Sew for Victory, the 1940s-themed sew-along challenge that Rochelle is running for the second year, has been going strong! And I'm finished up with my project. (Speaking of which, did you see Rochelle's adorable Tula Pink meets Wearing History blouse yesterday??) A couple of weeks ago you got to see my Sew for Victory wearable muslin, and today I'm sharing my finished dress. Now, this is nowhere near as complicated ... Read more »
Fun with tab closures, plus a Craftsy class giveaway!
Hello everyone, I'm here with another post for my series with Craftsy, plus a fun little giveaway for you, too! Recently, I had the pleasure of taking a new class, Creative Closures: 8 Unique Techniques, taught by Marsha McClintock. I've learned over the last year or so that I absolutely adore the look of creative embellishment on clothing, but I tend not to like things too fussy as I'll just admire them in the ... Read more »
Stripes and denim
I think I say this a lot, but I feel like I don't do enough outfits posts around here that aren't just me-made reveals. What do think–would you like to see more? (Admittedly some might just be seeing me-made items accessorized in different manners.) Well whether you would or would not, you get one today! On Friday evening, we went out to dinner with my inlaws. I went casual in a striped knit tee from Pinup Girl ... Read more »
Antiquing, a huge pig, a garden party dress & Indie Untangled launch
First and foremost, I wanted to say a huge thank you for all of the wonderful birthday wishes I received last week here and across social media! ♥ ♥ I really did have a great birthday, and thank you all for helping with that. :) To cap off my birthday week, we headed up to Wisconsin on Saturday. One of the things we did was go to an antique mall. It's not necessarily the most amazing one (which we knew as we'd been ... Read more »
My birthday balloon dress (aka Sew for Victory wearable muslin)
Happy birthday to meeee! It's a pretty great day. Spring is finally here (omg, a few things are even blooming and the grass is slowly turning from brown back to green!). We're taking a trip to Dublin at the end of the month and I just can't wait. I have a fabulous gift from Mel waiting for me to open later (yes, I already know what it is). And I love birthdays! Last year, I sewed a wrap dress for my birthday. Ironically ... Read more »
Afternoon Blouse: Jennifer Lauren Vintage pattern testing
You may have heard last week that Jennifer Lauren Vintage released her first sewing pattern! It's a darling basic blouse with a vintage appeal, and is quick to sew together, hence the name 'afternoon' blouse. Now, why do I know this? Because I was one of her lucky pattern testers! The blouse really is a nice and easy make, and that was one of Jen's goals. It was based on an original 1950s blouse pattern but she ... Read more »
Easter Parade dress
I know, I know, back so soon and with another dress! If pirate treasure map prints aren't your thing, how about dancing bunnies? I've named this dress after the 1948 film Easter Parade, featuring Judy Garland and Fred Astaire, because that just seemed like the right thing to do with fabric featuring dancing bunnies and carrots, right? It's another version of the same 40s pattern I've used for my last two dresses. Lots ... Read more »
The Cliffs of Insanity dress
First and foremost, I wanted to say a big thank you to everyone on all their kind comments about the release of my pattern, Nisse! It's done very well so far and I was a little bit floored to even see it on the top 20 "hot right now" patterns on Ravelry for over a day. Whoa. I don't really expect to design patterns all that often, although I say this having one design about 70% done (although honestly I don't intend to ... Read more »
Mastering zippers with the help of Craftsy
Today is my first collaboration with Craftsy! I revisited a class that I already had viewed, actually. It's the (free!) Mastering Zipper Techniques with Sunni Standing. The class covers invisible zippers, slot seam zippers and lapped zippers. The really nice part is that it also covers inserting a slot seam zipper with a lining, and an invisible zipper with a lining and facing. I think Sunni is The Woman for ... Read more »
Nisse: knitting pattern release
Friends, it's been a long time coming, but my second knitting pattern is finally released! Meet Nisse. Nisse is a whimsical little stranded hat inspired by folk-and-novelty themed patterns of the 1940s and 1950s. It features little fellows called nisse, tiny household spirits from Scandinavian folklore, but you might know them as gnomes. They’re helpfully harvesting carrots in the garden. This hat is a little ... Read more »
Partnering with Craftsy
Hello everyone! Boy, do I have an exciting announcement to share with you today. I've been hush-hush about this until now, but I've recently teamed up with Craftsy to bring you some pretty awesome content right here on By Gum, By Golly. Yes, Craftsy. I know! Pretty fantastic, right? Over the course of the next several months, I'm going to be writing periodic posts sharing my experiences taking some of Craftsy's ... Read more »
Make do and mend (literally)
Happy Friday! It's a gorgeous one here, and I'm in a great mood because Spring is finally arriving in bits and pieces! Not to mention the fact that I discovered I'd completely forgotten I had the afternoon off work, so I excitedly sat down at my sewing machine to work on my current dress project, another rendition of the pattern I used for my Singin' in the Rain dress. (Thank you for all the lovely comments on it! ... Read more »
Singin’ in the Rain dress
I'm singin' the praises of my latest dress! I know, it's yet another dress. I think I've now made as many dresses this year as in the last two combined. Now that I've found a bodice I really love the fit of and can use as a block, I just can't seem to pull myself away from making dresses. It's seriously been the difference between me never wearing dresses in my closet and me not being able to sew dresses fast enough to ... Read more »
Fox Isle
A few months ago Kate Heppell, editor of British knitting magazine Knit Now (you may recall I was in an issue last winter!), released an adorable Fair Isle hat pattern called Fox Isle. As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to knit it up immediately, and that's exactly what I did. Except you're only just seeing it now since I didn't photograph it until the day before most of our snow melted last week. How's that for a ... Read more »
Retrolite love! A Classic Hardware jewelry review
I have an affinity for costume jewelry. And while my tastes can vary, I often tend to lean towards the plastics. The colorful, bold baubles of Bakelite, celluloid, and all manner of vintage and retro plastics in-between. Such fun! I had the immense pleasure of being sent a few such wonderful items from a fantastic American-made jewelry company, Classic Hardware. Artist and designer Karyn Cantor started the line in 1995 ... Read more »
National Park Seminary adventures with Rochelle
Well my friends, we've reached the last post in the adventures of Tasha and Rochelle! I know, bittersweet, isn't it? When we last met I shared my outfit post, and yesterday Rochelle shared hers (she also shared a preview on Friday), and today wraps up our trip with photos from National Park Seminary. Which is an absolutely bizarre and fascinating place, as you can probably already tell by that one single ... Read more »