Spare Time (For Sewing)

The Fabric Stash

2012-01-17T09:20:00.000-05:00

How about a peek at the fabric stash? Personally, I love seeing people's sewing rooms or areas -- I'm nosy like that. I don't have a whole sewing room for myself - more like a side of a room.

An old chifferobe contains my fabrics. Here on the right side are my clothes making fabrics. The ones in the middle are neatly rolled and easy to see and get to. On the bottom shelf is a bit of mess with knits on the left and odds and ends between and on the right. (I'll straighten it up one of these days! Maybe this week even.) The top shelf has muslin, quilting cottons I use for facings, and scraps. The Blue's Clues sheets sitting there are for muslins - the kids outgrew them and they weren't good enough to send to the thrift store. White paper lines the insides of the chifferobe so the fabric isn't touching wood and is easier to see. The paper taped to the inside of the door is an inventory of what's in there along with the yardage of each piece. A lot of fabric fits in there but if it ever starts to exceed the space I know to get sewing and stop buying!

Behind the smaller door on the left are quilting fabrics. This isn't all of them -- there's a big bin in the hall closet too...and maybe a bag under the bed.

Here's the chifferobe closed. The drawers hold sewing stuff -- threads, accessories, tracing paper, etc. Underneath is a bin stuffed with batiste I inherited from my mother which I use a lot for underlinings and linings. You can see the edge of my sewing table in the mirror. I can easily open the chifferobe door and peruse my fabrics while sitting in my sewing chair. Close the door and my fabric is neatly kept away from light and dust. Works beautifully for me!

Oh, Thrift Store Smell...Gag

2012-01-10T14:20:00.001-05:00

A recent thrift store purchase

If you've bought clothes in a thrift store you know the smell I'm talking about. And it doesn't come out of some things very easily! I've had luck using white vinegar to remove the offending stink. I read to use it in the rinse cycle but that wasn't always enough so I use it in the wash cycle with the detergent and do a double rinse - sometimes putting a little in the first rinse too. How much? I don't really measure -- about a cup for a large load.

I've heard people have had success with Borax and baking soda -- and also a water/vodka mix that's sprayed on but I've never tried those. I will not use Febreeze on anything! I can't even put into words how much I hate that stuff! It actually bothers my breathing!

I normally never buy anything that can't be thrown in the washer, but I admit I took my chances with the above jacket. I washed it...in the vinegar -- for the $3 it cost I thought it was a risk worth taking. And it worked! No smell and a perfect fit.

Have you tried anything else? Any suggestions?

You Don't Need a Vintage Pattern

2012-01-09T12:03:00.000-05:00

... when it comes to many skirts. After all there are only so many ways to make a skirt. A lot of it depends on the fabric and the many details added onto the basic pattern.

Some of the same styles just keep coming back - or never even go away.

It's that hemline that keeps moving. So easy to change to suit oneself!

Other than the fit at the hips (narrower on vintage patterns for those slimmed girdled hips), the only noticeable change in modern skirts to vintage ones, that I've noticed, is the waistband.

Instead of the waistband that's on nearly all vintage skirts (sitting up on the waistline) modern ones mostly either don't have one (and use waist facings) or the waistband sits down lower - I've seen this called a waistband but it resembles a small yoke.

If you want the vintage style waist using a modern pattern, it's so easy to pop a waistband on it.

Still...sometimes it's just fun to use vintage!

Note: all the top photos are from the Vintage Sewing Patterns Wiki; the Butterick 3042 is mine; the New Look 6079 is currently available.

Sci Fi Knitting To Date

2012-01-05T09:54:00.000-05:00

I don't know if you remember my mentioning knitting a Dr Who scarf for son #1 ages ago, but just so you know, I did finish it. Not last winter but in time for this one! There it is - although in this photo it hasn't been stretched out yet. At full lenth the scarf is supposed to be approximately twelve and a half feet long. Apparently I'm a tight knitter - mine only ended up about eleven and a half feet. Oh, well. I have some leftover yarn and might make a half size one; it'd be a little easier to wear on an everyday basis.

If you want to knit one for yourself I used this pattern.

Keeping with the Dr Who theme I knit these Daleks about three or four years ago:

The pattern for them used to be on Knitting Pattern Central but disappeared - I think it's still out there somewhere if you search for it.

I also made not one but two R2D2 hats:

Two patterns for R2D2 hats are on Knitting Pattern Central. I took elements of both patterns and sort of did my own thing. One of them has duplicate stitch for some of the details - in which I found out I hate doing duplicate stitch. The other was my first attempt at intarsia knitting - in which I found out it was really not difficult and kind of fun.

Somewhere around here is a little green alien I knit too. Do I knit normal things like sweaters? Nah, boring.

Still Here

2012-01-03T10:23:00.000-05:00

No, I haven't been posting in a while -- stuff got in the way and writing, photographing, and posting was too much. But now things have settled some

Above is a photo of my sewing table this morning. It's a mix of the end of last year's stuff and the beginning of this year's. A skirt waiting to be hemmed, another one waiting to be sewn up. Although I have a closet full of skirts I need/want more. Some of my old ones are looking worn out and I gained a little weight last year (middle age stuff, ya' know) - so some skirts just don't fit anymore. Half a dozen skirts are lined up with the fabric and patterns ready! The Colette Sewing Handbook was a Christmas present -- a nicely written book for my modest sewing library! There's also the Colette sewing pattern for the Jasmine top in my letter stand in the back. The Beatles t-shirt thrown over the back of my chair is waiting to be made into a tote bag - that'll happen next time I put black thread on the serger. And the doll's (Gene's) dress form sitting there wearing a crinoline?! That just ended up there somehow.

I'm ready for some sewing - but first things first - oil the sewing machine!

Skirt With Subtle Detail (So Subtle You Can Hardly See It)

2011-08-24T10:10:00.000-04:00

I haven't had much time for sewing much less blogging lately but a couple of weekends ago I threw myself in a chair with a cup of tea and started perusing vintage patterns online. I came across a nice 70's skirt that I liked the seams on (can't find it again to show you). The pattern wasn't my size and cost more than I cared for when it occurred to me I had seen a more modern version. A quick check and yep:

Simplicity 2185. The skirt seaming was exactly the same as the 70's version. A quick trip while I was out one day into the pattern sale and it was mine for 99 cents. I already had some brown cotton lawn I and a zipper to make it. A little note: There are so many versions of this skirt in the same pattern because it can be made of knits with an elastic waist or wovens with a zipper on the left side.

I wanted those front curved seams to show a little more than they did, so I thought about topstitching but that seemed dull - then I thought of the hemstitching I had been playing with a few weeks ago. So before I sewed the front to the back I pressed each one out, put stabilizer behind the seams, put a 120/19 needle in my Brother sewing machine (a wing needle would have worked too), and used the Parisian stitch to give it a hemstitched look. I practiced on a scrap first to see how those curves would do and it worked fine.

When I was half way done I realized I probably shouldn't have decreased the length and width of my Parisian stitch so much but it was too late to do anything about it. I didn't use the hemstitch on the side seams --especially since I had to let the right one out a little extra! Although my extra work on the detail ended up so subtle it's not very noticeable I'm still very pleased with this skirt. I wore it yesterday and loved it.

I promised myself no more bad photos but that isn't happening right now. Instead you get these two headless shots of me wearing it with a t shirt -- I have some shirts I thought would be nice with this but it was laundry day. The skirt looks a little wrinkled around the hemstitching on the right so I pressed it later and it looks much better. Neither photo shows the hemstitch detail well but it's there!

When I bought the brown lawn I knew I wanted a longer skirt out of it so I bought enough to make a self lining which I did out of a TNT a-line skirt pattern which I broadened near the bottom for more width for walking. It's a soft swishy skirt perfect for this time of the year when I'm ready for a bit of Fall but the temperature is still in the 90's. I also like having different skirt lengths for whatever mood I'm in -knee length or maxi. And the maxi skirt covers the bruise on my leg where I hit it on the car door!

Super Easy 1930's Dress Pattern

2011-08-22T08:12:00.000-04:00

Butterick 7227. This dress looks like it would be a cinch to sew. Nothing difficult at all, yet it has those simple elegant lines typical of 30's style. This is, again, a dress I would love to see made up but have no intention of making myself (at least right now).

Vogue 1956 Dress Pattern

2011-08-15T08:01:00.003-04:00

Vogue 1559. A perfectly nice dress.

Scarf Washing Day

2011-08-12T08:31:00.000-04:00

Before it was even fully light out this morning I had my old enamel pan ready with soap and water to wash my scarves.

I put them on the drying rack in the corner of the kitchen where the ceiling fan had them dry in minutes. I don't hang them outside in case there's a breeze to send them scattering across the lawn. Even the ceiling fan blew a couple of them off the rack.

Although I keep my hair short I can't stand it getting in my face so I tie a scarf around my head. I like the slightly oversized squares which I fold in half and then fold over but my favorites are the long rectangular ones.

These are only a few of the ones I keep on hand. They were either given to me or picked up at thrift stores. The price on them lately is going up but I know one local thrift store where they're still 50 cents.

1920's From The 1980's

2011-08-10T08:01:00.013-04:00

I was so excited in the mid 1980's when I noticed people wearing 20's inspired dresses! The 20's was and still is one of my favorite fashion decades (even though it's hard if not impossible to fit into everyday life without it looking costume-y). Here are the patterns I bought for myself at the time.

The top one I loved and intended to make but never did. It's...uhmm...busy. And big.

This next one I made...

...twice The short sleeve one in an oyster color with black lace inset. Terrible color on me in retrospect, but I got compliments from some older women. I made the navy one exactly like on the envelope except mine was forest green with cream colored English lace around the collar and on the cuffs.

Another one I intended to make and didn't:

This skirt has the honor of being my first wadder. I remember it was a bad fabric choice and a pattern that ran small on me:

Shoulder pads in a rectangular dress with big hair! Wow! At the time I didn't think anything about it -- it was all a lot of fun. (Also I rarely put the shoulder pads in my clothes and often took the store bought ones out. I felt like a fool in them since I didn't want to look like a linebacker.)

When 20's styles started falling out of fashion was when I first began sewing more vintage styles, especially those from the 1940's. I found that having a waist was more flattering than covering my curves in a rectangle. And those were, of course, pre-baby days when I had a teeny tiny waist! I don't think I'll revisit 20's fashions for myself (other than bobbed hair and cloches) -- been there, done that, in the worst sort of way.

A 60's Style I Won't Wear (But Still Like)

2011-08-08T08:01:00.003-04:00

Simplicity 7431 -- the tent dress. This 60's style I won't wear! It covers everything! -- in either a good or bad way depending on your point of view! Yet I do like the style. I've seen it on other people that it looks good on. Even though I won't wear it, this pattern stays in my collection. I can't seem to part with it. I think it's that fourth one over from the left -- mini length, bell sleeves, in a wild print. What's not to like? (other than it's a tent?)

It Fit Right Out of the Envelope...Unheard Of!

2011-08-03T10:22:00.001-04:00

As with many fellow sewists who've blogs I've read, I too have been hit with the summer heat blahs and inability to sew anything. While sitting in my sewing chair spinning slowly back and forth and doing nothing, I spotted the leftovers of one of my summer dresses. I originally bought 3 yards of this fabric but ended up using only a little over 2 for the dress. So I opened up the drawer where I keep modern skirt patterns and pulled one out that I wanted to try.

Butterick 5466. I'm always on the hunt for the perfect fitting skirt whether it's a pencil skirt, A line, gored or what-have-you. I held the pattern tissue up to myself, thought meh, and just cut View A out. I did have to shorten it by one inch because I was short that much fabric.

As the post title says: It fit! With no alterations! When was the last time this happened? (I can't remember.) The waist fits, the hips fit -- the perfect amount of ease for me. I've marked it as a TNT now.

There was one little issue I made note of -- there isn't a back vent or pleat in this skirt. I didn't notice it until I was walking up the front steps of my house which has a steep step at one point. I felt the skirt pull then. No problem though; that's an easy fix.

Also since I was using leftover fabric to try out a pattern I wasn't sure was even going to fit I didn't care that it matched a dress I made. The skirt fits so well, I'll have to make sure I don't wear it to the same places I wear that dress...that print is a little distinct!

70's Wrap Dress Pattern

2011-08-01T08:01:00.004-04:00

Strangely I have very few patterns from the 1970's. But after making dresses from late 60's patterns over the summer I find myself drifting to more fitted styles this week - as in they actually have a defined waistline. I was looking at some early 60's patterns and then came across this 70's wrap dress one. Maybe a wrap dress for the transition season...maybe.

1950's Lace Blouse

2011-07-28T08:01:00.000-04:00

...it might be 1960's -- I'm not sure. Either way it's very pretty and probably easy to duplicate. It's a very simple fitted top. The lace and attached chiffon scarf are what make it special.

