Slow, slower, slowest

That seems to be the rate of my sewing lately.

I severely underestimated how much I could crank out again as my life returns to normal.

Apparently the stress of the past few months snuck into my sewing studio unannounced.

When I decided to sew again it promptly reared its ugly head as evidenced by an incredible number of stupid sewing mistakes. Rather annoying actually.

So I have very little to show for all the time I've spent in my studio lately.

But I do have one small project to share. Another knit top from McCall's 6078.

In March I made a zebra print version (that has yet to be worn as I've not yet made it smaller).

I went down a size this time and still needed to take it in at the waist to give it some shape. The stripes on the fabric are slightly raised and twisted. It's the fabric (from Treadle Yard Goods) that keeps this simple sleeveless top from being too ho-hum.


Next up? Photos of the completed black 80s inspired knit top sewn from Butterick 5497, and (hopefully) the completion of another "perfect knit dress" using McCall's 5752, the jacket and dress from McCall's 5818 and a skirt from Simplicity 2449.
Pin It

Have you visited the vintage pattern wiki lately?

Have you visited the Vintage Pattern Wiki lately? Oh of course you have.

You probably stop by every day to browse the newly uploaded pattern photos just like I do.

What's that? You don't!?!

Well, you need to pop on over right now. You can get a sneak peek at some changes that are in the works - and vote for your favorite logo.

While you're there, click on the new pictures tab (on the left) to see recently uploaded images. You'll soon find yourself addicted to your daily fix of vintage pattern envelopes.

Not only can you drool over fashions of yesteryear, but it's a great way to locate vintage patterns for sale as there are quite a few online pattern sellers that will add a link to their shop if they have a particular pattern for sale. Like this one: Simplicity 4841 just happens to be for sale in my Etsy shop. (I know, I know, shameless self promotion, but it's for a good cause...)

Pin It

That metal zipper necklace

Sheesh. That's a pretty blah title isn't it?

A few of you commented on the zipper necklace I had on GiGi when I photographed by 60-minute 80s knit top (this post).

Here's a closer look.


Alas, I cannot lay claim to having created this great necklace. Well, I guess I could since you'd never know would you? But I wouldn't do that to you. No, no, no.

Actually I found this little treasure at a jewelry warehouse sale. Only four bucks. I knew I couldn't make it for that so I purchased it.

The back of the necklace is one shaped felt piece.


The zipper appears to simply be glued to the felt back. And not even that neatly as you can see from this side shot.

In the center of the necklace the zippers are shaped like flowers with the edge of the zipper tape glued to the felt. The zipper tape as about 1/8" of an inch glued flat against the felt.


The necklace is tied on with a black satin ribbon that is inserted between the zipper tape and felt backing.


And that's that. The metal zipper necklace.

Oooo, speaking of 80s fashions. (We kinda were, weren't we?) I just sewed a black knit top from this new release-Butterick 5497- and it is so stinkin' 80s I can hardly believe it. I feel like I should don a pair neon leggings, ankle spike-heel booties, and huge hoops ala Susanna Hoff in Walk Like an Egyptian. Okay, okay. It's not quite that 80s. You can judge for yourself in a few days. Pin It

I love the 80s - McCall's 3994 60 minute style

Not sure how this 1988 gem of a pattern came into my possession as I'm pretty sure I would have remembered if I had sewed THIS one twenty plus years ago.

No matter, McCall's 3994 is in my hot little hands now. Remove the big shoulders and it's similar to a few current offerings - Simplicity 2364 and Vogue 2980.

The only reason I pulled it out and used it was because the pattern I had planned on sewing - Simplicity 2364 - required more than one yard of fabric. And I only had one yard of fabric.

Here's a close up of the fabric as the stripes do some pretty weird things when photographed. Most of the photos I took with me wearing the top look like the stripes were on a '60s psychedelic trip - all swirls and oddly shaped circles.

While I carefully cut each piece out single layer so I could match the stripes, it just didn't happen. This delightful striped ottoman knit - from Gorgeous Fabrics - is slightly ribbed. The white stripe bumps up and no matter how carefully I pinned, basted and sewed the fabric shifted.

The top itself was super duper easy to sew, earning it's "The Easy 60 Min Pattern" label. It probably took me about 60 minutes to sew and that's taking into account the fussing I did to try and match the stripes.
The only alteration I made was to remove about 1" in the shoulder area as this was designed for shoulder pads. I know that big shoulders have slowly been coming back in fashion - and personally I kinda like shoulder pads - but not on this.


So what can I say, except "I love the 80s".

Pin It

How do you spell love? I spell it VOGUE 1151

Fabulous, knit and easy. My kind of dress.

Of course I have no appropriate place to where this dress. But I don't care.

Because it's fabulous. And it was oh so easy to sew.


Just in case you don't recognize it, it's Vogue 1151, a Cynthia Steffe design. You might not recognize it because I added five inches to the length so it wouldn't be a mini.

