The Sew Weekly

Funky, Felt Pincushion

As part of 30 Days of Pincushions, Dawn has generously provided this pincushion for one Sew Weekly reader to win! Instructions on how to win it can be found at the bottom of this post.

Name: Dawn Parizek
Shop name: Dawnorama
Location: Des Moines, IA
How long on Etsy: Almost 1 year

Describe your aesthetic in three words: 
Funky, Colorful and Modern

Who (or what) is an inspiration for your pincushions? 
My inspiritaion would have to be my Grandma Helen. She was a very creative, crafty gal. She could make something beautiful out of anything. Be it a walnut, an old, plastic dish soap bottle, or a tin can lid. She made all of my Barbie doll's clothes... and they were groovy, 70's clothes. She was awesome. I think that she'd love my pincushions.

How did you start making them? 
I kind of stumbled onto making the pincushions. I had been to a crafting slumber party with some girlfriends, and we just sat around the table with a huge pile of felt, some embroidery floss and buttons, sewing up whatever come to mind. I went and bought some felt of my own and just started sewing. It started with felt yo-yos that I thought would be cute hair accesories... and just blossomed into pincushions. Now I can't stop! 

Thanks, Dawn! Be sure to visit her Etsy shop and check out her other pincushions for sale!

Want to win this pincushion? You just have to answer the following question:

Did any of your childhood dolls have any homemade (made by you or someone else) clothes?

Each giveaway is open for twenty-four hours from the time of posting. Please only post one comment in each thread. Winners will be announced each Monday in April. Winners can only win once but are encouraged to answer all the questions! 

Fashion Sticker Book

I love imposing my love of historical costumes on Penelope. Penelope loves stickers and pretty dresses. This all makes this book -- Fashion Long Ago -- a darn successful purchase.

We were looking at the book yesterday when one particular dress popped out. From the 1950s section, I saw a dress I actually recognized! It's the Horrockses Day Dress from the V&A Golden Age of Couture exhibit (they have a printable version of that dress pattern available online.) There it was, in glorious sticker form.

I'm not sure how much she -- as a three year-old --  appreciates the fact that the dress in the sticker book was an actual dress I could show her online. However, it's pretty neat to see my world flow into her world. Someone behind those stickers truly appreciated the details. I can only imagine that I could blow Penelope's mind by making my own version¹ of the dress.

---

^1. Some gals attending the UK meetup are making their own versions of the Horrockses dress. Yay!

 

Announcing the 30 Days of Pincushions Giveaway!

Over here at The Sew Weekly, we love a good giveaway, so I'm beyond excited to announce 30 Days of Pincushions! Each and every day in April, we'll be randomly giving away an awesome pincushion generously provided by thirty unique Etsy sellers.

Why does this giveaway rock?

• They're handmade items from independent sellers!
• They're adorable pincushions!
• We'll learn a little about each seller with mini-interviews
• Many of the sellers are providing discounts for Sew Weekly readers!
• It's a month-long giveaway!

There will be different ways to enter each day (in an effort to keep it interesting, mix it up and gauge what format works best) which will be explained in the daily giveaway's post.

We can't wait to get started! Here's to April!

 

Twenty Questions with Casey C.

This week we've seen her lovely Common Thread creation, now we learn a little bit more about Casey from Elegant Musings. Here's her take on the Twenty Questions:

1. Name: Casey
2. Location: Sunny Florida, not too far from the beach! (Though far enough that I don't spend enough time there, which my sewing machine is probably thankful for lest I forget her!)
3. Pattern tracer or cutter? If it's a vintage pattern, nine times out of ten I trace it. If it's a newer pattern, I tend to to be lazy and just cut the pattern paper.
4. Most exhilarating sewing step: Inserting a zipper by hand (my favorite method! It looks so pretty in the end.) or hemming a dress/skirt. I think the latter thrills me because it usually means the project is nearly done!
5. Most dreaded sewing step: Cutting out! I don't know why, but I can assemble the pattern, fabric and notions in no time. But cutting out seems to always put me off a bit... It's the "boring" part of sewing for me.
6. Favorite pattern at the moment: A little reproduction 30s trousers pattern I already made in khaki linen last spring. Thinking seriously about making another from navy linen!
7. Favorite decade to sew: Judging by my wardrobe, it would probably be the 1940s. Although lately I've been eying a lot of patterns from the mid/late 30s and early 70s as well. But the 40s will always be my first love; the silhouette and simplicity of many garments from the war years appeal to my sense of classic, simple dressing.
8. Pattern weights or pins? Pins all the way! Though I use pattern weights when I'm laying out pattern pieces or cutting slippery fabric (with pins in conjunction).
9. Favorite style icon of all time: American mid-century designer Claire McCardell. I'm sure everyone who reads my blog is well aware that she is basically my fashion patron saint, but I truly admire her design aesthetic. Practical but pretty clothes in sensible fabrics: now that concept I can fully embrace!
10. Fabric before pattern or pattern before fabric? Pattern first, fabric second.
11. Sewing room: messy or clean? Um, in between--usually skewing towards messy? My mom can attest that I have never been the neatest person when in the throes of a creative pursuit. I have to dig myself out every few weeks.
12. Biggest sewing splurge: Thus far my serger! Totally worth the money spent; I use it with almost every sewing project!
13. Biggest sewing success: Even though I made it over a year and a half ago, I still consider my Sabrina inspired ball gown my biggest triumph. Sure, I'd construct it differently at this point (having learned a lot of new techniques in the past year), but it's still my bombshell dress and makes me feel like a old Hollywood star!
14. Biggest sewing failure: My first version of the Lady Grey jacket; I picked a too-lightweight gabardine (ordered online; lesson learned: get swatches first) and it just didn't work with the tailoring, no matter how I manipulated it. So I switched gears and cut all new pieces out of a tweedy fabric. Still a work in progress.
15. Hats? Yay or Nay.YAY!!!! I adore hats, though I don't wear them as often as I should. I'm actually hoping to delve more into hat making in the coming months/years. Hoping to finish a little straw topper I started last year and tackle Lauren's (Wearing History) 30s hat pattern that I got a few months ago.
16. Favorite season to sew for: Spring and summer. Though I adore the heavy fabrics of cooler months, living where I do I've had to learn how to love clothes for hot weather much more. I have come to quite enjoy whipping up little frocks and lightweight blouses for the sunny, warm days! (Or humid, hot and rainy days... as we're having this week.)
17. Seam Finishing: Pinked, French, stitched or serged? Serged... Have I ever mentioned I'm in love with my serger?
18. Favorite skirt: A-Line, Pleated or Circle? Probably a-line; it's usually not as full as say a circle skirt, which is a good thing with my klutzy ways!
19. Style kindred spirit: I'd say some chic and well-dressed starlet of yesteryear, but in truth I'm probably more of a kindred spirit with some of the eccentric, eclectic characters throughout fashion history! I'm a bit of a magpie with style, so maybe the bird should be my kindred spirit? lol.
20. And just for you, Casey: Best thifted/vintage find ever: Golly... How do I decide?! I've had some serious thrifting/vintage find luck in the past year, and am still shaking my head in disbelief that I've found some of the things I did! But current favorite: two 50s sweaters I unearthed last week at different thrift shops. One is a cream cashmere with a little Peter Pan collar. The other is a light blue wool from Pringle of Scotland. Both were scored for under $3.

 

Spring Showers 1918 Shirtwaist

This week, the lace travels to Florida and to the very capable and talented hands of Casey from Elegant Musings. With her love (and eye) for thrifting and her picture-perfect sewing creations, Casey has been an enormous influence on me. Coincidentally, Casey's creation coincides with me finally making the time to watch Downton Abbey -- a must see for anyone who loves period pieces and pretty dresses. Thanks, Casey for being a part of this project and sharing your lovely blouse!