Details: The bottom is formed by the scallops in the lace. (There's a wrinkle in one of them from this top being kept in a cedar chest -- also the scarf is a little limp looking from the storage.)

On the underside the chiffon underlining is simply straight stitched to the scallops.

How is the waist fitted? I could not get a good photo to show this until I happened to see the light coming through the top (it is a bit sheer). I then took it to the room where I have sheer curtains and pinned it up on them inside out.

Now you can see the waist dart! In the above photo the seam on the right coming down is the side seam - next to it on the left is the waist dart. It comes from the side and curves up. It doesn't disrupt the scallops and is nearly invisible on the outside. There is no shaping in the back.

The sleeve is a simple cap style:

Ah, the scarf! Made of chiffon (the same chiffon as the underlining), it's edges have a rolled hem. It's pleated into the seam of the left shoulder.

Then tacked down underneath on the center front. This shot is taken from the inside of the top:

And again tacked down just barely on the right shoulder (it's loosely pulled into pleats which are tacked -- I'm pulling it so you can see one of the stitches):

It then falls freely down the back where it flutters about.

The metal zipper is centered into a lace scallop as seen in the photo above. The zipper and a hook with thread loop at top:

Inside out. You can see the waist darts (those are just wrinkles above them):

Any simple button-up-the-back blouse pattern could be made like this. Instead of the buttons either put a zipper or perhaps buttons with button loops. In the photo of the inside neck further above you can see that the neck is simply bound with doubled chiffon bias.

I bought this top at an estate sale back in the 80's. I remember wearing it with a nude bra underneath. It was eye catching! It's a beautiful blouse to wear and the scarf is such a nice touch. I can't remember what I wore it with. Now I picture it with a wiggle skirt -or wouldn't it be neat to pair it with some elegant 50's style cigarette pants?

Summer Wardrobe Pattern

2011-07-25T08:01:00.003-04:00

Simplicity 1169 -- I like these old separates patterns where you get a whole little summer wardrobe all in one. The skirt in this one is a little shorter than in my other similar patterns. The tunic top in the lower right -- forever in style!

A Small But Meaningful Thimble Collection

2011-07-22T07:51:00.000-04:00

Great - Great Grandmother:

Great - Great Grandmother's thimble:

Great Grandmother:

Great Grandmother's thimble:

Grandmother:

Grandmother's thimble:

Mom:

Mom's thimble:

Me:

My thimble:

Fixing Last Years Mistakes and Problems

2011-07-20T08:53:00.000-04:00

I actually did all this back at the beginning of summer, but I'm just now posting it. I don't have a large closet so anything that isn't working has to be fixed or get out.

The first problem was this dress I made last year. You might remember it had short sleeves. Even though I prewash and dry all my fabric before using it, this dress shrank in the dryer. (I always line dry my clothes but my husband was doing the wash -- he knows to line dry all my stuff now.) The dress still fit in the body except I couldn't move my arms good. It pulled across the chest rather badly. So take off the sleeves...except some idiot seamstress sewed them in too well -- stitched, trimmed, and then zigzagged (pre-serger days). I cut them off at 1/2 inch, turned them under, and stitched them down. Now it's wearable again.

Next was this peasant top I mentioned before. I nipped the sides in a bit. Also, when I made it I only had some old elastic that turned out to be a bit stiff and uncomfortable. I pulled that out and put a newer soft one in.

Last year I made this A-line skirt (with a lining) which fit perfectly but I never wore it. I decided this year that I had hemmed it too long, so I shortened it. The photo is from before the bad haircut -- and the gray spot behind me is my cat. This skirt has become one of my favorites this summer.

The last thing I fixed was this robe I rediscovered in my closet. It a Victoria's Secret silk robe that I bought at a local thrift store last year for $2.00. The problem with it was that it's a size large. For silk at that price I figured I could hack it down to my size -- which is what I did. I undid the hem at the side seams and simply cut off the sleeves about 3 inches up. Then I just redid the side seams from the bottom to the bottom of the sleeves in one line. Not well done but acceptable for a robe. I did at least French seam them. I didn't snap a photo for after; the one above is from before -- it looks the same but smaller.

All of this fixing took only one afternoon and now I can wear all of it!

1930's Sundress Pattern

2011-07-18T08:01:00.001-04:00

Butterick 7754 - A little ruching on the front, a squared low back, and a fitted jacket with charming sleeves. So pretty!

Textile Treasure Finds In A Pillowcase

2011-07-15T08:01:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I opened up the cedar chest I have to find a vintage slip that I wanted to copy the fancy hem on. There are several pillowcases with stuff in them in the chest. My mother used to store textiles in pillowcases -- that way they can have air but be somewhat protected from dust. I do the same. I peeked into a pillowcase, didn't recognize it's contents, and dropped it on the floor to go through. There's new and old lace and fabrics falling out of it:

Now you're supposed to lay things flat or fold/roll them nicely when putting them in the pillowcase -- that isn't the case here. Once I looked at the stuff closer I knew this was from the closet in my mother's sewing room. After she was gone my dad wanted it cleaned hurriedly and I believe I shoved this stuff in the case meaning to go through it later. I guess now is the time.

First thing out of it was two pairs of Victorian children's stockings:

The next several photos are of my mother's work. A small doll dress done in heirloom style sewing:

Two smocked panels:

An incomplete piece of lace shaping for a collar:

Two insertions rows with entredeaux on their edges. One is of rows of tucks and the other hand embroidered:

Two shadow embroideries on good sized pieces of fabric:

An unfinished smocked baby dress:

Here's a close up of the smocking. The pale pink is beautiful against the white:

A shadow embroidered collar done on a linen handkerchief. Mom kept a supply of old fine linen men's handkerchiefs for children's collars (men's hankies were a lot bigger than those dainty squares for women!)

An unfinished piece. I'm not sure if it's a tiny top for a baby or a doll.

The next thing is a small pillow cover. I know this one well -- in the early 80's it was the first time I'd heard of French Hand Sewing. My mom went to a class at a small sewing shop. Sarah Howard Stone was in town to teach it. In the class the pillow cover was sewn completely by hand -- it taught all the necessary techniques of French Hand Sewing.

Here's a close up of it. Keep in mind this was my mother's first time at this type sewing (yeah, look at those hand done pin tucks -- ridiculously good):

Another unfinished collar. This one with satin stitched flowers:

A baby bonnet:

Close up of the feather stitching on the bonnet. I do love feather stitching!

The next is a very old baby bonnet:

The last thing is this wisp of lace and ribbon. It's so old and not in the best of shape that I was wondering how to show it clearly in a photograph when I looked over my shoulder at a little thing that sits on top of the chifferobe in my sewing room.

May I introduce you to Ugly Baby Head? Nobody but me likes Ugly Baby Head. Perhaps it's the bizarre flat stare out of his eyes. My family calls him creepy and unnerving. He sat in my mother's sewing room and now he sits in mine. (The reason I took him was he's about the size of a real baby's head and perfect for trying baby hats I'm knitting on to. -oh, and I did wash his head but it just looks like that.)

As you can see the wisp of lace is a delicate (but damaged) baby bonnet:

The lace is done in a design and the blank areas are filled in with decorative stitches including a spider web looking one

Have you ever felt old ribbon? It's so wonderfully soft, especially compared to today's ribbon. Probably because it's silk and most available ribbon now is polyester.

Some of these things will go back in storage -- only I'll clean them up a bit and lay them out better. I might use the embroideries for something later.

That's what was in my pillowcase. What do you keep in yours?

Diagonal Dress Done

2011-07-13T11:13:00.000-04:00

I finished it! Simplicity 7075. It looks like the pattern envelope except that I lowered the neck. I can't stand stuff close to my neck anymore.

I've worn the dress this morning and even though I like it, it has some problems. The center of the neck buckles out - perhaps it's called gaping but it definitely seems like buckling. And a funny but irritating thing -- when I sit down it rides up...in the boobs. It just kind of comes up and puffs out there! I've started pulling it down in the waist each time I sit. So, I like it, but it's not going to be a favorite. I could always try and fix these problems and make it again but not right now.

I know you all like to see stuff on but my photographer husband isn't here and I can't seem to get a good mirror shot. This will have to suffice:

See the buckling at the neck? Oh well, I did have a lot of fun sewing it. And that photo is in son #1's room. I didn't realize how dirty the mirror was until I saw the photo! Some white vinegar will clean it right up.

After sewing a few of these 1960's dresses they become a snap to sew. So easy, in fact, I found myself looking at 1960's patterns with more challenging architectural seaming and details, but I tore myself away. I don't need more patterns...I keep telling myself.

Diagonal Dress Pattern

2011-07-11T07:54:00.000-04:00

This one caught my eye -- Simplicity 7075 from 1967. I've never done any color blocking or anything like this, so I thought I'd give it a try. I normally don't buy vintage patterns anymore since I have plenty but this one was for 99 cents and less than $2.00 shipping so I bought it.

I pulled it out of the envelope and took it to the ironing board to press it out some...after I got all the little carpet beetle carcasses out of it:

..or I guess they're really exoskeletons. I checked for evidence of more but none -- they look to be old.

Interesting choices with a two color dress! Which color thread? Which color zipper?

I'm going with the green.

Another 60's Dress with my TNT pattern

2011-07-06T17:19:00.000-04:00

I've used Simplicity 7120 before with success. In fact, the dresses I made with it last year are beginning to look a little worn because I wear them so much. This time I thought I might try View 2 in the center.

Remember how I don't use prints much? Partly because I tend to like wild prints while I look better in solids. Nevertheless I bought this:

I saw it last year at Hancocks and liked it but never bought any. When I saw it half price (and I had a 10% off coupon) back on Memorial Day I liked it even more. I bought three yards which of course is too much for a sleeveless 1960's dress since they only take about two.

It might be a bit much, but I really like this dress!

No good photos of me in it - which is usual lately. My husband snapped a few on his phone but this is the only one that wasn't blurry. It's an ungainly shot of me in the book store bending down to get at the sewing magazines which are kept on the back of the bottom shelf. Is sewing so unpopular?!

I did my usual changes-- lowered the waist dart points an inch, added to the hips. I also lowered the front neckline an inch. Despite the pattern saying it was the lower neck version it was still too high. I bet the higher neck version is a real choking dress!

I don't mind neck facings but I dislike armhole facings, especially if they're together. Instead I used a bias strip I made with red cotton for the armholes. Sometimes I use it on the neckline too but not this time. I also trimmed the top of the armholes back about half an inch on top but not at the bottom -- I tapered it as I came around. Sixties dresses sometimes come too far off the shoulder for me.

I'm still on this 60's dress kick so there will be more.

Basting with a Vintage Sewing Machine (or any machine I guess)

2011-06-30T07:53:00.000-04:00

I went years and years and years without knowing how to baste the easy way with a sewing machine. I was taught, oh so many years ago, to just put the stitch length on the longest stitch - this would be a 6 on all my old Singers. But then when it came time to pull the stitches out they often didn't pull out easily but had to be undone with a seam ripper -- so tedious and time consuming! All because I was missing a simple step...a step that is even mentioned in the old manuals but I wasn't taught it and didn't see it for the longest time...loosen the upper tension.

The tension on my Singer 15-91 is normally set on about 6 1/2. (Those numbers are relative - yours may be set on a higher or lower number).

For basting loosen the upper thread tension. For this I turn the knob down to about 3 on my machine. (Remember to lower the presser foot to change the tension -- another thing I wasn't taught and took a few years to find out!)

Set the stitch length to the longest stitch and sew!

This is the top after I'm done.

On the bottom the top thread has come through all loopy -- which makes it easier to...

...pull competely out. Without all that seam ripping! Ok, I might have to rip a few stitches but not as many as I used to. (And interesting how this one fabric came out in different colors in the photos).

I always baste my side seams to try on a garment to make adjustments. Why couldn't someone have told me about this years ago!?

Bell Sleeve Dress Finished

2011-06-29T08:28:00.000-04:00

Whoever had this Simplicity 6634 before me never used it. It's been waiting forty-five years...time to get made!

It did indeed turn out a little on the outrageous side, but I knew it would when I bought the fabric (a rayon challis). I put it on after gardening yesterday to lounge in and it was incredibly comfortable - very soft and flowing.

When I modeled for my husband he laughed and said I looked like I fell right out of the sixties. Some 60's fashions can slip by easily these days without a second glance. This one definitely screams 60's.

Because the dress has facings instead of a hem I had to shorten the pattern before cutting. Those 60's patterns! - they show short and mini dresses on the envelopes, but unless you're tall they're all way too long. I shortened this one by about five or six inches. I also shortened the sleeves since I wanted them to be below the elbow and not long.

