AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Hey Sailor! DATE: 10:37 AM ----- BODY:

I know that this isn't a real sailor collar but the flare + the bow just makes me think of one.

I love how the two regular-sized women are studiously ignoring the tiny woman in the box, who, like a zoo animal, is also trying to ignore her captors. This particular pattern seems to be sized for the bigger women; but since the captured one is wearing the same dress, someone must have scaled it down for her, yes?

In my head the captors have found the smaller woman and are on their way to Fleet Week to make money exhibiting her in a freak show at Coney Island, but are having second thoughts. What's your take?

This pattern is from Jen at MOMSPatterns, who is also having a quick sale: Save 25% off your orders with MOMSPatterns Friday, Saturday & Sunday only using coupon code 'mayday'. (Jen offers free shipping to the US & Canada with the purchase of 5 or more patterns, by the way.)

Labels: collars, McCalls_3285, sales

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

evalyn DATE:Apr 30, 2010 12:13:00 PM Notice how Stripey Dress is leaning on the imaginary box. I think Red Dress is walking into another dimension, where no one will notice that her dress is exactly like the other two, but she will be able to find shoes like Gray Dress is wearing and possibley an longer back zipper because I don't see how these women get in or out of those dresses. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

the sewist DATE:Apr 30, 2010 1:03:00 PM I think red dress is a normal-sized person, and the other two are giants. Why not? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Packrat DATE:Apr 30, 2010 1:42:00 PM Once again, a winner. Love this pattern. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

beangirl DATE:Apr 30, 2010 1:53:00 PM I was going to say, "Giant alien conquerors" but then suddenly my eye shifted and it just looked like an "artsy" shot whereby the "box" is actually a cleverly placed mirror showing the reflection of Red while she tries on her Identical Dress. So sort of normal. Or at least, more normal than Giant Alien Conquerors. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

--Karen DATE:Apr 30, 2010 2:57:00 PM I thought small, red lady had a superpower of size control. In the comics, the superhero who changes size or shape always seems to retain his clothing at the proper size. I thought it was something like hulking out, in reverse. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

A Peppermint Penguin DATE:May 1, 2010 2:52:00 AM The littl'un is waving a two-fingered salute to whoever put her in the box. She may be trapped, but she is not cowed!

Cheers,
AJ ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

ztoamom DATE:May 1, 2010 9:52:00 AM Stripes: I can not recall why I wanted this particular miniature.... now that I have her preserved in the specimen box....

Gray: This is what happens every season. She simply MUST have these and then cannot figure out what to do with them. I will not let it deter me from my luncheon date, however. She will have to organize the display cases without me. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Erin DATE:May 1, 2010 11:40:00 AM Testing whether I can leave comments now that Blogger doesn't use FTP any longer ... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Emily DATE:May 2, 2010 4:51:00 PM Ahahaha! I've just finished my first sewing project in years and am getting carried away looking at sewing-related websites - yours is the only one to have made me laugh.

Poor captive woman. Perhaps one day she will break free. We can but hope. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Shannon DATE:May 3, 2010 10:29:00 AM Hi Erin! Have you seen the Online Outlet sale at Talbots? They have some cute stuff deeply marked down -- I like this picnic dress (with pockets!):

http://www1.talbots.com/online/browse/product_details.jsp?zoomImage=92036002&id=prdi21358&catId=&rootCategory=&sortKey=&conceptIdUnderSale=

And check out this cute skirt!

http://www1.talbots.com/online/browse/product_details.jsp?id=prdi21326&rootCategory=cat70018&catId=cat400043&sortKey=Default&section=Outlet&conceptIdUnderSale=cat400043 ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

tampopo DATE:May 3, 2010 6:59:00 PM brilliant, once again! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Kelly DATE:May 5, 2010 8:23:00 AM description of the two gals made me giggle. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:May 6, 2010 12:18:00 PM I just came to this blog, and saw that you talk about mccalls patterns... sewtrue.com is offering this years mccalls patterns with Free notions to boot...check them out ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:May 7, 2010 4:56:00 AM All men pipedream, but not equally. Those who fancy by means of edge of night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to become aware of that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the time are menacing men, because they may dissimulation on their dreams with unblocked eyes, to create them possible. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:May 7, 2010 7:53:00 AM All men speculation, but not equally. Those who fancy before twilight in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the age to find that it was swell-headedness: but the dreamers of the time are menacing men, benefit of they may act on their dreams with exposed eyes, to create them possible. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cookie DATE:May 7, 2010 1:42:00 PM It appears the shrunken, disgruntled woman in the "specimin box" is flipping them off.("Tell it to the hand...") ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:May 7, 2010 2:16:00 PM The distinction of extensive men should every time be leisurely by the means they secure cast-off to acquire it. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:May 7, 2010 5:12:00 PM The glorification of spacious men should every time be slow by the means they contain used to into it. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:May 8, 2010 4:40:00 AM Milieu an model is not the main means of influencing another, it is the solitary means. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:May 8, 2010 7:39:00 AM Environs an warning is not the predominating means of influencing another, it is the no greater than means. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

rich buckhalter DATE:May 9, 2010 7:12:00 PM I love the vintage pics.... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Fourth Daughter DATE:May 11, 2010 6:51:00 AM I love retro patterns too!! Can anyone help me with the reasoning behind this one though, it's puzzling me.... http://stylewilderness.blogspot.com/2010/05/maternity-mystery.html ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Three Things DATE: 10:38 AM ----- BODY:

1. I love, love, love the ::facepalm:: of Plaid Girl here. Combined with the "WTF?" expression on Green Stripe Girl, I really, really wish we could see what they are seeing. What could it be? I'm assuming it's some kind of really embarrassing male display behavior, but I'd love to hear your guesses.

2. Why can't I find shoes like Green Stripe Girl's? Seriously. Those are some darn cute shoes.

3. Thanks to Emma for the link to this pattern! (It's for sale, click on the image to visit the Etsy listing.)

Labels: facepalm, patternstories, Simplicity_1283

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sarah @ ColorKitten DATE:Apr 28, 2010 11:52:00 AM I'm with you on #2 - those are some cute shoes! Sort of...espadrille-y but real shoes. Could someone just please make those for us? thanks! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Zoltar Panaflex DATE:Apr 28, 2010 12:08:00 PM I had a pair of shoes like that in high school.

I recently saw something similar on Zappos, only they were brilliant blue. I'm trying to remember the brand. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Commonplace iris DATE:Apr 28, 2010 12:22:00 PM #2 was the first thing to cross my mind! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sue DATE:Apr 28, 2010 1:17:00 PM I am loving these (especially the Golc) recently: http://www.thetannery.com/Search.aspx?g=3&dept=79&cat=120 ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

beangirl DATE:Apr 28, 2010 1:32:00 PM I used to have a pair of shoes very much like that, but that was a while ago. Hmmm... must keep my eye out for more.

But as to question #1, perhaps they're disgusted at the constant, childish taunnting that the boys keep using like, "Hey, take me to your leader!" and "I didn't know they allowed aliens from the not-too-distant future in here!" and "Look, it's Mr. Spock's long lost sister Spack just coming back from Home Ec class."

Oh come on. Those are some seriously wide, pointy shoulders. Ditto on the eyebrows.

Although they are pretty cute dresses. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cookie DATE:Apr 28, 2010 1:37:00 PM I think they're embarrassed they've been sent to this last-minute modeling job...only to be dressed as 10-year-olds. The stylist is now bringing out the props (big stuffed bunnies, hula hoops, etc.) and they're flummoxed.

Awwwwwww-kward. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sara DATE:Apr 28, 2010 1:45:00 PM I think it is some sort of unfortunate plumber incident.... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cricket DATE:Apr 28, 2010 2:01:00 PM As close as I could find:
http://www.zappos.com/born-gaga-black-full-grain-leather ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

susan DATE:Apr 28, 2010 5:03:00 PM http://clarks.zappos.com/n/p/dp/59647263/c/162.html

not the same, but a maybe? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

ElisaBetsy DATE:Apr 28, 2010 6:04:00 PM Miz Mooz shoes has a similar style and also lots of other great modern and vintage-looking styles & a fun name to boot! (Sorry, I couldn't resist the pun. I have a pair of Miz Mooz boots I LOVE)
Good selection here:
http://www.infinityshoes.com/Miz-Mooz-Barrio-796.html ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

hillary DATE:Apr 28, 2010 6:48:00 PM These are similar too. :)
http://www.fluevog.com/code/?w=family%3AHopes&p=2&pp=1&view=detail&colourID=2733 ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Packrat DATE:Apr 28, 2010 7:10:00 PM Love the dresses (without the ruffles) and the shoes. Also, like the pattern size. Thanks for sharing! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Apr 28, 2010 9:30:00 PM http://www.blogforbettersewing.com/2010/04/clarks-diamond-heart-shoe-yea-or-nay.html Maybe these shoes would fit the bill. Vintage yet modern.... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Daphne DATE:Apr 29, 2010 6:42:00 AM Would these Fluevogs do?
http://www.fluevog.com/code/?w[0]=gender%3Awomen&w[1]=attribute%3ASandal&p=12&pp=1&view=detail&colourID=2167
Or perhaps these?
http://www.fluevog.com/code/?w[0]=gender%3Awomen&w[1]=attribute%3AHeel&p=6&pp=1&view=detail&colourID=2734 ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Stephanie Radion DATE:Apr 29, 2010 6:49:00 AM I actually have an old pair of Mollini shoes just like green shirt girls! :D ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Latter-Day Flapper DATE:Apr 29, 2010 8:34:00 AM They are marveling at the antics to which teenaged boys will resort to impress girls in awesome casual sundresses. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

tea DATE:Apr 29, 2010 9:01:00 AM OMG, Cricket, hillary, Anonymous, and Daphne: All of those shoes are AWESOME.

Meanwhile, I kind of like pink plaid's shoes, too. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

--Karen DATE:Apr 29, 2010 9:38:00 AM I suspect I had a similar expression on my face the other day when a woman stopped in the middle of 4 lanes of traffic in front of me. Why? So she could make a 3-point turn (almost backing into a passing truck) so she could turn around and drive the wrong way into oncoming traffic because she had passed her turn-off. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Liz in Ypsilanti DATE:Apr 29, 2010 12:58:00 PM Re: #1: Oh, there's Liz the Nerd. WHAT is that thing she's wearing? AND, she's talking to the teacher about politics again! Doesn't she get how UNcool she is?

(Yes, I was Liz the Nerd in high school in the 70s. Annoyed the heck out of my peers and was proud of it.) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Nina DATE:Apr 30, 2010 11:44:00 AM Though it's a dressier shoe, not an espadrille, the shape of the shoe and the ankle straps immediately reminded me of the ones Vera Ellen wore in White Christmas:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://knotsandbaubles.typepad.com/.a/6a00d834b3761f69e20105365da306970b-500wi&imgrefurl=http://knotsandbaubles.typepad.com/feathers/2008/12/life-week-vera-allen-in-white-christmas.html&usg=__nx6l862s9cH7LRb7wmvuWIK3AFg=&h=600&w=471&sz=20&hl=en&start=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=q0Ay3sKZLHt2fM:&tbnh=135&tbnw=106&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dvera%2Bellen%2Bwhite%2Bchristmas%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26tbs%3Disch:1 ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Glamour-Och-Fläskpannkaka DATE:May 1, 2010 12:41:00 PM lovely patterns! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sheila / Out of the Ashes Collectibles DATE:May 3, 2010 2:57:00 PM Those are "tap shoes" !!! Check out http://www.dance4less.com/tap_shoes.htm I think they call them Mary Jane Tap Shoes. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Fourth Daughter DATE:May 5, 2010 8:00:00 AM I love those shoes too! I have just stumbled on your blog...am very happy I did so and will be posting some amusing patterns on my own blog in the next few days including a maternity skirt "for ladies in waiting" (I kid you not). I'll visit again when I've done the post as I have no idea how the skirt would actually work.
http://stylewilderness.blogspot.com/ ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Liz DATE:May 5, 2010 3:26:00 PM I love the neo-retro shoes at Re-Mix and saw some serious contenders on the SALE page:

http://www.remixvintageshoes.com/salepage.html ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Good Things Come To Those Who Lie In Wait (on Ebay) DATE: 5:26 AM ----- BODY:

For reasons that should be painfully obvious, I have wanted more of this fabric for years. I bought some the moment I saw it, and made a big circle skirt, which I have altered at least a couple of times. But it's quilting cotton, which means it's not especially sturdy, and the skirt was beginning to look a little sad. Which made me more than a little sad. (That's one of the downsides of sewing -- even if something you make costs less than the $20 throwaway item from H&M or Target, it costs more in time and emotional investment, so you get madder when it wears out/rips/gets spilled on.)

And unfortunately, with fabric, even if you know the manufacturer's name and the fabric name, you can't rely on the seller knowing either of those pieces of information. So the only thing you can do is hit eBay at regular intervals and think "if I didn't know anything about this fabric, how would I describe it?"

Which is what I did, and now FOUR YARDS are on their merry way to me. Woo! With a bonus Hoo!

Do I know what I will sew with this yet? Not especially. But I know I will love it and hug it and squeeze it and call it George.

Labels: alphabet_prints, ebay, fabric, fonts

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

sarah DATE:Apr 26, 2010 6:07:00 AM LOL! I use that line all the time! Congrats on your fabric conquest. I am guessing it will be made into a lovely Heidi dress! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Debi DATE:Apr 26, 2010 7:51:00 AM hehehehe...I love that line too :-) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Nora DATE:Apr 26, 2010 7:56:00 AM helvetica! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

daiyami DATE:Apr 26, 2010 8:21:00 AM you get madder when it wears out/rips/gets spilled on.

I have just started making clothes (half-circle skirts so far), but I think I will feel opposite---since I know I'll be able to replace an item with something I like as well, I feel more willing to let go. But that may be a side effect of having hoarding tendencies. Plus I haven't made anything very complicated yet, so fairly small investments.

Have fun with the fabric! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Nicole DATE:Apr 26, 2010 9:52:00 AM I think you've articulated my frustration with searching for fabric on ebay -- I've pretty much given up on it. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

The Hillbilly Banjo Queen: DATE:Apr 26, 2010 10:06:00 AM Shoot. I just turned green. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Nada Gordon: 2 ludic 4 U DATE:Apr 26, 2010 10:19:00 AM OMG. I need that fabric. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

kariann DATE:Apr 26, 2010 2:42:00 PM This is why I love Erin. She uses the same quotes I do and loves the same funky prints I do.

You can never wrong with type as a design! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

ztoamom DATE:Apr 26, 2010 3:29:00 PM One of my favorite George fabrics ever is a Michael Miller with "etc" and asterisks in pairs all marching along is perfect type face rows. In black and white. Love it. I love this George, too. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Happycindys DATE:Apr 27, 2010 6:37:00 AM Wow! Just fell in love with your fabric!! I try to find it ( to share your luck!!) but...no! Instead, I,ve found a FABULOUS eyechart fabric! O'm an optician and i teach how to do glasses in collèege...Wow! My students will be crazy when i'll show up with my new 'eyechart' skirt!
Yahou! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Donna DATE:Apr 27, 2010 7:02:00 AM I'm curious! Have you ever thought of just printing your own at Spoonflower.com? You could even use the font of your choice! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jan DATE:Apr 27, 2010 9:13:00 AM hahahahahahahaha! I feel your excitement and angst... Excitement - much better indeed - congrats on the find! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sophie DATE:Apr 27, 2010 10:31:00 AM make sure to reinforce the fabric a bit to make it last as long as possible- or maybe just put aside one yard of it for later use. :) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Apr 28, 2010 8:44:00 AM Another good source for fabric (especially quilting cottons) is www.missingfabrics.com. I can't tell you how many times this site has saved one of my quilt projects with just that last 1/4 yd of fabric that was short! It's amazing what you can find in someone else's stash.

donna in nj ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

pam DATE:Apr 29, 2010 1:26:00 PM Whoo hoo, and congratulations!

I had the most awesome fluffy crinoline square dance petticoat back when I was in college. I loved it, and called it "George" too. What is it about that name?

