Introducing the Vintage Pajama Party Sew Along

So, in an attempt to get myself to post more, sew a bit more, and to interact better with you lovely readers, I began to mull about with a sew along. I looked to my sewing list, and noted pajamas were on there, and the light bulb went off!

Enter The Vintage Pajama Party by Tiny Angry Crafts!

I figured that every person who sews would like their own personalized pajamas, so why not make it more fun?  This isn't a competitive sew along, but a great way to challenge yourself. Sew up your favorite vintage style, meet deadlines, and make some friends along the way!

Any decade from the 1920's to the 1970's is good to go, and you're welcome to use whatever fabric you want! Make something cozy with flannel to keep warm in the winter, make something silky and cozy to slink about the boudoir in, whatever you want!

Now this sew along is a pick your own pattern, and sew at your own pace kind. You can use a an authentic vintage pattern, a vintage repro pattern, make your own if you're clever enough, just anything that'll invoke the era you're looking to work from.

Today is the kickoff, so you have till the 7^th of November to have your supplies and start sewing. But if you show up mid November, and want to join, feel free! Just have your finished garment up on the Flickr group on the 6^th of December at the end of the day.

You are more than encouraged to join me on the Flickr group where there will be discussions, and sharing of your inspirations! Please use the hashtag #vintagepajamaparty on Twitter and Instagram to check in with everyone who's sewing along! I will be posting up inspiration and my own progresses on the blog, so if you're not following along, feel free to start now!

So as a recap:

• Join the Flickr group for the Vintage Pajama Party, and introduce yourself!

• Pick a pattern that will fit with the decade you'd want to sew from.

• Pick some nice cozy fabric you'll want to sleep or lounge in.

• Gather up all your supplies, and be ready to start sewing on November 7^th!

• Have the finished pajamas photographed and uploaded to the group by end of the day on December 6^th.

If you have an outfit up and on the group in the time allotted, you have the chance to win some prizes at the end of the sew along!

Grab a button, and let your friends know!

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Be sure to join me, and have some fun!

If you have any questions, feel free to to ask in the comments below, or email me!

I sewed for victory

Earlier in the year, I told myself to create more clothes for myself, but I've been failing in the documenting and photographing department for it! I mean, I just have the few I showcased for the group.

I made this ensemble for Sew For Victory in the spring, and I have to say, it's one of my favorites, so far. And I'm happy to be showing off my very first bakelite in it. Yay.

I did double duty with the blouse, I received it from Marie for her Vintage Pledge kick off, and sewed it up for that as well.

As I mentioned in the post, I used the vintage Simplicity pattern for the skirt, which seems to be well loved by a lot of other bloggers. I had to shorten it quiet a bit, thanks to being so short, but it works very well!

My sister once again had a good time photographing me, and I'm thankful for her being savvy with a camera. She had me laughing a lot, and she took a lot of silly pictures of me, which is very fun.

 At this point, she mentioned 'You look like the lady in the posters…um, oh man, 'WE CAN DO IT!'? –Thinks for 3 seconds, gets photo taken, then busts up laughing- "Rosie the Riveter?"  'YES! GO POSE!'

So of course, she had to get me to tap into my inner Riveter.

I think I did a good job, and so did she.

So now, I'm going to do a couple of new things. First, talking about the sewing details

Sewing details

Blouse

Pattern- Vintage Simplicity 2382
Fabric- floral cotton from JoAnns
Notions- Four buttons, and hand made shoulder-pads
Any changes to original?- I shortened the bodice by 2 inches, and sewed my own shoulder pads. Other than that, it's pretty accurate.

Skirt

Pattern- Simplicity 3688
Fabric- 'Caviar' bottomweight from JoAnns
Notions- zipper, and five buttons (four in, one out)
Any changes to original?- I made removable straps to make it a bit more cute. And I shortened the length by 3 inches, and widened the waistband by 2 inches.


Outfit details

Scarf- Melrose Flea Market
Earrings- VaVoomVintage's instagram sale
Blouse- Made by me
Skirt- Made by me
Bangle- Antique mall
Socks- Target
Shoes- Ross

Thank you all for looking!

And I have an exciting sew along planned for next week, so stay tuned for that! I'm writing up some posts in advance, as I know November will be a busy month for me. I hope you all like it, as I'm excited to be working on it.

Melrose Ave Flea Market

Last Sunday, I was in the Orange County area visiting friends, and I was whisked away to a flea market in LA.

I sadly didn't have my camera on me, and the only picture I took was of my outfit.

But, I can share my finds with you all!

After getting in the area, the first booth I saw had loads of vintage threads and sewing shears, I zeroed in on the notions, and grabbed some zippers and seam binding. The seller was extremely happy I told her I would be using the items for future sewing projects.

 

I of course can't go anywhere without picking up some patterns, it seems. I love the collar on the blouse, which on the back of the pattern, is described as a 'boy collar'.

