Long Distance Sewing and My Commitment to Reducing my Stash

Tags

Advance Pattern, Cynthia Rowley, McCalls 6044, Mens Shirts, sewing, Vintage

I have done quite a bit of sewing in the few months or so- but no blogging. I seriously need to take stock and decide what direction I am going to go in 2017! Well, I have pretty much decided which direction… I have to stop sewing for everyone else and get into some selfish sewing – because what is a sewing blog without pictures? And long distance sewing isn’t cutting it for me! Especially when they don’t take pictures!

Regardless of all that I decided I would share some of things I have made and some of the fun things I have coming up. One of the main things I have been sewing this year is men’s shirts. All short sleeve button downs in fun prints. I use McCalls 6044 and don’t even need to read the directions anymore! I need to take a new count but I am pretty sure I have now made over 30 men’s shirts. My son is a lucky young man, as is my brother! I have also made a few for friends that have asked. Star Wars seems to be a popular choice since I recently made two “Darkside” shirts!

I also recently finished up a Superman shirt for a work friend.

And this last weekend I made my son a JAWS shirt and a Deadpool shirt. I am off to California next weekend for a wedding and wanted to bring him some new additions to his wardrobe. (Just a sneaky peak of these since I plan on taking pics next weekend and doing a men’s shirt post!)

I made a Blue Hawaiian dress for Holly from Simplicity 1607- a Cynthia Rowley pattern… This dress is for my middle daughter Holly and she has it in hand but never sent a picture of her in it so here it is on Dolores!

And boy was I SUPER thrilled when I posted it on Instagram and Cynthia Rowley HERSELF liked my photo. 😀 I even got proof since I happened to be holding my phone at that moment and took a screenshot of the alert!

A few weeks back I whipped up 2 skirts – red for Daughter #1 and blue for Daughter #2.

Again, NO pics were sent to me… sniffle… so here they are AGAIN on Dolores.

Shoot- just realized that pic is buttonless but I did eventually find some to match and added them…

I could not find any buttons for this one so made some. I remember back in the day JoAnns had an amazing button selection- now I think it is greatly lacking (my nice way of saying the button selection at JoAnns sucks!)

One of my FAVORITE makes of the last few months was a vintage dress I made out of a floral rayon challis. I used an old Advance pattern I picked up from Etsy…

I LOVE this dress and wish I had spectacular pics to share with you… Instead I have these tiny ones.

It is a truly beautiful dress and I am very pleased with how it turned out. I even made a belt but unfortunately was afraid to put in the grommets so it is still in my possession!

I am adjusting to Texas summers and actually enjoying the thunder and lightning storms, humidity, and mosquitoes. OK- NOT the mosquitoes but I really DO enjoy the huge storms. I am taking Spin classes twice a week and walking every evening even if it is still 90 degrees F out. I have witnessed quite a few amazing sunsets on my walks!

When the time changes I am not sure what I will do since it will be dark long before I even get home from work!

I have some pretty exciting upcoming plans. 😀

I have a pair of Dr. Who Carolyn PJ’s on the deck for me, and Harry Potter PJ’s for Daughter #2.

I have been invited to TWO Halloween parties and plan on making a costume. I will be Regina, the Evil Queen from Once Upon A Time and plan to use McCalls 6818.

And my Christmas dress is also in the early planning stages. I am thinking about making this dress from Vogue (#1502) in either a navy or emerald.

On a final note, I thought I would share my latest commitment to lightening up my fabric stash. I made a year long deal with my cousin who also has quite the stash. We have to sew FOUR items for every piece of fabric we want to buy. I just finished my 4th item so am entitled to one piece of fabric. I am thinking that will cut down on the stash in record time! Hope I can keep to it!

Happy sewing my friends!

 

A Groovy 70’s Dress

Tags

groovy, sew exhausted, sewing, Simplicity 6882, Vintage, Vintage 70's, vintage sewing

Hi All! So FINALLY I get to blog about this dress. I have been nagging and nagging Middle Child about taking pictures of the TWO dresses I have made her that still remain unblogged. Well, now I know the trick. We bought Marvel Comic Super Hero fabric for a dress and I informed her that I would not make it until the other two dresses had pictures. 🙂 Success. So the way to get pictures is to promise more dresses! And I am surprisingly OKAY with that!

