HSF: #2 UFO

It's Historical Sewing Fortnightly time again! This challenge was the UFO challenge. Alas, I had no historical UFOs so I chose one of the other options and made up an "unfinished idea" instead.

I had planned on making a vintage robe this fall and I'd even bought a pattern and fabric. Alas, when the vintage pattern came, it was missing a piece so I had to return it. :( I did have a 1930s style pj top pattern that I'd found free online a while ago so I snapped up a modern pj pattern for the bottoms and decided to finish my vintage lounge wear after all!

The Challenge: UFO (or UFI in my case.)

Fabric: 3 yds flannel backed satin ($5/yd)

Pattern: Butterick 3314 ($2) and Vera Venus Pattern 30s Style Pj Top (free)
Year: 1930s-ish

Notions: bias binding (stash), elastic (stash)

How historically accurate is it? Not really. The pants are modern but I did add some width to make them more 30s wide legged style. The blouse is 30s style but I'm not sure how accurate it is, not having made any 30s pjs before. So, we'll put it in the "inspired" category.
Hours to complete: 3 or so

First worn: January 27 to sleep in
Total cost: $17

Oh, these are so much more glamorous than my usual pjs!

***Edit*** So I slept in them last night and the armholes on the blouse are too small for sleeping! They were ok when I was just lounging around but I think I need to find some smaller bias binding so they'll be just a tad bigger.

30s Wool for Winter

When it is not going to get above 20F all day and you have to be in a building with no central heat, dressing warm is a must!

So out came my 1930s me made skirt and cape set!

It's Eva Dress SE30-1399 that I made last year for the Eva Dress Contest.

Alas, my yellow sweater is too big now since I was only half way through my weight loss when I made it last year. So I paired it with a green sweater and vintage green velvet beret.

I also got some new boots! They have a faux fur lining and are so warm!

I did attempt to wave my hair but I think I took it out before it was dry so it didn't take.

The whole ensemble kept me very cozy!

I love this cape! :D

Youtube: Pixie Wave

Waves are a great look for the 20s and 30s! Pixies, however, are often too short for pincurl waves or waves done with a curling iron. Here's how to get a great wave look from a pixie cut!



Have longer hair? I find this method works best for me when I have longer hair.

A Knitting Conundrum

It is still hot here but the weather is supposed to be turning deliciously fall-ish tomorrow and continue that what for a while. But I'm so ready for fall and knitting! I'm almost done with my spring knitting project so it's time for fall knitting! (Since I kind of missed my planned summer project... )

My husband won me some yummy cranberry worsted weight wool yarn this summer so I'll be using it for my fall project. I've been trolling Ravelry for some yummy patterns.

This comfy sweater has a hood!

This darling bolero is also super cute!

This sweater has a darling lace pattern.

My vintage options are this 40s cardigan.

Or this Swagger Coat from A Stitch In Time Vol. 2 but I'd have to do a shorter version.

Oh, decisions, decisions! I'm leaning towards the bolero (possibly lengthening the sleeves) or the mustard lace sweater. I've got less than 20 rows left on my current sweater and I'm all excited to cast on a new project. What pattern do you like best?

To Save a Vintage Purse

I have to start this post off by saying I have some generous friends, especially lately. Quite a few people have passed on their family vintage treasures to me. It's one thing for me to have something that belonged to my great-grandmother or my husband's grandma and quite another thing to be entrusted with someone else's loved one's belongings. The latest treasure to come my way is this lovely vintage purse that needs a little tlc.

 The funny thing about vintage purses is that I'm super picky about them and have yet to buy one myself. All of the vintage purses I have were given to me and I love them all. Weird.

The handle is coming apart so I'll have to sew it back together. That part I think I can handle.

It's also missing the top part of the latch. The fabric here has a big hole. Any suggestions on how to work with this? I was thinking maybe trying to make a loop of bias tape. I'm not sure the fabric would hold up to another real purse latch and I'm not sure I could remove the other half safely or find a new latch to fit with the old part.

I'm not sure how to clean it either. This purse had been living in a basement before it came to me, so I wiped it down with a damp cloth. I'd like to do a more thorough cleaning but I don't know were to go from here.

Have you ever brought a vintage treasure back to life?

A Wearing History Kind of a Day

The weather has finally hit a bit of a dip in the temperature department. So instead of dressing for triple digits this weekend, I got to dress for highs in the 90s.

Cool was the name of the game so I opted for light cotton pieces. The blouse is made from Wearing History's Smooth Sailing pattern and the skirt is based on Wearing History's Sailor Playsuit pattern.

I whipped the skirt up Saturday evening and here are the facts.

