Sew Grateful Week--Rescheduled for February

January is sure flying by!  I've decided to reschedule the Sew Grateful Week to the first full week in February to give us all some more prep time.  There's been little sewing around these parts as I am completely re-organising my sewing room at the moment.  It's almost done and it is so much better!

You may recall from the first Sew Grateful Week that the idea is to use fabric, pattern, book or other item that was given to you in a giveaway or as a present from a family member or friend and to showcase that project on your blog during the Sew Grateful Week.  Haven't received any material sewing items lately?  That doesn't matter --we can be sew grateful for the time people put into organising sew-alongs, tutorials, etc.  Why not jump in and participate in that sew-along you missed or make something from that tutorial you've been thinking about?  Even if you don't get around to finishing a project, maybe spend some time blogging about what you're grateful for in relation to your hobby and the sewing community?

I hope you'll join in for the Sew Grateful Week in February!  Button coming soon...  Now I just need to figure out which lovely gift to sew!!

In other news, have you heard about the "Vintage-Inspired, Modern Style Design Challenge" hosted by BurdaStyle?  It sounds really fun.  You basically take one of the patterns from the 'Vintage Notions' book (a book that my Dad got for me that I absolutely love), or a pattern from Amy Barickman's other lines and update it for your style.  You then post it as a project on BurdaStyle and they do some judging and award some amazing prizes!  The U.S. winner gets one of these 160th anniversary limited edition Singer machines:

Unfortunately, the international winner doesn't get one of those but they still get some cash and neat other swag.  I am SO IN!

Anyways, check out all the details here...

Like I said before, I just adore the Vintage Notions book and I'm looking forward to trying out some of the projects and adding my own unique twist!

Or why not join the U.F.O. (i.e. Unfinished Objects) Party that Marina from Frabjous Couture is hosting?  I just organised all my UFOs today and I could definitely use a party to get those finished!

Another exciting challenge is the 'Sew Colette' Sew-along, which is hosted by two of my favourite ladies--Sarah from Rhinestones and Telephones and Erin from Miss Crayola Creepy. 

They are planning to sew all the patterns from the book (one a month).  It sounds fantastic!  I am happy to say that I've just joined the rest of you.  I just got my book in the mail today!!!  A birthday gift!  YAY!

My, my....I best get a move on and finish tidying up this sewing room!

What's in store for January 2012...

I hope you all had a lovely time ringing in the New Year!  I can't believe it's now officially 2012!!

I wanted to share some of the fun things I've got planned for this first month of the year.

Signature Styles: Learning More About Vintage Patterns
First, you all know how much I LOVE vintage patterns.  Well, I've decided to apply some of my sleuthing/research skills to finding out more about vintage patterns this year.  To start off, this month will be dedicated to my favourite (so far) vintage pattern company:  McCall (or McCall's) patterns!!  So this will be the Month of McCall.  I am so excited.  I hope to dig out some lovely McCall patterns from different decades and to link to your McCall/'s projects as well.

Sew Grateful Week: January 16-22
Were you blessed during the holidays?  Is there a gift, tutorial or sew along that you are especially grateful for but haven't had the chance to tackle?  Mark your calendars because there will be another Sew Grateful Week from January 16-22!  Join me in using an item of fabric, pattern, book or other item that was given to you in a giveaway or as a present from a family member or friend and showcase your project on your blog during the week of January 16th.  At the end of that week and the beginning of the next week, I'll do several round-up posts showcasing everyone's projects. 

I had so much during the last Sew Grateful Week.  My only problem will be picking just one project!  I'm hoping to make this a quarterly challenge with the next Sew Grateful week later in the spring (April??)  I'll also get a new button up for everyone this week.

The Crafters' Ceilidh: January 21
I'm so excited to be co-hosting an exciting meet-up in Edinburgh later this month. 