It ended up being about an inch shorter than I had anticipated but that's ok. It went together with no problem. I did lower the front neckline about an inch. I thought it was too high and a little choking -- I often lower the high round necks on 60's patterns. The only difficulty I had was at the side seams. I seem to have gained a little weight this past year?! -- I need to keep this in mind when I use my 32 bust patterns. I always add a little to the waist and hip on them...it seems I need to add more.

I just shot this photo before posting this so you could see what this dress looks like on. Ignore me and look at the dress! I was laughing at stupid stuff my husband was saying - and my hair is crazy because right after the photo I took the dress off and put on something else so I could go get a haircut.

I really am loving these 60's dresses!

Broken Dishes Quilt Blocks

2011-06-24T08:03:00.000-04:00

In the evenings lately I've been piecing some Broken Dishes blocks together. It's one of the wonderful old patterns that can be put together in a variety of ways. In the photo above I've laid the blocks all going the same direction. In the next one they alternate.

They can be put as alternating blocks with plain ones or sashing between too. When I envisioned this quilt I had the first layout in mind, so I'm going with it.

I found I'm four blocks short after I arranged the quilt on the floor. I must have miscalculated (again) -- back to the cutting table!

Back - After A Coffee Fueled Cutting Spree

2011-06-21T08:01:00.016-04:00

Happy summer solstice! While I took a few weeks off blogging I didn't take off from sewing. In fact, part of the reason I quit blogging for a bit was I didn't feel like I was sewing anything. But a couple of weeks ago I was drinking my second cup of coffee (keep in mind I'm a tea drinker) when I decided it was time to get some summer sewing under way -- after all summer stuff is what I love to sew. After washing out my cup I cut out three tops, two dresses, and a skirt.

First to hit the sewing machine were two much needed tops. Both are peasant tops - a timeless comfortable style I like. I made one last year from New Look 6892 and really didn't like or wear it much. I pulled it out of the closet this year and totally changed my mind - it just needed some tweaking, such as nipping in the sides a bit to make it a little less blouse-y. I used the same pattern again for both a blue and white one.

Here's the white one - I need to adjust the gathers on the neck since they're bunched up - ignore the wrinkles.

Both are made of cotton crinkle gauze; not one of my favorite fabrics but it was so cheap at the end of the season last year I bought it with the idea of making more peasant tops.

I thought the one I made last year was short so I added one inch to the bottom of the white one - that was all I had room for. I added two inches to the blue one which strangely ended up four inches longer than the one from last year. I have no idea where the extra two inches came from! I had enough blue fabric to cut a sash. I've found I like wearing it with the sash rather than without.

I might be wearing this blue top backwards! When I cut it out I marked the back with chalk -- I usually tell the front and back by looking at the sleeve notches (two in back) but I knew these would be serged off. When I went to look for the chalk mark it was gone, so I guessed and put my neckline casing on. As I wore the top it rode up the front and down the back -- I turned it around and it works better now, so it might be backwards. You would never know if I hadn't told though!

I like both tops but wish the back came higher up. I didn't photograph it but it's only slightly higher than the front.

Three peasant tops is more than enough for me.

As for the other stuff I cut out...that's for other days.

A Break

2011-05-26T08:32:00.000-04:00

Since the kids are out of school it's officially summer here. I'm going to take a few weeks off blogging to do some stuff. I'll leave you with this photo of a quilt I laid out in the yard to photograph that both the cat and a Wolf spider decided to walk across (the spider's in the green block on the upper left).

Another 1938 Beauty

2011-05-23T07:13:00.000-04:00

McCall 9580. The dress and jacket are nice, but I think those hats are bordering on silly looking. Love the gloves though...wish I had them!

Not The Prettiest Vintage 30's Quilt (Pic Heavy)

2011-05-19T08:01:00.003-04:00

Pause for a moment to readjust your eyes if you need to.

The above and next photo are the best I've seen this vintage 1930's quilt look. The problem with it is that the prints are so busy they're overwhelming to the eye up close; it's only from a distance that it looks ok.

I took the photos outside so the colors would show up more true than indoors or with a flash would show.

Close ups of some of the individual blocks:

See what I mean by busy?

The quilt is an interesting study. It's obviously Depression Era. And look at how the tan plaid square on the left (in the middle square) in the next photo is pieced together even though it's only about three inches square:

The light purple one here on the right is pieced too; plus the weave on it's coarser than some of the other fabrics:

I think, but am not entirely certain, that a large portion of these fabrics are feedsacks. The quilt seems to have been made by someone who didn't want or have any fabrics to waste. Even the binding indicates this...

...because it isn't a separate piece. It's the old method of cutting the backing fabric edge larger than the front then folding it over to the front and stitching it down. The problem with this type binding is that it isn't durable:

Here's a bit of lumpy cotton batting sticking out:

No one in the family is sure where this quilt came from. When the family house from two generations or so was cleaned out in the 1980's this quilt and several others were there. It isn't one by great grandmother or her mother. There was quite a mix of quilts in the house that weren't family ones. Someone remembered how a great uncle was a country lawyer and often received quilts, hams, preserves, canned goods and such as payment and thank you gifts. This quilt might have been one of those.

The quilting is done in a scallop design:

The backing is a slightly coarse muslin.

Three more blocks:

Each block is a look at the fabrics that were available in the early 30's. The construction of the whole thing is interesting too. Sure it's not the prettiest 30's quilt, but it's great sewing history.

Almost Finished Skirt

2011-05-17T07:41:00.000-04:00

I decided I wanted/needed a navy skirt. A quick look in the fabric stash provided a navy linen/rayon blend. With the mix of weather here lately between hot and cool I thought I might try a longer length -- all of my spring and summer skirts are knee length. I used Butterick 4686 View D because I knew I wouldn't need to make any changes -- it's so nice sometimes to throw something on the cutting table and get cutting without any pattern modifications.

The skirt isn't hemmed in the photo because I couldn't decide after all whether I want this skirt long or short. It's more full than I expected. I think I'll go ahead and hem, then see if I like wearing it -- if not, I'll cut it off and rehem to the shorter length.

Form Fitting 1938 Dress

2011-05-16T08:01:00.003-04:00

McCall 3071 is so different from many other styles of that year. I like the seams from the side front panels and how they appear to flatter the figure...at least, on the pattern models they do --but they've been known to lie. I always meant to make this and still haven't done it. It's one of the many vintage patterns I would love to see made up.

The Very First Quilt I Made

2011-05-12T08:01:00.004-04:00

The first. I hand pieced and hand quilted this quilt from about 1991-1993. I didn't work on it all the time but got bored with the quilting and only sewed on it occasionally. I found the patten in an old quilt book. In that particular book it was called Monkey Wrench-- often I've seen that name used with a different pattern and this one called Bachelor's Puzzle. That's old quilt blocks for you though -- one name in one area and a different one in a different area.

Before piecing this, I worked on a couple of nine patch blocks then threw them aside and decided to make a whole quilt. There really isn't a great deal of piecing in it if you notice...every other block is solid. The quilting is simple diagonal lines at one inch apart. Since hand quilting starts in the middle of a quilt, my stitches got better by the time I got to the sides!

A few things about this first quilt: At the time the choice in battings was thin polyester, medium polyester, and ultra-loft polyester (sort of like a comforter). The polyester fibers migrate through the fabric and make little polyester hairs on the quilt -- not badly, but they are there. I wanted a quilt like the old fashioned ones that were flat as a pancake and all crinkly. It wasn't till years later I found that cotton batting creates that look. Also, I used the dimensions in the book. Old quilts didn't drape off the bed sides much at all, so it isn't big enough for a full bed by today's standards; however, it fits a twin alright, and son #1 uses it.

Shown on full size bed but edges only drape a few inches

I made quilts off and on during the 90's but wasn't happy with a lot of the fabric choices. There were too many calicoes for my taste...and dark ones at that. Now there's almost too much to choose from for quilts! (And not for clothes).

Sometimes I look back at stuff I've made and wonder why I made certain choices or why I thought it would look good, but not with this quilt. I still love my choice of pattern and color with this one!

Note: Thursday when this posted a few people wrote some nice comments -- on Friday Blogger went down for the morning and afternoon, when it came back up all the comments were gone -- (I didn't delete them!)

What I've Been Sewing This Past Week: Frivolous Sewing

2011-05-10T08:01:00.001-04:00

I started out the year with visions of shirtdresses and spring/summer tops. I even put pictures and swatches on my bulletin board. But I can't plan like this with sewing. I'm all over the place every week -- whatever I'm in the mood for I do. And that's really part of the fun of sewing for me. This week I ignored my plans and made a Victorian style chemise...in black (that will not photograph well!)

I put black cotton lace around the neck and sleeves. It's not had it's finishing ironing as you can see by the wrinkles.

I usually give what pattern I'm using, but I didn't use a particular one this time. I took elements of peasant blouses and chemises I've made before and drew out my own.

While looking for the ribbon to run through the casing for it I found three pieced Beatles crib size quilt tops I had made and didn't quilt. So I pin basted one of those together and am running it through the machine for some straight line quilting.

There's Paul waving to you from a porthole.

Victorian chemises and Beatles quilts -- frivolous and fun!

McCall Gored Skirt Dress from 1938

2011-05-09T08:01:00.004-04:00

McCall 3090 from 1938. Guess how many gores it takes to make the skirt to this dress? There are pattern pieces for four for the front and four for the back...and they go on folded fabric except for the center back which goes on the edge of the fold. Fifteen gores!

To make the sleeves poofy there is a pattern piece for sleeve stiffening to be cut from organdy.

Question for you -- take a look at the top photo of the pattern envelope and then this next one of it:

Which do you prefer? The top one is a photograph. I took it outside on the patio in natural light, and it shows the pattern colors accurately. (There is a deep wrinkle in the pattern on the left). The last photo is scanned. It shows a clearer image but the colors are off. I think I prefer the photograph. I'm just wondering because I'll be putting this in the Vintage Pattern Wiki one of these days (or feel free to take the photo and do it for me!) and wondered what other people might like.

Fashions for May from 1960 Advance

2011-05-04T08:01:00.006-04:00

I found this little brochure from the Advance pattern company tucked into a vintage pattern I opened and thought you might like to see what was in style for May 1960.

This next one was the center section and overlaps in the next two shots:

Note how this next one is called "Chanel-like":

Ok, if you could go shopping and pick one which would it be? I like the cover one, 9356, that Debbie Reynolds is wearing (designed by Edith Head). I also like the asymetrical buttoning 9363 and the fuller skirt 9361 that's beside it. I would have to hope they had good pattern sales back then since I can't make up my mind.

Finished Couch Quilt

2011-05-03T08:42:00.000-04:00

I finished this over the weekend and threw it on the couch. It's a bunch of squares with meandering quilting and measures 40-something by about 60". It emptied a little spot in the fabric stash.

1938 McCall Yoke Dress

2011-05-02T08:31:00.002-04:00

This McCall 9739 from 1938 seems a casual style dress to me. I think it's because of the shoes the models are wearing with it. Have you been to Debi's site where she is working on putting as many McCall patterns from 1936-1940 into the Vintage Pattern Wiki. Quite a project! I intend to scan the half dozen patterns I have for her (to see if they are clearer than just photographing them) but haven't gotten around to it. It's been a weird week since those tornadoes came through last week. Luckily I was in an area that wasn't hit hard but all around is such a mess.

Children's Patterns From the 1950's and 60's (and one from the 70's)

2011-04-29T08:01:00.003-04:00

My mother had the pattern pictured above and the three below in various sizes to fit from a few months old to about three or four years old. She made them for my brothers and later for my kids. There's no telling how many little john-johns she made in her lifetime. After she was gone, I even found some cut out ones in the closet in her sewing room.

She also made the dresses from these patterns for me. I had several from the pattern above.

For more formal occasions an Eton suit:

The 70's:

This is still a nice dress style:

And that's about all the retro children's sewing patterns I have except for the big box of smocked and heirloom style patterns from the great heirloom sewing boom of the 80's (which my mother found her niche in and excelled at).

Give Her A Hanky

2011-04-28T08:49:00.001-04:00

Nearly every time I get a cold I pull out vintage handkerchief stuff to show you. Well, I've had a doozy of a cold! This thing is finally going away. While I had it, I scanned some of my McCall Needlework Catalog from Winter 1936-37. It's oversized so I have to copy the pages in two sections. Here's the page on handkerchiefs. You could buy all the transfers and crochet patterns from the company to decorate your hankies.

Here's one of my grandmother's handkerchiefs:

A close up of the lace. Tatting is one of my favorite types of lace!

My cold wasn't one I could use little hankies with -- and certainly not little lacy concoctions.

Where Is The Sewing?

