50s Eyelet Amazeballs Dress. And Cheongsam.

Holy eyelet, Batgirl.  And shaped bias!  I'm very nearly speechless. And salivating.

source

AND it has a sweet matching bolero, with scalloped edges to echo the shaped bias, which throws me fully into incoherent territory.

Can you imagine what else was in this girl's amazing wardrobe??  I wish I knew!

From the same Etsy shop, RococoVintage, comes this gorgeous cheongsam.

Tiny umbrellas!?  WHAT?!!  Shannon has always been more the cheongsam type than I, but this dress has completely won my heart and soul.  Must. Have. One.

So now I'm on the lookout for a cheongsam pattern. I've almost positive I don't have one...although I do plan to go through the (*cough* extensive *cough*) vintage pattern stash later today to make sure.  (It wouldn't be the first time I purchased a vintage pattern twice. Ahem. Three times.)

These are all possibilities for my ebay saved searches (wish Etsy had that feature!)

Simplicity 1447

Butterick 7718

American Weekly 3104

Advance 7906

McCalls 3527

I've been getting back into the swing of things sewing-wise lately.  You might have noticed the mojo is kicking it up a notch.  I'm both excited and (to be honest) a little nervous to start new projects right now.

I'm at least a few sizes smaller than I was last time I sewed something (back in the spring?) and pretty much everything I have made in the past 12-18 months is too big.  Dresses I can fake it with a cardigan and/or a belt, for now.  But most of my skirts with fitted waistbands are now in the "mending" pile, waiting for a new waistband solution.

Soo...I've put sewing on hold for a few months, not sure how much energy I want to spend fitting items that might not fit in another 2 or 3 months.  You know how we all love our stash.  BUT I'LL NEVER EVER FIND A FABRIC I LOVE AS MUCH AS YOU!!!!!!

Am I right?

Awesome.  Now that Taylor Swift song is stuck in my head.  Bah.

Anyway.  The good news is...I can sew all new clothes!  And, a couple of things that haven't fit in years and years, from the far recesses of my closet, are in rotation right now.   (I don't make a habit of saving clothes that don't fit though, so after I lost weight this year, I literally have almost nothing to wear! I look like a hobo most of the time.)

There are still three pieces I'm longing to wear that I saved because I loved them so much when I made them.  One is a black crinkle rayon Milan dress (Textile Studios), one is a crinkle rayon sleeveless column dress in bright, delicious turquoise (an Adri Vogue pattern from the late 90s), and a simple cream with black polkadot skirt, no pattern, with a sweet little ruffle at the hem.  I actually remember the last time I wore that skirt and it has long been my favorite "go anywhere" skirt.  Skirt, I have missed you!

And the day I fit into all three (it will definitely be the same day, they're all from the same identical time frame), we're having a huge blog party and I'm going to give away a buttload of patterns and fabric and books. Or something.

Now I leave you with two more RococoVintage dresses, so classic and timeless that I'm already plotting in my head to knock them off.

Happy Saturday!

Fashion Inspiration: Alice Nightingale

I stumbled across a gorgeous etsy shop over the weekend.  It reminds me very much of anthropologie, especially the items that appear to be the newer photos.  Here are my favorites (and it was hard to choose!  I eventually had to just pick spring/summer items to narrow it down.)

I love this scalloped collar SO much!

 

Pretty floral sundress...

Gorgeous sheer blouse, and again with the scallopy collar:

DOTS.  Circle skirt.  RED BUTTONS.

Isn't this capelet the cutest thing??

Another dotty skirt/cute top ensemble:

Vintagey malliot swimsuit.

Floral shirtdress...

Retro two-piece swimsuit:

Yellow gingham and AQUA high-waist shorts.  My kind of summer.

Yellow dots on a floaty skirt...

I love finding new inspiration!

In Progress: The Muppets Dress Pt 3

What a lovely, lazy weekend!  It rained mostly, so I stayed in and did warm snuggly crafty things.  And napped.  I might have napped.

First up, dress progress:  I played with pattern adjustments, worried about losing the entire vintage pattern in the process, and realized something super obvious:  I already have a pattern EXTREMELY close to the inspiration dress in my stash!  In the words of Homer, Doh.

