Advance 5850

I recently purchased some vintage patterns.  I get really excited because it's kind of a grab bag type situation, I never really know what I'm going to get.  I thought this one was very cool for a few reasons.

First, it appears to be fairly rare.  I could only find one reference to it online and I couldn't find any for sale.  Secondly, it is almost in pristine condition.  There are two pieces that have been used, and are in great shape.  The others are still factory folded and instructions are complete.

Butterick Pattern's 9633 & 8074

I recently picked up a ton of old patterns dating from the 40's-70's.  I was really hoping that I would find some cute patterns that I could make into clothes I could wear to work. So far I've found two that I definitely want to make:

 I love everything about this pattern, but I especially like view C & B.  I think I'll start out by making View C.  I'd really like to make it in shantung but I'm afraid that might be a little too fancy for wearing to work.  This pattern is about 2" too small for me so it'll be my first attempt at resizing.  I'll be honest....I'm terrified.  But I'm hoping that because it's only  2" give or take, it won't be too hard. 

Butterick 9633 looks extremely easy to make and for that reason alone, I like it!

I took it into work today to show my friend and another co-worker asked me to make one for her. I instantly had Selfish Seamstress flashbacks, LOL.  Except unlike Selfish, my sewing skills are barely passable.  I'll actually probably make this skirt within the next week or so. Maybe I'll go pick out fabric on Sunday? I think I want to make this view:

  

I'll post my progress to the blog! :)

This is just AWESOME!

That is if you're a Disney fan, like me! :)

http://www.imagineeringdisney.com/

1942 Fashion Scrapbook

I found this scrapbook in a tiny antique shop in Green River, Wyoming.  When I first saw it I thought it would be empty, but when I looked inside I was so excited!  It is full of fashion magazine cut outs from 1942-1943. Being a huge genealogy freak I was thrilled to find that the scrapbook's creator had written her full name and hometown on the inside cover.

She was about 18 years old at the time that the book was made.  I can only imagine that she must have really been into fashion because she made little notes by a lot of the pictures, and also drew additions on to at least one of them.  It's in really good condition considering it's age, only damage being a bit of mildew on the back.

Ribbon Shirt Pt 2

I've remade the shirt, and while I'm still not thrilled with it, it fits much better. I think the neckline is cute but it doesn't lay very neatly. The sleeves are also somewhat problematic. They're pleated and no matter how hard I tried, I could not get the pleats to look the same on both sleeves.  My bra straps also show which is annoying and I don't really know how to fix it.

I don't think I'll try making this shirt again.  The ribbon is a pain in the butt and makes it difficult if not near impossible to alter the sleeves without having to make major changes.

Antique Store Find

I found a scrapbook made by a lady sometime in 1942. It's full of magazine clippings of all the hottest fashion, including hats and shoes. She must have been into fashion because she even included some information about a designer from that time.
As soon as we're home from vacation I'll post the details with pictures.

Simplicity 2646 aka The Ribbon Shirt

I bought this pattern a couple of months ago because according to the package it's "easy". I liked the look of the shirt, but didn't realize when I purchased the pattern that the little strip of contrasting color around the neck is ribbon. I thought it was just a different color of fabric. Had I been paying closer attention I probably wouldn't have bought it. I'm not really into ribbon.

My parents were visiting from out of town and my intention was to sew the shirt myself and bribe my mom to help me if I got stuck. My mom wanted to surprise me however and sewed most of the shirt while I was at work. I knew that I couldn't go off of the measurements on the back of the pattern because when I do they're always too big. It's weird because the size that fits me technically shouldn't based off of their measurements.

Anyway, my mom didn't realize that and of course, it is too big. It fits really funky. I don't know if it's just the way the shirt is, the fact that it's too big, or both. The ribbon was a pain in the butt to try and line up right, and honestly if I would've had the time to figure out a way to modify the pattern so I wouldn't have had to use the ribbon, I would've.

It has this weird elastic piece in the back that was way too big. I had to shorten it by easily two inches. Also, the neckline buckles and doesn't lay right and I think it's because it too is way too big. The sleeves don't fit right either and so the shirt really isn't wearable because there is a good chance that if I move in a certain way all of a sudden I might be topless.