I picked up this vintage pattern a while back. Holly is such a slim girl I wanted to try some 70’s styles on her. Simplicity 6882 seemed like a great place to start! I found a pretty royal blue rayon and went to work. The pattern is a size 10 and I had to take in the bodice quite a bit. Ah well. I am getting used to that with this girl! 5’4″ and doesn’t even hit 100 pounds. Despite all that she is a pretty cool cat. 😉 She has already worn this dress a few times. 🙂

The pattern went together pretty easily. I don’t typically like dresses with seams in the front of the skirt so if I make this again I may make some adjustments but thankfully the seam is barely noticeable. The zipper in the back went in without any trouble. Cool beans!

I shortened the length considerably. Holly looks great in a shorter dress so we usually make them a few inches above her knee. I had some trouble because the skirt was rounded. I kept getting those little ripples and ended up having to give it a really good press. Guess I need to do some tutorial reading on hemming rounded hemlines!

The bodice has some simple “pleating” in the front. Adds a neat little touch I think!

Don’t you love Holly’s new short hair?? 🙂

Yes. I am really liking this dress. And Holly does too! She has worn it several times! I am thinking I may need to make one in a pretty floral next.

Picture heavy and word light! I just don’t have a lot to say about this dress other than I love it! So I’ll catch you on the flip side!

Laurie xox

The top 15 70’s slang terms for your enjoyment:

Psyche

Far out

Dream on

Book/booking

Catch you on the flip side

Boogie

Right on

Brick house

Can you dig it

Cat

Chump

Cool beans

Do me a solid

Groovy

What a fry

 

 

1. Psyche! – This 70’s slang word was used when tricking someone. I.e. “I told the joke and she thought it was real, it really psyched her out.”2. Far Out! – Used when the person wanted to show that something was cool, awesome, unbelievable, etc. I.e. “Did you see that new movie? It was far out!”3. Dream On – This slang term was used to show someone that they were being unrealistic. I.e. “He asked me out like he thought he really had a chance, I told him to dream on.”4. Book/Booking – Used to talk about moving fast, being speedy, etc. I.e. “I saw the principal booking it down the hall towards the fight this morning.”

5. Catch You on the Flip-side – The 70’s slang term was used to say goodbye, see you later, etc. I.e. “I’m going to go home, catch you on the flip-side, John.”
– See more at: http://coolestwords.com/content/top-15-slang-words-70%E2%80%99s#sthash.gzn0OSCr.dpuf

• Cool dictionary words
• Cool slang words
• Submit a cool word
• Made up words

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The Top 15 Slang Words of the 70’s

In the 70’s disco was hot, lava lamps were the latest “cool” invention and Charlie’s Angels was a hit new TV show. The decade brought on some interesting times as the Vietnam War was waged overseas… so what slang words was that generation using?

1. Psyche! – This 70’s slang word was used when tricking someone. I.e. “I told the joke and she thought it was real, it really psyched her out.”

2. Far Out! – Used when the person wanted to show that something was cool, awesome, unbelievable, etc. I.e. “Did you see that new movie? It was far out!”

3. Dream On – This slang term was used to show someone that they were being unrealistic. I.e. “He asked me out like he thought he really had a chance, I told him to dream on.”

4. Book/Booking – Used to talk about moving fast, being speedy, etc. I.e. “I saw the principal booking it down the hall towards the fight this morning.”

5. Catch You on the Flip-side – The 70’s slang term was used to say goodbye, see you later, etc. I.e. “I’m going to go home, catch you on the flip-side, John.”

6. Boogie – This slang word was used as a description for dancing, having fun, etc. I.e. “We went to the new disco club and boogied all night long.”

7. Right On! – Used to show agreement with something or someone in the extreme. I.e. “You’re got into college, right on!”

8. Brick House – A term used to describe someone who is physically built well with an attractive body. I.e. “She’s got a body like a brick house!”

9. Can You Dig It? – A 70’s slang term used to see if someone agreed with you or they understand you. I.e. “We’re going to go to the beach, can you dig it man?”