2011-04-27T08:01:00.008-04:00

Have you noticed I've shown sewing related things for the last few weeks but no actual sewing I've done? I lost my sewing mojo for awhile. I think it started with two muslins of vintage patterns that were terrible --the patterns would need more altering than I felt like at the time. Then I put an invisible zipper in a skirt...backwards. I picked it out, set it aside, and went to work in the garden.

This happens occasionally. I use the time to organize my sewing stuff, clean and oil the machines, and clean the house. But even a lapse in sewing doesn't mean I'm not doing any. A couple of weeks ago son #2 wanted the couch blanket because the morning was chilly, and I noticed with all the quilts I've made and given away - we keep a natty fleece blanket that was given to us on the couch. Time to fix that at least.

I decided something with squares and to use up the leftovers of a jellyroll. Pieces cut and squares sewn:

And some squares made and put on the design board (floor) to see how they look.

I'll have this finished just in time for hot weather.

A few garden shots for you? Purple iris with a grapevine trying to grow in the middle of them:

Fat peony buds with the usual ants on them:

The color is off in the next photo but it's wild columbine and amsonia -- which is part of the dogbane family and what we always called it.

I put some patterns aside to scan this week and one of them has caught my eye. I've picked it up and looked at it several times trying to imagine which fabrics I have might work for it. I think it might be time to get out some muslin.

Interesting Neckline WWII Dress Pattern

2011-04-25T08:01:00.004-04:00

This McCall 4590 is from 1942. I like the neckline detail -- the V neck with the round neck above. It's a style that keeps popping up. I've seen similar patterns from the 1970's and remember people wearing them. There was a similar pattern available recently --Simplicity 2801 --I was going to link to it but it apparently was discontinued this year. I bought it last year thinking I would make the cap sleeve one (thinking the whole time I had seen it and when I checked I found I had the old one). The neck is a bit different and the waist too, but it still has a nice vintage feel.

As asked in the comment section: Yes, Steph, here's the back of the envelope. All the patterns I show on Mondays are from my collection --some of them I end up selling, but I never sell my WWII patterns. I did sell four of them once and have regretted it since. This one is sitting in my pile of "maybe make this summer" patterns (which has so much in it there's no way half will get done).

Hopefully that's clear enough, if not let me know. I've noticed some of my photos are blurry lately when they go up even though they don't seem blurry in my album. Also, here's a part of the instruction sheet:

Girl's Dresses from the 1930's and 40's

2011-04-22T08:01:00.014-04:00

These first few patterns are ones my grandmother used to make clothes for my mother and aunts. My mother told me her favorite was one that was made of brown gingham and white, but she hated the brown shoes she wore with them all.

The next ones are smocked dress patterns -- the kind that had a transfer of dots to iron onto the fabric then sew through the dots to pleat the fabric (these days, get a pleater!). I don't think my grandmother did smocking but my mother did lots of it, so these may have been in her patterns. I had many smocked dresses by her when I was little.

These next ones show, in my opinion, the best summer dress for little girls: the apron dress. Comfortable and cool.

McCall must have liked that donkey cart transfer quite a bit; I saw it on another of their patterns from this time period.

The next three are pages from a McCall Needlwork catalog from 1938.

Timeless styles.

Easily Dated Dress Pattern

2011-04-18T08:01:00.003-04:00

This is one of those retro patterns that screams late 60's. White collar, cuffs, placket, and flaps!? Yet if you look at the tiny diagram of the dress its lines are nice. I would have to leave off all that white detailing if I made it (which I don't plan on).

The Unchanging Baby Layette

2011-04-15T08:01:00.019-04:00

The patterns shown range from the 1930's to the 1970's, but all are for that basic wardrobe a baby needs first: the layette. Despite the decades between them, they're very similar.

These worn out patterns have been in my family for years. My grandmother used some of them to make clothes for her children -- four girls, one boy. And then my mother and aunts used them when they had children and even lent them to friends. A few of them have been patched up.

This one above has been reissued by Simplicity.

Look at the baby in the lower right corner on the pattern above. That one needs watching -- very mischievous looking.

The more modern ones seem to have simply changed fabrics -- more knits. (And less embroidery and lace). I rather like the older ones...they have more charm.

Vintage 1960's Shift Dress

2011-04-12T07:41:00.000-04:00

This shift dress belonged to my grandmother. Of all the beautiful dresses she had, I wonder why the three or four I have were saved. Perhaps this one because of the elaborate embroidery down the entire front.

A close-up of the embroidery.

A lovely hand picked zipper.

The seam edges are turned under and stitched.

The neck and sleeves have a bias binding.

I wish you could see this dress on -- it's not very flattering. It's a little too rectangular and not fitted much at all, sort of shapeless. It has French darts, but they're not doing much. In the late 80's I used to wear this a lot -- I found that by wearing a black turtleneck and tights with it, it looked much better. Alas, that was before I had children...I can no longer get it onto my hips.

Vogue Jacket Pattern from the 80's

2011-04-11T08:01:00.005-04:00

I made this back in the 80's -- the boxy gray veiw on the left. I remember I made it out of some ivory curtains my grandmother was getting rid of. I have no idea what the fabric was (it seemed like a heavy cotton), but it was completely wearable. My mother would call me Scarlett when I wore it...and I wore it a lot.

Children Paper Dolls from the 1920's

2011-04-08T08:01:00.010-04:00

I thought for the next three or four weeks I'd show some vintage children's fashions on Fridays. Quite some time ago I posted paper dolls my next door neighbor of years ago made with her sister as children in the 1920's. All the dolls had been cut from magazines and catalogs. The ones I showed before were of women -- today, here are the children.

These little girls are wearing dresses with matching bloomers peeking out the bottom.

Various dresses and coats.

The bottom three on the right are a robe and night clothes.

Miscellaneous ones. These appear to be cut from newspaper.

A few boys.

More boys. While the girl's and baby's fashions are still wearable today, I don't think the boy's ones are quite so much!

These appear to be girl's undergarments of the time. I love the little bobbed hair cuts!

Lots of baby paper dolls!

Detail of some of the babies so you can see those gorgeous clothes with lace and emboidery.

I like these little romper suits.

Older girl's fashions.

These young ladies are older but not ready for adult's clothes just yet.

My neighbor and her sister cut out everything needed for the household. I didn't photograph them, but there were oriental rugs cut out for the dolls to walk on.

This is a baby bed they cut and pieced together. I'm having to hold it flat since it's been folded for so long.

And for all those babies they cut out baby blankets.

Some toys for the children. Half the doll is gone -- the envelope these were in has pieces of old fallen off bits all in the bottom.

Holiday things.

All of the paper dolls above were homemade cut out ones. These last three pictures are of some real paper dolls of the time.

There must have been two of these babies to fit in the pram. The other one probably fit in the high chair by facing the other way.

The little girl in the top fits the outfits on either side of her. The ones on the bottom don't go together. That isn't actually a black eye on that one. I looked closer at it and think it's ink.

There aren't any dolls to go with these dresses.

You can guess from all these cut outs, these girls were some serious paper doll artists and players.

Seventy Year Old Quilt Leftovers

2011-04-06T08:01:00.005-04:00

These leftover blocks and pieces are from a grandmother's flower garden quilt my great grandmother made for my aunt when she was born in the early 1930's. The pieces are a little over one inch each. There are four completed blocks that would have had green hexagons between them to link them all together. I put a scrap of the green between them to give you an idea of what it would look like.

The one on the right doesn't look like it belongs with the others; the muslin fabric is different. Perhaps it was the practice block.

The leftovers get smaller.

And smaller.

Until there's just the cut out pieces. This is a handful of them I threw on the table to photograph --there are more. They're wrinkled up because I washed them. When I found all this stuff crammed in a pillowcase in a closet in my mother's sewing room I threw them out the door onto the floor and watched a three foot high dust cloud puff up around it. I shoved all this in a mesh bag and washed it. One large scrap of fabric had literally shattered when I got it out of the pillowcase but the rest survived the wash.

I do have some larger pieces of the quilt. Both prints and solids.

I know these are leftovers because I've seen the quilt they belong to. My aunt has it on her bed (it was full size). It's beautiful. Dozens of those colorful blocks all linked with green.

My great grandmother enjoyed sewing quilt tops...to an extent. And she only made the tops --no quilting. The hexagons on this quilt are small. When my uncle was born she made squares that were a little bigger. My mother was born next and her quilt had squares that were yet bigger --two inches --and it was a two tone instead of the mix of colors. As for my two aunts that were born after her --they got nothing. Great grandmother gave up by then and stuck to her crochet.

A TNT Shirt Pattern

2011-04-05T09:01:00.008-04:00

For the second time in the past two months I've used Vogue 8598 View E to make a shirt. My husband snapped some photos of it while we went through Target with the camera on his phone. (And that's a black scarf I have tied around my hair; the tie ends are sticking out at my neck).

The photos don't seem to catch the coloring very well but it's made of a very soft cotton lawn fabric:

Do you notice something different about it compared to my usual choice of fabrics? It's a print. Not just a print but a yellow, orange, and blue one! Quite colorful.

The above photo was taken when I was feeling the fabric of a dress and remarking to my photographer that this is why I sew. The dress looks nice, but the fabric is a horrible, clingy, unbreathable polyester -- the kind that reminds me of 1970's polyester.

I like the princess lines and overall fit of the shirt so much that this pattern is now marked as a TNT in my collection.

Late 30's Vogue Nightgown Pattern

2011-04-04T08:01:00.006-04:00

Some of my favorite patterns from the 1930's are the nightgown ones, such as the above Vogue 7865. I think they are as glamorous as the evening gowns of the time. And although I have no reason to have a 30's evening gown in my closet, I find it perfectly reasonable to have a couple of 30's style nightgowns for lounging around in on summer evenings while reading or watching movies.

What Do Your Patterns Say About You?

2011-03-31T08:01:00.002-04:00

I don't mean your styles or anything like that, but what do your cut out patterns look like when you're done with them. I remember my mother mumbling over a pattern someone lent her once and telling me, quite crossly, not to wad my patterns up when I put them back in the envelope. Something I really didn't need to be told!

The top photo shows a wadded up, flattened pattern piece I found in a used pattern I was checking to see if it had all the pieces. I had to carefully pull it apart to open it. If I had been using it I would have had to iron it.

I normally fold my patterns as neat as I can get them. Sometimes I even go so far as to fold the pattern so the number is on top (I got the idea from someone else -- I can't remember who to give the credit to though). That tells you what kind of person I am.

Oh, and the wadded up piece at the top...notice the pattern by it has black ink and it has blue? Yeah, that piece didn't even belong in the envelope it was in!

Thieves, Creeps, Nasties, and Such Ilk

2011-03-30T08:01:00.006-04:00

Gratuitous Sewing Machine Shot

I was catching up on some of my blog reading yesterday and read with interest two posts: the first from The Slapdash Sewist about the dangers of Flickr and the second from Sewaholic which links to the previous post. Both discuss the nasty people using photos from Flickr for their strange fetishes and personal weirdness. I wasn't exactly surprised about this kind of behavior. I know how terrible people can be...I did work in a public library afterall. (I was surprised that there are turtleneck fetishes).

This just made me think about what we put out there for people to see on our blogs. I know some people never show their heads in photos at Sew Retro and other spots. They also don't show their kid's heads -- I agree with that -- I would never show my kids. Sometimes I wonder about it when I put my own photos up.

Last year I was informed by a commenter that one of my posts had been stolen (one of hers too) and gave me the link (which I can't find). A "sewing" blog had put up my post. I checked out the site and it consisted of numerous people's blog posts --probably all taken without permission-- grouped together on a site full of advertisements and such. Whoever has the site is apparently getting paid for other people's stuff.

I generally take some care of what I post. I once posted a photo that I didn't realize had an envelope with my address on it in the background. A few hours after the post was up I spotted it and reposted without it. I was quite perturbed with myself.

These sorts of things get me to wondering about some of the stuff I've posted. What about you, does it make you rethink some of your posts with photos?

Vintage Butterick Dress Pattern

2011-03-28T08:01:00.013-04:00

Butterick 8128 -- a classic dress with either the tie collar or the "Italian collar" as it says on the back of the envelope. The front is one piece with kimono sleeves. The back isn't one piece but two with another piece sewn in to create that fancy pleat. The plaid dress in View C looks like it would be such a casual dress...but not with those white gloves.

Spring Flowers!

2011-03-24T10:23:00.003-04:00

Taxco silver brooch

Do you change your jewelry around for the seasons? Just as when Fall came around and I switched my main jewelry box around for autumn leaves, I'm now switching things around for Spring. Part of the fun of this is looking through the jewelry box!

There must have been millions of circle pins made. I still see them for cheap in the Goodwill.

