Fashion Friday: This Is How It's Done!

Thank you, Better Homes and Gardens Sewing Book 1961.

Now we know how to do it, because clearly, This Is How It's Done.

I LOVE each and every one of these little outfits.

And the illustrations?

Absolutely Reek With Charm.

"Making an attractive costume is only one part of being smartly dressed.
Accessories -suitable belt, buttons, trimmings, a becoming hat,
correct handbags and shoes, attractive jewelry-
also contribute to the smart, fashionable ensemble.
.... Choose accessories that suit your personality."

What?
Not sure of your personality and how it relates to your wardrobe??
Click Here.

Here's to The Smartly Dressed.

Please... I just want to be one of them.

xxoo,
Betty
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All The Cool Kids Are Doing It

They are all making a jacket or coat or whatever.

They are all making Lady Grey... You know, with Gertie.
Sure when the whole project launched, I saw it and I was like:
"It looks so hard. I have a nice coat.... and Jeez, I'm busy"

But then they've  all been like" Making Muslins" and "Pad Stitching" and making "Bound Button Holes" and fancy fancy tailor-y seamstress stuff.

And I got jealous.

I still don't have time right now for Lady Grey...
But I'm doing a Sort-a Kind-a sew along, but way off to the side...

A Simplicity vintage How To from 1956 and a Simplicity vintage pattern circa 1940 sumpthin'.
A simpler jacket for a complicated time.

 But I got my pad stitching on.

Not as cool as the cool kids... but working on it.

New Vintage Wardrobe #26: My 40th Birthday Dress

Okay. I'm like  a year and a half behind posting this. But I think you'll like it anyway.
It's the dress I made for a dinner out in the city for my 40th Birthday. That was a year ago last October.
Dinner was great by the way. Deee-lish.

I haven't worn it much and when I put it on for the photo shoot I wondered why not.
It's a very nice dress.

I have to fix the sleeve hems now that I have a bit more sewing experience.

It's so grownup and sophisticated.

It's a scotch and soda dress.

The top is raw silk and the bottom is a heavy rayon, vintage hand screen printed.

Maybe I  just don't pull off sophisticated as easily as I'd like!

Simplicity 2153. 

Circa  Late 50's, I'd imagine

It was pretty darned easy to make, 

Just like it said on the package 

and it was all salvage materials for my Fabric Fairy Godmother...

Thanks Diana!

 As usual...Fashionably Late,

Betty

New Vintage Wardrobe Project# 25: Well, Hello Sailor!

( look gang, I made pants!)

Well here we are with New Vintage Wardrobe project # 25:

Modified McCall's 6323 sailor pants circa 1973

 

they have a back zipper, and it doesn't hurt to sit on it, after all

These needed some modification. the legs were voluminous rather beyond belief, 

so even though I made them is a sweet soft chambray, they just had to be cropped off.

lots of fun top-stitching practice.. nice n' neat

The waist had to be dropped as it (in true 70's style) 

seemed to come up to the bottom of my bra.

 They still aren't one of the most flattering garments I've ever sewn 

but they are my first fitted trouser, they are very comfortable,

have been rendered relatively stylish

and I think that is worth celebrating.

Just in case you need to see the pattern.. 

I'll post it up at flickr in all it's disco wonderland glory.

New Vintage Wardrobe Project# 24: The Mail Order Pattern

This is a mail order pattern from the LA Times.

It has been a WIP for quite some time. 

2 years minus only about 1 Month, I think.

My first pattern with no seam lines or printing on the pieces.

And it was mailed in 1952 to Miss Bonnie Lawrence.

But it doesn't look like she ever made it.

Finally finished... Ta Daaaah!

New skill: Button loops!

I'm happy. 

Sooo Happy, in fact, that I made it a necklace, out of vintage bingo pieces and milagros.

I bought this  fabric from my friend Amber (aka Maple Syrup) and I think these two boys look like her two boys.. at least a little. 

 

But these guys would be older than me these days.

This NVW project is dedicated to her.

 

I got the buckle form the Addison Studio sale that I attended with my lovely sister...

Perfect, don't you think?

Well, That's all until Monday!

Thanks to Miss Retro Modern for the backgrounds for this shoot!

New Vintage Wardrobe Project#23: Aspects of Alice Tea Dress

What ever happened to the New Vintage Wardrobe Project?

Did it fall down a Rabbit Hole?

Actually it has been more of a issue of lack of documentation,

as opposed to lack of determination.

And when it came to taking self portraits... I, sadly, lacked inspiration.

