36 weeks pregnant in the Texas heat. Wearing Target t-shirt, DIY skirt made from 1940s cotton, vintage jute market bag & my trusty floral Birkenstocks. 

I can't believe I'm 37 weeks pregnant. Where did the time go? I suppose if you are moving house, dealing with a change in city, income, residence and all that moving entails, the time will fly. And now here we are, weeks away from meeting this little girl. It's insane. I can't quite wrap my head around it.

I definitely feel 37 weeks pregnant. I'm up at the crack of dawn, moving slowly and ponderously throughout the morning, only to crash around lunch time. The heat doesn't help -- it makes me feel like I am moving through a thick molasses. I have to overthink every step, every movement, like a small child learning the limits of their legs, their arms, their backs. Everything has to slow down, and for someone who likes to live and move fast...it's a learning curve. 

My view most afternoons. Vintage 1940s quilt from our collection.

The change in my body is most disconcerting -- I don't necessarily dislike the heaviness, the roundness. It's just different. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror (this new swinging '70s pad we find ourselves in has a handy-dandy mirrored wall in the dining room, which is just lovely for a pregnant lady let-me-tell-you) and do a double-take. Especially as I was on such a fitness and health kick before I found out I was pregnant, feeling and looking the best I had in a very long while. But because of sciatic pain and ligament pain and just pain in general, my fitness levels have declined dramatically. Even easy walking leaves me curled up in agony, feeling as if someone is twisting hot knives in my lower back. So, as a result, I am softer, rounder, squishier. But I try not to let myself worry about it. I don't get angry at myself about it. I figure that worrying about how I look will just increase how uncomfortable I feel. So I wear muumuus and loose clothing and plan out how I will walk with the baby in the mornings, before the heat sends tendrils of steam off the asphalt. 

Two of my many embroidered Mexican house-dresses.

One thing that is especially frustrating about being so pregnant during a Texas summer is not being able to get out and explore and experience this new city we find ourselves in. San Marcos is amazing to us so far -- we love being able to walk places, we love the music, we love the coffee shops and parks and the river. I love doing markets with local artists, talking art and community. I love shopping at local shops and eating at local restaurants. But all of this has been sporadic and now, almost non-existent because it's so hard for me to be outside for long periods of time. I can't wait until this little girl appears, so we can explore together.

Sawtooth star patches from my booth at a recent local market.

I have been so lucky, I know. This pregnancy has been relatively easy -- my morning-sickness ended once my 2nd trimester began, there have been no major complications, all of my check-ups with my midwives have been good, and after the stress of jobs and moving abated, everything has gone so incredible smoothly. I try not to complain too much now that the end is here and I am huge and unwieldy. It's all just the strangest thing. Summer has never been this slow and quiet and I don't think it ever will again. I'll look back on the summer of 2014 as an anomaly -- half asleep, until she arrived. And then, blissful. Hurry up, bliss.

36 weeks & exhausted.

All images from my personal Instagram: @ladymoonshine

sawtooth star crop top made from vintage kimono silks

We just loaded a few Moonshine Hill originals into the shop, including three patchwork crop tops made from gorgeous vintage kimono silks that are absolutely perfect for summer! They can be worn as is, with high-waisted cut-offs or jeans or a pretty skirt, or thrown on over a slim-fit maxi dress or tank. 

hand-quilted wall hanging made from recycled denim

There are also two hand-quilted fringed wall-hangings made from recycled denim. These are inspired by all of the amazing woven fiber art that has been coming out lately, but utilizing the skills I have and am interested in. Maybe some day I will buy myself a loom and try my hand at weaving, but for now I am having so much fun interpreting that medium with fabric and cotton and stitching. 

handmade & hand-dyed & hand-quilted texas flag.

More radio silence! I really don't have any new excuses, except that getting our studio situated is taking longer than I had hoped. We have also been diligently working on new things for the shop whenever we have time, and I start my 36th week of pregnancy this week! I can't believe I only have a month to go!

But here are some more photographs of the new house, courtesy of my personal instagram @ladymoonshine.

southwestern print vintage lounger.

 salt rock lamp.

fireplace decor.

coral wall.

✪ the first our house: instagram update post.

