To Garden in Style

I have to admit that gardening is not my favorite activity but I help out with the 1st - 5th graders at church and they grow a garden every year. It was just too perfect of a place to show off my latest sewing project!

I conquered denim and sewed up some overalls!

Fabric: cotton denim 7 oz. ($13/yd)
Pattern: Wearing History WWII Homefront 1940s overalls
Year: 1940s
Notions: jean buttons ($4)
Hours to complete: 14
First worn: May 2012
Total cost: ~$25

When I saw Wearing History's latest pattern, I knew I just had to have it and make a pair (or three!)

So far I've made the playsuit in blue linen as a wearable muslin, these overalls, and a pair of denim shorts! You can bet you'll be seeing loads of this pattern from me this summer!

I did make a few muslins of the short part first just because I know my shape is no where near the ideal 40s shape. Since the pattern said it ran a bit snug in the hips and I was between hip sizes, I went with the larger size and had plenty of room. I definitely recommend muslining this pattern just because the 40s pant shape can look frumpy real fast if they don't properly.

And for just a bit of effort, these came out very comfortable but still super flattering! So many other 40s overall patterns and repro overalls just look frumpy and manly but these are so cute and feminine!

These took a while to make because I did double topstitching on most of the seams. Note to self, next time you want to do this much double topstitching, buy the double needle! It wasn't hard. I just had to go slow to make it look good.

In fact, the pattern sewed up just swimmingly until I got to the buttons and button holes. My machine gave me a bit of attitude when doing the button holes so there was a bit of weeping and gnashing of teeth but I made it through all of them. Then I got jean buttons that are two pieces that you hammer together through the fabric. NEVER AGAIN! It was sooo hard to hammer in straight and they kept getting all bent and then I'd have to try and rip them out with pliers without destroying the overalls.

On my playsuit, I did do a button hole under the pocket but it was such a pain! And I really had to do the wiggle dance to get my hips in, so I lowered the opening on the overalls. (If you're hips are big for your waist size, you'll probably need to do this too.) So I just did two snaps under the pocket instead.

I decided to line the bodice, waist band and pockets with this cute bird fabric instead of using bias binding. It gives a really nice clean finish. Plus it's so fun!

I paired the overalls with my Wearing History Smooth Sailing blouse.

I just adore my new overalls! I want to make another pair (and the pants too!) but I think I need a break from sewing denim for a while.

Baking in Style

I adore baking! And I've been wanting to make a larger apron to really protect me while baking. I'd been eying Wearing History's 1940s Apron pattern for a while and I finally got around to sewing it this month.

I used a green quilting cotton with red flowers and lavender bias binding. This pattern uses a lot of bias binding and it has every shape imaginable that you have to bind-inside corners, outside corners, shallow curves, sharp curves, sweetheart shapes...... But Lauren has a slew of amazing bias binding tutorials on her blog that makes life a whole lot easier!

The heart shaped pockets where the most difficult part but once you get past them it was quick and easy.

I suppose you could swap them out for patch pockets of a different shape but really the hearts are just too cute! :D

Sassy Shorts!

I made these cute pleated shorts as a last minute, secret Costume College project for the Carmen Miranda Pool party.

Fabric: teal cotton twill
 Pattern: Wearing History Rita Shorts
Year: late 30s/early 40s repro
Notions: zipper, hooks and eyes
First worn: August 2012
Wear again? Of course! I actually ended up wearing these three times at Costume College! The pleats make these shorts super fun to wear and they look just like a skirt. The only thing is that they are short and voluminous so I have to be careful not to bend over in these shorts. I'm really thinking that I need a pair in white with contrasting top stitching! And a pair with the suspenders!

They are super flattering from behind!

These shorts were very easy to whip up. I ended up making 2 muslins and wearable muslin, but I went against my gut and cut out a size smaller. If I'd cut the larger size, I'd probably only have needed to do one muslin. I did my wearable muslin in a plaid (oy, don't ask me why) and on that pair, it's much more obvious that they are shorts and not a skirt because my plaid doesn't match up exactly at the center seams. Just keep that in mind if you want to use a fabric that needs stripe/plaid/print matching.

