Sew Weekly Reunion 2013

Boy, have I got exciting news!!  The gals are back and we hope you'll join us!!  Adey and I were talking recently about how we missed The Sew Weekly.  Back in 2011 (was it really 2.5 years ago???), Adey, Sarah, Mena, Veronica and I sewed up an outfit a week based on a common theme.  In 2012, it got even bigger with over 100 regular contributors all sewing weekly.

We thought it would be fun to host a reunion.  A super big thank you to Adey for organising everything.  Everyone is welcome, whether you originally participated in the Sew Weekly or if this is new to you.  Come grab a button and check it out at the Sew Weekly Reunion blog.

Looking forward to sewing up a challenge with everyone!!

McCall 3744: The 'Summer Days' Dress

I was itching to make another 1940 McCall dress and wanted something that would transition from summer (yay! summer in Scotland) to autumn and spring.  I had this amazing blue linen fabric in my stash and McCall 3744 fit the bill perfectly.  David helped me pick the pattern for the fabric.  Linen holds the tucks beautifully and there are no buttons (which often tend to sag over time if sewn in linen), just a great streamlined silhouette:

You can see from the pattern cover that you can choose version A with a slide fastener closing (aka zipper) or view B which a button closing.  It comes with long cuffed and uncuffed sleeves and short sleeves.  I decided to sew up view B with the short sleeves and I ended up leaving the button off the yoke front because I liked the neckline better when it wasn't so close to my neck.

This pattern was featured in the June 1940 McCall's magazine:

Here's what the magazine says:

McCall 3774: Dime dots are the smart ones.  Dotted prints are probably more important than ever before.  The dotted rayon-crepe dress has the favorite high collarless neckline and the new slimmer skirt.

hmmm...note to self, find some dime size polka dot crepe fabric...

But back to the linen dress...  The yokes and waist seams are all lapped seams.  Lapped seams are much easier to sew in linen because the fabric holds a crease really well!  The dress also has two sets of tucks on the front bodice which line up with two sets of tucks on the skirt front.  The tucks actually hide the fact that there are skirt front and skirt side pieces.  The pattern also has my favourite types of 40's sleeves--darted sleevecaps!

The back is also really neat in that it has a centre pleat and again a lapped yoke seam.  The back of the skirt is a one-piece plain design:

We took these photos in a semi-hidden area of the city, down one of the secret 'closes' or alleyways.  This one was called:

And this is what it leads into:

Don't these look like fairy tale houses?  This secret close is not too far from Holyrood Palace and the Scottish Parliament.  Definitely a great place to wander into...

I really like the fit of the dress.  It's one of the first ones I've sewn up for the 1940 McCall Project with the slimmer skirt that started to appear from mid-1940 onwards.  I left the dress a bit longer than I normally would--but I think it works well with the dress shape.  I'm planning to make a matching belt too--just searching for the perfect blue belt buckle to match the fabric!

This blue also matches one of my Ness jackets perfectly--so I am all prepared for Autumn as well!

YAY! A fabulous summer dress!  Hopefully the sunshine will stick around :-)

Giveaway Winner

You've probably heard that the weather in the UK has been amazing.  For once we actually have a proper summer here in Scotland! woot! woot!  So I've been a bit distracted... :-)

Thank you all for entering the "Little Dress Kits" giveaway and I've randomly chosen a winner....Congrats to Gaenor who blogs over at By Gaenor!  YAY! Can't wait to see the Car Dungarees.

What I'm Working On...

It's been awhile since I've done one of these posts--usually because I tend to float between sewing projects.  But lest you think I only sew 1940 McCall patterns, I've got a surprise--a modern sewing pattern!  Gasp!  

When I saw the new Simplicity 1755, I knew it was something that would fit into my vintage-inspired wardrobe.  I also couldn't resist the pattern cover with the adorable plaid dress!  There is also the designer's artwork that they faithfully sewed up into a matching dress:

There's another Simplicity pattern I've got my paws on thanks to the folks over at Simplicity....this amazing hat pattern...

When David saw this, he said....'I'd love to make one of those hats for you'...Really?  YES PLEASE! How fun is that?  My favourites?  Views D and E.  

And even with the modern pattern distractions, I've still got a 1940 McCall number up my sleeve.  I'm working on this beauty at the moment, sewing it up in a lovely blue linen:

What are you working on?

