Found!

Last time I posted was Halloween, as life has been very full lately. Lots of added responsibility at work and many paid sewing jobs, along with making time for more exercise... I have been sewing goodies, but Blogging about it has fallen lower on the list of priorities. Do me a favor? If you like what you see, whether it is here or someone else's blog, please take a moment to just comment briefly. Feedback keeps me blogging, and I don't know about you, but no response makes me feel like either no one likes it, or one cares. Just a few words can really make all the difference in the world.

I will photograph the newest goodies very soon, but for today I will share my proudest accomplishment of the year: I am 20 pounds lighter since August 1st!

Before:


After:


I know they aren't the greatest before and after, but I'm definitely NOT posting the swimsuit before shot! Started in a size 12, and now wearing a size 8 (RTW).

Counting every calorie (www.sparkpeople.com), making smart food choices, and exercising 3 times a week (45 minutes of cardio and strength training) were all integral, but what really kept me on track was having DH doing it all alongside me, (reminding, nagging, and cheering each other along) kept me heading in the right direction. He's lost 20 pounds, too, and we are still working together to see where we end up.

Ok, time to get back to other responsibilities... Pants to hem, papers to grade, and cookies to bake!

Butterfly Beauty

Little Miss wanted to be a butterfly this year... andd, so it shall be! I used a pattern from the stash, but lengthened the skirt and sleeves. Butterick 3714 is the pattern, but I eliminated the cowl piece, and lengthened the sleeves. With her being petite, the length ended up perfectly covering her jeans and shoes. (In Michigan, Halloween may require a heavy under layer, along with mittens!)


The vest came from another stash pattern, and I just added the gathered ruffle, which I made 6" wide, folded in half lengthwise, gathered and attached prior to lining.


We started our design concept with the wings, which we bought at Joann's. For some reason, they had a huge selection of butterfly wings this year, in many sizes, totally glittered up and bejeweled. We then headed to the "formal wear fabric" area and bought 2 yds of pre-glittered satin, 1 yd of organza, and 1 yd of brocade for the vest. Below, you can see the glitter in the satin (no win at Bingo, bummer!)


The elastic straps are narrow, so we put them over the vest, but then tucked them into the armholes, and tied them together to snug them up. If you look closely, you can see the tie in the neck opening.


So, that was my Halloween costume adventure this year, with Liitle Man opting for the store-bought Capt. America. Complete with muscles, of course!

Vintage Treasures

Thanks to the ladies that offered their advice and experiences with buying vintage patterns! I offered $150 for the box (which contained 150 patterns!) and she accepted! Woo


Here are just a few of my faves...














They are so much fun to just look at, I swear that I was born in the wrong decade!!!

Everyone have a great weekend!

It's My Lucky Day!

Everyone I work with knows that I sew, and how much I love it. Yesterday one of our art teachers approached me, saying a box of old patterns had been donated by a former student (her grandmother was a seamstress), and would I like to look through them? Maybe make a donation to the art department? Yes, ma'am! Absolutely!!!


So, this morning I headed down to her room, where she pulled out a cardboard filing drawer, slid it open and... I swear I heard a chorus of angels and a beam of light shone down! Not only were there vintage Vogue, McCalls and Butterick, but some Advance and Marian Martins! There were boys, men's, babies, dolls, and hat patterns... Even a Ken Doll clothing pattern! The women's patterns were mainly sizes 14-16 (perfect for me), and lots of dresses that were just my style.

I grabbed 20 of my favorites, but had trouble leaving the rest behind. When she told me that she took the "ones in bad shape" and let the kids use the tissue for decoupage, I almost fainted!! I am considering making her an offer on the whole box, so she is holding it for me, and won't let the kids touch them (thank goodness). I didn't have enough time to check them all, but the ones I opened were all cut, and I am assuming all the pieces are there, but again, I don't know.

What is a fair price? The box probably had 80-100 patterns in it, all in various conditions (asnyou can see above), circa early 50s - 70s.

What do you think?????

Pattern Shopping

I had to swing into Joann's for a zipper (Halloween costume under construction), and McCalls and Buttericks were on sale for $1 and $2. I picked up these goodies...

Butterick 5610



Butterick 5356


You might be shaking Your head at me on this one, but I have a plan. It involves this $900 Miu Miu blouse...



Anyhow, I also picked up these McCall's:
McCalls 5978



McCalls 6436



And last (but definitely not least), McCalls 6433 (my fave)


Those pleats! I have a wonderful deep purple wool crepe that will be perfect for this. Originally, I grabbed it to make a Missoni knock-off, using a zig-zag lightweight sweater knit and the view without the pleats... My sewing eyes are bigger than my calendar allows!

LBD V1250, ver 2.0

Disclaimer: Black does NOT photograph well. Sorry!


Our 12th Anniversary is tomorrow, so we celebrated last night by going to dinner. A fancy-schmancy dinner!


I whipped up another Vogue 1250 on Thursday night during game 5 of the Tigers-Yankees series. What a game! I couldn't deal with just sitting there (it was a nail-biter of a game), so I stepped over to my work table and sewed my stress away.


The fabric is a recent purchase from Haberman's, a stretch crepe de chine, that is both lightweight and soft, like a sueded silk.


I chopped 4" off the bottom, and took in the waist about 1/2" in both side seams. I will pick-up the smaller size pattern at the next Vogue sale...

The greatest thing about this version is that it can be both a "night out on the town" dress, and a "belted with a jacket or cardigan" dress for work.

We had a great meal (crab legs and porterhouse) and a fabulous dessert. The funniest part of the night was our pit-stop on the way home at Home Depot. Can you sat, "over-dressed"???

3, 2, 1... Jumping on the Bandwagon!

The "Vogue 1250" Bandwagon, that is!


What to say that hasn't already been covered by the MILLION sewist's that have already made it? How about, "If you haven't yet, get on the bandwagon! There's plenty of space, and extra chocolate covered pretzels being passed around!"

I was a little nervous about the fit through the hips being too tight, but it was exactly what the pattern measurement said, and I even took it in on the sides above the waist. Here's the back:


The fabric has been in my stash forever! I can't remember if I bought it from Gorgeous Fabrics or the co-op! Either way, this ITY is a perfect weight, stretch, and design for this pattern. I bought a couple yards of black stretch crepe de chinese at Haberman's recently to make a LBD with this pattern!

Here's a close-up of the front drape. I wore a cami underneath since I am always bending over students' desks...


So, there you have it. A very easy success, just like all the others in sewing blog land! Winner, winner! Much like those Detroit Tigers I'll be cheering on tonight (wink, wink at Lindsay T!). And how about those Lions!? 4-0 for the first time since 1980! I've been listening to a lot sports in the sewing room lately...