Contemporary Batik & Tie-Dye, 1973.

Contemporary Batik & Tie-Dye, 1973.

Contemporary Batik & Tie-Dye, 1973.

Contemporary Batik & Tie-Dye, 1973.

vintage rug & vintage things // #moonshinehill #interiors #ladymoonshine

I am slowly but surely starting to get things in their proper place, almost a month after our epic move. Things are going so much more slowly than I would like -- but it's getting there. James, my partner in crime, had to start his new day job within days of moving in, so it's mostly just been me unpacking boxes and staring wistfully at shelves that are too heavy for me to install. Being in your third trimester while moving is not recommended. Don't try this at home.

Here are some snapshots from my personal Instagram, @ladymoonshine, of things I love and slow progress. I will definitely be taking better quality photographs when the place stops looking like a bomb-site, but for now here are little corners I have finished.

kilim pillows, kilim rug, kilim obsession. // #moonshinehill #interiors #ladymoonshine

collections: art pottery, frankoma pottery, peter max dish ware and villeroy & boch Acapulco pattern dish ware. // #moonshinehill #interiors #ladymoonshine

ghost chair, sheepskin, kilim & sun-worshiper. // #moonshinehill #interiors #ladymoonshine

sentinel // #moonshinehill #interiors #ladymoonshine

Peter Max dishes and Villeroy & Boch's Acupulco pattern go so well together! // #moonshinehill #interiors #ladymoonshine

vintage lady oil painting // #moonshinehill #interiors #ladymoonshine

crochet swimsuit! // needle & craft, spring/summer 1973

Happy Memorial Day Weekend, y'all! Hope yours is full of sun & fun (and maybe some epic vintage)!

crochet swimsuit! // needle & craft, spring/summer 1973

overalls! // Needle & Craft, Spring/Summer 1971

Despite the silence and lack of updates, both here and in the shop, I am still lurking around! This move has been taking over all of my time -- trying to get our house and studio in place, unpacking box after box of vintage stock, craft supplies and books. Being 32 weeks pregnant definitely doesn't speed things along. Hopefully within the next few weeks, I will be able to get things moving again (I have so much amazing summer stock to share with y'all!) -- but in the meantime, I will try to slap up some quick updates as I take little breaks from the packing. Like this one, when I unpacked the box that contains a lot of my vintage craft books and magazines. I got distracted by the old 1970s issues of Needle & Craft magazine, and now I can't stop thinking about these overalls! The floral ones! I might need to make those. 

overalls! // Needle & Craft, Spring/Summer 1971

☮ I did place a bunch of new things on Sale, so go check that out!

Laura Ashley Bedrooms, Susan Irvine 1988 // Moonshine Hill

There is something about a Laura Ashley print that makes all the best feelings of comfort & childhood surge up inside me. Maybe it's because of that twin-size comforter, white with sweet pink rosebuds scattered across it, which covered my bed for years as a kid. Or the rosebud sheets and pillow shams. Probably bought at a thrift store, because my mother was and is a thrifting queen, but still loved and still so 1980s. 

Which is why I just had to have these two Laura Ashley home books (Laura Ashley Bedrooms & Laura Ashley Windows, both from 1988) we found at Goodwill. Not only are they gorgeously photographed and full of beautiful historic and contemporary interiors, but I think they translate very well into today's trends. I would mix more modern amongst the chintz, but I do love a floral bedspread or a rag-rug. 

Laura Ashley Bedrooms, Susan Irvine 1988 // Moonshine Hill

Laura Ashley Bedrooms, Susan Irvine 1988 // Moonshine Hill

Take away those wreaths of flowers, change the wall color and add more metal & clean lines. People often talk down about 1980s interiors, and often for good reason. But Laura Ashley and the like were drawing from historic sources and inspirations, and I recognize a lot of that in the current bohemian interior trends.

Laura Ashley Bedrooms, Susan Irvine 1988 // Moonshine Hill

Laura Ashley Windows, Elizabeth Wilhide 1988 // Moonshine Hill

Laura Ashley Windows, Elizabeth Wilhide 1988 // Moonshine Hill

Laura Ashley Bedrooms, Susan Irvine 1988 // Moonshine Hill

Here are some chintzy, lacy, floral goodness from the shop:

More Ephemera posts:

☆ Found Edwardian Photo Album

☆ Pottery Marks

☆ Jazz Babies

dolce & gabbana s/s 2014 & evelyn nesbit.

