Adventure 1: Jordan

So excited that the first adventure from my list was Jordan! I went there for work and it just so happened that my really good friends, Zain and Kinda (who are sisters) were home visiting family as well. So we were able to spend a fabulous long weekend exploring some amazing sights!

This was also my first trip to the Middle East and it was so phenomenal.

Our first stop was Petra--the iconic ancient city carved out of stones. The landscape of Petra is so amazing--everywhere you turned there were caves and interesting and beautiful stone features:

We walked about a mile to reach the most famous stone building 'the Treasury'....

And my goodness, it was MASSIVE!  They don't let you inside but you can see the scale of it in this photo:

And of course, lots of fun photo opps along the way--including these ancient guards...it would have been so interesting to see this as a functioning city way, way back in the day (it was started in the B.C. years).

Petra was amazing but just as wonderful was the Wadi Rum Desert.  There's something about the desert that I find soothing and awe-inspiring. It's a bit like being near the ocean for me --I love the vastness of the natural beauty!  And the Wadi Rum Desert is SO BIG!

It's the same desert that was in the Laurence of Arabia film and it's so humbling to be the only people out there for as far as the eye can see:

Lots of neat rock formations...this one is known as the 'elephant'. I think they film quite a few movies in this area that are supposed to be related to 'Mars' and you can see why! It's very otherwordly.

The Wadi Rum Desert has two parts, the 'white' and the 'red' deserts and we visited both.  I really like the red desert..

All my outfits are either me-made (McCall 3865 is the dress above and my 1950's 'Desert Dreams' Style Print dress) or vintage and specifically chosen for the climate!  It was so much fun to spend the time in our desert camp with my two great friends!  I so can't wait to go back to Jordan!!

YAY!  So still on my list for Jordan is the Dead Sea--which I will have to make happen on my next trip! 

What about you? Have you ever been to a desert like this?

Photography: Kinda Kurdi (@kinda_kurdi)

40 Adventures for my 40s in 1940s Style

There's something about big birthdays and doing things around a theme that I love!  I turned 40 almost two years ago now and I've been dreaming of doing this adventure of having 40 adventures during the decade of my 40s but all in vintage style (1940s/50s).  And now I've finally planned it out and am making plans to tick off all the things that are currently on my bucket list!!

So here goes... I am definitely up for an adventure!

The 40 Adventures for my 40s Dream List (in no particular order...)

Places to Travel:
1.  Namibia and Botswana
2. Cuba
3. Bali and the Pacific
4. Jordan (this is the first one I completed!! Coming to the blog soon!)
5. Myanmar
6. Greek Islands
7. Morocco
8. Egypt
9. Bolivia
10. Argentina and Patagonia
11. Easter Island
12. LA/Hollywood/Disneyland/Dapper Day
13. Hebrides Islands
14. Mongolia
15. Japan
16. Croatia
17. Sri Lanka

Experiences:
18. Alaskan Cruise
19. Ice hotel + northern lights + reindeer
20. Multi-day steam train journey
21. Tall ship sailing
22. Steam ship sailing
23.  Tiger Moth or Spitfire experience
24. Hot air balloon in either Cappadocia or Bagan
25. Floating in the Dead Sea
26. Cruise on the Nile
27. Touring the UK in a vintage car
28. Route 66 road trip
29. Learning to ride a motorcycle

Events:
30. Up Helly Aa
31. Attending an international film festival (either Cannes or Sundance)
32. Vienna Opera Ball
33. Celebrating Carnival 
34. Attending Gertie's Sewing Retreat in NY
35. Lantern Festival in Thailand
36. Attending Viva Las Vegas
37. Goodwood Festival
38. Attending a swing dance camp
39. Seeing Wagner's Ring Cycle at the Bayreuth Festival

40. Freebie (to be decided later) 

I'm so excited!!! What's on your bucket list?

The 'Desert Dreams' Dress

Wow! The Wadi Rum Desert is a dream.  Look at the expansive and beautiful space! The perfect backdrop for my newest 1950s Style Print shirtwaist dress!

I made this teal dress using 'Style Print' number 1283, a pattern that I have used previously to make some of my favourite shirtwaist dresses (including the 'Midcentury Madness' dress, the 'Pumpkin' dress and my recent 'Secret Garden' dress).

The dress features a button-up shirtwaist bodice design (which I used matching 1960s style teal jewel buttons for) and a gathered skirt.  I added pockets to the skirt (yay!).

Oh, and how much does this desert look like it might be the surface of Mars?  It was actually used for filming a few 'space' movies as well as the filming for 'Lawrence of Arabia!'  Next time I visit, I'll try and sew up a space-age mod dress for the landscape as well :)

The back of the dress is straight with some waist darts for shaping.  The dress closes with a side zipper.

Overall, I just love the shape of the 1950s/1960s shirtwaisters--they are so wearable for every occasion!

My friends Zain and Kinda and I took a desert tour--sitting in this lovely vintage 4x4 truck and seeing the expansiveness of this great landscape--it's really overwhelming how beautiful it is!

And Kinda is also an amazing professional photographer and film-maker and took some amazing photos throughout the trip!

