Photography Date Night

Last Friday, the hubby and I hit downtown with another photographer and his wife for a photography double date night! And it just so happened that I had a brand new dress to wear.

This is the tropical print rayon I snagged in the garment district last year. I finally got to sew something with it! :D

Fabric: rayon ($4/yd)
Pattern: Eva Dress D40-3863
Year: 1943
Notions: snaps
Hours to complete: 5
First worn: June 2012
Total cost: $15

This dress was pretty crazy to make just because I had to do 4 separate FBAs because each layer of the wrap front needed an FBA on each side. It was kind of complicated to figure out but I think it worked out ok.

It was a really fun dress to wear and I think the print looks amazing in these photos.

The other photographer's wife and I took turns being the model so sometimes I got to hold the reflector.

We also went to a hat store down town called Brim. It was super fun trying on hats.

This hat so had my name written all over it!

I also adored this great tilt hat! Alas, both were way out of my budget.

I had such a blast hamming it up for the camera!

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

Voting open for 2012 Eva Dress pattern contest

I entered this lovely piece into the 2012 Eva Dress Pattern Contest and voting is now open! Just pop over to the word press blog to vote. Xandra the woman behind Eva Dress Patterns has included a line in the side bar so you can see all of the entries in each of the four categories. Click on the stars on the entry's page to vote for it but only vote for one entry in each category!

I'm entered in category #1 so feel free to vote for me if you liked this outfit. (here) Please also look at all of the other categories and vote too! There is a $100 Eva Dress Pattern gift certificate on the line in each category so please vote. Voting is open until March 26, 2012 12:00 midnight EST. Also, if you get super inspired by all the entries and want to whip up some of your own Eva Dress Patterns, you can find them online here.

1930s Sewing and Knitting

 

 
I've been wanting to add some 30s style to my wardrobe for so long and I finally did it!

The Facts
⁃ Fabric: rust and cream herringbone wool (free) plus lining from stash
⁃ Pattern: Eva Dress SE30-1399
⁃ Year: 1934
⁃ Notions: snaps ($2.50), buttons ($1.50)
⁃ Time to complete: 5 hours
⁃ First worn: March 2012
⁃ Wear again? Yes! I'm so in love with this matching set! And it's so much warmer and less itchy than I thought it would be.
⁃ Total price: $4

It started out as this huge cape that I got for free in my friend's destash. All I had to do was deconstruct it and voila! yards of free wool! When I saw this piece at the destash, I just knew it was destined for this pattern which was already in my stash. I've been wanting to make it up since I saw This Old Life's version last year. I put it off because I could never afford the large amounts of wool fabric this pattern called for.

I paired it with my 1930s sweater that I finally got finished! I'm so glad that I decided to reknit the back. It fits so much nicer now.

Look! No awkward bulges of fabric!

The most disappointing part of this pattern is in the scarf. It calls for a bound button hole that you are supposed to slide the other end of the scarf through but my fabric is so thick, it won't go through! Oh, well. I just put that side on the back and it's mostly covered.

Adjustments to the pattern:

• I made the cape shorter because I didn't have enough fabric and also left off the arm holes as they weren't necessary for the shorter length.
• I added extra width to the hips because I, ah, .... don't have the ideal 30s figure.
• I made the opening on the side of the skirt much lower. On my wearable muslin, I have to pull it over my head instead of stepping into it. Oh, hips!
• I also shortened it to midcalf as it was a bit long on me.
• And the pleats came out one way on my muslin and another way on the skirt. Not sure which way is right but that's ok.

And I got to wear my 30s style suede gloves from Target! Super cute!

I decided to enter this in the Eva Dress competition so I'll give a shout out when it's time to vote. Hopefully, I'll be able to make the matching blouse next fall/winter!