When I saw the images of Dolce & Gabbana's Spring 2014 runway, it was the hair that caught my attention. Loose and messy, piled into braided & coiled up-dos with face-framing fuzz and curls. Decked out with millinery flowers and coins, they were an Edwardian dream magnified into technicolor modernity. I immediately fell in absolute love.

dolce & gabbana s/s 2014 & evelyn nesbit.

I also couldn't help but be reminded of beautiful images of turn-of-the-century darling Evelyn Nesbit, in all her pre-Raphaelite glory. How can you not be jealous of those curtains of hair, so perfect for twisting and coiling and crowning with flowers? 

dolce & gabbana s/s 2014 & evelyn nesbit.

I do love an Edwardian revival. It's one of my favorite aesthetics from the 1970s & 1980s -- all that Laura Ashley, Gunne Sax, Biba goodness of lace and chintz and tiny floral patterns mixed with velvet and silks. Romantic, messy bouffant hair styles. I am hard-pressed to pass up a Gunne Sax dress or Laura Ashley blouse when out on buying trips -- there was even a junior clothing brand called Young Edwardian (we have one of their dresses in shop now) that was popular during the 1970s.

1970s does Edwardian: crochet pattern & Biba catalog.

Edwardian hair: 90s Victoria magazine & 80s Seventeen magazine.

Edwardian hair styles.

While researching (trawling Pinterest) images for this post, I stumbled across a lovely contemporary tutorial, complete with photographs, on how to create a hair style from the Edwardian period. It got me thinking - what if beauty tutorial websites (and the internet itself, really) had existed back then? How would this guide be framed? Which led me to waste a bunch of time placing the original Edwardian images into a context mimicking sites like The Beauty Department (which I love!). I think it works rather well.

Edwardian hair how-to, in the style of The Beauty Department. Original images from Girls Own Paper & Woman's Magazine, 1911.

I also love this video tutorial for doing a really nice, romantic Gibson Girl style.

Like all eras of vintage clothing & style, it's easy to go overboard with the Edwardian look and end up looking like a Downton Abbey extra or Laura Ashley advertisement. Personally, I love mixing soft, romantic bits of Edwardian style with a tougher, punkier look - think lace lingerie inspired pieces with denim or leather, or roughed-up cowboy boots with lace dresses. It's all about balance. That's the great thing about hair -- you could totally do a full on Edwardian inspired hair style and pair it with a range of outfits and styles without it looking costume-y.

Here are some Edwardian inspired items in the shop now that could be incorporated really easily into a modern wardrobe.

☆ AND don't forget that for the next month, EVERYTHING in the shop is 25% off! Enter MOVE2014 at check-out to receive 25% off your purchase!

laundry tutorial for vintage cotton & linen // moonshine hill

One of the biggest parts of loving vintage clothing is getting the item wearable again. How many times have you stumbled across the most perfect item ever, only for it to be yellowed with age, stained or smelly? It's a hazard of the trade. But luckily, there are tons of tricks you can use to get those items back to (or as close to as possible) their original state. It all depends on the fabric, the dyes used and what the stains are. 

Over the years, I've amassed a working knowledge of what will and what won't be fixed. I'm right more often than not, though sometimes I do use a bit of wishful thinking when it comes to the really lovely stuff. I've bought plenty of things that were just beyond repair.

I'm definitely going to be sharing laundry tips with y'all in these Vintage School posts -- like mending, they are an invaluable tool to have in your bag. Just as I'm not precious about the clothes, I'm also not precious about my knowledge (as much of a work in progress that it is). I like to share! And would love it if you would share any tips with me -- I am always looking for good cleaning tricks.

This is a very very basic, very rudimentary soak & wash combo that I use on white or color-fast cottons and linens. Please only use this tutorial for cotton or linen. 

I recently bought this sweet early-20th century white cotton baby gown with hand-sewn pin tucks, embroidery and tatted trim. It was yellowed with age and dirt, with several small stains scattered throughout. But because the fabric was such a sturdy cotton, I knew I could get it looking lovely again.

