contemporary pattern! TNT2B

Dear Jen,

I love the tiny pocket tank Thank you for a flattering, cool alternative to those dresses that treat me wrong.

I wore it for 3 days, even though my facings were flipping (yes, i skipped a step. i don't have matching thread, and i don't trust myself at the fabric store. so no top stitch around the neck. i know i know). It was On Trend, cool (not sweaty), and looked cute on my bod. Here I am eschewing carbs and waiting for my soup while I wear it.

My little dude chose this photo shoot moment to snuggle, so i'll try again once i do them laundries. 

contemporary patterns win! what others do i need???

xo

bex

1945 housedress

this baby has taken 3 full months so far. I spent a lot of time with Casey's wonderful guide, and with the calculator and measuring tape. math! 

dresses from the 40s are faded, no?

it's cost...$36 for a box of patterns (from the archive! i got SO MANY in that box, but this is the first I've used.)
$ 8 for fabric (had i spent $12, it would have sleeves and a fuller skirt. doh!)
$ 10 for buttons (i will repurpose them, one day)

plus 1000000 hours

that's $54 (thousand) for a housedress. a little pricey, i must say.

SO i'm super proud of this anyway because it was a vintage perforated pattern made four sizes too small sixty years ago, and i made it into something that fits and looks..

well, it goes around me, anyway.  it needs pockets, because um, i am built like a quarterback? maybe some padded underpanties too. (if i bought them, i would buy these, "THE PIPPA". F. t. w. ) so it's not even done. Ach. Let's see how a summer of pilates and running shapes my rear, and if i can build in a pleat to bustle it up.

housedress! 1945! bound buttonholes! wrap dress! collar! shew.

i'm still smiling!

there's a whole lot more vintage magic left in the box. how do you decide when to break out that tissue? i think part of the fun with this one was that it was pre cut, so i didn't feel like i was defacing anything, ya know?

minidress updates...and free stuff!

i saw this on Paunett. THAT is a hot minidress.

perhaps the magazine route is the way to go. this is La Mia...is it italian? i believe so.

well I'll add it to the possibilities, but today i got TWO SHOPPING BAGS of patterns from a local sewist who's hanging up her...threads? there's this one (simp 3744), which looks like a low budget version of the Chloe I blogged before.eh?

(VIEW B, baby)

(which reminds me: do you want some patterns, especially home dec or crafty style, or new look and vintage too...? BUZZ ME. i will ship.)

i'm starting on a knit number first...as soon as the fab's outta the dryer.

finally, and here's a "wearing what I sew" gallery for you: while i was in my vintage vogue stripes, forgetting to get pics, my little dude was lounging in "easy linen shirt" v 2: emergency sun protection.

it also works well on a slide. :)  

i cut v 3 & 4: colorblocking tonight, because this is just absolutely the best summer shirt. hands down.

hot minidress

I want to make a hot minidress, maybe with a drapey neck. After some though i think the drapey neck is optional, as i already have that dress ;) 

here's the fabric. it's supposedly a rayon challis, but it's really satiny, or maybe sateen-y, in a nice way. 

i think it's ok if i can't wear it to work. maybe. which dress is the best one? 

victory patterns (cutting and taping reams of paper ugh) Chloe
but: indie! adorable! pockets!



here's simp 2180. it's cute for everything. OR IS IT?

butterick 5601

am i just falling for this because the fabric is similar? so hard to tell with these.

B5639

ok, i want this one for a different dress. but first- is it cute enough?

also, is this the SAME thing for 1/4 the price? see n sew (which always dupes me at the fabric store) 5734

and the 5639, line drawing

it IS the same. and that is how i spent 30 minutes to save $8 on a sewing pattern.

ok, now that we're back on track, i think Chloe wins. Right?

just keep sewing just keep sewing

have you seen Finding Nemo? of course you have. you probably don't have a small creature running around your house spitting out lines from it though, do you. well, i do, and one of my faves in the rotation is from Dore, who perseveres through the ocean singing "just keep swimming, just keep swimming!". It's very soothing for someone who often gets tied up in the thinking.

so i've been sewing. I've also been in school, trying to keep my GPA awesome and the bills paid, but every chance I get, I'm stitching.

i love it when other people use embarrassing pix

I made this blouse (New Look 6130)! It was SO easy, and i omitted the zipper because I hate dealing with zippers. i also thought it might mess up the flow of my ultra light fabric and flippy peplum, so it really is a design detail. The top is a little big. i need to believe in the "make 2 sizes smaller" mantra for the Big 3 patterns. In this new adventure of following directions, I may have gone too far. Follow the directions, but really, do you want your stuff to look so sacky as it does on the envelope models? NEY.