 

So far, we've got just under 30 people planning to attend.  It will be a fabulous time to catch up with each other, check out the local fabric/yarn/vintage goods and explore this lovely city.  If you want to attend, be sure to send me your email (send it to myhappysewingplace{at}googlemail{dot}com) so that I can include you on the logistics mailing list.  Expect more planning news coming towards the end of this week and early next week!

Updating my Creative Spaces

Part of this month will also be dedicated to updating my creative spaces: both my sewing room and the blog.  My sewing room is not really working for me at the moment, so I'm looking forward to moving things around a bit and organising the space better.  I hope to post some before and after shots.  

Also, I can't wait to spend some time updating the blog with features that I think will make a big difference in terms of grouping similar posts together and finding past posts.  Look out for categories by decade (1930's, 1940's, etc.) as well as organisation by challenges (Sewing through the Decades, Sew Grateful, etc.)  I'm excited to start a bit of New Year's cleaning and organising!

What about you?  What have you got planned for January?

What I'm working on and this week's pattern giveaway

Things are about to get really busy around here!  We move flats next week! NEXT WEEK? Can you believe it?  Time has really flown by!  I set myself a fairly ambitious sewing project this week based on the Sew Weekly theme of American Designer inspiration.  I wanted to make something inspired by a great American designer from the 40's.

I don't know if you've been following the Colette Patterns blog series on fashion history but I have been loving it!  I came across their blog post on American Designer Elizabeth Hawes and immediately fell in love.  I spent some time looking at several of her dress designs and really fell in love with the 'little moose' dresses:

David helped me pick out the fabric for a 'chocolate and wine' version of the the dress on the left.  I used Simplicity pattern 3948 from 1941.  Which is also this week's giveaway pattern.  It's an unprinted pattern in a B38 size with a neat design.

Using Elizabeth Hawes as inspiration, I decided to make View 1 but with the bodice piece in a different colour to mimic a bolero.  That's where the chocolate and wine comes in! David picked chocolate brown and a lovely burgundy colour for the dress.  I used crepe back satin with the crepe side out and the satin side in.

It's obviously not finished yet.  This is just a sneaky peaky.  I ran into a major hurdle with the button loops (version 2).  Though I've gotten loads of good advice on my sew weekly post on how to solve this!!!  This is my best looking hair for a UFO..hahahhahha.  I totally thought I was going to finish this dress on time.  However, sometimes things just conspire and there is not any extra time!  But after the move, this dress will be among the first of the UFOs to be completed.

I really like how it looks so far and I am very proud of topstitching the flat felled seam of the burgandy bodice front onto the chocolate material.  I did it properly and hand basted the piece on before topstitching!

So for the pattern giveaway....As with other giveaways, this pattern giveaways will be open to readers everywhere. To enter:

• Leave a comment on this post by noon GMT Sunday (this is a bit different from most weeks), please also leave a way for me to contact you,
• If you are technologically savvy and connected then post about the giveaway on 1. your blog, 2. twitter or 3. facebook for an additional entry for each method (so you can have a total of up to four entries...be sure to leave a comment and let me know if you've done any of these extra things).

I'll announce the winner on Sunday evening and I'll ship anywhere in the world. Just note that it sometimes takes awhile for packages to arrive for those outside the EU but I'll aim to mail out the patterns by the following Friday. If you win a pattern, you can't win again for another six months. And again, the only caveat is that you don't sell the pattern.  Keep the pattern for yourself as long as you want and when you are done, pass it on to someone else!


Happy July!

This week's projects and yummy pattern giveaway

Oh boy! This week has been so much fun.  My sister is in town and we've been checking out lots of cool places in Scotland.  But boy am I tired :)  I'm a bit behind on the blog posts and I have so much to share....

This week's theme over at the Sew Weekly is UFO's.  I decided to tackle one my oldest UFO's, a super cute halter top from an early 50's Simplicity pattern:

 

My post has just gone up over at the Sew Weekly--check it out!  I'll also post some extra pictures and more detailed information here this week as well! 

