Vintage Pattern Sale

Hello again, fellow sewing fans! I'm dropping in here to give you the news that I am closing my Etsy shop, Down the Street Creations! Life. Sometimes you just have to know when to move on.

Anyway, I have all these patterns, which is a dilemma. My first method of dispensing with them is through the shop itself. I'm placing them in groups of 2 to 5 patterns, all similar in size and decade, but hopefully a good mix. There are some individual patterns listed simply because they were the only one in a particular size, or were too specialty (i.e., a wedding dress).

The groups can be mixed and changed, so if you contact me through the shop, and let me know which ones you want to swap, I'll be happy to do that. We'll have to talk if you just want one pattern in the group. This is an experiment that may not work, but it's just step one in the liquidation of my inventory. (Oh, yeah, I am keeping some of them!)

If you've stumbled back on this little blog, use the coupon code BLOG10 for an additional 10% off your purchase. And even though I have unashamedly linked my stop throughout this post, you can even click through directly to it from the "Come See me on Etsy" box in the right sidebar.

Thanks! And if you have ever purchased patterns from my shop, thank you twice!!

Vintage Pattern Sale

If you're not into vintage patterns, or sewing bloggers that promote stuff they're selling in posts in their blogs... well then, you can just skip right over this post.

1960s McCall's 8735

Here's the thing though. I started on Etsy 5(!) years ago with the idea that it would be my "full-time" job, the kind that gave me enough money to spend on hobbies without making too much of a dent in the family budget. Fast forward to last September when I started an actual full-time job in an actual brick and mortar retail shop where they actually expect you to spend all your waking time 40 hours a week there.

1990's Butterick 6662

But I do still have my Etsy shop, Down the Street, and you can still find lots of vintage patterns there. I just don't have the time to properly maintain and promote it. That means patterns are hanging around too long. In order to try to move some inventory, I have a new SALE SALE SALE section, where almost all the patterns will be $6 or less. Mostly less. All the patterns featured today are in that section.

1980s New Look 6664

And bonus if you happen to be still reading! Coupon Codes! These will work for anything you buy in the shop...

READER10 ... 10% off any purchase

READER15 ... 15% off purchases of $25 or more

READER20 ... 20% off purchases of $45 or more

There will be a maximum of 40 patterns in the Sale section, so start shopping, and new patterns will be added.

1970s Simplicity 8694

Please share with all your tweeting, facebooking, and blogging friends, too! Email me the link to ellen.sews (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll send you an unrestricted coupon code.

Thanks! and have a great day, y'all! 

Red Dress Revealed -- Vogue 2692

Oops, I bet you didn't even know I was making a red dress! Well, I am. Or I did.

This is the pattern I used:

Hmmm, from the 60s, I think. I started this in May, I think and there is so much I've forgotten about the construction, but I do remember that I bought it from Denise, Miss Blue Gardenia herself!

Mine is red ponte knit, deliciously thick, but part of the reason I put it aside. It's actually quite warm, which makes it a great spring or fall dress, but definitely not a summer in Atlanta dress. And I made it with short sleeves. I think I used the long sleeve pattern, and used that as a guide for a short sleeve. Wanna see?

Necklace: Earlybird Creations
Bracelets: Amy Fine Design 

I did make a muslin, but don't remember much about the  alterations. Of course widening at the waist. The original size is a Bust 36, so I didn't have to do anything there. For some inexplicable reason, I lengthened the bodice, and now it is too long. Not really sure what I was smoking when I did that! I'm also certain that I shortened it. Oddly, even the 60s "mini" skirts are often too long for me. Was everyone super tall back then?

I made the recommended bound buttonholes. This is a Paris Original after all!

I am not the huge bound buttonhole fan that many other sewing bloggers are. For one, you make them first. For a skirt such as this, with somewhat unusual placement, if I were doing regular buttonholes I would have spaced them a little differently, or just made 3. My solution to that odd buttonhole placed so closely to the hem edge is to just leave it unbuttoned. There is a button under there, though.

I made the belt, but it is narrower than the pattern simply because I used a vintage buckle I already had in the stash and it was smaller. It makes the width about 1" which is good for me anyway. I also kind of made up my own belt making technique, using the thick black cotton pique from my Mad Men dress. On the back of the belt, I used a 7/8" wide satin ribbon, and even though the belt itself is curved I didn't have any problems with it.

