Fabric!

This week I found some fabrics so I can actually sew something! My fabric stash is deplorably low (unless you want to count scraps that would easily make 3 quilt tops and nothing else...) and therefore the silent "absence" of sewing news on my blog or items in the shop.



 

 

I saw this fabric at Hobby Lobby and thought it'd be perfect for some Tasha Tudor aprons. Now I can't decide which of the two vintage laces to use. There is enough fabric for two, so maybe one of each?

You should read the caption on the zipper packaging. It made me laugh since you wouldn't find that on a modern zipper package! ;)

Then take a look at this black watch plaid houndstooth that I found only this morning. There is easily enough for me to use a vintage skirt pattern. This 1940s one seems like it will fit the bill, unless I use this modern pattern for a vintage-inspired look.

Who else is on a sewing kick this week?

Thinking of Springtime

With such a title as that, you'd think I'd be tiresome of the cold weather and snow but in reality I'm loving the crisp nights and the crunching of snow under ones boots. :)

 

But it is equally true that my Dad and I are in the beginning stages of planning our garden. Perhaps that's what inspired me to pull out the rest of the yellow calico fabric and make another apron with it.

 

It's certainly a cheery apron and it's up in the shop this morning!

Fun in the Snow, 1930s style

If you "like" A Joyful Handmaiden's Facebook page you would have seen that earlier this week I found a vintage coat at one of my least-likely-to-visit thrift stores (that changed!). While I normally try not to buy an item that is full priced from the thrift store, one can't even buy a modern coat for $11 in pristine condition.

We have some snow, so this morning I convinced one of my brothers to follow me outside and grab a few pictures.

As you can see, it has enough fur on the collar and sleeves to keep anyone toasty warm!

My sister's dog loves to run in the snow or bury her head in it. Silly girl!

The coat has a tiny label on it, but it doesn't give very many clues as to its age. I think it looks 1930s after finding some images on pinterest. But then again, if you look for 1970s coats, they look interestingly familiar to that of the 30s.

Looking at the notched collars on this picture found here, the belted waist, the double breasted buttons and such, I still want to believe that it's from the 30s. Does anyone else have a clue?

Now I just need to find a suitable 30s style hat (that fits my large head!) to sport around. ;)

Knot after Knot after Knot...

It has been a couple of years since I've gotten my tatting stuff out, but this week has been perfect for it as I lay around trying to ward off this cold that's been going around. Lots of rest, vitamin C, and other vitamins that are the equivalent to the size of horse pills are keeping it at bay.

 





This afternoon I listed three different collections of bookmarks in the shop today. I'm thinking next I'll work on a pink/red collection of hearts. Perfect for Valentines Day, don'tcha think? :)

 

 

When my friend first taught me how to do tatting, I learned on size 10 thread as it's fairly easy to take out a knot (literally!) and the more comfortable I got with tatting, I switched over to a smaller size. Now all I use is size 30 and 50. I'm purging out of a few odd sizes along with many that are size 70 (just a wee-bit to small!) and those are up in the shop as one big lot for anyone else who does tatting or crocheting with thread.

 

Well, I'm off to fix a pot of tea and get back to watching movie while keeping my hands busy. ;)

Rick Rack in Abundance

Forgive the somewhat blurry picture (I blame it on my camera's low battery) but at least you can see that between working, giving violin lessons, and practicing for my own that I haven't completely neglected my sewing room.

Not long ago I spotted this fabric and knew right away that it'd look great in a 1950s apron pattern. While the 50s isn't an era I have looked into much, the bright and cheery fabrics seem to speak of that time period. Happily, I had some vibrant rick rack from my vintage collection that goes well with it. As you can see, I chose to "tone it down" a bit with some neutral bias.


Look for the apron in the shop in the next day or so!

Vintage 1940s Housedress/LoungeRobe Marian Martin 9420

It was after supper last night that I decided to not have any unfinished projects on my sewing table going into 2014, so I sat myself down to complete my 1940s housecoat. One of my sisters inquired, "What IS it?" as if it looks like a UFO (unidentified foreign object) but I emphatically explained that it is a house dress/coat or a lounging robe "you know, when you're in your pajamas in the morning and you're fixing coffee and blueberry muffins." :)

 

Sewing last night didn't even require the burning of the midnight oil. I finished with 1 1/2 hours to spare before the clocked turned over another year. Yay!

 

My first to make out of this pattern was for winter wear, and this one is for summer wear, obviously with the just-above-the-knee length and short sleeves. But like I mentioned several weeks ago, I had to make due with the vintage fabric I had.

 

I forgot how ginormous the pocket turns out to be! You could easily sneak upstairs a blueberry muffin in it to enjoy in bed! ;)

One of my favorite details on this is the vintage buttons in the front

The back bodice comes to a V as does the front. The back skirt has a center seam down to the hem, and because of it this skirt flows and swishes as you walk about.

I added more vintage rick rack to the sleeve cuffs. Fun, fun!

Happy New Year and happy sewing in 2014!