 

The Facts

Fabric: cotton "dotted Swiss" with a woven dot $15, Hancock Fabrics
Pattern: Folkwear #210 "The Armistice Blouse" - in my stash/gift
Year:  circa 1918
Notions: lace from Mena, antique lace from my stash, vintage shirt buttons from the stash
Time to Complete: Probably about 6-8 hours; about one evening and most of a weekend day!
Wear Again? Already planning on it!

Total Cost: $15

When Mena approached me about the Common Thread project and showed a picture of the lace, I immediately knew just what I wanted to make with it! I have been obsessed with revisiting one of my first loves in the fashion history world: the late Edwardian/early 1920s era. The lace seemed like a perfect excuse to dig up the Folkwear Armistice Blouse pattern (which I had made years ago once) and jazz it up with some lace and filmy fabric. 

The plan I hatched for the blouse included some dotted Swiss cotton I picked up at Hancocks (I love the post-wash texture of the woven dots!), and also adding in some additional antique lace from my lace box. The center panel on the blouse has a lot of design possibilities, so I spent a bit of time prior to cutting the fabric playing with several options in my sketchbook. I toyed with pintucks, drawn threadwork, lace applied vertically down the center, or what I finally chose: a simple row of lace at the top edge. I like how it is pretty but a bit restrained--an embellishment that suits a cotton shirtwaist blouse of this era well. 

To make the lace panel, used alternating rows of a wider insertion lace from my stash and the scalloped lace Mena sent me. Even though it was intended as an edge trim, I was able to overlap and manipulate it enough to stitch it evenly to the straight lace. I used a narrow zig-zag stitch with matching thread to attach each row, stabilizing the lace with lightweight paper as I went. After I created that, I just attached it to the top edge of the center panel. Super easy! The lace I added to the collar edges of the center front panel weren't difficult to add either; the collar was hand whipstitched on and the front vertical lace was attached by machine.

I christened this blouse the "Spring Showers Shirtwaist" because after days and days of glorious sunshine and warm temperatures, the one day that I could get snapshots it was pouring rain! But in some ways, I liked that I was able to get a few photos peering out into the moody lake through the haze of rain: it reminds me a bit of those picturesque British period films set at the turn of the century.

The only changes I made to the pattern were to lengthen the blouse a bit (I have a long torso, plus I remembered my first blouse--which I made just out of the package--was a bit tricky to keep tucked in!) and eliminate the turn back cuff. (Although you may note that the cuffs are turned back on this; but it's just the under-cuff as I found it a bit too long post-sewing for my taste.) I remembered why I loved this pattern so much: the details are romantic and scream vintage, but the construction is a snap. Even with taking the time to execute construction details like French seams and hand stitching lace, it didn't take that long to make. I spent the better part of a Sunday happily sewing, and at the end had a new blouse! Not to mention now I have a garment that satiates my desire for something from this era... Now what to sew next?

Thank you, Mena for asking me to participate in this project--it was a lot of fun being able to work with the lace and whip up a garment I've been dreaming about!

Vintage Toddler Dresses

At the Vintage Fashion Expo a couple weekends ago I found a vendor selling the most adorable vintage girl dresses. Most of them were never worn and still had their original tags. They weren't traditional deadstock -- they all sat in the closet of the same owner. Apparently, she just shopped *a lot* for her daughter. I picked up six of them for $50, a price that I think was great for their condition.

The above two dresses are my favorites. The yellow dress is the perfect party dress while the plad one is just, well, perfect.

The shirtwaist dress was from the Expo. The two dresses on the right are dresses from our existing collection and were found at an antique store in Monterey, CA and Alameda Antique Fair.

The dresses on the left and right are from the Expo. The middle dress was purchased at an antique store in Monterey, California for $28. It is a Shirley Temple dress from the 1930s.

Interested in making your own little girl/toddler dresses? Here are a view patterns from Etsy that were my favorite.

    

Congratulations, Debi!

Our own Debi took first place honors in the "Best Use of Pattern in its Original Form" category in the EvaDress pattern contest! Her winning dress was from The Sew Weekly's second challenge, Unrequited Love. in  To celebrate, Debi's hosting her own giveaway of an EvaDress pattern. Check it out.

Yay, Debi!

