vintage black plastic

Mandy Lou (England), Chatty Cathy (standing), Mandy Lou (NZ) 

Onsie - front view

 

Onsie - back view

During a recent sewing room tidy up, I rediscovered these 1950s vintage black plastic Pedigree dolls (pictured above with Chatty Cathy). Since they came to live with me (must be about 3-4 years) I haven't sewn them any new clothing.

In the Fifties, it would have been a favourite pastime for mothers, aunts and grandmothers to make doll clothes from the many knitting and sewing patterns available. This is very true of the 1950s NZ hard plastic doll that I bought a few years back. The doll was in a bad state with a ragged wig, cracks to her head and face whilst her body was in good shape. It was sold complete with some lovely handmade clothing ranging from dainty 1950s florals right through to 1960s retro brights. It was obvious that someone had put a lot of love, time and effort to making the clothes.

So in keeping with that tradition, first off the sewing machine is my version of the onesie (pictured above).  Then next up, I'm making them both a typical 1950s styled school dress with the peter pan collar and gathered skirt and some extra dresses in a bright yellow or red.

TEAL retro travel posters





TEAL (Tasman Empire Airways Limited) retro travel posters depict a time when air travel was a luxurious treat. Flying in the luxury solent flying boats was glamourous with passengers dressed in their Sunday best - women dressed in furs and hats, men snappily dressed in suits and ties. Today it's a very different story. Now the only remaining Solent IV in the world is located at MOTAT. I got the chance to have a look inside some years ago. The presentation was elegant travel with silver service, table linen and a chef that cooked to order.

The TEAL travel posters are really something. The posters designed by Arthur Thompson are my favourites. I love his use of bright contrasting colours and unusual abstract style. Eyecatching and very memorable!

At my primary school we had these posters on the walls. I'd imagine travelling on a Solent on the "Coral route". By the end of the school year, the posters were tatty and ended up in the rubbish bin. Wish I'd kept one.

mothers day

What comes from the heart, goes to the heart!

nood

 Nood (New Objects Of Desire) in Sylvia Park is my new favourite place to shop for the quirky and the interesting. They have a great range of retro inspired furniture and homewares. They're also having a massive sale at the moment. The wall clock was $10 (it was the last one) - I bought it for my sewing room. As for the robot, I bought that at a previous sale and it lives on my dresser. I've been a bit slow posting a photo. It's a wind up walking robot that clunks along and even has sparks in it's chest. Very cool!

new arrivals...

In mid March I ordered my Betty dress pattern and Simplicity 1801 from overseas pattern supplier. After a long wait, the patterns arrived in this mornings mail. It will probably be a week or two before I can get to sewing up the dresses. The change of season has brought coughs and colds to our household. I was the first to get sick and now Miss 5 has been off school for a couple of days with a runny nose and cough. Usually the rest of the family get sick soon after.



Also in this mornings post were 4 "Good" magazines that I had bought on Trademe for $6. I'm saving these for reading at the bach when we next go down. In the meantime, I'll be busy combatting our family coughs and colds! Keep warm and cosy dear readers...