Mail order 4853

This is mail order 4853, in the red/white/blue houndstooth I bought for $1 per yard in LA.

One of my favourite things about vintage patterns is how accurate the illustrations are, and this frock looks very similar to the picture, now. The collar piece, however, was enormous. Handy for hiding a neck brace perhaps, but not how I pictured it would be from the cover of the pattern. This is what it was like straight out of the envelope:

I chopped off about 2 cm all around and I like it much better.
It may have been the nature of the fabric which meant the collar didn't stand up very well I suppose, but even when I held it folded up, it still looked too big.

I also had a bit of a struggle with sewing the front panel to the yoke section, there was a lot of extra fabric on the edges next to the gathers. The instructions were sparse, so I just sewed it on matching the notches. It looked okay, so I cut off the excess. Thanks go to Moggy who talked me down on both issues. My new mantra: 'don't overthink the sewing'.

The fabric feels like a thick cotton blend. I did a burn test and there was a big flame but it didn't burn up much fabric, the fabric sort of just hardened. The smell was sort of like a wood fire. I have no idea what that means.
This fabric frays aggressively, and I doubt overlocking will contain it for long. After cutting and handling briefly, the edges looked fringed. So this may only last a wash or two.
But! One.dollar.a.yard.

'nother fauxlero

Made another Vogue 2980 this afternoon. This time with the long sleeves, in the knit I bought from Darn Cheap back in February.

What more can I say? I love this pattern, so quick to make and nice to wear.

my weekend

I decided I need some more staples (no, not office supplies... mmm, office supplies) rather, I needed some skirts and tops.

Two skirts with some help from Madame L'embroidery Machine:

The grey one was actually made last weekend and is reversible - cherry one side, swallow the other. I didn't put a picture of the black one, just the atomic boomerang, because I couldn't get a good picture.

Note: while I think these skirts look daggy in pictures, they are actually saucy in person. I used the bottom half of the McCall 5700 dress I used for the shamrock frock which makes for a nice highwaisted skirt (they are both out of doubleknit with a wide elastic waist, as I will wear tops over them)

I made a shortsleeve version of Vogue 2980 Fauxlero in a lovely soft snowleopard print knit

The instructions aren't the best. I'm going to make this again soon, so I am telling my Future Self to remember to put the side pleats on the inside, not the outside, since it is a bit puffy this way.

I also made the Vogue 2925 quick top (with side bewb gathers) as trialled by Kitty. Once again this looks daggesque in the pic and on Jane, but better on (yeah, yeah, I should take pics on me then shouldn't I?)

I also did some practice stitch-outs on some felt. Love those beakers!
These designs are from Embroidery library -they have some cool designs and are very helpful. I got some excellent Dia De Los Meurtos and robot designs as well.

I also reorganised the sewing bench and pegboard to make room for the embroidery machine and supplies
and contemplated a retro lab look for my bathroom (hopefully to be renovated at the end of the year)

Simplicity 6990

Dress for Signorina Quattro's birthday next month:


It's vintage simplicity 6990, in the 1970s seersucker bought at the vintage fair last month. It has an 8.25cm hem, so it can be let down as she shoots up.

Edited to add:
I made a reversible pursible for her too! I made it a little bigger than half size, for cuteness! It's reversible, but I used the same fabric for both sides:

Back on the eBay wagon

It seems like I haven't bought a pattern on eBay for ages, but I couldn't resist this cute frock:
It's mail order 4853, and the mail order envelope says it is from "Western Farm Life" which I assume is/was a publication? It also has the "Carole Clarke Fashion Service" on the return address line.
I'll need a fabric which won't hide those gathers, they're my favourite part!

Sister Navy of the Beutrons, reprised. Plus - Sydney Vintage Fair Kittyhaul

I made this frock last year, but I never wore it. I think it was the huuuuge collar. It was too much for me.
So I gave it to my friend S, who has been wearing it and loves it. She can handle the hugeness and whiteness of the collar, yay!

I still love the dress, so I made another for myself this weekend only I cut the collar quite a bit smaller. I also left a bit more room across the chest, but may have taken it in a bit too much around the waist...I'll see how I go but I may have to let it out a bit.
Moggy and I have been doing the mid-zip lately. I like a back zip myself, as I find side zips often go a bit bumpy and ruin the line of the frock on me (probably because I make my frocks too tight!) but having a zip going right to the back neckline often looks a bit messy at the top, at least when I do it with my patented slapdash methods. The mid-back zip is the perfect solution, as long as the neckline has enough room for your head to pass through. Here's a pic of the mid-zip on this frock:
Neat! Only after I had finished the frock did I realise that I now have to pull it over my head, so I will have to be careful about makeup smudges on that white collar. A zip right up to the top like I put in the first version, allowing me to step into and out of the frock, would have been more practical. D'oh!