10. Cat – Used to describe someone who was cool, great, awesome, etc. I.e. “I met your boyfriend today, he’s a real cool cat.”

11. Chump – This 70’s slang was used to describe someone who was a loser, an idiot, a fool, etc. I.e. “Did you see what he was wearing? The chump!”

12. Cool Beans – Used to show agreement with or to reply in the positive. I.e. “You want to head out, cool beans.”

13. Do Me a Solid – The slang term was used to ask a favor of someone. I.e. “Will you do me a solid and not tell mom I’m going out?”

14. Groovy – This 70’s slang word was used to describe someone or something as cool, neat, great, etc. I.e. “That girl is really groovy!”

15. What a Fry – Used to describe something or someone that blows your mind, that is weird or crazy. I.e. “Did you see Toby walking down the road all spaced out, what a fry man!”

– See more at: http://coolestwords.com/content/top-15-slang-words-70%E2%80%99s#sthash.gzn0OSCr.dpuf

• Cool dictionary words
• Cool slang words
• Submit a cool word
• Made up words

Home

The Top 15 Slang Words of the 70’s

In the 70’s disco was hot, lava lamps were the latest “cool” invention and Charlie’s Angels was a hit new TV show. The decade brought on some interesting times as the Vietnam War was waged overseas… so what slang words was that generation using?

1. Psyche! – This 70’s slang word was used when tricking someone. I.e. “I told the joke and she thought it was real, it really psyched her out.”

2. Far Out! – Used when the person wanted to show that something was cool, awesome, unbelievable, etc. I.e. “Did you see that new movie? It was far out!”

3. Dream On – This slang term was used to show someone that they were being unrealistic. I.e. “He asked me out like he thought he really had a chance, I told him to dream on.”

4. Book/Booking – Used to talk about moving fast, being speedy, etc. I.e. “I saw the principal booking it down the hall towards the fight this morning.”

5. Catch You on the Flip-side – The 70’s slang term was used to say goodbye, see you later, etc. I.e. “I’m going to go home, catch you on the flip-side, John.”

6. Boogie – This slang word was used as a description for dancing, having fun, etc. I.e. “We went to the new disco club and boogied all night long.”

7. Right On! – Used to show agreement with something or someone in the extreme. I.e. “You’re got into college, right on!”

8. Brick House – A term used to describe someone who is physically built well with an attractive body. I.e. “She’s got a body like a brick house!”

9. Can You Dig It? – A 70’s slang term used to see if someone agreed with you or they understand you. I.e. “We’re going to go to the beach, can you dig it man?”

10. Cat – Used to describe someone who was cool, great, awesome, etc. I.e. “I met your boyfriend today, he’s a real cool cat.”

11. Chump – This 70’s slang was used to describe someone who was a loser, an idiot, a fool, etc. I.e. “Did you see what he was wearing? The chump!”

12. Cool Beans – Used to show agreement with or to reply in the positive. I.e. “You want to head out, cool beans.”

13. Do Me a Solid – The slang term was used to ask a favor of someone. I.e. “Will you do me a solid and not tell mom I’m going out?”

14. Groovy – This 70’s slang word was used to describe someone or something as cool, neat, great, etc. I.e. “That girl is really groovy!”

15. What a Fry – Used to describe something or someone that blows your mind, that is weird or crazy. I.e. “Did you see Toby walking down the road all spaced out, what a fry man!”

– See more at: http://coolestwords.com/content/top-15-slang-words-70%E2%80%99s#sthash.gzn0OSCr.dpuf

 

Mrs. Teapot and an OOOPS… #FallForCotton

Tags

challenge, clothing, fabrics, Fall for Cotton, fashion, patterns, sew exhausted, Vintage, vintage dress, vintage patterns

I live on the West Coast, and it is 8:32 PM PDT. I figure I am good to go and will make the Fall For Cotton deadline. Right? I never thought about time differences and just knew I needed to be up by midnight- But midnight my time is good I hope!

