Wish I Had Asked My Grandmother!

When I see pictures of my mother in her youth - and the clothes she wore - I wonder who made her dresses - and how they were made...

Sewing machines were invented in the 1700's - ones with a crank handle on the right side. But they were meant to sew leather and canvas.

Later machines were invented in the 1800's, the century my grandparents were born. 

I don't recall my mother's mother ever sewing clothing - though she did knit socks. She also had to learn how to spin and weave, to make sheets and towels for her family. I remember her telling me that.

But did they buy clothing ready-made? Or did a seamstress or tailor take their measurements and sew them by hand!

I wish I had asked.

Crocheted?!

I'm not sure I've ever seen crocheted shoe or sandle tops before...

So I was surprised to see these in a store window. I wonder how the crochet is attached to the shoe...

A new use for crochet! And to think my mother once wondered if weaving, spinning, hand knitting and crochet would become lost art.

Restoring Warmth

Out house isn't kept all that warm in winter... (Terry and I have differing opinions about what constitutes "comfortable warmth"!)

The past few winters, I've managed to stay comfortably warm at HIS preferred (cool) temperature... because I've purchased some very warm fleece tops, that have revolutionized my life! (I don't think that's an overstatement!)

But... this year the tops seemed less cozy and warm... because years of tossing them into the dryer have tangled the fleece and made it "crusty" - to the point that I was considering throwing them out! But new ones are hard to find!

Fortunately I happened upon several potential solutions: First, I no longer put them into the dryer. Instead I shake them and let them air dry. Second, to restore softness to the crusty tangled fibers - I use an animal brush to untangle them. This one is a cat brush.

It's not an easy job - but it does work. And third, I turn the shirt inside out and brush the inside fibers first. Those are the ones that need to be soft to keep me warm!

If I can get them back to their original softness, hopefully the shirts will serve me well for a few more years.

To Buy "Bling"?!

I walk in a nearby mall most days a week. 

It's a bright and airy place to spend an hour - and it adds a significant number of kilometres to my virtual treks. Totalling those steps up, my walking app tells me I've done over 2000 kilometres so far this year!

But these mall walks may have a down side!

A few weeks ago, I noticed more and more sequined dresses and tops for sale.

Eventually I began to wonder if could use a top with sequins?!

A few weeks ago, that thought would never have crossed my mind...!

Here's a selfie I sent my daughter - from the change room - to get her opinion!

I didn't realize it - but I must be "the highly suggestible type" - to quote my son ... (who in turn is quoting Homer Simpson)! 

(How often do you need to see sequins before you want some?! Now that would be an interesting question to ask a behavioural psychologist.)

Rhinestone Cowgirls

I was surprised to see this new look at the mall where I walk...

Rhinestone cowgirl gear?!

Is this the latest fashion? I asked my daughter. What's behind it?!

Probably Beyonce's new album, she replied, and sent me some links...

Or maybe the masked country musician..,

(Glad I have kids to ask!)

Color Blast from the Past

Walking around the mall, I saw this sweater ... and stopped to stare...

That was so ME... when I was in my early 20's! Could I still pull it off?!

(These days, I'm more into greys...!)

Then I noticed this fleecy jacket ... almost the same color!! 

Is hot pink is coming back in style?!

Then I received an email from Ikea... advertising equally flashy colors in home furnishings.

Who makes these decisions  - about what colors will be in style?!

For someone like me, who LOVED these colors on the '60s, this is an emotional turn of events.

Thirteen Years Old?!!

My photo app sometimes sends me photo memories - like this one from thirteen years ago of my mother's 91st birthday. Here we are celebrating with her - my mother, my brother and me.

What catches my eye is the SHIRT I'm wearing. It's still one of my favourites. I still wear it A LOT!! Have I had it THAT long?!

I can't believe it's (at least) 13 years old!

Canadian Tuxedo

I'm a big fan of the "Canadian Tuxedo" - blue jeans and a denim shirt or jacket.

I remember my friends and me wearing jeans at school in grade 7 in Red Deer, before moving to Kelowna. Blue jeans became more stylish in the 1960s - and I remember wearing bell-bottom ones then.

These days I often wear denim-coloured shirts as a light jacket over a T-shirt - more often than I wear jeans.

Now that warmer weather is coming, I've been hunting for a denim shirt with a pocket or two big enough to hold a cellphone.

Maybe jeans developed with my generation: I don't ever remember my mother or father owning a pair.

Looking for the origins of the name "Canadian Tuxedo," I came across this explanation online:

A cute story!

Flower-filled Skirts

Walking in the mall, I noticed this border print skirt in a store.

In my teen years, I had a similar skirt.  Blue with lots of colourful flowers along the hem. 

I loved it - until butterflies started chasing me!

My reaction was the same as my granddaughter’s, when butterflies tried to land on her in a winter butterfly garden in Montreal!

After that experience, I was afraid to wear my flower-filled skirt outdoors again! I can't remember if I ever did!

Still in Style?!

Occasionally, on my mall walks, I see new styles, reminiscent of clothing we wore in the 1960s and '70s… like this plaid jackets I recently saw in the mall. (I remember my brother wearing plaid the year he got married... back in 1973.)

(My daughter once told me that if you remember wearing it the first time round, you're too old to wear it now... Not sure if she's right...)

But I do find it gratifying to see ads for clothing very similar to items I bought several years ago and still like to wear... 