Vintage Finds: March 28

This past weekend I did a quick stop at the Alemany Flea Market. If not for a "one more look around," I would have left empty-handed. In the last twenty minutes I found these four patterns for $3 total and this black felt tilt hat for $10 (she was asking $15). The hat looks like a muppet when photographed liked this, but trust me, it's cute. Or, at least I like it. It does have a little poodle look to it, but a 1940s hat for $10 does not merit a complaint!

I'm most excited about Advance 5822 (even though those stoles seem easy enough to make without a pattern).  Advance 6480 seems like it would make an amazing formal dress!

The "Mondo was Robbed" Dress

The Facts

Fabric: Repurposed skirt from theater sale - $15, turquoise fabric, black fabric - $1, houndstooth fabric - $.50
Patterns: Bodice, Simplicity 3398; Bolero, Simplicity 4474 - $1
Year: 1963
Notions: invisible zipper, $2.50; embroidery floss
Time to complete: 25 hours
First worn: March 2011
Wear again? YES!

Total Cost: ~$20

 

That my dress is called The "Mondo was Robbed" dress dates its start exactly to October 28 of last year. If you're unfamiliar to that reference, Mondo was a finalist in last season's Project Runway and lost to the Chiccos-designing Gretchen. His inspiration for his final collection was Mexican circuses and the Day of the Dead and he made use of great black & white prints with bits of turquoise and pink  for contrast.

 

The skirt  -- a black and white skirt that I bought from a theater in the East Bay that was selling off its costumes --was to be the foundation of my garment.  Other than a couple hats, I hadn't found anything particularly worth buying. While I waited in line I saw this skirt in the hands of the woman in front of me and immediately fell in love with the print. When the cashier told her it was $15, she put it down and I snatched it up. I really wonder what production this skirt was from!

The skirt sat in my stash for months before I decided to give it new life as a Mondo-inspired dress. As soon as I knew I was going to make a dress, I cut the skirt into one large piece of fabric. For my original dress, I used Simplicity 4693 for the bodice. As an attempt to add the color to the dress, I sewed a band of turquoise to the bottom of the bodice before attaching the skirt. Unfortunately, I didn't take in account that adding the fabric would make the torso way too long. And, because I hadn't shortened the skirt (I wanted to preserve the existing hem), the hemline fell way farther than I would want to ever wear.

I never got as far as adding the zipper in the back, so it remained unfinished. In this picture, I simply pinned the back to see if I even wanted to continue. I didn't want to continue and it never made it to The Sew Weekly. 

Fast forward to last week. I knew that this dress had to be my UFO for the challenge. The skirt had so much potential and I knew exactly what I had to do to make it work: shorten the skirt, change the bodice, introduce more color and, well, just finish it.

For a bodice, I decided to go with Simplicity 3398. Enamoured  with the result of my "Eat Local" dress, I decided to add piping to the neckline. Due to the stiffness of the piping, I had to really anchor the facings to the bodice. But since this was a solid color bodice, any stitches would be visible. I said "who cares?" and simply machine-stitched the facing down.

Well, "who cares?" turned into "I care!" and I was very unhappy with the result. Not ready to abandon this dress once again, I decided to do a blanket stitch around the neckline. When that didn't look good, I looked online for other straight embroidery stitches and found the fabulous herringbone stitch! What began as a solution to fix something seemingly ruined, turned into my favorite detail of the dress! 

Of course, knowing me, I had to make the project even more complicated! So I decided to make a bolero to go with the dress. I knew I wanted to incorporate houndstooth since that had been another Mondo staple during the season. For the bolero, I used  Simplicity 4474 (the dress part of the pattern was my Christmas dress) and made it up in black with houndstooth lining. 

The flower on the bolero was made from the fabric I cut from the skirt to make it shorter. The belt is simply a fabric belt I borrowed from a vintage store-bought dress.

 

I absolutely ADORE this dress. This may be my favorite dress I've ever made. It just shows that perseverance can really pay off!

Challenge - 3/28/11

This week is all about taking the time to finish that UFO (unfinished object) that has been put aside for better and brighter projects.