I finished Holly’s vintage Fall For Cotton dress last week and you can read all about it here. Mine was next (although I squeezed in an Anna dress in between for my class reunion). My Fall For Cotton Vintage pattern came from Vintage Martini and I thought it was a great dress and would be suitable for me. It is Butterick 9499, and when I googled it, I got varying dates so am not certain. It is either late 1950’s or early 1960’s. Thoughts?

I went with a green cotton broadcloth, keeping in with the Fall For Cotton Challenge. I bought this a while back, and paid $1.99 a yard for it- which means this dress cost me about $10 bucks to make. 🙂

Cotton… I gotta say it needs same spray starch and a better pressing than I was able to give it. The dress was ready yesterday, but I had noone to take pics! Hence the barely made deadline!

When I came out in all my glory yesterday my youngest told me I looked like Mrs. Teapot. My eldest told me I looked like the lady who had a bunch of stuff in her suitcase. Ahhh, children! I let them BOTH know I felt like Beavers mother. (And I received blank stares) 🙂

I like the dress for the most part. The cuffs are fantastic… I covered my own buttons for both cuffs. The 2 buttons on the bodice came from my button jar. The belt is dreadful. I am going to make my own belt and make a few changes to the dress. I love the dress but I am not sure the pleated skirt is flattering to my shape. I am thinking about removing the skirt and making it an a-line skirt. I love the bodice and the collar though. And I really like the shade of green. 😀

I do have to confess to an “ooops.” I did not notice it until I was buttoning up the cuffs for picture time! I put one of the cuffs on backwards! Not sure where my head was at that moment but I guess I will have to remove it and see if I can fix it. I may have to make a whole new cuff though!

And this is my Fall For Cotton/ Mrs. Teapot/ Vintage dress. Should I change the skirt out to an a-line? And do you use spray starch to iron your 100% cotton dresses?

OH! By the way, this dress also takes care of one of my Sewlutions from Jan 1, 2013. I wanted to make 2 vintage dresses for myself in 2013… WHEW!

~Laurie

#FallForCotton – A Vintage Dress and a Classic Car Show…

Tags

100% cotton, daughters, Fall for Cotton, patterns, sew exhausted, sewing, Simplicity 4432, Vintage, vintage dress, vintage pattern, vintage patterns, vintage sewing

When the Fall For Cotton Vintage pattern challenge was announced a while back I hopped on board for 3 reasons.

#1- I love vintage patterns and have a ton! (And if you have a ton you should use them if you can!)

#2- I love cotton. It is simple, feels nice, and comes in all kinds of prints, colors and designs.

#3- I LOVE sewing with the sewing community! It’s like an international sewing bee where we get to support and be supported!

And I also decided 2 things. I was going to make a dress for Holly out of a vintage pattern that has been at the top of the stack for ages now… And I was going to make myself one too… Because “The Mistress Demands” that I do. Wellll, actually I made a sewlution (New Years Sewing Resolution) back in January and it involved TWO vintage dresses and a coat. To my chagrin I am not even close to completing that and this year SPED by so fast I am still trying to catch up! I must say though that the “Keeper of the Jar” is a hard taskmaster when you have not started what should have been started. We were chastised just this past week. But I will persevere regardless of the fact I only have 100 days left. (Hey, that actually isn’t too bad!)

But for now, here is a really LOVELY dress if I do say so myself for my middle daughter Holly. I couldn’t resist turning this picture in to a vintage pic!

Holly is 18 years old and just graduated from high school. She is attending the Junior college in our area and is majoring in Theater Arts. She is also taking sign language. She would like to be a high school teacher down the road and teach drama and sign and maybe have a community theater on the side. (Unless she makes it BIG in the acting world and in that case she will buy me the BEST sewing machine there is to buy!)

For this dress I used a vintage pattern in keeping with the Fall for Cotton Challenge. We were able to choose a pattern or look from the 20’s to 70’s. From what I could glean on the internet (and correct me if I am wrong) this pattern is from the early 60’s. It is Simplicity pattern #4432.

I used 100% cotton of course! It was a piece of fabric I fell in love with on my recent trip to Oregon. It was on the clearance table and another 50% off so I paid a total of $9 for the whole piece! As soon as I saw it I KNEW it was going to be this dress and it was going to be for Holly. 🙂

The inside is fully lined with a white cotton. It actually started out as a light weight car cover my grandma gave to my mom, and my mom was going to get rid of. It was so soft I said NO! I can use that cotton fabric for lining! And I did!