But we recently came across a potion and were transported to a mysterious place.

 And what do we see?

One of my very first vintage pattern purchases.

Butterick -9721.

This looks like late 50's to me.

 

So we tried it out in a length of blue polka dotted lawn, that has the slightest glaze.

8 yards of  thrifted fabric.

Thrifted zipper. Thrifted cutom covered belt kit.

Total cost: 3.00

A wearable muslin.

 

A hand made crinoline underneath, 

stitched every bit, crankily, by hand, 

as it is slick and heavy with layer after layer of nylon ruffles.

 And  upon wearing it reveals that that it is, ironically (or is it literally?), a slip after all...

(Only an inch was supposed to peek out below. 

But as my mother used to say:

"It is Snowing down South, dear."

Isn't that coy?) 

 

After the photo shoot, it went back in the sewing basket 

for some more determined elastic for it's waistband.

And we had another cup of Earl Grey.

New skills?

A side zipper and hand cut and ironed bias tape to trim the arms and insides.

(What? No arm facings in the pattern? How can this be?)

Challenges?

Getting the fit right with the oversized collar was a seam ripper fandango.

Truly it is why the most effective seamstresses make muslins.

If I had done that to silk, the dress would be shredded. As it is, it still looks strained.

But I think I would get it right if when I make it again.

Still I'd wear this to a wedding, if I had one to go to.

 Other Modifications?

I didn't add the sweet blousey-ness at the waist. I mixed it up with some waist defining darts.

Maybe if I make it in the straight skirted version I could make a Mad Men version with the proper waistline. But I know the fitted waist works for me.. so I cling to the familiar...

 

But That isn't where the adventure is!

Fashion Friday: New Vintage Wardrobe Project #22 The Tuxedo Tunic

Here it is.... the first from my mind blowing new stash of gorgeous patterns!


Butterick 5814 Misses Cover-up .
I rendered mine is a beautiful handkerchief weight Egyptian cotton.
I had a vision to combine 2 trends from the last couple of summers,




the tunic and the tuxedo (or ruffles) which worked really well, since I didn't need to buy any additional braid or anything for embellishment.



I ended up having to do some pretty extensive alterations to make it fit well, including a couple of long deep back darts.



But I really like the way it hangs much better now.

I do actually wear this as a cover up over my bathing suit..but this isn't that kind of blog... and I like that it is versatile too, so we feature it here as option b.

The ruffles were made seperately, pinked, stitched to prevent ravel and pleated using a ruffler foot attachment. Then I pinned them in place and stitched over the top holding the facings out of the way.



I could have hemmed the ruffle or made little tubes but I wanted the tunic to feel very casual light and breezy and I was running short on materials!

The seams were all finished using the flat felled method.


I love this one. the sleeves are the length I wanted. I feel pretty and comfortable in it and I an thinking of making another that is more tailored out of a light linen with some embroidery.

Sorry to disappoint those of you who thought that maybe I would make something wildly "Mrs, Roper-ish". that would have been fun too.. but my closet has limits and so do I!

Cave In At The Craft Cave

Every thing's calm now, but I have been off line due to a major cave-in at the craft cave.
That last batch of thrift goodies kind of set off some sort of crafty, critical mass, stash avalanche. By the time I heard the rumbling, I was buried under 6 feet of exquisite thrifty craft treasure, I can't possibly live without...all quite shoddily stored, in an inadequate and badly lit space.

Before the end, I would be injured, and it would take Lassie, Oprah, and several volunteers from the staff at Martha Stewart Omnimedia before I could be located.

The buttons are now all sorted by color, into various adorable vintage tins. My life is perfect. I can die content.

It is amazing that if you take a full walk in closet and empty it into a full sized house, (Well, a very moderate full sized cabin, really.) the items will fill the entire house. And then comes the occasionally fun, and usually utterly confounding step, of categorizing and containing an entire house full of artsy and esoteric random "items of great potential". This is daunting.

If I got rid of it, where in the world would I ever find another one of.. whatever these are.

At this stage we lost Oprah, Lassie, and a good 1/3 of the MS gang. I was left with Little Miss "Good Things For Organizing", some little masochist from the recipes cross reference section, and a couple of interns from RISD. Basically, I was on my own.

I know it's really crazy but I kept the old labels on these boxes I thrifted.
They amuse me. They were driving the Martha Stewart Interns crazy.
( click image to enlarge)
I am assuming these were for correspondence, and not anything more horrifying.

However, in just under a week and with a minimum of actual blood loss, we were able to cram a sufficient amount of irreplaceable craft treasures back into the hole I love to hate, and this week the craft is back on.

