More details of the outfit coming soon (and going up on the Sew Weekly today)
Friday, July 22, 2011
Sneaky Peek: Alfred Hitchcock Challenge
Can you guess which Hitchcock movie I used as inspiration for this week's sewing challenge? Here's a picture of David and I reenacting a scene from our favourite Hitchcock movie:
More details of the outfit coming soon (and going up on the Sew Weekly today)
More details of the outfit coming soon (and going up on the Sew Weekly today)
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
The pattern giveaway you've been waiting for!
Thanks for all your lovely comments on the knitting post! Definitely gave me a lot to think about and a lot of new resources to check out!
I'm super duper excited to share with you what I'm working on and to announce this week's pattern giveaway. As you may know, this week's theme over at the Sew Weekly is Alfred Hitchcock heroines. ooohhh! So much fun! And I'm currently in the process of making up the dress and jacket from McCall 9089. I better hurry up because my post goes up on Friday! eep! I've got the jacket nearly complete and about half of the dress and I am LOVING it!
If you've been following my blog for the past month or so, you'll know that I've started a weekly pattern giveaway based on the patterns I sew up for the Sew Weekly challenges. Part of my impetus for doing so is to help spur those that may want to get into vintage sewing OR to give a special goodie to those that are already vintage sewing fans! You see, Iobsessively systematically search out and acquire vintage patterns--often for very cheap. The pattern below cost me only $6!!! I also make copies of everything I sew up (trying to preserve the vintage patterns) and it feels bad to have these lovely patterns that I've already made sitting in my sewing room when I know others would love a chance to work with them. Plus, I know I get so much from the sewing community and it's my chance to give a little back.
So there you have it....why I love weekly pattern giveaways!
Leave a comment on this post by noon GMT Sunday, 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 Monday and I'll ship anywhere in the world. Just a note that shipping can be a bit slow.
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!
I'm super duper excited to share with you what I'm working on and to announce this week's pattern giveaway. As you may know, this week's theme over at the Sew Weekly is Alfred Hitchcock heroines. ooohhh! So much fun! And I'm currently in the process of making up the dress and jacket from McCall 9089. I better hurry up because my post goes up on Friday! eep! I've got the jacket nearly complete and about half of the dress and I am LOVING it!
If you've been following my blog for the past month or so, you'll know that I've started a weekly pattern giveaway based on the patterns I sew up for the Sew Weekly challenges. Part of my impetus for doing so is to help spur those that may want to get into vintage sewing OR to give a special goodie to those that are already vintage sewing fans! You see, I
So there you have it....why I love weekly pattern giveaways!
So up for grabs is McCall 9089 from 1937 in a size 16 (Bust 34). All the pattern pieces are present and the envelope is in a fair vintage state (some staining but overall fine).
As with other pattern giveaways, this pattern giveaways will be open to readers everywhere and the only restriction is that you do not sell the pattern. Keep it and love it for however you long you want and when you are done, pass it along to someone else!
To enter:
Leave a comment on this post by noon GMT Sunday, 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 Monday and I'll ship anywhere in the world. Just a note that shipping can be a bit slow.
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!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Fair Isle Love
Ah, Fair Isle...a beautiful Scottish export! Fair Isle is actually an island in Northern Scotland about halfway between the mainland Shetland and Orkney Islands (it's actually part of the Shetland Islands). Today the island is owned by the National Trust for Scotland and there are only about 70 islanders still living there today. Fair Isle is also one of the most intensely studied areas in Scotland by archaeologists since they've found evidence that the isle may have been settled by Neolithic people up to 5,000 years ago. The island sounds absolutely beautiful--I definitely want to see if David and I can make a visit there sometime soon!