Pre-wash check-list:

1. Make sure the fabric is sturdy cotton or linen. If there are any rips or holes, make sure they aren't shredding and will withstand a wash.

2. If your item is color or printed, make sure the dyes are colorfast! Find a spot inside a hem and get it wet -- does the color run?

3. Remove all metal trims and fasteners. This is really really important: snaps, hooks & eyes, metal buttons...they will rust and discolor your fabric if left on!

laundry tutorial for vintage cotton & linen // moonshine hill

Some purists might get all hoity-toity about special vintage washes & soaks from all-natural, artisanal brands...and that's fine! If it works for them, more power to them. Personally, I love the cheap stuff. You just cannot beat Oxi-Clean for sturdy cottons and linens, and Biz is equally as powerful on different sorts of stains. They aren't the gentlest of cleaners, so it's always important to make sure your fabric is sturdy.

laundry tutorial for vintage cotton & linen // moonshine hill

laundry tutorial for vintage cotton & linen // moonshine hill

Step one: Prepare a warm (not too hot...it depends on the sturdiness of your fabric, if your item is good serviceable cotton or linen, it can take slightly higher temps) soak with Biz, following the directions on the box. I use the guest bathroom sink & tub in our house for all my hand-washing needs. Place your item in the Biz soak, letting it get completely wet. Lightly agitate the item using your (glove-covered!) hands. Watch that water turn murky and yellow. Yuck!

I usually let the item soak in the Biz soak until the water is just about as dirty as it's going to get. That could be anywhere from ten minutes to an hour -- but usually it's about fifteen minutes. I use Biz to pre-treat cotton items, as it is a different chemical formula from Oxi-Clean and attacks different stains. It's also a great way to get the surface dirt out of there.

Once you are satisfied the Biz has done it's job, drain your wash and rinse your item fully.

laundry tutorial for vintage cotton & linen // moonshine hill

Step two: Now for the big guns -- Oxi-Clean! Prepare a warm soak following the directions on the box. Submerge your item in the soak and walk away. This is where you have to be patient -- I will leave items in this soak anywhere from three to eight hours. If you are not satisfied with the results after a couple of hours, leave it in longer. After eight hours, if you are still not satisfied, drain the wash and make a new one. Keep checking your item until it's apparent it's not going to get any brighter. Remove from wash and rinse.

This is the stage you need to decide whether or not you are satisfied with the brightening of your item -- there is one more all important step after the next one that will seriously amp up the bright factor, but if your item is still really, really yellow and stained you can always run it through the previous steps again until you are satisfied.

laundry tutorial for vintage cotton & linen // moonshine hill

Step three: Wash item with your favorite hand-washing detergent. For most things, I use good old Woolite, but some people use specialty brands, even shampoo! After you've washed the item, rinse, rinse, rinse!

laundry tutorial for vintage cotton & linen // moonshine hill

Step four: The most important step! Take that thing outside! Seriously, nothing brightens cotton and linen better than a round of good, old-fashioned sun-bleaching. Hang your item on a clothesline, or better yet, lay it out flat. For particularly stubborn yellowed vintage items, I lay them out directly onto the grass. This is an ancient step known as grass bleaching. The idea is that the chlorophyll in the grass acts as a natural, potent bleaching agent. I don't know about all the science behind it, but it works. I especially love doing this for old quilts.

laundry tutorial for vintage cotton & linen // moonshine hill

Step five: And we're done! Take your item back inside, give it a good press and voila! It's clean, crisp, bright and probably smells deliciously like the outside and sunlight. I am very happy with how this little baby gown turned out and it's ready to be packed away to wait for our little one.

More Vintage School Posts:

How to do a rolled-hem.

How to mend a seam using backstitch.

How to date vintage clothing.

☆ AND don't forget that for the next month, EVERYTHING in the shop is 25% off! Enter MOVE2014 at check-out to receive 25% off your purchase!

On a recent buying trip, I stumbled across this rather unassuming black canvas bound notebook. Having lots of experience handling my great-grandmother's scrapbooks and photo albums from the 1920s, I recognized that this little black book was potentially something special. And when I opened it, I wasn't disappointed.

