1940s Singer Ad: Impressing Men with Your Sewing

This 1940s Singer ad features three sisters, desperate for fancy new dresses to wear to a party that their father won't pay for. What ever will they do?! I know! Sew their dresses! That will marvel the men, too.

Vintage, Sewing, and Dating

I love finding old ads like this one. I'm a single lady, like these three sisters here, and someone recently asked me if I would ever wear my vintage-style creations on a first date. It took me a minute to even understand why they would ask. Of course! This is just how I dress!

Living in Austin also has certain perks - dress is loosey goosey here and even office attire is casual. For goodness sakes, our city slogan is "Keep Austin Weird!" I once had a woman at a gas station high five me because I was wearing leopard pants!

I tend to find sewing and vintage-style dressing goes over pretty well on a date, even a first one. Vintage runs much deeper for me than how I dress or my hobbies, though, and I have run into a few tricky spots on that count.

I recently went out with a perfectly nice fellow that midway through the date asked me if I could talk about current events, please. Well, I had no intention of lying to this gentleman when he asked me, for example, what type of music I like to listen to. So I just charged forward as per my usual! That date ended with a pat on the shoulder...

Anyone else have similar experiences, or am I alone on this one? What about you attached ladies (or fellas!) - any advice from your dating days? Perhaps some day, I'll find a nice historical buff that has a hobby like fishing that will leave me lots of time for sewing.

What's on my Sewing Table

I have a lot of projects I'm tinkering away at right now, so I thought I'd give you a bit of a glimpse!

Tulips!

Did you know Amy Sedaris makes fabric?! I learned it from Erika of Erika Made It after she did a darling top. I'm working on a dress where I'm mixing a print skirt with a solid bodice using this tulip print. Oxford is subtly reminding me here to stop sewing and give him his dinner.

Mae Blouse

I haven't started on this one yet, but was very excited to get it in the mail this week. This is the Mae blouse, Blue Gingerdoll's newest. The packaging is wonderful! I'm thinking of using the Liberty of London in this little video I made. She has a giveaway today, so you should head on over and enter to get yourself one!

Fall for Cotton

Tasha and Rochelle are doing a sew along for September called Fall for Cotton. I was gleeful when I found this 100% cotton leaf fabric. It's just perfect! 

I can't share the pattern with you just yet for my Fall for Cotton plans. If you follow Christine Haynes' blog, you know she has a new pattern coming out Sept 9. Well, I have something up my sleeve I can share with you then!

Black Eyelet New Look 6587

This is my second version of New Look 6587. My first version was sleeveless and included a yellow ric rac trim. I took these photos in Prague on my recent European vacation!

I purchased this fabric from Promenade in New Orleans, the same place I got the green gingham for my Picnic Blanket Skirt. My grandmother had a very similar dress, and I wanted to recreate it. Unfortunately her version doesn't quite fit me.

I lined it in a black cotton and chose to leave the sleeves with just the eyelet so there's a bit of skin peeking through. I did an underlining for the bodice, meaning I treated the eyelet and black cotton fabric as one piece.

Matching fabric-covered buttons and belt.

The brooch is my great-grandmother Mary's, the professional seamstress and original owner of my button supplies! 

Traveling to Prague was so memorable and wonderful. I am Czech and took three semesters of the language in college so I could speak to my relatives. It was so amazing to get to visit the city I had heard about from family and studied. It was absolutely beautiful! 

Sewing Holllywood History: The Glenn Miller Story

Oh, The Glenn Miller Story. This has been a favorite of mine for ages. It couples two things that I absolutely adore:

1. Glenn Miller's music. My grandmother drove us to and from school every day, and she loved big band and the old crooners. Glen Miller was a particular favorite and is one of mine now, too.
2. Jimmy Stewart. He makes my heart go pitter patter.

The lead lady in this film is the adorable June Allyson playing Glenn Miller's wife, Helen. The movie starts in 1929 and runs until 1944,but was filmed in 1954. I think you can see some of the influences of the 1950s in the wardrobe at the end of the film. 

The spotlight dress for this film is is a lovely chevron-patterned number. Helen wears it at a party towards the end of the film where Glenn plays "Pennsylvania 6-500" for her for the first time. 

Features of the dress: 

• Silk satin collar and cuffs on sleeves. 
• Button-down front with lots of delicate little buttons. 
• Very full skirt!
• Skirt is multiple panels and stripes are matched in a chevron pattern.

Here are some vintage patterns in a similar style.

