The "Match the Garment to the Pattern" Game

Have you ever come across a hand sewn vintage garment that you could match to a pattern? I thought I had matched a garment to its pattern once, but I was wrong (and later found an ILGWU label in the skirt of that set).

The other day, while out thrifting, I found a pile of patterns and proceeded to rifle through them, choosing which ones would follow me home. After finishing that up, I took a peek at the dress rack in the shop, to see if there was anything fabulous on it. Lo and behold, there was a very familiar looking dress there...

In fact, there was a pair of them. 

I rifled back through those patterns I had just picked up, and found the match. It surely helped that the seamstress had taken the pattern illustration's color suggestion! 

Have you ever matched a pattern to a vintage dress in the wild? 

Two Piece Summer Halter Dress

Over the summer I was called away from home on some unpleasant business that took me out of state for five weeks. I knew I didn't want to be without my sewing for that long, so I packed up my trusty vintage Kenmore portable along with a bursting at the sides compact tin box of fabric and notions.

I had already begun Simplicity 1365 ( a reproduction of 6357, which I also own) in a light cotton fabric I picked up.....wait for it...... in the thrift shop. I wanted to attempt to make a halter style that could be worn without a bra, so I made cups out of bamboo batting and sandwiched them between the fashion fabric and my muslin lining.

 The rest of the process was pretty straightforward. There were times when I followed the repro pattern instructions, and parts where I looked back at the vintage pattern instructions, which were less beginner friendly and more dressmaker appropriate. All in all, it makes for a very well finished garment with all seams enclosed in a nice cotton lining. Drat. I should have photographed the inside.

Anyway, I paired the halter up with a simple dirndl skirt made up from what I could eek of the remaining fabric. I love this skirt. It is so comfy and closes only with a pants hook and snaps. Here are a few finished pics.

Halter with high waist vintage 70s jeans, or as my sis calls them, my "mom jeans."

the perfect outfit for that insane Florida heat 

 After I finished this get up, I promptly went and ate an enormous ice cream in celebration.

A perfect end to a lovely project. 

Oh, and just because I am so sososossosososososososososos super excited, can I show you what I bought?  Can I pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease? 

I LOVE her. How lucky can one gal be? A Wolf form, in my size.... I love her. She was an absolute steal, and I feel so fortunate. Anyone looking for a Singer adjustable????

Tips from a Vintage Sewing Supplies Hoarder

When at the thrift shops, don't forget to check the pillowcases for feed/flour sacks. These are commonly misplaced among the bedding and sold for pocket change. Case in point: I found this lovely and unusual sack in a pile of pillowcases just today.

Have you ever found a feed/flour sack in with the pillowcases?

Friday Fabric Find

This is a floral seersucker marked Copyright Peter Pan Fabrics Inc  which I purchased at the thrift today. I love a vintage fabric bargain, and this fabric is super sweet!

I Heart the 40s / Sewing up the Fun-Shus Fabric

I have been sewing steadily along as I always do- tank tops, a bathrobe for the little one, a halter top pdf pattern that I am testing, etc. I enjoy it, but sometimes sewing practical items really starts to grate on my nerves. Yes, I probably need more knit tops, but what do I want? I want Fun-Shus.

A few days ago, upon receipt of the final part I needed to get my lovely 221-1 Centennial Featherweight actually sewing, I decided to do something a little bit frivolous and to bust out some of my prized stash fabric. I chose the Fun-Shus fabric I found at a thrift store January of 2012 (what? over a year ago?).

 I chose this pattern, thrifted within the last few months.

And, I made it up on this pretty, thrifted long distance, which hums like a bee.

And I came up with this...

Don't fear the shoulder pad, my dears. And can I just say it? I love a wing-y collar. I do. 

I love the blouse-y effect of the tucks. No, you can't see it here. My arm is totally in the way.  

It's so stinking gorgeous here right now, and I love my deck! I love lots of things! Love is good!

Innards. Collar and button placket interfaced with an old cotton bed sheet.
Edges serged. A fair amount of hand-stitching. Me-made shoulder pads using Casey's tutorial.  

Here's another close up of that FAB-ric, and the vintage yellow buttons I chose to go with it. 

This was so fun to make- it has me feeling all jazzed up about sewing again. That's right. Jazzed up. You thought "jazzed up" was just for little old ladies with cat applique sweatshirts? Well, it's for Fun-Shus too. How about you? What are you jazzed up about right now?

Edited 5/25/13 to add: This project was featured on Sew Country Chick's Sew and Tell Saturday! Thanks Justine!