It was a photo album scrapbook from the Edwardian era! A lovingly cataloged testament to a (presumably young) woman and her friends and family. There are hardly any captions and it's unclear which of the photographs show the owner, but it is a complete delight. I especially love the photographs of groups of friends, paling around much as they would do today.

I think I will pretend that the lovely young lady with a camera in the above image is the owner. 

The above photograph is my favorite in the album, even though it is quite small in comparison to many of the others (about 2" x 3"). There is just something about this young girl, with her Rapunzel braids and sailor style top.

There are tons more images from the photo album to show y'all, but I'll save them for another post. 

More Ephemera Posts:

Jazz Babies (1920s ephemera)

Baby Book (1910s - 1930s)

Judy Annual (1976)

☆ AND don't forget that for the next month, EVERYTHING in the shop is 25% off! Enter MOVE2014 at check-out to receive 25% off your purchase!

Our last "vintage school" post was a quick tutorial on the most basic of hand-sewing stitches, the backstitch. It's a good, all-purpose stitch for sewing seams when you don't have, or don't want to use, a sewing machine. I wanted to show y'all a great hem stitch for the next installment, another wonderful all-purpose stitch that can be used in all sorts of situations. But instead of just throwing out another quick tutorial, I thought I would make something using both stitches to show you how easy and worthwhile it is to make something new, rather than just mending, using hand-sewing techniques.

So here is a DIY project for a scalloped edge collar. This DIY tutorial actually combines three different techniques: the backstitch, the rolled hem & a scalloped edge. Rock on!

To begin, download the free pattern and print it out on basic printer paper. Next, cut out two pieces using the pattern, from your fabric of choice. I chose to use some 100% cotton that I had tie-dyed a few weeks back. Once you cut out both your pieces, you will have the front and inner lining of the collar.

Place the two pieces together and mark a line, about a quarter inch, along the bottom scalloped edge. This is where you will sew.

Backstitch along the line! Make your stitches small and even for a nice, clean seam. I used a contrasting thread so y'all could see it against the fabric, but I definitely recommend you use a matching thread for your fabric.

Once you've sewn along the entire bottom edge, trim the fabric close to your seam. Be careful! Use sharp scissors and watch the fray of the fabric. This trimming is to reduce bulk in the scallops and helps give it a nice curved edge. Make little cuts in the scallop points, cutting as close to the seam as you dare.

Turn the collar right-side out. Don't worry that your scallops look more like poofy little points, we will fix that!

Using something blunt (I used the back end of a large stick-pin), push the scallops out by running the object back and for along the curved seam. Press as you go with an iron.

Now we're going to do a rolled hem! This technique is a great hem finishing stitch, especially for lighter weight fabrics like silk. I love using it when I shorten a silk camisole or skirt. It allows the fabric to drape beautifully, keeping movement. For this project, we will be rolling both layers of the collar to finish it off. Simply roll the top edge towards the inside lining and then roll it again until the raw edge is tucked under. Insert your threaded needle through the end of the roll and out again near the end of the roll.

Pull the thread through. Now take the needle and insert it into the lining and out again, picking up a small bit of the lining. With this project, since there are two pieces, this stitch (going only through the lining fabric) will be invisible from the front. When hemming an item without a lining, make sure you make this little stitch as small as possible. (I've pinned down the roll so I could photograph this, but usually I don't bother pinning unless the fabric is super slinky. I usually just roll as I go).

Insert the needle back into the roll and continue down, stitching into the lining to hold the roll in place.

Once you have rolled the entire edge and stitched it down, tie off. Voila! You now have a lovely rolled-hem edge.

To finish off the collar, sew on a hook & eye closure at the front points to keep it closed. I also sewed on a row of vintage glass beads because why not. There are tons of gorgeous beaded vintage collars kicking around out there, and I bet you could make something really beautiful using one as inspiration!

More Vintage School Posts:

How to mend a seam using backstitch.

How to date vintage clothing.

☆ AND don't forget that for the next month, EVERYTHING in the shop is 25% off! Enter MOVE2014 at check-out to receive 25% off your purchase!