(P.S. after moves, when I come across it, I always call my kids over and introduce them..."kids, this is George, my totally awesome square dance petticoat!" They roll their eyes but I love it!) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anne Beekman DATE:May 3, 2010 10:58:00 AM Ohhhh, I love this - I teach Typography and the font is HELVETICA! ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Not Used Except For Pocket DATE: 6:18 AM ----- BODY:

"Not Used Except For Pocket" -- that may, in fact, be my epitaph. (Wouldn't that look good on a gravestone? It's surprising how much time I spend thinking about my grave marker considering that I intend to be cremated, isn't it?)

Anyway, memento mori schemento mori, look at this pattern! It's lovely (even if the pic is a bit fuzzy). I likes it. And I want to know why someone opened it up and only used the pocket. Imagine how good the other, pocketless dress had to be to be more worth sewing than this one!

This one is on sale from Penny at Antique Dollhouse of Patterns -- she's offering 35% of through Sunday (Paypal orders only, though). So you can browse through her site until you find the pattern that's annotated with "Used -- No Pocket Piece", right?

Oh, and here's an idea: who wants to start assembling a "found poetry" page on the Vintage Patterns Wiki based on things written on pattern envelopes? With almost 28,000 (!) patterns, there must be a number of interesting notes to choose from!

Labels: pockets, sales, Vogue_8122

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

quinn DATE:Apr 23, 2010 7:34:00 AM I'm wondering what is so amazing about this pocket!

Does it have secret compartments?

A lock, and fingerprint recognition entry?

Is it a portal to another universe?? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sigrid DATE:Apr 23, 2010 9:16:00 AM " A devil to sew but results fantastic"
is my all time favorite found poetry on a pattern envelope. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Joni DATE:Apr 23, 2010 9:32:00 AM My favorite pattern notation was found on the cover of that 1950s men's pajamas/nightshirt pattern: "Too large for Jim." Oh, Jim, you poor sap... your wife thinks you're not big enough, you know, in the bedroom. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Pattern Junkie DATE:Apr 23, 2010 11:56:00 AM I LOVE pattern notations! I think a found poetry category is pure genius -- I already spend too much time on the vintage wiki, I might start marking that new category.

Two of the best notations I've found are "God-awful big neck" and "goofy great" (on separate patterns.) There was also an adamant "No pockets!!" once -- on a pattern that had pockets. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cookie DATE:Apr 23, 2010 1:25:00 PM In The Power of Style, Pauline Trigère is shown wearing a dress like that in black satin, as she's lighting candles on her dinner table. (I imagine she was expecting guests, but who knows?) Her hair is pulled back in a twist and she wears a double strand, pearl choker. I'm a little neutral on the dress, but Pauline would have liked this pattern! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

dulcet DATE:Apr 23, 2010 2:34:00 PM That pattern brought to mind a cut of brocade stowed away in a dresser at my Mom's house. It's an orange background with gold flowers. Maybe I'll ask her what it was intended for. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lisa @ the Vintage Fashion Library DATE:Apr 23, 2010 7:36:00 PM That is a fabulous pattern! And did you know that the wiki is now the fifteenth largest wiki? I personally think that's pretty awesome, and we owe a big debt of gratitude to Petite Main and Tarna. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Johanna DATE:Apr 23, 2010 8:13:00 PM That is a classic comment on the envelope! Makes me want to start my own feedback right on the packet, instead of using a separate notebook.... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Vegan DATE:Apr 23, 2010 10:45:00 PM Not quite poetry or a comment, but I once found a little scrap of boucle with a bound buttonhole on it tucked into a 1950s coat pattern! It seems the sewist was practicing her bound buttonholes before making the coat! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Miri DATE:Apr 24, 2010 4:37:00 AM I need some new patterns, thanks for the heads up =)

Mystique-Glamour ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Apr 24, 2010 1:50:00 PM Idea for the found poetry title:

"I'm seeing a pattern here..." ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Leslie DATE:Apr 26, 2010 7:25:00 AM You've inspired me to begin making notations of my own patterns. I really like that it's dated (and that happens to be the year my parents got married). ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Theresa DATE:Apr 26, 2010 11:23:00 AM that is one sexy dress! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sheila / Out of the Ashes Collectibles DATE:Apr 27, 2010 11:32:00 AM My favorite "poetry" is written on a pattern I have that says "Don't loan to Beth" - wow she must have done something bad! Wish I had time to help you Erin - it would be quite fun to contribute but not to run for me! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lynn DATE:Apr 28, 2010 9:51:00 AM I have been loving your vintage patterns. The old measurements are wild. 38 inches size 20! 34 inches, size 16! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

MinaW DATE:Apr 30, 2010 11:57:00 PM Erin - about your grave-marker thoughts - a hospice volunteer told me that for those intending cremation, there should be markers anyway for the benefit of genealogy researchers... ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: A Few Questions DATE: 9:12 AM ----- BODY:

Question 1: How cute is that bodice? I love the high neck and all those little buttons ... sigh. (This button thing has got me bad, and that ain't good.)

Question 2: What the heck is in that box? Unwrapper looks gleeful, looker-on even more so. I think that they have swiped some OTHER girl's box of chocolates, and are planning to eat all the chocolates themselves, then on refilling the box with something hilarious and embarrassing, such as woolen long underwear, thus provoking consternation and discord between the intended recipient and her chocolates-giving beau. But that's just my take. What's yours?

Question 3: Did you know that this pattern is on SALE? Yes, yes it is: 20% with code EARTH DAY, through Friday. And get free shipping when you buy three or more patterns! (From Sandritocat.)

Labels: Butterick_5950, mystery_boxes, sales

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Young sally DATE:Apr 21, 2010 10:29:00 AM I could think of some rude things that might be in the box...especially given how happy they look....but I am going to guess a new fangled electric can opener. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Rita DATE:Apr 21, 2010 2:46:00 PM I thought of something a little x-rated as well. Naughty me! But I will go with the electric can opener as well. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Theresa DATE:Apr 21, 2010 3:06:00 PM I was thinking long gloves ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jana DATE:Apr 21, 2010 3:46:00 PM Definitely chocolate!
Jana ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cookie DATE:Apr 21, 2010 4:51:00 PM Something evil's going on, that's for sure. Maybe it's a box of that old-fashioned appetite suppressant, the unfortunately named "Ayds"? They could give you a bit of a rush.

Red is so blissed-out she's levitating. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Elissa DATE:Apr 21, 2010 9:59:00 PM Red looks even more excited than Blue, so I'm going to guess that Red has put some sort of trick/surprise in there - maybe something that'll jump out at Blue... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cel Petro DATE:Apr 22, 2010 10:49:00 AM and I love the neckline, those vertical pleaty darts... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

--Karen DATE:Apr 22, 2010 12:45:00 PM Red Dress: Another box of chocolates from Chad? (sigh) He's so dreamy.
Blue Dress: I know, but it's getting hard to keep my girlish figure with all these rich chocolates. You'll have to help me eat them.
Red Dress: Just what I was hoping you'd say. --Karen ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Melissa DATE:Apr 22, 2010 2:49:00 PM I thought it looked like the right size and shape for a carton of cigarettes. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Tessa J DATE:Apr 22, 2010 4:38:00 PM Blue Dress thinks she's getting a box of chocolates. Red can't contain her evil glee, she knows the box really contains bees. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Elle Kaye DATE:Apr 23, 2010 11:51:00 AM The interesting part is that nearly offstage little diagram at the lower right. Is that for the doll that's in Blue's gift? Did patterns of this era often put a schematic head-to-head? Especially since the usual back view is at the lower left. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: In Praise of Buttons DATE: 10:38 AM ----- BODY:

Aren't those gorgeous? I have been thinking a LOT about buttons lately. I mean, more than usual (and far more than "normal" people).

Some of my thoughts:

-- I want a big circle skirt, black, where the hem is a four-inch border of grey mother-of-pearl buttons, in a bunch of different sizes. Bonus points if I can lay them out so that they seem to swirl ...

-- Or, ooh, how about a shirtdress with a button print, with the "buttons" in vertical stripes down the fabric, maybe 5/8" wide, spaced an inch or so apart? This would be lovely in black and white, or red and white, or white with multicolor.

-- I want a black t-shirt with a big white four-hole button printed on the front. Ditto a tote bag.

-- More fabric, this time with a huge four-hole button print. By "huge" I mean buttons that are orange-sized. Black with white or red buttons, or black with mostly white buttons and a red button every so often for "pop". (For a Heidi dress, naturally.)

In the meantime, I will just look at these buttons some more (from the blog Vintage and Modern Unite):

What are your buttony thoughts?

Labels: buttons, sewing_notions

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Darci DATE:Apr 20, 2010 11:15:00 AM Just be careful not to put non-flat buttons on the back of the skirt where your body would touch the chair. I didn't even THINK about that when I used up my button stash as a 6" border on a skirt. I had itty-bitty button indentations on the backs of my legs and OUCH, they hurt!

Cute ideas, tho! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

marceline DATE:Apr 20, 2010 11:18:00 AM I'm obsessed with drawing buttons. I've made a load of vintage button fabrics and even got some SHOES made with the same design. Obviously, they are amazing :)

my fabrics are here if you'd like to see:
http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/marcelinesmith ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Babett DATE:Apr 20, 2010 11:19:00 AM As long as you don't have Koumpounophobia:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQC0QVXa33o

The black circle skirt sounds amazing! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Val DATE:Apr 20, 2010 11:22:00 AM I just used a couple of buttons from Grandma's old button box on a new dress....check out my blog tonight to see it! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Tasia DATE:Apr 20, 2010 11:32:00 AM I love buttons too! We have this great store in Vancouver called Button Button, where I picked out a bunch of lovely vintage buttons - heart shapes, flowers and star/flower hybrids. (It's on my blog if you want to check it out..)
Now I'm planning projects around the buttons...Love your ideas, if I see a button print fabric now I know who to tell. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

kathy DATE:Apr 20, 2010 11:45:00 AM I love the circle skirt idea! That sounds fabulous! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jana DATE:Apr 20, 2010 11:45:00 AM I adore buttons .....and there are usually small so they make a great collectible!
Jana ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Ashley DATE:Apr 20, 2010 12:23:00 PM Erin, I'm right there with ya. I have had nothing but buttons on my mind lately. I have been searching like mad for the perfect size and shade of red button to go on my dying-to-be-finished navy blue 1940s dress. You wouldn't think it'd be that hard to find, but it is out here in the sticks. I finally found what I wanted on Etsy, from a seller in Israel, so now I have to wait forever to get them! I'm in BUTTON LIMBO AND IT'S KILLING ME! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Erin DATE:Apr 20, 2010 12:43:00 PM LOVE the skirt idea (and will probably pirate it some day). I had the hardest time finding any inspiring buttons for a bright pink dress I just made from a 1968 pattern. Just nothing inspiring. Nothing. :( ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jesse DATE:Apr 20, 2010 12:56:00 PM You start talking about big buttons, and all I can think of is this really big button! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Gertie DATE:Apr 20, 2010 1:20:00 PM B&J has a couple cute button prints right now. Here's one, in a chic black and white:

http://www.bandjfabrics.com/servlet/the-1968/cotton-lawn-print-black/Detail ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Karen Minturn Brown DATE:Apr 20, 2010 2:17:00 PM Normal people don't think about buttons? What do they do with their time? Zippers are nowhere near as interesting. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Miss Rayne DATE:Apr 20, 2010 4:05:00 PM In York, near where i live is 'Duttons for Buttons' its Button Heaven see
http://www.duttonsforbuttons.co.uk/
and sigh..... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Coconut Pie DATE:Apr 20, 2010 4:42:00 PM Sorry for the long post but this is an amazing button story. My mom is 88 and she has a set of large mother of pearl buttons shaped like lozenges that she paid 5 cents a piece for during the Depression. She remembers that her dad had a fit that she'd spend so much money on them. She's moved them from one garment to another all these years. For a while they were on one of my dresses. When that sad day comes and I inherit them, I'll keep them in use. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Coconut Pie DATE:Apr 20, 2010 4:44:00 PM Oh, and I do know that "apiece" is one word. Sorry! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

x x x x Sarah DATE:Apr 20, 2010 6:35:00 PM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUkje1lw4cA&feature=related ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Mischka DATE:Apr 20, 2010 8:05:00 PM Ah, buttons... My favourite necklace is made of buttons. It's short, has black, grey & red buttons, in different sizes, and a fabulous black bird shaped button. Every time I wear it strangers comment.
http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_430xN.71241094.jpg ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Madelaine DATE:Apr 20, 2010 9:21:00 PM You're making me want to get my silkscreen out! Though I did a drypoint print of buttons last year, and there's nothing like drawing a couple hundred buttons on plastic with a needle to make you a little iffy on them... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Gracie DATE:Apr 21, 2010 2:52:00 AM Miss Rayne, I've just been on the Duttonsforbuttons website - and I WANT buttons! You're very lucky to live near them, I imagine spending hours in that shop! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Aldara DATE:Apr 21, 2010 3:40:00 AM Oooh, I love buttons! I got to visit my grandma and aunt last month and go through their button stashes. They let me take all the buttons I liked! I also bought some really cute buttons (with circular stripes) at the Holland Fabric Market.

I've been planning a sailor-style short skirt with buttons down the pockets, a black sheath dress with big white buttons and a tote bag with all kinds of different buttons... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

brocadegoddess DATE:Apr 21, 2010 8:28:00 AM Oooh, I L-O-V-E the m.o.p. button border idea! I think I might have to steal...uh....'borrow' it. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

lucitebox DATE:Apr 21, 2010 11:06:00 AM I share your enthusiasm for buttons. And right now, I just want these cookies:
http://bit.ly/7cungZ

I just photographed a vintage 60s dress and jacket for lucitebox.com with a huge (really chunky) gray button with yellow ridges on it. It's a designer suit that's got a sculptural, shapely jacket that's worth the button alone. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

bakertoo DATE:Apr 21, 2010 11:25:00 AM I love buttons also. Duttons for Buttons in England, as well as The Button Queen in London, are real experiences not to be missed if you are a sewer or knitter, and are visiting nearby! In Washington State, where I live, we have the Washington Button Society, and they have regular meetings, with lectures about certain types of buttons, and amazing sales of the button collections of the members. I have bought some amazing buttons from them-I really love big buttons, and bakelite buttons( I guess I could go on and on about all the buttons I love...), and have been planning for years it seems like(!) to mount them in a frame to hang in my small sewing room. Are there other states out there with button collector societies? How about great buttons stores where you all live? I could use a good list of great button stores to visit in different cities. But the funniest thing about all these buttons is that I don't like sewing on buttons! Luckily, my machine will do it for me if I get them lined up correctly! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Alison Cummins DATE:Apr 21, 2010 3:40:00 PM This dress has snaps, not buttons, but I thought of you as soon as I saw it. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Alison Cummins DATE:Apr 21, 2010 3:41:00 PM This dress has snaps, not buttons, but I thought of you as soon as I saw it.

http://makeshiftproject.blogspot.com/2010/04/day-232.html ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

purplestevie DATE:Apr 22, 2010 3:34:00 AM Hi Miss Rayne, i too love to vist duttons for buttons in Harrogate, last time i was there i purchased some lovely carved mop buttons.

Oh and before i forget i founded the vintage & modern unite blog, it a multi user blog for all online sellers of vintage and modern clothes, sewing items, jewellery, perfume, gardening,homeware, Metaphyical, soap, candles etc etc

if you want to become an author just email vinmodunite@btinternet.com or why not follow the blog.

Thanks Erin for mentioning my blog very kind of you.. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

bani DATE:Apr 22, 2010 6:10:00 AM Lucitebox - them's some cookies! :O ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

x vInTaGe VioLeT x DATE:Apr 22, 2010 7:25:00 AM oooh those are my buttons!
thanks for featuring them on your post :0)
oh and if you like buttons and vintage haberdashery be sure to check out my blog maximumRABBITdesigns i also have a tutorial for stamping your own button patterns :o) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

R.M. Koske DATE:Apr 22, 2010 8:28:00 AM The skirt idea sounds divine, absolutely wonderful.

