{Blogiversary Week} From 12 to 45 in 12 months: A Reflection on Sewing Weekly

Source: Diane & Me who got this from the theaudacityofcolor.com via Amy on Pinterest

 I saw this quote by a journalist over at the blog Diane & Me a couple of weeks ago and it really struck a cord in terms of reflecting on The Sew Weekly challenge I embarked on 11 months ago.

But let me start at the beginning...back in December 2010 the lovely Mena from The Sew Weekly blog put up a post looking for contributors to a year-long challenge that entailed sewing a garment/outfit every week.  I had been following Mena's blog for quite some time and just loved all her creations!  She asked for interested people to send her an email.  Well, I did.  I equate it to signing up to run a marathon if you've never done one before.  You're not quite sure what you're in for and once you start training you think "Can I do this?"  But you've already signed up so you just jump right in!! 

Before I joined the Sew Weekly I had sewn 12 garments TOTAL in 12 months--most of them separates.  I don't think it started to dawn on me how much more I would need to sew to meet the challenges until I started!  A few of the co-contributors (Adey and Veronica--I'm looking at you!) commented that the Sew Weekly would help them slow down a bit!  Fabulous Adey had sewn 46 garments in 7 months before the Sew Weekly and the lovely Veronica had done several sew one thing a day for a whole month challenges!  Eeep! 

Well, I am happy to report that I was able to keep up (for the most part--a few skipped challenges here and there and a few, ahem, slightly unfinished garments) but man, I was not expecting the incredibly positive impact sewing weekly would have on my life.

I don't know why, but I tend to veer towards complicated and challenging patterns.  In fact, you might even say that I seek out unusual patterns with really neat details (that oh, require a lot of time)!  One of the biggest challenges for me has been to marry my sewing style with producing weekly outputs within a specific theme.  Therein lies one of the greatest benefits of this last year--using patterns that wouldn't have normally been high on my sewing list!  Some of my favourite creations have been from these patterns that I wouldn't have normally prioritised within my sewing plan (examples include my 1933 Butterick Katherine Hepburn Repro dress; my BurdaStyle dress and matching 1941 apron; my 'Raspberry Sorbet' dress; my "Purple Parfait" pinafore; my 'Fake Bunny Love' jacket).  The weekly themes have helped me step outside my comfort zone and try some different decades and styles.

One of the things I have truly loved about the sewing weekly challenge is the sewing community that has grown up around it!  Getting to meet other sewists has been so inspirational!  Seeing everyone's interpretation of each week's theme has really fueled my creativity! I just love it!

 Photocredit: [1] Ms. Oonaballoona, [2] Marguerite Designs

Another groundbreaking revelation about Sewing Weekly for me has been that in order to make it happen, sewing has to be given equal status to other areas of my life.  Earlier in the year, the lovely Tilly from Tilly and the Buttons asked me to do a guest post on sewing productivity.  For that post, I thought really long and hard about how Sewing Weekly has changed some of my inner thoughts and habits.  Here's what I wrote back in May that still resonates as I reflect back over six more months of sewing weekly:

Now the thing that I’ve found useful with the Sew Weekly that I didn’t have on my own — is a deadline! Ok, I know what you are saying… I have deadlines in my day job; I don’t want or need deadlines with my hobby… Ok, hear me out with this one. You know how they say that the way to create a new habit is by doing the same action over and over again (consistently) until it’s just second nature? I think the same is true with sewing. Having a structure that is consistent helps to get the ball rolling until it seems much easier to get into the rhythm. I think this is especially true with sewists. Just from the type of blogs I read, I notice that we tend to be the type of people that have lots of demands on our attention and time (we’re passionate about many things in our life - from our children, to our jobs, to our social life, etc.). With this increased pressure on time and attention there is likely to also be procrastination - especially by those that want to succeed with sewing the most.

I’m the worst with procrastination. Due to everything going on, if it’s not something that’s immediately due it tends to take the backseat. What I love about a deadline is that sewing is forced to take equal status with other areas of my life. And why shouldn’t it?? Why should I relegate the thing I love most to the very last? I once read somewhere that we only procrastinate about those things that have value to us. Interesting thought, no?

 Which brings me around full circle to the quote at the beginning of this post:

It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close the gap and your work will be as good as your ambitions.

I've gotten so much sewing experience this past year.  Not all my projects have been perfectly constructed but let me tell you, I am SO EXCITED for this next year to really explore my sewing and dive into some ambitious projects that without this foundation might have been overwhelming!  It's been an amazing journey this last year--with highs and lows and I am incredibly grateful for it.  Thanks for sharing it with me!!