The latest items to hit the shop are these old-fashioned, but so useful & pleasing, milk jug covers! We sourced various gorgeous old doilies and linens, hand-dyed them in vibrant shades of wine red and indigo blue, and hand beaded the edges with vintage glass beads. Perfect for your outdoor dining plans, to keep flies and dirt out of your jugs, pitchers or bowls. 

☆ Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and enter our Instagram giveaway (contest ends April 6, 2014)!

☆ AND also don't forget that for the next month, EVERYTHING in the shop is 25% off! Enter MOVE2014 at check-out to receive 25% off your purchase!

You might have noticed the new logo we have kicking around up there in our header -- that was done earlier this week by yours truly, a true and painful labor of love. In the process, I learned a lot about basic hand lettering, Adobe Illustrator (pen tool is the tool of satan!) and extreme frustration. But I rather like it!

While researching logos and trying to get inspiration, I stumbled across several spreads of vintage and antique pottery labels -- and immediately fell in love! Like sheets of little stick & poke tattoo flash, full of arrows and anchors and flags. A hipsters graphic design wet dream, really.

And the typography! All eras are represented, from full-on antique goodness from the 18th & 19th centuries, to rather retro art deco and mid-century. Endless lettering inspiration.

I was raised by a collector (hi mom!) and surrounded at all times by beautiful pottery, china and dishes. I am by no means an expert, but I've picked up a few nuggets of knowledge along the way. But, for some reason, I've never thought of those identifying little marks on the bottoms of plates as inspiration. It just goes to show, you never know where you will find it.

There are several places online to look at lovely old marks:

➸ Kovels has an extensive & exhaustive database, handily catalogued by image type.

➸ Old and Sold has sheets and sheets by region.

Old books on collecting pottery & china should also have loads of images and info on identifying marks. Hit up your local library or used book shop!

~~

☆ Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and enter our Instagram giveaway (contest ends April 6, 2014)!

☆ AND also don't forget that for the next month, EVERYTHING in the shop is 25% off! Enter MOVE2014 at check-out to receive 25% off your purchase!

Today I put on real clothes. This may not seem like much of an achievement, but for a self-employed, pregnant lady...it's a really big deal. I even put on make-up! Not much, but a bit. And all of this to go to the grocery store. But I was feeling decidedly cooped up and unkempt, so it felt so good to pick out what I was going to wear, brush my hair and do a little bit of normal, beauty-routine type things. 

I am fully embracing the muumuu during this pregnancy. Give me all the tent shaped vintage. Especially when the temperatures start to rise, I want to get as much of a breeze as I possibly can. I have two of these Indian gauze dresses that are perfect for maternity wear. They hung rather sadly in my closet before I got pregnant, and I was in a constant battle with myself about whether they would make me look pregnant. No need for that battle now -- I definitely look pregnant!

Details:

Indian gauze dress - vintage // Messenger bag - Clare Vivier // Rope sandals - GAP (thrifted)

☆ Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and enter our Instagram giveaway (contest ends April 6, 2014)!

☆ AND also don't forget that for the next month, EVERYTHING in the shop is 25% off! Enter MOVE2014 at check-out to receive 25% off your purchase!

This morning I woke up in a Stevie mood. Does this happen to anyone else? Where all you want to listen to is Fleetwood Mac & Stevie Nicks, where you want to drape yourself in scarves, put on your platform boots and blame everything on your wild heart? No? Well.

This week's Tuesday Quote is something I need to continue to tell myself: rule your life. Rule it like a bird in flight, strong & powerful & light & free. This month is going to be crazy -- a full-life move, home & business. While pregnant. And already slightly insane. But it's the best thing for our family & I just need to rule it. Take control of where things are going, see which way the wind is blowing and charge ahead. I got this.

WWSD? What would Stevie do?

☆ Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and enter our Instagram giveaway (contest ends April 6, 2014)!

☆ AND also don't forget that for the next month, EVERYTHING in the shop is 25% off! Enter MOVE2014 at check-out to receive 25% off your purchase!

Look at this adorable baby pink rayon bed jacket I found recently! Isn't it darling? I have a bit of an obsession with bed jackets -- they are amazingly versatile pieces, not only for the boudoir. I love throwing them on as super lightweight coverage for tank tops, sundresses and t-shirts. They look rad thrown on over a falling-apart concert tee. I have way too many, but I just can't resist them. So even though this one was wrinkled to high heaven and ripped on both side seams, I just had to have it. Look at that lace!

