Category: vintage knitting

1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, crochet, crochet-a-long, halloween, halloween-a-long, knit-a-long, knitting, knitting community, sew-a-long, sewing, vintage crochet, vintage knitting, vintage sewing

Halloween-a-long

Lizzie Violet

Boo! Or should that be Trick or Treat! Either way, show us your vintage inspired Halloween Costumes during the month of October for our Halloween-a-long!

The October (October 1 to October 31st) a-long in our Vintage WIPs group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/killerkitschvintagewips/) will be another bring your own pattern; it just needs to be vintage (1960s and earlier). But here is the twist, it can be knit, crochet, sewn, a refashion or a combination of all!

If you post your KAL photos on Instagram please tag me at @killerkitsch13 and use tags #killerkitschhalloweenalong.

1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, bolero, cardigan, crochet, crochet pattern, crochet-a-long, free knitting pattern, free pattern, knit-a-long, knitting, knitting community, shrug, vintage, Vintage Community, vintage crochet, vintage knitting, vintage knitting patterns, vintage life, vintage pattern, vintage reproduction, vintage style

Boleros, Cardigans and Shrugs in heavy yarns oh my!

Lizzie Violet

I don’t know about you, but when September rolls in I feel the need to break out the cardigans. We have decided to change this KAL/CAL up a bit and ask that you use heavier yarns for your jumpers, such as worsted weight and higher (thank you Erica for the idea!)

The October to December (October 1 to December 31st) knit-a-long in our Vintage Knitting group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/killerkitschvintageknitalong/) will be another bring your own pattern; it just needs to be vintage (1960s and earlier). But here is the twist, it can be knit, crochet or a combination of both! Not to worry, if you don’t have a pattern in your stash we will be providing some pattern information that will be found over in our Facebook group.  

If you post your KAL photos on Instagram please tag me at @killerkitsch13 and use tags #killerkitschknitalong and #cardiganalong.

Not to worry, if you don’t have a pattern in your stash we will be providing some pattern information that will be found over in our Facebook group.  

1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, crochet, crochet pattern, crochet-a-long, knit-a-long, knitting, knitting community, sew-a-long, sewing, vintage crochet, vintage knitting, vintage knitting patterns, vintage sewing

Knitting yourself into an injury!

Lizzie Violet

PSA from the girl who can’t knit/crochet or sew (it hurts to cut fabric) for the next 4 to 6 weeks. I learned a hard lesson and need to share it with all of you. 😔 

I am someone who would, without realizing it, knit for hours at a time. It wouldn’t be until my digits or wrists got tired, would I realize how long I had been knitting. Then, I noticed my thumb started to get stiff in the morning (when I woke up), then sore and hard to straighten out right away (I would need to stretch it)… now it hurts to bend. Two weeks ago I stopped knitting to see if that would help, but it didn’t. I went to the doctor and I have tendonitis and it will take 4 to 6 weeks to heal fully. I’m frustrated because I can’t knit, crochet or sew and I have to be patient. Not being able to at least knit is making me antsy!

Many times I read how important resting and stretching was, but I didn’t heed this information thinking I would be fine. Don’t be like me! Take lots of breaks and stretch your hands before, during and after knitting/crochet. It will save you from injuring your digits or wrists. Here are the stretches and strengthening excises I’ve been doing. https://www.healthline.com/health/de-quervains-tenosynovitis-exercises?fbclid=IwAR0Bf34cj0-MF4o52hHbHHShFBv9_99NIfvu6sCJm7v2T3tr1pUN2VF6f-o#thumb-lifts

On the positive side, I’m hoping it is healed up in time for the next KAL/SAL and for my winter cardigan knitting plans. Unfortunately, I can’t even sew ATM because even cutting out fabric is hurting my thumb. I’ve missed out on the Beach PJ SAL and possibly the Betty dress SAL. 😔 
Do yourself a favour and take care of your hands!

1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, crochet, crochet pattern, crochet-a-long, knit-a-long, knitting, knitting community, sew-a-long, sewing, vintage, Vintage Community, vintage crochet, vintage knitting, vintage knitting patterns, vintage life, vintage pattern, vintage reproduction, vintage sewing, vintage style

New Challenge!

Lizzie Violet

Each year, starting on my birthday, I give myself a new garment related challenge. Last year I tried to make one garment a week and though I didn’t quite make 52 (made 45 garments for myself) I am quite proud of what I achieved. With my birthday approaching (July 31st for those keeping track), I need to come up with a new challenge. What o’ what could that challenge be?