To take the pictures I took Holly to “Cruisin’ Grand.” In our town, every Friday night from April through September the old classic cars gather up and down the street, musicians come out, and people come to look at the cars, eat, and have a fun friday night. I knew it would make a perfect backdrop for Holly’s classic dress!

Isn’t Holly a doll? Haha… She totally got in to the fun of it. While we were taking pictures a woman came up to me and said Holly looks so girly and feminine and pretty! She said it was so nice to see a young person dressed like that and she thanked us for for bringing back great memories of when she used to have dresses just like that! 🙂

As you can see we had tons of fun modeling with all of the cool cars from all different eras. (ha! 20’s to 70’s are allowed! Just like our challenge!)

The dress was very simple. It did not call for lining but I wanted to fully line it so she didn’t have to go looking for a slip every time she wanted to wear it. The skirt is very full and spins! Always a good thing in a skirt! 🙂

This car is from 1963-  probably around the same year as the dress I made!

I will be starting on a Fall For Cotton dress for myself on Monday. I have a pretty dark solid green cotton. Fingers crossed I get it finished in time! This Friday night will be the last Cruisin’ Grand for the summer. Maybe I will take my pics amongst the classic cars as well! In the meantime I will leave you with some more pics of Holly and Grand Avenue on a summer night!

~Laurie

Vintage Pattern Loveliness

Tags

dress, easy sewing projects, fabric, Fall for Cotton, patterns, sew exhausted, sewing, sewing vintage clothing, Vintage, vintage dress, vintage patterns, vintage sewing patterns

I LOVE Vintage… There is something about certain bygone eras that speak to my soul. The 1920’s, after World War 1, when everything seemed to change. From music, to dancing, to the fashions! Everything seemed so “relaxed” and fun in the 20’s. Like “Darling, throw on your dancing shoes and long beads and lets go kick up our heels and dance the Charleston!” And did you know that “flagpole sitting” became popular in the 20’s?

The 40’s and 50’s are the years I am drawn to the most. I love how feminine and classy the women were during these years. If you look at any movie star pictures from this time period you see glamour and style. I love the full skirts, the fabulous bright colors that became popular in the 50’s, and did you know this decade brought about the evolution of the bikini! (Although it did not become popular until 1963- but that’s a different story!)

The 60’s and 70’s brought about a much freer and easier feeling. Short skirts, gogo boots, bikinis, and later in the decade (and on in to the 70’s) the hippie movement introduced bell bottoms, batik and tye-dye, and a decidedly more “bohemian” look. I really like that look as well. There is something about those long flowy dresses and drippy sleeves!

That was actually a pretty brief overview of fashion. VERY BRIEF! There is SO much more about fashion and trends that happened during these eras, but if I discussed them all I would not get to share my pattern loveliness with you! So, here it goes. 🙂

I have lots of vintage sewing patterns. Way too many to put into a post. So, I pulled what I would like to make over the next year. (And with my Sewing ADD- which I KNOW is an actual malady, the patterns in my queue can and probably will change)

I recently picked up 8 new patterns from Vintage Martini for EXCELLENT prices. If you like Vintage patterns you NEED to get over there as he has marked ALL of his prices down. I snagged a few 60’s patterns for $1 each!

The 2 on your left are from VM… the other 2 are mine. But I’d really like to make these for my middle daughter Holly. She would look GREAT in them and enjoys this era.

I have to make several more “jammies” for myself before the year is over as it was one of my resolutions. I really like this nightie, the short sleeved one on the left- and am hoping to make it in a soft lace and cotton lawn.

This dress is a 1940’s pattern. I love the clean lines and the detailing. I actually had a dress very similar to this in the 80’s in emerald green with gold buttons. I would love to try my hand at making this in those same colors.

This little 50’s pattern is one I will hopefully make for next Spring/ Summer. I love everything about it and every article of clothing pictured. The blouse, skirt and shorts are all on my list! They just want me to make a picnic lunch, lay my quilt out on the grass, pour myself a glass of lemonade and relax under a tree with a good book. I see gingham and florals and red or blue in my future!