The pattern directions were very easy to follow. It includes a nice step by step lapped zipper insertion. I loved lapped zippers! They are so 40s! This pattern even includes extra seam allowance on the side seams to make the lapped zipper insertion easier. I may never sew a lapped zipper with less than 3/4" seam allowance again because it was sooooo much easier than with 5/8" or 1/2".

I paired them with my 40s style wedges for a super fun outfit! I'm so happy that I made these with enough summer left to really enjoy them.

Costume College: Thursday

Most people wear as much sweatshirt material on their person as possible while flying. I prefer a cute early 60s dress.

Alas, I did not get any pictures of me frolicking around in the airport or garment district in this dress so I wore it again on Sunday with my new petticoat for some pictures!

Fabric: quilting fabric ($5.50/yd)
 Pattern: Simplicity 4326
Year: early 1960s
Notions: buttons
First worn: August 2012
Wear again? Yes! And I'll probably sew with this pattern again! It's a great shirtwaist dress pattern and fits me wonderfully! With a different collar, it could easily work for 50s too.
Total cost: ~$20

I know sewing garments with quilting fabric is a big no no, but I just couldn't resist these cute little 50s/60s girls!

I wore my new crinoline and was super poofy! I do not recommend a crinoline for air travel though.

I paired this dress with a velvet vintage black belt.

Thursday night at Costume College was also the Carmen Miranda pool party. I didn't get any shots but here are a few from around the web.

From Lady Carolyn

Me and Lauren M. She had a great fringed white dress and butterfly turban like the one at the end of this post. I wore my Mexican blouse and my new Wearing History Rita shorts. These shorts will be getting their own in depth review post later but they are so awesome! At least there's still enough summer left to enjoy them properly.

From Val of Time Traveling in Costume

Me and Ginger. She also went 40s with a fabulous vintage chenille cape.

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!

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.

Some 1930s Sewing

 On thing I really wanted to sew this year was more blouses to go with my Freddies of Pinewood jeans and ones that would be work appropriate. Modern blouses just look too odd with the 1940s style jeans for my tastes. So I whipped up Wearing History's Smooth Sailing blouse in this cute green leaf print that I bought and was supposed to make up about a year ago. (Please excuse my crazy hair! Not only was I having an uncooperative hair day today but it was super windy.)

My first attempt at this blouse did not go to well fitting wise. Not only do vintage patterns have small sleeves, apparently, I have chunky arms. So this time I was prepared and redrafted the sleeves.Voila! They fit. (And, hey, I just realized that I also wore last year's version for last year's first day of school too!)

About the same time that I picked up the blouse fabric, I got this green corduroy for Wearing History's Sporty Toppers view 1.

I started on this hat back in June but then I froze when I got to the bow detail in the back. I'm not the kind of person who can whip up a cute looking bow. Mine always look at bit kindergarten-y. Add in an unexpected  trip to Maine and you have a great recipe for a UFO. So I decided to finish this up when I made the blouse.

I'm still not solid on the styling for the hat. One of the pictures on the hat pattern cover looks like the edges are turned up so I've been playing around with that. I do feel like I should be a great lady golfer in it though! (But that may be because it's called a sporty topper.)

The pattern was very easy to follow just like the last time I used it. I'm still a beginner milliner but this hat went very well once I actually sat down to finish it. This hat is a smidge tight just like the other one I made from this pattern, but that's what I get for not making a muslin.

Lounging Around

Yesterday I finished up these lovely Beach/Lounging Pyjamas!


Fabric: 4 yds floral print from stash ($6/yd I think...), 1/2 yd red shiney stuff, red ribbon salvaged from too small sweater
Pattern: Wearing History 3017
Year: 1930s
Notions: buttons ($3)
Time to complete: 6 hours (next go round should be much quicker!)
First worn: October 2011
Wear again? Yes!!!!! I'm so in love with this outfit! It's terribly fun to wear and super comfy. Much cuter than my normal pjs.