So, what about the knitting? Knitting has always been a staple trade of the island (and that of the region). Fair Isle knitting is distinguished by the use of two different colours of yarn in each row of knitting and a full size hand knit sweater (jumper) will often requires in excess of over 100 hours to complete (although the stitches are pretty basic--just the knit stich). It is also traditional knitted on circular needles and often includes usually around five colours with only two per row. Nowadays the term 'Fair Isle' is much more widely used to just refer to sweaters with colourwork knitting (in alternate colours).
It was made popular when the Prince of Wales (Edward VIII) wore knitted Fair Isle tank tops in public in 1921. And of course, it was very popular in the 1940's. Ooohh...how I love the 1940's Fair Isle sweaters!
I've been sitting on the knitting fence for awhile. I don't actually know how to knit but I am oddly amassing a set of lovely vintage knitting booklets. I would love to learn to knit--there was even a knit camp in Scotland last summer! I might take a class. My main concern is with the amount of time it takes coupled with my desire for complicated looking designs!
I thought I would share a few scans of the Fair Isle knitting booklets I have:
So, what about the knitting? Knitting has always been a staple trade of the island (and that of the region). Fair Isle knitting is distinguished by the use of two different colours of yarn in each row of knitting and a full size hand knit sweater (jumper) will often requires in excess of over 100 hours to complete (although the stitches are pretty basic--just the knit stich). It is also traditional knitted on circular needles and often includes usually around five colours with only two per row. Nowadays the term 'Fair Isle' is much more widely used to just refer to sweaters with colourwork knitting (in alternate colours).
It was made popular when the Prince of Wales (Edward VIII) wore knitted Fair Isle tank tops in public in 1921. And of course, it was very popular in the 1940's. Ooohh...how I love the 1940's Fair Isle sweaters!
I've been sitting on the knitting fence for awhile. I don't actually know how to knit but I am oddly amassing a set of lovely vintage knitting booklets. I would love to learn to knit--there was even a knit camp in Scotland last summer! I might take a class. My main concern is with the amount of time it takes coupled with my desire for complicated looking designs!
I thought I would share a few scans of the Fair Isle knitting booklets I have:
This one seems to use the term 'Fair Isle' a bit loosely? It's not what I would picture as a traditional Fair Isle sweater. I do love the pink with red and green design! So lovely!!
This is such a classic example of the type of jumper I think of when I hear the term 'Fair Isle'. I love the combined jumper and cardigan and how the Fair Isle knitting slopes off the cardigan!
Again, this isn't what I would see as a classic Fair Isle sweater but it is very cute!
This one may well be my favourite! I love the shoulder lines on this jumper and cardigan! I love how the Fair isle knit is done on the entire jumper but only on the upper half of the cardigan.
And OMG, isn't her hair amazing?
What about you? Do you love Fair Isle sweaters? Do you knit? Have you ever done a Fair Isle knitted item? Is it hard?
Sunday, July 17, 2011
All moved in...
YAY! We are all moved in. We moved on Wednesday and got our internet set up the next day (surprisingly). However, they did the instillation wrong and had to come back on the Friday--but all in all, still loads faster than the 20 days it took from our last move.
I'm happy to say that I've also began setting up my sewing room. We had the movers but all the boxes into the living room. I was happy to see my sewing machine and tailor's dummy arrive first (I got the fun job of being at the new place while David did the much harder job of overseeing the move from the old place). Pretty soon though boxes and furniture were being piled into the room. Finally, there was an entire room of stuff between me and my sewing machine! ACK! Well, I don't know a better incentive for unpacking and moving boxes than that :)
So now I have both sewing machines (I have the Singer 15k above and a Singer 6136 which I use more) and most importantly both power cords accounted for!
One thing I love about moving is being able to go through everything! I spent some lovely time unpacking my fabric stash.
It helped me to think through what I have for summer sewing and also what colours should be in my Autumn/Winter sewing colour palette!!
Another interesting fact: All of my personal possessions fit into 16 boxes. Of those, 11 are sewing-related! So that means nearly 70% of what I own is sewing related (including me-made clothes). Crazy but fun!