Coro Flower Brooch

Har brooch

The above brooch is so top heavy it has to put on a coat to hold it up without flopping.

Hawaiian jewelry

I had a great aunt who lived in Hawaii in the 60's and 70's so I inherited some of the jewelry she had given my mother. I think a lot of it is outlawed these days -- we don't need to strip the coral reefs to adorn ourselves with it.

Despite showing all these brooches, I don't wear them a great deal. What I really wear in the spring and summer is bracelets.

Miscellaneous Bracelets of rhinestone, bead, mosaic, and chain

Scarab Bracelets

The one bracelet I wear the most is my scarab one. I have two but I wear the left one more. Any time I'm going out and grab a piece of jewelry (because going out without something would be like going naked, wouldn't it?) I grab the scarab bracelet. It's lost some of its gold but I still like it -- it goes with everything. I believe these are from the time of Cleopatra with Elizabeth Taylor -- Egyptian style jewelry became quite fashionable...again.

I've mentioned before how I used to pick all this stuff up cheap in thrift stores back in the 80's. The rest of it I inherited. I spent a few minutes one day looking at vintage jewelry on Etsy that was selling at a reasonable price. No, I didn't buy any!

Crafty Sewing This Week

2011-03-23T09:58:00.000-04:00

The kids are on break so I'm not doing much sewing this week. I was sorting through son #2's dresser to get out all the outgrown clothes when I remembered a recent post by Miss Sews-it-all showing a t-shirt tote bag. A quick search of "free pattern t shirt tote" got me a simple tutorial. (I think it was the one at sewing.about but the tutorials are all similar.) Cut off the sleeves, cut the neck bigger, and serge the bottom closed. In less than ten minutes I turned an outgrown t-shirt into a tote bag. The nice thing about it is that it's a kids size so the bag isn't too big -- perfect for fitting in the side pocket of my purse and carrying small purchases. I always seem to forget my bags when I run in to buy thread and stuff.

I mentioned serging it. I've been so busy lately I never mentioned my new serger did I? Time and again my husband quizzed me why my seams look nothing like RTW. I explained the serger (more than once), and for Valentine's day he insisted on buying one. According to him it was a shame for my clothes to look so tailored from the outside and homely on the inside. (I think he had those two linen dresses I made last summer in mind...they were a mess, but I didn't try very hard on them). I picked out the somewhat inexpensive Brother 1034. I've heard good things about it. It works fine! I've enjoyed using it on some things lately. In fact, when I was trimming the shoulder seam on my husband's shirt to flat fell them I accidentally cut into both seam edges at one point. They got sent through the serger after that. It's a nice addition to the sewing area -- which is also getting some tidying up this week.

Vogue Special Design Suit Pattern

2011-03-21T08:01:00.003-04:00

This lovely pattern has been in my collection since the beginning. I always thought it was beautiful and elegant, but last week I sat with a couple of my pattern boxes and pulled this one out. I knew that I would never make this outfit. So, despite it missing the facing pieces, I listed it on Etsy (with a mention of the missing pieces). It sold by the next day. I'm sort of sad to see it go, but now it can go into someone else's collection -- someone who might actually make it. And, of course, I'll pocket the money I got from it and perhaps come across a pattern I will make.

Notes to Myself

2011-03-17T08:53:00.000-04:00

Do you leave notes to yourself on your sewing stuff? Just little things to help you remember. I do. Yesterday I opened the above skirt pattern thinking I might make it again. I always make my skirts a size 12, but out of the pattern fell my note that this skirt fit in the size 10. I have to admit I was a little pleased with myself for having the foresight to leave myself this note -- I'm organized but not usually this organized. It certainly saved me from some trouble.

I also occasionally leave myself post-it notes on my sewing machines. Because I normally have two machines set up, if I leave one different from my usual set up for more than a couple of days I have to remind myself. The scrap above I left sitting on a machine to tell me it had a fine thread and size 65/9 needle in it.

I find it kind of sad that I have to leave myself notes since I used to have such a sharp memory. But it's nice not to waste time trying to remember this stuff -- I just have to remember to leave the notes.

The Danger of Vintage Sweat

2011-03-16T08:30:00.000-04:00

If you've read my blog for awhile you might remember this vintage 1920's dress I've shown before. I even wore it for some photos. But in the photos I kept my arms down to keep this dress' dirty little secret hidden. Our poor flapper who wore it originally was a bit sweaty. And old sweat can do some terrible things to clothes. You've probably seen clothes with old stains, but this dress is worse. The underarm fabric is not only stained -- it's falling apart:

The dress was this way when I originally got it at a garage sale -- it was only $5 for it and another dress, and I thought it was worth it for the belts buckles on both or copying them.

One of the things to do before storing textiles is to wash them (but not iron them). This is a good example of why. It's amazing in a way that this dress is even still around today -- perspiration damage or not. Perhaps our flapper had a great time dancing in this dress. And she, like most people, didn't think about washing it before putting it away. There is one good thing -- the dress doesn't smell bad.

One Of The Nibbled On Patterns

2011-03-14T08:01:00.015-04:00

Back when I bought the bulk of my vintage patterns at an estate sale in the mid 80's, there were about half a dozen Butterick patterns from the same time period that had little holes where something had wandered over the patterns nibbling away at them. None of the other patterns were eaten, and there was no sign of the little varments that did it -- none ever showed signs of being eaten after I got them either. The above Butterick 7848 is one of them. You can see some of the nibbling on the pattern description leading down to the ck in Butterick and the t at the end of Bust at the top is gone. The big holes at the bottom have been eaten at the top of each. There's a lot of general wear too. This is probably the worst of the nibbled patterns --there's more on the top flap and back. I'm not sure, but I'm going to guess a silverfish did it. They're pretty common around here. Apparently the envelope was the tastiest part since the rest seems ok.

Sewing Machine with Magic

2011-03-10T08:19:00.000-05:00

I spotted this sewing machine in the Goodwill a few weeks ago. I love the name: Wizard. I was very tempted to buy it just because of the name (and it was only $6.99), but I didn't. As much as I like playing with sewing machines I knew it would just end up being a big bookend.

The Wizard wasn't there a few days ago when I stopped in the Goodwill. Hopefully, someone bought it, cleaned it up, and is doing some fantastically magical sewing on it.

Simple Skirt Pattern

2011-03-07T08:01:00.001-05:00

This is just a basic vintage skirt pattern. You can find similar modern skirt patterns. A classic design. Nothing special. But one of the neat things about vintage patterns is finding things the previous owner left behind in the envelope. Melba Martin bought this pattern for 40 cents on November 1 and left the receipt in it. Judging from the pattern Melba didn't make the skirt either. This happens to me sometimes too. I buy a pattern intending to make it but sometimes don't.

Another Shirt Almost Finished

2011-03-04T09:07:00.000-05:00

It's a dreary day here and I can't get a good photo of this shirt at all. After making my husband's shirt I picked out some patterns and fabric to make myself some. I used Vogue 8598 and a 100% linen in a green/dark chartreuse to make view E which is just a basic shirt. It doesn't have buttons and buttonholes yet.

The shirt sew along has helped me more than I expected. Some of the details that I used to have trouble with I no longer do. Also the instructions in this pattern seemed more complicated than they needed to be compared to the man's shirt, so I didn't follow them exactly but substituted the others. One instance was with the cuffs --the instructions have you slip stitch them down inside. I didn't; I topstitched them down and it worked fine.

It's a princess seam shirt and the fit is perfect aside from the sleeves being about an inch too long. I cut the size 10 with a little extra at the hip. I love the linen. It's wrinkly stuff but I don't mind --that makes it nice and casual. Since my ironing board sits out most of the time anyway running the iron over it quickly isn't a problem.

I seem to be addicted to shirt sewing all of a sudden. I've laid a pattern and fabric out on my table to cut this weekend and have two more planned --I might make a whole cutting out weekend and cut them all.

The Man's Shirt Finished!

2011-02-28T13:02:00.001-05:00

That's me yesterday opening the buttonholes on the shirt with a chisel blade X-acto knife. After that the buttons got sewn on and it was done!

My husband put it on and liked it! We even went for a walk and he wore it --showing it's good enough to wear out of the house.

Sure, there are some tiny things I find wrong with it. The topstitching got a little wobbly on one spot. The inside cuff could be a bit better. But, there are many things right with it. That front placket and the V-yokes look good. And where I usually have trouble getting the collar band and placket to meet perfectly --I followed Peter's suggestion to have the edge already folded under and it worked like a charm.

I don't usually do sew alongs but it was nice to have someone who has made several shirts and knew the tricks to go into such detail and give helpful comments. A thank you to Peter for that --he put a lot of work into all those posts!

I hadn't made a shirt like this in years and I have to admit there was a love/hate thing going on with it. Sometimes I loved sewing it; sometimes I hated it. I'm glad I did it though because as I was finishing it occurred to me that my wardrobe is severely lacking in good basic shirts. In fact, months ago I bought a number of shirt patterns at the 99 cent sale ($3.99 for Vogue --they never go for 99 cents). The reason I bought so many similar ones was because I like the sleeves on some but the bodice or collar on others. There will be some more shirt sewing going on here...maybe after a little break though.

I did learn one of the greatest most stupendous things during the sew along. Yesterday I sewed one button on by hand, which is my normal way, and dreaded having to sew all the rest on when I thought...my modern sewing machine sews buttons on. Three minutes later after reading the manual, popping on the right foot, and sewing a practice button I was stitching all those buttons on by machine. Oh, happy day! There will more buttons sewn on by machine in the future!

Advance 3720 Dress Pattern

2011-02-28T08:01:00.003-05:00

Unlike last Monday's post with a dress pattern I didn't like, I like this one...very much. Casual, comfortable, timeless style. Perfect. The only thing I don't like about this pattern: I haven't made it!

Victorian Purse

2011-02-25T10:07:00.000-05:00

While digging around for something I came across across great-somebody's bag. It appears to be silk and silk velvet attached to a purse frame with a ribbon handle. I don't know what the frame is made of. It reminds me of tortoise shell but a different color from most of what I've seen.

I should have put a ruler by it to give some scale. The purse measures about 10 inches from frame top to bottom. The Victorians seem to have had larger purses than the flappers --but what did they put in them? Makeup wasn't used much. No need to carry much money. I guess maybe calling cards in a case and a hanky. Perhaps the bag itself was what was important --a beautiful accessory.

Still Sewing Along

2011-02-23T08:01:00.001-05:00

Although the men's shirt sew along is over I'm still plodding along. I finally cut the shirt out yesterday (and the day before). I had so much trouble! I had bought exactly the amount of fabric called for on the envelope back and it was just not enough. Instead of being 45" across my fabric was a tad shorter. This created a problem fitting everything on. Also the XL sleeve hung off the edges so I had to open out the fabric and cut one sleeve and then the other without an inch to spare --in fact, I had to shorten the sleeve by one inch to fit it on.

Back when I was sewing in the 80's the fabric measurements on the backs of patterns always gave a bit extra. Many times I managed with less. I've noticed more modern patterns don't do that. I understand why. I don't care for useless fabric scraps or the money spent on them, but I didn't care for the jigsaw puzzle fitting I had to do for this shirt.

A Sweet Dress Pattern

2011-02-21T08:01:00.002-05:00

Gag! This dress in the white version is just too much on the sugary sweet side. And that model seems a little too old for both that dress and that pose. As for the blue version...ditch the white gloves and don't stand like that and it might work.

A 1940's House --In Miniature

2011-02-18T08:40:00.002-05:00

I found a box of my mother's doll house furniture she had as a girl in mid-1940's and took a few photos of it. A nice little kitchen.

A front loading washer and wringer. Want to read an awful story about a wringer that'll make you cringe? My mother told it to me about some great aunt of hers. A stout woman who tended to really lean into her work. Well, she leaned too far in while wringing her clothes and got part of herself caught into the wringer. You know, the part that sticks out in front. And apparently not all wringers reverse so well. (Edit: Miss Sews-it-all informed me in the comments that that's not a wringer but an iron and even has a link to show a real one that looks exactly like the toy one. All these years I thought it was wringer!)

The dining room. I think their table has warped a bit. The corner cupboard too. The radiator looks ok though.

The master bedroom. Twin beds that don't match! (My mother had to divide the furniture with two other sisters, and I think the beds got mixed up. My aunts have more of the bedroom stuff and the living room). The piece lying down has only three legs and won't stand up.

Despite the twin beds there is a nursery.

And here's the little family itself. (In a terrible shot --sorry about that). Notice mom and baby are wearing vintage clothes.

Lest you thought there was nothing sewing related in my post today...a simple cabinet...

...which opens up...

..for the sewing machine inside. This machine has it's motor in the front and the cabinet doesn't open flat, but it's still a nice vintage machine!