{Blogiversary Week} The 'Hawk's Eye View' Dress

My new dress is from the BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook that I got for free as part of the Sew Weekly challenge this week!  I'm so curious if any of you have sewn with BurdaStyle patterns?  This is only my second dress and it's something I'd like to do more!



The book includes five patterns: a dress, a skirt, a blouse, a coat and a handbag.  In addition to these five base patterns, there are countless variations on each pattern (2 variations for each pattern with detailed instructions and up to 30 different photos of variations of the pattern from BurdaStyle readers!).  I choose to  use the basic dress pattern as my inspiration and starting point!

Similar to the BurdaStyle magazines, the patterns are printed on the same page.  The book has two patterns to each big sheet of paper.  Below is the skirt and bag pattern (each one in a different colour):

You're supposed to trace off the pattern.  Unless, of course, you can't find your tracing paper and you know you're not going to use the bag pattern (or the flounce on the dress) in which case you can cut the pattern directly!

I wanted a bit of a mod look but with a longer hemline, so I took the basic collar line of the dress pattern (which is very 60's!) and didn't cut out the keyhole or ruffle bit for the dress.  I also knew that I wanted to have different fabric on top and bottom--to create an illusion of separates!

One of the dress variations in the book is from our beloved Casey (of Casey's Elegant Musings)!  I really like her variation and hope to go back at some point in the future to make it!  For that pattern there is a great illustration of how to self-draft front and back facings for the dress.  The fabric I was using for the bodice is a delicious Japanese Kokka lightweight gauze fabric.  It's slightly see-through on its own so I ended up underlining the entire bodice with white cotton. The original dress design has instructions for lining the entire dress, but since I was only underlining the bodice, I used Casey's instructions for creating the facings!

I also had a bit of fun hemming the dress with some matching red bias tape:

I handpicked the zipper using Tasia's tutorial (switching thread colours between the top and the skirt).  I used a 22 inch zipper, which runs down the back of the dress.  The gauze fabric is great because you can't even see the handpicked stitches:

We trekked up to Arthur's Seat yesterday for these photos.  It's has such an amazing view over the city and I just love the look of the volcanic rocks!

 

We saw some amazing Harris Hawks on the hill!  They were moving too fast for us to catch them on our camera. Apparently, there's been a hawk that escaped from the nearby Holyrood Palace that now lives on the hill!

Here's what they look like close-up (photo from Free Photos):

I can just hear you now...'Debi, don't you live in Scotland?  Doesn't it get cold there?'  Why yes, it does!  I would never wear a sleeveless dress this time of the year....without a jacket.  Actually, this dress is perfect for layering to get a suit effect!  In fact, this is how I was wearing it at work yesterday--with a nice wool jacket (from....guess where?  You're right....it's from Ness).  This was the first item I bought from their autumn/winter line and I wear it nearly every week!  I must say that I have also been eyeing a certain Burda cape pattern that I think would look delicious in this navy twill (with red piping?) to go with this dress for a bit of variation!!  I can't decide if I will make the Burda pattern or use a delicious vintage cape pattern??

I do love the Ness jacket (it's called the 'Laura' jacket in Garnet) because it's got elbow patches!!  I must remember to put those on my own sewing projects--they are so nice!

I really like the shape of the dress and can see so many different variations!!

Giveaway
I'm offering up reader's choice of one BurdaStyle downloadable pattern. This giveaway is open to all my readers anywhere in the world. To enter, just leave a comment on this post and talk to me about your thoughts/experiences on sewing with BurdaStyle patterns (downloadable, from the magazine or the Burda patterns).  I definitely want to learn more about these patterns.  Enter your comment by midnight (London time) on Saturday the 19th for a chance to win a BurdaStyle downloadable pattern (it comes as a pdf that you print off, tape together and use).

{Blogiversary Week} Revisiting my First Dress

My very first sewing project and my very first blogging post was about this dress...

This pattern said 'Simple to Make' and got me all giddy because it had detachable collars and cuffs!  Well, they lied about the simply made bit and they kind of lied about how "detachable" the collars and cuffs were.  But I digress...

This dress has spanned two American cities, two countries and four addresses.  I finally finished the dress two years ago and it didn't fit!!  Luckily, my amazing readers helped me pinpoint the problem(s) and nearly a year later, I started refitting the dress to this:

This was one year ago.  I wore this dress when I met my first other sewing blogger in person.

