Sewing With Friends

With the pandemic looming large over our lives, we have had to figure out new ways to connect. Maybe I'm being a little too honest here, but I just don't like Zoom meetings. I know I am not alone as a friend of mine and I were talking about this and she too just doesn't like meeting via Zoom. It takes less time, true enough, but there's just something to be said for getting up, getting dressed, going to a meeting, and having physical contact with those you enjoy being with. 

Back in the late fall I returned home and found piles of fabric in my garage. At first, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was as if a fabric fairy had snuck into my garage and left me an incredible gift. Even the tooth fairy was never this generous!!! As I stood there dumbfounded, my mind began to race as to how the fabric could have gotten there. So, whoever did this had to have a key to my garage. There's only 1 person other than my husband and I who has access to the garage. I called my friend, and sure enough, he had been the fairy!

In the pile of fabric were 3 bolts of wool, beige, pink and a light blue. The beige/camel bolt had the most yardage. I divided the bolt into 5 yard increments and washed it. I even dried it! It felted a bit, but not so much, so I knew that it wasn't 100% wool. But, it is still lovely.

I gave 5 yards to a friend of mine so that she and I can do coats. Our coats will be similar, but different. In an upcoming post I'll share her coat pattern.

Since I have quite a bit of yardage, I decided that this was my opportunity to use a vintage pattern that I have had for quite some time.

The wool did not photograph all that well. I still need to steam it.

I absolutely love this pattern!!! I plan to extend the sleeves as I will not wear a short sleeved coat.

You can see from the pattern diagram that lengthening the sleeve will not be a problem.

My friend and I are talking once a week about our projects. Some of our conversations are face time, and others are just regular telephone conversations. The project gives us a great excuse to talk, and in the end, we'll have something fun that we worked on together whether we could meet in person or not. 

My friend who gave me the fabric is so excited about the project, and that I was able to find something fun to do with the wool. So, this is a win, win project all around :)

My friend with whom I am doing the project has an embroidery machine. She is making dragon flies for us to attach to our coats. The project just keeps getting better and better!!!

If you are missing having interaction with a friend, or friends, maybe you can take a little cue from us and do a project together. Like I said, just having an excuse to talk makes such a huge difference. 

Keep Sewing!!!

Rhonda          

A Unique Vintage Opportunity

I received a message from a sewing friend who has decided to let go of a few of her vintage magazine treasures. Here's a sampling;  

The above photograph is from the book pictured below, an entire publication devoted to furs. While many no longer wear the real thing, I think the pictures provide inspiration for working with faux fur. 

The pictures below are from Les Parisiennes, such lovely French magazines.

The collection includes 8 magazines, including Vogue and Simplicity. Such a lovely opportunity to develop a library of vintage fashion.

You can find the Ebay listing HERE. If you go to the site, you'll see other pictures that I have not included. If you think you're interested, don't delay, the listing ends on Tuesday, January 19, 2021!!! 

Coming Up This Week/Fun Challenges!

This past Friday, I crossed a huge hurdle. The sale of my friend's house came to a close. That part of her estate is officially finished!!! In 3 months time, I was able to clean out the house, set it up for staging, get it on the market, and sell it. Whew!!! The new owner moved in on Saturday. I feel a million pounds lighter, or whatever a house may weigh ;) My husband has been a HUGE help. I would not be this far along without his help. He got up this morning and said that he really didn't know what to do with himself now that we no longer need to go over to the house and work. My house has been completely neglected over the last 3 months, so I told him, "I have plenty of work for you to do!!!"

All in all, I am having the best summer! I have so enjoyed getting out on the river in my kayak. Floating along on the river is just the peace that I need. 

I also have my little 1 year challenge still going along strong. I am having the best time with it. I promise to catch up here on the blog this week. 

A couple of weeks ago, I shared that I am doing a sew together with Pauline of Sew You Think You Can. We are using this vintage Simplicity pattern. 

My muslin is completed, and all in all, I am very happy with the fit. Pauline and I will be virtually meeting on Wednesday to share our progress. I should have a reveal date then.

I have chosen this twill fabric for my jumpsuit. While it's not a vintage fabric, this look will be all out 1970s!!! I'm just so excited!!! Can't wait to get it made up!  

