Vintage Collecting.... and find out what's "not suitable for chubby girls."

I went to the Christie Antique Show today with my mom.  She hunted for costume jewellery while I dug through bins of anything and everything looking for bits of nostalgia.

I scoured the booths today for all things sewing....though I saw many neat contraptions, dress forms and antique Singer machines I couldn't afford, I managed to bring home a nice pile of goodies at a good bargain.  I raided every place for sewing patterns, there weren't too many but I found them!

Check out my loot.  

-4 patterns!

- vintage floral fabric

-wood shoe form

- pretty lace remnant and roll of pink taffeta seam binding (Made in Canada!)

-1922 book from Glasgow on cutting and sewing blouses, dresses and costumes

-metal hemming clip

-a stationary Orco Pin-It Skirt Marker...wood and metal....$6, awesome!

The patterns to add to the collection:

Butterick 6934 (left) is a sweet 50's day dress.

McCall's 5385 (right) is a child's dress pattern from 1960. 

Fun fact: In the fine print on right side it reads "Not suitable for chubby girls". Yes, believe it or not.  Another fun thing about this pattern...it was designed as a mother-daughter matching set.  I found an image of the adult version below!

Mommy dearest- version.

Advance/Mattel Barbie fashion doll pattern (left) from 1961.  I am looking forward to making these mini-ensembles....7 year old me would just die.

Simplicity 1201 (right), mid-fifties blouse coordinate.  I like the ones with shoulder ties.

This is a tease from the 1922 sewing book gem I acquired.

 "Measures, and how to take them" still incredibly useful.

Complete with neat cursive notes from the previous owner.

An aside, I picked up the new Vogue Patterns magazine (also my first-ever copy of one) and I am in love.  I don't usually buy magazines, I prefer thorough books.  However I have been missing out.  I am still reading, but this article about designer Adam Arnold inspired me.  Mainly, check out his rack of muslin samples........Crazy work ethic on hundreds of hangers!  His story is quite interesting.

 

On the way to the show we stopped at a garage sale and I scored these sweet picket fence glasses.  Set of 6 and matching pitcher, Made in Germany....$4. Score?

And because my house is sometimes a nuthouse.....I had to have it.  My only non-sewing purchase from the show.


That's all for now...still to come, bridesmaids dresses. I swear...

Two blog posts within five minutes? How dare she!

Well I need to catch up to the present before I can progress....

Two lovely gals named Liz and Kate opened up an indie sewing shop in my city called Needlework and introduced me to Colette Patterns.  Thanks!

So when I heard about the Laurel sewing contest I was on it!  

The task: Make something extraordinary using this simple dress pattern.

The Details: vintage rayon drapes (thanks Leah), fabric from my stash (netting and sparkly pink tulle), vintage beaded lace for the belt I added.  I altered the fit of the waistline with front darts, cut away sweetheart shape to create illusion neckline and added lace to tulle bias trim.

Here's my attempt. *Fingers crossed* Winners are announced Monday here!

What a static model....

Pattern matching back! woo

The details..

What a dummy....Bad joke

And as a bonus for whoever reads this, here's my first snap clutch purse.  I drafted my own pattern based on the closure, lined it, added pleats and made it all up as I went along. Made it for my fiancee's sis.

I did promise the photos would get better.

The closure is hand stitched around the top.

That's all for now.

Next time: Who knows? Probably wedding-related. Oh yeah, I'm getting married...but not 'til June 2014.  My brother's getting married sooner and I'm helping the bride make the bridesmaids dresses.  

Lifetime Sewing Recap

So for my first blog post I'd like to catch up on what I've been doing my whole life before being a real interweb blogstress.  *ha!* Can you tell I'm a dork who doesn't know how to blog? mmm chronology.

I could tell some childhood anecdotes of when I first put needle and thread to cloth but that might bore people.......so here I go!  

The year was 1996 and I made barbie pants out of some old socks.  Then I think I progressed to using old clothes but did most of my sewing in secret.  I don't recall my mother having a sewing machine growing up but she must have had one for all the princess halloween costumes and stuff.  I took my one and only sewing lesson at age eleven, I made an appliqued pillow - Milennium-themed and flat as a square pancake!  I guess I talked about it enough for 2 years because for my 13th birthday I got an interesting gift.  My first sewing machine!  Most kids I knew thought that was a rough gift...like getting socks when you really want a Fingernail Fun Salon Machine (still holding a grudge, Santa Claus).   It's actually the same machine I use now....11 years later (sewing machine, that is).

Flash forward over the years I kept the ol' trusty machine in various rooms in the house, busting it out when I needed to.  Plenty of halloween costumes, theatre costumes, mending, t-shirt surgery and quilts.

I went to art school at University for 4 wonderful years and here I am. Now you're caught up. (My artwork could be a blog on it's own...working on a website.. Help me?).  After my school years of painting, drawing, sculpture and all-nighters...I guess I missed my sewing.  I didn't know it, but I got the sewing fever as soon as I graduated last June.  

Last summer I made 6 dresses, 2 blouses, a few infinity scarves, a pencil case and fell back in love with fabric.

Here's a few of the things from last summer. (excuse the plain hanger photos..they'll get better I swear)

 Always pre-washing, but looks so pretty hangin' there.

 One of my fave patterns. (Colette Jasmine)

Blouse in action for my art opening.

Variation, sans sleeves! (Colette Jasmine)

Steampunk'd with vintage military buttons (Lisette 2060 Simplicity)

Jersey comfy dress, really flattering on.  (Simplicity 2443 Cynthia Rowley)

Sleeveless and pleated.  I altered the neckline and added a belt to this one.

(Simplicity 2215 Cynthia Rowley)

In action with the girls.

Vintage pincurls and finger waves from my friends at McKinnon Hair.

I love juvenile prints..couldn't resist this Lisette popsicle print.

(Variation on above pattern)

Next post:  New-ish stuff.