Tuppance Ha'penny's Pencil Skirt Sew-along

OOh, I've been procrastinating on fall/winter sewing for REASONS (dunnnn duh dun dun) but Tuppance Ha'penny's wily sewalong ways have swayed me.  I'm joining her vintage pencil skirt sewalong!

Firstly, Charlotte is so dang cute I want to hang out with her and be her bestie so we can share clothes.  Yup.

(translation: so I can wear all of HER clothes)

Secondly, this (to quote Kristine) amazeballs vintage pencil skirt pattern has been haunting me for something like two years:

That hip bow!  It kills me.

I also have Simplicity 4769, with an interesting pocket/button flap thing.

And New York 1181, which is a tad fuller than your traditional pencil skirt, but has really interesting shaped/cut-on pockets:

And lastly, this McCalls 3733, possibly the most interesting darts I've ever seen:

For now, the plan is to go with the hip-bow version of McCalls 4579.  It's so adorable.  And I have been saving this fabric for a pencil skirt too, deep royal blue linen:

I don't know if you remember or not, but I was on this royal blue kick a year or so ago, and I ended up with several pieces of fabric (solids and prints) that feature this color.  I think I ended up with one garment, a top, but the rest of it has been waiting for it's day in the sun.

First up though, I AM going to finish my Crepe today.  It's so easy.  Why do I procrastinate on the simplest projects??

Head over to Charlotte's blog for more info on the sewalong.  She is awesome.  She's got a calendar of events planned and since this is a "beginner" sewalong, it should be really informative too!  It's just started, so come along and join us!

countdown...

 

Can you believe it??  

We should have a handcrafted gift sewalong.  Any takers??

Pencil Skirt Draft-along

 Just a Tuesday evening quickie... (heh. Sorry.  Gutter.)

Anyone following along with Justine's Pencil Skirt Drafting posts?   I don't know how I missed these!

photo by Sew Country Chick

You can get caught up and play along with Justine on her blog!  As soon as I get some decent sleep I'll play along too!

maxi-mizing summer.

So I'm a little bit enamored of maxi dresses right now. Some lovely vintage versions from etsy:

Modcloth just sent out a "How Low Can You GO" email touting maxi-skirts & dresses too.  Maxi's are hot.

Shannon & I have been talking about a maxi-dress sewalong (anyone?  anyone?)  

I remember distinctly the first time I saw a maxi in public (this time around; we'll talk about the 70s in a minute).  It was 2004 and I was at an airport, flying from Washington DC to Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Bet you didn't realize maxi's had had quite that long a shelf life, huh?  They had just been featured heavily in the fashion magazines, on a few celebrities, and were very much one of those trends I thought would never catch on, least of all with me.

Well.  Bit by bit, year by year my resistance has chipped away until now I seriously want one.  I'm especially enamored of the 70s prairie versions.  That may have something to do with this one:

That's my sister Desiree on the right, me on the left, and we're all spiffed up for some formal school function for my sister.  I remember thinking her dress was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.  I couldn't WAIT to be big enough to wear it.  I want to say my mother made it, but I can't remember for sure.  My mom made a lot of our clothes back then.  (Maybe she'll read this and chime in in the comments.  Hi mom!)

What's funny is I can't remember my dress at all. But I remember my sister's!  The tiny floral print, the pretty lace trim, the big ruffle at the hem.  Sigh.  It was like Renaissance princess meets 70s boho.

I remember girls wearing maxi's like my sister's in the mid-70s.  We lived in St. Louis until I was 6 and then we moved to Oklahoma; most of my 70s-era memories of people are from St. Louis.  You could see a LOT of culture on a public school bus, both on the bus and outside the window.  (My mother probably would have been mortified.) The dresses though...sweeping hems, florals big and small, long flowing hair, and flower chains everywhere.  Cat Stevens.  (heh.)


So after 25 years (oh ok, 30. Er, 33.) I'm ready to finally get my maxi!  I've been looking for a vintage pattern, although Burda Style has had several versions the past couple of years.  Anyone have a favorite?  My main requirements are...

**Some sort of shaping at the waist (lest I look like a walking tent).

**A biggish ruffle at the hem (this is just me.  I still want that swishy ruffle at my feet.  yes, I'm still 7.)

That's it. I don't ask for much.  Some vintage patterns I like...

These 2 are my faves:

Any of these are do-able.  Unfortunately not a single one is close to my size, so I'm still on the hunt.

What say you?  Maxi sewalong anyone?

a lovely vintage pattern.