Inspiration Dress:

And...Vogue  9668:

Here's the line drawing:

And the sleeves from Vogue 8554 are also a perfect tulip match (the dress is cute too):

So at this point, I'm trying to decide whether I want to do more tweaks to my New York pattern tissue, or start from scratch with the Vogue.  I'm leaning toward trying the Vogue.  I love the neckline and the midriff band, and the circle skirt is already present.  And the sleeves!  I'll use those sleeves regardless.

I did pre-wash my seersucker fabric though!  In case you're just joining me, I have the stripe in Espresso:

Now it's Monday again and back to work!  But I have Spring Break next week, so my plan is to make real progress.

I leave you with the cutest pincushion ever:

Isn't it awesome in it's tiny bird basket glory?  And my flower head pins look so happy here.  I got it from Beth's Bagz on etsy.  It was REALLY hard to pick just one, but I love birds, and the little basket won (over a poodle who was seriously calling my name). 

Happy  monday!

it's that time again...

(and vintage/recycled)

Have you started Christmas shopping yet? I've bought a total of one (1) thing. Hmm. I might be bit behind pace, considering November is HALF OVER.

So I headed over to Etsy this morning to see what I could see. I love handmade, but let's face it. We make our own clothes (um, when we actually sew) and jewelry is about the only "handmade" item I buy for myself. Other than possibly scented candles or soaps. Ok, I never actually buy the soaps, but I do spend a lot of time looking at them.

ANYWAY. I personally interpret the "buy handmade" tag to include recycled/upcycled/vintage/previously-loved items too. After all, they don't make 'em like they used to. Here are some bits and bobbles and sundries I covet.

You know I'm a bow girl, so these speak sweet nothings to me:

vintage rhinestone bow pin

hammered silver bow necklace

In the "Emma Pillsbury would wear that" category...

enamel poinsettia brooch

vintage sweater guards

For the vintage seamstress in your life... (erm, vintage as in "loves vintage", not as in OLD. KRISTINE I'M TALKING TO YOU. /ALLCAPSSHOUTING)

1930s tailored dress

1950s *gorgeous* wiggle dress

For the shoes-are-my-crack set:

ah-mazing 1940s red leather pumps

"I'm crying that these are too small"

1960s buckle shoes

the Hello Green Coat of Awesome

And...I'll stop there. Because it's so much more fun to peruse Etsy for the things YOU love. Er, I mean the things your GIFTEE's would love. Because you wouldn't be shopping for YOU this close to Christmas.

Uh huh. That's what I thought.

i heart friday.

I'm still alive & kicking. The first week of school just really kick my patootie. I feel like I've been running an underwater race wearing concrete boots. Ugh.

I received some really fabulous vintage goodies in the mail this week though...I left them all wrapped up until this morning. Sort of a TGIF present to myself!

This little booklet is wonderful!


Basic sewing skills are listed with lots of illustrations. If you have (or want to bid on) a vintage pattern without instructions, this booklet could help you to a finished garment. I'll share some pictures from the inside later this weekend.


I also received this Weldon's sewing booklet/catalogue with pattern UNUSED and intact! That's pretty rare, since there was no envelope to store these patterns; they were just tucked into the center fold.

It is pristine and full of fabulous vintage illustrations of Weldon's patterns from the early 1940s, and I will likewise share more images from the contents later this weekend!

Off to school! Have a great weekend!!

HP once, twice, three times a tee

That's a mouthful, huh? This isn't going to be a long post...I'm off to pick up some Tex-Mex for dinner! But I whipped up this interesting little tee this afternoon and wanted to share! I dedicate this one to Dawn, who's waited a long, long time for it. heh.


It's the HotPatterns Once, Twice, Three Times a Tee.

Super, super easy to put together. It's basically rectangles of fabric. I'm not a fan of "slot" necklines like this and indeed I don't care for the way it flops around, or for the way the facing doesn't want to stay put. (I'm ok with the fact that I need a tank underneath. I wear a cami or tank every day anyway! I'm just old fashioned that way.)

