Fashioning Cold Weather Fashion

It’s finally gotten cold enough out to break out my furs.  Fur is probably one of my biggest guilty pleasures.  I just love the look and feel of real fur.  Yes, I know that animals died to make the stoles and collars I adore so much.  That is why it is a guilty pleasure.  To help assuage my guilt, I only buy vintage fur.  My rationale is that by wearing something made from animals that were killed well over half a century ago, I am somehow bringing more meaning to their deaths. 

One of my vintage fur finds.

Several years ago I found this wonderful fur capelet at the Salvation Army.  It was in fairly good shape when I bought it but, after several wearings and once lending it to a less-then-gentle acquaintance, the shoulder began to tear apart.  I tried to mend it and thought of getting a big flower broach or something to cover up the spot but it had gotten to the point where I no longer wanted to wear it.  Maybe it was my upbringing, but I cannot stand to throw things away if they are still potentially useful.  Only the shoulder of the capelet was torn.  The rest of it was still in beautiful shape.  So, instead of trashing it, I recycled it into scarf.

Too much damage to cover up.

I carefully removed the satin lining and examined the fur.  A lot of the hide had dried out and was in worse shape than I anticipated but I still was able to salvage some nice strips.  I cut the lining to match then sewed everything back together again.  I made some bows with extra bits of lining to cover up some of the less-attractive seams.  I think it turned out well for my first time working with real fur.  It’s also wonderfully soft and cozy.  Perfect for these single-digit winter days!

From capelet to scarf.

Also while pulling out more winter accessories I discovered that I did not have a hat to go with my red coat.  I have a great burgundy wool cloche that I knit a few years ago that clashes horribly with the coat but I really like the look of it.  So, I decided to make another in black.  I couldn’t find the pattern I originally used but I had no trouble finding several new patterns on ravelry (I love ravelry.com!).  It took two evenings of knitting in front of the tv and two trips through the washing machine and then, voila, a black felted wool cloche hat!

Knitted cloche before felting.

 

Final felted cloche.

Putting it all on the Line

I think this past weekend may have been the last time I get to hang laundry outside.  There may be another mild, sunny day with a nice breeze this fall but the days just aren’t long enough anymore to get the clothes fully dry.  I supposed I can keep hanging out laundry until the snow flies but I'm not that hardcore.  My grandmother told me how much she hated hanging out clothes in the winter. Her fingers would get so cold.  Sometimes the corners of the sheets would freeze to the line and tear when she tried to take them down.  She did say it was kind of neat to see the frozen clothes standing up on their own next to the wood stove.  When they thawed they would be completely dry.  I still don’t really understand how that all worked but I’m a historian, not a scientist.

I really like the way clothes smell when they dry outside.  There’s a freshness to them that can never be captured by dryer sheet companies no matter how hard they try.  I also like the way the fabric feels after a day flipping about in the wind.  Sure, a drying can fluff up your towels just fine but it’s just not the same.  I’m not so fond of birds that decide to sit on the line, especially during berry season but I suppose a spot to rewash is a small price to pay.  One of the first things we added to the back yard when we bought our house was a clothes line.  I almost feel sad that I won’t be using it again regularly until spring.

I will finish up these insignificant ramblings with a little poem I learned from my grandmother.

I love you. I love you. I love you almighty.

I wish your pajamas were next to my nightie.

Now don’t get excited and don’t get all red.

I mean on the clothesline, not in the bed.