It also has the tendency to kind of resemble a maternity top. I'm hoping that when I remake the shirt in a smaller size it will not only fit better but also not make me look quite so chubby.

4th of July Weekend

Happy 4th everyone! I hope that you're enjoying good food and good times! I was so looking forward to this weekend. I thought I was going to be able to get a lot of work done around the house and with my UFO's. I got a nasty bug though and have pretty much been down for the count.
I did manage to work on the the Jim Morrison project though, I've gotten most of one section done. I can't wait to start working on his face.

I also worked on a quilt that I started a few months ago. I got the free pattern from this website (which has a LOT of really cute free patterns). I haven't quilted in so long, and I've never finished a large quilt. I usually stick to the smaller crib size quilts just because they're easier for me to manage and don't take as long to make.

Here's one of the blocks I'm working on, I need to make 25 of these. So far I think I have 10-ish.

I'm hoping to finish the stars this week or so. The Mr. has booked us a quick getaway next weekend in Evanston, WY so I won't be able to do get much sewing in.

When you can't count right.....

I really like to cross-stitch, it was the first form of needlework I learned how to do. My mom taught me when I was little. However, compared to embroidery it can be a pain in the butt because if you're off, even by one measly stitch it will ruin your whole day. Well maybe not your whole day, but you get the idea.
This time I was off by two stitches. For some reason it looks like more in the picture. I noticed it because my edges were off. Thankfully I caught it early on and I'll only need to rip out about 2 inches of stitches.

I do think it's looking great so far. It actually looks like the picture and the colors are kinda cool. I was worried when I started because there are varying shades of green, but I think it's going to look amazing when it's done.

The Jim Morrison Project

I've decided that before I start a new project, I need to finish an old one. One of the projects that I started awhile ago was a cross-stitch of the famous Jim Morrison Young Lion pose taken by Joel Brodsky in 1967.
I've been fascinated by Morrison since I was about 13, much to my husband's dismay my love of Jim has not waned over the years. I have quite a large collection of Jim Morrison / Doors memorabilia that most of which unfortunately is carefully packed away.

So here is the picture that I will be turning into cross-stitch:

Corset is *almost* finished!

Well it is almost done, I just need to put the eyelets in the straps. It has a few issues, mainly cosmetic. If I make it again using the same pattern, I'll make the straps a little bit wider as they are so narrow. I would probably make them a bit longer than well. And the tabs.....so far I just hate them. I think that once I wear the corset, the weight of the skirts will keep them down, or maybe if I ironed them but so far they just stick out.

Another problem I had was that when I bound the inside seams there were a couple spots where I caught the inside layer and then I couldn't get the zip ties in. I had to rip the binding up and then re-do it after I put the boning in and it just doesn't look very nice. Next time I'll also bind the inside seams with the same color material as the lining so it doesn't contrast.

Other than the stupid tabs that won't lay flat I think it turned out really well. I used a linen blend on the lining that I had left over from a tunic I made years ago and it match up fairly well. I just love the color of the fabric. I also really like how the channels look. The zip tie boning worked great, and was so much cheaper than traditional boning. I initially wanted to use hemp cord, but couldn't find any in the stores and was too impatient to wait to order it online.

I liked how the eyelets turned out. I really don't using grommets, mainly because the first and only time I tried they kept popping off. This is period for this type of corset anyway. I do wish I could figure out a way to make all the eyelets the same size. I think it's probably just practice.

Don't laugh at my PJ bottoms! I apologize for the crazy picture. I put the corset on in a rush to see if it fit okay. I don't have the straps done yet so they're not connected. It was actually fairly comfortable and fit well. There was a little rippling in the front but I think that once the busk is inserted it'll even that out.
I'm glad that it's done. My next step is the bum roll which will be super easy and take me about 30 minutes, and then the farthingale which honestly looks like it's going to be a pain in the butt!

Attack of the "UFO's"

I was talking to a friend of mine earlier about my tendency to start a project that should take weeks or maybe even months and then having that project turn into something that takes years to finish. I have crafts that I started before my daughter even started school, she's now getting ready to enter the 4th grade. I told her that I needed to start a support group because I know I am not the only one with this ahem...problem!