Definitely a place and a pattern I will be revisiting again!!

Photography: Kinda Kurdi (@kinda_kurdi)

Simplicity 8510: The 'Bed of Roses' Lingerie Set

This pattern is a game changer in so many ways-- I can make my own vintage lingerie! YIPPPEEEE!!!  Enter Simplicity 8510, a reissued 1930s lingerie pattern for a bra and french knickers. I just adore the pattern illustration, so decided to give this pattern a go and I am very pleased with how my first me-made vintage lingerie set turned out!

The 1930s bras don't have any underwires--but they are still super comfy.  The pattern itself was very easy to put together. I opted for view B which has the v-shaped shape on the front and the back of the knickers.  I made this from a synthetic dress fabric that is similar to the weight of satin but without the shine.  The bra and facings came together very well except for one thing--the ruching in the centre front! That baby will not go under a sewing foot--that was so difficult to gather through two layers of this fabric! I ended up having to do it by hand with a very sturdy needle (this is where the thimbles actually do come in handy!!!)

This pattern included my other least favourite sewing task--making small straps by turning fabric inside out! That's always a measure of my sheer determination! haha.  But boy, oh boy, I do get a very satisfied feeling when I finally get them turned all the way out!

I'm really so excited at the prospect of making more lingerie from vintage patterns--the possibilities are endless (for example, I really want to make some tartan lingerie)!  And aren't these photos amazing? I worked with Tigz Rice to capture these shots and we found the most amazing flower wall--with the flowers matching almost exactly to the colour of the fabric!  I feel like a proper pinup :) 

What about you? Have you ever tackled sewing lingerie?

Photography: Tigz Rice
MUAH: @misshoneybare

McCall 3723: The 'Pink Roses' Dress

I so love my newest 1940 McCall make--using adorable fabric from Gertie's collection.

The light blue and pink go together so well--too of my favourite colours.

I used McCall 3723--a shirtwaister with a twist:

The pattern features a button-up bodice but with two bodice front side panels that have shirring:

The fabric features small print pink roses and I had the perfect vintage pink buttons in my stash to match:

The pattern features a tie bow at the waist --well, I made the bow but it's not quite long enough to make a good looking bow (in my opinion) and the fabric is a lightweight cotton--so instead I borrowed a belt from an existing 1960s vintage dress I have that works PERFECTLY!!

I then took the bow belt that I made and used it as a matching headscarf!  I just love wearing headscarves like this and it's an easy hairdo :)

The dress pattern also features waist darts leading to a lapped seam at the waist and an inverted pleat in the centre front:

The back, both bodice and skirt, feature straight lines.  Here I'm wearing my 'What Katie Did' coffee seamed stockings:

And such cute pink and white Bait Footwear shoes!

Overall, it's a bit of a spring vibe but I just adore the look! I can't wait to get my hands on some more of Gertie's fabric!!

Photos: Darja Bilyk

The 'Last Days of Summer' Dress

I know that technically the last day of summer isn't until later in September but for some reason end of August starts to feel like a transition into Autumn.  I'm sharing my latest make which is a summer dress but with some autumnal hues.

This fabric is one of those hard cottons that is sort of stiff--but washes quite nicely and was a gift from some colleagues.  

The dress pattern itself is a hack of one of my favourite dresses.  I basically self-drafted the bodice copying one of my existing dresses:

For the skirt, I adapted the skirt pattern from Tilly's Lilou dress pattern from her first book 'Love at First Stitch':

I do quite like the v-neck bodice and pleated skirt effect.  The dress is sleeveless --so works perfectly with layering:

The dress closes with a side zip --which I just find way easier than back zippers for functionality!

Very pleased with how it came out and I'm already planning more dresses since it's such a quick make.

How cool is this location? Hard to believe it's within Edinburgh--Dr. Neil's Garden.  It has almost a beachy feel to it!

Excited to do more autumnal sewing--time to dig out my tweeds and wools again! yipppeee!  What about you--planning new seasonal outfits?

Photos: Darja Bilyk
MUAH: Vanity Thrills

McCall 3718: The 'Glamour Girl Slip'

Welcome to my love of 1940 McCall patterns, where even the slips are glamorous!

This was my first time ever making a vintage slip and what a gem McCall 3718 is as a pattern.  The slip itself is almost like a dress (in fact, it could be a dress!)  I made it out of cream coloured silk fabric.

The pattern itself features a scooped neckline with slight gathering under the bust, thin shoulder straps, a paneled, slightly flaring skirt and a side zipper.

I did a hand picked zipper insertion --which looks best (and was easiest) with the silk fabric.

I'm incredibly picky about my slips and usually only wear half slips. I think this vintage pattern solves my dislike for slips as this serves the purpose of both camisole and slip all in one and of course the fit and flare goes perfectly with my other 1940 McCall patterns.  There are three slip patterns in the 1940 catalogue and I can't wait to make the others.  I'm thinking maybe black for the next slip?

These amazing photos (the first one and the last one) were take by Veronika Marx (V's Anchor Studio)--and I just love how she captures the glamour era--makes me feel like I should be lounging in my slips all the time! :)