But that's not all I am working on this week.  I am also starting a super fabulous dress for my sister from a 1940 McCall pattern (how very unlike me...giggle).  And this pattern is also this week's giveaway (and you are going to LOVE it!!).

And this pattern is also featured in the Singer Style Digest from 1940 (these are really neat small booklets put out by Singer showing some of the season's patterns from all companies all sewn up).  Here's what it looks like in the 1940 digest:

I'm making my sister the short-sleeve version from an amazing teal cotton/wool blend.  This will definitely not be a one-week turnaround as you'll see the pattern size is quite small (B30) and I need to do quite a bit of regrading.  But I've made a copy for myself and have made one for my sister with all the new regrading.  I hope to post a bit on how I regraded this pattern in case the winner wants to do some regrading as well!

As with other giveaways, this pattern giveaways will be open to readers everywhere. To enter:

• Leave a comment on this post by noon GMT Sunday (this is a bit different from most weeks), please also leave a way for me to contact you,
• If you are technologically savvy and connected then post about the giveaway on 1. your blog, 2. twitter or 3. facebook for an additional entry for each method (so you can have a total of up to four entries...be sure to leave a comment and let me know if you've done any of these extra things).

I'll announce the winner on Sunday evening and I'll ship anywhere in the world. Just note that it sometimes takes awhile for packages to arrive for those outside the EU but I'll aim to mail out the patterns by the following Friday. If you win a pattern, you can't win again for another six months. And again, the only caveat is that you don't sell the pattern.  Keep the pattern for yourself as long as you want and when you are done, pass it on to someone else!

YAY! Love this one and can't wait to see it made up in various ways!!

What I'm working on and this week's pattern giveaway....

This week's theme over at the Sew Weekly is refashioning--something I've never really done!  The idea is to take something in your wardrobe that you don't really wear or that doesn't really suit you and make it into something new and improved.

I do love to follow the work of refashioning gurus like Meg the Grand and Miss P and there is always the Refashion Co-Op.

So I picked something in my closet that I like...sort of.  I love the colour and fabric of this jacket.  I do not like the shape and fit.  Hmmm...maybe I could make this a bit more me?

Here it is again in better lighting.  We took this photo a year ago in March (2010).  Look how much my hair has grown! Crazy!

This is a better representation of the true colour.  It's very nice and I would like to wear it more!

So here is what I am working on....making a version of View B for this jacket:

This is also this week's pattern giveaway!!  It is a size 18 or 36B.  The pattern is in good condition and all the pieces are present.  It is a jacket pattern from 1933 and you can make three different versions of the jacket.  There is also a pattern piece for the belt and for the neck scarf. 



The pattern giveaways will be open to readers everywhere. To enter:

• Leave a comment on this post by midnight GMT Friday, please also leave a way for me to contact you,
• If you are technologically savvy and connected then post about the giveaway on 1. your blog, 2. twitter or 3. facebook for an additional entry for each method (so you can have a total of up to four entries...be sure to leave a comment and let me know if you've done any of these extra things).

I'll announce the winner on Saturday and I'll ship anywhere in the world. Just note that it sometimes takes awhile for packages to arrive for those outside the EU but I'll aim to mail out the patterns by the following Wednesday. If you win a pattern, you can't win again for another six months. And again, the only caveat is that you don't sell the pattern.  Keep the pattern for yourself as long as you want and when you are done, pass it on to someone else!



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UFO Confessional

After seeing Peter's post on Unfinished Objeects (UFO's)...I figured this would be the perfect time to come clean about a few UFOs I have around here!

I cut this silk fabric out before I really learned how to sew! Then I came across the instructions and was a bit intimidated.  I definitely want to tackle this before summer!

I'm making the halter top in the purple fabric that matches the cuffs of the bolero.  Again, it was a project that I ran into a head scratching moment with, put it down and then never picked it back up again!  This would be a perfect halter to finish so I can wear it this summer!

I have a couple of needlework projects that are UFO's. 