In other news, I took the week off of sewing. The lovely Kazz the Spazz stood in for me on the Sew Weekly. If you haven't check out Kazz's blog then you are missing out! She really inspires me with her creativity for all the challenges and she takes such fun photos! Check out her post on the Sew Weekly and also her blog.
Looking forward to this next week's challenge: an outfit inspired by an Alfred Hitchcock movie...oooohhh! That's going to be fun!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Me-Made June: Some reflections
Can you tell I still think it's June? I can hardly believe we are already over a week into July! My goodness!!
I'm quite happy with Me-Made June! I didn't manage to document every day but I did manage to wear something me-made every day and most days included outfits that were entirely me-made! Here's a recap of some of the outfits:
Days 1-8:
My niece, Brittany and her husband, Brad were in town for the first part of June and we had fun traveling around! I'm happy to report that all my outfits with the exception of my lovely Ness Jacket were all me-made! The weather varied quite a bit during this first part of the months so that I got to wear both my wool suit but also my sundress!!
Days 9-18:
Days 9-18 were entirely me-made!! Both of my longer sleeve dresses (the 1939 black and white one and the 1940 grey one were worn twice during the month). I did miss documenting 4 days in the middle of the month! What did I wear then? I wore my 1950's wiggle suit, my pink easter dress, my wool suit again and my high waisted trousers!
Days 22-25:
I really enjoyed days 22-25! I wore my purple parfait dress (I ended up switching out the buttons for purple ones) with my DuBarry blouse and I really liked the combination. I also wore my new refashioned jacket during this week.
Days 26 and 29:
During the last week in June, my sister was visiting! I wore my first sewn dress when I picked her up from the airport and the picture above is taken in front Scotland's parliament building (don't the designs look like giant hairdryers?? Or worse, guns???) On the 29th, I wore my Wearing History blouse with a straight black pencil skirt and my faux fur jacket to a concert. This photo was taken after the concert....we were all hungry and visited a chip shop :)
Days 27-28 and 30-31:
The last days of June were spent touring around Scotland with my sister! I wore my purple parfait again..this time with my Ness Wellies. I also wore jeans (shocking!!) with my me-made (actually David-made) belt. This week also saw the introduction of finally finished halter top and skirt and I got to wear my new Ness Fair Isle sweater with a wardrobe staple--my navy 1940 skirt.
Overall Reflections
Overall, I am quite pleased with me-made June. It's amazing how many more me-made outfits I have now as compared to what I had during May 2010. It really makes quite a difference to be able to pull from several different outfits.
I'm really glad that I've been sewing to a colour palette both from my 2010 sewing plans but also my spring Colette palette plan. It makes it really easy to wear the pieces that I have made together!
The most challenging part of Me-Made June was not wearing what I had made but remembering to document each day!
Having the Me-Made challenge during a warmer month was so much better for me in terms of having a chance to wear everything. I was lucky in that June had the full spectrum of Scottish weather from cold, damp days to hot and humid. I thought for sure I wouldn't be able to wear my sleeveless sundresses but I was lucky in that we got one of our warmest days in early June! hurrah!
What I Wore Most
It was split between two outfits:
1) My long sleeved black and white dress. Despite having a few warm days, the weather was very moderate for the rest of the month. The black and white dress that I made for the Sew Weekly Ascot Races challenge was perfect. It's lightweight but having my arms covered kept me just warm enough to be comfortable.
2) My Raspberry Sorbet dress. I love this dress. It's the perfect amount of dress up and casual. It looks chic without being over the top. It's businesslike but also fun. I can pretty much wear it anywhere. I definitely want to make more!!
What Surprised Me
The Colette Parfait dress! I really liked wearing this as a pinafore...more than I thought I would! I ended up switching the silver buttons to purple buttons that matched the fabric better. I also really like how the pinafore looks with my 1943 sage green and purple blouse. And I love how it goes with wellies--perfect for walks out in the damp countryside! Definitely an outfit surprise!