Well, two years later I figured it was time to get onto the 'detachable' collars and cuffs!  I decided to go with green since it's in my autumn palette:

I adjusted the collar so that the pointy bit didn't sit so high up.  I really like the green with this dress:

Hmmm...maybe I'll do another collar at my 3 year blogiversary? I could make it a tradition to keep revisiting this dress!

Giveaway:
One of my very first  giveaways was to EvaDress patterns--an amazing reproduction online pattern site.  I had the opportunity to meet the lovely Xandra from EvaDress at the Gatsby Summer Afternoon and she is SO LOVELY!  So I thought I would revisit that first giveaway again by offering up reader's choice of their favourite pattern from EvaDress!


This giveaway is open to all my readers anywhere in the world. To enter, just leave a comment on this post and let me know what was the very first thing you ever started sewing (finished or unfinished).  I can't wait to hear your stories!  Enter your comment by midnight (London time) on Saturday the 19th for a chance to win an EvaDress pattern.

It's my blogiversary!!!

2 years ago on this very day, I started sewing in earnest and tracking my thoughts/progress on this blog.  Over the past year, I've really seen myself grow both in sewing and blogging and I've met so many wonderful people along the way.  So I've decided to celebrate this last year's journey through a blogiversary week!  Over five days, I'll share some new projects, some reflections and of course, giveaways!

This first reflection post will be a sort of 'highlights' stroll down memory lane to rediscover the fun, the inspiration and the tough moments along the way.  I'm taking the format and categories I used for my first blogiversary post (this may become a tradition??) to share some of the highlights of this past year!


Project I am the most Proud Of:

Without a doubt the project I am most proud of and that I really see as a turning point in my sewing was my dress sewn from the 1933 Butterick reproduction pattern from EvaDress.  This was the second challenge I completed for the Sew Weekly and really highlighted: 1) how much I love early 30's patterns, 2) how much I love wool, and 3) that I can tackle any pattern no matter how difficult it looks! This one was actually fairly easy to sew up (another reason I love early 30's patterns--really great details that are brilliantly drafted).  I'm also super proud of this dress because I won the EvaDress contest for 'Best Use of Pattern in its Original Form' despite stiff competition.

Hardest Moment:
The hardest moment of this past year has to have been the March to May time period when I was working like crazy (hello two jobs), participating in the Sew Weekly and had just found out that we had to move!   Talk about crazy intense!  Luckily, things have slowed down a bit (I can hear David laughing about this one--maybe it's just that I've gotten better at getting things done with so much going on??? lol.)

Ideas that Didn't Pan Out:
Sewing whilst travelling! That's my answer to this one!  I had grand plans to finish a load of outfits when I was visiting my family and travelling around the states.  Let me just say that it sounds so much easier.  In the end, I made what I needed to and took some much needed time to relax and see family and friends!

Project I Would Most Like to Redo:

The two projects from this last year that I'd most like to redo (or finish in one case!) is the 1950's 'Patio Dress' and my 1940's 'Chocolate and Wine' dress.  The Patio Dress has some serious gathering issues and I'm actually not quite sure I like the colour combo.  Maybe a teal and white like the pattern envelope would be much nicer?  The 'Chocolate and Wine' dress I definitely want to finish and since it has long sleeves would be perfect for winter!  You may recall that I had a big hurdle with button loops on this dress.  I received so many helpful comments on my Sew Weekly post that I'm sure I can go back and confidently tackle those darn loops :)

Easiest Project:

The easiest project was also the most last minute project! It was this gathered 1950's style skirt which I made using Gertie's tutorial. 

Quickest Project:

The quickest project(s) was making two faux wrap blouses out of pillowcases! You can check out my tutorial here.  I had never thought of making something using a pillowcase--so it was fun to be a bit creative and now I am always on the lookout for fun fabrics to refashion!

Piece of Clothing I Wear the Most:

Ok, this is a toss up but I think I'm going to have to go with my 1940 hooded dress.  I absolutely LOVE this dress.  It's the perfect weight for Scotland (made out of medium-weight gabardine) and the great part is that I can wear it as a jacket/coat or as a dress! Though it was really funny coming through security on my way back to Scotland from the States when the security screener asked me to take off my coat!  Erm...it's a dress! At which point, he looked very sheepish and said, 'oh sorry'!!!

Most Surprising Project:

Without a doubt, the most surprising project was my 1943 'Raspberry Sorbet' McCall dress!  I very much underestimated this pattern!  It's one of my favourites and I hope to make more versions--the style looks understated on the pattern cover (at least for me...lol.) and I just love how classy the design looks!