I started this one at christmastime with high hopes of making it for my niece for Christmas! I think I grossly underestimated the amount of time it will take to make the doll and the doll's clothes!  Though I definitely still want to do it!
 

 This one should be easy peasy but I just need a few extra moments to complete it.  I've already finished the dress and at the moment it has mustard yellow collar and cuffs.  I've got extra collar and cuffs cut out in green (as shown above), deep red and purple! An easy way to switch up the summer dress!

Ah, another needlework UFO.  I originally started this as a Father's Day present (last year) for my dad.  Father's day came and went.  Then I thought, well I can make it for his birthday (which was in January).  Do you think I'll make it for this father's day?  Hmmm....  Cross-stitch takes FOREVER! I think I've easily put in 40 hours already on this and I only have one duck done so far (but it is pretty).  I think I may spend some time with these duckies in April and May!

I am so eager to finish this suit! Especially as I want to wear it during the spring.  The fabric is lovely and I think with a short sleeve blouse underneath I could easily get many more months of wear before summer!

It's perfect timing because finishing up one of these UFO's is the theme for the Sew Weekly this week! YAY! I am super excited about this!  Which one do you think I'll choose?

What about you?  Are there any UFO's you want to finish up?

I'm Back and Ready to Sew!!

Happy New Year everyone!  Sorry I have been silent these past few weeks.  I am happy to say that we are settling into our lovely new flat in Edinburgh.  I met my work deadline this last week (though there is still tons to do but I have a more sane schedule--at least for now)!

I really did miss sewing.  In fact, I think time away from sewing exponentially increases my time thinking about sewing! hahaha....and I have been doing a lot of plotting and planning!

You may have seen but I have taken the 'Sew Weekly' challenge and am going to try and sew something every week for 2011.  gulp.  I am SUPER excited, a bit nervous, but ready to jump in!  If you haven't already, check out Mena's new layout at The Sew Weekly blog.  Every week we'll be trying to sew around a specific theme and everyone's invited!

I was already thinking about a sewing challenge when I saw Mena's invitation.  I have some really fun and exciting sewing plans--but more on that later this weekend!

Yippppeeeeee...I am so excited to jump back into it!

goals, sew-alongs and what I'm working on...

There's so much exciting inspiration in the blogosphere lately--it must be the start of September but everyone seems to be doing a lot of creative planning!  I've definitely been doing lots of plotting and planning as well!  I've come to the exciting conclusion that I would like to focus for awhile on sewing patterns (especially McCall patterns!) from three specific years: 1939, 1940 and 1941.  I absolutely adore the styles from these years!  So here I go...

There's been a few sew-alongs/projects that are the perfect compliment to exploring sewing vintage patterns from these years.  One is the Hepburn & Hepburn project initiated by Sarah at Rhinestones and Telephones.  You must check out her blog--I absolutely love it!

 

I am really excited because I adore Katherine Hepburn's look:

Especially the trousers!!  I really like the early 1940's trouser styles. For the Hepburn & Hepburn project, I am going to make two pairs of trousers.  I am going to revisit this Simplicity reprint pattern that I love (1941):

For this pair, I am going to make the trousers in a primary color shade of green wool fabric (still have to buy but I've seen it in a local fabric shop!).  I figure that would go great with my DuBarry blouse (this is a picture of the blouse with pants from this pattern in navy lightweight wool):

Then, I was lucky to come across this amazing McCall pattern on ebay UK from 1940:

Aren't these AMAZING?  I'm going to start with the cuffed and flared ones (view B) in a rust/pumpkin color (still have to buy the fabric but I can envision it perfectly!).

I am also planning on doing the winter coat sew-along that Gertie from the New Blog for Better Sewing is hosting.  Most people will be using the Colette 'Lady Grey' pattern pictured below. 