When I was a young teen I hit on the idea of dressing up as a Pearly (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearly_Kings_and_Queens) for Halloween.* Unfortunately I didn't allow for the time to sew on all the dratted things, and couldn't even get it close to ready in the two weeks between having the idea and Halloween night. So disappointing!

My ambition currently is to cover the cuffs on a nice white shirt with them. Either pearl buttons or red. That it is still only an ambition tells you what my sewing has been like lately. *grin*

*I still dress up now, so it wasn't that odd I was doing it then. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

R.M. Koske DATE:Apr 22, 2010 8:35:00 AM Sorry for two in a row, but I just had a fun idea...

That skirt will take ages and ages to finish (or maybe I'm just still scarred from my Halloween experience). I wonder if it would be possible to sew them on in such a way that you could wear it the entire time it was in progress? Scatter them artistically so that you can wear it with only ten or twenty, and with fifty, and with more until the skirt is done.

Such ideas you give me, my head is spinning. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sarah DATE:May 1, 2010 8:35:00 PM I have boxes and boxes of buttons, including quite a lot of shell ("pearl") buttons. I have thought about doing a "pearly" jacket, maybe a jeans jacket with buttons all over the yoke. Now that I have short hair it might even be a safe thing to wear! It would be heavy, though. Must remember to put some padding under the shoulders.
I also have a lot of dull brown and black buttons, which I wish I knew a way to turn into interesting colors. Is there such a thing as paint that really sticks to buttons? ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: This Is Driving Me Crazy DATE: 6:00 AM ----- BODY:

This is a new Vogue reproduction pattern (Vogue 1172), and I know, absolutely and without doubt, that I once blogged about the original of this pattern. Can I remember it now? Can I find it now? Is it labeled with any of the hundreds of facetious tags I have used since starting to blog five years ago? No, no, and double no, with a garnish of freshly-ground imported nope.

I vaguely remember that someone else was looking for this pattern, and maybe I was putting out an APB? Possibly? Or maybe it was just me wishing I had an excuse to make a dress that can require up to SEVEN YARDS of fabric to make? No? Doesn't ring a bell?

I do love this pattern, though, so I'm very happy to see it back in production. I just wish I could remember the original number, although I suppose it doesn't make much difference. But wouldn't it be cool if someone (NOT ME) blogged about making two versions, one from the vintage pattern and one from the reproduction? It would be awesome if someone (NOT ME) wanted to take on the challenge ... (did I say NOT ME loud enough? I hope so.)

If you remember the original number, oh please have mercy and leave a comment letting me know!

Labels: memory_loss, reproductions, Vogue_1172

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Apr 19, 2010 6:47:00 AM It looks a lot like your
December 18. '09 post. Simplicity 2463. But I could be wrong. :D ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jessica DATE:Apr 19, 2010 6:48:00 AM This one, I think: http://www.dressaday.com/2007/08/found-it-almost.html ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Latter-Day Flapper DATE:Apr 19, 2010 8:05:00 AM You did blog about that one, because I remember somebody pointing out that there was a reproduction pattern available that looked almost exactly like it.

Yes! That's the post! Vogue 2903 was very similar, only it had a seam down the middle front. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Val DATE:Apr 19, 2010 8:19:00 AM I totally bought the repro of this pattern this weekend. The skirt had me salivating in the store...the bigger, the better! The only problem is that it is going to require one monster crinoline underneath.... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

sixties sewer DATE:Apr 19, 2010 9:19:00 AM I think it is Vogue 4800 and I had the pattern, copied it and sent you the original.

No, I still haven't made it up. No, I can't be the one to do the modern and the original (14 yards of fabric....) but I do so wish someone would.

Mary Fran ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Rueby... DATE:Apr 19, 2010 9:32:00 AM While I love the idea of wearing a 50s version of a Scarlett O'Hara sized skirt, realistically everyone who makes this dress is NEVER going to wear it. The crinoline itself would cost $100 to buy made or to buy all the tulle to MAKE it...and you'd probably need about 10 years to sew that much tulle together in that large of a poofball.

I'm not a fan of many Vogue repros... :( ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

libby DATE:Apr 19, 2010 10:07:00 AM If petticoataphobia is all that's stopping any of you, hearken back to this...either Erin blogged about it or someone put it in the comments, but it's how to make an Alice Lon petticoat.
http://www.pettipond.com/lon.htm
I did it only in half the lengths called for and it is still enormous and it was not expensive or difficult to make.
Oh, and my experience with the Vogue reproductions is that as beautiful as the illustrations my look, they have WAY more ease built in than the vintage ones, so adjust accordingly. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

amy DATE:Apr 19, 2010 10:08:00 AM I agree with wanting to make something with a 7 yard skirt! Glad I am not the only one! Not sure I could wear it anywhere but I would have lots of fun prancing around the house! In HS I wanted to make this medieval costume pattern. It had a fabulous fitted bodice and this skirt that went out in a train. It was about 10 yards, of silk shantung. It would be so impractical but so fun to wear! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Theresa DATE:Apr 19, 2010 10:43:00 AM I've made many Voque reproduction patterns...they just reprint the original pattern. I love them. My wedding dress ws 2903. I would wear this dress, even if I have to buy and expensive crinoline. I want a big full crinoline anyway! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Birgit DATE:Apr 19, 2010 1:32:00 PM I think Jessica has it right - it definitely looks like Vogue Special Design S-4544 from 1954.

See the wiki as well (added link):

http://vintagepatterns.wikia.com/wiki/Vogue_S-4544 ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Joni DATE:Apr 19, 2010 2:27:00 PM I love this one. I could see the godets in a contrasting color or possibly even a print. So many possibilities! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

sethrak DATE:Apr 19, 2010 3:23:00 PM I'd love to find the sundress from that "Let's Go to Florida! entry, mentioned in the comments of the linked-to post. (I *think* it's labeled 2601.) Such a shame that sundresses have gone so shapeless and clingy-polyester. That looks excellent for warm sunny days chasing my kids around and running errands.

Kim D. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cel Petro DATE:Apr 19, 2010 4:05:00 PM NOT ME... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

MrsPost DATE:Apr 19, 2010 6:21:00 PM OK - looking at the pattern back shows "purchased petticoat". Lovely.

Anyhoo - if you're not adverse to a LOT of gathering you can make a useful really full petticoat on the cheap.

The rolls of bridal tulle some in pre-cut strips and 50 yard rolls. My serger gathers. So a lot of tedious fabric-feeding later I have gathered strips.

That's where I had to leave it for now but the next step is going to be sewing them into a petticoat. 100 yards of tulle, pre-cut into strips, for about $10 after buying it on sale. I can get behind that.

Also, way spiffy dress! I think I'll be getting a copy or two of that pattern. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Kristina DATE:Apr 19, 2010 7:33:00 PM This could be a ballgown, made a little longer!!! I could prance around under my Kinsale cape!!! If only I had an invite to a ball!!! (Not the kind my husband likes...) Modern life seems so unromantic. Hardly anyone dances in pretty dresses any more. Maybe we should have a kitchen party just for us and our dresses? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Vegan DATE:Apr 19, 2010 11:07:00 PM Yes - let's have a party where we can all wear our vintage or vintage-y dresses! I wear my vintage stuff at random times, but I know some people who love vintage feel like they can't wear their vintage stuff on a regular night out. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Theresa DATE:Apr 19, 2010 11:24:00 PM If I had enough business vintage -- I'd wear it EVERY day. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jhon David DATE:Apr 20, 2010 12:46:00 AM Very interesting idea! I might have to try this ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

When Ladies Dressed DATE:Apr 20, 2010 7:54:00 AM Lovely dress... I'd make both the original and re-issues versions for sure. But I don't have the original. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Becky Jo DATE:Apr 20, 2010 8:07:00 AM How funny to think of this as a party dress or ball gown. This is what I wore, daily, to school, complete with tulle petticoats! Generally I made the dresses and my mother made the petticoats. Fitting into a school desk was a challenge unto itself. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Apr 20, 2010 2:22:00 PM V2903 looks fairly similar to me also. 2903 does have a whole separate floating yoke sewn to the inside of the dress. And a peculiar zipper arrangement that does not let the wearer out of her dress easily. But, hey, it's vintage.

I am making it in used green striped crowd-control fencing right now. Underlined with tulle for comfort. This "fabric" is so stiff, I don't think I'll need the petticoat. I'll be lucky if it doesn't stand out 45 degrees.
-Shaun M. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Kate DATE:Apr 23, 2010 9:23:00 AM ohh when I first saw it I thought it was that pattern that you had lost and it made you attept to sew up a similar looking one but the skirt was to long and had a ruffle on the hem so you were unsure how to shorten the skirt. That original pattern plagued me for weeks ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

frank minervas DATE:Apr 26, 2010 12:50:00 PM Love the patterns....must show my wife.. thanks! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

MinaW DATE:Apr 30, 2010 11:51:00 PM Can see why they brought it back; godets are so in this year. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Today's Pattern Pros and Cons, and Sale DATE: 1:16 AM ----- BODY:

Pros:

Shawl collar (love!)
Pockets (duh, love!)

Swishy-swishy skirt (all those little gathers, love!)

Buttons (love that placket!)

Cons:

Model on left has no eyes, like I've seen on eighty-kajillion science-fiction shows -- yet it scares me every time. NO EYES, people! (Dr Who, I'm especially looking at you. And not just because your new incarnation is cute as a button, Mr. Fish Custard Man.)

Model on the right looks as if she's calculating exactly the right angle of entry she'll need to remove your liver with a hairpin. Either that or she's checking out the photographer's assistant. Not sure which -- possibly both.

All right then -- more pros than cons! So if you'd like this pattern, click on the link; this pattern (and all the other ones) on Michelle's Patterns from the Past are on sale -- 15% off through the end of April. Use the code SPRING.

Labels: sales, Simplicity_2959

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

bani DATE:Apr 14, 2010 2:31:00 AM Feck, that was gorgeous. The dress I mean. I've actually clicked on the link, even though I haven't sewed with a pattern in all my life. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Rachel DATE:Apr 14, 2010 4:53:00 AM That's probably the best photo Matt Smith has ever taken...
IMO he's not as good looking as David Tennant, but then I didn't like him when he took over and he grew on me. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

bani DATE:Apr 14, 2010 6:32:00 AM I still have the delights of Matt Smith ahead of me, as we are a little behind here, trapped under the yoke of BBC Entertainment. :(

I saw this fabric online and thought of Erin: http://www.stoffochstil.se/Katalog/Bolig.aspx?group_id=7106&articleid=26220 ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Beth Dunn DATE:Apr 14, 2010 6:41:00 AM Love that dress!
xoxo
SC ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Latter-Day Flapper DATE:Apr 14, 2010 7:56:00 AM She's calculating the angle she'll need to remove the photographer's assistant's liver and sell it on the black market.

She has that freaky Tinkerbell's-evil-twin thing going on. Pixie face, scary stare. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Apr 14, 2010 8:06:00 AM I don't care that green dress is looking to remove someone's liver. I LOVE the dress. It's very similar to one I've been planning for a while now. I found the black with white polka dot fabric and have been waffling back and forth between shirtdress with full skirt or separates. --Karen ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Suzanna DATE:Apr 14, 2010 9:56:00 AM I think I actually prefer him in bow tie and tweeds... Then again, my love for the Doctor might have more to do with the spaceship!

Also: Pockets! I might buy this one...
Is there any way to wear a tweed dress without looking like a librarian/schoolgirl? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sheila / Out of the Ashes Collectibles DATE:Apr 14, 2010 10:18:00 AM Those pockets - cute but useless! They wouldn't even hold a surgical knife to liver removal ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Apr 14, 2010 10:59:00 AM http://www.redcarpet-fashionawards.com/2010/01/29/dita-von-teese-front-row-jean-paul-gaultier-spring-2010-couture/

A tweed dress that's neither librarian or schoolgirl... however, it's not a look I could pull off! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

fabricgirl DATE:Apr 14, 2010 11:06:00 AM I love this! I'd buy the pattern and re-grade it to fit, BUT -- only the bodice is there! What I want is the interesting pocket insert into the skirt side fronts. I have nothing like this; guess I'll have to add it to the ebay search list. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

MEW DATE:Apr 14, 2010 12:52:00 PM Erin,

Just found this website and immediately thought of you. Enjoy!

http://ifshoescouldkill.com/ ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Theresa DATE:Apr 14, 2010 1:03:00 PM beautiful pattern. Do not think new Dr. Who is cute at all -blech! To each her own though!
Thanks for the funny post. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Theresa DATE:Apr 14, 2010 1:04:00 PM Question?Who in the world has a 29 inch bust! Good Lord! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

seesaw DATE:Apr 14, 2010 1:13:00 PM awe truly beautiful. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lindsey in AL DATE:Apr 14, 2010 2:16:00 PM Oooh! So, so pretty! I especially love the green with the little white dots, so I'd invariably be disappointed when whatever fabric I used wasn't dark green with white dots.

I get your fear of the eyeless SciFi people, but the thing that still scares me when I think of it is an episode of The Twilight Zone where a girl had no MOUTH! I think her little brother wished it away; it was a really long time ago that I saw it. Scared the beejeepers out of me. Even scarier than the thought of Doctor Who without David Tennant. Shudder. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Oldpatterns DATE:Apr 14, 2010 3:06:00 PM The pattern I had is sold! Here is a link to a dealer who has the complete pattern. http://cemetarian.com/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=200&=SID#MOREINFO

or put a wishlist in the vintage pattern wiki in case another one shows up somewhere else in the size you are looking for. http://vintagepatterns.wikia.com/wiki/Simplicity_2959

Regards - Michelle owner of Patterns from the Past ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Apr 15, 2010 1:33:00 AM no eye And no noses!!! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

YYZ DATE:Apr 15, 2010 6:30:00 PM David Tennant will always be The Doctor for me, though, no matter how cute this new Matthew Whatsits is! :) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Theresa DATE:Apr 15, 2010 7:34:00 PM and 29 " busts! Even scarier! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jhon David DATE:Apr 16, 2010 12:29:00 AM Fantastic Continue my friend ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Joel DATE:Apr 16, 2010 3:00:00 AM awesome dress.

http://dress.ph/ ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jenny DATE:Apr 16, 2010 1:15:00 PM Why WOULDN'T you wan't to look like a librarian in your tweed dress? Personally I have no higher aspiration. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Denise DATE:Apr 18, 2010 11:55:00 AM Big Con: I will never ever have legs as long as the women on patterns. Not fair. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Solo DATE:Apr 19, 2010 12:26:00 AM Such a nice dress. ;D

Solo
Travel and Living
Job Hunter ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Today's Pattern Story and Sale DATE: 8:32 AM ----- BODY:

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA—New Graduates Size Up Potential Employers

New graduates of the Wartime Secretarial Pool and Military Academy of Indianapolis have been matched with potential employers today in the Academy's first-ever "draft day."

Graduating students were auctioned off the to the highest local bidders, many of them desperate for labor due to the war. The new workers' wages are federally regulated, but employers offered many perks, such as free hair waving, Friday movies, and company-supplied dickies.

Employer Sam Hardin, a local wholesale distributor, approved of the school's novel idea for matching employers and graduates. "These girls have had real good secretarial training," he agreed, "Plus, if we're invaded and Jerry gets this far, any one of them could take three or four down with a nail file. I've seen their drills." Jewel Harris, of Menckenville, who graduated with an advanced stenography certificate and the school's sharpshooting medal, was also happy with process. "Typing bills of lading and close-order drill sure beats washing dishes at home," she said.

Today's pattern is brought to us by Lisa, of Vintage Pattern Library. Her dog was hit by a car last week (he's fine, but there are vet bills!) so she's running a sale -- use code GODOGGO for 20% off, in honor of Boo, the magical bouncing dog. (And since Lisa and her family are huge Butler basketball fans, also in honor of the Butler Bulldogs!) Good though 4/11.

Labels: patternstories, sales, Simplicity_4312, whatsthestory

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Packrat DATE:Apr 9, 2010 10:08:00 AM Funny, as usual, but not a bad idea for getting jobs or employees.