I’ve been bouncing ideas around and decided to take a look at my wardrobe to see what I needed to fill in gaps. When I did this I noticed that I don’t have trousers, fitted skirts and very few blouses. I am also lacking coats and cardigans (and the ones I have are looking shabby). After this realization, I also concluded that I don’t have many structured/fitted garments and I believe a large part of that is because I am a curvy girl and it is hard to find sizes that fit right. I found myself saying out loud, ‘But isn’t that why you make your own clothing?’ Yes. Yes it is.


Hold on… did you say you don’t have any trousers. That is correct. I haven’t owned trousers of any kind in at least ten years. Why? I hate the way they fit. As I mentioned earlier, I am a curvy girl. I’ve always had an hourglass figure, (large boobs, smaller waist, wide hips) even when I was slender. I hated shopping for pants of any kind. If I was able to get them to fit in the hips, the waist was too big. I also have really long legs and a high waist, so I could never get the rise to fit right either. So…. I stopped wearing them. That is about to change.

Toile! Toile! Toile!

Anyone who sews knows you need to make a toile to get your fit down and when making pants I see a lot of them in my future! I want to make 3 basic types. 1930/1940 high waist style, 1950s Rockabilly style and elastic waist Beach Pyjama Style. These will cover most of my vintage inspired wardrobe needs.

Another large project I want to undertake is replacing all of my cardigans. Many are in shabby shape and I will likely repurpose them into mittens or other things. That said… knitting will need to wait for a while. I’ve done something to my thumb and need to wait a few more days before I can have it looked at. In the meantime… there is sewing!

However, me being me, I am adding and addition challenge starting January 1, 2020. I am going to start reproducing Miss Lemon’s wardrobe (from the TV show Poirot). Because in my world, one challenge is not enough!

Let’s get sewing!

Please add my Instagram account @killerkitsch13 to see regular progress updates.

1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, crochet, crochet pattern, crochet-a-long, knit-a-long, knitting, knitting community, vintage, Vintage Community, vintage crochet, vintage knitting, vintage knitting patterns, vintage life, vintage pattern, vintage reproduction, vintage style

SALE!

Lizzie Violet

I’m having a 50% off sale over in my Etsy store on all downloadable patterns!

https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/KillerKitschDesigns

1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, crochet, crochet pattern, crochet-a-long, knit-a-long, knitting, knitting community, sew-a-long, sewing, vintage, Vintage Community, vintage crochet, vintage knitting, vintage knitting patterns, vintage life, vintage pattern, vintage reproduction, vintage sewing, vintage style

52 Outfits in 52 Weeks! Update!

Lizzie Violet

Did she do it? Did she succeed in her 52 garment in 52 weeks challenge? Well…. almost.

How many garments have I made so far? Since July 1st, 2018, I have made 45 garments for myself. On top of that, I’ve made 3 sweaters for my husband and several hats/scarves and a purse for myself (approx. 49 pieces including those). (I have also made many hats and scarves as gifts to others as well) OH and I should mention I made all these from either vintage patterns, self-drafted the patterns myself (I learned how to draft patterns in High School. Thank you Mrs. Hewitt) or made them from vintage reproduction patterns. My memade wardrobe is all vintage reproduction.

I’m proud of this. It’s been a lot of hard work, but I love it because it is another way to stretch my creativity! My goal is that most of my wardrobe is memade, with a small percentage of it from thrifting or clothing swaps. I’m getting there! The extra bonus of making my own clothing, they fit properly!!!

To help keep me motivated, I created groups and we have knit-a-longs, sew-a-longs, crochet-a-longs, and refashion-a-longs. These groups are my happy place!

Where does my original inspiration come from? My Mother is my sewing inspiration. She taught me how to sew when…. I think it was ten-years-old — she says I was younger than that. I learned how to sew on a Treadle sewing machine (My Great Grandma Brown’s (made in 1898)) that I now own. My Mom also made her own and all of our clothing (when we were kids), without patterns. That’s right folks, wanting to self-draft my own patterns vs using premade patterns is in the blood!

I’m incredibly happy with my achievement this year. Even after sewing for decades I am still learning new skills. That brings me to my new goal. Starting August 1st I am going to begin using Draft-at-home systems. I have quite a few that include Haslam, Mrs. Depew and many others. I’ve done a blog post on it, it you want to give it a gander! https://killerkitschdesigns.com/2019/03/13/draft-at-home-systems/

In the meantime, I’m off to sew!

1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, crochet, crochet pattern, crochet-a-long, knit-a-long, knitting, knitting community, sew-a-long, sewing, vintage crochet, vintage knitting, vintage knitting patterns, vintage sewing

Beach-Pajama-a-long and Bag-a-long

Lizzie Violet

Let’s summer like it’s 1927! Oh yes, in our Beach Pajamas! I don’t know about anyone else, but I have always loved and been a wee bit obsessed with Beach Pajamas. The beauty of these wonderful garments is they can be one piece or two pieces. I’ve always been a fan of the combination of halter top and wide leg pants.