The Man's Shirt Muslin

2011-02-16T08:01:00.025-05:00

The pattern I'm using for the sew-along is Simplicity 5366 size XL in the western style -B. I've made my muslin out of muslin --it was the only cheap fabric I had enough of. On the pattern envelope you can't see the pockets on this shirt; it's not until you look at the line drawing that they're visible. Non-functioning pockets under a V yoke seem quite stupid to me so I'm leaving those off. (A little edit here: Peter questioned me about those pockets and it turns out they do function because the yoke is not sewn down onto them. My mistake! I still don't like them though!) By following the pattern directions supplemented by Peter's instructions I haven't had any trouble other than my usual collar one...

I always have a little trouble getting the collar band and the front placket to meet absolutely perfectly --where I'm pointing in the photo. It actually turned out ok on the muslin; hopefully the real thing will do as well.

I don't care for the sleeve placket on this shirt. It doesn't have the classic men's shirt one with the little roof at the top. It's the old Slashed Placket with Binding --see #27 above. I checked in my husband's closet and all his shirts have the classic placket. I'm considering changing it to the classic one except...

...the moment my husband put the muslin on he rolled up the sleeves! In twenty years marriage I think I've seen him with his sleeves unrolled less than a dozen times. And those times he had a suit jacket on. I'm not sure which placket I use will matter in the end, but I'm still leaning towards the classic one. There are no cuffs on the muslin. At this point I don't know that I'll bother.

One side of the front doesn't have its yoke section. I was running out of fabric and decided one side was enough. Plus a touch of laziness.

My husband likes the way the shirt fits except that the back seems a bit too long. It's hard to tell if it's too loose in the photos since he's either slouching or moving. It fits exactly like many of his RTW shirts. He's pleased with it and doesn't want any changes to it!

I had a bit of a problem cutting out the XL sleeve. My muslin is about 45 inches wide and the top sleeve edges of the pattern piece hung off the fabric edges. I had to unfold the fabric and cut each sleeve separately using a little more fabric than expected. I hope this pattern fits on my blue fabric I bought for it. I'll start cutting the real thing in a few days.

Internet Trouble Here

2011-02-11T07:40:00.001-05:00

A call to tech service has informed me that my modem is dying. It only works intermittently at best, and a new one is supposed to arrive today. If I'm not around for a few days it's because of this. Yesterday I had no internet access at all! I am catching up on getting my man's shirt sewn because of it though.

Shell Stitch Hem

2011-02-09T09:47:00.000-05:00

Ever since making the Edwardian camisole I've been playing around at making vintage style lingerie and trying different stitches and techniques suitable for it. I remembered there was a way to do a shell stitch on the sewing machine but had to go in search of exactly how it's done. I found a tutorial at La Sewista.

The shell stitch uses a blind hem stitch with a tighter tension to pull in the edge creating the shell. Unless you have a machine that can reverse the blind hem you have to have your fabric up under the harp of the machine not on the left like normal. I also found that using the regular zigzag foot worked better for me than the blind hem foot.

I like the results --subtle, nice, and elegant. I'll put my sample that I did in my sewing notebook with the settings written on it so next time I want to do this I'll know how.

Dress With Options Pattern

2011-02-07T07:40:00.001-05:00

One basic dress. A variety of options. It has a hip belt, under bust belt, waist tabs, cuffs or no cuffs, collar or scarf. Perfect for the 1950's woman on a budget.

The previous owner has penciled in some notes on the envelope. These never bother me on old patterns since I always read them with curiosity as to what someone did with the pattern. This one is a price list: zipper 36 cents, thread 10 cents, taffeta 36 cents. I think that says buttons 52 cents. Quite a bargain.

Sewing Along

2011-02-04T07:52:00.000-05:00

Truthfully I haven't started sewing yet. I could hardly wait to get started with the men's shirt sew-along then my week became very busy.

Yesterday I cut out my muslin from cheap muslin. I decided to do something different and use my rotary cutter. Normally I always cut clothes with my cardboard mat, pins, and shears. My rotary cutter is used for quilts and sometimes interfacing. I cut the back out, stopped, pulled everything off the cutting table, and spread my yellowed old cardboard mat out. I had tried cutting clothes with a rotary cutter years ago and didn't like it --I still don't like it. It even made my wrist hurt for a few minutes. I think because my quilt pieces are straight lines they're easier for me to cut with the rotary cutter.

There are things about the cardboard mat I like, such as sticking my pins right in it:

I'm going to try using self fabric instead of interfacing in my muslin. I've been very unhappy with interfacings lately.

1950's Style Top Finished

2011-02-02T08:35:00.001-05:00

You'll have to take my word for it that this top looks much better on me than on my dressform. It's cold, drizzly, and dreary here right now, so while I am in the mood to sew my spring clothes, I'm not in the mood to model them. When I have the top on, the bottom section doesn't have all those wrinkles and the neckline lays better. I was padding my dressform's hips this weekend and might have added too much --I need to remeasure.

I posted last week how I was modifying a vintage pattern to get the top I wanted. It worked! And was worth the time. I now have a basic pattern to use. I can change the neckline, use darts or tucks at the waist, and can have either a side zipper or button back --all from the same pattern.

When the weather warms up I'll model this and some of the other stuff I'm working on.

Spring Jacket Pattern

2011-01-31T08:01:00.013-05:00

Last week at a thrift store I saw a nice brown linen jacket. I tried it on but it didn't fit me --too small. Before I even got home I knew exactly what pattern I was going to use to make my own version...this lovely 1940's one! I'm going to make the tie one with the long sleeves. I even bought some brown linen on sale a couple of weeks ago (last year's leftovers). The thrift store jacket was unlined with Hong Kong seams. I intend to copy it. Don't look for it for a couple of months --I'm overloading my "to do" stack lately!

READY!

2011-01-29T10:06:00.000-05:00

If I were the nail biting type I would have chewed my nails down to nothing this week. I am ready for the men's shirt sew-along! I was so tempted to cut out my muslin yesterday, but I didn't. I told myself it's a sew along --not a sew by yourself. (Plus Peter has started reprimanding people for starting early!)

To keep from jumping ahead I'm doing some preparing and some other things that just need doing. My sewing table has been cleaned and dusted. The machine is oiled and even has a spanking new needle in it. On the back of my sewing chair is one of my husband's shirts that was too worn for the thrift store, so I took all the buttons off to reuse and will keep the shirt handy for reference. I have my modern machine set up on a different table ready in case I need anything on it. I can't imagine that I would need anything on it, but I'm READY.

I also picked out a female version of a man's shirt, so I can get a little something for myself out of the sew along.

I'll keep busy this weekend with finishing a few UFO's --probably sewing them on my Featherweight which hasn't been run in a month and could use the workout. I also need to fix my padded dressform. I tried to cram a 1960's dress on it to photograph for a later blog post; the dress was too small and I knocked one of my dressform's boobs slightly askew. Looks a bit off, so I need to tend to that.

Old Home Ec Lessons Die Hard

2011-01-28T07:50:00.000-05:00

I gave up sewing clothes when my boys were small. I made quilts and knitted. It was only a couple of years ago I got back into making my own wardrobe. When I sat down at my sewing machine with that first top sewing lessons from decades ago came right back to mind. Truly like riding a bicycle. While I can't remember what I went to the store for unless I write it down, I can remember Home Ec lessons like which way I'm supposed to sew. I wonder --does anyone learn directional sewing anymore? Or is it an outdated notion?

I found a book, The Bishop Method of Clothing Construction, last year at a used book store and bought it for some of the details in the back. As I read through it I realized this was my Home Ec sewing class in one book! And it details directional sewing. I'm sure all of you know it for staystitching as in the above photo. Even modern directions show that.

But there is also a directional method to sewing seams together. The photo should enlarge if you click on it (and if it's not too blurry) you can read the rules and exceptions. I learned most of this, and old habits die hard. You can see how the shoulder seam is to be sewn from the neck edge outward. I still do this...always. I also sew the sleeves like shown --but the rest? Nah! See that fitted waist that should be sewn into the waist first in one direction and then the other? No way. I'm a Lazy Susan. So, while many of my lessons I absolutely learned to heart, some got chucked out the window.

I Like This Pattern...After I Change Half Of It

2011-01-27T08:01:00.013-05:00

Do you ever find it amazing that you have over a hundred sewing patterns but when you want a specific (and simple) style you don't have a pattern for it? I do! I want the most simple of all vintage tops: the little kimono sleeve fitted top which usually buttons down the back. But do I have a pattern for what I have in mind? Almost. Sure, I could buy a new one or even a new reproduction one of it, but I'm a bit on the ~~cheap~~ thrifty side. Why buy when I can alter what I have?

This Butterick 9601 has close to what I want. You can't see it well on the pattern models; you have to look at the diagrams for it. I made a quick tracing of the pattern. (Those yellowish spots on the envelope are mold and an instant asthma alert for me --I always trace these type patterns quickly! And store them sepatately.) On my tracing I made some changes. I scooped the neck down some and instead of waist darts I want tucks for a more casual feel. I also decided I didn't want to fool with buttons down my back and would put a side zipper in instead.

I sewed up a muslin to check out my changes and see if I could get it over my head. The tucks were fine but the neck was terrible. It came much too far out on the shoulders --past my bra straps. I hadn't even changed that area so the original has a wide neck. The bust darts were too high also. The photo above is the front of the muslin. I took the muslin apart and redid the front. I keep my muslins and use them over again when I can.

The revised pattern. The second muslin is a nice fit. I fixed the neck, took in the bust and waist, added at the hips, and lengthened. I don't have any photos of it since I was all goose bumpy while trying it on. Now on to the real thing. In blue for a change! Not green!

Also, I'm thinking this is a little Hepburn-ish (Audrey, that is), so I'll include it in the Hepburn/Hepburn project.

Only Someone Who Sews Would...

2011-01-25T08:01:00.006-05:00

...spend a couple of hours cleaning buttons! Unless maybe they were a slightly nutty button collector.

Last week when I needed mother of pearl buttons I had plenty to choose from. That's not even half of them in the photo! My mother loved to collect pearl buttons. When she was bedridden she gave them to me and even told me not to wait but take them home that day. I did.

She kept them in one of those hardware type things that has little plastic drawers. Not really aesthetically pleasing. I took them out of it and, at the time, put them in a plastic bin. Last week when I needed some, I noticed how grimy they felt, so I washed them!

Some of the buttons are quite beautiful -and remarkably hard to photograph --their iridescence doesn't show well. I always liked the giant two holed ones in the photo. I wanted mom to put them on something but she never did! Now I'll have to think of something to put them on.

The ones on cards I left alone.

I've gone a little crazy in organizing. I have them divided into categories: two hole, four hole, shanks, black pearl, dyed ones, and fancy ones.

Some of those are even divided into subcategories --you'd think I was still snowed in, but I like organized stuff.

Since I like looking at them I'm putting them in old and new canning jars on a shelf. Funny enough, when it comes to regular buttons I hardly have any. My sister ran off with all those.

1970's Dress and Grading

2011-01-24T08:01:00.011-05:00

I don't have many patterns from the 70's, and the ones I do have aren't my size. Take this dress for instance. I like it, but it has a 37" bust. I don't mind grading up or down one size but down 5 inches?! No, thanks. I'm working on grading another pattern down (one size) this week. Which way do you prefer to grade: up or down?

Edwardian Camisole Finished

2011-01-21T08:01:00.012-05:00

Folkwear's Edwardian Underthings camisole was not only easy to sew but quick! I'm done, and it was a fun and relaxing project! I feel sort of sewing refreshed if that makes any sense to you.

Everything went together beautifully.

I did make a few changes that I discussed here. My mother would have had one objection to my camisole --I didn't use any entredeaux! In finer vintage garments the lace never touched the fabric. The entredeaux was between the two. Oh well, I didn't have enough of the stuff and I didn't want to spend anything on it. It's fine without it.

Woe! The only problem I had with this project was with my Elna. It started making a strange noise (sort of a whine) from the motor area and the tension on the underside of the fabric went loopy. I have no idea what it's problem is. Needless to say, I'm a bit upset --I always do my heirloom sewing on my Elna.

Sewing the Edwardian Camisole

2011-01-20T08:01:00.009-05:00

The instructions for sewing the Folkwear Edwardian Underthings camisole are pretty straightforward and easy. I made a few minor changes as I went along, such as sewing the insertion pieces. The instructions say to do a straight stitch down the sides and then trim away the fabric on the back leaving 1/4 inch edge which is then turned under and straight stitched again. That's fine if you only have a straight stitch machine, but for this type sewing I pop the Elna out onto its table and use the zig zag.

I stitched the lace down with tiny zig zag stitches then turned it over and trimmed away the fabric on the back of the lace --super easy.