In my opinion, one of the best parts of this dress is the back with the exposed zipper. I didn't have a lot of choices for metal zippers at my local Joann store so it's simply a black metal zipper.

Here's a close up of the zipper:

Total time to construct this dress was just under six hours. And that included my pattern alterations. I did a forward shoulder adjustment, a sway back adjustment and an FBA.

The fabric is a Ponteroma Knit in a soft gray purchased at Hancock Fabrics back when I still shopped there. You know, before that horrible little yellow tag system was implemented. (I really should give them another try shouldn't I?) The fabric was a dream to sew.

I sewed a size 12 tapering to a 14 at the waist and hips. I know I've said this many times before but I do not like tight fitting clothes. To the point that at times I probably add more ease than the designer intended. That might be the case with this dress as I found there was plenty of ease in the areas I increased.

If I can figure out a way to wear this dress to the office I will as I'm really pleased with the end result. The bias collar, the exposed zipper, the princess seams, the darted skirt, the topstitched armholes...I like it all.

Added bonus? The neutral gray means any shoe color will look great! Pin It

Sometimes quick and easy does the trick - McCall's 6093

Two hours of time + McCall's 6093 + three yards of fabric from IKEA = updated kitchen.

We moved into this home six years ago knowing it had not been maintained or updated since it had been built (in the late 80s). Because my hubby is a whiz at any type of home improvement project (yay!) we overlooked the neglect and outdated decor because of the unique floor plan and great location.

After six years of almost constant home improvement projects we've finally got around to the kitchen. We covered the horrendous white and gray linoleum floor with gorgeous dark ceramic tiles and added hardware to the cabinets. The wood door that was rotting at the base was replaced with an energy efficient one. We've been experimenting with stains for the cabinets. After all why spend money replacing cabinets when these are in excellent shape, just not the color we want. And we're saving our pennies so eventually granite can replace the coming apart at the seams counter tops.


I used McCall's 6093 "Home Dec in-a-sec" pattern for these "box" valances. The depth of the view B valance is 15". All other views are 18" deep. I shortened mine to 13-1/2" due to the door that leads to our patio. My original plan was to have a valance over both windows and the door. But the realization that we'd need to move the valance out of the way every time we used the door changed my mind rather quickly.

Seriously? If you've sewn any window treatments before you don't need this pattern. These "box valances are simply rectangular pieces of fabric, lined, pleated at each end and stapled to a 1" x 3" mounting board.

If you've never sewn home dec, this is a great pattern as it will guide you through each step needed, including taking measurements and calculating yardage.

These simple valances are just one more tiny step in the updating process. Next up? Coordinating placemats with the remaining fabric. Pin It

A change of stripes

Remember when I mentioned there were some "unexpected surprises sewing with this knit" when I shared my post detailing this Nieman-Marcus knock-off dress I sewed?





The biggest unexpected surprise was that this lovely black and white knit was actually black with tiny white pinstripes bordering tiny sheer stripes.

When the fabric was placed over the top of a facing for a turquoise jacket I'm working on, you can clearly see the outline of the facing.

Pretty cool. Just not what I was expecting. I can't tell you how many times I went back and re-read the description of this fabric wondering how I could have missed something so critical as sheer stripes. I didn't miss it, it wasn't there.


So....I had to make a decision. Find a way to work with it or renew my search for a black and white stripe knit. Hmmmm. As I hadn't had much luck up to this point I decided to line the knit

Oops. Unexpected surprise number two! As I began to lay out the pattern pieces I spotted a hole in the fabric almost smack dab in the middle of the yardage.




Lucky for me, I was only using this piece for the bodice of the dress and would need less than the one yard that I had ordered. And the yard I received was on the generous side so I had enough fabric even when I had to recut and sew a second bodice.


Lucky me again as a few weeks earlier I had stumbled across ten yards of a white nylon lingerie (tricot) knit in a thrift store for a whopping $3.

I simply hand based the white knit to the front and back bodices and treated the two layers as one.

Unexpected surprise number three? The white underlining helped make those white stripes pop. So all's well that ends well.

********** Pin It

Simplicity's 2443 Rowley dress meet Neiman Marcus' DKNY dress

My version of the Cynthia Rowley Simplicity 2443 knit dress inspired by a DKNY dress found in a spring 2010 Neiman Marcus catalog. I wasn't able to locate the dress online, but I'm not sure it would provide any additional details anyway.

The DKNY dress is described as "Black/stone/red mixed-print cotton and elastane belted tank dress with knit bodice and woven skirt." Priced at only $245. Which probably looks like a bargain if you shop Neiman Marcus right?

I immediately thought of this pattern when I saw the dress in the catalog and thought ... c'mon, let's say it together "I could make that!" Because that's what we do isn't it?

I'm not certain from the dress description if the dress skirt was knit or woven, but I choose to make the entire dress in a knit.