What I Thought I Would Wear More but Didn't
I definitely thought I would wear my 1935 cape more but it didn't get worn this month! I think I need to make some more 30's inspired skirts and blouses that match the cape.
I also thought I would wear my Joannie wiggle dress more. I think once I finish the jacket this will definitely be a wardrobe staple!
What is Missing from My Wardrobe
I've been focussing so much on separates lately that I haven't made a whole lot of dresses even though I really love the ones I have made. I want to make more dresses and more skirt suits as well!
Did you participate in Me-Made June? What are the gaps in your wardrobe?
I'm quite happy with Me-Made June! I didn't manage to document every day but I did manage to wear something me-made every day and most days included outfits that were entirely me-made! Here's a recap of some of the outfits:
Days 1-8:
My niece, Brittany and her husband, Brad were in town for the first part of June and we had fun traveling around! I'm happy to report that all my outfits with the exception of my lovely Ness Jacket were all me-made! The weather varied quite a bit during this first part of the months so that I got to wear both my wool suit but also my sundress!!
Days 9-18:
Days 9-18 were entirely me-made!! Both of my longer sleeve dresses (the 1939 black and white one and the 1940 grey one were worn twice during the month). I did miss documenting 4 days in the middle of the month! What did I wear then? I wore my 1950's wiggle suit, my pink easter dress, my wool suit again and my high waisted trousers!
Days 22-25:
I really enjoyed days 22-25! I wore my purple parfait dress (I ended up switching out the buttons for purple ones) with my DuBarry blouse and I really liked the combination. I also wore my new refashioned jacket during this week.
Days 26 and 29:
Days 27-28 and 30-31:
The last days of June were spent touring around Scotland with my sister! I wore my purple parfait again..this time with my Ness Wellies. I also wore jeans (shocking!!) with my me-made (actually David-made) belt. This week also saw the introduction of finally finished halter top and skirt and I got to wear my new Ness Fair Isle sweater with a wardrobe staple--my navy 1940 skirt.
Overall Reflections
Overall, I am quite pleased with me-made June. It's amazing how many more me-made outfits I have now as compared to what I had during May 2010. It really makes quite a difference to be able to pull from several different outfits.
I'm really glad that I've been sewing to a colour palette both from my 2010 sewing plans but also my spring Colette palette plan. It makes it really easy to wear the pieces that I have made together!
The most challenging part of Me-Made June was not wearing what I had made but remembering to document each day!
Having the Me-Made challenge during a warmer month was so much better for me in terms of having a chance to wear everything. I was lucky in that June had the full spectrum of Scottish weather from cold, damp days to hot and humid. I thought for sure I wouldn't be able to wear my sleeveless sundresses but I was lucky in that we got one of our warmest days in early June! hurrah!
What I Wore Most
It was split between two outfits:
1) My long sleeved black and white dress. Despite having a few warm days, the weather was very moderate for the rest of the month. The black and white dress that I made for the Sew Weekly Ascot Races challenge was perfect. It's lightweight but having my arms covered kept me just warm enough to be comfortable.
2) My Raspberry Sorbet dress. I love this dress. It's the perfect amount of dress up and casual. It looks chic without being over the top. It's businesslike but also fun. I can pretty much wear it anywhere. I definitely want to make more!!
What Surprised Me
The Colette Parfait dress! I really liked wearing this as a pinafore...more than I thought I would! I ended up switching the silver buttons to purple buttons that matched the fabric better. I also really like how the pinafore looks with my 1943 sage green and purple blouse. And I love how it goes with wellies--perfect for walks out in the damp countryside! Definitely an outfit surprise!
What I Thought I Would Wear More but Didn't
I definitely thought I would wear my 1935 cape more but it didn't get worn this month! I think I need to make some more 30's inspired skirts and blouses that match the cape.