So, there is an amusing story with these gloves. I get to the booth and ask the seller if I could try on one of the pairs that were out, I fawn over them, despite them being a bit too big on me. I try on another, and I hear 'Oh, I have more, would you like to see them?' I of course say yes, and she pulls out this big plastic bin of gloves of various colors and from various years. She tells me 'You know how to put on gloves, you get to look in the treasure trove.' I spent about 5 mins perusing the box and chose these simple ones.



At the same booth I turned around and saw a rack of vintage clothing, and slips! I've wanted a nice slip for a while, and I looked on the rack for something that could work for me. Finally this plain white one called to me, and I snatched it up. The seller was incredibly sweet and I enjoyed chatting with her.

I seem to have a bit of a thing with zeroing in on the littlest of things, this scarf being one of them. As I walked down the aisle, I just saw the corner of this from the inside of a small box, so I pulled it out, and this beauty came out. There are a few snags in it, but nothing too horrible.

I hope I can figure another trip up that way in the next few months, I saw plenty of awesome things I can get for friends and family for not a lot of money.

Have any of you made any recent flea market purchases? Do you have a favorite flea market?

PS-
Pardon any little hiccups you see, I'm finally getting off my lazy ass and reworking the blog!

"Are you sure it wasn't made for you?"

Title coming from something my sister said in regards to the dress I bought and finally wore.



I kindly asked my grandma if I could borrow one of my late great-aunts hats to use in some photos. She gladly agreed, and I asked my dad if he could take a couple pictures






You can sort of see the top detailing on the hat a bit on this one.



The veil should be covering my eyes, but it's a very scratchy material, and I wear glasses, so no thank you.

Then, my younger sister stepped forward and took some more for me, and we had a blast.











She had a lot of fun playing photographer, and offered her services whenever I needed them, so I think I'll take her up on that offer more often. I'd love to wear this somewhere nice, so whenever I wear it, I'll drag my 'little' (she's 5ft 8in...) photographer with me.

This dress is super comfy, and stood the test of time. The day we did this mini shoot, it was in the high 80's and we both feeling very uncomfortable and gross. But this being a silk dress, helped me stay cool. Gotta love those natural fibers.
And it was fun wearing the hat I was loaned, it made me realize I need to buy some more hats!

Have any of you made a super lovely purchase lately, and haven't had the time to wear it?


Oh! And I was debating doing a sew along during next month. On either Sunday or Monday, I'll have some more details about it, but to those I mentioned it to, they seemed to like it enough, so stay tuned!

Shopping Haul

I've never done a clothing haul photo before. First time for everything, am I right?
While shopping with Janey I only bought two things, I have a convention coming soon, and needed to be a smidgen frugal. But I am very happy with my purchases.

While at Buffalo Exchange, Janey and I tried on some really cute things, and when I was exiting the dressing room, one of the attendants was putting up a gorgeous dress up, and I bolted back in to try it on.



Needless to say it was love at first sight, and it came back with me. We both figured it's a late 30's early 40's dress, based on the construction, and shape.



I love the bound buttonholes, and the colors, it's complimenting on me. Every little detail on this dress is fascinating to me, and I hope to implement some aspects into future sewing projects.



When my mom saw it, she was happy with it being a raw silk dress, and quickly asked the price. $28 for this lovely frock. She believes it to be handmade, and loves how it's survived all this time. I just need to re sew the snaps on the collar, which will take no time at all. (I'll get a photo of me in this dress after SDCC)

The other purchase I got was a crinoline. it's got a bit of red staining on it on the other side, but it does it job with poofing a skirt out some. $10 at Thrift Traders in Ocean Beach.



I suppose one other thing from these adventures is a sense of camaraderie. It was very lovely to be able to hang out with another person who also loves Disney, vintage, and cosplay and have other things of interest to talk about. It was fun getting out of my bubble, visiting shops I usually don't visit, and getting a lot of tips. Janey is such a sweet and helpful person, I had such a blast playing tour guide to her, and I can't wait till our paths cross again!



Have any of you made any nifty purchases lately? Hung out with blogger friends?

Be sure to check out Janeys finds!

A Few Finds

Hello everyone!
 This past Sunday I decided to get out of the house and travel to the San Diego Vintage Flea Market. A couple semesters ago a classmate told me about it, but I was unable to attend it due to having other things going on. But I am very glad I was able to go. I took public transit, ended up on the wrong bus first go around, but eventually made it, and left with a few treasures! Sadly I took no photos at the event, but I believe the next one is in November, so I'll see what I can do!



I scribbled up a simple list on Evernote, and was able to grab what I could from it. Clearly getting patterns was my main goal.



I grabbed this pattern, and the gloves in the big haul photo from a booth which I stupidly forgot to grab a business card from. I'm wondering how a higher collared pattern would look on me.



Snagged these buttons from a very sweet vendor who chatted me up a bit. She was very happy to hear I sew my own clothing, and wished me luck in my endeavors. These are ceramic buttons, and I plan to add them to a dress I have planned later this year.