Here is some more vintage loveliness… and another dress pattern I would like to tackle for next Spring. I love the tiered skirt and simplicity of the bodice. This one will take some grading up but I plan on attempting SewBrooke’s method. If you have not read about her experimenting with grading and ratios you should definitely hop over. You will learn a lot!

And this is my all time FAVORITE pattern that I just received (again from Vintage Martini and for just $6!) I want to make it NOW and will most likely use this one for the new just announced Vintage sewing challenge “Fall for Cotton” put on by Rochelle from Lucky Lucille and Tasha of By Gum By Golly.

I hope I can find the RIGHT fabric to go with it. That is always part of the challenge when sewing up a vintage garment- well, any garment for that matter! Because the challenge is to use 100% cotton, I should have quite a bit too choose from! There are cotton sales all over right now! (Fabric.com has quite a selection for $4.95 a yard!)

I guess I will get back to finishing up my UFO’s so I can start sewing some of these babies up. Hopefully I will see you soon with some finished lovelies!

~Laurie

Sewing Camp

Tags

clothing, dress, easy sewing projects, fabric, fabrics, fashion, patterns, project, projects, sew exhausted, sewing, Vintage, vintage patterns, Vogue 8577

Camp… Do you remember going to camp as a kid? I was only able to go a few times during my childhood but those few times were awesome! When I was 14 I went to camp and focused on Astronomy for a whole week. I learned all about the constellations, took night hikes to view the stars and had a grand old time bonding with my fellow Astronomers. Fun times for sure!

As an adult some times we just don’t get to do some of those fun things we enjoyed as children. Mainly I suppose because we have so many responsibilities. Work… kids… households to maintain… Sometimes life can get a bit overwhelming! Well, a few weeks ago I realized I had 192 vacation/PTO hours collected. And upon doing a quick search of my employee handbook, and realizing I was going to start losing some of them if I did not use them,  I put in a request for a week off.

With no place to go, and funds being a bit too tight for gallivanting off to all those dream places on my list,  I decided to enjoy a blissful week at home. And because my 3 daughters are of an age where they do not require me to keep an eagle eye on them, I get to focus on me and what I enjoy doing.

And what could be better than a week of sewing?

I am just starting to come off a dry spell sewing wise. I found myself having trouble dredging up enough energy to sit at my machine and make something- and frankly that feeling lasted for close to 2 months! But, today I  finished a  little halter sundress for Holly- It is quite pretty if I do say so myself! And I am chomping at the bit to start on something new!

So, tonight I started choosing a few more “I have to make this” projects I have wanted to make. I have high hopes I will be able to finish all of these during “Sewing Camp.” AND I have high hopes I will be able to enjoy some time at the beach, walking and hiking, drinking some beers with my friends, and spending some quality time with my girls.

Up first, and I confess I already have it laid out and the pattern pieces ready to cut, is this little number for Juliette. I think this color is going to look amazing on her! I plan on doing the short version of C and can hopefully find some pretty white daisy buttons for it.

Then  I have this marvelous coat. Yes, it is from the 90’s era and I just adore it. The shorter coat in the top right is the view I plan on using. I got this pattern and a few others from the wonderful Katie at Kadiddlehopper thanks to a Twitter conversation we were having one day. She mailed them to me when I expressed interest. THANKS Katie! The fabric is a light weight plum colored wool/ rayon. Because I live in California I do not need thick, heavy, warm coats. But I LOVE coats and think this will be a nice one that I will actually be able to use in the “dead” of a Southern California winter. 😉

This pattern also came from Katie. I have a pretty floral challis that I think will be perfect for it. Ooo- I am so excited to have this skirt! I had a similar pattern way back in the 90’s I loved- and wore a lot. It has a solid black background and I’d like to find a short sweater type pattern that buttons in the back to make in black to go with it. (The one with the pattern shows a little skin and I am pretty certain I need to keep my skin covered!)

