Catalog Sunday

This Sunday I have fashions from Sears 1944/45

Etsy Updates: Dresses for sale!

I've decided to let go of some of my more labored projects and list them in my etsy store.

A lot of these you have seen me create on the blog. They are too large now and I thought another stout lady would love a nice gown in her wardrobe!

I'm also going to list some day dresses too. I need to make room for some new clothes.

A friend asked me how could I let go of some of these clothes, and I see it as giving someone else a chance to wear a nice vintage styled garment. 

As usual, all my garments are finished with vintage notions and hand sewn finishes that give it that extra polished look.

The Plain Pattern Project recap

Happy New Year everyone!

With the benchmark of a new year I feel a bit ashamed at asking, what happened!?

The Plain Pattern Project kind of teetered off the far end for mostly everyone. I get it, we all get busy, but I tried my darndest to keep it going and finished my three dresses. Did anyone finish?

Perhaps I was not the best hostess for the project. I did try to encourage as much as I could. Even hosted two giveaways? Is there anything else I could have done, or was I just a victim to the tide of people with busy lives? I think the ladder.

Well, it's water under there bridge.
With the positive view of the philosophy of the PPP, I think it can be an ongoing sewing tenant. Take a look at those plain patterns every once and a while. Appreciate them and study the craftsmanship of them. I can't tell you how much I learned from this exercise.

PPP #2: Vintage flower seersucker

I really like how this one turned out. 

The good hair day might also attribute to my happiness.

The only changes I made were taking in the shoulder points about an inch, bringing in the neckline, and shortening the bodice about 1/2". I wish I had this bodice fit on the first one, but the first one is still pretty swell. I'm wearing this to a swing dance next weekend. Light, cool and breezy. The dress is practically weightless.

More pictures on NVL.

September is gonna be different!

Happy new month everyone!

Last month was probably my worst in a long time. I'm glad it's over.

I've got a slew of things already happening. My new scanner should be here TODAY, and I'm super excited! Two weeks with no scanner has been crap. I never knew how much I used it and how vital it was to a lot of my work. Some things just ground to a halt. I have a doctor's appointment next week. I still have my throat congestion, so I'm glad to get it looked at.

I also have about three leads on some freelance, long term freelance. I don't know how it will all play out, but I'm going to stay positive about it.

Through all the stress of last month, I did manage to get started on my #2 of the PPP. I'm using some vintage flower seersucker that I bought from Playclothes. I had to do a lot of piecing, including a panel of the skirt.

The Plan Pattern Dress is complete

Goooood Monday everyone!

My hair was very strange these past few days. I don't know if you all can tell, but it's pretty straight, which I find odd. I have no idea what I did to it, but it stayed like this for days! Okay...

Okay, so everyone knows I wear pink breeches.

Yes, this is a picture of my front, LOL!

Day Project: Boudoir 'Make-Up' Cape

I remember flipping through one of my early 30s catalogs and seeing something I thought was the most practical thing this side of the Mississippi.

Dresses are done!

Cotton Calico Seersucker

Powder Blue Linen with RicRac.

I wore this one all day yesterday. Its so comfortable and didnt wrinkle as much as I thought it would.

All pictures are on NVL.

Ive completed the machine sewing with the brown seersucker drsss, and marked the hem.

Just an hour or so of hand sewing and its done! PLUS Ive overlocked the pieces to my next dress, and Im deciding what dress pattern to use with that brown eyelet I have.

Yay sewing!

Calico seersucker progress.

This dress is almost complete. I cant get over how easy this pattern is. I guess its because there are no buttons. Ive attached the front and back bodice pieces to their skirt pieces. I always match up my dresses by the waist seam.

I overlocked all the pieces, except for specific areas. The curve at the neckline is on the fold and Im not that good with my serger, so once add the facing piece (pictured) the raw edge will be covered. If you haven't noticed by now, I face EVERYTHING.

Hence the scalloped sleeve. I just finished facing it and hand tacking the facing down from the inside.

It is a bit odd seeing this on Onda. I mean, she has no ease, and I had to pin it to her so Im all questioning the dress. Sigh. IM sure it will be fine. Once I put the zipper in (before I add the sleeves), Ill do a real try on like I always do.

I even cut out my next dress, the linen number from my WWII pattern. Im super excited to use the rick rack. I think its the only reason Im making the dress.

Roses are blood red.

I finished the roses from the 19th century silk.
Their end texture is like paper, and they are somewhat delicate, but they look so beautiful.

I tried out a Gothic type photo shoot with these. I mainly wanted to capture the translucency of the fabric, but I couldn't. They still look cool though.

Ive also cut out one of my project dresses for a cocktail party this Sunday. Only I decided to change the pattern. Im using my repro, but the yoke is cut from a rayon crape, yummy.

Im planning to overlock the pieces later today.

Project announcements!

In my eyes, Nick Cave can do no wrong.

Alright its summer, and since Ive sold most of my summer dresses, I figure I need to make some more. I haven't been sewing these past weeks. Ive needed to work on some other creative projects which are coming along, but I do need some dresses for the hot weather.

Thats partly the reason, the other was I had no fabric. But, the beauty of living where I do is that in downtown there is this fantastic fabric district where you can bet fabric by the pound. Of which Im not kidding. One store, Michael Lavine, has a loft where they take their remnants and if you don't mind digging, you can find some great fabrics.

So here are my projects for the next few weeks.

Ive put the blouses on the back burner because they are rayon, and I need cotton. Im still working on my 20s dress that I posted a few weeks ago. Its nearly complete, I just put it on the back burner. Im going to try and finish it this week.

Also, my awesome dress I eluded to is still in my thoughts. I just hadn't found the right fabric for it until my last fabric excursion when I came across two fabrics that would work perfectly. I just have to save a bit to get them.

But here is the pattern Im using as a template. I know, you look at it and you think, "How in the world is THAT awesome?!" Oh, dont worry, it will be.

Im going back to my WWII dress with some solid color staples. I found these fabrics at the loft I mentioned for $2 a pound!

I haven't decided on the contrasting panel colors yet, but Ill look through my current stash to see what I have. The two below are both cotton. I forget the name of this weave, but the linen below is the same weave.

Cotton eyelet for $1 a yard. You can hate me now.

A calico cotton seersucker. Im also going to make breeches from this fabric too. Squeee!

This linen I am going to make from the dress too, but seeing someone else experiment with rick rack and seeing how awesome and undertoned the garment came out made me decide to give it a try. I never rightly know how to use it, but while shopping I came across this all cotton rick rack and well, I said what the hell. For the contrasting fabric on the pattern Im going to use some vintage cotton I have. I think these will work out rightly well.

Also while at the loft, I came across three pieces of a lovely dark kaki linen which will be PERFECT for my Du Barry suit but safari themed!

Oh! I cant wait. Its going to look so cute!

Also as I try and make all of my repro patterns, Ive cut out my WWII apron. I just have to put it together.

And lastly Im going to make a few more roses from my repro pattern. At my vintage getaway one of the ladies gave me the silk lining from a 19th century garment.

It was just too lovely to throw out, so I backed the shattering silk to red tissue paper. I first tried linen, but that didn't work. Now the silk handles like paper, but its translucent and so lovely and Goth. I think the roses are going to look spectacular.

So thats what's been in the works. Ill keep you all posted!