The camisole is supposed to have three tucks together, but I was feeling lazy and didn't want to sit and fold precise tucks. I put a twin needle in the Elna and made pintucks instead. I did one each down where the three tucks were marked and then put two in between those. A nice and easy alternative. A pintuck foot might have made this even easier but mine is broken.

I steamed the pintucks and think I should have taken my photo before I did this --they were more crisp!

One of the other fun things to do with this project is pour out some pearl buttons and pick the ones I want.

Time For More Vintage Style Undergarments

2011-01-19T08:01:00.008-05:00

For some reason I find sewing vintage undergarments relaxing. I don't know why; I just do. An added bonus to this sewing is I don't have to buy any supplies except a spool of thread. I inherited two bins of lace and I already have several yards of cotton lawn. (I also have several pieces of my mother's $25 a yard Swiss batiste. She saved it for special things and left a stack of the stuff. I don't have room for saving fabric for posterity, so I'm going to be cutting into it soon!)

I'm going to make Folkwear's camisole/corset cover out of the Edwardian Underthings pattern. I've got my eye on that petticoat for later too. Part of the fun of this project is picking out the laces. I plan on using that middle one for the insertion pieces. It's not as wide as what the pattern calls for but I don't have any that width and I'm not spending any money on this --it'll work. I also don't have enough matching laces to run around the neck and armholes. So they won't match --still not a problem.

Trying Again, Rocketeer

2011-01-18T08:01:00.020-05:00

Old Photo of my Rocketeer

The Singer 500 Rocketeer. A lot of you might have read of my exploits so far with this sewing machine. Not good. There seem to be decidedly separate groups about the Rocketeer from comments I've read: those who love it and those who hate it. Nearly everyone agrees that it's a beautiful looking machine. I'm still undecided about the love/hate thing. So far this machine hasn't worked very well at all for me.

I understand my Rocketeer's quirks and can live with them. And I replaced its foot controller for a better one. But the Rocketeer kept stalling after I lifted my foot from the controller and then tried to push it. The machine would whine and not go until I twisted the handwheel to get it moving. Tiresome.

I refuse to scrap this thing as a dud --yet. It's my only vintage zigzagger (besides the Elna) and has some features I'd like to try out (that my Elna doesn't have). So off to the Yahoo Vintage Singer group to have a look in the files about Rocketeer's motor. They have a step-by-step guide with pictures for replacing the motor brushes and cleaning the motor --exactly what I want! If you go looking for it, it's listed in the files as "Cleaning the 401 type motor" (same thing).

Underneath the Rocketeer

I was a bit nervous about opening this motor. I'm more acquainted with the potted motors of the 15-91 and 201. As it turned out, this motor was, in my opinion, much easier to work with.

Rocketeer's motor

The above photo is the motor out of the machine. I got the brushes out next, and they were very worn down.

Cleaning the brush holder

You can see the brushes lying there --they're the things with springs on them.

I didn't get a photo of the commutator. If you look in the motor you can see it --it's the copper bit. After this shot my husband (who took the photos) helped me with the commutator (cleaning it) and we both ended up with dirty hands and didn't take any photos. After he cleaned his hands he took the next one of me putting everything back together.

I put new brushes in.

Everything went surprisingly easy. The kind of easy that makes me nervous that something must be wrong --after all, nothing is that easy.

Once Rocketeer was wired back up, I gave it a tentative try. It stitches. I don't want to jump ahead since every time I think this machine is working it doesn't, but it seems to actually be working right. It even sounds different. It's a real whiner. It sounds so bizarre to me (not at all like my other machines) that I wondered if anyone had ever commented on it and did a search. It turns out that Brian at BrianSews did write about the sound of his Rocketeer and said that it reminded him of a remote control car. Exactly! That is what it sounds like!

I'll keep trying it and see how it works out. If it behaves I might even put it back in it's cabinet instead of it sitting on a shelf with a dust cover.

A little extra note: Please, don't write to me asking how to work on motors or electrical stuff. My knowledge is limited on this stuff. Most people don't want to give information on electrical things in case someone makes a mistake and tries to hold them responsible. Try looking at the Yahoo Singer group or one of the other vintage sewing machine groups they have. That's where I learn everything. Here's a post on someone else's site about cleaning one type of sewing machine motor. It's not the 401/500 one, but it might give you an idea of what's involved.

The Year of the Shirtdress

2011-01-17T08:01:00.010-05:00

Shirtdress. Shirtwaist. Shirtwaist dress. Whatever you want to call them, they're perfect casual dresses. Exactly what I want, so I'll be making some this year. After combing through my patterns I discovered I have a few shirtdress patterns, but none of them are exactly what I had in mind. That often happens to me. I do like the Advance one above, but I'll be grading that bodice up a couple of inches (more in the waist!) I have a couple of 1960's dresses that don't have button fronts but are the look I want. I might have to redo them with some facings down the front.

Antique Thread Advertisement

2011-01-15T08:11:00.000-05:00

An antique trade card advertising J. & P. Coats thread. I guess the Victorians liked this sort of thing. It's very similar to another card I posted before of dogs reading.

The First Wadder of the Year...Almost

2011-01-13T08:01:00.009-05:00

Sigh...what can I say? The very first thing I've sewn this year, a 1947 peplum blouse from Simplicity 2027, and it isn't going well at all. (I know it's winter, but I'm tired of it. I'm looking forward to spring and intend to start sewing for it now.)

With good intentions I made a muslin. Yes, I'm going to make muslins this year instead of just pinning the paper pattern together and trying it on --especially with vintage patterns. I wanted to check on the size of the waist and get an idea of how the kimono sleeves would look on me. The following shot is dark and blurry but I'm pointing at the excess amount of fabric puffing out at the front of the shoulder. This shot was after I took some of the excess out already. I know there has to be some extra fabric here for movement, but there was too much. If anyone knows how to take the extra fabric out of this area on a kimono sleeve, please, feel free to comment on it --I guessed my way through it. I didn't attach the peplum to the muslin since I thought I could tell how it would fit without it. (Wrong!)

The waist seemed fine, so I cut the blouse out of some soft cotton shirting fabric. I liked the red striped one on the pattern envelope and had a similar blue stripe. I made my first mistake here but didn't realize it until later.

Everything seemed to be going well until it came time to attach the peplum. I had skimmed the instructions before I cut out the top but neglected to pay attention to what I was reading. The instructions say to clip and stretch the peplum to fit the waist. Stretch?! I knew exactly what that would do! It pulled my top's waist in just enough for it to be too snug.

I tried it on and looked in the mirror. From the front fine but snug at the waist. (I haven't finished the neckline bias facing or the bottom.)

But, oh, the back. That peplum seemed to have far too much pep. It stuck out. I looked at the envelope again and discovered my first mistake. I had two peplum blouse patterns on my sewing table and had confused them. The one I used was supposed to be made with much more drapable fabrics, such as satin and crepe. The other one could be used with cottons. I originally had a skirt on when I tried on the top and was so disappointed, but I put skinny jeans on for the photos and the peplum didn't seem to stick out quite so much then.

That's more bias strip facing hanging out.

I really didn't want to wad this so I took the peplum off, let out the side seams a wee bit, let out the back peplum seam a smidgen, and sewed it back on with some finagling along the way. All technical sewing skills. By the end it wasn't too tight and was salvagable. I don't have any finished shots since it's still not done --the details. I'm so tired of it though it might be spring before I finish it.

Award and a Project

2011-01-12T09:15:00.001-05:00

First I won another blog award to my surprise. It's the Sylish Blogger Award and was given to me by Ady from Crafty Ady. (I really like the farm animal quilted playmat she posted today!) While I am completely flattered I don't have time right now to fulfill the requirements of sending it on to 15 other bloggers. That takes work!

Here are some blogs I've been reading lately:
Pattern ~ scissors ~ cloth
Glamour Daze
Tanit-isis Sews
3 Hours Past the Edge of the World

On another note, I've seen the Hepburn/Hepburn Project by Rhinstones and Telephones on other people's blogs and was always interested in it --but never joined. Since I've already cut these trousers out to make again:

...and they remind me of Katherine Hepburn's style, I might join in. If I could dress like either Hepburn then I would deserve a stylish award!

A Somewhat Cloche For The Snow and Some Really Red Lipstick

2011-01-11T08:01:00.008-05:00

As you probably know the cloche is my favorite hat. With all the snow expected here Sunday night I decided I needed a warm winter hat. Although I've knitted dozens of hats I've given them all away except for one tam that I kept for myself. I wanted a winter cloche...so I searched online and found a free cloche pattern. Unfortunately, you get what you pay for. The hat in the above photo is about the best I could do with this pattern without more modification than I care to do.

It just isn't quite a cloche. The top is wrong. The brim is wrong. It's almost there but not. It's supposed to have a strap around it but after holding the strap up to it, I didn't think it helped so I left it off. On the site where I got it many people had complained that the hat pictured is not made from the pattern --so obvious. Also many complained about how big the brim is. Before cutting my fabric I made a quick mock up out of some plaid from a skirt I just finished to get an idea of the brim:

A bit too big, methinks.

I think I might like a plaid cloche now though. I also think I might invest in a real cloche pattern, such as these on Etsy. They look better drafted.

To make the black one I cut the brim pattern in half.

Now for that lipstick...What goes better with a cloche than red lipstick? (Nothing). It's Revlon's Really Red Matte lipstick. I'm usually much more timid with lipsticks and only bought this for fun, but I rather like it. It's the only makeup I'm wearing in the photos. I'm finding that with my dark red hair changing to more brown and getting whiter strands that my normal makeup isn't what it used to be.

I forgot to mention the black hat is made of polar fleece. This was the first time I've ever used the stuff. Meh. It is warm though.

And did you notice the snow? Lots and lots and lots of snow!

The 1980's Wrap Skirt Pattern

2011-01-10T08:01:00.001-05:00

The above pattern was one of my favorites in the late 80's. I made the pleated one shown in gray in a linen for summer and wool for winter -(back when I could wear wool). I also made the other version shown in red in a tweed wool too.

I was cleaning out the cedar chest awhile back and found the black wool skirt at the bottom. I loved this skirt:

A pleated wrapped wool skirt with a slip and tights was incredible warm when I was running around the campus.

I tried to pull the skirt around me. Ha! Those buttons and buttonholes weren't even close to meeting up! I had a 22 inch waist back then. I remember always being on the go with school and work and eating on the run. Now with having had kids and eating I'm a bit bigger. My husband says I look better now and was too thin. I have to agree. In retrospect I must have looked like a lollipop.

Prepping for the Men's Shirt Sew-Along

2011-01-08T13:52:00.001-05:00

I decided I would join MPB's shirt sew-along. I've never sewn any men's clothes so this seems like a good time to try it out. How different can it be?

First I had to measure my husband's chest. Not a problem. But the waist!...oh, what a surprise for him! I had to explain vanity sizing to him through my laughter. He says he likes vanity sizing. After that I showed him the shirt pattern Peter picked out. He said the pattern was nice but wasn't sure. I'm not spending much on "not sure". So we went to the Big 4 sites. He chose Simplicity 4760 (which is very much like the chosen pattern.)

Since Hobby Lobby was running Simplicity patterns for 99 cents I ran in and bought the pattern. Then it occurred to me as I got back in the car that it didn't have a collar stand and my husband wouldn't like that. There's no point in making a shirt he won't wear, so I pointed this out. He said he would just iron it to sit up higher. That won't work! Yes, we were sitting in the car bickering about patterns. So I ran back in and bought Simplicity 5366 --his second choice which now became his first choice.

While he and the boys went to the bookstore I went to the fabric store. Pitiful selection. I had bought myself some nice cotton shirting two weeks ago at Fabric.com with a coupon. If I had known about the sew-along then I would have bought him some. I ended up buying some Egyptian cotton broadcloth in blue. It's beautiful fabric (I'm eyeing it for myself), but it's not what I had in mind. He likes more of a firmer crisp cotton, such as Oxford, but I couldn't find any.

He's pointed out that he kind of likes the Western looking shirt on the pattern but done in all one color instead of the contrasting yoke. Sure, I'll make that. Why not?

He has also suggested that if all goes well I can make a Nudie suit later.

"A what!?!" I ask. "Is it anything like a birthday suit?" (No sewing involved in those!)

No, he explained that a Nudie suit was a very fancy rhinestone studded cowboy suit made by a designer named Nudie. Quite a few musicians had them including John Lennon, Elton John, Cher, and Gram Parsons. And of course, the usual cowboy stars: Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and even Robert Redford in the Electric Horseman. Nudie suits had all the trimmings.

Ok, no, I'm not making a Nudie suit (I like saying it though). I'm going to make a basic shirt.