Hmmmm, I actually love this dress. It would be very slimming to most figures. Made with brighter colors and/or different type fabrics, it could be a real stunner. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Nathalie DATE:Apr 9, 2010 11:13:00 AM I'm always intrigued by dickies. Presumably they were a throwback to rationing and restrictions during the war. Did they actually exist before the war? And are there any modern seamstresses who still make/wear them? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Nathalie DATE:Apr 9, 2010 11:13:00 AM This post has been removed by the author. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Katherine DATE:Apr 9, 2010 11:16:00 AM Oh that was a funny story. Nice job! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Miss Rayne DATE:Apr 9, 2010 11:50:00 AM Dickeys are an old idea, they were definately around in the 30s and probably before that int he form of collars and cuffs, the idea being that they were easy to wash at home in the days before universal washing-machine ownership. Normally you would have sent your dress to the laundry to be cleaned so detatchable bits were a great money saver. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cookie DATE:Apr 9, 2010 1:07:00 PM I can see the brown version on a Brownie Troop leader.

And to Lisa: Good luck with your pooch!! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Joni DATE:Apr 9, 2010 1:18:00 PM WOO! Go Bulldogs!

(Butler grad, class of '01. Just had to throw that out there. Did you know that during World War Two, Hinkle Fieldhouse was used as a Navy barracks?) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Theresa DATE:Apr 10, 2010 9:59:00 PM I don't know if you knew this but the Army's school for "secretaries" and other human resources and personnel specialists used to be at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, outside of Indianapolis. Those schools are now located at Fort Jackson SC...so it's funny you chose Indiana! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Susan Fogel DATE:Apr 12, 2010 9:18:00 AM I just have to tune in and hear what the pattern woemn are saying.
Imagaine what these women could have done to get us a helath care plan ages ago!

My mother loved dickies, and my sister and I had them in all colors and styles and wore them until about 1964 when everything changed. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Apr 12, 2010 10:27:00 AM Nathalie: One could make a good argument for the Elizabethan partlet being a proto-dickey. It filled in the open square neck but ended below the arms. Later on, the fichu did the same function and could also be considered an early form of dickey. --Karen ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: If Loving These is Wrong (you know the rest) DATE: 5:49 AM ----- BODY:

I knew when I first saw these that I HAD to have them, even though they are 1) intended for fifteen-year-olds, and 2) patently ridiculous. But aren't they just AWESOME? They are. Don't try to deny it. They're Cynthia Rowley for Roxy, and I'm only slightly embarrassed to say I saw them in Lucky. (Remind me to go into my rant about the Lucky-fication of American Fashion, or perhaps you can just read my latest column in the Boston Globe, here.)

They are also quite comfortable and make people on the street (at least in New Orleans, where I was recently) say "Damn, girl, those are some cute shoes." Your street-interactions may vary, but only in the choice of positive adjective. I promise.

They also come in black and white gingham. What's not to love? I ask you. But I'm not listening.

Labels: Cynthia_Rowley, Roxy, shoes

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Nathalie DATE:Apr 8, 2010 6:59:00 AM Those are such fun! I would so want a pair if only I could walk with such high heels... and not tower over my hubby in the process, and they were available to the UK (for some reason they don't have those on their European website). The b/w gingham ones are cute too. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

beangirl DATE:Apr 8, 2010 7:03:00 AM AAAAAAAAAAAAGH.

Must. Have. Shoes.

(oops, I think I drooled on the keyboard.) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Larissa DATE:Apr 8, 2010 7:12:00 AM shut UP those are cool. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Myra DATE:Apr 8, 2010 7:42:00 AM Great shoes, looks like a quilt pattern... :) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Little Hunting Creek DATE:Apr 8, 2010 8:14:00 AM those are some cute shoes. Shoe PORN, in fact. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sal DATE:Apr 8, 2010 8:36:00 AM I've been madly in love with those for weeks. I don't think it's possible for them to be any cuter. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

fancypants DATE:Apr 8, 2010 8:43:00 AM Wow they are delicious- love love love them! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

emmy jay DATE:Apr 8, 2010 8:51:00 AM I am in awe of shoes. They are quirky-yet-practical, wouldn't you say? (Well, may you wouldn't, but I would.) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

flea DATE:Apr 8, 2010 9:09:00 AM Oh god, those are so not me (I'd never wear them - I am 5'11" and hate impractical shoes!) but I love them. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Packrat DATE:Apr 8, 2010 9:22:00 AM Oh, my. I love them. Can't wear that style anymore, but love them. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Kate DATE:Apr 8, 2010 9:22:00 AM Terribly cute! I love the black and white ones too!
-Kate ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

funkymunky5683 DATE:Apr 8, 2010 9:28:00 AM When I shop for shoes, I try to look for the ugliest pair I can find. Somehow, once they get on your feet they are transformed into compliment-magnets. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Shannon DATE:Apr 8, 2010 9:32:00 AM Can you walk in those heels? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Glamour-Och-Fläskpannkaka DATE:Apr 8, 2010 9:36:00 AM cute shoes! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Kate DATE:Apr 8, 2010 9:51:00 AM I want to say great article. I agree that the fancy dress with flat shoes does not work. Too often I see strapless navy silk taffeta buying groceries with gladiator sandals which somehow makes it ok. It does not. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

The Hillbilly Banjo Queen: DATE:Apr 8, 2010 9:54:00 AM OK, in general I am not much of a shoe person. That said, I feel compelled to track these down and put them on my feet. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

belphebe DATE:Apr 8, 2010 10:52:00 AM I would buy and wear those shoes! If only I could wear high heels these days. And the gingham ones would be great too; I could make different gingham dresses to wear with the shoes! black&white, blue&white, pink&white... who cares. It's gingham!

I have a pair of four-color pumps that I'm hanging onto even though they don't fit right now. I'm hoping to be able to wear them again some day after I lose some weight. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Julie DATE:Apr 8, 2010 11:32:00 AM I know I don't wanna be right! Love 'em! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Tasia DATE:Apr 8, 2010 11:44:00 AM I love 'em too! I'm a sucker for bright funky prints, on shoes or otherwise... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Susan Fogel DATE:Apr 8, 2010 12:24:00 PM Love 'em too. But I cannot wear them for these reasons:
1. I am a certified klutz
2. I live in Mexico where sidewalks are obstacle courses at best
3. I would need a safety belt.
But they are toooo cute! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Rachel DATE:Apr 8, 2010 12:39:00 PM I want the Lucky rant. When can we get the Lucky rant? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Mike DATE:Apr 8, 2010 12:50:00 PM Not sure if you're interested or not, but I'm giving away over $1,000 in prizes for the top voted blogs this month. Last time you promoted your interview you got a lot of votes...check out our prizes on the right sidebar if you're interested in winning.

Best,

Mike ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

evalyn DATE:Apr 8, 2010 1:44:00 PM Is it a sign of declining civilization that language is no longer used to make things clear but to make things more confusing? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

La Rêveuse DATE:Apr 8, 2010 2:30:00 PM If it weren't such a cliché to say "sqeeeee!" I'd totally say it. (Because I kind of did.) Adorable! And they'd go with everything!!! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

TheDana DATE:Apr 8, 2010 2:36:00 PM I love shoes with character! That's one of my main buying points. :) I'd definitely sport these, even if they are a little higher than I normally wear. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Valerie DATE:Apr 8, 2010 2:59:00 PM Oh, goodness! Those are awesome! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Mie DATE:Apr 8, 2010 3:06:00 PM I really like the colours on the shoes! So what if it's made for 15-year olds? Many things that 15-year old wear wasn't made for them! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

livebird DATE:Apr 8, 2010 5:03:00 PM Have you ever read the fashion writing of Janice Breen Burns? She writes for The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald here in Australia. And she is wonderful. Here she is talking about the style of my home town, Melbourne:

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/new-york-old-melbourne-20100219-okty.html ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Catanea DATE:Apr 8, 2010 5:49:00 PM My goodness those are GORGEOUS. I might have to learn to walk in heels again...and overcome my reluctance to buy on-line. That is the most tempting thing I've seen in - yes - years. [Expletive undecided] ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Theresa DATE:Apr 8, 2010 8:40:00 PM I love them and would wear them everywhere with everything...and I could walk in those! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Joni DATE:Apr 9, 2010 1:20:00 PM These shoes don't do a thing for me. Although I guess I can see the appeal of a pair of shoes which can be worn with ANY outfit in your wardrobe.

There is a giant mural on one of the walls of the Indianapolis Museum of Art that looks *exactly* like these shoes... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cookie DATE:Apr 9, 2010 3:01:00 PM I loved your article link...but am sorry to say I simply don't like clunky wedgies much :( I either like a spike heel, or a flat. Even the concave, square- cut "Louis" heels strike me as wrong. I don't know what trauma I was exposed to as a child (perhaps I was stomped by a stacked heel in a playground once?), but I just CAN'T get past the sense that a high heel should taper. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Xylia Burns DATE:Apr 9, 2010 10:58:00 PM This are amazing! You're lucky to have them..

Just a question if you don't mind.
I'll be in San francisco soon and was wondering what fabric stores you'd recommend putting on the must-see list.

Thanks so much!
Xylia ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Alice DATE:Apr 10, 2010 10:11:00 AM I enjoyed reading your article in the Boston Globe.

The shoes are awesome, and I would have a difficult time choosing between the color and the black/white. No matter, my feet can't handle anything higher than a one inch heel. Phooey! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Erin DATE:Apr 10, 2010 4:26:00 PM Xylia, I haven't done too much fabric shopping here! Britex is a must-see (although quite expensive) and I've heard great things about Lacis and StoneMountain and Daughter in the East Bay ... anyone else have good recs? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

~bonVintage~ DATE:Apr 12, 2010 4:13:00 PM Re: the LUCKY rant
"....misunderstandings in the world would finish if people were to put on the shoes of their adversaries and understood their points of view”~ Ghandi

Ghandi smoothed that over NOW let's get some SHOES, girl!!!! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Maria DATE:Apr 12, 2010 9:10:00 PM I love them! :D ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

--ginger. DATE:Apr 13, 2010 9:31:00 AM I'm all about the gingham. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Apr 13, 2010 5:54:00 PM Too cute for words it is probably the funnest pair of wedges yet ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Xylia Burns DATE:Apr 14, 2010 12:56:00 AM Thanks Erin! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Pattern Junkie DATE:Apr 16, 2010 3:39:00 PM Amazing shoes! I'm a klutz but I would wear them all the time! ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Today's Pattern Story and Sale DATE: 5:49 AM ----- BODY:

Carla: Well, well. What have we here?

Darla: Looks like someone here is unclear on how things are run in this town, boss.

Marla: [raises chin, menacingly.]

Carla: You mean someone doesn't know that this is OUR department store, Darla?

Darla: Looks that way, boss.

[Marla's silence, is, if anything, more unnerving than the rough voices of Carla and Darla.]

Carla: I'm sure these ... girls ... didn't mean any harm. And I'm sure they feel so terrible about trespassing that they'd like to make it up to us, don't you think so, Darla?

Darla: Makes sense to me, boss.

Carla: So if these ladies just hand over their new lipsticks, I think we'll call it a simple misunderstanding, right, Darla?

Darla: I'm sure they'll agree, boss.

[Marla starts humming under her breath. It may or may not be the Toreador song from Carmen.]

Carla: [examines lipsticks.] Very, very nice, ladies. I commend your excellent taste, if not your senses of direction. Have a lovely day.

Today's pattern is from Sheila, at Out of the Ashes -- and she's running a spring sale! Get 15% off starting tomorrow morning, April 8, with the coupon code SPRING. (All paid orders will ship Wednesday or Thursday 4/14 or 4/15.)

Labels: patternstories, sales, Simplicity_5662, whatsthestory

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Theresa DATE:Apr 7, 2010 8:20:00 AM Thanks! I needed some humor in my morning! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Packrat DATE:Apr 7, 2010 9:15:00 AM Hahaha. :) I do believe my mother had this pattern. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

dulcet DATE:Apr 7, 2010 9:28:00 AM The way Carla and Darla are both tilting their heads the same makes me wonder if they're at a modern art exhibit. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Carla.clarke@yahoo.com DATE:Apr 7, 2010 10:09:00 AM I am going to have to memo the art department too, I look hideous in green. What were they thinking down there. Someone's idea of a joke is going to cost more than a lipstick.

Carla ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

fiberer DATE:Apr 7, 2010 10:12:00 AM I'm headed down to the art department now. I look hideous in green, as they well know. Was this someone's idea of a joke? I prefer peach and coral!
This will cost someone more than a lipstick!

Carla ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Pattern Junkie DATE:Apr 7, 2010 1:58:00 PM The Girls in Green are powerful -- they wreaked damage today over at my blog, too, coincidentally! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cookie DATE:Apr 7, 2010 2:28:00 PM I'm sorry to say the version with the pleats strikes me as being majorly dowdy...does anyone else agree? Eeeek. Something like a brown plaid fabric would make it even dumpier. From where I sit, it looks like a real "Please Don't Notice Me" pattern...MAYBE suitable for a substitute teacher. But maybe I'm being too harsh? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Packrat DATE:Apr 7, 2010 2:41:00 PM Note to Cookie: This type of skirt was very stylish in the mid-sixties and again toward the late 1970's. The best looking ones had the top of the pleats sew down. My mom (very petite and style conscious) had a sage green suit with this type of skirt. Nothing dowdy about it - at least on her.

The dowdy part would depend on the fabric and how well the skirt fit. To me it is the top that is frumpy. Just my opinion. ;) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cookie DATE:Apr 7, 2010 3:25:00 PM << To me it is the top that is frumpy. Just my opinion. ;) >> Yes, I mean the combination of the top and the skirt together. PS: I read in a book about French couture that Chanel was the first to sew the tops of the pleats down in a skirt like that, so the hip area was more fitted. Wonder if it's true? Thanks for advocating for the poor, defenseless little skirt! If only it hadn't met that top.... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Susan Fogel DATE:Apr 7, 2010 4:06:00 PM Every time I visit your site, I feel like I may have had the pattern of the day! I sewed for myself and my mother back in the 60's.

Taking a break from sewing to day, thought I would visit some sewing blogs.
Yours is always a delight. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jan DATE:Apr 7, 2010 4:54:00 PM Great as usual!!! hahahahahaha! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

annie DATE:Apr 10, 2010 6:02:00 AM Hilarious!

Even better, my mother's name is Carla, and her best friend in college (in the 60s no less) was Darla!

They searched for a Marla, but never found one. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Ready for Anything DATE: 6:00 AM ----- BODY:

Isn't this dress magnificent? It's from Lanetz Living.

I desperately want to make this up in a heavy black silk/cotton. You could wear it to ANYTHING. I'd wear the collar open, probably, with a scarf (if I were feeling dashing) or colored beads ... I wouldn't wear a brooch or pin for fear of getting it caught on something and ripping the dress.

If I had just one spare day's worth of time in the next two months I would buy this pattern outright. (I, um, already ordered that fabric. Black silk/cotton for $6.99/yard? Please.) But lately I've been trying not to hoard patterns that I know I won't sew right away; it doesn't seem quite fair. I just trust that when I have the time, the universe will make the pattern available to me. (I wish I could feel that way about fabrics, but they are SO much harder to search for ...)

This one deserves a good home. That skirt! Those pockets! I like the short-sleeved version best (although I probably would leave off the cuffs -- they're so lumpy under a cardigan).

This dress doesn't have to be dressy -- it would be marvelous in a red-and-white embroidered cotton, too. So sporty! You could wear it with red Keds and it would be adorable.