Just look at this lovely pattern I saw on Etsy this morning:

 

Alot of 1940s patterns have a high neckline that isn't terribly flattering to those of us with a larger bustline.  This is a beautiful neckline though!  And I'm in total love with the peplum and the BOW!

I also found this Simplicity from 1980.  Isn't it very 1940-ish?  I know the 40s were a strong fashion influence in the 80s, I just haven't noticed it quite as strongly as in this pattern (which has a daintier print than most c. 1980 dresses; that may be helping the illusion):

Isn't this 1940s pattern very similar?  (albeit, much more charming):

Still, I'm guessing that the former is much easier to get your hands on than the latter, and in your size for a cheaper $$ too.  Something to think about.  (Personally, there's just something so perfect about 1930-1950's era pattern instructions and diagrams.  They are just so concise and beautiful!)

Today is my "Friday" and I'll be having an unexpected 4-day weekend to lie in my pj's and "rest".  Sewing probably won't be on the agenda (drat it) but I expect lots of  Netflix watching and ripple-crocheting to occur.  Doesn't it feel like I've been sick more than usual this fall/winter?  Ugh.  Let's just say my fanny bum is sore from this morning's visit with a needle.  (haha!  A kind British commenter pointed out I had made a shocking admission.  Slang is so funny!)

Off now to pitifully ask the kids to fold laundry and do the dishes. Bless Lu, she took care of this one.  (Kristine says no one ever died from a dirty kitchen/over-full laundry, but I'm suspicious of her sources.)

ps...I've been searching the internets tonight for an appropriate fabric for my sewalong top (I have bottom-weight fabric).  I think I'd like a silk or possibly a blend in a print, and I mostly have solids.  I love love love this:

but can't find anything else I'm dying to have from Fabric Mart (I know, shocking, right?)  I hate to order just one thing.  If you've seen something especially lovely you think would work, give a girl a shout-out!  Here's my top pattern for the sewalong in case you need a reminder:

goals for '11

It's a fresh, shiny new year and a perfect time to think about Life Goals. I think about these alot. Must be OLD AGE. ;)

Things I will be concentrating on in 2011...

1. Pay off my credit card. That's probably too personal to share with the world, huh? But it's my goal for this year! Pay that silly thing off. It's doable; I can do it!

2. Bake more bread. And cookies/treats. I love homemade bread AND by making it I know exactly what's going into it. Ditto cookies and things. (Plus, I have a bread machine, which makes homemade bread so much easier to manage!)

3. Plant a bigger garden. Last year I started my little patch with tomatoes and lettuce and squash. I'd like to add a few things this year. Green beans? Corn?

4. Become more self-sustaining. (#2 and #3 are a big part of this.) If you've been reading very long, you know I'm struggling a bit with the throwaway mentality that has taken over our world. Ultimately, I want to be debt-free, grow my own food or purchase from local farms, and shed excess "stuff".

5. Spend with good conscience. For me, this means I want to invest in high quality, lasting products. It is also important to me to purchase Made in the USA, to support the workers here at home. If it's not made in the US, I'm going to purchase quality imported items (like my sweet, sweet car!) My neighbors to the north, (Oh Canada!) and in Europe and Australia have wonderful, quality items waiting for me to use and love. Oh jeez, I'm sure there are wonderful, amazing products indigenous to EVERY country, so I don't mean to leave one out. Basically I'm trying to eliminate mass-production from my life, and support fair labor practices.

6. Thrift more. In keeping with #5, there are so many wonderful, usable, beautiful, vintage products that are more suited to my taste and lifestyle, than what is currently being manufactured (in poor countries with even poorer labor practices!)

7. Sew one vintage pattern per month. You didn't think I was going to leave out sewing did you??

8. Buy quality fabrics. Natural fibers are my favorite; I'd like to purchase and use more wool. Wool has always frightened me, but I'm going to bite the bullet and learn some essential care techniques (dry cleaning isn't my friend). I would like to thrift for fabrics too. SO MANY quality fabrics to be had in the thrift stores! I'm excited to repurpose garments this year!

9. Fill my closet and chest of drawers with beautiful, handmade clothes. Ultimately, I would like my entire wardrobe to be handmade. I'm going to be my very own couturier. I would like to master: pants (I'm super close on this one!), button front tops in a variety of styles; pencil skirts; lingerie - slips especially.

10. Spend quality time with my kids. I do this now, but as they get older, it's easier for them to hole up in their rooms. Family movie night and family game nights have always been favorites of ours; I need to be more conscious and include these in our week.