I also thought I would wear my Joannie wiggle dress more. I think once I finish the jacket this will definitely be a wardrobe staple!
What is Missing from My Wardrobe
I've been focussing so much on separates lately that I haven't made a whole lot of dresses even though I really love the ones I have made. I want to make more dresses and more skirt suits as well!
Did you participate in Me-Made June? What are the gaps in your wardrobe?
Monday, July 11, 2011
1941 pattern winner...
Hello lovelies! I'm super excited to announce the winner of this pattern from 1941...
And the winner is...
Rachel from the House of Pinheiro!! YAY! I had the chance to meet Rachel at the UK meet-up! We had loads of fun! The funny thing is that Rachel is actually waiting for my new address to send me something I won from her blog! hehehehehe Gotta love the sewing community!
And the winner is...
Rachel from the House of Pinheiro!! YAY! I had the chance to meet Rachel at the UK meet-up! We had loads of fun! The funny thing is that Rachel is actually waiting for my new address to send me something I won from her blog! hehehehehe Gotta love the sewing community!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
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:
Happy July!
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.
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).
Happy July!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Thank you!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your lovely comments on my post about working with Ness! You are all so lovely and your comments really got me excited all over again :)
I spy a yummy pink 'Coco' inspired jacket and a fair isle sweater!
Thank you also to everyone who filled out the poll. That was fun!!! Because I used the free version of zoomerang, I was only able to see the first 100 responses. Here are the results:
The top vote went to creating another sewing plan/colour palette to mix and match with Ness accessories. That is my favourite choice among all of them too! You know how I love plotting and planning ;)
And it seems you all love tartan just as much as I do! The second vote went to blogging about tartan throughout fashion history (this will be sooooo much fun)... And the third vote went to exploring how modern tartans are designed! I'll ask Clare if she would be interested in doing an interview for a sneaky peak into how Ness designs their tartans--that would be super interesting!
Very close in 4th place is the Scotland Explorer idea--more fun photos in picturesque locations! David and I are definitely up for that as we want to really start exploring the small towns and villages throughout Scotland!
I'm going to focus on those four ideas for the moment! YAY! This is going to be fun!!
And to top it all off, I just got an email yesterday that Ness is having a 50% off sale....woot, woot!
I spy a yummy pink 'Coco' inspired jacket and a fair isle sweater!
Monday, July 4, 2011
My super exciting news....
oh, I am sooooo excited! You know how I really love the Scottish company Ness? They sent me an email noticing that I had directed quite a bit of readers to their website through my blog and if I wanted to meet up and potentially collaborate with them. I think it took me 2 seconds to write back and I think I included at least 50 exclamation points!! My reply went something like this....
It gets better....We set up a time to meet at the Ness main office which is not far from where I live and I got to meet all the lovely people working there! They wanted to learn more about me and my blog. I also got a sneak peak into their Autumn clothing and accessories line! OMG. I was over the moon. There was a lot of sqealing on my part and a lot of 'Look at the fabulous buttons', 'The piping', 'The amazing plaids'....oh, it was so much fun!
So, I am super excited to say that I've become a Ness Affiliate! Doesn't that sound fun? Basically, I put a link to the Ness website on my blog and if any of my readers buy anything then I get a small percentage of the sales--a way to help support my blogging (read: for me to buy more Ness products or vintage patterns..hahahhaa). Seriously, I'm just flattered that they took time to find out about little 'ol me. Most big companies would not take the time to recognise bloggers or people that really love their stuff. I think it's super generous of them to do this--especially since they are a small company!
They are all so lovely! This is a picture of me with Heather (on the left) and Clare (on the right). Clare is the Senior Designer at Ness and gets to actually design the beautiful tartans and clothing designs!! What an amazing job.
They are all so lovely! I had so much fun!!
If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know that I am already a huge fan of Ness. In fact, I don't buy any RTW clothing except Ness. Seriously. I often sew vintage-inspired pieces around their accessories.
