40 Adventures for my 40s in 1940s Style

There's something about big birthdays and doing things around a theme that I love!  I turned 40 almost two years ago now and I've been dreaming of doing this adventure of having 40 adventures during the decade of my 40s but all in vintage style (1940s/50s).  And now I've finally planned it out and am making plans to tick off all the things that are currently on my bucket list!!

So here goes... I am definitely up for an adventure!

The 40 Adventures for my 40s Dream List (in no particular order...)

Places to Travel:
1.  Namibia and Botswana
2. Cuba
3. Bali and the Pacific
4. Jordan (this is the first one I completed!! Coming to the blog soon!)
5. Myanmar
6. Greek Islands
7. Morocco
8. Egypt
9. Bolivia
10. Argentina and Patagonia
11. Easter Island
12. LA/Hollywood/Disneyland/Dapper Day
13. Hebrides Islands
14. Mongolia
15. Japan
16. Croatia
17. Sri Lanka

Experiences:
18. Alaskan Cruise
19. Ice hotel + northern lights + reindeer
20. Multi-day steam train journey
21. Tall ship sailing
22. Steam ship sailing
23.  Tiger Moth or Spitfire experience
24. Hot air balloon in either Cappadocia or Bagan
25. Floating in the Dead Sea
26. Cruise on the Nile
27. Touring the UK in a vintage car
28. Route 66 road trip
29. Learning to ride a motorcycle

Events:
30. Up Helly Aa
31. Attending an international film festival (either Cannes or Sundance)
32. Vienna Opera Ball
33. Celebrating Carnival 
34. Attending Gertie's Sewing Retreat in NY
35. Lantern Festival in Thailand
36. Attending Viva Las Vegas
37. Goodwood Festival
38. Attending a swing dance camp
39. Seeing Wagner's Ring Cycle at the Bayreuth Festival

40. Freebie (to be decided later) 

I'm so excited!!! What's on your bucket list?

The 'Desert Dreams' Dress

Wow! The Wadi Rum Desert is a dream.  Look at the expansive and beautiful space! The perfect backdrop for my newest 1950s Style Print shirtwaist dress!

I made this teal dress using 'Style Print' number 1283, a pattern that I have used previously to make some of my favourite shirtwaist dresses (including the 'Midcentury Madness' dress, the 'Pumpkin' dress and my recent 'Secret Garden' dress).

The dress features a button-up shirtwaist bodice design (which I used matching 1960s style teal jewel buttons for) and a gathered skirt.  I added pockets to the skirt (yay!).

Oh, and how much does this desert look like it might be the surface of Mars?  It was actually used for filming a few 'space' movies as well as the filming for 'Lawrence of Arabia!'  Next time I visit, I'll try and sew up a space-age mod dress for the landscape as well :)

The back of the dress is straight with some waist darts for shaping.  The dress closes with a side zipper.

Overall, I just love the shape of the 1950s/1960s shirtwaisters--they are so wearable for every occasion!

My friends Zain and Kinda and I took a desert tour--sitting in this lovely vintage 4x4 truck and seeing the expansiveness of this great landscape--it's really overwhelming how beautiful it is!

And Kinda is also an amazing professional photographer and film-maker and took some amazing photos throughout the trip!

Definitely a place and a pattern I will be revisiting again!!

Photography: Kinda Kurdi (@kinda_kurdi)

Simplicity 8510: The 'Bed of Roses' Lingerie Set

This pattern is a game changer in so many ways-- I can make my own vintage lingerie! YIPPPEEEE!!!  Enter Simplicity 8510, a reissued 1930s lingerie pattern for a bra and french knickers. I just adore the pattern illustration, so decided to give this pattern a go and I am very pleased with how my first me-made vintage lingerie set turned out!

The 1930s bras don't have any underwires--but they are still super comfy.  The pattern itself was very easy to put together. I opted for view B which has the v-shaped shape on the front and the back of the knickers.  I made this from a synthetic dress fabric that is similar to the weight of satin but without the shine.  The bra and facings came together very well except for one thing--the ruching in the centre front! That baby will not go under a sewing foot--that was so difficult to gather through two layers of this fabric! I ended up having to do it by hand with a very sturdy needle (this is where the thimbles actually do come in handy!!!)

This pattern included my other least favourite sewing task--making small straps by turning fabric inside out! That's always a measure of my sheer determination! haha.  But boy, oh boy, I do get a very satisfied feeling when I finally get them turned all the way out!

I'm really so excited at the prospect of making more lingerie from vintage patterns--the possibilities are endless (for example, I really want to make some tartan lingerie)!  And aren't these photos amazing? I worked with Tigz Rice to capture these shots and we found the most amazing flower wall--with the flowers matching almost exactly to the colour of the fabric!  I feel like a proper pinup :) 

What about you? Have you ever tackled sewing lingerie?

Photography: Tigz Rice
MUAH: @misshoneybare

McCall 3723: The 'Pink Roses' Dress

I so love my newest 1940 McCall make--using adorable fabric from Gertie's collection.

The light blue and pink go together so well--too of my favourite colours.

I used McCall 3723--a shirtwaister with a twist:

The pattern features a button-up bodice but with two bodice front side panels that have shirring:

The fabric features small print pink roses and I had the perfect vintage pink buttons in my stash to match:

The pattern features a tie bow at the waist --well, I made the bow but it's not quite long enough to make a good looking bow (in my opinion) and the fabric is a lightweight cotton--so instead I borrowed a belt from an existing 1960s vintage dress I have that works PERFECTLY!!

I then took the bow belt that I made and used it as a matching headscarf!  I just love wearing headscarves like this and it's an easy hairdo :)

The dress pattern also features waist darts leading to a lapped seam at the waist and an inverted pleat in the centre front:

The back, both bodice and skirt, feature straight lines.  Here I'm wearing my 'What Katie Did' coffee seamed stockings:

And such cute pink and white Bait Footwear shoes!

Overall, it's a bit of a spring vibe but I just adore the look! I can't wait to get my hands on some more of Gertie's fabric!!

Photos: Darja Bilyk