Bonus goal...Bust the stash! I almost forgot this one. I seriously need to clear out some stash, especially quilting cottons. I might be making more quilty-type things. Which is good. I love patchwork!

Now, for those sewing goals, here are new contenders for the vintage sewalong 2011:

I don't know the number on this one but it should be here in a day or two. I LOVE the dress with matching coat!


And I had such marvelous luck with my last 40s pant (from pj's) pattern, I've just bought this one and can't wait to try it. (This will probably be my first entry in the Sewalong. BONUS...I think they qualify for my Hepburn/Hepburn sewalong too! They are very Katherine):


And in the blouse category, these are darling. I love the variations:


I'll probably be making both of those as my first entry, as an "outfit".

In parting, I'd like to share a photo of my beloved Jessie, an Appaloosa my dad bought me when I was 17. She passed away yesterday afternoon. I'm only comforted by the fact that she had a long, happy, hay-filled life and her passing was easy and quick. God go with you over the rainbow bridge, Jessie.

vintage sewalong!

I've signed up for Joanne's ("Miss Muslin") Vintage Sewalong 2011!

You can click the link above to go to the sewalong blog, and there are instructions for sign up too. There are basically no rules. My kind of sewalong! Choose a pattern and fabric in January, sew it up in February.

I'm having a bit of dilemma trying to choose just one pattern though. So I'll probably sew as many as I want! (In my dreams, right? I've been so prolific sewing-wise lately and all.)

Here are my top contenders right this second though. First, a two-piece Simplicity (late 30s/early 40s?). I love the gathered shoulders and the very 1940s gored skirt.


A late 30s Hollywood pattern. This is probably my most favorite vintage pattern ever! I love the grey coat (top right) but that red dotty dress with rickrack trim is just SO me!


I don't often see alot of 1930s and 40s blouses in a print, so that's what makes this Hollywood pattern exciting. I love the boatneck top, but personally I can't wear that style (it's so cute in the illustration though!) No, I'm fond of the apple green print blouse with the bow:


Super chic suit with a bit different skirt than the pattern above, plus tailored top and gorgeous jacket:



Sweet, simple sundress with bolero jacket. Sadly, I can't put my hands on this pattern today so I'm wondering where the heck it has gotten off to! This looks like one of those easy to make/easy to wear pieces for spring & summer:


I just won this pattern earlier this month on ebay. I had to do a last minute bid to get it though! I LOVE the tied bow neckline and the button-on bodice! I haven't opened it yet to check, but I wonder if the buttons are decorative rather than functional. Either way, it's an adorable dress!


Another red dotty dress that I love. This one has a slimmer skirt than many of my patterns, and I love that turn-back, ruffled collar.


Last one for today. (I have a whole other box of patterns in the closet!) This one is a little unconventional, but I love it! I'm not sure how brave I am, as far as wearing these in public go, but I have had a lifelong love affair with overalls, so when I saw this pattern on ebay last fall, it had to be mine. (It wasn't cheap either. ALOT of people apparently have an overall love affair).


I actually think this would be cute with a skirt too.

That's it for my choices for now, mostly 30s and 40s era patterns. I haven't even thought about fabrics yet...that will depend on my final pattern I suppose.

So, are any of you joining us in the Vintage Sewalong? Have you chosen your pattern yet?

Kyoto Sew Along, Anyone??

Shannon & I are thinking of having a Hotpatterns Kyoto Skirt Sew-Along!


Now, there's a lot of stuff going on with this skirt! I think both Shannon & I are leaving off the toggles, but I may do a drawstring. I might try the toggles, but I'm not sure I can find any local and I'd rather just use what I have on hand to make this. I might be leaving off the patch pockets, I'm somewhat undecided on that part.

For fabrics, I've been holding onto this pretty, fairly lightweight, pale khaki twill. It's not even "khaki" really, it's even a touch paler than in these photos. It also has a slight "sheen", which I thought eliminated it as a bottoms fabric (my buns don't really need a shiny surface). But what the hey!? I can't find my other khaki twill anyway!

For bias trim fabrics I'm having trouble choosing. The pattern needs to be small enough that bias trim will carry the print consistently along the design lines (curved yoke seam, and I believe the hems are faced with the print too. I may do my drawstrings out of the print if I have enough!)

I have plenty of this aqua/olive/cream print and it IS my favorite color (and looks good next to the twill). The print is rather large and oddly spaced though. I'd have to cut a bias strip to see if I liked it.


