Vogue 1246 is Next!

Greetings! I'm back from the holiday, and trying to get back on track with my sewing. I actually have been sewing, and finished a slip made from a vintage Butterick that I have in the shop. For details and a review, I'm sending you over to the other blog. (Whew! So much blog juggling!)


My next definite project is a new, artsy top that I've mentioned being in the queue before, but now the tissue is out of the envelope and I'm really, really going to make it. Really.

I've even done some preemptive fitting research over at Pattern Review, and found some excellent advice from ClaireOKC which will be useful because this pattern runs big enormous! There's loose fitting, and there's "I'm wearing a tent".


Don't miss tomorrow's Wilma on Wednesday recipe... a particularly yummy and easy appetizer!

Piles of Sewing

When the summer sewing season ended, I made a long list of things to make in the fall. While it does seem like I haven't been sewing, I have been able to cross a few things off the list. Things you've seen: the half a crepe denim skirt, the red Lisette pattern skirt, the lime houndstooth violet, and a plaid shift from a vintage Simplicity. Oh, and let's not forget the plaid jasmine that I showed you yesterday. It wasn't even on the list. Of course, there was more on the list that has turned out to be wishful thinking.


But now, I have an occasion. One of those things with a definite deadline, AND a dress code. My husband's cousin's daughter is getting married on November 11 (I have a cousin whose daughter is also getting married on 11/11... do you sense a theme?). Anyway, for the sake of brevity, let's just call her Melia.


Like all the hip and happening couples getting married now, she and her fiance have a website. On it, they have a dress code. Bless their little hearts... they want us all to "dress to impress". No judging here, I'll just take it as a challenge.


This challenge has generated 4 piles of sewing:

I'm trying to be reasonable here. So if I get 2 of these done, I'll be happy. Three and I'll be thrilled. Four and, well, yeah... ecstatic!


What's the most important? The dress for the wedding. There are 2 there, but can you guess which one? If you guessed this one...

you'd be right! Do you think she'll be impressed? Anyway, I'm making a sort of muslin, and have it cut out... more on that tomorrow or Wednesday.


Thanks for all the jasmine love! Makes my heart warm!

Vintage Pattern Surprise

Ah, a sewing post. If you are one of the 5 people that read this blog, you'll know that I recently purchased 3 vintage patterns. If you haven't read this before, click here. Go on, I'll wait until you get back. OK, so I've bought fabric for the mod 60s pattern, but that's it. The 50s dress with the awesome overskirt? I've made a muslin and will report on that in another post. By the way, it is copyrighted 1953.

And now, my surprise. I opened the final pattern, copyrighted in 1952, thinking that THIS really is what I would want to wear to Laura's wedding. In the awesome teal color that my current purchased dress is. It appeared that no one has even used this particular pattern when I pulled out the pieces. I had a moment of confusion when I thought, hmmm, this is all just blank tissue. Maybe the real pattern fell out?

No. Apparently, in 1952, Vogue didn't have a printer, just a puncher. That's right. All the markings that I am familiar with are not printed on the tissue, but are punched through. Was 1953 a breakthrough year for patternmakers? Did Vogue catch up, or did they continue punching their way through the 50s? I can't answer that, but here is what I saw (I've placed some dark fabric behind the pieces so you can really see what I mean.

 

Well, no big deal, as I had planned on tracing the pieces anyway. But how the heck do you know what the little holes mean? There is, thankfully, a key, printed on the directions where in modern times you might find the list of the pieces and their little numbers. Here is the elaborate key:

 

Over at the Sewing Fanatic's blog, she had a discussion recently on tracing or cutting. Tracers gave comments on why they traced, and what they used. I used some interfacing-like stuff with a grid printed on it that I bought at Hancock's.

 

I've already made a couple of alterations. Specifically, the one that enlarges the waist to my thick 21st century size. Any other alterations will have to be made after I make the muslin. This being a lazy Saturday afternoon, though, that's as far as I'm getting today. Stay tuned.

A Peek at Spring

I saw this collection of Waverly home decorator fabrics while out shopping with a friend recently, and I just couldn't resist! Winter is my least favorite season, and I'm ready to leave behind the dark and dreary for some light and cheery! And springtime in Paris sounds lovely! What do you think?

Grown Up Pursuits

After yesterday's post you may think I'm just a little nuts. Well, I just might be, but I really do like to sew for grown ups, too! So, in December I stumbled on a couple of wonderful sewing blogs, that had lists of more wonderful sewing blogs, and ... well, you get the picture. That led to a "slap the forehead" moment for me. I mean, I sew, and make lots of stuff for my Etsy shop, but why don't I sew for myself.

Oops, this is sounding like my welcome post, but here's the point I'm getting to now. Have you ever shopped for a Mother of the Bride dress? It's not pretty out there, and since I'm an up and coming MOB (what they call the mother of the bride on the zillions of wedding blogs my To Be Wed in June daughter reads) I started looking around. And the thought came to me, that while I was offering to make bridesmaids dresses (won't have to do that one, whew!), and the flower girl dress (I've bought the fabric and the pattern), I totally forgot (forgot?) that I could make myself a dress.

Keep reading... it gets better... pictures of vintage patterns coming up!