Author: mjkisner

Understanding Antique, Vintage and Retro Clothing

Spending time with my 17 yr. old granddaughter during her family’s visit this month was a wonderful way to get to know her. I was especially interested in talking with her about her hunt for vintage clothing. I took her to the local antique co-op to check out a few racks of clothing on display. I was curious about the styles that appealed to her and finally took her to JoAnn’s to look at patterns. She was able to point out various dresses and fabric designs that looked interesting to her.

So, of course, we picked up a pattern and fabric. I agreed to make her a dress! The next post will be the details about that!

Because the pattern was labeled Retro ’52, I knew I needed to understand the definitions of “antique”, “vintage” and “retro”. This is what I found.

Antique: At least 100 years old

The only “antique” clothing I have saved is the Lowry family baptism dress, worn by my mother in 1912. It has been used by various babies in the family over the last 100 years.

Worn by my daughter in 1978.

You can read more about the dress at https://marykisner.com/the-travels-of-the-lowry-baptism-dress/

Vintage: From a specific year from the 1920s to 2000 (or 20 years ago).

Examples of Vintage clothing by Era include:

1920s: Flapper dresses, heeled Mary Jane shoes

1930s: Puffed and fluttery sleeves, peep-toe shoes

1940s: Straight tweed and wool plaid skirts, platform shoes

1950s: Full skirts and petticoats, shirtwaist dresses, twin sweater sets

1960s: Elegant box-jacket suits and pillbox hats (like Jackie Kennedy); and bell-bottom jeans and flowing tops

1970s: Flare jeans, khaki, boots

1980s: Blazers and sweaters with strong shoulder pads, stilettos

1990s: Leggings, big sweaters, baggy flannel shirts

(List above from Ashley Kane, https://www.liveabout.com/definition-of-vintage-clothing-3420100/ )

If you want to buy vintage clothing, look in shops that have vintage in the name or description or in second-hand shops.

The most important piece of information I found is a word of caution about sizing! Women’s dress sizes have changed significantly over time. I measured my granddaughter. She said she buys size 6. When I looked at the pattern where it lists measurements, I needed to make a size 12 for it to fit! I’ll make the size 12 dress…then we’ll see if it works for her. Too bad she lives in California…I think we may be mailing the dress back and forth until we get it right!

Read about sizing changes over the years at https://www.eonline.com/news/687475/a-brief-history-of-women-s-clothing-sizes-and-why-you-just-went-up-a-size/

Retro: Made recently to look like vintage style.

Clothing that has been made recently with the intention of imitating the fashion of the past is considered “retro”, thus the label on the pattern we chose…Retro ’52.

I recall making clothing during the 50s and 60s so just reading the pattern was enough to give me heart palpitations! Cotton fabric (no stretch), fitted sleeves, side zipper!! Yikes! I had forgotten even how to read a pattern this complex!

My granddaughter and I agreed that this first dress would be for “practice” in case it didn’t turn out, or fit right, or I messed up. I’m still working on the dress and hope to post the details in a few days.

Lavender-inspired Quilt Block on Wood

About every month or two I get in the mood to make a new door quilt for the front door. Several years ago, I managed to make 6 quilt blocks to hang on the front door, about one every other month:

https://marykisner.com/a-year-of-door-quilts/

Basically, I’ve never been happy trying to put a wreathe on the front door because it has a screen door that gives me only 2-3″ of clearance between the doors. Finding a flat wreathe was tough. So, I started sewing these quilt blocks to use as door decorations.

I thought I could just rotate the blocks each year, but after two years on the outside door…exposed to the sun and weather…the colors faded. I was ready to try something new.

I pulled out my acrylic paints and had Bert make me some 12-inch square pieces of thin plywood. I started with my favorite fabric block…the patriotic red, white and blue one…that I had made in fabric.

Two years later, the block is faded.

I had to improvise the paint to be solid colors, and added star appliques right to the painted wood. Here are links to the door-quilts on wood I’ve made so far:

https://marykisner.com/new-patriotic-door-quilt-on-wood/

https://marykisner.com/summer-door-quilt-on-wood/

https://marykisner.com/autumn-door-quilt-on-wood/

https://marykisner.com/a-winter-star-quilt-block-on-wood/

Making a New Door Quilt on Wood

Lately, I’ve been inspired by the lavender fields you’ve seen in photos and my plants in the garden:

Choosing a pattern:

Bert had just received his latest copy of MuzzleBlasts, that always has a page or two with a quilt block suggestion:

First, I needed to find this block (called Freedom’s Star here) in my favorite books that will tell me other names for the block. I found it in this book by Maggie Malone, with 7 other possible names:

Then I found the block in another book, that gives me ideas for balancing the colors (light and dark):

Finally, I knew I wanted to use light and dark purple/lavender paint.

