blog clog volume iii

Nothing in particular to blog about today

so in between stirrings of yet another dye bath

(virtually everything shown in my last blog post sold quickly, and it seems I've created a bit of a demand for chocolate, plumb, and eggplant clothing now)

I'm just going to unclog the accumulation of random shop-related tidbits show-and-tell style ---

1) You may notice a box at the right of this page, showing a Five and Diamond facebook link. If you're on facebook, I urge you to "Become a Fan". The statuses will update you on any special news or events, like the big sidewalk sale I usually have during Hudson Artswalk (Columbus Day Weekend), or, special open days/hours, secret passwords for secret discounts, etc etc. If you want to post pictures of your Five and Diamond purchases on the page (or here on the blog), we can arrange fun stuff like that too. Anyway, just join up; I promise it won't be too spammy.

2)

The Twister™ window:

Big Hit. I found the circa 1970 numbers dress on a trip upstate a few weeks ago, the same day I took this picture of the Partridge Family School bus out on Rt 23.

I generally don't like primary colors (hate'm really),

but they were calling out to me from everywhere that day.

Even the bad paintings I bought that day (occupational hazard, and only $5 each)

were all about blue, red, yellow.

3) I visited the Adirondack Museum recently, and really enjoyed that they feature a fair amount of old, interesting clothing in their exhibits.

Check out these mittens made out of guess what--- Collies! Yikes.

And here's Teddy Roosevelt's overcoat,

which in fact was pretty damn boring except that I noticed that all the buttons had been moved over substantially at some point, making the front of the coat awkwardly asymetrical. I'm guessing Teddy must have lost some weight and was too frugal to buy a new one that fit...? Fascinating, right?...

I did love what they called a "camp dress":

and this corduroy blazer, (both ca. 1920).

(I highly recommend the Adirondack Museum if you're ever up that way.)

4. This is drummer, singer, songwriter, poet Simon.

Simon likes to call me at odd hours and make me open the shop on my days off.

Sinse he's a travelling, rambling musician on-the-go I always accommodate him.Then he picks out some stuff and haggles relentlessly (I love him anyway).

Recently I had to talk him out of this totally yummy leather jakcet

because I hadn't had a chance to put it on a mannequin and show it off yet. I talked him into this one instead, which was $100 cheaper:He still wanted to haggle.

But I think 85 bucks for a beautifully worn in motorcycle jacket that fits like a glove is a total steal, so I stood firm.

5. Oh, yeah, guess what- the 80s are back.

"..for like the 80th time" (- Mike Albo)

Exactly.

Enough already. I'm too old to appreciate the "vintageness" of the 80s (and those primary colors), but I did slip up a bit the other day when I bought this 80s cocktail dress, because it's a throwback to the 1940s. And is backless. And sideless. And has a cleavage keyhole.

I've got it priced at $35 so it doesn't take up precious space for too long. If it were really from the 40s I'd want almost three times that price. Come and get.

6) It's getting cold out. Here's a great old authentic US Navy P-coat I picked up at the Madison-Bouckville flea market in Auugust.

Check out that fat collar. I don't think they make them like that anymore.

Plus it's as wind-proof as an x-ray blanket.

It was 90 degrees the day I was there, and I didn't want to schlepp it around, so I tried my best not to buy it. just keep walking, just keep walking...

The seller started barking at me:

" It's the real deal, but it goes in the dumpster if nobody buys it", He said.

"Dirty Trick" I said.

Then he showed me the inside.

The lining had a whole hand-me-down provenance of all the sailors who wore the coat.DC = discharge.

VC =Very Cool.

The deal was sealed. What was also kind of sweet was how me and the seller simultaneously pulled out our identical pocket spiral notebooks, and jotted down our identical record:

"P-coat ... $5"

7

Last but not least, some recent happy customers

(who I forgot to say "Smile!" to:)

:

The dress that spawned/My new obsession

It took like a year, but this super-tiny, silk cocktail dress finally sold yesterday.

Kind of a Cinderella story; no one could fit into it.

But everyone was just ga-ga about the yummy lavender-gray color, which was a complete accident/experiment with an already-used blue dye bath.

Now I've got a big cardboard box in my house labelled "To Dye", where all the dingy, faded, blemished, unsellable ugly ducklings go for re-hab.


Under my kitchen sink, I maintain a healthy supply of RIT dye.


This week's dye bath was "cocoa brown".

An assortment of nylon, linen, silk, and cotton items. You can see in this clothesline pic how the dye effects each fabric differently, which is part of the fun of dyeing clothes. (er...cue Forest Gump chocolate quote here.? )
Some things came out plumby here, some came out chocolaty. Either way, easily my favorite batch yet.