Honestly, it's bad. I actually started making a list of crafts I have started and not finished. The oldest one dates back to 2002-ish. I started it while we were stationed in Las Vegas, we left there in July 2004. In my defense I didn't quite realize how many UFO's I had until we finished our basement and I was finally able to move all my craft stuff from a dusty cramped crawlspace to my craft room. I was finally able to re-organize everything, throw out the trash and clean up my huge stash of fabric.

My husband is now retired from the Air Force and we moved a few times before our final move to Utah. I would buy something, have to pack it away, then forget that I had it and would re-purchase the same item. Luckily, everything is stuff that I will have a need for like my 4 iron on transfer pencils, but it only helped add to my UFO madness.

So now that I can fully admit that I have a problem with UFO's, my dilemma is how to I attack the problem? Do I go after them chronologically from oldest to newest? Do I attack them by genre; quilts, cross-stitch, embroidery? What if I'm not in the mood for that particular craft, which is probably why I put them down in the first place? What about the projects I have that I truly need now?

Sigh...I guess the best way to begin is to just start somewhere. Since I'm almost done with the corset I will start there, then onto the painted stool which is also almost done. Eventually I'll catch up. Right??!!

Backyard Business

It's finally stopped raining here in Northern Utah and I really needed to work on my little gardening area. I built a "square foot garden" area about 2 years ago and it had turned into a mess. Apparently I didn't use strong enough weed block on the bottom because the grass was growing up everywhere. It also needed some stain because it was just looking really bad. Unfortunately I wasn't thinking and I didn't take a picture of just how bad it looked before I ripped all the old dirt/grass/weeds out of it and put new backing on the bottom.

The weed block had practically disintegrated and was in shreds. We had just done other work in our yard and had some much better weed block left over so my husband stapled a couple layers to the bottom of the frame. I hope it will take the grass a little bit longer this time to work its way through. I've also learned that I won't be planting strawberry's any time soon because they will quickly take over the whole area.
The kids and I slopped on a fresh coat of stain and added some nice new soil, along with a grape tomato plant. I was hoping to buy more plants, but Lowe's just didn't have that great of a selection. I have some seedlings starting, some Bachelor's Buttons and a Bee Balm plant. I'd like to grow onions, but they'll need to go somewhere else because this area just isn't deep enough. I think I'll add some green beans and maybe a different type of tomato.

I also found this little spider on my chive plant and I thought it would make a cool picture. I grew the chives from a seed, and it's my favorite plant in the entire garden. It produces so many chives, they taste great and store really well. This is the 3rd year that the plant has come back and each year it produces more and more flowers.

Not So Great News

I wish I could say that I haven't posted anything because I've been super busy working on various projects. Unfortunately, the reason why I haven't posted anything is because my mother was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. She had surgery to remove most of it on April 26th, and we were really hopeful that it would turn out to be benign, but that wasn't the case. She was diagnosed last week with Anaplastic Astrocytoma Grade III.

She is recovering well, and has an appointment to meet with the oncologist tomorrow. We are hoping to know more after her appointment. We know she is to have chemo and radiation but we don't know much beyond that. It has been hard trying to concentrate on work and take care of things at home, while I'm thinking about my mom and what's to come.

16th Century Corset - Tabs

I've been working on a 16th century corset, and so far it's actually not been too difficult. However, I've reached the point in the pattern where I have to bind the edges of the tabs. I'm thankful that I learned how to sew by making quilts, because I really can't imagine trying to bind this corset with no binding experience.

I decided to sew the binding by hand because they're so small that I thought it would be difficult to sew with my machine. Although they're not my most favorite part they honestly haven't been as hard as I thought they would be. It can sometimes be difficult to bind around a curve and not have it look all bunched up. I haven't had much trouble with these though (yet!).

 

I was wondering how period the tabs were and if they were decorative or served a purpose. According to the Renaissance Tailor, the tabs help to keep the corset from digging into the hips, as well as distribute the weight of the clothing onto the hips instead of the shoulders. I've never worn a tabbed corset before, but am quite familiar with the whole digging into the hips part. It'll be interesting to see if it digs in less with the tabs.

Circles, Circles Everywhere!

I was able to work on the stool a little bit over the weekend. I was debating on whether or not I wanted to paint something on the seat of the stool, or just make it colorful. I decided to go with something kind of random and colorful.

So far it's looking like this:

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