Living A Vintage Life: Sew Retro

"Sew Retro is a community of ladies and gents who adore vintage patterns, vintage fabric, and vintage style. We love sharing our vintage and retro projects for inspiration and encouragement with vintage sewing fanatics worldwide."
While Sew Retro's 'about' page certainly describes what this wonderful blog is about, you can't truly understand Sew Retro without experiencing it yourself. You will find they don't just show off vintage patterns, fabrics and projects but they give voice to the passionate folks who breathe fresh life into the objects of their passion. Buttons and petticoats, bridesmaid and baby dresses, fantastic finds and frustrating flubs all find their way onto Sew Retro's pages. Sew Retro's down-to-earth voice embraces sewing vintageophiles of all skill levels.

I appreciate A.J.A.'s honesty when she posted her experience creating a tea-length gown from vintage Simplicity 5343, Mommy and Me Formal Dresses : "There was nothing to fear except crazy fabric that could barely be pressed and frayed to fuzz, and a pattern with dart tucks straight out of h-e-double-hockey-sticks."

 

Katherine's story of Little Bo Peep brought a childhood nursery rhyme to life, complete with scratchy hay, 1947 Frigidaire and homemade toilet bowl cleanser.

Projects range from repurposed duds to evening wear and the blog is dotted with delightful old patterns, illustrations and charming goodies like this prettily primitive spool rack.

Sew Retro takes vintage sewing supplies out of boxes, drawers and closets and brings them into the daylight for all to use and enjoy! Pull up a hot mug of tea and spend the afternoon with Sew Retro and be inspired to not just collect but to live vintage!

Live Vintage!

You love to look at, touch, buy, sell and give vintage, but do you live with your vintage? Are your vintage goodies untouchables or are they an integral part of your everyday life? Are your vintage possessions only trinkets on a shelf to be admired, pieces of jewelry taken out and worn only on special occasions, or reminders of yesteryear hung on the wall for looks only? How do you live with your vintage obsession?
Let me tell you how I live with mine!
I confess that I plunk lots of my vintage goodies on the piano, inside and on top of the breakfront, on shelves and on dressers; I intermingle them with photos of my kids, crafts and odd bits of jewelry, bobby pins and notes, and of course dust. I like it that way. The dusty, controlled chaos is comforting. But I also live with my vintage in very practical ways.

This gorgeous blue and white handkerchief is one of many lovely linens offered by team member Vintage Linens from Massachusetts.

If I had to choose one practical vintage item I couldn't live without, I would choose my linen hankies. Having just recovered from a 2-week cold, I can tell you that linen hankies are the absolute best thing to blow your sad nose into. Thick and absorbent, soft and pretty, they add a touch of sophistication to a very unsophisticated act. After two weeks my nose is neither red or chafed.

The Happy Hoarder offers a variety of vintage fabrics from her studio in Ohio, including this charming juvenile printed cotton seersucker.

Hailing from Virginia, Dandelion Girl offers this gorgeous octagonal English tin.

As I look around I see all sorts of ways that I live with vintage:  the lovely old tin holding my ink pens, the rug I crocheted from vintage fabric, plates and pie pans in my studio holding tiny parts and paint, the bright wool blanket on my bed, the necklace with the big cotton pearls I wear with t-shirts...
Look around and tell me, "how do you live with your vintage?".