To make this sew-a-long accessible, it will be another bring your own pattern. It can be self-drafted, from an original vintage pattern or a reproduction pattern. It can be separates or the one-piece version. Use what works for you. (I will also provide links below to suggestions)

But that isn’t all for this a-long! To complete your summery outfit, you will also need a bag. Again, this is a bring your own pattern. The bag can be knit, crocheted or sewn (or any other technique that works for you).

Please feel free to do both the Beach Pajamas and bag or do just Beach Pajamas or just the bag. It’s all up to you!

The SAL will run from July 1 to 31. As always, if you post on Instagram please tag @killerkitsch13 and use hashtags #killerkitschsewalong #beachpajamaalong.

As with every sew-a-long, all of the information to the tutorials will be found in our Facebook Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/killerkitschvintagewips/).

1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, crochet, crochet pattern, crochet-a-long, free knitting pattern, knit-a-long, knitting, knitting community, vintage, Vintage Community, vintage crochet, vintage knitting, vintage knitting patterns, vintage life, vintage pattern, vintage reproduction, vintage style

Vintage Summer Knit-a-long

Lizzie Violet

If we knit or crochet it, summer will come!

The July to September (July 1 to September 30) knit-a-long in our Vintage Knitting group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/killerkitschvintageknitalong/) will be another bring your own pattern; it just needs to be vintage (1950s and earlier) and be a summer jumper. But here is the twist, it can be knit, crochet or a combination of both! Not to worry, if you don’t have a pattern in your stash we will be providing some pattern information that will be found over in our Facebook group.  

If you post your KAL photos on Instagram please tag me at @killerkitsch13 and use tags #killerkitschknitalong and #summeralong.


1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, summer, vintage, Vintage Community, vintage crochet, vintage knitting, vintage knitting patterns, vintage life, vintage pattern, vintage reproduction, vintage sewing, vintage style

Killer Kitsch Summer-a-long

Lizzie Violet

June’s a-long is a bit of a free for all! We will be doing a summer outfit a-long. It can be a dress or separates. It can include knitted and crochet garments as well. It can be self-drafted, from a pattern or a refashion. The only guideline is the outfit must reproduce patterns from the 1950s or earlier! Show us your memade vintage inspired outfits! I may actually do another tiki set. Or… a patio dress. There are just so many options!

The summer-a-long will run from June 1 to 30! As always, if you post on Instagram please tag @killerkitsch13 and use hashtags #killerkitschsummeralong.

As with every sew-a-long/knit-a-long/crochet-a-long/refashion-a-long, all of the information to the tutorials will be found in our Facebook Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/killerkitschvintagewips/).  

Show us your outfits!

1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, crochet, crochet pattern, crochet-a-long, vintage, Vintage Community, vintage crochet, vintage knitting, vintage life, vintage pattern, vintage reproduction, vintage style

Vintage Crochet-a-long

Lizzie Violet

A very popular request we get is to have the occasional crochet-a-long. Your wish is at our command and for our first CAL I am super excited that we have a guest host! Cate Coles, or as many will know her, Vintage Gal Blog will be guest hosting our crochet-a-long for the Shoulder Buttoned Vintage 1930s Crochet Blouse and will be popping in to give tips and answer questions.

Many of you may know Cate from her blog called ‘Vintage Gal Blog’ and her sassy 1930s style (http://vintagegal.co.uk/). She also has a really fun YouTube channel that you can find here. https://www.youtube.com/c/VintageGal

Shoulder Buttoned Vintage 1930s Crochet Blouse is perfect for summer, because it is light and airy and can be made with cotton yarn. I know many of you are over winter and excited to get a summer wardrobe built. I know I am! This is also a fairly easy pattern.

The Shoulder Buttoned Vintage 1930s Crochet Blouse is a paid pattern and can be purchased from The Cemeterian on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/listing/56071401/shoulder-buttoned-vintage-1930s-crochet.

As with every crochet-a-long, all of the information to the tutorials will be found in our Facebook Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/killerkitschvintagewips/).  

Cate’s Social Media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vintagegalblog/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vintagegalblog

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/VintageGal

Website: http://vintagegal.co.uk/


The CAL will run from May 1 to 31, however we do know that this CAL may take longer than a month to complete. Please keep going for as long as it takes! As always, if you post on Instagram please tag @killerkitsch13 and use hashtags #killerkitschcrochetalong. Please, also tag Cate (Vintage Gal Blog) on all of your posts as well. Her instagram is @vintagegalblog.

Photos are from Vintage Gal Blog.