found still today, much of it quite economically.

One of the main reasons, I think, for this is because - while kids tend to be harder than on their clothes than adults - children grow so quickly. Kids shot up overnight in the 40s and 50s, just like they do today, and that meant that many times garments become too small long before they'd worn out (yes, some were handed down for sure, but others were tucked lovingly away by sentimental mothers). As a result, it's not hard at all to find baby, toddler and children's vintage clothes (and shoes) these days.

Much as I love vintage fashion, I know that as my kids grow older, their own fashion tastes my differ, and that's totally fine, but while they're still at that delightful age when you can deck them out however you please (the real life "doll years", if you will), you, my husband, and everyone else better gosh darn well believe I'm going to put my little ones in beautiful vintage styles! :D

{How charmingly adorable are these lovely summer dresses? Couldn't just image whipping one up for your darling daughter, granddaughter or niece? Vintage sewing pattern image via patterngate on Flickr.}

 

I want my kids to look back at photos of their first years of life and admire the timelessly stylish looks their parents dressed them in (who knows, perhaps it will help turn them into vintage clothing lovers themselves, as adults), seeing the class, style, and timeless workmanship that mid-twentieth century kids clothing possessed.

I know all it will take is slipping one teeny-tiny smocked dress onto my daughter or play suit onto my son, for my husband to suddenly see the undeniable appeal - and merit - of kitting out your kids in fantastic old school styles.

This discussion got me thinking though, my dears, about you and your kids. Do you, vintage loving mom that you are, dress (at least some of the time) your kids in vintage clothing?

Today’s Vintage Treasure: 1930s reproduction quilt fabric

{While I’m not a quilter (hand stitched patchwork blankets for my dollies that I made as a young child aside), I’m the first to say that quilting is a beautiful, time honoured art that has long intrigued me. I love the principle behind quilting, that one can take small scraps or squares of fabric, combine them together and transform them into something that provides form, comfort and even security.

Recently I came across an eBay seller called anielia who is currently selling an absolutely delightful selection of 1930s reproduction "Antique Treasure" fabrics by a line called Paintbrush Studios. The listings are for fat quarters (one quarter of a square yard/metre of fabric) of 100% cotton, however the seller states that if you buy more than one fat quarter, the material will be shipped in continual yardage, so I’d be willing to guess that if you contacted the seller and asked (for example) to buy three yards of a given pattern, they may very well be able to accommodate you.

The four designs shown above are just a sample of the lovely, salt-of-the-earth patterns of 1930s reproduction fabric that anielia has listed (each fat quarter sells for $2.20 US as a "Buy It Now"), every one of which really does have a genuinely old fashioned, earnest 1930s feel to it, that would make it an excellent choice for all manner of vintage inspired fabric crafts (including, naturally, quilting).}

♥ ♥ ♥


A different sort of vintage treasure that came to my attention today, is a marvellous project that was recently launched by the site Vintage Savoir Faire called the Grow-A-Long 2010. While the name of this project might suggest it has something to do with hair, it is in fact a free online workshop that will guide participants through the steps involved with growing three types of edible plants (via garden or container growing) and then using your the produce you harvest to make edible treats and pampering beauty products alike.

As someone who adores the idea of modern day Victory Gardens, embracing a green lifestyle, and producing one’s own food (when possible), I’m head-over-heels for this idea. If you’re interested as well, be sure to swing by Vintage Savoir Faire and sign up for this fantastic summer project.


Wishing you each an enchanting evening and first week of May!

Today’s Vintage Treasure: February 25, 2010

{While the cost of this basic sewing kit is much steeper than I’d usually promote, the beauty and appeal of the flapper-esque girl bedecked box it comes housed in helps to make up for part of the $55.00 (CND) sticker price. As a charming work of art, I could easily see this delightful box – which resembles a miniature vintage suitcase – taking pride-of-place on a bookshelf, dresser, counter top, or sewing table or anywhere you’d like to add a lovely dose of 1920s inspired fun to your home. If this cute sewing box is calling your name, you can find it on Overstock.com.}


Peering outside at this moment, one would think that they’d awoken in the arctic, snow whirling hurriedly in every direction, the resonating sound of a howling wind slashing across anything it comes in contact with. Alas however, I’m not up north keeping the polar bears company, but instead in good ol’ Toronto, which has been hit with a real wallop of a snowfall this week (on Monday we even experienced two brief blackouts in the later part of the evening, though luckily the longest one only last about five minutes).

