Happy Easter!

Madame Reines' Easter hat selection in the 1940's: Vogue Magazine {source}

Happy Easter everyone! Hope you get a chance to wear your favourite Easter hat :-)

Sew Excited for a Sewing TV Show!!!

YAY! Another exciting TV show happening in April (the other being the new season of Mad Men)....And that's a lot of TV watching for someone who doesn't actually own a TV.  lol.

Luckily, The Great British Sewing Bee (which is produced by Love Productions, the same folks that made the incredibly popular baking show) will air on BBC2... so I can watch it online!

And do you see sewing superstar Tilly below???  SO EXCITED to see her on TV doing the sewing challenges!!  Also glad they reached out to the online sewing community for inclusion in the show...

You can read more about the show here.  I suspect this will spur a lot more sewing related exposure in the UK which is great because it will hopefully lead to more people dusting off their sewing machines...AND more sewing related businesses!  Huzzah!

Vintage Pattern Blitz Sale!

J. Ferrari Designs is one of my favourite Etsy stores offering vintage sewing patterns and accessories.  The exciting news is that Jane is offering 20% off the entire shop for ONE DAY ONLY (20th of March)!!   Use code: LUCKYDAY at checkout!!

Here's a few of my favourite patterns:

A big thank you to Jane for offering such a lovely discount!!

McCall 3624: The 'Luck o' the Irish' Dress

I'm super excited to show you my most recent 1940 McCall project using pattern 3624 (view A):

Here's what the March 1940 McCall's Magazine says about McCall 3624:

A simple shirtfrock with small, high, notched-collar neckline--the kind of frock that makes up well in all fabrics.  12 sizes, 12 to 18, 36 to 50.  50 cents.

This is also my dress for the 'Sew for Victory' 1940s challenge hosted by Lucky Lucille!

I made the shirtfrock in a delicious emerald pongee fabric.  I've never come across this fabric in Scotland but it feels a bit like sandwashed silk.  It's super, super soft to the touch, drapes beautifully and is a nice spring weight.  The colour is an emerald green (which is a surprisingly hard colour to accurately capture in photographs--it's probably closest in colour to the first photo).

The shirtfrock has front and back yokes with the classic 1940s gathers.  I used some beautiful yellow abalone buttons.  I also had a 1940s bow belt buckle that I had been saving up for the perfect project.  In fact, it might have been the yellow buckle that was the impetus for this dress.  I already had the buttons in my stash and I realised they matched the buckle perfectly.  I love it when that happens!

We went to St. Patrick's Parish in Edinburgh for the photos.  The church is 150 years old and is just steps from the Royal Mile.  It's cleverly hidden away and you could easily walk straight by it without seeing it!!  I just love it!

Overall, the pattern was fantastic to work with.  I made my usual adjustments which included adding approximately 2 inches in length to the sleeves, shortening the hem by about 2 inches, taking the shoulders in by about 1/2 inch and lowering the neckline (I only used five buttons instead of the seven shown on the pattern envelope).  I also added shoulder pads to the dress.

I got the adorable 1940s tilt hat from the Flatiron Vintage Etsy shop.  I just love it and plan to make several more outfits to go with it!!  I was searching high and low for some green shoes to match the dress but ended up styling the dress with my Ness shoes and matching purse.  I'm still looking for some green vintage (or new retro styled shoes).  I've fallen in love with the Miss L Fire 'Mildred' shoes but it's hard to tell if they would be the right shade of green and they haven't been stocked in my size.

Today was a mix of weather--from sunny to hailing!  It started to rain towards the end of the day and David snapped a photo of me with my umbrella.  It's crazy how perfectly it matches the colours in my dress:

YAY! I am super happy with my dress...I plan on wearing it a lot!  It's the perfect weight for that in-between weather that we seem to be having a lot of lately.

Hope you all had a lovely St. Patrick's Day!!!

Work in Progress: The Luck o' the Irish

I'm super excited about my next 1940 McCall dress!  This is the pattern I am working with:

I'm making view 'A' in a beautiful emerald green silk pongee fabric.  I have never come across this fabric before in Scotland and it's the softest, most wonderful silk I've ever touched.  It feels a bit like 'sandwashed silk'.  I'm hoping to finish it in time for St. Patrick's Day on Sunday.  This project is also part of the 'Sew for Victory' challenge that the lovely Rochelle is hosting:

What about you?  Any plans for St. Patty's Day?

Adventures in Belfast

In lieu of a Scotland Sundays post, I thought I would share with you where I have been for most of this past week....Belfast, Northern Ireland!  This was my first trip to Belfast and I LOVED it!  I went for work so only got to see a little bit of the city but managed to see a few interesting sites including Queen's University Belfast:

[photo source] 

How beautiful is that building?  I'm a sucker for ancient universities and the QUB campus does not disappoint!  The University was first charted in 1845 and conducts world-leading research across a variety of subject areas.  I was lucky to be able to meet with some of the faculty from the School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work.

I was also able to sneak away for a short period to the Titanic Centre:

The Titanic Centre only opened last year--on the centenary of the Titanic's maiden voyage.  Having the Centre in Belfast is perfect since the Titanic was built, among other amazing ships, in the heart of Belfast.  The building itself looks like the prow of a ship.  The construction is quite amazing.

I was very impressed with the museum.  It's a hands-on experience and you learn a lot about the industrial period in Belfast--not just about ship building but also about the linen and other industries (which was fascinating!).  There are lots of things on display from original documents and ship plans to neat White Star Line posters.  You get to touch lots of things and you can take pictures throughout the building!

I must say that I was a little hesitant to go to the museum.  I mean the ship sank and a lot of people tragically lost their lives.  I didn't know if I could handle that part of the museum--but it was very tastefully done.  I felt like the museum focused equally on all parts of the Titanic heritage--from the amazing ingenuity in building the ship, to the beautiful interiors and everything the ship encompassed for the time period to the sinking and survivor stories to finally how the event impacted the entire world.

And well, it wouldn't be the Titanic museum without a bit of Hollywood memorabilia:

I got some great photos of the costumes from the movie with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet:

For the outing, I wore some of my me-made items including my 1943 white DuBarry blouse and my 1941 Simplicity trousers (with a neat sweater vest that I found in a vintage sale here in Edinburgh):

If you are ever in Belfast, it is well worth the visit!

Sewjo and patterns

Well, hello there! Sorry I disappeared for a week.  My goodness when things get busy, they sure GET BUSY!  I am happy to report that my sewing mojo is back!!  Huzzah!  I look forward to crafting up a storm this week!

And what better way to help get your sewing mojo in gear than a Pattern Pyramid giveaway?  You may remember that I held one here awhile back.  All those patterns have now travelled to Montreal and Heather Lou who blogs over at Closet Case Files is hosting the giveaway!!  And you know which patterns are still in the pyramid??  The Alma blouse from Sewaholic patterns:

And the lovely 1950's vogue pattern among other pattern goodies:

YAY! so head on over to the Closet Case Files blog to enter the Pattern Pyramid giveaway and share the sewing love across the globe!!