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!

Mission McCall Mondays: Missing Images 9000-9086

Welcome back to my regular 'Mission McCall Mondays' post series! For those of you new to the series, my goal is to update the Vintage Pattern Wiki so that it's complete for all McCall patterns from mid 1936-1940.  This week, I'm happy to post a few of the previously missing images from pattern numbers 9000 to 9086.  A big thank you to Lauren from Wearing History for sending these my way!

You may notice that McCall patterns started using these same numbers again for their patterns in the 1950's.  So how do you tell if your pattern is from the late 30's/early 40's?  It will be called 'McCall' patterns as they didn't add the apostrophe 's until the very end of the 40's (when it was called 'McCall's').

We start off first with two lovely coat patterns, 9003 and 9014.  I must say that I adore both of them but there is something about 9014 that is capturing my imagination.  I just love the dramatic sleeves and collar on that coat!

Next up is 9008, a great fur-trimmed tunic dress.  I just love the matching fur hat!

Wow--9009 is a showstopper!  What a unique design.  I am dying to see how this would look on a real person as it's very elegant!  I just adore the shape of the sleeves.

Ok, 9030 is so classy....I just love the neat buttons on this dress and the lines of the bodice.

9048 is definitely one of my favourites of the lot.  I just love that collar detail!

Awwwww...I love bow dresses.  This one is super cute with the addition of the patch pockets!

Which one is your favourite this week?  I think I'm going with the blue and black coat (9014).

Missing images so far:  9011, 9012, 9013, 9017, 9040, 9041, 9050, 9062, 9073, 9082 and 9088. If you want to contribute to the Mission McCall--just email me the images or pattern covers and I'll update them in the Vintage Pattern Wiki.  myhappysewingplace[at]googlemail[dot]com.

1950's pattern giveaway

Keeping in the tradition of the weekly pattern giveaways, up for grab this week is my idea of the perfect 1950's shirtwaist dress pattern, Style Print 1283.  This is my first time sewing with a Style Print pattern (the same company produces 'Style' and 'Economy Design' patterns) and I am in LOVE.  Ok, I didn't think it was possible to have a new pattern company obsession--but I do!

The trouble is that I can't find anything about the company, except that it was a British company.  I think it must have started in the 40's (I can't find any earlier images of patterns) and I have a pattern from the 80's that is a Style pattern.  Not sure if it is still around.  Do you know anything about the pattern company?

The Giveaway
This giveaway is open to everyone. Just leave a comment on this post by midnight (London time) on Friday the 11th of November for one entry.

You can also do a blog post on this giveaway, tweet about it or put it on facebook for an additional entry for each method (up to four entries total). Just come back and leave me a comment that you've done all those. I'll randomly pick a winner on Saturday.  It would be great if you could leave me some way of contacting you in your comment!

The only restrictions of the giveaway is that if you've already won a pattern in these weekly giveaways, you are not eligible for this giveaway.  The other restriction is that if you win, that you do not sell this pattern. Keep it for as long as you want and once you are done--pass it along to someone else!

Thank you everyone for your lovely on my shirtwaist dress--I love it so much!  I can't wait to make more!! Happy Sunday! xoxoxo

{Ness Lovelies} Bag End

Let me introduce you to Laya--she's a doll.  What a beautiful pink satchel (she also comes in a lovely green tweed)! She's the Ness 'Bag of the Week' (1/2 price!!).  Laya and I went to the park this week...

I just can't get over how beautiful the trees are at this time of the year.  It's quite majestic.

Laya brought a few of my favourite friends to the park!  Do you recognise that cover?

Not sure if I ever mentioned that David and I are HUGE fans of Tolkien.  My beloved copy of the Hobbit has a poem that David wrote for me in 2003 in Elvish!!!

May 2003

This book is a gift to thee, fair Snowgoose.  A star shone on the hour of our first meeting. 

~David

I just love the illustrations in this edition of the Hobbit.  The Misty Mountains looking West from the Eyrie towards Goblin Gate.

I hope you're enjoying these Ness 'Bag of the Week' posts as much as I am! A big thank you to the team at Ness for letting me play at styling some of their sample bags (and for having such great promotions)!!

Sweater: thrifted

Skirt: thrifted

Shoes: thrifted

Handbag: Ness

 What about you?  If you could fill this bag with your favourite books, what would they be?

Fancy Moon Fabric Giveaway

I mentioned yesterday that Fancy Moon: Purveyor of Fine Fabrics is offering one lucky reader 2 metres (approx. 2.2 yards) of their choice of fabric!  Fancy Moon is a fantastic online fabric store with a wide variety of dressmaking and interior design fabrics. With the launch of their new website, Fancy Moon are now selling Fat Quarters alongside metreage. It's one of many new features on their stylish and super-slick, ultra secure new website which was launched in mid September with a fresh clean look, large photographs (YAY!), concise product information and an easy-to-navigate format, giving customers a smooth-sailing cruise through over 600 dazzling fabrics, sewing patterns and notions.

The lovely Nancy from Fancy Moon sent me the fabric I used for my 1950's shirtwaist dress and it was a really great high-quality cotton and the print was just perfect for recreating the 1950's look!  In addition to high-quality and Japanese cottons, Fancy Moon also has corduroy, cotton lawn, gauze, double gauze and interior fabrics!