Scariest Moment:  
No truly scary sewing moments this last year (thank goodness!) though I did get a bit of the stomach butterflies right before three big blogger meet-ups! I had the wonderful opportunity to meet several of my favourite bloggers/sewists in London, NYC and San Francisco!  More on those fabulous meet-ups in another post later this week!

Wow--it's fun to reflect on this past year of sewing!   Stay tuned later today as I revisit my very first dress!!

Won't you join me in being Sew Grateful?

One of the things I really love about the online sewing community is how generous everyone is! There are so many giveaways, tutorials, sew-alongs, pattern and fabric swaps.  I thought it would be great to have a little challenge to show our gratitude for these things.  Hence, the 'Sew Grateful Challenge'.  As you may know, Thanksgiving is in two weeks in the United States (Nov. 24th).  It's a great holiday for celebrating and remembering to be thankful for everything we have and for our community of friends and family.

The Sew Grateful Challenge
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 November 21st.  This is a great time to get around to using that amazing pattern you won in a giveaway, or that lovely fabric someone gave you--even those buttons or special notions that you've received! Haven't received any material sewing items lately?  That doesn't matter either--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?
 

<a href="http://fashionsfromthepast.blogspot.com/2011/11/wont-you-join-me-in-being-sew-grateful.html"><img src="http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/7383/2221667e1b8a42fm3.jpg"<br /> border="0" width="183" height="147" alt="BannerFans.com" <br /> /></a>

Feel free to grab the button and let me know if you'll be participating! I'd love to do a highlights post at the end of the week!

Readers, I don't know if I say it often enough but I really am so thankful for all of your support and lovely comments every week! Thank you so much!!

Fabric and pattern giveaway winners...

It's time for the results of two giveaways! Thank you everyone for entering both giveaways!  And a big thank you to Fancy Moon: Purveyor of Fine Fabrics for their generous offer of 2 metres of fabric!  

Fabric Giveaway Winner

First up, the Fancy Moon Fabric giveaway....the winner is Stephanie who lives in Vienna and blogs over at The Naked Seamstress.  Stephanie mentioned that she likes the floral fabrics and will make a vintage inspired dress out of the fabric!

I just love these two...

Peacock Lane Green Bouquet by Michael Miller

 

Flower Sugar Ribbon Blue Cotton Dress Fabric by Lecien

Pattern Giveaway Winner:
Next up is the giveaway for Style Print 1283:

 And the randomly chosen winner is:

... Megan who just started blogging over at Megan and the (sewing) machine.  Megan said:

I'd love to get this pattern, if I win! I've been wanting to do a shirtwaist dress for a little while, and this one looks like it would be a lovely way to dip into this style.

YAY! Congrats winners!  If you didn't win...don't despair...I have lots more exciting giveaways coming up in November!  xoxoxoxo

{Ness Lovelies} The Alex bag & the Pendrell blouse

I've been wearing my Pendrell teal silk blouse a lot!  One of my favourite colours to wear it with is purple and when I saw the Ness 'Alex' bag, I knew it was a match made in heaven.

The trousers are also from Ness but many moons ago.  They are 100% wool and I just love the heathered purple colour.  I think this would be a great colour for some high waisted trousers too!

It's still absolutely beautiful in Scotland.  Though the leaves are rapidly dropping at this point and I think it's only a couple of weeks now until they are completely bare!  We are still getting lovely sunny days which makes up for it!

I think this is my favourite bag so far that I've reviewed.  Maybe it's because it's in the new 'Crush' tartan, which I adore.  Maybe it's because it is just the right size.  Or maybe it's because of the classy shape.  All I can say is that I really love it!  In fact, I'll be taking advantage of the promotional offer this week--not for myself--but for a certain friend who may be having a birthday this weekend.  But I'm not telling if she's getting this one or the lovely red version.

There's only two bags left in the series!  Which Ness bag has been your favourite so far?  The Krystal, Andrea, Laya or this one-- the Alex bag?

Miss Katie and I

On Tuesday I got to meet Miss Katie who blogs over at The Little Red Squirrel.  To say that I wish Miss Katie lived in Edinburgh would be an understatement!  We had SO MUCH fun!  We started our afternoon at Edinburgh Fabrics.  It was great fun to see all the new fabrics.  Of course we ended up on the wool aisle (my favourite) and we both walked away with a few goodies. 

I opted for a light purple silk:

And Miss Katie got some amazing wool!  We then ventured over to the Armstrong & Sons vintage store to look at all their lovelies.  And believe it or not, I found nearly 4 yards of delicious wool for £10 (clapping hands in delight):

We then stopped in a charity shop (photo above) and then grabbed a cappuccino and hot chocolate and gabbed away like best friends! It was splendid!  Thanks Miss Katie!

