1940s style halter top recreation.

Hi everyone!

Hope your week was good and you are gearing up for the weekend!
I am so booked this weekend, going to a vegan festival tomorrow, working, and seeing friends.

One friend I saw this past week asked me to help her with her costume for her dance performance at Camp Hollywood this weekend. She's part of the JR LA  Shag team and she needed to have a top remade to work with her partner's costume.

She brought in this rayon halter that was super cute and with a few modifications (because the new fabric was cotton) I drafted a pattern off the blouse and was able to make her blouse.

The fabric I got to work with was this cute Hawaiian/Tiki novelty print with these super tan surfer boys!

My parrot shirts!

Hello everyone!

Hope you all had a great Mother's day and your week is going well.
I've been busy sewing about 65 units for a small production, working on patterns, and doing some illustration as well. Whew!

In between all of that I made these tiki inspired shirts for a friend who is going to program the parrots to say witty and funny things. You know, like you do.

The goal was to make the wings be able to flap under the shirts, which I kinda did, but the range of the flappage wasn't as wide as I assumed the wings moved when I had the model to base the shirt from.

I began with a template I made and worked out as many issues as I thought I'd run up against.

The Amy and other goodies!!

Hello lovely people!
It's been busy in the studio of Shelley. I'm working on a clothing production (NDA) and that has been my bread and butter for a while, and for a while longer.

I also invested in another serger for this project. Really happy about having twin sergers.

I'm working on the NVL patterns, and The Amy is done and shipping, so if you want the pattern, it's available in my Etsy store. I'm working on the next pattern right now and once I re-draw the cover, I'll announce it.

I've also taken on another dress from one of my kickstarter backers.

Plus, I made tiki shirts for animatronic puppets, because, because.

So much going on!
Whew!

I need to make some time to go through my vintage catalogs for catalog Sunday so I can post more images. I'm running really low on my scans.

Okay lovely people, that's it for now. I'm super tired and I just had a beer on an empty stomach, so I need to go to bed.

Tomorrow is a trip to the fabric store to get some supplies. Eep!

Have a great day!

Don't forget to check out my other social media and be sure to tell your friends!

https://www.instagram.com/newvintagelady/ 

www.newvintagelady.com (redesign coming soon)

https://www.pinterest.com/newvintagelady/

Here I am! raises hand

Hey everybody! I've been busy this month, scrambling and trying to stay in the state. I'm close, but if you can, I'd like to ask for your help. 

I need to come up with $300 by the end of the week, so if you are thinking of buying anything from my etsy store, now would be the time and would really help me. As far as finding a job, I feel I'm getting close. I have a few nice commissions and have been picked up by a few places but the fruits of that are hopefully coming down the pipeline. For now, I just need to stay diligent and keep going, and I'm so close this month.

Clothing Restoration: Shirring dress final

Here it is. A finished panel. Success.

After a lot of rotten thread, rotten elastic, and thread clippings, its done.

Both are done, and I was now able to put the dress together.

Clothing restoration: Repairing rotted shirring pt 1

Hello lovely people.

Before I get started with this post I'd like to let you all know I have a new repro pattern available. It's another addition to my men's patterns and a great pair of late 1940's slacks. The pattern is a 38" waist and is available for pre order in my etsy shop.

BAHOOKA!

Here are some pictures of the get-together I went to with some of my vintage friends a couple of weeks ago. This was the event I made the Tiki dress for.

The Bahooka restaurant has been around for a long time. They have over 100 aquariums.



Here is my friend Heather with the main attraction, Rufus. He was adorable and lovely gentleman working fed him a carrot for us. Rufus was aglow. He *loves* the attention.

When we all sat down in the party room, all our drinks came to us on fire!

I had two zombies, a classic rum Tiki drink. They were pretty okay.

There are us gals in front of the diver head. It was a fun time.

Tiki dress for drinking.

When I first got this pattern, I didn't particularly like it. I thought it was so not my style, and i just put it in the back of my pattern box.

But then I found myself thinking about it more and more, and I made it for the first time in a brick wool crepe. Then back in the box it went.

I was looking through some of my old unfinished projects some time ago and found an early attempt at a really bad blouse, and a skirt that was too short and too wide. I remember buying some extra of this fabric some years ago, and with an impending get together at a Tiki bar, I decided it was time to put this cotton to use.