Making a Miniature Block First

For each 12″ x 12″ square block I paint, I first make a miniature block on a 3″ x 3″ canvas (available from Amazon). That lets me test the pattern and the colors.

So, I draw the guidelines to make a 4 x 4 block:

…and start filling in with color:

I wasn’t sure about the yellow paint…seemed too bright. I waited until the next day to see if it looked better. I decided the yellow overwhelmed the purple, so I mixed up some lighter yellow by adding white. That seemed to help.

The final colors felt better:

I continued with the 12″ x 12″ piece of wood and drew the pattern:

After painting, I use a fine point black marker to sharpen the design (mostly because my painting skills are not as steady as I’d like!).

Ready to get a spray of satin finish to protect it from the weather. Bert will glue three magnets to the back so it sticks to the front door (which is metal).

What to do with all my miniatures?

So far, I’ve been able to line them up on the mantle. One or two never made it to the final stage of painting on wood. That’s OK. They aren’t perfect, but it’s sort of a record of what I’ve done so far! Give it a try!

Milestone of 56 Years!

We had a family reunion two weeks ago so I thought I didn’t need to focus on the fact that today, Bert and I have been married for 56 years…longer than either of our parents and probably our grandparents. Over a nice dinner out, we talked about how unusual that was in our families. Individuals had longevity, but often one member of the couple passed away early. We’ve had quite an unusual gift of longevity and thanks to modern medicine and the technology of hip and knee replacements have managed to stay upright!

So, to review our story…we eloped in the summer of 1967 (a crazy tale in itself) and didn’t tell anyone until the following summer.

We planned to “get married” in the family living room and not mention anything at all…except the minister we asked to do the service would not do it unless everyone attending (immediate family) knew it was just a renewal. So, that blew our secret! We had to fess up. In August, 1968 we had an official “renewing of vows” and then had a reception at the Nittany Lion Inn for all of our extended family and friends.

Bert, Grandpa John Bixby, Mary

We recently remembered that the first Arts Festival in downtown State College was in 1967. We spent some time strolling College Avenue checking out the art displays. Such was our honeymoon!

So now, when I look at our grandchildren (ages 17, 16, 14 and 11) I’m not sure I want to share my saga with them yet…how crazy were we at age 21 and 20! Yikes! Who knew it would last 56 years!

Garden Update July 11, 2023

Time to share the mid-July adventures in the garden! Last week, the view of the patio planters looked like this:

Radishes, lettuce and my sweet potato plant were doing well. I was pretty sure they were safe from roving bunnies and deer because they were so close to the house. Unfortunately, the deer saw the sweet potato plant as part of their salad bar! Sunday morning, the sweet potato plant looked like this:

Two days later, the plant is trying to recover:

Oh well, I tried!

Then we noticed the beet tops. They looked like this last week:

Sunday morning they looked chomped all along one side!

Very frustrating. Several beets had been yanked out of the ground so I cooked them. Yum…really sweet!

The potatoes and Delicata squash were not touched.

Up in the garden on the hill, amazingly, nothing was touched. When you look at the short but sturdy garden fence, we were surprised the deer didn’t just hop the fence for a snack! So far, that hasn’t happened. Maybe the hoses look like snakes.

The lavender continues to fill out:

The tomatoes are doing well:

The carrots have finally started to grow:

The beans are blossoming and making tiny beans!

The Delicata squash is getting huge, with little squashes starting:

And of course, my favorite…Echinacea!!

Bert has now sprayed the sweet potato plant and the beet tops with some deer repellent. We’ll hope it’s enough to deter the deer so the plants can continue to grow!

Discovering There Are Two Kinds of Oatmeal Soap

I recently made a batch of oatmeal soap to try out my single-use soap idea. You can read about it here: https://marykisner.com/single-use-soap/

It was obvious the block of soap base had bits of oatmeal mixed in. When melted, the soap got much thicker, just the way cooked oatmeal would. It made a hefty bar of soap.

You can see colloidal oatmeal is the first ingredient on the block of soap base:

The colloidal oatmeal is obvious when I cut it into cubes:

The mixture got thicker as it melted:

I listed Colloidal Oatmeal soap base as the first ingredient on the card.

This week I wanted to make another batch of oatmeal soap, so I ordered another block of oatmeal soap base. When it arrived, I was convinced they sent me the wrong soap…it was a white soap base with no evidence of bits of oatmeal!!

The package said “Oatmeal Soap Base” but there was no listing for Colloidal Oatmeal, which is the flaked/rolled oats ground fine and embedded when making the soap base.

A closer look at the ingredient list showed Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract.

Hmmm. Time to do a little research!

According to Dr. Tess Mauricio, a board-certified dermatologist, colloidal oatmeal and Avena Sativa extract are two ingredients that are derived from the oat plant and are clinically proven to protect our skin from environmental stressors and other concerns.