I already own 5 pairs of shoes, 3 handbags, 2 wallets, 1 passport holder, 1 hat, 1 jacket, 1 sweater, 1 dress, 1 skirt, 1 scarf and I've bought 2 hats, 2 passport holders and 2 purses as gifts for family and friends. Wow, I think I'm obsessed :)
Since I've started my blog, I've mentioned Ness over 50 times. This time last year, I actually built a sewing plan around the colour palette of two pairs of my Ness shoes and my Ness jacket. The colours were navy blue, hot pink, purple and grey.
Photo 1: Skirt from 1940 pattern, Ness Jacket, shoes and bag
Photo 2: Blouse from 1944 pattern, trousers from 1941 pattern, snood from etsy and Ness shoes
Photo 3: Blouse and trousers from 1941 pattern, Ness shoes
Photo 4: 1960's dress and jacket found at auction house, Ness shoes and bag
Photo 5: Shift dress from 1967 pattern, Ness shoes
Photo 6: Ruffled dickey from 1940's pattern, Ness shoes
Photo 1: Blouse from 1943 pattern, skirt from 1940 pattern, Ness shoes
Photo 2: Colette parfait pinafore pattern, blouse from 1943 pattern, Ness wellies
Photo 3: Halter from 1952 pattern, skirt from 1945 pattern, belt made from Ness scarf, Ness shoes and wallet
Photo 4: Dress from 1940 pattern, Ness Jacket and belt and trim on hat made from fabric from Ness hat
I love Ness because it's almost impossible to find really nice matching shoes and handbags but that was all the rage in designs from the 30's all the way to the 60's.
I love that they are a small, local company and that they collaborate with Scottish manufacturers (there is a collaboration with Harris Tweed on the horizon).
I love that they ship worldwide. Seriously, it's always a bit of a bummer to find cool independent companies that aren't able to ship worldwide. Ness is able to and does a lot of their business by post.
I love that they make pretty and fun tartans!
I love that they offer non-leather shoes!
I love the the high quality of their clothing...really neat piping, matching linings, fun buttons...
I love that they design their own fabrics.
I love how cool everyone is who works there...seriously, I want to hang out with them all!!
I have lots of ideas on fun me-made outfits to match the Ness accessories and blog posts to write. But I want to hear from you...what would you like to read? Just click on the poll below! You can vote for as many ideas as you like. If you have other ideas, just leave them in the comments below.
YAY! Definitely check out their website. I am super excited to support this independent Scottish company! Though they might turn me into a Ness monster...hehehehehehe
Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes! I'm a huge fan of Ness and think it has great potential with the vintage lovin' community and the vintage sewing community (because of the fabulous separates you offer..matching shoes and purses--we love that!!! and the high quality of workmanship).
ooohhh! Very exciting! Thanks for writing!
It gets better....We set up a time to meet at the Ness main office which is not far from where I live and I got to meet all the lovely people working there! They wanted to learn more about me and my blog. I also got a sneak peak into their Autumn clothing and accessories line! OMG. I was over the moon. There was a lot of sqealing on my part and a lot of 'Look at the fabulous buttons', 'The piping', 'The amazing plaids'....oh, it was so much fun!
So, I am super excited to say that I've become a Ness Affiliate! Doesn't that sound fun? Basically, I put a link to the Ness website on my blog and if any of my readers buy anything then I get a small percentage of the sales--a way to help support my blogging (read: for me to buy more Ness products or vintage patterns..hahahhaa). Seriously, I'm just flattered that they took time to find out about little 'ol me. Most big companies would not take the time to recognise bloggers or people that really love their stuff. I think it's super generous of them to do this--especially since they are a small company!
They are all so lovely! This is a picture of me with Heather (on the left) and Clare (on the right). Clare is the Senior Designer at Ness and gets to actually design the beautiful tartans and clothing designs!! What an amazing job.
They are all so lovely! I had so much fun!!