I knew I didn't have enough fabric for the dress, so Id have to do some piecing. I made sure I cut the skirt out first, then I used the back of the old blouse for the new dress bodice.

Well, It wasn't large enough. I took two panels from the too wide skirt and cut the pattern to make a kind of nice design, then lining up the grain, I cut the cutting from the pattern into the new fabric. *whew* Also, half way through this project my serger quit on me (rats)!

So here is where serger meets my impatient zig zag stitching.

The front of the skirt is actually two completely different pieces, so being the silly person I am, I made SURE I didn't get them mixed up and marked them accordingly so they wouldn't be opposite.

I wish I could tell you that the facing worked out as well. Oops.

All in all I do like the dress, and its wild colors. I hope its a hit at the Tiki G-to-G.

Finished images can be seen on NVL.

Skirt it!

Im really loving this pattern.

This skirt is made from a wool crepe that I got cheap because it supposedly has a 'flaw' running down its fold. It washed out, so I got 6 yards of this sick fabric for $2 a yard, whoo hoo!

I ran short on the fabric because I made something else with it, so I had to piece the center panel. It worked rather well. I also added some special touches. I top stitched the pleat down and I also stitched the pleat on the inside to keep the shape of the pleat.

Also, with the hem, and the seam of the front sides, I notched the pieces and turned the hem the other way so I wouldn't get too much bulk at the fold of the pleat.

I think that is rather clever. This thing is going to be awesome for dancing.

Finished images on NVL.

I also got this real cool ribbed silk jacket at the thrift store for $6. The fabric just haunted me and I went past the jacket like 4 times. It looked unfinished, but it had been worn (It was a bit musty). I took it apart and now I appreciate even more all that goes into making a suit jacket. Im going to use the fabric for a beret and a drawstring purse.

My next project is for a get-together at a Tiki restaurant next week. Ive had this red cotton fabric for a long time, but didn't know which dress to make with it. I think Im going to use this Hollywood number. Ive made it once, but I feel drawn to it now. I have to redraft the pattern, but Im looking forward to it.

Also, Ive recently signed up at the super cool blog Sew Retro as a contributor! Im looking forward to that. Now I gotta find something to sew! *wink wink*

Mixed Bag Post

Its all Alabama 3 tonight.
Got a lot of stuff, tiny things to gab about in this post.

4) I get a lot of questions as to what 'size' something in my store is. This question is such a hard one to explain, because the person could be inquiring about a 50s pattern or a 20s pattern. I rarely list sizes in my descriptions. I go by bust measurement. Why? Because that never changes.

Around the mid 50s, depending on who you are buying your pattern from, sizing numbers began to change. Vanity sizing just went through the roof. It started with ready made clothes, and patterns soon followed. For 30+ years, a size 20 was a 38" bust, then in the 50s some makes made a size 20 a 40" bust. What? From then on it all went downhill. And dont even get me started on all the crazy modern sizing charts that are around today.

So for people need a sound description of sizing that is fairly standard, I present this chart. Enjoy.


3) I was sorting through some of the patterns I recently acquired, and I was just wowed by this one. I love patterns that have entire outfits in them. This early 40s (Id say 1940-43) is just delightful. 23 pieces, WITH lining for the jacket.

Oh! is that skirt not the most delightful! The pants are 'regulation', and that tabbed collar is just the bees knees. Alas, this adorable pattern is not my size. Its a 34 bust, and Ive listed it in my etsy store.


2) Alas, I missed this event which was earlier in the day. The Great Air Raid. I have head that this is one of the best vintage events of the year. I just couldnt make it. I MUST go next year, though. It looks so fun. Here is a buddy of mine in full vintage gear, with his classic camera.

Above photo by John


1) Went to Church again today. Here is the homage to Mr. Sinatra. It was a fun day. I had a gifted bartender make me one of the best Old Fashions Id ever had. I realized its not the quantity of the spirits, but the quality. After a few sips of that cocktail, I was soooo happy!

This last photo by Jen.

After a few hours of cocktails on an empty stomach, someone said, "Lets go to the Tiki-Ti!" So, about 12 of us hopped in cars and drove for cocktails again! I had a zombie!


.