Vogue 8577 has also been lurking up at the top of my pattern pile waiting for it’s turn. I have a few shirt dress style patterns but want to try this one. I am not 100% certain it will look good on me. Those pockets are located right at my biggest problem area- But I am going to give it a go anyway. I have a very nice olive colored broadcloth and plan on adding red buttons. Yes, I can guarantee I will be sporting a pair of red pumps when I wear this dress. And I am breaking out of my little self imposed box with this olive dress. I have always liked the color but never owned anything olive. Olive and red… makes me smile! 😀

Finally, I have this ITY print in a dark navy, off- white and red that has been at the top of my fabric pile. If all goes as planned I hope to have a maxi dress accented with a red solid hanging in my closet by the end of Summer Sewing Camp.

I have more I would like to do but I did not want to overwhelm myself. The whole point of vacation is to relax and have fun. If I finish all of these and have time to spare I will gladly start on another project. After all, I have PLENTY waiting in the wings!

Take care! ~Laurie

Sew For Victory- Late but complete…and made from a sheet!

Tags

1940's vintage pattern, easy sewing projects, fabric, Family, patterns, projects, retro, sew exhausted, Sew For Victory, Vintage, vintage dress, vintage pattern, vintage patterns

I finished. Late. I do not know what I was thinking. I KNEW April 1, but it did not click that April 1 was passed. Ah well. I am finished with my blouse, and I am pleased with it.

My pattern was a 1940’s blouse pattern I bought off Etsy from Vintage Girl. It came to me all the way from the UK, but I had to have it… I fell in love with the sleeves! Initially I was going to make the long sleeved collar one with the great cuffs, but the more I looked, the more I wanted to do View 3. And so I did!

I had a lot of trouble getting started. Mainly because I could not find a fabric I wanted. And when I finally found an aqua poplin I liked at Fashion Fabrics, it was time to pay the rent and I could not spare the cash. So in true #SewForVictory spirit I spotted an unused purple sheet in my garage and BINGO! It became my blouse!

See? Aren’t those sleeves great? Although, oops, they seem to require a bit more pressing! I am wondering if I should add the shoulder pads. I KNOW they were the thing in the 40’s… and 80’s… Hmmm- do you think they will be back any time soon? I think the shoulder seam would be in the perfect spot WITH the shoulder pads. I may try it out!

The pattern was pretty easy! I was surprised, because I admit I was very hesitant to begin. I looked at those completely blank pattern pieces with punched holes scattered throughout, and ONE page of directions for several days before I even got the courage to start… and finally I just dived in! And it wasn’t bad at all. As a matter of fact the manner in which they did the collars was very simple! And despite there being quite a few darts, once I had marked and pinned them all they went in easily! And I really like all the darts and tucks. They add a nice fit! So feminine!

On a side note- No pattern pieces were harmed in the making of this blouse. 😀

Inside I used all french seams. Oh how I LOVE the look of the inside of a garment with french seams. I put up the hem by hand using hem tape (lace)… I think the inside looks almost as nice as the outside!

I was also worried about the button holes. It has been years since I have done any, and frankly using my daughters $80 sewing machine (mine is still broken) made me wonder if my whole blouse would become a wadder once I tried fighting with it. BUT they went in without a hitch! Easy as pie… I covered buttons because I wanted a nice clean look.

When I was finished I got out the dye. The color of the sheet was a wishy washy kind of purple and I wanted to deepen it so I bought purple dye, and added in a bit of blue. I think the color turned out perfect! BTW- Purple is HARD to photograph! It is a deeper purple than the one below- It is more like the first pic of me…

I wanted to look like the girl on the pattern but my hair is too long so I pulled it back… BUT I did add a black ribbon as a tie. 😀 I am very happy with my blouse and absolutely WILL wear it! Probably sans the ribbon tie!

I think this is a blouse I will make again. I would change the length of the blouse- I would add on a few inches I think. I would LOVE to have a dressy long sleeved one made from silk charmeuse… and I am still pining after a pretty aqua cotton poplin blouse- maybe the short sleeve one for a springy/ summery top.