Last week's bath was navy blue. The rayon, silk organza, and linen here all took the dye very differently here too.

Caroline snatched up the 1940s lace/linen blouse before I could even hang it in the store.

This next batch was done in what I call a "ghost bath". That's when I use the dye bath a second time, just to see what happens. The green patio umbrella you see in the background was dyed in the same bath as the hanging clothes, but in the first bath. Big difference.

But I actually preferred the oatmeal color of the ghost bath over the green of the umbrella.

This batch here was done in wine a few months back.

Before and after of a linen dress in that bath:

(I liked it better in white, but the applique colors had bled and it looked terrible).

Anyway-- now I'm just rambling on, and I've got to get to work and open up.

Before I go, some random tips::

Pick garments that are otherwise unwearable, so you've got nothing to lose/ruin.
No shortcuts, Follow the directions on the package.

Get a huge pot, unless you're only dyeing one thing.
Do it on the stove, and stir often, if not constantly.(I would never put dye in my washing machine, but maybe that's just me.)

Get heavy duty rubber gloves. Wear a smock or clothes you can trash, you may splash the dye on yourself.

Rinse really well, and then wash any dyed garments separately by hand anyway.
Try the ghost bath out-- you never know what unusual but fabulous muted colors may come about.

Watnot Redux This Morning!

Remember about a year and a half ago when I posted a big blog post about the Watnot Shop closing? Bestest junk store ever; I was pretty distraught at the time and I still haven't fully recovered...

Anyway, yesterday Mr. Tanner calls me on the phone and tells me he and Lois have been cleaning out their barn and have uncovered many more boxes of textiles and linens that haven't seen the light of day in decades---I should come check it out.

How cool is that?

They set up this morning at a barn sale out in the middle of apple farm country, a few miles out of town.

Complete with black cat and rusty old gas pump.

Check out my haul.

Beacon blankets and 1950s cowboy fabric:

Vintage buttons and spectacles:

Curtains and remnants galore:

and more curtains and remnants galore:

The only stuff that qualified as clothing for the shop were these hand tatted chemise tops:

But so what? I got a major junk fix, and am stockpiling a great collection for my week in Brimfield this September.

say cheese

Sorry to be neglecting the blog so.
Hopefully I can find some time this week to pull some stuff together from the growing blog-clog file.
In the meantime, I did slop together this big fat video slide show the other day, from shop pictures taken over the last couple of years. (The music, a Michael Jackson In the Closet Remix, is one of my favorite MJ songs you never hear anywhere.)
Big Thank You to all the customers who let me take their picture! Enjoy...

Thanks, I'll stick with French Fries

Summer is Officially Here! How do you look in your Bathing Suit?

Meet Chi-Chi

There's nothing I love more than buying an old dress from its original owner.  

This is Chi-Chi

Chi-Chi and her mid-50s black and red party dress with the 23 inch waist and the rhinestone buttons.

Chi-Chi called me out of the blue yesterday and invited me out to her family's (18th C) dairy farm in Hillsdale to look at a bunch of old clothes she wanted to get rid of.  A customer at Chi-Chi's "Self Serve Tag Sale (Put the money in the Can Thank You)" told her about me and Chi-Chi acted on the tip.

(By the way, Chi-chi makes her own reinforced and grommeted tent flaps out of awning remnants and fabrics from the sale bin at Joanne's Fabrics--- Kudos!)

Anyway- Here are a just few more of Chi-chis (and her mother's) dresses that I will be ironing tomorrow when I open up. I promised to find them good homes.

Hippie Chick Fashion Report

Just back from my annual weekend at Mountain Jam, best hippie-chick watching festival in the east.

Here's the quickie Fashion Wrap-up:

Best vintage,  by default, ( it was the only I could find, Ack!!.):



Best Smile and Flowers in her hair:

Best Hat:


Best patchwork ad nauseum:

Best, worst and only mullet:

Best t-shirt:

Best Little Edie Beale "You-can-always-take-off-the-skirt-and-use-it-as-cape" ensemble:

Best dressed musician, Richie Havens (yes I was this close):

Best save of an otherwise totally boring outfit by adding red cowboys boots (you can never go wrong--)


Best cowboy boots, overshadowed by worst tie-dye:


Worst public display of teeth-flossing during a Michael Franti set:

(ok...I swear, this woman spent a minimum of three minutes flossing right in front of me, looking up at the mountain, oblivious to me taking her picture. I took several---praying to God she would notice me and stop !)


And the Grand Prize Bestest Hippie Chick outfit of the weekend:

Holy earth tone sweater in broad horizontal stripes, worn with gauzy pink/charteus maxi skirt and pink and black Converse high-tops. Purple nail polish completes this fabulous ensemble. Humble, stylish, not overstated, not understated. My Favorite.