1. Advance 6896, 2. Vogue 8606, 3. McCalls 8935, 4. Simplicity 2617

       

See it in the Movie 

Here's the clip from the movie with the dress. It's so wonderful when it twirls! 

Simplicity 2195 with a Peter Pan Collar

This darling blouse is Simplicity 2195, a 1950s pattern.

The original pattern has a convertible collar, but I chose to draft a Peter Pan collar instead. I really wanted to do piping around the collar and discovered it's quite difficult to make piping look good on those points!

I followed instructions from Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing. The hardest part was getting the length right so the edges of the collar met and laid flat. I think I'd go a hair shorter next time from what I did here. 

In the first version I did of this blouse, I had it tucked in for the photos, so you couldn't see the waist tuck detail. It gives it some nice shape. I also used Reproduction Feedsack cotton for this blouse, like the last time. 

The pattern has a monogrammed iron-on transfer, so I think I will have to make it once more to add that fun little detail. 

I've become such a pattern repeater! I never thought that would be true. I remember when I was a kid, I thought my great aunt was a little kooky because she used to like to buy multiples. If she found a dress she liked, she'd buy it in all sorts of colors and prints. I find I do the same with sewing now, so it must run in the family. There's just so many different ways you can make a pattern something new!

My Summer Sewing Uniform

A few months ago, I discovered the Wiksten tank. I was wearing it so often while I sewed that I decided to stitch up a few more versions. I like to pair it with leggings, and now it's a real habit that I slip on one of these when I sit down at the machine.

Why I love this "uniform":

1. It's cool and airy. Texas is hot! My sewing room is in the front of my house where I get a lot of sun, so it's nice to wear something that keeps me cool.

2. It's easy for fitting. I can easily slip off the tank and keep the leggings on to fit whatever I'm working on. It makes things super simple to adjust quickly and get back to it.

3. I can wear it out of the house. I have a terrible habit of coming to the sewing table missing 1 or 2 of the supplies I need. I get so excited to get started I never remember to get everything! There's nothing like bumping into a coworker at Joann's Fabric looking like you've been in a cave since you left the office on Friday. The Wiksten tank is so cute, I don't need to worry!

A Closer Look at Each Version 

This is the first one I sewed and has sweet little foxes on it. The fabric is designed by Aneela Hoey. 

The second is a 70s-style floral print. The plaid pattern on the petals reminds me of the wallpaper that used to be at my grandparents house. 

And the last is spools of thread! So very fitting for a sewing uniform, don't you think? 

What do you like to wear while you sew? 

Bombshell Swimsuit

Have you seen this wonderful pattern yet? It was created by Heather Lou of Closet Case Files. It's a dream to stitch up and makes you feel like a fabulous pinup. This is View B.

I made absolutely ZERO pattern changes, which never happens to me. My plan was that this would be my test run. It fit so well when I finished, though, I wore it straight out to the pool.  If you follow me on instagram, you got a wee peek on Saturday.

I have never sewn a swimsuit in my life, and I expected this to be a real bear. Dare I even say the words, but it was EASY! Heather Lou's directions are fantastic and she also has a sewalong on her blog with even more information. I have every intention of stitching up the other two versions. 

I had so much fun sewing this swimsuit that I felt positively gleeful when I put it on. As any woman knows, that's a rare statement, especially when it comes to swimsuits. I couldn't wait to wear it out and about and share it with you, of course! I love that sewing can make you feel exhilarated about what you put on your body. 

I tip my hat to you, Heather Lou. 

Ryan Berkley Embroidery

Meet my new dapper friends! Recall my fondness for naming inanimate objects? Well, I have dubbed these newly stitched compatriots Fanny, Alastair, and Jenkins.

The patterns are from Sublime Stitching, a wonderful little company from Austin, TX, just like me! They have great embroidery tutorials on their site if you need a refresher or are just learning. The patterns come as iron-on transfers, or you can trace them. It's basically like paint by numbers! 

The illustration work is done by Ryan Berkley. He also has an Etsy shop chock-full of beautiful illustrations like these, and each character has their own backstory. I am itching to buy the Beaver couple and hang them alongside family portraits. 

I hung my new chums in my bedroom, by my vanity and reading lamp. They look so cozy in the lamplight. It makes me want to settle in with a cup of tea and listen to their tales. That Alastair looks like he has something up his sleeve. 

Embroidery is so relaxing and meditative to me. Pair that with the wonderful whimsy of these patterns, and I've been having all sorts of fun stitching away lately!