In the midst of this snowy (though to be honest, not brutally cold – save perhaps for the wind chill week) week, I’ve been trying to catch up on a backlog of chores that are a tad overdue as a result of my being out of commission for a spell with a sinus cold in the middle of the month. Yesterday, for example, I did ten loads of laundry! (Thankfully we have washers and dryers in the basement of our building; I shudder to think about hauling that much laundry to a laundromat on the bus!) Unfortunately, that left me without a moment to spare to put together a Wonderful Wednesday Recipe post. I’ll try and make up for it next with an extra yummy (read: scrumptious dessert) recipe that I hope you’ll all enjoy.

As for the folding of all that laundry, it’s being done between today and tomorrow (today was also dusting day, which is an absolute must when you have a fuzzy little cat prowling around depositing her fur on everything in the apartment! :D).

Sweet thanks go out to all those who left comments (and opted to play along) on Tuesday’s post about playing blog tag, as well as to everyone who has left comments on any of Chronically Vintage’s other posts recently. It’s nothing short of a joy to hear from my readers– and fellow vintage loving friends – and I always want you to know how much I sincerely appreciate your visits and comments.

Whether you’re buried under a mountain of snow like me – or soaking up the delectableness of a placid winter (such as the one many parts of British Columbia have been treated to this season) - I really hope that you’re having a serene and splendid week!




*PS*

Be sure to tune tomorrow to find out the results of last week’s poll regarding what type of subject matter I should assign (or keep) for Friday’s weekly posts.

Vintage Deal of the Day: October 26, 2009

Joyful Monday greetings to you all! I’m delighted for two reasons in particular this morning: one, because it’s less than a week until All Hallows Eve, and secondly, because this is the first of the now-to-be-a-(hopefully)-just-about-daily feature on Chronically Vintage, in which I bring you a stellar vintage (or modern but vintage looking) find that I’ve unearthed somewhere from within the wilds of the interwebs :)



{This lot of assorted, lovely sewing notions from the 1950s is a steal at $7.00 (US), and would make a charming addition to any sewing room, vintage ephemera collection, or display cabinet. Available from etsy seller Pansy Cottage.}


One thing I wanted to mention about the Daily Deal post is that while I’d imagine a fair number of such entries will feature an item of clothing, I will seriously try to share finds in a variety of sizes. I certainly know that it’s (usually) easier than pie to find a vintage dress for those slender lasses with 24 or 26 inch waistlines or those petite footed gals amongst us who wear a size five or six shoe. The vintage fashion world is ripe with pieces for those who fit into these sizes, but I’d venture to say that most of us do not! As such, I will strive to find pieces for the Daily Deal in an assortment of sizes.

Also, if there’s any type of item ("more gloves", "I love vintage salt and pepper shakers", etc in particular that you’d like to see featured in this post, please let me know, I always love hearing suggestions from my wonderful readers!

Five for Friday {July 24, 2009}

...This weekend is in need of uplifting serenity, respite from nagging worries, gentle moments spent listening to the breeze, and something fantastically sweet to take the occasionally bitter tinge off of everyday life...




{To keep you both cool and gorgeous at night}


{For everyday where I prefer nightgowns that veer towards gamine, charming pieces that could almost pass for the lightest of summer dresses, like this charming vintage number. 1950s Sweet Maiden white cotton nightgown, $45.00 (US) from Heavenly Vintage Lingerie.}


{To breathe new life into vintage linens}


{I spotted the incredibly cute idea of turning vintage pillowcases into children’s dresses at my sweet friend Karyn’s blog and have been thinking about it ever since. I fully believe that you could turn a pillow case into an adult size skirt too (perhaps with the addition of a second fabric), and am enamoured by idea now.}


{To celebrate the fact that cherry season is too short not to make the very best out of it!}


{One the most refreshing, perfectly suited to July recipes you could ever hope to encounter: cherry ice cream profiteroles with almond granita. Photo from, and recipe to be found on, the brilliant culinary blog, Dessert first.}


{To ensure one of the best elements of summer lives on all year long}


{The scent of line-dried or piping hot from the dryer cotton is one of the most relaxing and beautiful on earth, something that I wish I could have at the ready constantly. Fortunately, as this beautiful perfume attests to, I’m not the only one who feels this way. Clean Warm Cotton eau de perfume, $69.00 (US) from Clean Perfume.}


{To remind you of all the truly amazing everyday beauty in this world}


{Any and every photograph from the astonishingly fantastic, deeply gorgeous Flickr group Joyful Simplicities. 1. Untitled, 2. The butterfly room at Phipps Conservatory, 3. A warm welcome, 4. Lavender Harvest. Please click on a link to see a larger version of a particular image and/or for photographer information.}





Wishing you each a weekend filled whatever brings your heart bliss, days spilling over with tranquility and star-kissed evenings.