A while back someone asked to see more photos of the outside of our house. We finally took a few more photos, now that everything is overgrown and lush and lovely. It’s all a bit ramshackle, but I like it that way. What I like best is that the whole thing looks different every few weeks, at least in Spring and Summer.

We do a fair amount of sitting on this porch now that it’s warm. It’s a great place to have dinner and watch the people and doggies stroll by.

Here’s my raised bed and some veggies. Everyone in Portland seems to grow a few veggies, which is very exciting for me. I love walking around and seeing front yard gardens (and sometimes a few chickens) and identifying all the plants.

I’m growing five types of tomato, sunset runner beans on the bean teepee, some squash, sweet peppers, and a few herbs which are being attacked by slugs. The tomatoes and beans are amazing, this is what the tomatoes looked like just a few weeks ago. I also just put in two raised beds in the side yard for the fall garden.

This little structure is referred to by the owners who built it as “the pole barn.” It’s recently been cleared out, and we set a table and chairs inside of it. I’m going to hang some string lights around, I think.

One thing we’re not sure about is the dirt floor under the structure. It’s not as pleasant as grass or other groundcover under foot. I’ve thought about laying down a large straw mat or something, but I just don’t know. Anyone have any good ideas on that?

Here you see a small portion of the grape vines that cover the trellis over the backyard and grow all around the house. We are going to have crazy amounts of grapes.

We also have plums back here, and strawberries and blueberries in the front yard. We just picked our first blueberries last evening.

I’ve started collecting some of these old Charm magazines from the 1940s. It’s hard to find much information about Charm, but I read somewhere that it developed out of one of the many film magazines of the 1930s until it was eventually incorporated by Glamour (in the 50s maybe?). Starting in the 40s, Charm dedicated itself to the “BG,” which stood for Business Girl.

This magazine is fascinating, but I am especially interested in the wartime issues. It’s an incredible glimpse into American women’s culture at that time.

It’s pretty clear from reading material like this how deeply the sacrifices of the war were felt, and also how different our culture has become. For example, when the recent economic crisis hit, magazines today seemed to be really more of the same: selling products to readers through ads and editorials, albeit with a slight “budget” spin. They seemed to me to be totally out of touch with their audience, desperate to continue painting a picture of aspirational affluence, since that’s long been their bread and butter. I think they’ve suffered because of it.

A look at Charm, on the other hand, introduces you to an editor who survived the bombing of Pearl Harbour while pregnant and advises women on how to keep their chins up while they go through pregnancy alone. There are projects on embellishing and making little things to save money. There is acknowledgment that the Christmas Carols this year “may sound a little thin, what with the missing bassos and baritones.” There is an article that explains inflation, war bonds, and ceiling prices. My favorite is the advice against hoarding, because the last sentence is so funny:

“Never forget we are in this war together and must share and sacrifice alike. You will be ashamed to wear silk stockings when no one else has any, or ride for pleasure when your neighbors must walk to work. And I hope if any of your neighbors hoard stockings, gas or anything else, you will make them feel as uncomfortable as possible.”

Even the fiction (including a story by one of my favorite writers, Shirley Jackson’s The Gift) mostly revolve around the war. The magazine are totally suffused in the difficult experiences of the era, with little suggestions to help women retain their glamour, dignity, and spirit in spite of it all. If only today’s magazines were this in touch.

Needless to say, the women pictured in these magazines are stunning. This is perhaps my favorite fashion era. Cuts were simple and beautiful and flattering, adornment was minimal, hair and makeup sleek and simple. Yet there’s a sex appeal to it. Glamour still mattered.

(I love her hair)

And one thing I’m glad has changed. This is an ad for a product called Moth Ded that you put on your clothes to protect from moths. It contains 5% DDT. Yikes.

I can’t stop looking at this photo of a young Rita Hayworth. To me, Rita has always epitomized an elegant, smoldering, sexy, and very grown up glamour. She was the femme fatale in Gilda, with her long wavy hair, come-hither look, strapless gown, and cigarette.

But here, in 1936, she looks so cute and downright sweet.

I guess the time has come for me to talk about my underwear on the internet.

I’ve mentioned before that I really like vintage underthings. They are just so comfortable and pretty. Ok, maybe stockings/garters and girdles and corsets aren’t comfortable (though functional). But silk slips, kimonos, tap pants, bralettes, camisoles, bed jackets… they are all so wonderful for lounging around the house. My dream is to one day have a vast collection of vintage and reproduction silk bits for wearing around the house while I knit, sip cocktails, or read in bed.

So these are my new tap pants. Aren’t they sweet? The pink silk is one I picked up in New York when I was there on business a few years ago. I made a dress with it maybe a year ago which didn’t turn out very well, but I had just about a yard left over and sitting around. It was enough to make these beauties.

