Before Mel and I went up to northern Wisconsin for a short vacation earlier this month, I had grand plans for vacation sewing (as you do), but only got a couple of items finished. The first I'm sharing is this flannel topper! I found this great Simplicity pattern from 1949 at an antique mall for just a couple of dollars! I bought it purely for the tie-front topper. I thought it would be great sewn up in a cozy plaid ... Read more »
vintage sewing patterns
Bye Bye Birdie blouse
What's blue and tan with birdcages all over? My blouse! And it's another Vintage Pledge item! Sometimes, I really love the terms used to describe various elements of a garment in vintage sewing patterns. Today's treat was Butterick 6223, a pattern from the 1950s, featuring a "small rising collar" for the view I sewed. It's a perfect description—says exactly what it is! This is actually a blouse I've sewn up twice ... Read more »
True bra-making confessions: I finally found a retro bra sewing pattern I like!
It's a Friday confession, my friends. Pull up a chair and a beverage! I've never wanted to sew lingerie. A slip yes (not that I've ever bothered getting to it). But bras and panties, nope. (Incidentally: I cannot stand the term "panties", I call them underwear whenever possible.) In fact, I have to be honest and say that most of the bra making posts and photos I see online have kind of annoyed me. Here's why. I wear ... Read more »
One last summer sewing hoorah: Chinese lanterns sarong dress
As of today, summer has technically come and gone! My thoughts are straight into fall. And I missed the opportunity earlier this summer to show off some things I made, most of which I'll probably be tucking away soon! (But hey, on the bright side now that it's fall, maybe I'll actually post the cardigan I made this time last year and never blogged, ha!) So today, you'll have to make do with seeing one of them a bit too ... Read more »
Planning a 1956 swing coat
Hello my friends! I thought I'd share with you some early thoughts for probably the biggest project I'm planning this year. I'm going to sew Simplicity 1928, a swing coat pattern from 1956. The best part about this pattern? A HOOD! Hoods are a huge winner on coats and jackets in my book. I'll be doing view 1. I was looking for a swing coat pattern earlier this winter and then stumbled on this one for a good price, ... Read more »
Fall for Cotton: thoughts on setting in sleeves
Hello, Fall for Cotton sew-alongers! How is everyone's project coming along? I just got going on mine. Unfortunately my thoughts of doing a smart outfit consisting of trousers and blouse flew out the window when I started facing the reality of the amount of work I need to put in for a special project I'm working on right now. I've had to scale back my goal, so now I'm only going to sew the blouse. It was a difficult ... Read more »