Colloidal oat is found in the bran of the plant, while Avena Sativa extract comes from the stems and leaves. Colloidal oatmeal seems to be best used for more serious skin concerns like eczema, rosacea and dermatitis. Avena Sativa extract is better suited for more general dryness or irritation.

It was time to make another batch of “oatmeal” soap to see the difference. I added the same Vitamin E oil, Orange and Manuka Essential oils and the same color tint (2 drops).

Of course, the card to go with the new soap had to be changed:

My plan is to add a paw-shaped soap to each tin of single-use soap and see if folks prefer one over the other. Now I have two choices when I want to make oatmeal soap!

Family Reunion Photos

Generally, I try not to post a lot of personal photos on my blog. Just seems prudent. However, I will concede that my ability to take selfies is not a very satisfying way to document important events. Sometimes it’s the only way to get pictures of my family…one selfie at a time. I can’t seem to get everyone to sit or stand together at the same time, in the same space!

It appears I have the most luck documenting my grandpuppy, Daisy!

This past weekend, Kathy hosted a “family reunion” for the Kisner tribe. Ted and family was visiting from California. Friday night, Kathy arranged to have a photographer friend capture all our lovely smiles in an outdoor setting.

The next day, Bert’s brother and sister joined us for a lovely picnic. We were able to snag a few photos of the siblings.

And of course, this week is our 56th wedding anniversary so it was nice to have a current picture of us! Geez…time flies!

What To Do With 30 Pounds of Blueberries

You might never need to deal with 30 pounds of blueberries all at one time…unless you can get them like I did, through the local Kiwanas. Every year they have a fund-raising sale and bring in 10-pound boxes of blueberries, fresh-picked from New Jersey. the berries are beautiful! After washing all 30 pounds, I think I had to discard less than a cup because of blemishes. This year’s crop was delicious!

If you check back on my blog to one year ago exactly, I processed 20 pounds of blueberries. I don’t need to repeat the description but you can read about it here: https://marykisner.com/blueberries-galore/

So, the first 20 pounds of berries I washed and packed into zip bags, 2 cups in a bag:

So, what do I do with all these frozen blueberries?

First, they are great on cereal or oatmeal. the frozen berries roll out of the bag like marbles and within a minute or two they are thawed enough to eat!

Second, I can toss about 1/2 cup of berries into my breakfast smoothie along with frozen banana slices and two scoops of my vegan protein powder. The frozen berries act like little bits of ice and thicken up the smoothie.

I wrote about freezing bananas here: https://marykisner.com/freezing-bananas/

This is the protein powder that I like, but there are many to choose from.

The third thing I do with these frozen blueberries is make blueberry muffins. You can read about my favorite muffin recipe here: https://marykisner.com/the-best-vegan-muffin/

I make these especially for me because they are vegan and they have bananas and walnuts in them.

I’m now working on another muffin recipe that has only blueberries…no bananas or walnuts. After I give the recipe a try, I’ll post it for you.

The last 10-pound box of blueberries will be kept fresh just to eat. Ted’s family will be visiting next week and the berries will be good to munch on! Enjoy!

Making Single-Use Soap

Three years ago, at the beginning of the Covid lockdowns, I was focused on making single-use soap that I could carry in my purse in case I needed it. I came up with several options…and then many public places closed and I wasn’t going anywhere anyway. Oh well!

Those first attempts were made by melting Melt & Pour Soap, pouring it onto wax paper, letting it cool and then cutting out hearts with a cookie cutter.

This was a test of patience and I ended up with a few tins of single-use soap that I tucked away just in case.

Recently, I was reading an article about Cheryl Hines. Cheryl is an actress and is married to Robert Kennedy, Jr. She and her daughter, Catherine (Cat) have started a beauty products line that focuses on using less plastic waste. Apparently, plastic waste in the beauty industry is one of the highest contributors to plastic pollution in the world! The company, Hines+Young (see www.shophinesyoung.com) makes high-end products with less plastic waste. Products are packaged in recyclable glass and aluminum tins.

I was interested to read about this company and found one of their products was a tin of single-use soap! How about that!

I can’t seem to post one of their pictures here, but the pieces of soap look like they were poured into a round mold and then cut like a pizza. That made sense! It would be quicker and easier to pour with less waste.

Of course, the website included the ingredients in the soap! They listed:

Oat protein, vitamin-rich sustainable palm oil, hydrating coconut oil and an invigorating blend of clove, sweet orange, and tea tree essential oils.

OK. I could do something similar…

Colloidal Oatmeal and Shea Butter Melt & Pour Soap Bases, Sweet Orange and Manuka Essential Oils, Vitamin E oil, soap tint. (I prefer Manuka Oil to Tea Tree Oil).

I started with a brand I frequently buy:

I chopped up 1 pound of Oatmeal Soap Base and 1/2 pound of Shea Butter Soap Base.