It's true. I was really injured. and for those of you who are really paying attention That is my right index finger, otherwise known, by bloggers everywhere, as the typing finger.

Seriously though, I really learned a lot from going through all my huntings and gatherings. I learned
A) I'm totally lucky to have such a cool bunch of junk.
B) Organization is not my best attribute.
C) The New Vintage Wardrobe just has to come back, bigger and better than ever and...
D) If your stash doesn't make you stronger, it just might kill you.

this is the first of the new batch of patterns to be sewn.. stay tuned!

Thrift Thursday: Oh I'd Like To Know Where You Got The Notion

And what to my wondering eyes should appear????

Oh Lordy... Did I ever Rock the New Vintage Thrift Boat, Baby!

50 vintage patterns! 25 cents each.

some in my size

a Tunic! 3 dresses with princess seam! Jackets, capes, handbags, Oh My!

and some little ones.

These I will want to swap. My nieces are getting too big!

(even Toys: Raggedy Ann and Winnie the Pooh circa 67...!!!)


And Oceans of beautiful Notions!

I love love love thrifting for Notions. It is so great to get a zipper for 5 or 10 cents instead of a buck or two.

and the packaging is really fun to admire

my what big eyes you have... and big hooks too!

And the joy of vintage buttons is almost beyond compare.


Extra super thrill for the ones still on cute cards!

There are a few items that are risky. Elastic and bias tapes that have been improperly stored are sometime brittle. But usually they are so cheap they are worth the risk.

And patterns aren't always complete... But some of them are worth it just for the envelopes alone.

This whole beautiful bunch of patterns and notions were from just 2 trips to the thrift store.
If you go thrifting, ask if they have a craft section. You never know what you might find!

Now my biggest question is: what do I sew first!?!

Go On, Get Your Thrift On!

Kiss For Luck,
Betty

Sweaters to Sweden and some sewing

I have been sewing, I swear!

Sometimes it seems like so long between respectable blog posts with actual finished projects in
them, But today I will deliver some proof that I still really do craft it up here in the cabin.

These little goodies have long been in the hands of their recipients.

This is yet another western shirt. This one was for my punk-rock college roommate, Sue. I just love her to death, and I'm so glad we are still friends after all these years. I love the way it came out. That is now the pattern I have repeated the most.

This little A line mod mini dress was out of Burda Magazine with embellishments inspired by a Japanese craft book called Buttons and Lace. I got the vintage bark cloth from Diana, my thrifting mentor. And the design was created especially for a very spunky 7 year old who lives in the big apple.

Ullis won the book and Needles... Hooray! Crazy about a crafty Svenska Flicka, any day of the week!

I am sorry I haven't been blogging more.
Last week I got toally caught up in making a new tutorial for Sew, Mama, Sew.
Big Big Thanks to anyone coming over from there and to all the great commenters.
You all rule!
I have a piping tutorial I'm working on and I hit the thrifty vintage sewing motherlode. I promise to reveal all! ( Of the thrift, that is.)
And I have some finished New Vintage Fun just waiting for a photoshoot.

And a special shout out to Susan and Mary B. who sent and left me messages that totally made my day!

Craft On, Craftstars,
Betty

New Vintage Wardrobe Project #21: The Indoor Outdoor Personality Jacket

What we have here is Simplicity 6217 from 1965. One of the few "designer" patterns I have.

I put it together from a couple of yards of indoor out door upholstery fabric that I got off of a remnants table, locally. It adds the extra value of being fade proof and mildew resistant.
So very handy for a forest dweller!

This was my first suit jacket and I did modify the design a little to add the single large button at the neck. That would have looked bad with the floor length skirt ensemble but since mine was made to wear with the linen shirt I made and jeans... It worked perfectly for me.



I have to say I love this jacket. I wear it all the time. The heavy fabric was a little trickier to sew. Actually the sewing was fine. It was the turning and pressing that caused the challenges.
I definitely put my tailor's ham and my sleeve board through their paces getting the lines right. Because of that, this has been on my "to do pile" since last summer. But it's in the closet now!
And I can't wait to do my next suit!
My new trick was used to help highlight the large vintage button . I did my first bound button hole using the instructions from Sally Stitch.

And I did my second full lining installation. I am really starting to appreciate the beauty of linings. First, there are practically no seam treatments needed on a fully lined jacket, and second, there is nothing like adding a really pretty lining to make the indoor-outdoor spring jacket super deluxe... Which is after all, my very favorite flavor.