Some people don't get to be Vintage!

I started this blog with the thoughts of dealing with aging. At the ripe of age of 59 (which is the new 39) I have come to grips with the fact that I will never have a 26 inch waist again, nor will I be able to dance until dawn. 10:00 usually sees me sound asleep.

But something happened this week that made me think of the very young and the effects of birth as it relates to aging.

My darling hubby works for a funeral home and is very sensitive to the grief and wonder that is death. When one of our older family members passes over, it is often sad but the family feels blessed to have had years with their parent, sibling or friend. When an accident or illness takes a contemporary or a young person, it is even more tragic.

But when a tiny little baby is prematurely stillborn and never experiences the things we take for granted; a mother's touch, a father's laugh, the lick of a dog, sunshine on your face or snow, it can absolutely break the heart of the toughest of us.

Quite frequently (in our small town, anyway) these infants are born to families who are extremely young, extremely under financed and who often are borderline legal with no family support.

One of the saddest parts of arranging for the burial of such a tiny infant, is that there is no clothing available. This presents a problem to hospitals with premie wards, all over the country, and there are website devoted to supplying this tiny doll size clothes for babies to wear while in the incubator. But those needs are different.

An infant in an incubator needs clothing to allow for IV's and diapers and a certain amount of movement and handling. The tiny angels do not have those needs. They simply need to be clothed as prettily as possible. All mothers want their children well dressed and especially for that final crossover.

What I'm trying to explain is that there is a need for "something special". I found some sites that offer these things but they are extremely expensive. So I put out a request on a couple of private groups I belong to and the response has been amazing.

The offers of help have been overwhelming. And some members are even sending things to each other to accomplish this task. Some are sending patterns and materials to others who sew, crochet or knit.

What I hope to do is establish a collection of varied size doll size clothing that is appropriate for these tiny infants so that when the need arises here in my community, we will be prepared and not have to scramble to find something for these babies and their families.

I just wanted to share my thoughts and my gratitude to my wonderful friends for stepping up to the plate to help those less fortunate. For some reason today, my arthritis is hurting less and I've got a bit of spring in my step again. Still don't think I can dance until dawn though.

The Ultimate Portrait Collar!

Atomic, Mid Century.............doesn't this collar remind you of something Judy Jettson would wear? Except of course she would have on ski pants instead of a full dirndl skirt.
































The pattern is a Simplicity Designer Pattern from 1950...........and I will be listing it along with several other Fabulous Fifties patterns from the same Estate Lot this weekend. The lot included a gorgeous 1952 Wedding Gown with a Big Bertha Collar and some smashing Criss Cross Bodice Bombshell Dresses. The lady who had these was small and knew how to accentuate the Negative with Bust Enhancing designs.

There's a New Kid on the Block

For all of you Pattern Mavens and Collectors, there is a new site being created. It is at Wikia and is the brain child of Erin from Dressaday. It is an interactive site where you can look for patterns , and display your favorites, or show off your creations from old patterns. It is in it's embro stage but growing quickly so be sure to go check it out. Vintage Sewing Patterns

What are the odds?

of finding 2 Designer Patterns at the same time? Really good patterns don't come around often and when you buy a big box of patterns there are usually 1 or 2 really good ones in the lot, but I lucked into the greatest find this weekend. Actually a friend of mine picked the lot up at an auction and brought it to me. There were so many great 50's Advance patterns that it's hard to decide which I like best. Here's my top 5 of the batch.






















The first is a Luis Estevez sheath dress with a floating panel in back. Then there's the Suzy Perette Bubble skirt with a bateau neckline and wide midriff cummerbund.

Two blouson sheath's both with a very fitted front and blousy back.

And last but definitely not least this adorable and very sexy draped bodice sheath. Bombshell at it's best.























All of these will be on the auction block this weekend (Happy Thanksgiving and post Black Friday)......at cemetarian on eBay.

Shimmer & Shine Vintage Blow Out

Several times a year the Vintage Clothing and Accessories Board on eBay sponsors a Vintage Blow Out Sale. It always lasts a week, starts on Thursday, all items must have a Buy it Now Price and must be $19.99 or under.
This is a fabulous opportunity to pick up great vintage items at slashed prices.

This Thanksgiving weekend is the date for the next one.

More details "http://cgi3.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid="vbo-vintage*blow*out">