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.

New additions to my personal library

Last month, I received a very sweet package from a friend, and blog reader. And I treated myself to a book that's been lurking in my wishlist for a while.

My friend, Miss Mary graciously sent me the Tailoring and Clothing Construction books after reading a few of my blog posts. When I got them in the mail, I was ecstatic. It's one thing to get old books from the thrift store, but to actually know the person who used them, and obviously loved them is a nice feeling.

I love the images in the Tailoring book.

They're very clear, despite not being color images. As I skimmed through, I found it easy to follow the instructions.

Ah yes, bound buttonholes. My favorite thing to sew, despite not being able to properly make them even. I figured the slimmer looking a buttonhole was, the nicer it looked. On most tutorials I've found, they make them bigger. Maybe that's my problem.

I love the cover for the Clothing Construction book. I wish the books I use in my courses were as cute as this one!

The images in this book are also nice and clear, and I love the spread for all the different types of needles one might need. I often forget how many there, and I usually just stick to regular sharps for a lot of things.

The pages showing the different fabrics was also very cute. When I was in LA last weekend, I was eyeballing some seersucker fabric which would make for something lovely next summer. But, I didn't buy it.

Now I've been wanting a nice reference book, so I snagged The Everyday Fashions of The Forties off Amazon. It's chocked full of just what it says on the book, clothing that the average person wore. And what better place to showcase that, if not from the Sear catalogues?

When this book came in, I was visiting with my grandmother, and she pointed out things she remembered seeing on people of that time. And she also pointed out things she thinks I would have loved to own.

Such as these shoes.
For the D'Orsay pumps at $3.98 in 1944, they would cost $53.31 in today's dollars. (thanks Inflation Calculator! ) Which for most people isn't that bad. I think they're cheaper than Miss L Fire shoes. Who wants to get on that time machine building project with me?

For a book lover such as myself, getting these as new padding for my bookshelf was very great. I was able to make some connections with my grandma with one book, and own some books which helped out a friend when she was sewing things for herself and her family.

Have any of you received new books? Any books you'd love as additions to your personal library?

PS-
Oh yeah, I changed the blog up! I need to spruce it up a wee bit more, but I am very happy with 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!