Look Mom- I'm In the N.Y. Times! Blazer to Peplum Jacket Refashion

Oh wait, Mom, so are you. In fact, it's the whole fan-dam-ily!

A few weeks back, my crazy fun family descended on Cape May N.J. for a fun filled wedding weekend in celebration of my older sister Jessica and her husband Alex's big day. The New York Times covered the event for it's Vows section.

It was a magical day, and therefore completely apropos that my sister arrived at the ceremony by unicorn. Don't believe me? See for yourself.

Photo Credit: Jessica Kourkounis for The New York Times

The wedding ceremony was on the beach, in March, in N.J. at 5 p.m. Holy flying unicorn, it was cooooolllllddd. I was raised in Maine, and I still froze my fanny off. Well, my powers of deduction are strong, and I knew it was going to be cold, so I decided 3 days or so before departing for the wedding that I needed a pretty jacket to keep me toasty on the beach. That didn't happen- I would have needed to make trench coat out of a sub-zero sleeping bag to stay toasty in that gale. Still, I looked nice! And you can't really see the frostbite in the photos.

Oh wait, yes you can. And damned if my husband didn't get a single full length shot of my dress and jacket. I don't fault him though; it's hard to focus when your eyes are frozen shut with happy tears. Luckily, I had taken several terribly lit before and after photos in my sewing dungeon.

Here is the before.

I knew I wanted something white, preferably wool, and also fitted or cropped. I browsed all my favorite thrifty spots, but didn't find anything. So, of course, the next logical thing to do when you are just about to leave for a 5 day road trip is to begin a major refashion project with no clear plan. And that's exactly what I did.

 I decided to focus on fabric, so for $3.50 I bought a lambswool blazer at Goodwill. It was quite large for me, so there was a lot of extra material to work with. Somewhere along the line I decided I wanted a peplum jacke because that sounded cute and formal and trendy. I really had no idea where to begin, but I didn't have very much to lose, so I forged on fearlessly.

 First, I removed the pocket. I unpicked it, shaved it. Yes, that's right, shaved it with a leg razor, and then lint rolled and steam pressed it. Buh bye pocket.

See, it's gone! Like magic! Alright, I know. Who cares?

See? Still gone! 

 Okay, moving on. Next, I removed both sleeves, marked the waist, and cut the jacket bottom off about an inch below it. It's easy for me to forget things like leaving seam allowances, so I took it really slowly.

Next, I harvested the fabric below the welt pockets for my peplum. I just measured from the bottom so it was even and cut straight across. Alright! I was moving and grooving! Except I still had to make this potato sack fit up top. The goal was fitted peplum, and this late 80s early 90s horror was fitted for my husband. And that is certainly not his look! 

I played with the bodice, pinning out here and there for a while. I knew I needed to keep the grain intact, but wasn't sure how to pull it off. Then I had a light bulb moment and .......

 unpicked the shoulder seam to add a dart there for shaping. This also pulled the front armscye closer to where it should be on me. Alright, okay, this might work out........ I basted the darts and everything else I did initially so that I could remove it and try something new if I flubbed up. 

I started to reattach fabric for the peplum. I pleated it for flare at the hip, and hid any seams in the pleats.

I ended up leaving the back and side seams of the peplum open. Stitched shut, there just wasn't enough fabric to keep it from hugging instead of flaring.

I ended up opening the back seam up later too. Remember, I had not yet frozen my fanny off at this point. 

I recut the sleeves at a  bracelet length using a sleeve from a pattern I had recently used, and I cut away the extra fabric at the armholes using the same pattern as a guide. This is the only part I don't love. I had to work with what I had, but I prefer a sleeve head with some loft. Still, they turned out better than I expected, and I ended up with a wearable jacket. Actually, I ended up with a jacket that I rather like. I have already worn it since we've been home, and I like it with jeans too!

Without further ado, here is a photo that was so poorly lit and  unflattering I had to crop off the top of my head.

I made a decorative stick pin to use as a closure. I just couldn't decide on a button, so this was a good non-permanent solution. I chose a pretty button, put a long ball topped pin through the shank, and used super glue to stick them together. Also, I prefer to wear it with the lapel unrolled, but maybe that's just because I was freezing and needed that surface area covered. Actually, I think it seems right for this style.

So, here is a before and after....

and here I am with my sis the lovely bride, a unicorn, hubby and the kid.