I would like to thank Rochelle of LuckyLucille for hosting Sew For Victory (and apologize for being late!) What a great opportunity for us to peruse all the wonderful clothing, learn about what the sacrifices the women made during the war- like working at jobs that typically men held and holding the families together. During my research just seeing the changes in styles from the early to the mid to the late forties was an education! I definitely have a greater appreciation for my grandma! My grandpa was a soldier in the Marines for many years! I definitely enjoyed this foray into that period of time and plan on participating again next year!

That is my grandad! He was a career Marine and joined up in the early 1940’s… Later on he became a recruiter and recruited my mom and several of his sons! 🙂

And that concludes Sew For Victory… Better late than never I hope!

Tomorrow- I will post my David Bowie inspired blouse… Yes, I have been slightly BUSY!

Laurie

By Hook or By Crook… and a Tribute…

Tags

daughters, fabric, patterns, projects, sew exhausted, sewing, sewing vintage clothing, Vintage, vintage patterns

Hallooo friends…

Well, I have returned from Oregon– A little early due to the demise of my daughters parrot- which broke her heart. Aussie was a wonderful member of our family and I will miss seeing him perched on Kadi’s head, squawking every time I take the blow dryer out, trying to sneak under the bathroom door when I take a shower, and welcoming us home.

We did send him off in style… A brand new pot, messages, his fave snacks for his journey, and a beautiful blue hibiscus tree… (That is him just asleep btw!) Oh, and we played Somewhere Over the Rainbow for him too…

Anyway, Now I am BACK! And I need to get back in to the groove. So, last night I organized some of my “stuff” and found I definitely have some things to finish up and some things I better get started on! Here is what I have coming up- and by hook or by crook, some way some how, I am going to get these done! Before March is OVER!

I am FINISHING this darn Polka Dot Frock FIRST no matter what! I have sleeves, neck and hemming… And because it needs a slip and I decided NOT to line it- I am making a blue slip to go underneath- 🙂

This skirt is one I started on before I left for Oregon- I just need to do the waistband, zipper and hem… I made the longer version. I LOVE long skirts!

I WILL finish these 2 pairs of hip hop pants– black ones are Kadi’s and the brown ones are Juliette’s.

I would like to get this made for Holly for Easter– Do you think I am pushing it now?? FOCUS Laurie!!

This is my Sew For Victory pattern. I found it in the UK and HAVE to make this by April 1st. I LOVE this pattern and wanted some blouses so it seemed a no brainer. But now I can’t decide if I should make the long sleeve version with the 3 button cuffs or the most awesome sleeve version in View 3. I watched Romance on the High Seas with Doris Day and she had an aqua blouse on with those fab sleeves. Hers had buttons in the back but OH I fell in love with it! Guess I better decide quickly! Thoughts?

Sighhhh… One of my biggest problems is I have Sewing ADD… I have so many things I want to make, and I am constantly coming up with “OH, I want to make that” and so I get sidetracked. I hope I can follow my “rest of” March plan!

But I better get busy!!!!

~Laurie

Grrrrrr…

Tags

circle skirts, clothing, dress, patterns, sew exhausted, sewing, Vintage

My machine is crap… I wish I could say something wonderful about it, and I understand I should try to baby it but frankly, it is a cheap junky machine that I use because I have to. I do have dreams however… dreams of having a decent machine that does not cause me endless frustration at every turn,. But those dreams have yet to manifest. Mainly, because my kids like to eat and enjoy the roof over their heads. (I guess I kinda like those things too!)

So here I sit, with the desire to sew, and my machine is on the blink. I JUST had it cleaned and oiled and maintained in October so I really do not understand!

Tonight I had 5 circle skirts to make. I thought I would go over to Kerrielee’s house and get those babies whipped up by the end of the night. But, my machine would not cooperate. So, after fussing with it, playing with the puppy, and drinking a glass of wine to calm my frazzled nerves I started hand sewing in the zippers. Sighhhhh… That’s about all I got done! A few zippers. I have a deadline people!!

Tomorrow I am going to set my baby up again and give it another chance. I will oil her and play with the tension a bit and pray… Because I need to finish those darn circle skirts!

~L

Wordless Wednesday… Taking it Back Old School

Tags

Christmas, Family, quilting, sewing vintage clothing, Vintage, wordless wednesday

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