McCall 3834: The 'Windy' Skirt

Thank you all for your wonderful comments on my last two makes!  I don't know what happened between last week and this week but the sun has disappeared!  Perfect for a good ol' wool project.  Enter the skirt from McCall 3834:

I had enough fabric left over from my jacket (McCall 3769 or the 'Lantern Army' jacket) to make a matching skirt.  McCall 3834 was super easy and quick to sew with maybe 2 hours or so of construction time.  The skirt is very straight and there's only two major pieces.

I decided to leave the hem a bit longer because I love how it looks with the jacket.  What you can't see from the brown wool fabric is that there are tiny little flecks of blue in it.  So, I am planning on making a matching blouse in a similar blue colour to the one I'm wearing here (what can I say, I like blue blouses!!)  This blouse is from a 1950s Maudella pattern but I'd like another blouse without the bow necktie.

The beautiful flowers (violets?) give a false impression that spring is here! But as you can see from the photos, it was very windy and cold.  Scotland is very changeable in terms of weather.  Locals often joke that if you don't like the weather, just wait 15 minutes and it will change!

Of course, that means I'll get a lot of wear out of this suit!!  I can't wait to make more suits from the 1940 McCall patterns...

Happy spring (or autumn) to you all!

McCall 3684: The 'Clackett Cantina' Dress

Late as usual for the party, I was stuck in the Clackett Cantina and didn't manage to get out in time for yesterday's deadline for the 'Sew Dolly Clackett' challenge.  For those of you that haven't heard of this...it's a lovely wedding gift for our beloved fellow blogger and sewist extraordinaire, Roisin.  I had the pleasure of meeting Roisin and Nic in London and I am over the moon at their wedding!   And yes, she is as nice and stylish in person as on her blog (with a killer shoe and me-made dress collection)!  A definite source of inspiration.

So, I wanted to pick an extra special pattern and photoshoot location for my 'Sew Dolly Clackett' dress.  Do you believe this western-looking street is hidden away in an alley in the heart of Edinburgh?  It is basically several false fronts on a bunch of sheds that an innovative furniture store owner (who used to work on movie/theatre sets) created for their business.  So great!

Of course, I didn't actually follow the rules for the challenge...I sort of made up a "If Dolly Clackett wore 1940s dresses" challenge.  Or "Dolly Clackett Sews for Victory".  But, I do think Roisin would approve of the fabric...so bright and colourful!  It brings a smile to my face.

I chose McCall 3684 for the extra drapey fabric (fabric content unknown but I'm guessing some sort of jersey blend).  I will definitely have to make this dress again because I wasn't able to make the awesome sleeves that are part of View A.

The bodice is really neat.  It includes gathering at the shoulders and then two w-shaped bodice pieces that are sewn together with a lapped seam just below the bust area.  I think the shape really elongates the torso (I like this look so much better sans belt, though I know they would have worn one in 1940).

The back has the 'bloused' effect and the dress zips on the side.

Raising a glass to you, Roisin and Nic!!!  Happy almost wedding!

Happy Friday everyone!

Butterick 5152: The 'Empress' Dressing Gown

Hello!  I know it's been awhile...things have been busy here as of late BUT I have managed to fit some sewing in!  One of the items I have wanted to add to my wardrobe the most is a 1940s dressing gown.  Enter Butterick 5152, a reissued vintage pattern from 1948 in perfect time for the Sew for Victory 2.0, a 1940s sew-along:

I made the dressing gown out of a rich and heavy silk jacquard fabric.  I've used a similar version of this fabric before (in red) to make a 1930's gown.  It sews like a dream.

The pattern consists of a yoked shoulder front, long 'puffed' sleeves and a wrap front held in place by a hook and eye.  I didn't have enough fabric to make the belt and my local fabric store is no longer carrying this fabric.  But I think that's fine as belts on robes are sometimes a bit annoying!  So I just wear my sans belt.  There are also subtle gathers on the front waist and more gathers on the back yoke.

The dressing gown goes perfectly with my 1940 McCall 'Wish Upon a Star' nightgown!  It's nice because the dressing gown doesn't have a collar which allows the collar and ties of the nightgown to show through.

I really adore the big puffy sleeves and I feel so glamorous when I wear this around the house!  Plus, it's nice and toasty – perfect for virtually every season here in Scotland!

Awww...look at the kitty...our dearest little Echo 'Chickpea'.  She's such a sweetie!!

I'm really trying to develop an entire wardrobe of 1930s and 40s inspired 'at-home' lounging and nightwear garments!  I just love how beautiful all the garment designs are from those time periods!

Scotland Sundays: Rosslyn Chapel

One of my favourite chapels in Scotland lies just 40 minutes outside of Edinburgh city centre.  Surrounded by intrigue (home of the holy grail? history of Knights Templar? murder? ghosts?) and recently made famous by a certain novel (which has allowed for some fantastic restoration work), Rosslyn Chapel has it all.

It's one of the most ornately carved chapels, both inside and out.  I love the gargoyles that flank the entrance.  They seem much more ominous in the winter time when the sky is overcast.

I wore my me-made 1940 McCall hooded dress, with my Ness beret and wellies.  It seemed a perfect pop of colour for such a grey day!

