I grew up near the California Veterans Home...

11 - 11


the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month......
In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words:
"To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"

I deal in military clothes. I love them because they are well-made clothing, and the colors are great.
I have lots of sailor pants, and army shirts and I just sold a Korean war era M 1951.
I have Navy pea coats, and a very heavy Air Force cold weather dress coat. I have a Swiss Army watch (hee hee), an Army-Air Force WWll Bulova Type A-11 watch...

Earlier this year I sold a 30s - 40s vintage A-2 Pilots Jacket, and a Air Force N-2B 70s jacket with a real fur around the hood. This is a tiny recounting of the military...I've known and loved..
Fleets In!!

WWll pea coat. The style and the quality doesn't change much over the years.  This one is 80s

When I get something, I almost always know exactly what I have, but sometimes I have to spend hours of research. Most military clothes have fantastic labels in them...they tell you what it is...how to use it and the year it was made.

M 1951 Field Pants

Every time I hold a piece of military clothes I think about it.....still, after all these years. I think why. I think well.....I'm putting it to good use. Recycling it to someone who wants good sturdy clothing.


Here's the 30s - 40s vintage A-2 Pilots Jacket that went to a fella that wanted one for a long long time and his wife bought it for his birthday. I spent hours and hours and hours on Pilots jacket research. I am now a near-expert! I know the diff between cowhide, goatskin, and horsehide, by sight and by smell, and by look, and I know why each was used.

Her pictures of him wearing it  (acameragirl.blogspot.com)

......I wonder what he feels...

*******************
WWll khaki pants. Fantastic!

1968 Vietnam 7 pocket jungle fatigues

Early WWll helmet.....the pot of fame!

and a Air Force N-2B...I'm still looking for one in my size....a 36 please!

Sailor pants with 13 anchor buttons

My favorite and mine all mine...WWll Navy WAVES jacket... when the ladies were needed ....they joined.

Do I think about this...Indeedy I do.
the recap of my Veterans post from earlier this year......

sneaky peaky....

of new things coming to the etsy shop late Tuesday and Wednesday...this is 1/3 of what's new in funkomavintage........

Sailor sweater...very now with its bow tie!

Back of the sweater with a long plaid wool skirt...Very Scottishy and Nautically ...perfect for the cold days coming up...

plaid skirt in blue and black....buttons all the way!

Blue wool jacket with black velvet collar and velvet buttons...romance a la paired with either black or white lace....

Creamy tweed coat...Buttons!

That's right...Leather. Hood. Plaid. Wrap. 70s. Awesome.

70s Italian sweater dress with a ruffle or 3.

60s black suit...Nice size too!
 ring collar. sweet.

80s party dress....yes. oh. yes. Black and rose.

60s Petal collar green paisley day dress.....

Grey is the new gray.

geez, everyone is talkin' 'bout gray hair and long hair. well, everyone in bloggy world.
I've had long hair since I was a child...thanks mommy.
She used to put my hair in rag curls. oy.

I had Mr. Charles cut my hair in a pixie cut...in the summer before 7th grade just in time to impress the boys at Redwood Jr. High. It didn't work.
In 1967, 8th grade, I did the Peggy Fleming look with the short in back long in a swoopy  chin length thing front. 
Stunning video of Peggy skating!


I have pics of all this of course but I haven't set up the new! scanner so you'll have to wait.
From the first month of 9th grade in 1968,  it was hippie hair and dangly bells! Huh Andrea!

Well, the long hair stayed ...everyonce in a while I chop it to shoulder length...but it stays from mid back to waist length. It drifts into Mormon mother range with long braids, and whack! out come the scissors. I cut my own hair, and I don't care if it looks it.
yeah I read the New York Times article about ladies with long hair that are....also long in the tooth. Hey, this is what I like.
Ya'll go ahead and cut to pixie, elf, boy, Mia or whatev'. It's your thing...do what you want to do.

I also used to dye my hair black.......because my whole world was black after my mom died in 2003. God I hated everything about 2003.