While I love this pattern, I am itching to sew a coat from my favorite time period.  So, I will be  in the sew-along and taking all the tailoring and coat construction tips but working on McCall 3941 also from 1940 (see, isn't it a great year?):

I'm just saving up for the fabric purchase.  My dream fabric for this coat is the celtic green flannel coating fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics.   When I went to put the link for the fabric, I just noticed it is on SALE! eep!  I better get it soon!  I like green because it goes equally well with brown and black.  I'm going to do a faux fur collar (can't decide which collar I like better) that has both brown and black in it.

Isn't planning fun?

So, those are all in the near future.  But what am I working on now?  I think my current project is a reflection of my refusal to accept that summer is nearly over in Scotland.  In fact, I am hoping this sundress will ensure that September will be a sunny and warm month (HA!).  Anyways, here's hoping....but I know I better get movin' to finish this up soon so I can wear it!

This is McCall 4043 (1940):

I'm making it from this striped cotton fabric I bought at IKEA that will go perfectly with my hot pink snood:

I'm loving it so far...I'll keep you up-to-date on the progress!

Spring and summer wardrobe planning....

I've been doing a lot of planning for my spring and summer wardrobe and I've decided on the main colors for my sewing.  Most of the colors I've chosen are dark with a pop of bright colors.  I've decided to base my wardrobe around two tartans:

This one is called "Bright" and it is produced by the Scottish clothing company called Ness:

 And this one is called "Teal" also by Ness:

I have accessories in these tartans (so far three pairs of shoes and one purse) and also a jacket in the teal tartan.

My base fabrics are going to be navy blue, black, purple and grey.  My pops of color are going to be cerise (sometimes leaning towards fushia, sometimes more of a cerise color), both lighter and brighter blue, gold, white and purple (in my opinion you can never have enough purple).

Here's what the palette looks like at the moment:

I am super excited to see what I put together for my spring and summer wardrobe and I have some fun ideas planned!

I also signed up for the Me-Made May challenge that Zoe tried out last month.  For the month of March, Zoe only wore things she made (of course excluding underwear, socks, accessories, etc.)  I'm signing up for the 'lite' version of the challenge which includes wearing something me-made everyday for the month of May!  I think I can do it!  I would go for the full challenge but I lack me-made outerwear and well, Scotland in May isn't exactly warm yet.....I look forward to documenting the challenge!

Sewing Retreat Comes to a Close

My sewing retreat is coming to a close.  For my birthday I treated myself to the one thing I never have enough of: time.  Time to spend doing something I really enjoy.  I took three days off of work (plus I had the weekend for 5 whole days!!) and spent most of the time sewing!  Here's a few stats from my sewing retreat:

Hours spent sewing:  35

Hours spent plotting and planning future projects: 7

Hours spent reading about sewing: 6

Projects almost completed: 4

Panic moments: 1 (said panic moment involved stitching the waistband of a skirt on wrong--but it all turned out alright...David volunteered to take the really tight seam out with a seam ripper for me--he's got great attention to detail and it saved the day!!)

I've got some pieces I am really excited about that are almost finished!!  I am hoping to complete all the finishing (hemming, plackets, etc) by the end of the week and I promise to post some pictures as soon as they are finished.

On my birthday I also got a big surprise--David got me a new sewing machine!  It's a Singer model from the 1980's which I have named 'Lucy'.  It's amazingly fast and has a lot of features my older 50's singer doesn't have (like zig-zags, back stitching, and really tight stitches).  I love it.  I've used it almost exclusively this weekend and it has been amazing.  Here's a picture of Lucy:

My Birthday Sewing Retreat

It's my birthday (yippeeeee)!!  In celebration, I'm taking three days off of work and having a sewing retreat.  David volunteered to cook all the meals, help me in whatever ways I need (pins, hems, fitting) and helping to create a sewing retreat space in our place.  I am super excited to get started--I've got lots of fun things planned.  Of course, I'll take a place to watch some classic movies in the evenings.....ah, I love it!