Photo Credit: Alex Smith

I love this pic, but brrrrrrrrrr! Even Pebbles the Unicorn looks cold!!!! The things we do for love!  

This is Why My Stash is Totally OOC

Because $40 worth of lingerie elastic can be had in my local thrift store for $1.50 on the right day! These bits were grouped into bags- each cut looked to be about 4 yards, and there are lengths of waist and thigh elastic in almost every color seen here.

So, I am making myself up some new lin-ger-ie. I whipped up two unders using the absolutely lovely free vintage style "Grannie Pannies" pattern from Vera Venus. One pair, I did not photograph, because I was wearing them. If you happen to meet me tomorrow, I will be wearing these. T.M.I.?

These cost me about 20 cents to make. The elastic was almost theft, the fabric was given to me by some nice old ladies at a rummage sale, the rosette is from Grandma's stash, and the lining is thrifted rib knit. The only thing I paid full price for is the cone thread. Man, I love thrifting. 

You can download the free pattern from the Sew Vera Venus blog here. It comes in one size, a 37" to 39" hip, but the pattern can easily be graded up or down. It gives a really nice fit, and there is one main seam right up the center back, which makes them very comfy as opposed to just side seams. Basting and turning the elastic before stitching it down is the way to go, as one pair of mine ended up with a wee bit too much fabric at the thighs. I am just nit picking here though, as I love both pair. And wouldn't this pattern make a lovely bathing suit bottom?

The only issue I run into making underwear is with sewing the elastic. I used my serger for one pair with great results, but for this pair I simply sewed the elastic on the outside with a zig zag and trimmed the excess fabric away. I always get occasional skipped stitches when I zig zag elastic, and I don't know why. I have the tension up, and I am using a ball point needle. Any ideas or suggestions? Does this happen to you too? It drives me cray-cray!!!

Sunday Secondhand Showcase- Wait! I know that pattern!

While browsing patterns last week in one of my regular haunts, I spotted this sewing pattern and got excited.

Courtesy of the Vintage Pattern Wiki

Not just because it's 60s and cute, but because it looked familiar. Even the fabric in view 2 on the left was reminiscent of an ensemble I had seen before....

I found this skirt and top in the thrift shop several weeks ago and listed it in my Etsy shop. I actually really like it, so I decided that it was okay if nobody bought it. It is handmade, with unfinished seams and fabric covered buttons on the back.

Well, when I got home with the pattern I did a quick comparison of the pattern and garments, and they are not a match- the skirt has darts, and the blouse only has a bust dart. Drat! But it was close! It's probably safe to date the garments around the time of the pattern though (based on the style, fabric, and finishing), which is copyright 1965. I love to try to match vintage handmade items with patterns. Does anyone else do this? Have you ever found a match? I'd love to hear about it.

Sunday Secondhand Showcase

On many of the blogs I read, people regularly show stuff they have thrifted over the course of the last week or so. I like to see what others have found, and from time to time, I do gush over what I've found here too. The thing is, I go thrifting, to the flea market, and antiquing pretty much constantly, and a lot of neat stuff I find never does get mentioned. So, I'm going to try to regularly share the things that I am most excited about. Some things go to my Etsy shop or eBay, and some things never ever leave my dirty old mitts.... 

Like these zippers. Whoever dies with the most zippers wins. 

I found this basket at a local rummage sale yesterday. 40 vintage zippers, two covered button kits, one dollar. For ALL OF THEM. So now, I have like 100 zippers, because I was already sick with this bug.  

I bought this fabric at a thrift store a ways from my house a couple of weeks ago. I am trying to go on a fabric diet, because I have over 200 yards of fabric in my stash (help me!!!!)  but this was so pretty, I pulled all of the quarters out of my change cup to buy it. I emailed photos to the fabrically (and otherwise) brilliant Lizzie of The Vintage Traveler blog, and she told me she believes it to be high end home decor fabric from the 50s or possibly early 60s. She told me to scrunch it in my hand, and if it sprung back without wrinkling all up, which it did indeed, it was rayon. Thanks Lizzie!

 This little buddy I found last week at Goodwill. Now, I haven't purchased a vintage machine in months, right? Right? At least two. But how could I pass up a PURPLE Kenmore with all metal gears at a total steal? That's right! I couldn't. It has a 1.2 amp motor, and that is some serious home sewing power. I spent the good part of a night taking it apart, cleaning various pieces, and putting it back together. That's my kind of Friday night par-tay!!!

How about you? Do you love thrifting? Do you post about thrifting? Do you do it for sport, money, or your private collection?