Fabric: broadcloth of some kind (given to me by a friend)
 Pattern: Wearing History's Sailor Playsuit but I took out the button placket in favor of a side zipper
Year: 1940s
Notions: zipper ($2) (woot for having the perfect pink zip in my stash!)
Time to complete: just a few hours
First worn: July 2012
Wear again? Yup. The zipper is not the most amazing but my theory on zippers is that functional is good enough especially when you only have 1/2" seam allowance. I think it will be a nice basic in my wardrobe if a bright pink can be considered a basic. Somehow, the drafting went arry and my waist band was too small for the skirt. I think part of it was due to not stay stitching so the skirt pieces stretched. I made it work.
Total cost: $2

I had a good hair day too. I think my color is starting to fade already. :( I am going to pick a different shade next time because this one has a blue base and the hubby thinks it's weird.

I've been planning my Costume College wardrobe and it really hit me that a lot of my me made vintage pieces are Wearing History especially in my summer wardrobe!

But with such cute and versatile designs, it's hard not to reach for these patterns again and again!

Summer Sewing and Knitting plans

I haven't posted any sewing plans lately so I thought I'd do some to help me get motivated. It's gotten hot lately and I need summer clothes.

First up: Circle skirt

I adore circle skirts and have decided that I need another one. My husband surprised me one day a few weeks ago by bringing me home some lovely fabric. It's a quilting cotton, but that's fine for circle skirts and because it's cotton, it will breathe and that's perfect for summer. Despite the length and gobs of fabric, I find them actually quite cool especially with a crinoline (or pooffer as they are called in my house) since they are light and keep the skirt fabric off your legs. Plus, there's all that space for air circulation.

Next: Dressing Downton Half Circle Skirt

This was supposed to be my May Dressing Downton project, but that didn't happen. I'm planning on doing a half circle skirt again but shorter since the appropriately deep red fabric in my stash is not long enough for a full length skirt. I'm almost 100% sure that Mary's skirt is not a half circle skirt. It has some kind of seam that goes part way down the front. I'm thinking it might be some kind of yoke??? All I know is that it is there. I got the blue ray of season 2 and you can see everything! (Well, almost everything.) Anyways, my fabric is just the right shade to go with my new 40s hat and I just bought a great 40s sheer blouse so this project is going to be a 40s inspired Downton Abbey look.

Thirdly: blouses

I've been toying with the idea of playing with my back buttoning blouse pattern and switching it up to be front buttoning. I have some stash fabrics that would work well with this. I also have some fabric for another Wearing History Smooth Sailing Blouse.

Next: Costume College things

I have one skirt I need to make for Costume College to go with my Dressing Downton blouses. I think I've decided against making a corset because I will need a new one for my Renaissance dress and I don't think I'll have time/finances for two new corsets.

More: Renaissance dress

This needs a new corset plus everything needs taken in plus my original plans for this dress which include more trim, interchangeable sleeves and maybe a new underskirt. And there is another accessory/sleeve bit that came with this pattern that I do want to make eventually. We'll see how much of this actually happens but I do want it to be wearable! I also wanted to make a simple skirt and top to wear under my corset for a more peasant-y look but I doubt that'll happen this year.

Lastly: Mending/UFOs

I got through a lot of my mending/resizing during Me-Made May but I still have a few things that need work. Also I have a 50s blouse and 40s dress UFOs that need finishing.

And I've also been pondering my next knitting project. I've been pouring over my giant book of vintage knitting fabulousness (aka A Stitch in Time Vol 2) for my next knitting project. I'm torn between wanting to try a more summery project or get started early on something more fall appropriate since it probably won't be done till near September anyways. My goal is 4 big knitting projects this year so this next one will be my July/August/September project. Here are some that have been catching my eye lately:

Dinah's Lacy Jumper for a fun summer project. I've decided that I really like lace work (and really hate tiny ribbing).

The Lavenda Droplet Jumper is lovely for fall. Plus it has the benefit of being mostly stockinette stitch.

The Jan sweater has been a popular one with many knitters and looks just delightful.

Simple- But So Attractive is a favorite of mine, but with the long sleeves this would be a major project and I'm not sure I'm up for that yet.

The Tailored Cape Stole would be a practical and (hopefully) easy project.

I've still got some work to do on my Ribbon Threaded Jumper but I've got all the separate pieces done so I just need to finish knitting the yoke and do all of the finishing and sewing up.

Disney: The End

So this Disney post is a long time coming but on my last day of vacation, I didn't get any outfit shots on my camera. They were all on my phone! So now that I've finally figured out how to get them back off of my phone, here they are!