Every year for my birthday, I create a list of things I want to do in the following year.  This year my list is 33 things for my 33rd year.  You can see the full list here, but there are several sewing specific (and a few others) entries this year that I am particularly excited about:

1. Sew or create 33 things this year
2. Learn new sewing skills (such as a bound buttonhole, matching plaids, etc.)
3. Enter a sewing contest on Pattern Review
4. Take a sewing class
5. Read several sewing books and magazines
6. Sew presents for friends and family
7. Sew a winter coat
8. Learn to knit
9. Go to UK Knit Camp 2010
10. Try out new features on my blog
11. Refashion 5 garments
12. Get better at sewing for short amounts of time more often
13. Sew one historical costume (i.e. 1920's or earlier)

14. Get a vintage haircut
15. Try out different vintage hairstyles

Sewing Courses in the UK

Since I've just started sewing, I've been wanting to take a sewing course.  At first I didn't find anything in the UK but as I searched more...I uncovered several amazing courses and great resources if you are in the UK or fancy coming on a sewing holiday:

• In Birmingham, there is the Gill Arnold Dressmaking School where you can take courses in pretty much anything from stretch knits to corsets.  As with other schools, the courses are usually over one or two days (handy if you are here on holiday).
• The English Couture Company also offers dressmaking courses and they cover all sorts of couture finishing.
• Probably my favorite dress school I found is the Alison Victoria Ltd School of Sewing and Fabulous Fabric.  Fabulous Fabric is the name of the attached fabric store.  What's great about the Alison Victoria School is that they offer 3 and 4 day courses on constructing a winter coat, an evening gown or your own choice.  You just take the projects you want to do and they are there to build the 3 or 4 days around that project.  Brilliant!  Plus, they are one of the only schools in the UK (they are in Leicestershire) to offer CITY and GUILD qualifications in Fashion, Lingerie, Tailoring or Corsetry at level 2.

Up in my neck of the woods (Scotland) there are two very exciting Summer events:

• HATWALK is a registered charity that promotes the art of millinery in all its diverse and spectacular forms. The main focus of HATWALK is a biannual theatrical performance, which showcases the work of professional milliners. A core element of this show is the display of work created by students who have taken part in a HATWALK workshop. These workshops take place during the year and culminate in the students, and their work, being part of the HATWALK event. Each year the show raises money for a chosen charity and has since its conception donated over £13,000. HATWALK also runs an annual Summer School, usually in Edinburgh, with classes for all levels and abilities covering a range of subjects such as theatrical millinery, fantasy headpieces and couture. 
  
  
• Also coming to Scotland from 9-13 August is Knit Camp 2010.  I love the name..hehehe.  Knit Camp is everything you would imagine a knitting camp to be.  Loads of vendors, a full week of knitting classes and the beautiful town of Stirling--one of the most important historical cities in Scotland (complete with castle and old town centre).  Plus, one of the courses is on vintage knitting.  While I don't yet know how to knit, I am hoping Knit Camp will show me the way!

While the sewing courses above are great, they are also a bit more expensive and further afield for me.  So,  I'm really excited that I found a weekly (2 days a week) drop-in sewing course nearby in St. Andrews.  You bring your own projects and the course instructor just helps you with things you are working on!  It's pay per evening, so you can drop-in and out as much as you want throughout the year.  I am SO EXCITED....it's starting up this month and I can't wait to have some dedicated time with someone to work on some stuff.  Plus it's put together by the City Council so it is very cheap (£5 per 2.5 hours).  I'll let you know how it goes!!!

My 2010 Accessories Calendar

One of my favorite sewing books (ok, my only sewing book) "The Complete Book of Sewing" by Constance Talbot published in 1943 has a great chapter on "Accessories and Gifts". In it they have a seasonal calendar for accessories....

"The dates for seasonal changes differ in different climates and localities; but the check list which follows is general and can be adapted to your wardrobe and the climate in which you live. The recommendations in the list are by no means definite rulings; they are simply suggestions designed to stimulate thought so that you can make your own plan according to your particular needs".