 Yesterday, I pulled the dress off my dress form to finish it. Turned out all I had to do was finish the back of the buttonholes, sew on the buttons and hand sew the hem (which was already pinned up). Really? Yippee!!

A 1960s Fashion History Lesson -- The Paper Dress

Today I have my vintage pattern seller hat on, and have come across a pattern that while not particularly stunning (kind of the opposite, really), has just a fascinating little historical tidbit that I think warrants mentioning.

Reincarnations Resale

I also want to mention that while I was around for all but 5 days of the 1960s, I don't actually remember this particular craze. Perhaps I was just too young in 1966 when the paper dress was invented by the Scott Paper Company as a marketing stunt. Nobody there expected too much to come from it, but this became a fashion craze and for around $8 you, too, could own one of these disposable creations. And you can have an original one still, but it will cost a bit more today.


According to my primary source, wikipedia, you could even get a paper bikini! Not sure how you might swim in one. Of course, this was not actual paper, like newspaper, or copy paper, but a kind of disposable cellulose fabric.


Now if you were a creative type, and wanted to make your own, Simplicity was there to help you out with Simplicity 7376! Released in 1967, the Jiffy  "easy cut-easy sew" caftan was suitable for paper and felt, in addition to, well, regular fabric. On the instruction page, there are a couple of hints on just how you should treat the sewing of paper. For one, to hem the dress, you simply mark the hem and cut it off at the desired length. What could be easier?!!

The short, sleeveless dress (view 3) has a bit of a hospital gown feel to me, and the general unattractiveness and lack of durability were a couple of factors leading to the quick demise of this fashion fad.


Did you ever have or wear a paper dress back in the day? Would you wear one today?

The Vintage Pattern Obsession and a New Blog

Don't you love this blouse? So sleek and chic! And I've really gotten into getting the patterns in my Etsy shop, and am excited that they are actually selling! So I want to step it up a bit, and I've started a new blog just focusing on the vintage patterns, the shop, and things I make (and hopefully others make) from these patterns.


BUT. I'm not leaving this blog, because it's really my personal, here's what's happening in my life! It's the thread, dammit! LOL! There's the Tracy Reese "wedding dress" waiting to be revealed, and Wilma on Wednesday, after all.


If you love vintage patterns, though, and want to check them out in my etsy shop (where the majority are under $20, mostly under $10) come take a look at Sew Vintage Today. It's a wordpress blog, and there is a definite learning curve, so changes will be coming slowly but steadily... like adding the blogroll, and all the widgits and all the good stuff. Follow along for announcements, giveaways, and maybe even a contest or two. I just need that critical mass of followers, hint, hint.


Hope to see some old friends over there!

My Etsy Shop

I don't really talk too much about my Etsy shop or the goings on of my Etsy friends, but I have a shop (actually 2) and sewing is definitely involved! One of my blogging friends, Julia, posed a question about Etsy shops, and I decided this would be my answer to her question.

Julia asked: If any of you have an ETSY shop, what do you think? Is it profitable, worth your time and trouble, etc....?

So, what do I think? I really love having my shop. It's not particularly profitable, but I make enough to buy more fabric and supplies. This year, I might actually make a bit more. (I'm afraid my accounting skills are on the weak side, much to Roland's dismay.) What I really love about it is the friends that I've made through it. Now, if you want it to be a viable concern, then it certainly can be, and there are lots of sellers that have been able to "quit their day job". It takes a lot of work and dedication, and constant promotion. That's the part that I don't really like.


Enough with the boring part of Etsy (can you see why mine is not particularly profitable, lol!)... my 2 shops have evolved since I started 2-1/2 years ago. My original shop, Down the Street Creations, is now the location to find my mom's baby quilts, some vintage items, and some random accessories. My main focus is now at Jenna Belle Designs. I love making these little clutches, and I especially love making the custom monogrammed clutches. It is so fun to work with the clients, and I have sold them to brides, Derby attendees, and for proms and graduations.

 This picture is just half of an order for a bride that is getting married in August. She wanted different colors for each bridesmaid, with different styles of monogram to fit their personalities. It's such a sweet and thoughtful gift for her girls, and it has been so much fun working with her. Oh, she's getting one for herself, too!
As for those Etsy friends, I'm part of the greatest group of talented girls. When you visit Etsy, search the term dailychallenge for a glimpse of their talent. Not only do I consider them friends, but I also frequent their shops. I'll try to share some of my amazing purchases in future posts.

I'm not really sure if that answers Julia's questions, but feel free to ask me more about it!