After a good wash & iron, things are starting to look up. Those triangular lace inserts are saying something to me. And the pleated shoulders! I am such a sucker for the details. But the side seams are still ripped! 

I do a lot of my mending by hand, because I am a glutton for punishment. No, really, I actually love it. I'm one of those people who can't meditate because I need to be doing something -- and repetitive motion is something that helps me zone out, calm down and get my zen on. Which is why I love crocheting, knitting and, yes, hand-sewing.

Hand sewing is also awesome if you don't want to make the investment of buying a sewing machine -- maybe you just want the skills to mend the odd seam, patch the odd hole, turn up the odd hem? Great! All you will need to purchase will be a needle and thread. 

You will need to know some basics before you start, such as how to knot your thread (I prefer the quilters knot method) and how to tie off your work at the end.

After trimming away the excess fray of the seam, we can see how perilous the situation is. The fabric is fraying very close to the stitches of the seam, which is why it has begun to rip. I'm definitely going to have to reinforce that seam somehow to keep it from ripping again.

There are several ways to mend seams, ranging in difficulty. But this is by far the dead easiest. Today I will show you a stitch that will become the backbone for your hand-sewing arsenal: the glorious backstitch. Unlike her sister the running stitch, the backstitch has backbone. She is sturdier, tougher but also delicate and refined. 

It's simple: take your threaded needle and bring it through the fabric from back to front (1). Make a small stitch backwards, inserting the needle from front to back (2). Bring the needle past the first stitch and bring it through the fabric from back to front equidistant on the other side (3). 

Try to make your stitches as small as possible (I've made mine slightly longer than I usually would so that we can see the stitches better in the photograph). The smaller, and more even, the stitches, the sturdier and more invisible the seam.

Once you have finished your backstitch seam, now we need to do something to deter more fraying (and therefore more ripping). The simplest way to do this is to stitch around the edge of the seam with an overcast stitch.

Overcast stitch is super easy: bring the threaded needle through the fabric from back to front (1). Angle the thread away from that stitch and come around to the back again, bringing the needle through from back to front (2). Make your stitches close together and make sure to angle that thread!

Once you've finished your overcast stitch, turn the fabric right side out and press. Voila! A lovely mended seam. 

More Vintage School Posts:

How to date vintage clothing.

☆ Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and enter our Instagram giveaway (contest ends April 6, 2014)!

☆ AND also don't forget that for the next month, EVERYTHING in the shop is 25% off! Enter MOVE2014 at check-out to receive 25% off your purchase!

I noticed a slight trend of the items I've been gathering for the next shop update - and it's a trend that has been showing up a lot in my life lately! Blues & whites: what could be cleaner, crisper, brighter? Spring time might mean florals & prints for some (and believe me, we get that), but for some reason I gravitate more towards the pristine whites and deep, indigo blues when the weather starts to heat up. I want all the denim, all the eyelet, all the indigo tie-dye!

courthouse steps pillow from Folk Fibers

Tonala Pequena zip wallet from Scout & Catalogue

stoneware creamer from the cupcake kid

We also have some big news! We will be moving, both house & shop studio, over the next month! Big things are happening for our little family & therefore, for the shop. I've started the process of packing up both our life and this business & the idea of transporting all the tons of vintage is giving me heart palpitations! Which is where you, dear reader, come in. To help us lighten our load, EVERYTHING in our shop is now eligible for 25% off your purchase!! 

Just enter MOVE2014 at check-out to receive a 25% off discount! All items currently listed (including sale items!!) and anything new added for the next month will be eligible! Sale ends April 27, 2014.

☆ Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and enter our Instagram giveaway (contest ends April 6, 2014)!

Follow @shopmoonshine on Instagram for discount codes, giveaways & a vintage life.

We are having a little giveaway over on our Instagram for our followers - simply repost this image or an image of your favorite item in the shop, tag @shopmoonshine & #shopmoonshine for a chance to win one of our bad-ass banner jackets! We will pick a winner on Sunday, April 6.  Follow us on Instagram! <3