Category Archives: Sophster-Toaster Brand

How To Care for Knits

Posted on January 20, 2017January 25, 2017 by Melissa Harrison

I went thrift shopping for second hand sweaters recently and was somewhat shocked to see just how poorly people were taking care of their knits. Many sweaters, no more than decade old, were falling apart while those made of similar materials from 20 and 30 years ago were holding up just fine. I had to turn down several cute sweaters that had clearly been washed and even dried (gasp) with the regular laundry and then hung up in the closet. These sweaters with pilled, stretched and distorted to within an inch of their lives. Luckily, I still found plenty of well cared for pieces to choose from.

I wasn’t always a good knit respecting person. When I was a teenager I threw my knits into the regular wash without thinking, but I always pulled them out to dry, sometimes flat, sometimes on the clothesline – though I’m sure my brother just tossed them in the dryer when he was on laundry duty. I only started folding my sweaters instead of hanging them a few months ago when I realized it was the best way to avoid stretched out sleeves and shoulder dents. Here’s what I’ve learned since coming to respect the wool, cotton and acrylic yarn of my sweaters, knee socks and knit tights.

How To Wash Knits

Sort your knits like you would your other laundry, into at least two different washes: lights and darks. This is especially important with knits as your lighter coloured items will pick up fuzz and pill in the darker colours with age.
Use a laundry detergent compatible with knits/delicates, I use Woolite for everything.
Wash on a gentle or wool setting (I wash my knits with my dresses and other delicates) with a low spin so your wool doesn’t get stretched.
Remove promptly before weird creases can set in.
Dry flat no matter what the care label says! Never hang a knit to dry. (I use a clotheshorse drying rack with a flat top.)

How To Store Knits

Once dry, fold up your knits and store them in a drawer or on a closet shelf with good air circulation. You can hang chalk in your closet to decrease humidity or cedar chips to help prevent moths.

Knits will take a little bit of damage every time you wash them, so try to wear them a few times before tossing them in the laundry basket. Follow these steps and your knits will look new for years!

Top H&M
Cardigan ModCloth
Skirt Sophster-Toaster
Tights Shopper’s Drug Mart
Shoes ModCloth
Necklace Craft Arts Market / Sweetheart Jewelry Box

All photos by me.

The Etiquette of the Hostess Gift

Posted on December 15, 2016December 14, 2016 by Melissa Harrison

Never show up empty handed. It may be cliche, but it’s a great motto to follow – especially around the holidays when everyone is working extra hard to make their celebrations special. Bringing along a little something to thank your host for all the time, money and effort they put into throwing the best party of the year is a big deal. Finding the perfect hostess gift can be tricky but when done right, the gesture appears elegant and effortless.

Here are some of the tips I like to follow:

For Giving

Find a gift that is small so it can be easily accepted by a host who has their hands full, literally or figuratively.
Get them a gift that suits the scale of the party. Giving your host something expensive or unexpected may stress them at an already taxing time.
Wrap the gift lightly or not at all, they will be busy with their hosting duties.
Get them something that can be used right away or for future entertaining.
Bring a unique gift – a person only needs so many bouquets and bottles of wine – but don’t go too crazy. A fun tea towel, a fancy bar tool or an indulgent snack in pretty packaging are all safe bets.
Don’t know if gift-giving is appropriate? A sincere and gracious “thank you for having me” is all you need to give your host.

For Receiving

Open each gift shortly after receiving it and not in front of other guests: hostess gifts are nice, but not required.
Thank your gift-giving guests when you receive their gifts, thank you notes are not necessary.
If a guest brings wine, scotch, etc, try to open and serve it at the party. Obviously, this becomes impossible if everyone brings wine but you can leave unopened bottles out to show intent. If a bottle doesn’t get opened, invite the guest over another time to enjoy it with you or simply text them a picture of you enjoying it alone.

Dress Sophster-Toaster
Top H&M
Tights Target
Shoes ModCloth
Necklace old

All photos by me.

Vintage Fade

Posted on November 21, 2016November 18, 2016 by Melissa Harrison

When I first started screen printing, I knew I wanted to work with eco-friendly water based inks. It didn’t take long for me to discover all the limitations and drawbacks of printing with water based inks, but I was determined to stick with the eco-friendly option.

The first time I washed one of my screen printed shirts, I was disappointed to see how much the ink had faded. After working so hard to get a crisp, dark print, my new t-shirt now looked old after one wash. With more practice and with better tools and techniques, I learned how to make better prints, but then, one day, as I was hanging a load of laundry out on the clothesline, I noticed how beautifully the ink had faded on one of the shirts I had made for my husband. The light black ink that said “BEER” in big block letters had blended with the heather grey cotton. The word still stood out but you could see the variegated flecks and bands of grey peeking out from underneath. It was at that moment that I had an idea: to stop fighting with the ink and instead embrace the vintage fade.

I looked for soft, worn-in feeling shirts with character for my fall season print and found the perfect, super soft t-shirts, with matching sweatshirts, in a woven three-tone plum colour. After one wash, the previously opaque ink fades to reveal the colourful character of the fabric beneath. What remains is the permanent, vintage fade look of the print, it won’t fade anymore with the next wash. (And don’t worry, you can wash the shirts regularly with your other clothes, they won’t damage your old favourites.)

I was so pleased with the results, I had to keep a sweatshirt for myself!

Sweatshirt Sophster-Toaster
Tank Garage
Pants ModCloth
Socks Roots

All photos by me.

Brunch Babe Skirt

Posted on November 15, 2016November 14, 2016 by Melissa Harrison

I’m trying something slightly new with the Brunch Babe Skirt. Instead of offering regular, tall or petite sizes directly from the listing, I’m going to make the new pancake print skirt available in two standard lengths – either knee or midi length.

Really, I couldn’t make up my mind as to whether this print would be better as a knee length or midi length skirt, so I’m making both and letting you decide! Jeans and fancy pants are frequently available with two or more length options so I figured, why not skirts too?

I’ve had this fruit-topped pancake stack fabric bookmarked for years, waiting for the right time and idea to use it. When another idea for the fall season fell through, I jumped on this echo of inspiration and solidified it into a proper plan. This unique, novelty print by Patty Sloniger of Beck and Lundy is completely gorgeous. I’m so glad I finally got to use it.

Top Sophster-Toaster
Skirt Sophster-Toaster
Tights ModCloth
Earrings Craft Arts Market / Nicole Gagnon

Tall and petite sizes for either length of this skirt are still available upon request, here, through the shop.

All photos by me.