In fact, I might be drafting a keyhole alternative neckline tonight & fixing it up. I have plenty of this muted pink & khaki tie-dye to do it. Then I think I'll be in love with the whole top. I already love the funky sleeves and the fit.

Speaking of fit, I cut a 14 in the neckline (and could have used a 12 in front I think, which might have helped my slot neckline a bit). I swung out to a 16 at the armhole, then bumped out at the bust to an 18 for a "cheater" FBA. Then I followed the 18 down to the hem, but I did cut in just a bit of shaping at the waist. Otherwise you're looking at one long rectangle for the front and back.

The front/back as drafted is LONG. I cut off 3 inches at least. I'm probably not going to hem it, I like where it's hitting me right now. I likewise didn't hem the sleeve frill. I love knits! I typically have to shorten tees because I'm pretty short-waisted. I'm 5'5 and most of that is legs!

In good mail news, I received these awesome zippers from an Etsy seller. If you're interested, I'll dig up the name! **UPDATE for that heifer beangirl: The seller is "ButtonsandSuch". There now you have zips. I can't do anything about your short legs. Muwahahaha. They ship from Asia so it takes a couple of weeks, but how darn cute are they?


Here's a closer view:


Obviously they're for exposed zipper projects, but I can't wait to use them on some cute summer skirts!

I hope you're having a fabulous weekend!

shopping.

I hate crowded shopping malls. No parking, people shoving, crabby salesclerks. I do my best to keep a cheery disposition even when its nearly impossible with all the negativity surrounding me. But sometimes even I get pissy.

For example, I waited in line 15 minutes yesterday to buy my parents a gift card at Cracker Barrel, only to have some woman bypass the ENTIRE line to rudely jump in front of me when it was my turn. Because she "didn't feel like waiting." I politely said, "oh, I'm sorry this is the front of the line, the end is back there" (pointing to the other side of the room). The clerk says, "Oh, she can skip the line. It doesn't matter."

I would normally bite my tongue, but this time I responded, "It matters to me. And I'm pretty sure it matters to the 30 people behind me." Still polite, still smiling. No need to get everyone's panties in a bunch, but neither is it in the Christmas spirit to cause more wait time to people who have politely been waiting their turn. I hate people like that. I turned and left without purchasing anything at all.

The funny thing is, and I didn't realize it until my sister pointed it out in the car, that line included people waiting to pay for their dinner ticket as well as the gift store people. So when I left, they had no idea whether I had a dinner ticket to pay for or not! Bwhahaha!! Serves them right. For all they know I left with a $100 meal in my pocket. (I didn't.)

My Christmas shopping haul included these non presents. For me. Because that's how I roll.

Gorgeous 2.5 yards of vintage, 1960s linen. Yumm-O!


Fabulous creamy faceted bead necklace:


Oh, and a stack of patterns from Hobby Lobby's Simplicity Sale, including this one, which my dear readers suggested for the ModCloth knockoff:


And this wasn't purchased yesterday, rather I bought it for myself for my birthday/Christmas and wore it yesterday. (I use that excuse for everything I buy in Nov/Dec. Ahem.) This gorgeous locket is by Melissa Stevenson, whose Etsy shop can be found HERE. She makes the most amazing enameled jewelry, but the lockets are my favorite. And since I have a love of all things bird, this one bespoke my name:

It hangs from a beautiful brass chain. I love the vintage-y feel, the applied brass flower detailing, the sage green enameling...pretty much everything about it. And the locket is large enough to hold a decent closeup of my two favorite people, hanging close to my heart where they belong.


ps...I did almost finish shopping. Gotta do the stockings and then I'm through! Whew. And to all you crabby line jumpers out there, I really do hope you have a blessed Christmas!

Little Skirt

Just playing with fabrics today! Three little skirts that will go in my Etsy Shop!



Now it's back to our regularly schedule grown-up sewing. My BWOF June issue FINALLY CAME!! Woohoo!! Haven't fully digested it, so this is short. I'm drinking lemonade and enjoying my magazine to its fullest!

All are SOLD...Thank you!