The delicate lace at the hem is from the big supply of pretty lace my nonna gave me. I just adore it, it’s so simple and fine. I wish I had spools and spools of it.

I really adore the yoke on these, it’s a great cut. There are two pleats in the back, a handmade bias trim waistband (this was by far the most time consuming thing about them), and it closes at the side with a continuous lap placket and snaps. I definitely would make these again.

The pattern is from this book, Women’s Wear of the 1930’s [sic], which is a book I think aimed at costumers. It includes many patterns taken from original 1930s garments, all to scale so you must enlarge them and grade them to the right size. And there are little or no instructions. This was the first thing I attempted out of the book, and it went together easily.

I’ll post more pictures (and maybe later more finished projects!) from this wonderful book very soon!

This is my new denim playsuit/overall thing, which I made by combining one of my patterns with a vintage one. It’s perfect for bike riding on a warm day.

Check out thesewing deets on the Colette Patterns blog for more about them.

Yesterday after work I stepped outside and picked lots of roses from our climbing rose vines outside the house. These vines are going nuts with flowers right now, there are hundreds of blooms spilling around our porch and the sidewalk. These little bouquets make barely a dent. I’ve sprinkled them throughout the house and they smell just heavenly.

That little ivory pitcher on the left is a new addition, picked up for $3 at the nearby antique mall.

It’s been a hectic week, so not much blogging I’m afraid. We had a housewarming party last Friday, and I made huge amounts of food. It was so fun to spend time with new friends and old friends, I just can’t wait for things to warm up so we can make the most of our crazy wild vine-covered backyard.

Kenn made some really good drinks. I love the champagne + St. Germain. Do you know St. Germain? It’s an elderflower liqueur, tastes delicious, and comes in a pretty bottle with a booklet explaining how the flowers are picked in the french alps and transported by bicycle.

I wore this dress (also pictured above) which I bought really cheap because it had some spots, but I went at them with some baking soda and it’s good as new. Baking soda is amazing, it can clean almost anything. Lately, I’m into buying damaged vintage and making them pretty again.

Unfortunately, the following morning we had some bad news from home. I won’t go into that here. No need to worry though, things are fine, it’s just sad.

Apart from that, it’s just been a very busy week and I’ve been in a slight funk, so I am going to take it easy this weekend and maybe do a little sewing, gardening, and brunch-eating.

It’s been raining a lot. I actually really like it, we just stay in our cozy little office most of the day, drinking delicious tea and taking breaks to pet the kitties.

This is what I wore yesterday, as we were heading out for lunch at the corner cafe. I got the dress at the flea market with my friend Sandy and I really like its little tie collar. The pink cashmere sweater is something I picked up at Mission Thrift, and the boots were on sale a few months ago at Anthropologie. I love them and wear them all the time because they have a nice comfy low heel.

For tea, we had this lovely uncut Pai Mu Tan white tea from my tea of the month club. Isn’t that adorably dorky, a tea of the month club? Kenn bought the subscription for me and I now have an even bigger collection of delicious tea.

I feel like staying inside and watching movies and knitting all day, but there’s much to be done. I’m afraid I have been working too much, sometimes past midnight. But I can’t help it, I’m just so excited about everything.

I believe this to be the cutest (modern) swimsuit I have ever seen.

It’s from Hayden-Harnett, and I think I first saw it over at liebemarlene, along with several other cuties. That wedgewood blue color is really speaking to me right now.

Oh, and this Orla Kiely number is a close runner up.

Alas, a bit rich for my blood, especially since I have a perfectly serviceable polka dot one-piece. But if I do ever get around to making my own swimsuit, ruffles will be prominently featured.

I’ve always wanted to have a bathroom that’s a little bit glamorous. Why not? I spend an inordinate amount of time bathing. The tub is one of my favorite things in the world, a true sanctuary from daily life and a place where I can regroup, relax my body, read a book, or just think.

But for whatever reason, I’ve never put a lot of effort into doing up the bathroom. And even though most of the places we’ve lived in recent years were built in the teens and twenties, most of the bathrooms we’ve had have been more institutional than glamorous.

So I’d like that to change. Our bathroom now is very small and narrow, but is mostly taken up by a giant, wonderful, deep, lovely clawfoot tub. Oh, I love it.

I’m imagining a little 1940s-era preening room. Sweet and simple, not too fussy. I’ve spent weeks looking for a perfect barkcloth to make curtains, something slightly tropical feeling but not kitschy-cute. Man, that is harder than you might think. Or maybe I am just really picky. Probably the latter.

Well, I found it. I am in love with this fabric. the pattern is huge and gorgeous and lush, and the texture is thick and perfect. Sigh. I can’t wait to have these blooms to look at while I soak.

Now to figure out how to make proper pinch-pleat curtains…