Fabric: sheets (free), gingham ($6)
 Pattern: Wearing History's Chic Ahoy!
Year: 1930s
Notions: Buttons ($9), snaps (stash), hooks and eyes (stash), belt (thrifted)
Time to complete: a while-the top required 3 muslins...
First worn: Downtown Disney
Wear again? Yes! I was a bit nervous about the pants but they are crazy fun to wear. I was able to raise the back on the top so that I can wear a strapless bra with it so I envision wearing it a lot this summer.
Total cost: $15

Sewing wise, muslins are going to be a must for this pattern. I did a bit of pre-adjusting to the bottoms using another pair of vintage shorts pattern that I'd already gotten perfect, but they had to make some more changes. The biggest thing I wanted to change was the location of the crotch. As is common with vintage pants, the crotch is much lower than we wear it today. The top also needed muslins. I had to move the bust points and I also brought the neckline up. The biggest change I made was to raise the back of the top so I could wear a strapless bra with it. I so do not have a 30s sized chest! I used a strip of selvage on the top seam of the back to stabilize it. It's cut on the bias so I didn't want the top to stretch out and sag. So far so good!

I also made the little bolero that went with it but in Florida, I didn't really need it. Next time I wear this, I promise more pictures!

Updated Disney Wardrobe

Because what else do I have to think about. My original one is here.

I've got two Wearing History patterns in my "suitcase". I made the sailor playsuit last summer and have adjusted it for fit so it's ready to go. The chic ahoy! pattern is still in progress. The jacket is done and the shorts just need closures. I haven't even started on the blouse but I'm going to get cracking.

Colette Patterns are also coming along. I made a macaroon that I've had the fabric for forever. I also finished a long standing beignet UFO with pirate fabric. I had some crazy issues with bad snaps, half of which fell off and the other half wouldn't come off. Thanks to my weight loss, I just cut them off and reworked the front of the skirt from there.

I'm bringing along my polka dotted back button blouse. I'm also working on this cute 60s playsuit that the lovely Brittany of Va Voom Vintage sent me. Super cute and it's a stash busting project. Just have to get some buttons for it.

And I also have a refashion project coming along. This 30s dress from Past Patterns was just the ticket to help a 70s does 30s dress go a bit more 30s. It had some damage at the zipper because it was a jersey dress sewn with regular stitches so I needed some repairs anyways. I left the top mostly the same but changed the skirt to this one and added the belt.

Last but not least is a circle skirt because I can't not bring one of those.

Yesterday, I decided that I'd better get looking for a swimsuit if I wanted one. Now, I'm not usually a swimming kind of a gal. I don't even remember the last time I was in a pool. So my swim suits, while in good condition, are from high school. And even though I've just lost gobs of weight, I do not have that body anymore. So I did some serious etsy scouring and had no luck with vintage suits. I couldn't have one made because they wouldn't be done in time but then I stumbled upon this one:

It's from Fables by Barrie and modeled by the lovely Bernie Dexter. Super cute, retro, multi-sized and on sale. And it will be rounding out my wardrobe. Not sure why I could get by in Florida for a week without a swimsuit but now I have one.

Spring Stash Busting

Although life has been school, school, school lately, my brain has been thinking extra about sewing to make up for not getting to actually sew much. So here's a peak of what's been floating around in my brain and some in real life. And as a plus, it's all stash busting! Woot!

 I'm dubbing this dress the ice cream social dress. It's from this 1940s pattern:

The twill has pink and black pinstripes and makes me feel like I should have an ice cream cone in one hand.

This darling pink fabric needs to be a Wearing History Smooth Sailing blouse. So 30s!

I have this chartreuse linen/linen look fabric and I can't decide if I like it or not. I think it might look interesting in this 40s Butterick reprint but I've not decided. I need some opinions. The photo color is pretty close to the actual color of the fabric.

I've also whipped up another stash busting back button blouse and I've got another one waiting in the wings. And Wearing History's Chic Ahoy pattern is in the works. I just need a trip to Jo-Ann's for a few things. I'm super excited about my stash busting progress. There is actually starting to be a bit of space in my fabric drawers! *gasp* At this rate I'll be at a nice, reasonable sized stash in no time.

Vintage and Knitting

I finished another knitting project from A Stitch in Time Vol. 2! I decided to go with something a bit more simple this time around and knitted a beret! I wasn't exactly thinking about what I could wear this with when I picked out my color of yarn but it happens to go great with this vintage dress.

This dress is something I haven't been able to fit into for a while but I put it on this week and it makes me feel amazing! No supportive undergarments needed.

I just pinned the beret onto my curled and brushed out hair and it looks super cute.

This pattern called for the hat to be knitted flat and then sewn up the back. My back seam was really ugly but the bow covers it nicely.

It was quite simple to knit up. Just knit stitches and the decreases made a lovely swirl pattern on the top.

And can I just say that it is really hard to photograph the back/top of your own head!

I hope the weather cools off so I can wear this beret again before summer hits. (It's knit out of wool.)

My computer has been acting really weird the last couple of days and I think it may be on it's last leg. I'm going to try and use it as long as it will last but if I disappear for many days, it probably kicked the bucket. I get facebook on my iPhone so feel free and pop over to my facebook page to stay up with all things Girl with the Star-Spangled Heart.