I'm now on the look-out for more fabulous fabric to make additional 1950's shirtwaist dresses (and maybe a circle skirt) and these are some of my top picks:

 While I probably wouldn't make a shirtwaist dress out of the airplane fabric below, wouldn't it be perfect in some sort of 1940's outfit (maybe as a blouse with a coordinating blue skirt)?

Does this fabric look familiar?  I actually bought some of this fabric when I went to California!  I'm so glad I know where to get more because it's A-MAZING.  The red is so vibrant!

I'm dying to make a shirtwaist out of some adorable kitten fabric, with a contrasting collar and maybe contrasting trim at the bottom?  Check out these adorable kitten fabrics:

 

To Enter the Giveaway:
Take a look at the Fancy Moon website and leave a comment below saying your ideas on which fabric you'd choose and, if you like, what you'd make with it. The closing date is Friday the 11th of November at midnight GMT.  I'll pick the winner at random and post the results on the following Saturday!  The giveaway is open internationally. A big thank you to Fancy Moon for opening the giveway to readers everywhere!

For additional entries, you can:

• Blog about the giveaway and come back and leave a link to your blog entry in the comments;
• Tweet about the giveaway and let me know you've done that in the comments;
• Write a note/status message on your Facebook page about the giveaway.  Again, just come back here and leave a comment letting me know you've done that!

That's for a total of up to four entries!  Woot, woot!!  Don't forget to leave your email if it's not attached to your blogger profile so I can contact you if you win.

Good luck everyone!!

My 'Mid-century Madness' Dress

I am SO excited to show you my latest sewing project--a 1950's shirtwaist dress! I don't know why it has taken me so long to sew up one of these 1950's classic pieces--but now I'm hooked (and hence the title 'Mid-century Madness').  I feel like I could easily make a 100 of these dresses in every single adorable printed fabric and never get tired!!

I was super lucky to be contacted by an amazing UK online shop called Fancy Moon to host a fabric giveaway on my blog (scroll to the end of the post to read more!) and also to get some fabric myself to review!  I had so much fun perusing the retro prints they have online and when I came across the 'Nutmeg Seeds Orange' print from Robert Kaufman (they also have this exact print in green) -I knew it would be perfect for this challenge!  It's 100% cotton and crisp enough for this shirtwaist dress but soft enough to gently hold all those skirt gathers!

I was very excited when I found some buttons in my stash that went perfectly with the fabric.  These are vintage buttons that I got from the lovely Sofia when she came to visit.  I used three buttons instead of two because these are a bit smaller than what I think the pattern calls for. 

I used a pattern I got in the Sew Weekly UK meet-up pattern swap.  It's the lovely Style Print 1283 pattern that Charlotte brought to the meet-up. This is my first time using a Style Print pattern.  On the back of the pattern it reads "Style Patterns Ltd: An entirely BritishProduction" (emphasis orginal)!  The pattern paper is a bit thicker than normal tissue pattern paper--which I found easier to work with. 

You can wear the collar up (like in the pattern photo) or down.  I really like how the collar was constructed as it's all one piece with the front facing with a smaller undercollar piece.  I did use fairly strong interfacing to get that crisp collar look!

I am on the look-out for more Style Print patterns.  I found the fit to be really good and the instructions were very clear.  I did muslin the bodice because it's the first time I've used these patterns.  I ended up adding an extra 1/4 inch to each of the side (I was paranoid of the dreaded gaping front) and lengthened the waist front and back by about 1/4 inch.  I also took about 2 inches off the skirt length.

A super big thank-you to David who woke up (after only 3 hours of sleep) to walk with me to the park in the wee hours of the morning to take some photos before work (our tripod is broken).  Isn't that sweet?  It's nearly impossible to get daytime photos now that the sun sets at 4:30pm!  sigh. 

The leaves are all turning colours and we did notice one of the trees had lost nearly all of it's leaves.  We are well into autumn now with winter hanging on the air.

I love how even without a petticoat, the dress still has that full skirt 50's look!  Though I bet it would look adorable with a couple of petticoats.  I've been wanting to get some after the series on petticoats that Solanah had on her blog. 

So, what is this about a giveaway I hear you say?  That's right! Tomorrow, I'll be hosting a giveaway for reader's choice of 2 metres of Fancy Moon fabric.  Nancy over at Fancy Moon is so nice that she's opened the giveaway to readers everywhere! YAY!  Check back tomorrow to enter yourself in the giveaway!

I'll also be hosting a giveaway this weekend for this Style Print pattern.  It's definitely a gem.

The Ghost Goes West

Over the weekend, David and I watched 'A Ghost Goes West', a hilarious story set in Scotland and the US that was made in 1935.

It features Robert Donat (who also starred in The 39 Steps) and Jean Parker.  It's about Glourie Castle in Scotland (which as far as I can tell is fictious) which is haunted by Murdoch Glourie.  An American (Jean Parker) comes to Scotland and convinces her father to buy the dilapidated castle from the last Glourie descendent (Robert Donat).  He sells it to them (as he is in quite a bit of debt) only to find out that they plan to take it apart stone by stone and reconstruct it in Florida.  Hilarity ensues when the ghost of the castle goes with them.  It's a fantastic and funny story and apparently was a big hit in the UK--ranking as top movie in 1936!

Below are some stills from the movie of the beautiful outfits that Jean Parker and Everley Gregg wear.  This time period is really one of my favourites for fashion--so glamorous.