Makes me feel I'm not totally out of touch!

A New Style?!

I’m often puzzled by fashion…

Torn, frayed jeans have been in style for over 30 years - and I still do’t understand their appeal…

So when I stopped to admire this green blouse - and noticed that it was buttoned up unevenly, I was curious: Was this a mistake? Or new style?

“Hard to say,” my daughter replied when I asked her. “I’d say mistake - but there’d be less fabric to tuck into a waistband if one side were shorter and just hung over the top.”

Sounds logical … but what about the top buttons?! 

I guess I’ll have to wait and see if I come across an unevenly buttoned shirt again.

Oh-oh! Just came across this on Pinterest! 

Maybe uneven buttoning is now “in”!.

L.L. Bean in Ottawa! Hard to Believe!

For years I’ve bought fleece shirts and water-proof coats through a catalog. The items would take a while to arrive: they were shipped from Maine.

Whenever we traveled to the USA, I’d hunt for one of their physical stores - L.L. Bean. But they're hard to find, even in the USA...

So last year, I was surprised to see that one had opened up near Toronto...

And this year one opened up in Ottawa!

I don't do a lot of shopping these days - but I did stop in
to look around...















Now I can actually try on clothing before buying it!!

Frilly Dresses!

Until the COVID-19 social distancing started, I would walk in a large shopping center several times a week. Now I walk outdoors.

When new summer clothing arrived in the mall, I noticed a rack of dresses that resembled a dress I had worn as a teenager...

My mother made me one very much like this - except mine was blue.

I hunted through old photo albums to see if I could find a picture of it - but no luck...

I also dug through old sewing patterns of my mother's... But again no success.

For those of us who wore them, it's a shock to see styles from the 1960's  back in stores again!

"Do We Still Have Grandma's Dickies?!"

My mother liked to keep her neck warm in winter. She was sensitive to the cold. When she eventually moved into the nursing home, she didn't need them as the temperature was always warm and comfortable.

Going through clothing she no longer wore, I found a collection of "dickies" she had knit for herself - warm collars, some of them lacy. These looked as if they had came straight out of the Victorian era.

After checking with my daughter to see if she wanted to keep them, I gave them to a second-hand clothing store. They were definitely not something I would ever want to wear...

But recently my daughter sent me a photo... with a question: Do we still have Grandma's dickies?!

(Oh, no! If my daughter wants them - they must be coming back in style!!)

"Pawn Stars" Souvenir

Terry doesn't need clothing (he always tells us) - but he does enjoy wearing shirts that are "conversation pieces."

People often stop to ask him about his Bishops University hoodie or his Maui T-shirt.

"Yes, I studied at Bishops..."

"No, my son brought this back for me from Maui..."

Souvenir clothing get a conversation going.

So I was glad our son was able to find a souvenir T-shirt from the pawn shop on Pawn Stars on his last trip to Las Vegas... (Even though I made a mistake when he asked me what size to get - and I told him a size too big!)

ALL? (Or a SELECT Few?)

I did a double take when I saw this store sign...

So ALL coats are discounted 40%...

That’s interesting...

Wait!!

Don’t know if ALL are on sale... Or just a SELECT few?!

What does this sign actually mean?!!

Shopping at Canada’s First L.L. Bean Store

Like Marge Simpson, the TV cartoon mom in "the Simpsons," I wear the same style of clothing most of  the time. If I find a garment I like, I buy it in several colours to mix it up a bit.

In my teaching days, I purchase clothing from a Toronto retailer who sold skirts with large pockets, perfect for holding keys, pens, and chalk.

Since retiring, my clothing "style" has changed. Now I often buy cozy fleece tops - and coats - online from L.L. Bean, a store in the USA.

The main problem with online shopping is that you can't try on a garment before buying it.

So I was thrilled to learn that the company recently opened its first Canadian store in the Toronto area. Now I can actually try things on before deciding whether or not to purchase them.

The selection isn’t as large as the online catalogue, needless to say... But on my first trip to the store I found two soft fleece shirts I know will be perfect for cooler weather.

Slimming Mirrors!

Occasionally, when shopping, I notice full-length mirrors that are slimming...

... Like this one in a fancy store where my daughter was trying on coats...

Wouldn't it be great to really be this tall and lean?!!

I wonder if they sell more clothing with mirrors like this!

NOT Visible Mending...

I planned to make an old hoodie my first visible mending project. But then I lost my nerve!

The cuffs were frayed - but instead of using a contrasting color to mend them, I looked for thread of the same charcoal grey color.

After playing around for a bit - I decided to simply create a new cuff by stitching part of the cuff inside the sleeve, tacking it onto the sleeve by hand.

When this cuff eventually frays - if the rest of the hoodie still looks good, I may simply buy more grey ribbing and make new cuffs.

I read online that visible menders sometimes do mending in groups and encourage each other with suggestions. (Maybe also a glass of wine?!) It definitely takes confidence to create interesting mending designs - then wear the garment in public...

No visible mending this time, but I'm happy to be wearing this hoodie again!

Adidas Memories

My father loved his adidas jogging pants and matching shirts. He had two pairs of them - one in maroon and one in blue.

A remnant of the blue pants is still around our house... in the form of a duster. But my daughter still wears the matching shirt.

I recently saw this pair of adidas jogging pants in a store. They are not all that different from the ones my father wore 40 years ago! Seeing them did jog my memory!