Labels: pockets, utility_infielders, Vogue_7597

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

sarade DATE:Apr 6, 2010 6:49:00 AM I adore pockets in a dress, and I agree, at least where I live, fabrics are nearly impossible to find in any sort of good quality. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Joni DATE:Apr 6, 2010 7:40:00 AM Erin, please tell us where you got the fabric! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

patsijean DATE:Apr 6, 2010 8:02:00 AM Joni, just click on the link in her post above--"heavy black silk/cotton"-- and it will directly to the fabric at Fabric Mart. They had 32 yards available at the time I posted this comment. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Kim DATE:Apr 6, 2010 8:50:00 AM Snatch up that pattern, girl! I just heard about a study (and I found a pdf reference here: http://tinyurl.com/yd3k82r) that people tend to miss out on pleasurable experiences because they put them off till the future, when they believe they'll have more free time. And nobody ever has MORE free time in the future. Depressing, but I think we can twist it around to justify hoarding. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Just Jess DATE:Apr 6, 2010 8:58:00 AM Love this dress! I recently found a similar pattern, but without pockets. Pockets are my absolute favorite thing! Thanks for posting! Can't wait to see the final product! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Gertie DATE:Apr 6, 2010 8:58:00 AM Aw man! It's sold already! How could you introduce this delectable pattern and then take it from me all on the same day???? Pattern, I hardly knew ye. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Pattern Junkie DATE:Apr 6, 2010 10:07:00 AM It IS a great pattern! It's one of those dresses that could work for running errands, chasing after kids, going to work and going out...all depending on what fabric you use. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

"Cornelia Jackson" DATE:Apr 6, 2010 10:36:00 AM I want to wear that dress every single day for the rest of my life. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Joni DATE:Apr 6, 2010 11:00:00 AM *durr* Yes, there's the fabric link.

This is the kind of dress that reminds me of my grandmother. I could see her in something like this: she was a schoolteacher in the early 1950s and then went back when her children were older, and she LIVES in men's buttondown shirts with a scarf or necklace. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

melina bee DATE:Apr 6, 2010 11:08:00 AM that pattern is awesome. I love 50s style "shirt" dresses because they are easy to dress up or down to any degree really.
melina bee ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Packrat DATE:Apr 6, 2010 11:29:00 AM This is a "must make". Buy the pattern - now! :) This is another "Heidi" in that it could be made 50 times each being a tiny bit different, and no one would know it was the same dress.

PS: I have yet to order from Fabric Mart. It must be okay to shop there? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Erin DATE:Apr 6, 2010 11:34:00 AM I have been really happy with Fabric Mart! Super-fast shipping, and the quality is top-notch. Half their stuff I covet and the other half I wonder why anyone would buy. :-) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Packrat DATE:Apr 6, 2010 11:48:00 AM Thanks, Erin! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jana @ Weekend Vintage DATE:Apr 6, 2010 4:14:00 PM Love that front pleat on the skirt!
Jana ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Apr 6, 2010 5:27:00 PM I love the long sleeve version. I love long sleeves and I love pockets. I will not get or wear a dress, pants, or skirt unless it has pockets; deep pockets. The red is my favorite. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Theresa DATE:Apr 6, 2010 8:49:00 PM I agree -- go ahead and get the pattern Erin and then MAKE time to do it. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cookie DATE:Apr 7, 2010 2:46:00 PM CORNELIA: I want to wear that dress every single day for the rest of my life.

COOKIE: I want to wear that dress every single day for the rest of my life, and then be BURIED in it! ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: The Heidi, Now With More Fish DATE: 5:28 AM ----- BODY:

Since I started making multiple iterations of the BurdaStyle Heidi dress, I've gotten lots of email about it. Some folks want advice on lining it, others want to know about fit issues, and still others are worried about the printing-it-out-and-taping-it-together part (don't worry about that, it's easy). No one, however, has written to me to say, "Erin, that's a nice dress and all, but you really need to ADD MORE FISH."

However, I knew that was what was in all of your hearts, so, behold:

Koi Heidi

I've had this fabric for more than THREE YEARS. Obviously, it was biding its time, waiting for me to meet the dress that would be its destiny. And what a destiny that is:

Koi Heidi

I love the pixilated, dappled look of this fabric. Several folks did not even notice the fish, when I wore it. So here, have a fish closeup:

Koi Heidi

And in case you were wondering, yes, this fabric IS nearly impossible to match to anything ... I have four pairs of pink shoes (yeah, that's a topic for another post) and NONE of them matched. (And I made this for a wedding -- if you can't wear pink shoes to a wedding, where can you wear pink shoes?) But I don't care, because: FISH.

Labels: BurdaStyle, erin_sewing, fish, Heidi, prints

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Beth B DATE:Apr 5, 2010 5:48:00 AM Yes, that's destiny in a dress. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

beangirl DATE:Apr 5, 2010 6:54:00 AM I'm sort of speechless in awe. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Little Hunting Creek DATE:Apr 5, 2010 7:37:00 AM I LOVE fish and if I had seen this fabric I would have bought it too - beautiful dress! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Stacy DATE:Apr 5, 2010 7:42:00 AM Delurking to say bravo! I love that kind of print, where it appears abstract to the casual glance, but upon closer inspection an actual picture or pattern becomes clear.

This might have pushed me over the edge finally to make my own Heidi! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Eirlys DATE:Apr 5, 2010 7:44:00 AM "Several folks did not even notice the fish, when I wore it."

I was going to ask if they were displaying staggeringly good manners, not staring at your bust/midriff area, but then noticed the fish swimming neckwards on your left shoulder. Were you wearing particularly bedazzling spectacles and lipstick, by any chance? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Apr 5, 2010 7:57:00 AM I love it!
S ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Larissa DATE:Apr 5, 2010 8:02:00 AM well, fish. Of course! And no pink shoes. Just throw on some disappearing neutrals. Done. You are making reeeeeeaally want to try a Heidi. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Rachel DATE:Apr 5, 2010 8:08:00 AM I love it! And, it sounds like you have a really good reason to go buy new shoes. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

wendy DATE:Apr 5, 2010 8:22:00 AM Awesome! I really like sheath dresses with cute prints, and- FISH! So sweet. :) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

lsaspacey DATE:Apr 5, 2010 9:14:00 AM "...and thanks for all the fish."

Wow, how many times do you get a chance to use that quote?! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

tea DATE:Apr 5, 2010 9:15:00 AM Oh hooray! I have this fabric, too, and have been wondering what to do with it. I made something awful that doesn't fit well at all, but I still have tons of it left to make something decent. I'm glad to see something decent in it!

Meanwhile, I'd say wear red shoes or cordovan. That was my solution (red patent leather) the one time I wore the awful dress I made with this fabric. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

sixties sewer DATE:Apr 5, 2010 9:29:00 AM Fish, of course. And so artfully placed on the bodice. I would wear this in a minute. And, the world needs more Heidis. I just finished mine. Next up, birds. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

dulcet DATE:Apr 5, 2010 9:35:00 AM I headed over to PatternReview, thinking why are all those silly people asking you about your experience when they can just go read your review.... Oh. Just a suggestion, but it might save you time. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

amy DATE:Apr 5, 2010 9:37:00 AM The fish and the fabric are gorgeous! I'm so sorry no one noticed the fish. They are beautiful! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jen DATE:Apr 5, 2010 9:57:00 AM Love the sumi-e painted fish, tooo cute!
Is the dress salmon, not pink?
(almost a joke in there someplace), but seriously, on my monitor its a salmon/melon color--what about white strappy sandals, you're in Calif. now (right?), sandals are appropriate year round... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Tasia DATE:Apr 5, 2010 10:53:00 AM Lovely dress! One of your best Heidi versions :) I'd say wear it with brown leather or wooden-type sandals, much easier than trying to match the pink. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sheila / Out of the Ashes Collectibles DATE:Apr 5, 2010 11:33:00 AM Are those Koi? Very Asian looking! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Theresa DATE:Apr 5, 2010 12:32:00 PM I love it. Black, brown, tan, nude, silver, bronze shoes would all work. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Erin DATE:Apr 5, 2010 1:31:00 PM Love the post title. Love the dress. Love the fish. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

minniemoocher@gmail.com DATE:Apr 5, 2010 2:21:00 PM this is so awesome! I want to see a shot of your closet with all th elovely dresses you have mad! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

kathy DATE:Apr 5, 2010 2:27:00 PM Love it! I agree with someone up a few comments, white strappy sandals would be awesome! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

ztoamom DATE:Apr 5, 2010 7:26:00 PM Because: FISH

This is wonderful writing, wonderful indeed. Just like I imagine you talk. My husband said."If you knew each other, you'd be friends." Just from your writing style.

Because: FISH.

Go for a neutral metallic shoe. Bronze strappy sandals. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Kristin DATE:Apr 5, 2010 9:53:00 PM The fish fabric is AWESOME. The dress made out of it? Awesomeness squared. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Vegan DATE:Apr 5, 2010 10:05:00 PM Beautiful fabric and dress! This could look really dressed up with some gold or bronze metallic heels, or dressed down with brown sandals. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Carmencita B DATE:Apr 6, 2010 2:03:00 AM Erin, your fish dress is my favorite Heidi! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

CyberGirly DATE:Apr 6, 2010 5:27:00 AM The fish fabric is totally awesome. Would cream shoes not go with this? x ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Rachel DATE:Apr 6, 2010 5:33:00 AM fun and flirty! amazing work again ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Nathalie DATE:Apr 6, 2010 5:48:00 AM I can never resist a fish print and I have just bought the perfect shoes for that fabric. Now what does it take to persuade you to send that dress to the UK (and make me shrink a few dress sizes)? Love it! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

JustGail DATE:Apr 6, 2010 8:12:00 AM Love the fabric! As far as shoes, I like the idea others have had - metalic bronze. My other choice would be a neutral (brown/nude/bone) for a basic color, or if I wanted color - turquoise. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Apr 6, 2010 9:20:00 AM (Erin--I think the first half of the comments has been swallowed up in a black hole somewhere.) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

wundermary DATE:Apr 6, 2010 11:34:00 AM This is really nice! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Trude DATE:Apr 6, 2010 11:59:00 AM Love that fabric! You could always do nude pumps instead. :) Or do all black accessories. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

AnthroK8 DATE:Apr 6, 2010 1:36:00 PM Oh, fish!

I would wear a pair of sandals I have with peep toes and sling backs that are green and decorated with leaves in various greens and creams.

Because if nothing matches, then everything does! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Mommy de Uber-kids DATE:Apr 6, 2010 10:35:00 PM Love that fabric! And so perfect for springtime. I wonder how hard it would be to add sleeves to the Heidi.... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

ShopGirlXOXO DATE:Apr 19, 2010 12:24:00 PM stumbled upon your blog today, love it! the dress is 2 DIE 4!!!!! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

jane DATE:May 6, 2010 12:39:00 PM OMG I love the fishes! They are so spectacular. When I grow up, I want a fish dress too. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Today's Pattern Story: Blasphemy Edition DATE: 6:23 AM ----- BODY:

Black Dress: Betcha five bucks I can take down the one on the left before he finishes his drink.
Green Dress: Decent or indecent proposal?
Black Dress: Indecent. You get better jewelry from the indecent ones.
Green Dress: You're on! Didn't you notice the dog collar? He's a priest.
Black Dress: Honey, that's what makes this fun.

Thanks to Jen at MOMSPatterns.com for today's pattern ... AND she's running a sale: 15% off! Use the code 'vavoom'. (Free shipping to US & Canada with 5 patterns purchased. Jen has 1000s to choose from ...)

Labels: McCalls_4568, patternstories, whatsthestory

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Little Hunting Creek DATE:Mar 24, 2010 7:43:00 AM Is the EASY on the pattern cover a moral judgement or just a note on the pattern's difficulty? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

sheila / out of the ashes collectibles DATE:Mar 24, 2010 8:48:00 AM Those are some scary ladies - I mean they don't even look friendly - total meows. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

DivaJean DATE:Mar 24, 2010 9:19:00 AM The biggest guffaw I've had in weeks! These stories you pull together never fail me!! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

When Ladies Dressed DATE:Mar 24, 2010 12:37:00 PM LOVE it! And the pattern... It's got femme fatale written all over it! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

lucitebox DATE:Mar 24, 2010 12:56:00 PM Erin--that's hilarious. Good one, Little Huntington Creek. I'll take the one with the bracelet sleeves, please. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cookie DATE:Mar 24, 2010 2:19:00 PM Does Blue actually have a nice, big beauty mark on her face, or is that a speck of dust? Black's necklace is so big, it looks like wadded up crepe paper that's been put around her neck.

Beauty marks, gigantic jewelry...they're MY kind of crowd! Shove over, girls. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cel Petro DATE:Mar 24, 2010 2:21:00 PM Not only do dresses have secret lives, paper dolls do too. I knew it! The "priest" line put it over the top. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

ztoamom DATE:Mar 24, 2010 8:29:00 PM You so crack me up. This one is as good as the demure girl and the divorcee. Maybe better. I love your blog. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Theresa DATE:Mar 24, 2010 10:59:00 PM Love the story and the dress - vavoom is right! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cindy DATE:Mar 24, 2010 11:16:00 PM Great blog! Love the pattern stories - always make me laugh. And, because of you, now I'm going to have to sew a Heidi! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Solo DATE:Mar 25, 2010 1:42:00 AM This pattern is all femine.

Solo
Travel and Living
Job Hunter ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

bani DATE:Mar 25, 2010 3:55:00 AM Awesome. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Groovymama DATE:Mar 25, 2010 10:16:00 AM I'm so glad I found your blog - I've just had the laugh of the day (or week - great story)...and lovely patterns.

Greetings from Denmark,
~Trine ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

scarabee DATE:Mar 25, 2010 1:33:00 PM I don't know how much better or worse this makes it: when I looked at Black, I thought it was Liz Taylor... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

ztoamom DATE:Mar 26, 2010 9:23:00 AM You need to be the first to know.... going to make a Heidi. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sara DATE:Mar 26, 2010 11:35:00 AM Hooray for Pattern Stories! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Karrol DATE:Mar 26, 2010 12:11:00 PM Nice! With the big red EASY on there and the huntress looks on their faces I wonder how many women made this pattern with a cocktail party fantasy on their minds? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Nora DATE:Mar 27, 2010 9:10:00 AM ROFLMAO ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

melina bee DATE:Mar 27, 2010 3:01:00 PM what a hilarious post and new reason for me to keep all the old patterns I will never get around to using
melina bee ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jhon David DATE:Mar 28, 2010 11:54:00 PM Horrible!!! Such a pretty Dress, ruined by dung. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

edwang DATE:Mar 31, 2010 4:17:00 AM thanks for you information.
http://www.mychristianlouboutinshoes.com/ ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lisa Simeone DATE:Mar 31, 2010 9:23:00 AM Erin, you are a riot!

But loooove the style of that black dress. So sexy, yet so elegant and polished. This is what designers of yore did so well -- you could be totally covered up yet still a complete knock-out. You didn't have to show cleavage or acres of skin to be sexy. Nowadays, subtlety has been lost. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jhon David DATE:Apr 3, 2010 1:44:00 AM Beauty marks, gigantic jewelry...they're MY kind of crowd! Shove over, girls. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Susan Fogel DATE:Apr 4, 2010 9:37:00 AM It took me a minute to realize the dresses on the pattern were talking....what can I say it must be the Baja Sun!
I can vividly recall many of my old patterns and the fabrics I used. Wish I had the patterns now, and at those prices!
Yuor blog is a lot of fun! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Kathleen Valentine DATE:Apr 6, 2010 3:25:00 PM Very clever and very sexy dress.... soooooo Ava Gardner! ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Liberty Heidi Update DATE: 5:51 AM ----- BODY:

So I just could not let go of the Liberty Heidi idea, so I grabbed a couple of hours late Friday night and early Saturday and threw this together.

This is not one of my favorite Liberty prints -- I thought it was called "Bourton," but googling "Liberty Bourton" showed me something different, so who knows which one this is. It was, however, a perfect choice for a muslin, being 1) exactly the right weight, 2) something I would wear if the experiment worked, yet 3) not something I would be very sad to lose if I ended up throwing it away. I'm pretty sure I bought this on eBay from someone who was de-stashing, so it was also cheap.

I ended up adding about 4.5 inches to the center pieces of the front skirt and to the back -- they're both cut on the fold, so it wasn't hard.

I ended up not lining it at all -- I finished the bodice with bias binding cut from the same fabric, using the Dread Pirate Rodgers' excellent instructions. (The only difficulty was that the Liberty lawn is very slippery, so it's hard to mark with a pencil -- the pencil drags the fabric along. I ended up using chalk, which tends to brush off. Suboptimal, all around.)