A paisley print would be perfect since it is basically small scale, covering a large area. This coral color paisley really pops against the khaki:


I have a bit of this aqua AND coral paisley (who knew? The bounds of my stash truly knows no limits). Which seems like a perfect combination of my favorite parts of the above two fabrics...except I don't think I have enough for bias strips. Grr.


I have more fabrics (ha. Understatement.) that might work, lighting is a bit off in this picture. The cheetah print would be fun (it's not as "yellow" as shown below). The brown with red dot might be interesting too, but I'm not sure what the bias strips would look like.


Since I typically need some sort of motivation to finish projects, we'd love to have some of you Kyoto-owners (or owners to be) join us!! Shannon doesn't typically need motivation. She's better than me with that whole focus thing.

Kyoto Sew Along. Any takers?

saturdays are book days.

I have been in the vintage buying mode for a while now, you probably noticed! Well, I don't actually know a ton about the pattern industry's history, so a few weeks ago I ordered some books from Amazon to educate myself! They FINALLY came! (That free shipping is both a blessing and a curse sometimes.)

I got two from the "Blueprints of Fashion" series. Since the late 1930s and 1940s are "my" eras, I of course got the 1940s book:


And since I'm enthralled with all things Mad Men (although Mad Men is set in the very early 60s) and lusting after the "wiggle dress plus circle skirt in the same pattern" these days, I got the 1950s book.


I LOVE them. The 1940s book is bigger, and has more style information for the decade. And 150+ pages of 1940s pattern covers to look at in glorious color!! The 1950s book, while the entry chapters are not quite as interesting to me at first glance, has a LOT of information on pattern company origins. Just not as much info about the decade's fashion trends. The 1950s book is a bit smaller too. Still chalk full of vintage pattern cover goodness though.

I also got this book, "The 1940s Look", because I'm fascinated by the recent surge of bloggers who wear vintage and style their hair, makeup, etc. in vintage ways. I'm not jumping on that train any time soon, because I don't have the patience, but that doesn't make me less interested in the how-to!


This is a great resource for1940s fashion information. Beautiful, visual layout too. (I would notice something like that.) Sadly, it does not show you how to "recreate the fashions, hairstyles, and makeup of the second world war", at least not in "step by step" format, which is what I was expecting from the cover's subhead.

The illustrations are gorgeous though. The colors are rich and vibrant, and there are dozens of rare magazine ads for fashions, beauty products, sewing patterns, etc. And the information in the book itself is incredibly interesting.

For example, it has a chapter detailing the government imposed rationing on goods & clothing during the war, and pictures of clothing coupon books. (This book is British, by the way, so everything is from that perspective. A similar rationing was happening in the states, however.) Here's an excerpt of the suggested garments on a four-year plan to conserve your coupons (& get the most bang for your buck):
First Year:
1 pair shoes
6 pairs stockings
10 oz wool or 2.5 yards material
1 suit
2 slips
1 blouse (home made)

Second Year:
1 pair shoes
6 pairs stockings
8 oz wool or 2 yards material
1 silk dress
Underwear: Cami-knickers or vest and knickers (2-3 pairs)
Corselette or brassiere and girdle (2-3 pairs)
6 handkerchiefs

I won't list all 4 years, even though it is really interesting! I love seeing the word "material" for fabric, reminds me of my mom & my grandma. I still use that word occasionally too, since I grew up hearing it. In year 3, you get 2 cotton or silk frocks. I LOVE the word frocks! I want to use it to describe something I make!

Because I wasn't sure what they were either, here's a pattern for Cami-knickers.


Probably exactly what you were thinking of, right? And rather cute. I kind of want a pair. I can't imagine wanting to have 2-3 pairs of "Corselettes" or girdles, though! Ouch!

Isn't it amazing to think of having to make do with so little? Really, do we need all the excess we consider normal today? Probably not. Sometimes I wonder how much happier I'd/we'd be if we lived with much less "stuff".

A few vintage patterns also arrived this week, ebay purchases! I can't wait to share those, but it will have to wait for another post. I haven't scanned the covers yet! I can give you a peek though...here's one extremely fabulous one:


Oh all right, here's another:


And be on the look out for my mini wardrobe sewing plan. Shannon & I are going to do a bit of a sewalong if any of you want to join us! One of those "no real rules, unless you want to make up your own" sewalongs. We just want a sewing plan that works for our individual needs, and a storyboard to motivate us! Stay tuned, I'll be posting my storyboard this weekend!