I am also participating in a challenge of sorts with Helena of Gray All Day. She had posted on Instagram that she had purchased a pile of fabric that she would like to share, and have others make up. I thought it sounded like fun. She sent me a message and asked it I like stripes or polka dots. I said, "Both! I have even combined stripes and polka dots." I had no idea of what the fabric would look like, or the fiber content. I was so pleasantly surprised when the fabric arrived. It's a lovely gauze with little yellow, puffy polka dots. It feels like air in my hands.  

The reveal day will be this Friday. So excited that I'll finally be able to share my little creation.

I hope that you are able to find some lovely ways to make your summer special despite all the craziness. I took a ride down Michigan Ave. here in Chicago last week after the madness of last Sunday night. It broke my heart to see all of the destruction. I would like to leave you with this quote from Indira Gandhi. 

You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.

Monday Morning Inspiration/Timeless Fashion and Resources

Two weeks ago, I found out that the yoga studio in my neighborhood offers a weekly restorative yoga class. The first week, I had an excruciating headache. I hate when I get these headaches. They last for 48 hours, regardless of what I do, or what I take to relieve the pain. I went anyway, and I was so glad that I did. The headache did not go away, but an hour and 15 minutes of relaxation poses was just what I needed. I'm now hooked. Tonight will be my third class, and I cannot wait! 

I absolutely love it when I have the opportunity to bring you resources that you might not know are available :) 

My husband belongs to the Model A Ford Club of America. The club is composed of men and women who love Model A Fords, and enjoy the era in which the cars were produced, whether they own one or not. They even produce a magazine that comes out every other month.  

There's always a fashion related article in every magazine. 

The articles encompass everything from accessories, to tips on how to select the best dress suited to your body type. And even better, access to the articles is FREE!!! You can see an entire list of the articles HERE. Scroll to the bottom of the page and you'll find a link to access archived articles. 

The organization has worked hard to bring their members resources for authentic clothing. HERE you will find their Pattern Project page. 

There you will find patterns for; 

Daytime Dresses,

 Cocktail Gowns, 

Evening Gowns,

Hats

Coats, 

Pajamas,

 And even a pattern for a traditional kimono.

Info on other patterns and how to order can be found HERE.

I think this is a wonderful resource for anyone who enjoys vintage fashion. So many of the fashions are really quite timeless.

Most of you know about the wonderful Decades of Style pattern company. There you can find lots of wonderful vintage patterns that can easily be translated into pieces that work for today. You can find their 1920's patterns HERE. 

Have a wonderful week! I hope that you too can find a little something that can restore your soul :)
Rhonda

Take A Peek/A Vintage Garment That Is Beautifully Made

A number of years ago, I found a wonderful vintage evening suit that transcends time. 

The dress is simple in design, but made of the most beautiful fabric. It includes a jacket, perfect for chilly evenings. And even better, it has hidden pockets.

For those of us who sew, the interior of the dress and jacket are just as interesting as the outside, if not more, so I thought you might like to take a look inside.



If you have any questions, be sure to ask, Or if I can take a close up picture of something, just let me know.

The Wednesday Showcase

Have you ever had a dream where you dream about something and think it's real, only to wake up and be disappointed that it was a dream?  I had that happen last night. I dreamed that I had this lovely garden room and in it were the loveliest hanging glass ornament/sculptures. Then I awoke and found out that this beautiful place only lived in my mind :( Now if someone could interpret my dream!!!, I would love to know what it meant as the dream was so beautiful. At the very least, it's nice to dream of beautiful things :)

I haven't done a Wednesday Showcase post for a few weeks, so we are due. As always, I have some wonderfully talented ladies to introduce to you. 

First up is Zoubi Zoubisou (cute), and you can find her blog HERE. She is French, but is currently living in Vancouver, B.C. She loves vintage, especially the 1940's-60's. And a little side note, she posts fabulous pictures.

She has truly found a style that works perfectly for her as everything she makes looks just so cute on her.

Just had to include her wedding picture. Of course she made the dress. Here's wishing them many, many happy years together.

This is a Burda Style dress. I just might have to give this one a try. 

And as you all know, I'm just a sucker for a picture of a girl and her dog :) Not only is the dog adorable, the dress is super sweet as well. Be sure to pop over and check out Zoubi Zoubisou's other makes. I think you'll enjoy seeing what she does.