Sweetheart Dungarees + Giveaway!

One of my best friends just had a baby...an adorable and fashionable little girl.  Already at less than a month old, she has more friends on Facebook than most adults and has already rocked leg warmers. I can't wait until she is old enough for me to teach her to sew!

I knew I wanted to sew up a cute vintage-inspired outfit for her.  I was having these thoughts when the lovely Katie from 'Little Dress Kits' contacted me about an amazing business she has that makes sewing for little ones so easy!

I think her business is brilliant.  She puts together super easy to sew patterns for little clothes and gives you everything you need in a sewing kit --from the pattern, to the fabric and matching thread to the cute notions...

Perhaps the most brilliant thing is that the Little Dress Kits are made for people with all levels of sewing experience, including absolute beginners.  No sewing experience necessary for their beginner kits.  She walks you through every step in the detailed instructions.  Plus, there is no guesswork or confusing notations on the pattern pieces.  AND GET THIS....the pattern pieces are printed on sticky paper.  You just peel them off the paper and stick them directly onto the fabric.  No pins necessary!!  Brilliant.  And it worked like a charm.  Plus, the little outfits are made from easy to use fabrics like corduroy and gingham (both have up and down lines on the fabric already--making it easy to cut out).

And look how adorable these dungarees are....and the adorable little pocket!  Arrrrggggg...too cute!  They are also half lined--with the gingham peaking out at the neck...

I love innovative sewing businesses and will definitely be buying her kits in the future.  I really like having everything I need and not having to decide on fabric or notions!

If you missed the giveaway at So Zo's blog, here's another chance!  Katie is so wonderful and has agreed to give away one of her Little Dress Kits.  Just visit her website and leave a comment below with your choice of sewing kit by Saturday the 6th of July.  This giveaway is open to readers everywhere.  Good luck and thank you Katie for the inspiring business and hosting a giveaway!

Google Who?

Google Reader....I just want you to know that I am NOT happy.  Why are you going away?  I just need to adopt a cat-like nonplussed attitude.  Google who? I'm sorry, did you disturb my nap??

As you all know, Google Reader will no longer be in existence as of tomorrow.  You can follow my blog with Bloglovin or Facebook instead.

Oh, and I claim this blog in the name of anti-Google Reader cat gangs everywhere.

Inserting Lapped Zippers

Seems like I'm always running a bit behind...I know Sunni has posted about her amazing FREE online class on zipper techniques but I've just gotten around to checking it out!  And man, what an amazing resource!  First, if you don't know Sunni from A Fashionable Stitch...you must go check out her blog and don't even get me started on her awesome online sewing shop...(she's just started stocking Lucite belt buckles...swoon...)

Well, Sunni has partnered up with the amazing folks at Craftsy to make an online course all about zipper insertion techniques and it's fantastic.

I usually insert all my zippers by hand (using Tasia's hand-picked zipper tutorial) but I've been wanting to master the lapped zipper for some time now.  Sunni walks through all the steps with close-up shots along the way:

  The Craftsy online course format is really neat:

You can skip through sections, or pause the video (which I have done quite a bit--running between the computer and the sewing machine...lol...)  The course includes everything you could ever need to know about zippers and covers all the different types of insertion methods (lapped, invisible, etc.)

And can I say how fun it is to hear other bloggers' voices?  I feel like I've known Sunni through her blog but we've never met in real-life and it was so much fun to hear her voice and see her sewing!!  Though I admit that I was totally distracted by her amazing me-made wardrobe :-)  Definitely check out the free course and hopefully Craftsy will offer more resources like this!

Shop my Vintage Pattern Stash!

One of the things I noticed when moving--was how many patterns I have!  I've decided to sell a few of my treasured patterns to get them out into the sewing world and also to add to my sewing room makeover piggy bank :-)

I'm offering all my readers a 10% discount on these patterns in my Etsy shop.  Just use code 'SEWINGHAPPY' at check-out!

Here's a few of the patterns I've just listed (you may recognise some of these!):

McCall 3193, gown pattern from 1939:

McCall 8501, cape pattern from 1935:

McCall 4051, dress pattern from 1941:

Economy Design E98 and E84, two pinafore patterns from the 1950s:

McCall 9759, sundress, blouse and scarf pattern from 1938:

Vogue 6625, 1960s mod dress pattern:

McCall 7143, 1960s sheath dress with neat panels:

McCall 9156, dress and jacket pattern from 1937:

Man, I LOVE vintage patterns!  Aren't they great?