Here are some pictures of the inside of the chapel and all the amazing carvings:

The famous 'green man' carving:

Everywhere you look, there is a surprise:

The legend has it that there was a master stonemason who was carving the pillars of the chapel.  He decided to travel abroad to get inspiration and materials, leaving his apprentice in charge.  The apprentice, who was just a wee lad, had a dream about an ornately carved pillar.  When he awoke, he set out to replicate what he saw in his dream resulting in the most talked about set of carvings of the time period.  When the stonemason returned, he became enraged and jealous that his apprentice outshined him and legend has it, he murdered the apprentice in the chapel. 

The apprentice pillar:

Many people believe that the holy grail at one point resided in the chapel and that many other Knights Templar treasures may still exist somewhere within the chapel walls. 

Building on the chapel begun in 1446 and it has remained in the possession of the same family for its entire history (the St. Claire family).

The side of the chapel, with it's beautifully carved window:

There are a few gravestones and memorials in the chapel yard:

Overall, a fabulous (but windy) day, which caught me by surprise more than once! hahahaha

Have you been to Rosslyn Chapel?  Do you love mysterious stories from historic monuments?

Giveaway Winner and Thank You

Thank you everyone for your wonderful posts and participation during the Sew Grateful Week.  It's been so much fun.  There is still time to post giveaways, reflections, resources and projects! 

Today, I'm announcing the winner of the Weaving Destination fabric and 1940 McCall pattern giveaway.....

It's Emily:

Yay! Congrats Emily and thanks to everyone for entering!  And good news is that Weaving Destination is offering a 15% discount on all fabrics for everyone on Etsy.  The discount is good until the 10th of March.  Just enter the code SEWGRATEFUL during check-out.

Sew Grateful Week: Projects Link Party

An InLinkz Link-up

McCall 3769: The 'Lantern Army' Jacket

Today is the Sew Grateful Week Projects Day and I'm delighted to share my most recent make with all of you.  It's a 1940 McCall pattern (surprise!) but I felt that was the most appropriate for this week because I am so incredibly grateful for everyone's support and wonderful comments on the 1940 McCall project to date!  Several readers have sent me McCall patterns or links to patterns for sale and I am always incredibly moved by this!!  

For this week, I tackled McCall 3769, a beautiful jacket pattern that features really nice princess seamed lines that turns into pockets.

The second part of my Sew Grateful Project is to say thank you to my darling husband, David.  He chose the fabric and often helps me plan out projects.  He has an incredible eye for what fabrics will work with what patterns.  He also takes all the photos--and has been incredibly patient over the years for my desire to run all over Edinburgh (and elsewhere in Scotland) for the perfect locations :-)

The pattern was fantastic to follow.  I am especially chuffed about my jacket lapels!  Usually my corners look, ahem, suspect.  This time, they look like jacket lapels! yay!!

Thirdly, I want to say thank you to the wonderful sewists here in Scotland.  We recently met up in Glasgow and it was fantastic to meet everyone!  I heard about the Chinese lantern army that was set up in Old College, Edinburgh through Franca who blogs over at Oranges and Apples.  So we decided to head over there for the photos and what a lovely backdrop it was!  Check out more about this outdoor exhibition and her amazing photos over at her blog.

The fabric is a medium-weight wool that I got at Armstrong's Vintage store for super cheap (I think it was £10 for 3 metres).  I even have enough left over to make a matching skirt.

The front princess seam is attached using a lapped seam which almost gives it the appearance of being piped.  The bottom of the seam opens up into pockets.  I adore the sleeves on this and the sleeve caps are pleated.

These pictures were taken in Old College which is the University of Edinburgh's Law School.  So pretty….

You can sort of see it in this picture but the jacket is lined in a light brown lining fabric.  I really hate inserting lining--I don't know why.  I think in the future I will just use different techniques to neaten my inside seams.  With this weight of fabric, I don't really need lining and I don't mind the feeling of wool (I actually prefer it to the feeling of lining fabric).

The only drawback from the pattern is that I must have added too much width when grading up the pattern in the back.  You can see that it's just ever so slightly too wide.  I'm not too bothered about it but it's a good lesson that  I need to remember that I have a narrow back when grading up patterns!

Very happy with my new jacket and it goes perfectly with my Birthday dress.  You might have noticed that I also made a matching belt for my dress with a neat art deco belt buckle.  It's just peaking out but I'll need to get some belt close-up photos to show you the buckle.

I hope you've had a lovely Sew Grateful Week!  Definitely add your giveaways, reflection posts, resources posts and projects to the link parties before the end of the week.  And check out the amazing posts from others. I've been blown away by everyone's participation.  It's been so much fun to read everyone's contributions!

Sew Grateful Week: Resources Link Party

Today is Sharing Resources Day! Just add a link to your blog post below.

An InLinkz Link-up

Sew Grateful Week: March 1940 McCall Style News

It's one of my favourite days of Sew Grateful Week…sharing resources day!!  This is where you can share free patterns, links to your favourite and most used resources, scans of old magazines, etc.

To mark the end of February and celebrate the coming of March, I'm sharing scans from my 1940 McCall March Style News booklet.  Enjoy!

Which outfits are your favourite?