Free Motion Quilting (and Embroidery) on the Singer 15-91

2011-01-07T07:33:00.003-05:00

I was asked a while back about free motion quilting on a Singer 15-91, and I'm finally getting around today to writing about it.

I'm not going to give general instructions for FM quilting since there are numerous sites that do that. The same for embroidery --you can find a vintage Singer pamphlet about FM embroidery at Sew-Classic. I'm going to show how to set the 15-91 up for the FM work. Both the quilting and embroidery require the same set up. The only difference between them is whether you're sewing on layers for a quilt or fabric with a stabilizer for the embroidery. (The needles and threads used are different too, but you already knew that.)

The first thing to do when preparing the 15 for free motion work is to drop the feed dogs. Tilt the machine back and unscrew the large screw that is right in front in a slot as far as possible. This lowers the feed dogs. Set the machine back down.

Next move the stitch regulating lever to its neutral position. This is the line in the middle of the stitch indicator plate. See this post on changing the stitch length if you need to. (The lever is not on the line in the photo so you can see it better. And since the photo is overly bright, so you can see the numbers, you can see how much lint is on my machine at the moment!)

Putting the stitch lever in the neutral position disengages the feed dogs --they will still move up and down but not back and forth to feed the fabric. If you forget to change the stitch length you can still FM work as long as the feed dogs are down; the stitch length is determined by the operator not the machine.

The machine is ready now but for a few details. First for either FM quilting or embroidery you might want a darning/FM foot or a regular old darning foot. The darning/FM one comes in all metal, open toe, or plastic --most prefer the open toe or plastic for better visibility but I use the one I have --you can see it in some of the next photos. Some people don't even use a foot during FM work. I like to use one during quilting, but I don't always use one when embroidering. If you're not using a foot and the stitches won't form, you need a foot.

Also, before sewing the actual quilt or embroidery try out a sample to see how the tension is. Sometimes the top tension needs adjusting.

When starting (remember to lower the presser bar if you're not using a foot) sew one stitch and pull up the bobbin thread. Hold these to the side when starting so they don't get caught in the stitching.

Because the feed dogs are out of the way you can move the fabric in all directions. Just go and have some fun with it! Don't worry about little mistakes --they hardly show when you're done. And a little note: I've seen sites that say to go fast when FM quilting. Fast is good but never go faster than you can handle or feel comfortable with --and 15-91's can go fast.

Of course, you would have your quilt pin basted better than mine. Because it was a sample I didn't bother much.

Here's a bit of embroidery I did for play awhile back:

The reason I'm sewing on the stabilizer on the back is because the thread I have in the bobbin is a cordonnet. See the pamphlet at Sew-Classic that I linked to above for how to do this. (I keep meaning to write how to do this but haven't). Also, the fabric in the hoop needs to be on the bottom to touch the bed of the machine --opposite of hand embroidery.

This is the embroidery turned over. Because I couldn't pull the heavier thread through on the first stitch I threaded it through a needle when I was done and pulled it to the back.

That's all there is to it!

When you're done with FM work remember to put your feed dogs back in position by tilting the machine back and putting the screw back in the back of the slot and tightening. You might want to put the stitch length regulator back into a stitch length too (or sit like I did once trying to sew and not being able to until I noticed the lever was in the neutral position). Most of all relax and have fun with it --the 15-91 is superb at this type sewing!

Depression Era Sewing (Mending)

2011-01-06T10:23:00.004-05:00

This is the closest I've ever got to sewing men's clothes. This week I tried to prolong the life of some of my husband's shirts. The tops of the collars have become worn and frayed, so I picked out the stitching that held the collar, turned the collar, tucked it back in where it was, and sewed it back on. Oh, I hate mending! But I do love not spending any money on new shirts! I always think of this sort of mending as Depression Era sewing because I've known older women who did this with their husbands shirts. Sure, I could buy new shirts but these are still good except for the collar --even the cheap Target one in the photo.

I was reminded of some men's shirts and collars that I found in a trunk years ago. The shirts had no collars but had buttons around them. There were boxes of collars which had buttonholes for buttoning onto the shirt. Neat! When the collar got dirty or frayed just switch it out. Unfortunately there wasn't much choice --they were all white shirts and collars. (Edit: I just went over and read MPB for today and Peter has a photo of a pattern for making shirts with removable collars! It looks about the same time period as the shirts I found.)

I might join MPB's men's shirt sew along...maybe...I'm thinking about it.

Back to Bakelite

2011-01-05T08:01:00.008-05:00

Over a year or so ago I switched the old Bakelite foot controller on my Singer 15-91 to a newer electronic one. Why? When I was doing free motion quilting the old Bakelite controller became scorching hot and I considered it unsafe. The electronic controllers don't heat up like that. Of course, you can adjust the Bakelite one somewhat but I totally failed at that. So electronic it was.

Lately I've become more and more unsatisfied with the electronic controller. It just doesn't feel as smooth as the old Bakelite one. Hard to explain, but the machine seemed more in sync with the Bakelite one (and my other vintage ones that still have Bakelite run better too). Also the electronic one seemed to catch. I would push it and it would catch and then jerk a bit when I pushed it harder making the machine run too fast. So over the holidays I decided to switch back to Bakelite.

What a difference! The machine responds so much better to the old foot controller. And as for FM quilting--ever since the shoulder/neck strain last year I have to take very frequent breaks when I sew this way, so the controller will have plenty of time to cool down if it needs to. I never should have messed with a good thing.

It Looks Like a 1940's Year

2011-01-03T08:01:00.007-05:00

...with maybe a little 1950's and 60's thrown in.

For Christmas my husband gave me several vintage patterns. I think he got the idea when I sat at the computer and pointed out the two beauties above and commented on how I love that style, how both tops would look great with skirts or skinny jeans, and how they were even my size.

Later he came to me and asked how to stop buying vintage patterns because it was so addictive. I told him you have to learn to look but restrain from buying --not an easy thing to do sometimes.

I had to ask him as I pulled the patterns out of the gift bag what criteria he had in buying some of them. They're quite a mix of styles! He said the skirts because I love skirts and the slip because I always want a new and better slip. He added that he bought what he thought I would look nice in. Well. The hoodie pattern was because he thought it was funny that there was a vintage hoodie.

As for the 1960's dress, he said not only was it a mini dress with a nehru collar (which is apparently great in itself) but I could make the matching head scarf.

I gave him the raised eyebrow over that halter dress (second photo, in the middle on top). I do not wear halter dresses. And the pleading looks and insistence that I would look great in it are not working. However, I'm looking forward to sewing and wearing a lot of the others, including that sarong skirt --how very 40's!

A New Year's Toast To Fellow Sew-ers

2010-12-31T06:01:00.006-05:00

Best Sewing wishes for the coming year!

May your sleeves go in with perfect ease (in both sense of the word)

May your plaids always match

May your zippers go in perfect (on the first try).

May your bobbin never run out in the middle of your stitching

And may your sewing machine run forever with no problems

Happy New Year!

Gorgeous Vintage 1920's Dress (Pic Heavy Post)

2010-12-14T07:24:00.004-05:00

I'm going to take a holiday break from blogging (I'll be back at the New Year) and wanted to leave you with something stupendous, so I ever so carefully got out this knockout 1920's dress. It's orange! I love it! And no beads, no fringe --it doesn't need them with those eye catching velvet flowers on a semi sheer background. Plus the chiffon sleeves and skirt panel are dramatic in their own right.

This is a view of the back.

This is the right side (if you were wearing it). The skirt is one large rectangle of fabric that comes around the body and is sewn into a chiffon panel that is on the left.

Here's that chiffon panel. It too is a rectangle that is gathered up at the dropped waist.

And at that waist is this beautiful buckle. I'm not sure what it's made of...maybe bakelite. I actually took this buckle off the dress years ago and attach it to other belts to wear occasionally --it's too beautiful to be put in storage. I reattached it to the dress for the photos. On the dress it's on the ends of a skinny rectangle of fabric that is sewn into the front waist and partially the back to form the belt.

Underneath the outer dress is a built in slip of red silk. As with many vintage dresses the opening is on the left side. Here the underslip snaps together and then the dress is snapped (no zippers yet). The belt buckle covers this area. Sadly this dress is deteriorating, especially the underslip. The fabric is simply disintegrating as old silk does. It was not easy to slip it over the dress form, but it should be seen and enjoyed before it fades away.

Here's a view of those flowing sleeves. They are not sewn together underneath but left open.

Now, some construction details. The neck is bound with bias cut from the chiffon. Also, although the dress is orange all the thread is tan. I don't know if it was this way originally or if it faded --I tend to think it was always tan. Either way it blends in well.

I expected French seams but they aren't. They're a basic seam that takes advantage of the selvage edge of the fabric to keep it from ravelling. The photo is a bit blurry but perhaps you can see the chiffon edges have a rolled hem. The other section of the skirt has a regular turned under hem.

The sleeve...this is hard to describe. Take a look at the bodice and note that it is simply a loose tank top. To the side of the bodice an almost rectangle piece of chiffon is sewn into the seam (like a princess seam except it isn't fitted). It's the same on the back. The chiffon piece is also sewn into the waist.

I'm holding the edge of the sleeve on the right side straight up so you can see under it. Its sides are sewn together from the waist up for several inches then left open --for maximum flutter effect. (On the left side the snaps hold it together).

This is the dress inside out where you can get an idea of the underslip. It's pretty basic with the skirt being made of two rectangles and almost the same on the bodice with straps. The skirt rectangle has pleats at the waist.

Those are some of the spots where the dress is aging. You might have noticed the stain on the bodice; it's been there the entire time I've owned this dress. I bought it about twenty-five years ago at a garage sale my neighbors were having. I also bought the flapper dress I showed before at the same time. I think I got both for $5 because they're damaged. Nobody could see the point in having damaged old dresses (except me!) The belt buckle alone was worth it.

So what does one do with vintage dresses that are fragile and falling apart? I stood perfectly still with my arms up while my husband carefully placed the dress over my head, adjusted it, and snapped up the side. Then he took lots of photos.

Some of which we turned black and white or sepia tone. By the way, if you drop by my house and think those old photos sitting about are family photos...they're not. They're me having fun in my vintage and vintage style stuff!

Oh, this dress feels fabulous! So flowing! And the silk is so luxurious even if it is old.

A ridiculous pose that shows this dress better than the dress form did. Look at those sleeves! And the sheerness of them is divine! Needless to say, this dress had a lot of lovely soft movement as I walked around in it.

Hopefully you enjoyed a peek at this vintage beauty (the dress not me). I think it would be an easy design to copy, so if some 1920's fashion lover copies it, I'd love to see the results.

Happy holidays!

Vintage McCall 3273 Nightgown Pattern

2010-12-13T08:01:00.004-05:00

This nightgown could have so easily been a granny nighty but eluded it with style. I think it's that waist that saved it --that upward V that is such a classic 1940's look. It still mildly amuses me that clothes designed decades ago for sleeping in are more beautiful than many of the modern clothes made for dressing up and going out in.

A New Skirt in My Compost Colored Wardrobe

2010-12-10T13:38:00.000-05:00

I haven't shown much that I've made lately, but I have been sewing --just not photographing. I did snap a quick, not too good photo of this dark green skirt I made last week. I have a lot of knee length skirts and wanted something longer and warmer to wear with boots. This bias cut McCalls 5524 was exactly what I had in mind and made up.

Super simple. I didn't make any changes except shortening it a bit --it came to my ankles. It's supposed to have a bias piping around the yoke which I did cut but couldn't find when it was time to sew it, so I skipped it. I later found it had slithered off the back edge of my sewing table and fell behind a box. Oh, well. The skirt is fine without it. I definitely skipped the weird pocket thing on the model.

I like the skirt so much I might make it out of some brown fabric too. Which leads me to my color choices in fabric. If you look at the sidebar you can see my stack of fabric for my winter wardrobe. The green fabric I made the skirt from is in there. Here's some fabric I bought in early fall:

I dress in shades of greens, browns, and black. I do buy blues if I can find the shades I like, but mostly I dress in the colors of a pile of compost. I'm ok with that...I look good in compost. That piece of white fabric? It's cotton that I bought with the idea of experimenting with dyeing it. I'm thinking maybe a shade of green.

Notches In or Notches Out

2010-12-07T08:01:00.010-05:00

Do you cut your notches in or out? --was a question I was asked by a beginning seamstress a few weeks ago. Out, always out. Why? I remember asking my mother the same question years ago when I was beginning and had a used pattern that the previous owner had cut with the notches in. I was told to cut the notches out so that if I needed to let the seam out any I had plenty of fabric there to use. Makes perfect sense. And that was how I explained it to the beginner who then pointed out to me that the notches are made to look like they are cut inwards. I hadn't noticed that but they are sort of, aren't they? Especially on modern patterns.

In or Out? I'm sticking with out.