So, it's ok. I also seem to have a small back. the physics of that is so strange to me- if you have a front, don't you just need a matching back? but apparently backs can vary too. So i may start making the back of my bodices 3 sizes smaller than directed.

so many things to learn in the big wide world! Also, i used some really nice interfacing (purchased for the currently abandoned Starlet Jacket) that I bought from Fashion Sewing Supply. This stuff is awesome. I used to think interfacing was gross, but I am a changed woman now. Their interfacing is nicer than my random rayon challis, which is light and cool, but not at all luscious. Luscious interfacing!?!? seriously. get some.

I also made this (Simplicity 2242 skirt, view B). I noticed that McCalls had a earlier version of the skirt and t shirt pattern with a MOC* on it, but replaced it with this Lizzee McGuire schmaltz. And a chanel-style jacket. For little girls. Anyway, I rewarded them for it and bought the lizzie mcguire version because there was More Stuff in the Envelope, even though i'll never use it (but maybe i'll make that 8 yards of fabric tiered skirt??). Sigh. Little MOC, perhaps you should pursue a career in science. The skirt was meh, but mostly because it was too big. The sweet little girl who received it is so flipping gracious she tells me she loves it whenever she sees me, even though it's sort of limp and too big for her. I'll sew for that one again and again, right?? Right.


I've been working on a 1945 housedress since the Sew Weekly called for 1940s projects...It's been slow going, once the math (super fun, i graded up from a size teensy weensy!) and long stitching ended and it got into the buttons and fitting. Handwork, UGH. Anyway, I have a hard deadline of Sept 8 when I'm going to an I Love Lucy party, and have to wear it.



Then I rocked this out (vintage vogue reprint V8789, kaffe fassett fabs)! This was ALSO easy, and my bf went bananas for it. He's secretly into fashion, that hunk of mine (oh, you've got a whole retro thing going, he says, appreciatively). So hot. Again, shoulda made the back a size smaller, but i took it in after the fact. I also omitted the zipper, for lazies. Because i picked out the waist stitches this morning in pursuit of perfection, i'm going to jam in a little 1/4" elastic to add some extra shaping to the mix.

This past weekend i wrapped up series of tests AND two classes, so i'm hoping to have more fun time for a few weeks. It's time to think about a Burda dress (navy eyelet with apple green underlayer) and  to ikat it up with simplicity 2180, which I saw on Mika and have been obsessed with ever since (cut out back! love.)

Here's the thing. Most of these patterns are a little frumpy, aren't they? should i subscribe to vogue patterns or burda magazine? I want some more modern snappy edgy stuff, and just can't find it. Even the indie designers seem sort of retro obsessed - which is fun, but i don't want my whole wardrobe going that direction. I also need tight skirts, just because.

CASE IN POINT:
I have this dope diamond fabric. I see a drapey neck dress with a tight lil miniskirt made out of it. I actually have a version or two of the skirt in my closet. Do i have to copy those, or has someone made a pattern of a hot booty hugging minidress that I could just buy, so i can focus my brainwaves on my homework?

Thanks ya'll.

fabric DIET

i really wanted to go get a pattern today, but i also wanted to kick it with my munchkin. Did he want to go to the fabric store with me? No, he says, "we don't need to go to the fabric store, we have LOTS of fabric."

he's right. so I superstarbecca, am on on a severe and serious fabric diet until I make 2 dresses, 2 blouses, and something of that panther knit. I will bust my stash! Then bf won't be so scared when it's time to pack it up, too...

Excluded from this pledge (because I cheat if i'm too strict) are PATTERNS. I am allowed to buy patterns so long as i use them immediately for a stash busting project.

dancin in the gallery

i did a show a few weeks ago, which was totally fun. this was my favorite image. can you see why? so sweet, those little people.

this week i made a blouse and a little girl's skirt. it's nice to be finishing things again.

tonight i'm throwing a dinner party. will you do the dishes??

pretty lady

it's time for the annual "talk about your roots" class...look at this great photo of my grandma Cleo that I just dug up. fam'ly glamour.

hey wait- there's more!

this is a sweet photo of my two grandmas - the one who birthed my mom (right and above) and the one who was my grandpa's second wife (left), who made me dresses, crocheted me blankets, and made sure there were chocolate chips cookies at her house for my visit.

and aw, that's baby Uncle Jon in between. you've met him, haven't you?