Liberty Heidi

I'm not sure why I'm showing you the side view, as this is such a busy print you probably can't even see the waist seam!

Liberty Heidi

Somehow I managed to get the gathers off-center on the back; I'll wear it once and decide whether I like the way the dress works with the gathers before I rip it out and re-do it:

Liberty Heidi

Problems: aside from getting the gathers off-center in the back, I also didn't gather the entire center front piece of the skirt -- I only gathered between the pleat markings. I think it would look better with the entire section gathered.

I'm going to try to wear this dress this week, weather permitting (ah, who am I kidding, I live in California now, it's the most permissive weather on the planet), and we'll see how it works. If it works, this is going to be great -- it takes SO LITTLE fabric, comparatively, that it opens up a lot of Liberty and novelty-print possibilities ...

Labels: erin_sewing, experiments, Heidi, Liberty

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

MrsPost DATE:Mar 22, 2010 7:52:00 AM I can see where the gathers are a possible change point in this version. Theoretically it makes sense to gather those sections but on the dress (and especially on you) they might look .. odd.

As always another triumph of cute dress! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Allison DATE:Mar 22, 2010 8:15:00 AM I'm starting to be terribly curious how many dresses you have ... you either have a very large wardrobe or you get rid of dresses as often as you sew new ones! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

the_lazymilliner DATE:Mar 22, 2010 8:48:00 AM Can I just say a Liberty fabric dress competition would just be so much fun? Not necessarily administered on DaD, but somewhere in the online world. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Steph DATE:Mar 22, 2010 8:56:00 AM You're a never-ending well of inspiration. I love that Heidi is the new Duro. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 22, 2010 9:09:00 AM This is a nice Liberty print, so I hope you love the changes. I am about to make my first Heidi. Have you always lined the skirts in the past, or just the bodices? Do you think the skirt needs it, if it's a "quilting" type cotton? I look to you as the queen of Heidis.

Mary Fran ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Thoughts on Life and Millinery. DATE:Mar 22, 2010 12:20:00 PM I just keep seeing three buttons sewn in a row down the middle of the bodice top... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

evalyn DATE:Mar 22, 2010 12:46:00 PM Thoughts on Life: I too need something on the front that would bring some order to that chaotic print. I guess I don't like the print much, but I think a row of buttons or some contrasting piping would help by coordinating it a bit. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

lsaspacey DATE:Mar 22, 2010 2:08:00 PM I'm trying to track down the name of a particular Liberty print, do you know of any resources where I can search their fabric archives? I still have a picture of the dress I made from the fabric and I can give the date as 1989-91. Thanks! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sara DATE:Mar 22, 2010 2:19:00 PM Cute! I was at Target this morning and saw the Liberty line. Nice, but too much pink for me! Still, I love that I can go to Target and see it. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anne Frances DATE:Mar 22, 2010 2:38:00 PM Could this Heidi dress print be Mark? Liberty do maintain an archive of their prints in London. Maybe Isaspacey could email their customer services (address on their website) with a scan of the fabric you want to identify and ask that it be forwarded to the archivist?
The dresses are lovely but I don't think the pegged skirt shape would quite do it for me
Anne Frances ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Shanna DATE:Mar 22, 2010 5:13:00 PM I have to admit.....i LOVE Heidi...I have to dig through my patterns and see what i can do a jillion times and make it look new everytime!!! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

wundermary DATE:Mar 22, 2010 10:15:00 PM I really like this print and it looks like you got your waist seam matched nicely at the zipper. It looks great! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

CJ DATE:Mar 23, 2010 12:12:00 AM I love this pattern and it looks super easy and quick to sew and really like a practical dress.

I'd wear a 48-50-52 in the burda style pattern and it only goes up to a 46. I've never really tried to grade up a pattern. Does anyone know how difficult this would be to alter? Could I just add an inch or 2 at the side seams?

Any suggestions for a similar pattern in a plus size? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Nathalie DATE:Mar 23, 2010 7:47:00 AM Actually I think that is Bourton fabric. If you go onto Liberty's website they have it there. It has all the same paisleyish squiggles and the little flowers within, but in different colourways to your Heidi's. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cordelia DATE:Mar 23, 2010 9:49:00 AM Erin said "it's hard to mark with a pencil -- the pencil drags the fabric along. I ended up using chalk, which tends to brush off."

On some tricky or fluffy fabrics, using a slice of soap to mark the lines works wonders! Dark soap for light fabrics and vice-versa. Disappears after washing as well. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Beatrice and Nadia DATE:Mar 23, 2010 10:24:00 AM What a great change to the Heidi. I read your earlier post and couldn't picture in my head what you wanted to do with it. But I see it now and I think it works very well. The print is perfect for a simple dress like this! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lisa Simeone DATE:Mar 23, 2010 11:43:00 AM Oh, is there any pattern as joyous as paisley?! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 23, 2010 2:00:00 PM I'm thinking a deep inverted pleat would look better than the gathers? Less 'ploofy' and bunched up? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Steph DATE:Mar 26, 2010 12:46:00 PM Oh, I get so excited every time you post a new Heidi--I just ordered two fabrics for my own Heidis and am planning on starting them as soon as I finish a current project. Actually, I'll be making three:
one in the same mulberry orchid Joel Dewberry fabric you made your second one in (because I became obsessed with the fabric once I saw it!)
one in Amy Butler Lotus collection Morning Glory (linen color)
and one in a vintage Lilly Pulitzer print that my grandmother purchased in Hawaii decades ago--it's a dark navy background with brown and black batik-like fireflies all over it. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

jen DATE:Mar 28, 2010 10:31:00 AM i looooooooooove paisley! i have a paisley dress very similar to the pattern shown here from artfulwears. i'm not so handy, so i still have to buy things. lol ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Chantelle DATE:Mar 28, 2010 12:13:00 PM I'm starting to like the Heidi more and more - it looks so easy to wear and comfortable and pretty straightforward to sew up.

I'm with some other posters that I'd want to add some detail that grounds the pattern - I'm leaning towards edge piping, myself, along the neck and sleeve.

I think this fabric is Bourton but in a different colourway than is currently available. I like the paisley-made-of-roses component of this pattern. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 29, 2010 11:51:00 AM Just plain love the pattern and the fabric. It inspired me to get the pattern for myself.

Maureen ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

edwang DATE:Mar 31, 2010 4:18:00 AM I have enjoyed you information ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Eirlys DATE:Apr 1, 2010 2:43:00 PM Oh, I rather like that, fabric and all! Though, granted, Liberty paisleys are possibly targeted more at the taupe-tights-wearing, Miss-Marple/Midsomer-Murders-watching end of the market.

Yes, it's Bourton alright. Anyone who does like the pattern can purchase it here: http://www.shaukat.co.uk/moreinfo.asp?product_id=180.

[No, I'm not on commission. I think you recommended Shaukat about a million years ago, Erin, when you posted about visiting Liberty's then slightly disappointing fabric department.]

Don't know if it's named after Bourton-on-the-Water (also known as "the Venice of the Cotswolds" a large village in Gloucestershire, not far from Stow-on-the Wold). But if it isn't, it should be. Maybe someone higher up the Liberty food chain will tell us. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Vicki DATE:Apr 1, 2010 5:28:00 PM great dress and fabulous pattern matching! When I grow up I want to pattern match like you! I have trouble matching. I only just discovered your blog and I love your dresses. I feel inspired to sew. thanks ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Liberty in Literature DATE: 6:00 AM ----- BODY:

From an odd story about cheating at cards in the presence of a Duchess, in an issue of Good Housekeeping of 1911.

Her gown was rather less imposing than anyone else's. I don't mean that it wasn't a credit to her hostess, but it seemed to do less striving for effect than our own. It was of a soft, clinging satin, in tones of palest gray. Except that the top was creamy with lace, it seemed not to have been "composed" at all. But for a dog collar of magnificent yellow topazes set in silver, she wore no gems. It was whispered about that the Duchess was patriotic in her wardrobe, and that this gown came from Liberty's in London; whereupon my smart neighbor concluded, "Well, if that is Liberty, give me Death." But I liked it— the gown, I mean. It was willing to be forgotten. It was perhaps the strongest impression that she made upon me, that one forgot her gown and her title in the charm of the lady herself.

The same issue has this illustration in it, which I find very, very humorous:

OMG ZOMBIES!!!

Labels: google_book_search, Liberty, magazines

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

tea DATE:Mar 19, 2010 8:33:00 AM At first I thought the caption said, "He wanted drains." ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 19, 2010 8:47:00 AM My husband wanted brains too. However, he had to make do with my beauty as well. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

dulcet DATE:Mar 19, 2010 9:25:00 AM Love the picture! It really got my mind going. First it made me think of "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (which I watched yesterday) just at the end where Ms. Monroe's character is arguing with the rich father about motives in marriage.

I also seem to remember that one archaic use of "want" means "lacking."

But I also thought: evil scientist who wants brains! He's got that perplexed look on his face while staring at her head because he's wondering how much time he has after he kills her for her brain to still be viable for his experiment. It takes a steady hand to open a skull without damaging the grey-matter, and that takes time, confound it!

I apologize for my disturbing chuckle just now. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

dulcet DATE:Mar 19, 2010 9:46:00 AM Here's the bit of the movie I was talking about.
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHp3OO0DalE[/url] ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Theresa DATE:Mar 19, 2010 10:06:00 AM Love it! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Joni DATE:Mar 19, 2010 10:20:00 AM I've been going around all morning saying 'Braaaaaiiiins' in a zombie voice.

Also: love how the candlestick phone looks like a creepy disembodied eye. Clearly, 'He' is a mad scientist. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Star DATE:Mar 19, 2010 6:05:00 PM Of course! Liberty of London was the de facto flagship store of the Reform or Aesthetic dress movement -- the fashionable side of the Art Nouveau, Pre-Raphaelite movement in the other decorative arts. The early Liberty gowns are gorgeous partly because they're so much softer and less structured than other dresses of the period, but they did get made fun of (in the "greenery-yallery, Grosvenor Gallery", Gilbert and Sullivan sense.) There are some great Punch cartoons as well! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 19, 2010 7:03:00 PM Is he interviewing for a secretary, perhaps? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 19, 2010 7:05:00 PM What's up with her left hand? Is she reaching for something in her purse? Is she going to pop him off? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Steph DATE:Mar 19, 2010 7:34:00 PM I read "wanting" as "lacking." If I as a modern woman have been frustrated by a man in a powerful position with little brains or imagination, then a woman 100 years ago must have known the same kind of man.

The mad scientist interpretation is not without its charm.

As if I didn't love Liberty enough, now I do even more for being "the fashionable side of Art Nouveau". ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Theresa DATE:Mar 19, 2010 11:04:00 PM Anonymous 7:05 i agree I think she has a revolver in there! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Kristen DATE:Mar 20, 2010 2:41:00 PM how unpatriotic of me to find the "If that is Liberty, give me Death" comment clever. :)

braaiiiiiiins. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

ztoamom DATE:Mar 21, 2010 4:29:00 AM Oh my goodness I got lost in that GH! Wonderful stuff. Magazines are not what they used to be..... and I so love your blog. It inspires me to keep mine up. I am only two years behind in posting anything. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Karen's Heidi and a few related questions DATE: 6:36 AM ----- BODY:

This is Karen's Heidi -- isn't it fabulous? I really, really love that fabric. You can read her review, here, on PatternReview. (You may need to log in, but a basic PatternReview membership is free, and if you haven't signed up already you really should -- it's fantastic for research!)

I ran across Karen's version while I was doing a quick check to see what kinds of variations on the BurdaStyle Heidi have been showing up. There's Burda's own Prom Variation, of course, but I haven't seen very many other ones. Possibly because the Heidi is VERY CLOSE to perfect as is, but I've been thinking that I'd like to make it in more lightweight fabrics, as summer comes on (here in the Northern Hemisphere, at least).

The Heidi I linked to before is made in Liberty Tana lawn ... but I'm wondering how the fairly narrow Heidi skirt works in a lightweight fabric. I'm worried it would ride up. So I was thinking I might double the width of the center front skirt panel and add a couple inches to the middle of the back of the skirt, which could then be gathered to make a slightly more summery and playful skirt.

I suppose the right answer is "line it, you dummy," but I haven't had much luck with lined skirts. Your thoughts?

Labels: BurdaStyle, Heidi, pattern_review

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Becky O. DATE:Mar 18, 2010 7:36:00 AM Please tell me more about your lack of luck with lined skirts.
Is the construction, bulk or feel you don't like?
I get sick of wearing slips and lining may take time, but it adds just a bit of weight to the dress without changing the lightness of my fabric.
Do tell! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 18, 2010 8:12:00 AM I would make the skirt on this dress slightly A-line if I was going to make it in a lightweight fabric. I would also probably cut a mirror of that as an attached slip.

In the alternative, I would underline a light weight dress fabric (treating both the lining and the outer fashion fabric as one). But, if a person did that, why not just use a heavier fabric, which would negate the reason for using a summer-weight fabric at all. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

beangirl DATE:Mar 18, 2010 9:11:00 AM You could do either, although I have to agree with Anonymous that I sometimes wonder at the wisdom of lining a lawn... or at least, when it's for the purpose of suiting it to a structured garment. I think you'd be better off in this case making the fuller skirt (and maybe adding the second layer of underskirt if you think it's going to be too sheer). Does that make it a Heidi dress, though? Not sure. It would be pretty. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Digs DATE:Mar 18, 2010 9:41:00 AM I just finished a self-drafted dress in a very lightweight fabric. I used a pegged pencil skirt for the lower part. I added enough width to each panel to create four 1" pleats near the centre front and back, but made the lining 3" shorter than the skirt and narrow, using the original pencil skirt pattern (just wide enough to skim my hips). This way, the skirt doesn't cling to anything, is very smooth over the hips & sides, and still has lots of freedom to flow & look as light and airy as it is. It wears well, too. :) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Joni DATE:Mar 18, 2010 10:30:00 AM I'd just wear a slip, but I'm lazy. (And around here you can get vintage slips for next to nothing at Goodwill.) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Karen DATE:Mar 18, 2010 10:55:00 AM Wow, you could have knocked me over when I checked in to see what you've been up to and found MY dress here! I feel so special.

I like your idea of adding some extra fabric to the center panel, but if I was going to make a Heidi out of Liberty (and I probably am - there's a fabric on the shelf begging to be a lightweight Heidi), I'd probably just underline it in white batiste. I've done that before with Liberty and it really doesn't add much to the weight of the fabric, just makes it a little less sheer.

Then again, I have enough lining fabrics on hand to line everything I make, whether or not it requires it, so it would really depend on the fabric. I might just line it again since it was simple enough. I'd rather line than wear slips, they just don't work for me.

I want to see more of your Heidis. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jen DATE:Mar 18, 2010 11:39:00 AM I'm voting for underlining the skirt in a cotton--lawn, batiste or broadcloth. You shouldn't need to change the cut of the style. (overlock around the edges first, then you can press the seams open nicely after you sew)

The method of underlining light weight fabrics in the skirt seems fairly common in my 50's dress collection, so you would be in good company.

As for the skirt riding up: ditch the tights, that's probably the real problem. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Josie Thames DATE:Mar 18, 2010 12:11:00 PM This dress is so beautiful. It really, really makes me miss sewing. *pops stupid remodeling in the head* I'll be glad when my sewing corner is back in order. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

evalyn DATE:Mar 18, 2010 1:18:00 PM Cotton lining would be a real issue if wearing tights; riding up would be an worry. With tights you would need a slick lining, or a slip. I like underlining, esecially with a light weight fabric that might stretch or stess at the seams of a straight skirt. Underlining gives more strength and body to the garment. But a little gathering, or an A-line wouldn't need that . ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

laurageorgina DATE:Mar 18, 2010 3:17:00 PM That is one covetable Heidi. I wasn't that hot on the pattern when it came out, but seeing such great versions might drive me to buy, print, and get down to business with Heidi.