Scotland Sundays: The Willow Tearoom

I have a very special Scotland Sunday this week!  It's the first feature outside Edinburgh and also represents a celebratory event--David and I celebrated our 10-year anniversary!!  Seeing as tea has played such a notable role in our relationship (our first conversations were over a cuppa tea), we decided to go to one of the famous Willow Tearooms in Glasgow.  

If you have ever visited Glasgow, you will know the name of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, a Scottish designer and artist in the Arts and Crafts movement and also influential in the Art Nouveau movement.  Glasgow has several of his masterpiece buildings (one of which, the Glasgow School of Art, is just down the street from a fabulous fabric store--Mandors!!)

Mackintosh had complete control over every aspect of the design in the Willow tearoom.  The tearoom opened for business in 1903 with a special 'Room de Luxe' with high-backed silver chairs and leaded designed glass with the trademark Mackintosh rose design.  The tearoom gets it's name from Sauchiehall, the street on which it stands.  Sauchiehall means 'alley of the willows' and willows feature throughout the design.  You can still come and enjoy a wonderful cup of tea in the willow tearoom.  We always request a spot in the 'Room de Luxe' and on the day we went, we were the only people there!  So we got it all to ourselves!!

It felt fitting to wear my 1933 Butterick 'Katherine Hepburn' dress and jacket since Mackintosh's designs went onto influence Art Deco in Scotland.

There is also a beautiful mural by Margaret MacDonald, Mackintosh's wife, in the tearoom:

They met at the Glasgow School of Art and I just love her designs.  Here's a bbc piece on Margaret that explores her life and work.

I think it's fantastic that we can still enjoy a cup of tea in the original tearoom!  There's still so many Mackintosh buildings we want to see in Glasgow (for example, we haven't yet been to the House of the Art Lover)!  What a wonderful anniversary!!

Frock to the Future

My 1940 McCall Project was featured yesterday in the Sunday Mail (Scotland's best selling newspaper) with the best captions ever.  How fun is that?  It came completely as a surprise when they contacted me and I had so much fun talking to them about the project :-)

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to the most amazing Dad in the whole world!!! 

Isn't my Dad's Air Force photo the best? I just love it!!

My New Sewing Room and Fabulous Blogger Meet-Up

Wow!  Moving is such an ordeal.... I had grand plans for how much I would get accomplished in the lead-up to and after our move. HA!  Never underestimate a) how long it actually takes to pack all of your worldly possessions into boxes, b) how tiring it is to pack up, clean and unpack, and 3) how chaotic it all is--any inkling of a normal life flies out the window for weeks on end.  Well, I am happy to report that we made it to the other side and we LOVE our new place.  The photo above is of my new sewing room.  I love, love, love it!  It gets so much light--look at that beautiful large window!!  What you can't see in the picture is that the rest of the room (except for my sewing machine area) is still covered in boxes.

Boxes of patterns (oh, how distracted I got packing all of these up....yeah, that took much longer than it should have...hahahha):

And of course, boxes...of FABRIC!  My goodness.  My little fabric stash is not so little anymore!  But I'm so happy to finally be settled and to start decorating my sewing room and getting/building/repurposing furniture to fit the new space which resembles an attic in that it has sloped and low ceilings.

I'm still catching up on a few things from May--one super exciting event happened right before we moved.  I got the chance to meet Tasha from By Gum, By Golly!  I was super excited as I absolutely love Tasha's blog and following her adventures in vintage sewing and decorating.

She was in Edinburgh for a very short time and I was luckily able to meet up with her!  We visited my favourite vintage store (W. Armstrong & Sons), k1 Yarns Knitting Boutique and of course, Edinburgh Fabrics!  We sneaked into this fabulous space (which is the University of Edinburgh Law School--just down the street from Edinburgh Fabrics) to snap some photos!  What a fabulous time.  Tasha is as lovely and amazing in real life as she is on her blog and I look forward to hopefully visiting her in Chicago at some point in the future!!

Hopefully normal blogging can resume now that we are starting to settle into the new space.  I will definitely share posts documenting the transformation of the new sewing space over this summer...I have lots of fun decorating plans!!