Red and black knits were already in my fabric collection, so the search began for the fabrics for the bodice and skirt. Yikes! I didn't count on was how difficult it would be to locate a black and white stripe knit! I didn't want 100% cotton. Ugh, I hate sewing with that stuff. Maybe you like it, but I much prefer my knits with a bit of lycra blended into the fibers.


For the bodice I settled for this striped knit from Gorgeous Fabrics. There were some unexpected surprises sewing with this knit but I'll share that with you tomorrow. Edited 6/8 to add link to post about the knit fabric.

The black and white floral knit is also from Gorgeous Fabrics. The overall white to black contrast is on a larger scale than the DKNY dress, but that Holy Gerbera! sure is a fun print.



As far as constructing the dress goes, I knew I didn't want the racer back bodice from the pattern so I used the tank top from Kwik Sew 3497, binding the neck and armhole edges rather than hemming.

This tank top pattern really needed a fabric with more stretch than what I was using, so the first bodice I sewed was too tight. I altered the pattern to add an FBA, recut and resewed the bodice.

In addition to changing the bodice to a tank top, I cut it so it would hit at my waistline rather than above.

The red stripe insert is about three inches wide and the bottom band of black is about seven. I simply sewed the red strip to the bottom of the floral print then sewed the black strip to the bottom of the red.

And of course I kept the pockets. Which are a bit low since I forgot that I had lowered the waistline. No biggie as I probably won't use them much. I just like knowing they're there.

The final touch is a black leather belt in place of the tie belt.

Overall, I'm fairly pleased with the dress. But I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a white and black evenly spaced stripe cotton/lycra knit (at a reasonable price of course). If I find some I'm going to redo the bodice. If anyone has any leads on where I could find some let me know...

Next up? The jacket in a black linen so the dress can be worn to the office this summer.

******************************************* Pin It

Sewing authors, designers and inspiration: Anna Maria Horner and Linda Lee

Bet you thought I'd forget to tell you about these two events didn't you? Well, to be honest I almost did. I guess I was just too busy downloading photos from our mini-vacation and reminiscing about how beautiful and relaxing the trip was.

But vacation is past and life is becoming semi-normal again. To the point where I'm beginning to feel the stirrings of my creative soul awakening.

The trunk show with Linda Lee at Treadle Yard Goods is what kick-started the whole thing. Sorry dear readers, but I forgot to bring my camera. And she had some absolutely gorgeous samples to show us. The small room was packed (and warm) but we sat and awaited eagerly for each garment to be pulled from the clothes rack so we could devour the details with our eyes.

I'm not a Sewing Workshop kinda gal. By that I mean while I absolutely love the look of these garments on others (such as Ann) I just do not feel right when I wear them. I feel dowdy. Which is surprising because these garments are anything but dowdy. Maybe because I typically wear more structured clothing.

Unfortunately, my husband had dropped me off and was waiting precisely at 8 p.m. to pick me up so I didn't have time to ask questions, see the garments up close or purchase patterns or fabric that evening.

But that didn't stop me from shopping the next evening. While I was intrigued by a number of the patterns that I do not own, I only purchased one new one - the Verona Jacket and Coat pattern as it is more fitted than some of the other designs. Plus it has a fun inside curved facing. One of those details that only the sewer knows about.

I already had the Urban T-shirt pattern in my collection and purchased a gray and purple strip knit from Treadle to make the tee. So far I've managed to get the pattern traced so I'm hopeful to have a new tee within a week or two.


The next night was a book signing by Anna Maria Horner.

Dang! That lady is not only gorgeous but she is even nicer than she looks. That beautiful smile on her face is genuine. And I'm pretty sure she was worn out after spending the day at Quilt Market.

Check out this post on True Up about Quilt Market. Be sure to scroll down so you can peek at the adorable shoes Anna was wearing. (From Anthropologie in case you're wondering. You know how much I like shoes so yes of course I had to ask her where she found them!)

I'll admit I wasn't too familiar with her. I knew she designed super cute fabric and had written a few sewing books, but that was the extend of my knowledge. When Treadle announced the book signing I figured I'd check it out. I mean, how often does one get to meet an author up close and personal? And a sewer to boot!

After my few minutes with Anna Maria Horner, I will say this. She is one of those rare people that makes you feel special, as if the two of you are the only ones in the room and she has all the time in the world to chat. My friend Cheryl (Homestead Specialties) has this quality also, but I've seldom witnessed it with others.

I left feeling honored to have spent a few minutes with her. I'm guessing everyone else felt the same way.

Both of her books were purchased to add to my sewing library as well as one pattern, the Multitasker Tote. If I would have looked at the projects inside the books I may have purchased a different pattern since there are totes included the books.

Oh! One more benefit of the author visit. Seeing the pattern garments up close.

All in all, both events at Treadle Yard Goods were good for my soul. They came at a time when I needed a little sewing inspiration.

Be sure to stop back this week as I have a few projects to share with you. A 90-minute knit top from the late 1980s and my version of the Simplicity 4462 Cynthia Rowley knit dress. Pin It