Next up is Iris and she lives in Sweden. She loves to sew and she too has a love of vintage clothing. In fact, she has taken the 2016 vintage pledge. You can find her blog HERE.

As I scrolled through Iris' blog, I immediately fell in love with this skirt. Love everything about it.

 It's from Burda and here's the inspiration picture.

The blouse below is from a pattern company that I had never heard of, Record. I love how something so vintage can look so now. 

Another Burda pattern. Love the pants. And get this, she basically just made them and slipped them on. I call those magic pants!!! 

And finally, I just had to include this sweet picture. The pattern matching deserves to be celebrated. Such a beautiful job.

Well, I think these two ladies are sending us off dreaming of wonderful projects to make :) 

Have a wonderful day!

Rhonda

Monday Morning Inspiration/A Museum Tour with Lasell College

Over the weekend, Kenneth King posted an incredible link on Facebook to Lasell College. This is such a fabulous resource as they have actually videoed so many of the garments and accessories that they have in their collection. I am just in heaven as the videos show the garment in such a manner that you really see the intricacies of the stitching and the design. Even a trip to an exhibit would not give you the ability to see the garments in this manner. 

I have pulled out 7 videos that I thought you might enjoy. There are MANY more. They are short videos, anywhere from 30 seconds to a little over 3 minutes long. Great for a coffee break. But fair warning, you can easily get sucked in and end up spending a lot of time, so watch a few and save the others for another time. Click HERE to see all the videos that Lasell College has made available.   


















If you have a Facebook account, be sure to pop over to Kenneth King's page and thank him for the link. There are a couple of videos that feature Kenneth, so I'm sure you'll enjoy those.
Have a wonderful week!
Rhonda

A Peek Inside My Collection

I received a message this morning from one of the editor's at Sew News and she said,

"Wow, your MTD post has been the most successful of ALL TIME."

So needless, to say, I am very honored and even more, humbled by your support. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. 

A number of you commented about pieces I have in my collection and said that you would like to see. Now of course, seeing in person is the best, but since that's impossible, I thought that from time to time I would pull a piece out that I think is especially interesting and share it. The jacket that I'm sharing today is well over 100 years old and it is exquisite.

It's a beautiful piece of linen covered in handmade lace. Sadly, the true color did not come through as it is actually a lovely buttercup yellow rather than ivory. The lace is ivory except for the small taffeta pieces that are in the middle of the flowers.

The back.

 A close up of the stitching detail.

 The lace on the shoulder.

This is the best close up shot I could get of the lace. The lace is truly perfection.

The center back.

 Lace was even sewn under the arm.

The jacket is held together with hooks down the front.
Take note that as lovely as this jacket is, the stitching is not absolutely perfect.

 

It's lined with silk taffeta and it is disintegrating, so it really needs to be replaced. I think I know someone that could do that ;) The jacket is underlined and the lace was then sewn to both layers.

Vintage and antique garments and fabrics are becoming more and more difficult to find, but they are still out there, so always be sure to look if you visit a thrift store as you never know what treasure you may find.
I'll be back a little later with a link for Frabjous Couture's Me Made Monday post.

Past Meets Present

As the week draws to and end, I thought I would post a few pictures that will give the mind a little break from the week that is now behind us and the hectic days of December that are before us. Some of the vintage pictures I found on Pinterest and sadly did not write down who posted them, so I cannot give anyone credit for finding them. So whoever found them, thank you, they are lovely. 

The fitting lines of this suit are incredible. Talk about making a waist look tiny!


The button detail on this jacket really sets off the princessline seaming on the jacket.

This coat is quite dramatic. Notice the sleeve detail and the back pleats are sensational.

There's a LOT of work in this coat, but I think it would be worth the time spent to copy it. Make sure to notice the detail of the belt.

The cape/coat is so dramatic. What a wonderful idea. Maybe not the hat though!!

The double collar on this jacket is so feminine. Lovely.

Such a lovely suit with wonderful lines. I especially love the pleats on the skirt.

And the past meets the present. An absolutely incredible dress. The draped sleeves are so lovely.

This dress looks like it stepped right out of the 1930's. I especially like the draped neckline and the caplet sleeves.

And finally, this little suit from Chanel. Such a lovely, feminine suit.

Hope you are all having a lovely, and as peaceful as it can be weekend.

Rhonda