If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know that I am already a huge fan of Ness. In fact, I don't buy any RTW clothing except Ness. Seriously. I often sew vintage-inspired pieces around their accessories.
I already own 5 pairs of shoes, 3 handbags, 2 wallets, 1 passport holder, 1 hat, 1 jacket, 1 sweater, 1 dress, 1 skirt, 1 scarf and I've bought 2 hats, 2 passport holders and 2 purses as gifts for family and friends. Wow, I think I'm obsessed :)
Since I've started my blog, I've mentioned Ness over 50 times. This time last year, I actually built a sewing plan around the colour palette of two pairs of my Ness shoes and my Ness jacket. The colours were navy blue, hot pink, purple and grey.
Photo 2: Blouse from 1944 pattern, trousers from 1941 pattern, snood from etsy and Ness shoes
Photo 3: Blouse and trousers from 1941 pattern, Ness shoes
Photo 4: 1960's dress and jacket found at auction house, Ness shoes and bag
Photo 5: Shift dress from 1967 pattern, Ness shoes
Photo 6: Ruffled dickey from 1940's pattern, Ness shoes
Photo 2: Colette parfait pinafore pattern, blouse from 1943 pattern, Ness wellies
Photo 3: Halter from 1952 pattern, skirt from 1945 pattern, belt made from Ness scarf, Ness shoes and wallet
Photo 4: Dress from 1940 pattern, Ness Jacket and belt and trim on hat made from fabric from Ness hat
I love Ness because it's almost impossible to find really nice matching shoes and handbags but that was all the rage in designs from the 30's all the way to the 60's.
I love that they are a small, local company and that they collaborate with Scottish manufacturers (there is a collaboration with Harris Tweed on the horizon).
I love that they ship worldwide. Seriously, it's always a bit of a bummer to find cool independent companies that aren't able to ship worldwide. Ness is able to and does a lot of their business by post.
I love that they make pretty and fun tartans!
I love that they offer non-leather shoes!
I love the the high quality of their clothing...really neat piping, matching linings, fun buttons...
I love that they design their own fabrics.
I love how cool everyone is who works there...seriously, I want to hang out with them all!!
I have lots of ideas on fun me-made outfits to match the Ness accessories and blog posts to write. But I want to hear from you...what would you like to read? Just click on the poll below! You can vote for as many ideas as you like. If you have other ideas, just leave them in the comments below.
YAY! Definitely check out their website. I am super excited to support this independent Scottish company! Though they might turn me into a Ness monster...hehehehehehe
1940 pattern winner...
The winner of this yummy pattern is...
Justine from Sew Country Chick! Justine has been sewing up a storm lately and I love all her creations! Plus she says this pattern would be perfect for a winter fashion show she is doing! oohhhh...how fun! Justine, just email me your contact info at myhappysewingplace [at] googlemail [dot] com
Happy sewing everyone!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
My 1950's halter top...
I am so happy to have finally completed my oldest unfinished sewing project for this last week's theme at the Sew Weekly!
I used Simplicity 3879 which according to the Vintage Pattern Wiki is from 1952. There's actually a nicer non-decapitated image of the pattern cover on the Vintage Pattern Wiki.
I had already made the bolero and skirt in a lovely printed cotton and wear those separates quite frequently. I didn't end up doing the full skirt from this pattern but modified another pattern for more of a pencil skirt:
You'll see that the cuffs on the bolero are from the same fabric as my new halter top. I've also made another A-line skirt from this same purple cotton material from a 1940's hollywood pattern:
I love how the new halter looks with this skirt! I also really love the soft folds on the neck of the halter:
The main reason for not finishing the halter two years ago was that I was a bit befuddled by the instructions and the fit. This time around (after quite a bit more sewing under my belt) I was able to finish and fit it without too many hitches. I think what was confusing me before was the way they decribe the bias underfacing--something I had never done when I first tackled this pattern. I did end up taking it in about 3 inches in the sides at the bust area (despite this being my size) and ended up sewing the halter back together as opposed to having it close with a button. There is a side zip that makes it quite easy to get on. It's about hip length (it's tucked in with the skirt).