And boy, did it stimulate some plotting and planning on my part. Here's the calendar they have:

So after much thought and planning, I've decided on my own accessories calendar for 2010. Some of the ideas I have borrowed from their calendar and others I've been wanting to do for some time or have seen done elsewhere.

Here it is:
January: Embroider initials onto a blouse and make a matching bow for your hair.

February: With a warm suit, carry a tweed bag and line one side of your hat with matching tweed (Ms. October in the calendar)

March: Make a dress and gloves to match a printed umbrella

April: Face or line a dark bolero with a bright print and wear a matching print hat (Ms. June)

May: Make a spring inspired skirt and line cardigan sweater with matching material.

June: Wear blouses with frilly ruffles, wear snow white gloves and make matching belts (Ms. May)

July: Make a print summer dress and cover shoes/sandals with a fabric to match (made much easier by a recent tutorial from WhipStitch Sewing)

August: Make a new turban and dress or blouse. Wear gloves in the predominating color of the print (Ms. February)

September: Make a matching apron for an already existing dress

October: Plan a basic dress. Add a detachable collar of black sequins; carry long net sequin sprinkled gloves. These and a sequin belt can be folded in your purse. At the end of the day, with these additions you are ready for dining and dancing (Ms. November)

November: Add a tie-on peplum of rich lame or lustrous satin to your basic dress. Make gloves to match and wear them alternately with your net gloves. With such interchangeable accessories, you can always be well dressed with a minimum of expense and time (Ms. December)

December: Wear a brilliant colored velveteen hat with bag and gloves to match and a dark sheer or wool crepe dress (Ms. August)

This should be fun! Have a Happy New Year!

Changing my mind Part 2

Back when I was in NYC, I was very eager and cut out fabric for a bunch of different patterns.  Now that I have actually started sewing, I look at patterns differently.  For example, I cut out fabric to make the following skirt and matching bolero with a plain cotton purple halter top and matching cuffs on the bolero:

I've cut out some beautiful bright fabric for this:

 

But now that I am looking at the pattern again, I'm not so keen on it.  The skirt has way too many gathers at the top.  With this 'busy' fabric, it may be too much.  Plus, I don't really like how short the bolero is and the halter top looks a bit odd.  I am thinking of using the fabric for a similar, yet different outfit.  I am hoping I can salvage the already cut out material to make the skirt from this pattern (view 1 on the right):

 

With the bolero from this pattern:

And the high-collared top from this pattern (the top will be in a plain purple fabric):

So, I'm not sure if it will work....but I will let you know!!!

From the Pattern Stash

I've managed to accumulate lots of great vintage patterns that I absolutely adore.  One of the most recent additions is this fabulous Hollywood 1521 pattern from the 1940's:

I can see making this in lots of different combinations!  I recently also got some vintage fabric for £2 that is a great diamond pattern that might look nice as the top from this pattern (and I could get some matching green fabric for the skirt and jacket):

Next Sewing Project: the 1930's Silk Dress

hmmm...I have lots of projects lined up and almost ready to go, one of which is a dress pattern from the 1930's (DuBarry 1494B).   I want to make the one on the right (though with the current weather, I should probably make the long sleeved one!)

I bought some amazing teal silk fabric in NYC to make it with.  I, unfortunately, already cut out the fabric before fitting the pattern (or making a muslin).  I am hoping to still make a test run dress out of some lining silk I have since I have never sewn with silk before (and well, let's just say that I ended up taking out lots of stitches in the other dress).  That way it will fit me and I can try everything out before sewing on the nice fabric.

I've also been checking out one of my favorite stores here in Scotland and found this amazing jacket that may just go with the dress (I need to take a swatch into the store to see if the colors match...but they look pretty close to me).  The jacket is my incentive to finish the dress soon (before the jackets are all sold out).  They have great clothes with contemporary Scottish plaids, check out their website at: http://www.nessbypost.com/