So here I  was as gloom pussy, and I had already started to let my hair grow natural.
(red wall...so 2004)
Wow, look at the gray!
It looked like silver....I was hooked.
It's all natural now.
Long and gray. and getting grayer and silvery-er...this is summer 2010.

Those goofy little blogger girls ...are just cracking me up with they gray dye.


the other day....
Again with the stripes......
My gray hair looks fabulous with gray...I never used to wear gray above the waist. I had to divorce my first husband because he kept buying me gray sweaters....because he liked gray sweaters.

Now I wear gray all the time..everywhere.
Here is a b/w striped dress, a gray sweater, and my favorite gray 40s jacket I bought from Holly at LuciteBox.
She wasn't gonna even sell it...because it has flaws. I think I begged her to list it,and she did.  I was the only bidder on ebay. Stupid people! Lucky me!
Now I get compliments all the time when I wear it.
Yeah, and on my gray hair. It's still rare for a granny-age lady to have long gray hair. But not for long....
Flaws and all....just the way I like it.

November........I'm already nostalgic....

for September!
darn you weird November sunshine....
70 degrees. wow.
you don't fool me tho. I've been at my sewing machine putting together the first of many pairs of mitts I'll make this fall and  winter.

I gathered up some acorns and leaves....and the tawny tones inspired me to make these.......

Just added to my that yountville girl shop

wooly stripes of navy, forest green, tree brown and camel with wine...

I made them in different sizes...used the knit upside down and added some vintage buttons for interest.

Cashmere too ? yes. 

Cold ? How about a jacket....Vintage 70s style ! nylon windbreaker slick fabric is packed full of natural goosedown. Goosedown is what you want....don't settle for a modern duck feather jacket. Duck feathers don't have the same insulating power as down....Tempco was a high-end brand back in the day. You know...if it was good back then...it's good now!
Quality lasts....and is worth recycling!

Time to adjust

Sometimes you feel like a short bag.
Sometimes you feel like a cross-body.
Translation.....
Dilemma solved!

If  you're  hanging out, seeing the sights.....shopping for a few things, you want a bag  you can put up on your shoulder...
If you're in a casual mood, being busy.....wanting to keep your hands free...to carry coffee, to carry stuff, to look thru piles of things.....well, you  want a cross-body bag. Er, uh, tote bag.

The long strap looped thru and buttoned.

then if you choose,  pull the strap farther thru the loop and button it shorter.
I made the straps wide...so they'll feel good resting on the shoulder.

a sunny day for sewing !

I've never been completely happy with those Yawn! metal slide mechanisms that every bagmaker uses...so, as per usual for me...in addition to using fun and  unique blends of mix and match fabrics and prints.....and of course...there is a lot of recycling going on........

so, not only did I give my anything-but-boring line of tote bags/purses a sense of humor, but I invented a simple changeability feature to go to from a shoulder to a long-strap tote...using buttons...
Vintage buttons of course!

always with the vintage buttons....

This is the road map fabric, lined in a weird novelty fabric. Some in this series have ticking stripes..some have solid moire. They're lined so they have body, yet aren't completely stiff.
They can carry the daily......or even a laptop...or your electronic book....(i  Pad)

Here's a typical view of the inside....pockets....and a loop that flips over the top and buttons closed.

The other side is a recycled pair of pants with big pockets.....the better to keep things in ..my dear!
Each in the series is slightly different....yet they're all roomy and easy to take care of....made of cotton or cotton blends.......They wash and dry by machine. Yes.

The next series will be wool and wool blend tweeds, vintage lace and leather-like synthetic. They'll have a more masculine air.....but perfect for the ladies too.

There's always a bit of lace and lots of topstitching too. I make sure it's all sturdy, and I really love my signature loopy stitching at the edges.

and....tho there are lots of pockets to keep the keys handy...to stash the transit card, the lipstick, the hanky.....
I made little zipper pouch purses to go with...
these are handy for a billion things!

each is a mix and match of cute, sweet, romantic, sharp and quirky cotton and cotton blend fabrics, laces and ribbon......some have vintage metal zippers....some have vintage nylon zippers.

my label in muslin....

They're about 7" x 7" or so. They're machine wash and dry...
or hang to dry......whatev'