As for the lining--eek! I wouldn't line it, but that's because I hate the feel of lined skirts (and having a small waist and big hips, the lining always rides up). You could probably do quite nicely with a pretty slip, if necessary... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

MrsPost DATE:Mar 18, 2010 5:56:00 PM I think that adding the extra fabric should make it work just fine. You'll get a little more swirl in the skirt and it will have the weight to hang correctly. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

WeirdRockStar DATE:Mar 19, 2010 10:55:00 AM Lining is the good stuff that Universe has given us. Always use lighter consistency ( in regards to the actual garment fabric ) and as long as the dress fits, lining won´t ride up. The riding up happens only when layers of fabric stick to a bodypart. Hips don´t lie. Also, a lining prevents from see- throughness in a lightweight fabric. And it adds structure to a well fitting garment.
Sor summery dresses a microfibre and viscose ( rayon ) are comfortable options. Just remember to soak them in lukewarm waterm with fabric softener added to the water before use. You´ll *really* need to preshrink them. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

wundermary DATE:Mar 21, 2010 12:54:00 AM So, what is going on with your linings?
I think batiste makes a great lining for summery things. That would be my pick, too. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 21, 2010 5:40:00 AM so... as a complete beginner (I have a sewing machine but have only ever hemmed a couple of laplaps (sarongs) on it), does this mean I don't HAVE to line the Heidi if I'm using plain old craft-weight (I think) cotton?

I thought it looked like a good pattern for a complete amateur to try, but REALLY REALLY don't want to attempt lining just yet! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Erin DATE:Mar 21, 2010 2:54:00 PM I made one Liberty version unlined yesterday (pics to come), and bought ten yards of cotton batiste off eBay ... I'll keep you all posted! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 25, 2010 4:21:00 PM Сущность эксперимента как метода исследования заключается в специальной организации педагогической деятельности учителей и учащихся с целью проверки и обоснования заранее разработанных теоретических предложений или гипотез. знакомство усолье самое время доказать это. Странно звучащий неземной смех вывел меня из секс знакомства в кирово-чепецке — Понятия не имею, — пожал плечами Дойл, устремляясь за Спарксом. информацию. По-моему, они свято верят, что во имя науки всякие средства хочу познакомиться с семейной парой просто, и розу под названием Blanc double de Coubert, таким же паутинчатым, как сайт знакомтв Он не ответил и спустя мгновение, словно раздосадованный молчанием, познакомиться в коломне разум до его пределов, поверив для этого, что только при полном понимании апатиты секс знакомства ? процентным способом – исходя из фактической себестоимости предмета и ставки в 50% или 100% при передаче МБП в производство, при этом в первом случае оставшиеся 50% начисляются при выбытии предмета из-за невозможного использования (непригодности). знакомства инвалидов в украине прихотью растительной тератологии, приспособленной только к своему собственному неистовство. На пути воина женщины свирепы. Они остаются неистово знакомство в запорожье девушка Арасуве был категорически против того, чтобы вместе с группой жителей * обучение и воспитание детей в коллективе; дагестанец познакомиться с — Что случилось? — с трудом проговорил он. знакомства удомля надеялись пересечь перевал Як Ла, — сказал Джек, словно она ничего и не Мерседес Перальта была последней, кто вошел в комнату. Она сняла Перед ним лежала обширная территория, застроенная лачугами. Удивительное дело: до него доходили слухи, что Новый город — это идиллическое место с живыми изгородями вокруг нарядных домов и тенистыми деревьями, под которыми играют счастливые веснушчатые ребятишки, но то, что он увидел, куда больше походило на грязные трущобы, окружавшие большие города Мексики. знакомства для серъезных отношений Рекомендовано редакционно– издательским советом Далее одна часть моего сознания, словно камера, скользит назад и пытается которую читал Карлос Кастанеда, я внимания почти не обращала. Я была чересчур Своей костлявой рукой она взяла фонарик и посветила на лицо Клер. — Бог мой, секс знакомства в красногорске освященной ритуалом манере, которая полагалась для вайямоу. Меновая торговля интим знакомства в караганда Единственный раз, когда я что-то выиграла в лотерею, весь выигрыш ушел на знакомств фотострана

девушки из шадринска знакомства
знакомства береза
знакомства молодечно ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Toys! Wonderful toys! DATE: 6:00 AM ----- BODY:

On Anna's recommendation, I bought a copy of The Sewing Machine Attachment Handbook, which turns out to have been the book I've been looking for all my sewing life. Did your sewing machine come with a box of tiny, weirdly-shaped feet? Then you need this book. There are clear instructions for guides, hemmers, rufflers, binding and cording feet, sequin feet, walking feet ... and on and on. If you can screw, bolt, strap or clip it to your sewing machine, I think this book covers it.

My favorite guideline for judging sewing books is by whether or not they make you want to sew -- and this book makes me really, really want to sew. I think the hemming foot instructions alone are going to make my sewing life better.

It's also kindled in me a deep and painful longing for something called a "bias cutting guide" -- a doodad that clips to the end of your scissors so that you can cut bias tape without all that painful marking. I wants one, I do. Couldn't turn one up on eBay, though; does anyone have any leads?

(Also, if you buy it from the link above, the author, Charlene Phillips, will sign your copy. That's always nice!)

Labels: books, reviews, sewing_machines, sewing_tools

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Nikki DATE:Mar 17, 2010 8:33:00 AM Pssst. I think you're looking for this: Bias Gauge ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 17, 2010 8:42:00 AM And this blog post has a link for a bias gauge and also how to make one, if you are the spit-and- baling-wire type: http://www.random-charm.com/?p=747

Amy ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

dulcet DATE:Mar 17, 2010 8:52:00 AM "Bias cutting guide" made me groan! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sheila DATE:Mar 17, 2010 10:05:00 AM Looks like a great book! Thanks for the review. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sarah @ ColorKitten DATE:Mar 17, 2010 10:26:00 AM That book looks like a must have! Thanks!

I have one of those bias gauges, I like it but it has two problems - first, it doesn't fit well on a lot of scissors, and second, at the widest setting it still only makes narrow strips (1" is the max on mine, I think, so 1/4" after double folding).

I love the DIY one at that link - it would be great to have a set in all your favorite widths!! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Karen Minturn Brown DATE:Mar 17, 2010 11:01:00 AM They show up fairly often in sets of vintage sewing machine attachments. You would not only get the gauge, but other feet you can use as well! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Hillary DATE:Mar 17, 2010 11:14:00 AM For strip cutting, try a slotted ruler like http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/productdetail.jsp?CATID=cat3546&PRODID=prd2856 and a rotary cutter. A while ago I cut a jelly roll of strips (light contrast against a jelly roll for a flying geese quilt) in about 15 minutes. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Dawn DATE:Mar 17, 2010 5:51:00 PM So THAT's what that thing is! I'd better read this book so I can identify all this sewing stuff that I've inherited from different people in my life. There might be things I need and already have. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Beth DATE:Mar 17, 2010 6:29:00 PM I have a (plastic) cutting pad with bias marking on it. Line up a ruler with the width I want & run a rotary cutter along it -- works like a charm.

Beth ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

MrsPost DATE:Mar 17, 2010 7:19:00 PM Actually I think I have 2 of these. They work well on older styles of scissors but don't fit well on my Fiskars.

I do better cutting bias tape using my rotary cutter but it's a nifty doo-dad to have. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cel Petro DATE:Mar 17, 2010 8:42:00 PM The title of the book gave me the willies--I could only think of my mom's 1947 Singer with the giy-normous buttonhole attachment and how many frustrating hours she spent trying to get it to work, not to mention the "ruffler" . But when you say it gives instructions--now you're talkin'. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Solo DATE:Mar 18, 2010 1:35:00 AM My sister have been in sewing training. So i think i'm quite familiar with these. ;D

Solo
Travel and Living
Job Hunter ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 18, 2010 12:56:00 PM Re: Bias Tape. The best instructions I've found for making continuous bias tape are the Dread Pirate Rodgers Continuous Bias web page:

http://pir8.freeservers.com/quilting/CBT/

Shelly Rodgers explains it all and even provides the math formulas to figure out how much bias tape you can get from a given sized piece of fabric; I used her formulas in a spreadsheet.

CMC ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

evalyn DATE:Mar 18, 2010 1:36:00 PM Hemming foot. My mother had a portable sewing machine with a hemming foot when I was in high school. I loved it so much I didn't want to leave home for college until Mom said I could take the sewing machine with me. Imagine my disappointment when I bought my first machine and it did not have a hemming foot! I've never quite go over it. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Patty DATE:Mar 18, 2010 3:51:00 PM Great book recommendation, sewing machines have always confused me ;) I think this book will help, thanks for posting! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Rebecca DATE:Mar 21, 2010 10:57:00 AM i borrowed the book from the library. I wish the description stated how it was centered on old machine feet instead of modern machines. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 27, 2010 9:37:00 PM If you like your rotary cutter over your scissors, Olfa makes a rotary cutter guide arm that does the same thing

(it's the last thing on the page)

http://www.olfadeals.com/rotary-cutters.html ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Karl & Kristi DATE:Apr 2, 2010 9:41:00 PM http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=2869679

One for sale ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Liberty at Target DATE: 6:00 AM ----- BODY:

Am I excited about the Liberty for Target line? Insert all questions you've ever heard about Popes and bears here. Yes, I am excited.

I'm a bit more excited about the accessories and some of the housewares than I am about the clothes, because many years of trial and error have shown me that stuff from Target simply Does Not Fit Me, but I have purchased several little things (e.g., the girls' dresses, in size XL, have a surprising amount of fabric) with big plans for remaking them into something else.

I'm a little disappointed that most of the prints are florals, even though I know that's what people associate with Liberty. I was hoping for more of my favorite abstracts (although there are some things in the Cars and the Mark prints, both of which I love).

The women's clothing was the most disappointing -- not the best prints, and almost all made in that scruffy poly-chiffon. Good thing the accessories are all so cute (and cotton).

(Speaking of Liberty, I also bought the bright bright bright pink "Petals and Peacocks" lipstick from the MAC Liberty collaboration, and I think I will actually wear it. It's really fun, and the packaging is spectacular, natch.)

Did you rush your local Target last Sunday? What did you buy, if anything?

Labels: Liberty, Target

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lorene DATE:Mar 16, 2010 6:58:00 AM Yes, I rushed to Target on Sunday. I arrived at 7:50 a.m. to find absolutely no one in the parking lot. Very surprised about that because I truly thought there would be crowds waiting for the store to open.

I, too, was disappointed in the women's clothing. Honestly. If the little girl's clothing had been made in larger sizes I would have bought everything. As it was, not a single grown-up piece came home with me. Well. They come home for a day and were returned on Monday.

I TRIED to make the men's shirts look good on me, but regretfully gave up after several attempts.

In the end, only the "Zip Around Wallet - Susanna Green" and the "Babydoll - Maddsie C & Martha" are still with me. And the babydoll will only stay if I can figure out how to wear it in public. Um. I'm very optimistic.

I also have the "Sixty Duvet Set" on back-order but I'm still debating keeping it. I'm pretty sure I can find something I like even more at Ikea. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

stellans DATE:Mar 16, 2010 7:29:00 AM well, being a size larger than pretty much everything Target carries for women (sometimes t-shirts will fit), I didn't buy any clothes for myself. However, I did buy a couple of darling dresses for my granddaughter (both floral), a set of bowls (black&white), and a clipboard/folder (petals & peacocks).

I wasn't there at the first-opening of the doors, but later in the morning; it seems I was one of the few in my town excited about this, heh. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

makeandmingle DATE:Mar 16, 2010 8:10:00 AM I'm with you, Erin. I also bought a bunch of girl's dresses in XL for the "fabric". I was really impressed with the quality of the kids clothes -- cotton, lining, pockets! Already made a maxi dress into a dress for me. Very disappointed in the women's clothing, except for the very cutest ever nightie and bras.

I went not one, but two Targets Sunday morning. The first didn't have accessories out yet, and I just had to see that stuff right away. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Justine DATE:Mar 16, 2010 8:31:00 AM I goofed and thought the Liberty hit shelves on Monday. On Monday my local target had no "dishware" left at all.I did find a cute umbrella, a shoulder bag, a few storage bins, a notebook, and a peacock piggy bank that had been marked down to "clearance" for some reason.

I ordered a Sixty duvet cover from Target online yesterday and they cancelled my order today. When I placed the order they were showing matching curtains and when I clicked on the "curtains" button they had been removed from the website.

I'm disappointed with Target. When I looked Monday a.m. online most everything was sold out. Monday evening the stores were bare. It looks like Target ordered 2 of everything for all stores nationwide. Why heavily advertise something on TV and then not have the merchandise? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sal DATE:Mar 16, 2010 8:50:00 AM I indulged. Stocked up on dresses and couldn't love them more. Past Target/designer collaborations have really disappointed me, but this one was dynamite. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lorene DATE:Mar 16, 2010 8:50:00 AM @Justine -- Ack! They cancelled your order? I'll have to check mine. I placed the order on Sunday for $59.99. But cancelled on Monday and re-ordered it again at $50.00 because it was "on sale." ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 16, 2010 8:51:00 AM I got one of the ruffly blouses. I have a couple of cardigans that match quite nicely. I may have to go back for the pink print bucket hat. I also really liked the hot pink print dress, but opted for the blouse as something I could get more wear out of. --Karen ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

tea DATE:Mar 16, 2010 8:59:00 AM I just popped in there yesterday and thought, "oh! I wonder when Erin will post about this?" Ta-da! Today is the answer. :) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jen DATE:Mar 16, 2010 9:31:00 AM Sad about the chiffony dresses, but loved the cotton (nearly Tana Lawn) lingerie and nighties. Cute floral mix. Best bet? Cotton 'lawn' shawls that were simply yardage: 1.5 if I guessed right--but at $15, I could find better fabric with cuter prints elsewhere.
so, No, bought nothing.
(housewares were sold out by late a.m., missed the kids stuff) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Joni DATE:Mar 16, 2010 9:50:00 AM I'm bummed that every last one of the women's dresses and tops are sleeveless. So, none for me.

Still eyeing a rain hat or umbrella, though. And if the duvet sets ever make it to clearance, I will buy one, cut it up, and make myself a shirtdress. With SLEEVES. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

The Hillbilly Banjo Queen: DATE:Mar 16, 2010 10:28:00 AM I too was quite disappointed with the women's dresses. No sleeves is a no go for me. I didn't like the scarves and I didn't care for the bedding either. I did snag a mug. The mugs weren't at all a nice shape, but I couldn't help myself. It still called my name, darn it! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Zegi DATE:Mar 16, 2010 11:52:00 AM I saw the cutest rainboots and I wanted them badly but The Husband was present and looking at me with the don't-you-already-have-a-lot-of-shoes look. I suppose I have to admit if I bought them I wouldn't wear them very often. But super-cute! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Joni DATE:Mar 16, 2010 12:05:00 PM In case anyone is wondering, those scarves are 41" by 60" - you get a lot of yardage for your $14.99. yes, I've already bought one and am planning to butcher it. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

lucitebox DATE:Mar 16, 2010 12:26:00 PM I forgot. I went yesterday. I got a binder and a set of mini journals. I'm sad. I wanted to see the canisters & the storage bin thingies in person.

I wish I liked polyester chiffon, but I don't so the women's clothes weren't going to work for me. I thought about one of the lingerie pieces and then decided to pass. I'm not very good at shopping at Target. I only like to buy cleaning products and t-shirts, it seems because I left with both of those things in my bag along with my two LoL items. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Elle DATE:Mar 16, 2010 1:02:00 PM Went today and bought 2 tops, one sleeveless with a ruffle collar, and one a 3/4 length sleeve long top with a hideous ruffle at the bottom that I'm just going to cut off.

I didn't have time to check out any of the other departments, but will go back. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 16, 2010 1:13:00 PM Great prices on ED medications - tenormin dn arava twp videx paxil obc ceftin kytril nebilet rp soma zofran pb tito soma ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Domina DATE:Mar 16, 2010 2:48:00 PM I think it's just great that so many of you are buying this stuff and planning on cutting it up in one way or another! I was sadly dissappointed with the fit of the women's clothes - all my purchases will be returned. I will keep my small toss pillow and mini-journal set. When I went on Monday our local Target was still putting stock on the shelves and setting up displays. A bit behind the ball... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Justine DATE:Mar 16, 2010 2:49:00 PM I was so upset about my Sixty Duvet order that I phoned Target. The order is back on and for the "sale" price. I hadn't thought of hacking up a duvet cover for material. Good idea.