While we were doing that, this is what little Ebi was up to:

Awww...Happiness is warm patch of sunlight!

The 'Kitten' Skirt

 

Ok....so we had some fun with the photos this week.  The theme over at the Sew Weekly was Pin-Up inspired outfits!  I immediately thought of making a colourful gathered skirt and wearing it with a peasant blouse like this Elvgren pin-up art:

                  Photo credit: Sushigirl-94's photobucket

I originally bought this fabric on my recent trip to the States for the 'Rose in Spanish Harlem' theme but I ended up making another dress for that theme and this poor fabric lay untouched until now.  I just adore the bright design and thought it would go perfectly with a peasant blouse I already have (alas, I did not make the peasant blouse but it comes from my absolute favourite Scottish store, Ness).

I always knew that I wanted to use this fabric for a 1950's gathered skirt.  The design on the fabric is perfect for this and I used the skirt from McCall's 8947.  This pattern is delicious and I do have enough fabric to make the matching bolero and to make the vest from a contrasting fabric!

This skirt took a bit longer than anticipated because I wanted to make sure to match the design across the four panels of fabric.

Then I got to the waistband and originally it's about half of the size that it is now.  However, I had cut one of the designs so that it was right in the middle of the waistband pattern piece and decided that it would look better with the whole design showing.  So I ended up making it twice as big and cutting a new piece to face the waistband.

I had the chance to meet the lovely Miss Katie yesterday who blogs over at The Little Red Squirrel (more pictures coming soon on that meet-up). We had so much fun going to the fabric store during lunch.  I told her about the plans for taking pictures with our kitties for this challenge and she suggested I wrap them with a bow! Awwww....so cute!  Unfortunately, one of our cats didn't want to play and only Ebi is in the photos--she's such a sweetie!

We had fun playing with the photos! A big thank you to David for taking the photos and playing with them in photoshop and also to Mena who played around with my photos on the Sew Weekly post to get a pin-up effect!

Just a quick reminder about two giveaways I'm hosting at the moment: the Fancy Moon Fabric giveaway (they have this exact fabric) and the amazing Paraders Vintage giveaway for $50 to their online store!

The Paraders Vintage Giveaway!!!

I am really, really happy to announce that the lovely Anna and Rachael from the online shop 'The Paraders Vintage' are hosting a $50 giveaway!!!  The Paraders Vintage, an online vintage shop and blog, aims to provide a modern mix of lovely dresses and charming accessories.  

Here's a bit more about the shop from Rachael:

Hello!  I'm Rachael, creator of The Paraders - the online vintage shop of Chicago.  The Paraders is full of wearable vintage from the 20s through the 80s that makes a girl look lovely and feel lovely too!  Our blog compliments the shop style with "dating vintage clothing" posts, vintage buying and styling tips, and my adventures through and aside from the shop.  As our shop expands into a full-blown independent website over the next month, please stay in touch with the Paraders to hear all about what it takes to jump from Etsy into a bigger, scarier market.  Also, stay tuned for our Paraders s/s 2012 dress collection! Thanks so much for listening and have a wonderful day!

Here are a few of my favourites from their lovely vintage shop:

1930s dress Lanvin adaptation:

I've never seen such an exquisite dress! I love, love, love the colours and texture!

60s coat medium large:

Wow--I just love this orange colour--perfect for autumn and winter.

1940s jacket large - 40s navy blue angled military war jacket:

I just love the double collar, the interesting pocket details and the buttons on this 40's jacket!

60s dress set xs / teal woolen skirt jacket blue 1960s:

You know how much I love teal! This set is so perfect!  I could see making a lot of matching blouses!

60s dress set small:

This dress reminds me so much of Betty draper! I love the bow on the top!

 

The Giveaway:

This giveaway is for $50 to The Paraders Vintage online store and is open to readers everywhere.  To enter you must be a follower of The Paraders Blog.  Just leave a comment on this post by Saturday the 19th of November about which item you like best in The Paraders Vintage store.

Optional other entries include (for up to a total of four entries):

2. Follow The Paraders on Twitter
3. Like The Paraders on Facebook
4. Join The Paraders newsletter

Let me know if you've done any of these extra entries in the comments section!   And because Anna and Rachael are so lovely, their giving all my readers 20% of their vintage store for the duration of the giveaway!  Just use the code HAPPYSEWING at check-out!  Huzzah!