I also knew I wanted a splash of colour to break up the purple. I was recently in Ness with my sister (btw, I've just found out that they ship worldwide) and I picked up the adorable Ness shoes and wallet and I picked up the scarf with the intention of making a belt out of it.
I purchased the belt making kit from Sunni over at A Fashionable Stitch. I absolutely love the belt making kit as it makes it easy peasy. Before I was following the directions on the vintage patterns with ok results but I didn't really feel that the belts could stand up to constant wear. This belt backing is fantastic plus it includes a self-cover buckle. It also includes a prong and gromits but I just left those out and made it into a slide belt.
Actually I should rephrase....David actually made the belt for me! How amazing is that? I was sneaking in early hours sewing since my sister was in town and we were touring around Scotland during the day! David knew I really wanted to make the belt and offered to do it for me! awwww....thanks sweetiepie! He also very kindly took photos of how he did it. Here's what we started out with, the knit scarf, the belt kit, matching thread and a hand sewing needle:
And here's what making the self-cover buckle looks like:
And finally the actual buckle:
I love it, I love it, I love it!!! My very own matching belt!
I'm really glad I finished the halter top as we are having unbelievable beautiful weather at the moment! YAY!
I used Simplicity 3879 which according to the Vintage Pattern Wiki is from 1952. There's actually a nicer non-decapitated image of the pattern cover on the Vintage Pattern Wiki.
I had already made the bolero and skirt in a lovely printed cotton and wear those separates quite frequently. I didn't end up doing the full skirt from this pattern but modified another pattern for more of a pencil skirt:
You'll see that the cuffs on the bolero are from the same fabric as my new halter top. I've also made another A-line skirt from this same purple cotton material from a 1940's hollywood pattern:
I love how the new halter looks with this skirt! I also really love the soft folds on the neck of the halter:
The main reason for not finishing the halter two years ago was that I was a bit befuddled by the instructions and the fit. This time around (after quite a bit more sewing under my belt) I was able to finish and fit it without too many hitches. I think what was confusing me before was the way they decribe the bias underfacing--something I had never done when I first tackled this pattern. I did end up taking it in about 3 inches in the sides at the bust area (despite this being my size) and ended up sewing the halter back together as opposed to having it close with a button. There is a side zip that makes it quite easy to get on. It's about hip length (it's tucked in with the skirt).
I also knew I wanted a splash of colour to break up the purple. I was recently in Ness with my sister (btw, I've just found out that they ship worldwide) and I picked up the adorable Ness shoes and wallet and I picked up the scarf with the intention of making a belt out of it.
I purchased the belt making kit from Sunni over at A Fashionable Stitch. I absolutely love the belt making kit as it makes it easy peasy. Before I was following the directions on the vintage patterns with ok results but I didn't really feel that the belts could stand up to constant wear. This belt backing is fantastic plus it includes a self-cover buckle. It also includes a prong and gromits but I just left those out and made it into a slide belt.
Actually I should rephrase....David actually made the belt for me! How amazing is that? I was sneaking in early hours sewing since my sister was in town and we were touring around Scotland during the day! David knew I really wanted to make the belt and offered to do it for me! awwww....thanks sweetiepie! He also very kindly took photos of how he did it. Here's what we started out with, the knit scarf, the belt kit, matching thread and a hand sewing needle:
And here's what making the self-cover buckle looks like:
And finally the actual buckle:
I love it, I love it, I love it!!! My very own matching belt!
I'm really glad I finished the halter top as we are having unbelievable beautiful weather at the moment! YAY!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
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:
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:
YAY! Love this one and can't wait to see it made up in various ways!!
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!!).
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).
YAY! Love this one and can't wait to see it made up in various ways!!
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