Moggy came up to Sydney last weekend and we went to the Sydney Vintage Fair. Here's the Kittyhaul:
One frock pattern with nice drapey bodice detail; 3.7 metres of 70s floral cotton seersucker; a gorgeous handbag; and a barkcloth curtain, about 2 metres in length, which I plan to hang on the wall. Lovely!
It was nice to meet a couple of you at the fair, who recognised our frocks! Thanks for saying hello!

More stitchinks

I had other play with the embroidery machine today.
I found some sweet free designs on the net - the swallow from Skully on SewForum.com, and the raygun from Henry's Home Page - he's one productive chap!

I bought some felt the other day, as it is meant to be good for test stitching designs.

They turned out well, so I made a cozy for the iPod out of them:



I think Mr Touchy McTouch will feel happy in there, it is lined with silk satin - luxurious!

First embroidery (almost)

Here is my first go at the new embroidery machine (well, I did stitch out a one-colour word first, but that isn't very exciting, ergo the 'almost').

I found the design one of the myriad sites on the internet with free embroidery (there are rayguns! and robots! and skulls! and dinosaurs!).



The white bits are the bobbin thread coming through - I need to do a bit of tension adjustment.

It is rather fun. I am investigating threads and stabilisers and all sorts of supplies. There is also the world of 'digitising' which is making one's very own designs for the machine... I think that is a way off though.

This weekend I'll be having a play making an iPod Touch cover with embroidered felt this weekend.

Latest book aquisitions

Recently I have added a few of extra sewing / pattern cutting books to the collection, to wit:

Donald McCunn How to make sewing patterns (first published 1973, this edition 1981, still being reprinted) bought from Lost and Found.
This looks like a self-published book that has gone through many editions and is still going strong. It covers making patterns to your own measurements (rather than standard ones like most pattern cutting books). I haven't made anything from it yet but I think it will be useful.

Like many of these sorts of books some reviews say that the illustrations are 'out of date'. Use your imagination, people!

This will go well with Adele Margolis' Make Your Own Dress Patterns I bought from Dover Publications a while ago.
Now this one covers all style bases by having drawings from every decade from the 50s to the 80s...

I also picked up a copy of the 1979 printing of the Kwik Sew Method For Sewing Lingerie by Kerstin Martensson.
(Not to be confused with 1990's Kwik Sew Beautiful Lingerie). I bought this off eBay without knowing much about it because I couldn't find a review of it. Well, if you ever wanted to sew a panty-girdle this is the book for you (rest assured, I am not about to do that). However it does have good instructions for all sorts of other lingerie including slips and knickers and whatnot.
Be warned she seems a little too fond of nylon tricot... a reflection of the times perhaps. The Kwik Sew Lingerie House would be fraught with danger for those prone to static shocks.

The master pattern included is for nighties and gowns, which are covered in a chapter. You'll need to supply your own patterns for the knickers, slips/petticoats etc but these are still readily available from Kwik Sew if you are a fan of the generous coverage pin-up style 'panties' (that word amuses me for some reason).

pretty parasols

I'm off to Sydney this weekend to join Kitty for an excursion to the Sydney Vintage Show, so of course I had to make a new frock.

This is another version of Simplicity 3774. Although for some odd reason it is a bit small - either I did smaller seams last time, or I've grown a bit.... I might have to bust out the superstrength girdle!
The fabric is a pretty parasol print cotton (I think) that I bought five or so years ago in the LA fabric district and has been maturing in the stash.


Oh, and I might also have accidentaly have bought one of these...

Butterick 8056

This is an 'inspired by' frock. I saw a similar frock at H&M when I was in Los Angeles. (I won't link to the H&M website, there's not much there and it's a slow-to-load flash site. Why do fashion retailers love flash so much?) I would have bought it if it hadn't been too short. No problem, I thought, I'll knock it off. I went through the pattern stash and found Butterick 8056 which was pretty close to what I was looking for. As I was using a knit, I folded out the darts, apart from the bust darts, and left out the zip.

The H&M frock had a waist seam, but I didn't do that because it would have added bulk in this double knit fabric. The shoulder buttons were what made the dress in my opinion; I used green ones I bought in the LA fashion district, the original frock was black with black buttons.

Lalaland

I haven't been sewing lately, because I've been here:




I bought a few pieces of fabric:
one yard of 'midcentury modern' quilting cotton -
one yard of 'frida kahlo' quilting cotton-
and three yards of red/white/blue houndstoothy plaid suiting. $1 per yard!

Meanwhile, my house now smells like fresh baked apple pie, thanks to this candle I bought on sale while I was in LA. Mmm, pie.