Total cost: ~$27

I had several hiccups while making this pattern that made for slow going. I didn't make a muslin and the hips hit in a different area than I thought they would. Now, my hips are 12" larger than my waist so I usually grade up several sizes in the hips. I actually made this up in size 18 which is for 1" smaller than my waist. It's a pretty loose garment and I did measure before cutting but I measured the wrong area for hips. I did end up removing 1" from the blouse portion and then it was a bit small for the pants portion. I made it work though! Next time I'll remove the length from the middle before I cut fabric.

Also, I discovered that there 4 buttons in the pattern design were not enough. So, I made a trip to Jo-Ann's for more buttons and I'm now up to 7. And, despite careful measuring, my waist ties were not level so I had to take one off and put it back on. And the fabric was slippery and required lots of pinning.

Ok, on to the things that went well.

I used French seams and bias binding so the inside is all pretty! I got my machine's button holes to look nice so no bound button holes! They are crazy fun to wear! And I've already bought some more material for a winter version as this one is a bit chilly with no sleeves.

And, lastly, tips for those of you who want to make this pattern.Do make it because it's crazy fun to wear!

• Watch the arm holes as they are kind of small.
• I made size 18 and squeezed it into 4 yds of 60" fabric though I think I'd get 4.5 yds in the future just to be safe.
• Add more buttons to the back.
• There are no illustrations in this pattern and they are not as detailed as modern directions. The sewing isn't too difficult but I wouldn't suggest this as a sewer's first vintage pattern.

I'm still on the fence about wearing this outside the house but my husband's response was "Those are pyjamas? It looks like a regular dress to me." so that's pretty encouraging.

SSS and School

Day 7: Snazy Pants

You've seen these already but here they are again. I worked so pants were a must. Hopefully I'll get another pair done before the end of September.

Day 8: My Comfy Outfit

I love this ensemble. My Pendrell blouse is so comfortable. I wore this for a full 16 hours in the car one road trip and it was awesome! So, when I woke up on the wrong side of the bed and it was my longest day of the week, this is what I pulled.

Day 9: 40's Fab

Today I wore my Wearing History Sailor Playsuit skirt with a 40s style peasant blouse. I just love the shape of this skirt. It's very flattering and comfortable, plus it's not so huge like a circle skirt where I feel like I can't do any work in it.

Sew Weekly: Nautical

I was quite excited to find out that this week's Sew Weekly challenge was nautical. Not only was nautical my summer sewing theme, but I had the perfect UFO to whip up! I've been pretty busy and haven't gotten to do Sew Weeklies lately. And after this week, I'll be furiously working on the Renaissance dress and probably won't be doing any more for a while. :(

Anyways, here it is!

Fabric: same as the rest of the Sailor Playsuit
Pattern: Wearing History's 1940s Sailor Playsuit skirt
Year: 1940s
Notions: button
Time to complete: 4 hours
First worn: July 2011
Wear again? Yes! I really love this skirt! I was not planning on loving this part of the playsuit, but it really is a nice 40s shape! And I can totally see it non-nautical in a different color palette.

No bound button holes! I gave in and did machine button holes. H

I also finished another hat last week!

Fabric: 1 yd quilting cotton ($5/yd)
Pattern: Wearing History's Sporty Toppers view IV
Year: 1930s
Notions: 6 buttons ($3), millinery crinoline ($6)
Time to complete: 3 hours
First worn: July 2011
Wear again? Probably. It's really more floppy than I wanted, so I'll definitely look for more stiff crinoline next time. It also ended up a smidge tight around my head, so I'll make the head hole a bit bigger next time. Also, the print on the fabric is not terribly period, but it will be a good sun hat for this summer. I'll probably have another go next summer. And since my hair is so short, it likes to poke awkwardly through the holes in the top.

Outfit:
shirt: Walmart ($5!)
skirt: me made
hat: me made
jewelry: vintage from my great-grandmother