I put the chunks in my 4-cup heat-safe glass measuring cup.

Then the cup is placed in a saucepan with water. Water is brought to a simmer and the soap melts without getting too hot.

Of course, I usually make two at a time:

It made a lumpy mixture because of the oatmeal.

When melted, I added 1/2 tsp. of Vitamin E oil, Sweet Orange and Manuka Essential Oils. One drop of soap tint made the soap a very light orange color.

Pouring into the mold was the hardest part. I wanted a thin circle, however, the oatmeal soap got thicker as it cooled and by the time I was done pouring it made circles about 1/4″ thick.

I made a total of 32 round disks of oatmeal soap, each about 1/4″ thick.

The rest I poured into regular molds and my travel size heart shapes.

Next, I took my soap cutter and cut each circle into 6 pieces:

Each piece seemed about the right size to wash my hands. About 8 pieces fit into one of my 2 oz. tins:

I made 20 tins with about 8 pieces each. Perfect to share with my high school friends at our next luncheon to see if the size of each piece is right to wash hands. I’ll also see if the Oatmeal/Shea Butter is popular. I suspect a thinner piece would work better…I used one piece all day in the kitchen before I wanted to throw away what was left! Enjoy!

Garden Update June 18, 2023

After struggling over a month with no rain, finally we are seeing abundant rainfall! The grass is slowly greening up and the garden doesn’t seem so parched. More cloudy days and rain really help. Time to show you some pictures!

In the patio planters, I’ve harvested radishes three times so far. The newest crop is pretty tiny but I have several bags in the refrigerator.

Another section has radishes a little smaller, but the lettuce in front has been donated to some bunny friends (or should I say…a friend with bunnies)!

The lettuce we have the most success with is Black Seeded Simpson, so I’ll fill in empty spaces with more of that.

Remember that single sweet potato that was growing on my kitchen counter? It is going to make a great plant. Not sure if we’ll actually get any sweet potatoes out of it!

The small potatoes that were sprouting in the kitchen are also doing well in the ground!

The beets are lush enough so the weeds don’t have a chance. I’ll thin them when they get bigger.

The last section of the raised beds was going to be several herbs…however, the seeds must have been too old…nothing came up! So, we put in the last few Delicata squash plants we had. A good choice since it’s quite handy to the bird feeder and the visiting deer won’t eat them. We’ll see!

Up in the garden on the hill, the lavender is doing well. I’ve cut the first flowers to encourage the plant to send up more.

The tomato plants have lots of blossoms so I’m encouraged that we’ll have lots of tomatoes this year!

Boo hoo! The poor carrots are having a hard time. I think the very dry hot weather was tough on them. You can hardly see them!

You can see how dry and cracked the ground is even though Bert watered every day!

The beans seemed to respond to watering over the last month so they look pretty healthy.

The Delicata squash plants finally look good. Bert had to replant them several times. Not sure why they didn’t sprout. They are a vining plant, so we’re not sure if we’ll have to add a climbing trellis.

And finally…the Echinacea!! I’m anticipating some beautiful flowers pretty soon!

This is about the time I’m glad that lots of people around here have gardens and sell produce at the Farmer’s Markets. We certainly couldn’t grow everything we need in our small garden, but it sure is rewarding when we eat our first home-grown tomato!

Crochet a Double Thick Hot Pad

I haven’t thought about hot pads for many years. A dear friend made me crochet hot pads several times over the years and I love them! I really wanted to learn how to make more, but they always looked so complicated. I’m a single crochet kind of gal! She reassured me they were simple to make.

I finally looked up the instructions online. I found this link:

https://www.mielkesfiberarts.com/diagonal-hotpad/ that let me download a PDF of the instructions.

I stopped at JoAnn’s to pick up some yarn. The best yarn for these hot pads was 100% cotton…I didn’t want them to melt in a hot oven! The back of the skein says I should use a size H crochet hook. That worked for me but you could go smaller with the G or larger with the I hook.

The instructions say to make a chain of 26 stitches. That made a pretty small hot pad! I tried 32 stitches and 36 stitches. I now have three sizes of pot holders!

These hot pads look complicated but that first row of stitches is basically across the diagonal of the hot pad. The hardest part of the instructions was to crochet in the back of the stitch…so I took some pictures as I went along.

At first, it looks flat as you crochet around and around. Eventually, the ends curl toward the middle.

Here’s a close up of using the back of the stitch:

Finally, I couldn’t figure out when to stop! My friend explained I should have half as many rows as the number of stitches I started with. Very helpful information! So, by starting with 36 stitches, I should have 18 rows from my starting row:

Almost done!

Ready to sew the diagonal seam together:

After making three different sizes, I think the most useful size for me starts with 36 stitches. Try it yourself! Enjoy!