I was meandering down the the aisle and my patterns radar was kicked off. These were both in the same bag, and of course they needed to come with me. At the vendors stall, I saw a very gorgeous lucite purse, but I refrained from getting it, I decided to be good, and I'm not kicking myself over it so it worked!  The first patterns envelope was in a sad state, but all the pattern pieces were accounted for. Now to get some comics sleeves to protect them.



Picking between the various offerings of the Oblong Box Shop booth was very difficult. I left and came back after a little bit of wandering about, and ended up taking the white Pinup Top home with me. Its a very cozy fit, and is quite versatile!

In the overview of my patterns, I found an extra little treasure. It's not that much, but it made me smile and wonder a bit.



Tucked inside this pattern instructions was a note from a lady who was taking home ecc in the 1950's. They seemed to be her class notes for this pattern. And I got to wondering, did she ever finish making the outfit? What colors did she choose? Did she love the end result? I suppose this is why I like history and old things, I always get to wondering about the past. Here is a close up of the note, if you're curious


And I have a question for you guys, have any of you been to a vintage flea market in your city, or anything similar? How was it?

Rummage Sale Finds

On March 9th, I attended the annual Thursday Club Rummage sale. I usually go to this with my dad, but he was convinced I wouldn't wake early the first day, and was busy the second day. So I took up upon myself to go by myself, and I think I did a pretty damn good job with my finds.




I made a small list of things I wanted, and with the exception of patterns, and hats, I got all I was looking for.




I really like the handkerchiefs, two of which are silk.



The necklace is the hardest thing to photograph, but I captured the one important aspect of it. And I grabbed the last buttons at a table. The white ones will go on my Sew for Victory blouse!



That purse stayed there till I was about to leave, and I spent about an hour in the building, so clearly it was meant for me to have it. The gloves appeared the second time I went round the accessories table, and they fit perfectly. They're Van Raalte, and if I had to guess by the tag, maybe from the mid 1950's?

Have any of you made any happy finds at rummage sales and the like?

Lets Sew for Victory

Hello everyone!


I'm here with another thing to pull me from this crafting rut I'm currently in. I've been super busy with work in two project based classes- fashion selection, and fashion sketching, and I need a pick me up.
With my spring break around the corner ( and a lot of work to do in the above classes), I was pleased as punch to see that Rochelle was starting up her Sew for Victory sew along!

Now earlier in the month I entered Maries vintage pattern giveaway to get more people on her Vintage Pledge mission. I won a gorgeous 1940's blouse pattern, and the lightbulb went off in my head.



So, here are my simple plans.



I will use this vintage Simplicity 2382 pattern to make blouse view 3. I traced the pattern yesterday afternoon, and will figure what adjustments need to be made for it. I bought the lovely fabric at JoAnns earlier today, and it's currently in the dryer. I was drawn to the print, as it reminded me of feed-sack material.



For my skirt, I'll be using Simplicity 3688. I've never used this pattern before, but I've heard a lot of people raving about the trousers pattern. One day, I'll make the entire ensemble. The fabric is a cotton bottom weight from JoAnns in the color called 'caviar' which had me giggling a bit in the aisle as I grabbed the bolt.

Muslin samples for both will be a definite thing, due to me being fairly short. I kindly asked my sister, and a friend to remind me to photograph my progress, so you all have something to look at.

Is anyone else going to Sew for Victory, or take the Vintage Pledge?

Making things for 2014

Hello everyone!
 It seems to be this year is the year of 'making a nice wardrobe for yourself.' Tasha is making her wardrobe work for her. Rochelle is setting up a 12 pattern challenge. The lovely ladies at Colette Patterns are doing a wardrobe architect.
 I'm just filling my closet with things I know would make me very happy. I've been considering a complete wardrobe revamp, but I don't have anywhere near the kind of money it would take to make that possible. So, the next best thing for me is to put my sewing skills to use.

 In 2012, I decided to keep a little sewing journal as I was inspired by Katies journal.
 


 I keep track of things I've made, what fabric I've used, the patterns, any special modifications I've done, etc.
 It's really great, especially if I want to re make patterns, I can know what works and what didn't. Of course this little book will be getting a bit of a workout this year.
 
Here's a list of things I'd like to make in 2014
4 Blouses
3 Skirts
2 Trousers
4 Dresses
2 Lounge outfits
1 Jacket
1 Purse
1 Hat

The hat was added on recently, and I'm sure this list will go through a lot of changes during the year.

I'll be kicking this little self imposed challenge off with two patterns I bought from Janey's etsy shop last year.

I've made a muslin on the McCalls 6413 pattern, and it fits very well! Just a few minor adjustments, and when I find the perfect fabric, I'll have the cute blouse from that pattern.



This Advance 9925 pattern will be my dress for Dapper Day!  I'll be making a pair of gloves, and maybe a cute little stole to wear along with it. I've traced the pattern (and one for a friend, we plan to have a little sew along between our selves at somepoint in the year), and have muslin sitting aside ready to be worked on.

I'm excited to share the things I'll be making with you all!!

Are any of you doing any sewing challenges this year?