One of my local Target stores said they were putting out the Liberty of London dishware today. They just finished adding a grocery store and were putting merchandise back. So maybe I'll get my goodies after all.

Hope the boss didn't hear me on the phone looking for this stuff! :) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Eirlys DATE:Mar 16, 2010 2:49:00 PM We don't have Target in the UK. I'm so frustrated I could eat my Liberty hankie. I need a new word to express this distressing emotion. It should be German. Target-verlangen? Target-ersehnend? First we lose Cadbury's chocolates (before the great chocolate festival of Easter, for goodness' sake!), next we're deprived of gorgeous Liberty stationery at an affordable price. Woe is me. I may need to work this all up into a sonnet... or at least lobby the Poet Laureate to work up some kind of a lament. Sad times for Blighty indeed. :( ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Nathalie DATE:Mar 16, 2010 4:39:00 PM Eirlys, you can go to the Liberty online site which is selling some of Target's Liberty range, including crockery etc. I got the email today from Liberty, and already several items were sold out! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Nathalie DATE:Mar 16, 2010 4:43:00 PM ... although I see they've added some stuff since earlier today and some of the things listed earlier as out of stock are now listed as being in stock. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

paisleyapron DATE:Mar 16, 2010 5:34:00 PM I was more than disappointed in the crabby construction and fabric choice for the women's garments. Too bad only the kid's stuff was cotton or Target would have gotten more of my money! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Angela DATE:Mar 16, 2010 6:38:00 PM I went today, and couldn't convince myself to buy any of the clothes because they are just too skimpy for Irish weather (I'm visiting Florida at the moment). I might go back and have a look at the girls' section! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 16, 2010 7:18:00 PM I just wanted to steal the window clings on the front door. Bunnies in Liberty print. So cute.
jenL ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

angldst DATE:Mar 16, 2010 7:41:00 PM I didn't even remember it was coming about. Heh. I've looked on the site, though, and now I have the wanty for the teapot in the black & white colourway. Really, I just want a teapot, preferably including an infuser for looseleaf teas, but this one's particularly nifty looking.

-d ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

mere DATE:Mar 16, 2010 10:39:00 PM I walked into Target on Sunday having no clue that Liberty was at Target. I saw the bunny and thought, "What a cute bunny...that looks like Liberty fabric." Then I saw the little girls dresses, and tried vainly to get my one and only four year old daughter to show some interest. Alas, she spied something with stick on sequins and declared that she loved it. Then I saw the signs. "LIBERTY!!!! Liberty at TARGET!!!!" I kept repeating this over and over. My husband and five children all looked at me like I had finally gone over the edge...they know nothing of Liberty.

I cannot wait to go back and buy the stationery.

I knew 2010 was going to be a good year! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Belinda DATE:Mar 17, 2010 1:46:00 AM I want that Liberty bike more than anything I've ever wanted. EVER. I've even been in the market for a bike for about 6 weeks, so its not even like a weirdo out-of-the-blue desire. Goshdarnit, I really wish I lived in the States sometimes, I'm positive the shipping on that thing would cripple me (thus, I'd never be able to RIDE the bike...) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Eirlys DATE:Mar 17, 2010 6:55:00 AM Nathalie, thank you! Checking the Liberty site was just too obvious for me. ;) Wondering how prices compare to those in US, though? I was hoping for outrageously bargain-basement prices. But a fiver for a bowl isn't so bad, I guess. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

bani DATE:Mar 17, 2010 9:26:00 AM Oh there was some lovely stuff there. That cake platter thingy! THE BIKE!!!

But what a GODAWFUL website. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jenny DATE:Mar 17, 2010 9:43:00 AM I wasn't thrilled with the women's clothes - too much flounce, not enough sleeve, icky fabric. I bought the men's shirt in blue on blue cotton for myself. I'll add a couple of darts and be good to go!

Apparently no one else around here was that excited about Liberty at Target because all the racks were still completely full as of last night. Then again, we have three Targets within a six mile radius of my house, so perhaps the oversaturation of the suburbs (Illinois side of St. Louis Metro) is the problem, not the collection itself. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Ripple Dandelion DATE:Mar 17, 2010 10:16:00 AM I had marked my calendar and scheduled kid-free shopping time. But then when I previewed the stuff online it all looked like "stuff" to me. So I didn't even go check! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Mitzi DATE:Mar 17, 2010 8:42:00 PM I was at Target by 2.00 pm on Sunday. Bought a dress (sheath) (Mommy dress as my daughters call it)and two tops. 1 daughter bought a Liberty of London bikini! Over all Liked it, is there going to be any more offerings? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Katherine DATE:Mar 18, 2010 3:24:00 PM I have been scouring (SF) Bay Area Targets for the yellow floral trenchcoat but to no avail! I can't even find the Target DPCI number so that they can look up which stores have it. Anyone have any info?

I've been skipping most of the poly stuff, but I also bought a few girls dresses in cotton although I'm nowhere near a girl's size! It's still cheaper than buying the equivalent fabric by the yard, I think. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Annie DATE:Mar 18, 2010 3:57:00 PM Just bought a juniors tea length dress with a smocked top. It is a green and yellow flowered pattern with cute little pockets. The dress looks hideous on me, however I have big plans to turn it into a skirt and a handful of fun accessories! Missed the lingerie department somehow. I wish they would have had dishcloths! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cookie DATE:Mar 18, 2010 5:22:00 PM Oh dear! This is what happens when you don't check in. I hope my Target has some of the notecards left.....!!! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

anneland22 DATE:Mar 19, 2010 9:40:00 AM I'm a little disappointed. I definitely like the housewares better than anything else. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 20, 2010 6:29:00 PM With the exception of a couple of items (boxer shorts in hyacinth print and the storage box in the same print) this collection seemed pretty "meh" to me. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 21, 2010 1:49:00 PM I rushed there, but left disappointed. Nothing would fit or was even vaguely appropriate for someone my shape and age. :>{ ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Acid Yellow Glamour DATE: 6:23 PM ----- BODY:

Wow, this dress (at Lucite Box Vintage) is over-the-top, in the best possible way. I love the two-tone, the glass buttons, and the belt, which has either a moustache or lips on it. For reals:

40s glamorous yellow and black dress

I am a huge fan of the different-colored sleeves poking out of a dark top. This looks fantastic.

I don't want to hear that you can't wear this color. Anyone can wear any color if they want to badly enough. All you have to do is care more about your own pleasure in the color than about other people's pleasure in looking at you. This is one arena where I say you should be absolutely selfish. You think that yellow washes you out and makes you look funny? If yellow makes you happy, wear it! Happiness is more important. (And you can always add some lipstick, right?)

Labels: 1940s, vintage, yellow

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Miss Amelina DATE:Mar 13, 2010 10:16:00 PM Haha! I don't know, man. I'm pickin' up what your puttin' down.....but there is this one very pretty gal who comes into the shop where I work, and she always wears a terracotta colored coat---that looks dreadful on her. I mean it *really* washes her out makes her look ill. So I always try to imagine her coat is sky blue, so she will look better in my head....does that make me a shallow bunny? :)
This dress is awesome, though. With a big A. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Louise DATE:Mar 13, 2010 10:23:00 PM This dress is fabulous. The devil is in the details. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Steph DATE:Mar 14, 2010 12:50:00 AM I love the mustache belt buckle. I think it would be easy enough to contrive one from super heavy interfacing the next time I do a self-fabric belt.. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Dora DATE:Mar 14, 2010 1:17:00 AM Huh -- reminds me of this woman who came up to me in a clothing store a while ago, and told me that the yellow top I was trying on was really washing me out. I know she meant well, and I actually agreed with her assessment, but, I mean, thank you, complete stranger whose opinion I didn't ask for!

Some people are so WORRIED about you not looking your absolute best, they don't consider the possibility that you know what you're doing and you're just not similarly obsessed. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

3KillerBs DATE:Mar 14, 2010 8:08:00 AM Personally, I never feel happy in a color that I know clashes horribly with my skin tone in an ugly way. Making myself up to a completely different skin tone so I could wear an unflattering color would be far too much trouble to be consistent with happiness.

I am not, however, afraid to wear a great deal of any color that I do feel flatters me. I do not let being 45yo and 250lbs deter me from my beloved pink.

Nothing on earth will ever make me look slim. But a flattering style in either pastel pink or fuchsia pink will make me feel good and look good. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

isabel DATE:Mar 14, 2010 9:35:00 AM In my opinion, yellow is not that bad... I know a lot of people who look fantastic in yellow -and I think grey is much worse! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

tania-gru DATE:Mar 14, 2010 12:13:00 PM I have a wonderful book that you should get, although it is in danish, it has the most wonderful patterns for clothes for babies, children, teens, women and a few mens pieces. It is "Professorinde Ella Lunds Store Sybog" translated that is "Professora Ella Lund's Large Sewing Manual" It has a book and a box of 41 pattern sheets. The adult women's clothes is danish size 38-40-42-44-46. According to the book that is chest measurements of cm 88-92-96-100 waists of 66-70-74-78
and hips of 92-96-100-104 ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

TE DATE:Mar 14, 2010 6:40:00 PM "All you have to do is care more about your own pleasure in the color than about other people's pleasure in looking at you." Once more I will quote you on my FB page. Females aren't obligated to be the world's eye candy. And you can quote me on that. Terry Ellen Carter. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

lucitebox DATE:Mar 15, 2010 8:59:00 AM Thanks for posting this dress, Erin!

Well, I have to comment because while I'm not always out to please other people when I get dressed, I DO have to please myself. At the end of the day, (which is basically when I get to wear my cute clothes since my mornings and afternoons are taken up with my dog walker job) I won't be wearing yellow. Frankly, I look like a washed-out, sad sack, rusty hen in it. It's a particularly ghastly sight when I wear golden ochre shades. Welcome to Death Warmed Over, population me.

Having written that, I see no reason why I couldn't wear this dress. All that black is the perfect foil for the acidic yellow. Alas! It's not my size. (I'm seeing Imelda May tonight. This would be a good weather appropriate dress for me to wear to see her concert.)

This dress comes from a cache I acquired from Edna, a Midwestern clothes horse whose taste was very distinctive. The majority of the items are from the '40s and '50s. The Edna Collection features a range of sizes. (Many are around the same size as this dress.) Since I got this haul, I have been waking up pretty early because I'm so excited to work! It's so fun to deal with such cool stuff.

I'm nowhere near finished listing the collection. Keep an eye on my site for the new additions. Next up--a fabulous '50s plaid dress I'm calling the Scottish Princess. Well, that's the working title for now. We'll see how it looks when it's photographed on Sabrina.

Thanks again. It's always a treat to read your thoughts about items in my store.
Holly ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jenny DATE:Mar 15, 2010 9:25:00 AM This dress should absolutely be worn to 'Stache Bash, the annual gathering of the American Mustache Institute! If a woman ever wins the Goulet Award, this would be the perfect dress to wear for the awards ceremony! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

lucitebox DATE:Mar 15, 2010 10:42:00 AM Jenny--Ha! Awesome plan!

I couldn't stop thinking about the ideas presented here. I don't necessarily embrace them. I'm not as self-tolerant or self-assured as I could be when it comes to yellow.

I'm inclined to agree with 3killerbees: "Making myself up to a completely different skin tone so I could wear an unflattering color would be far too much trouble to be consistent with happiness."

I have other reasons for not wearing yellow. Here's a blog entry that just about covers my thoughts. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

belphebe DATE:Mar 15, 2010 11:41:00 AM Yellow has always been my favorite color, but I have a hard time finding the right shade to wear. However, I have occasionally found dresses or fabric in just the right shade.

Also, years ago I found a better way to "wear" yellow that didn't wash me out: I bought a yellow car! :-) Oh sure, I couldn't take it inside with me, but I really felt good driving to and from work in that bright car! (not to mention that it was easy to find in a parking lot full of black, white, and beige cars!)

Sadly I don't have a car anymore, but I will do my best to get a yellow one the next time I can afford to buy a car!

With respect to this dress, the majority of the dress is black, so I could wear it since there isn't that much yellow close to my face. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

mellorcr DATE:Mar 15, 2010 12:12:00 PM HA HA! With regards to "if it washes you out, you can always wear lipstick", I'm in a dance company and one of our in-jokes: if someone has any issue at all with their costume we jokingly tell them "wear more blush and no one will notice" ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

evalyn DATE:Mar 15, 2010 1:00:00 PM I love yellow, which is not a good color for my complexion, so I get another color, blue or black or something that does look good on me, between my face and the yellow. I call this "head it off at the pass" technique. Just keep the offending color away from your face. This dress does that nicely and it can also be done with a blazer, sweater or jacket over the color in the vacinity of your face and neck. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 15, 2010 10:32:00 PM Does this dress have pockets? I won't wear a dress unless it has pockets. Good color mixing the yellow with the blue. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cookie DATE:Mar 18, 2010 5:31:00 PM I think yellow is very pretty for baby nurseries, otherwise I am not attracted to it. I have seen some nice, bold, yellow and white floral prints (circa about 1961), but I kind of admire them without being drawn to them.

I would sadly say it is probably my least favorite color. And it does bring out a sallow undertone in my skin.

I'm sorry. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cookie DATE:Mar 18, 2010 5:44:00 PM PS: THIS is the one time I've seen yellow look absolutely FANTASTIC. I don't know how she did it. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Carla DATE:Mar 18, 2010 6:39:00 PM Tell you what: you do what you want to with wearing yellow and I'll do what I want to. Yellow and orange turn ME yellow and orange. No thanks. They're fabulous on someone else! ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Today's Pattern Story, In Six Words DATE: 6:20 AM ----- BODY:

Flashing gang signs really wasn't helping.

In homage to Paul Ford.

(Thanks to Lauren for the image!)

Labels: patternstories, whatsthestory

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

lucitebox DATE:Mar 12, 2010 8:00:00 AM Today's comment, in 6 words: This is awesome pattern envelope captioning! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Theresa DATE:Mar 12, 2010 8:30:00 AM such lovely dresses...they must be the cutest little gangbangers I have ever seen. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

ktbb DATE:Mar 12, 2010 8:57:00 AM So pretty! (And hilarious.) Do you happen to know the pattern number? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

beangirl DATE:Mar 12, 2010 9:40:00 AM This post has been removed by the author. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sarah @ ColorKitten DATE:Mar 12, 2010 10:34:00 AM What have these girls been up to? Yellow looks like she's about to be madly sick. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Erin DATE:Mar 12, 2010 10:38:00 AM It's Butterick 8030! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sheila / Out of the Ashes Collectibles DATE:Mar 12, 2010 10:46:00 AM Looks more like they are directing jets on an aircraft carrier LOL. Now that would be a sight ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Natalie DATE:Mar 12, 2010 10:47:00 AM My first impression was that the girls were reacting to an incidence of flatulence. Evidence, perhaps, that I am overdue for some adult conversation (my son has recently discovered potty humor - how long does this stage last?). ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

jana @ Weekend Vintage DATE:Mar 12, 2010 11:17:00 AM What was the artist thinking? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Gretchen DATE:Mar 12, 2010 11:17:00 AM Hey, just a reminder that the Liberty collection is at Target now!

(honestly though, I'm kind of disappointed. I was hoping for more cotton, but almost all I've had a chance to look at so far is cheap-feeling polyester. YMMV though, so it's worth a look.) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sandy DATE:Mar 12, 2010 11:28:00 AM Actually, I saw the image before I scrolled down to your six words. I laughed out loud because I thought you were going to comment along the same lines as what Natalie said! on my screen, you don't see why the yellow girl is bending over, so it looks like she is embarrassed.

(I didn't actually understand your six words. I will have to investigate.)
Sandy in the UK ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Hannatu DATE:Mar 12, 2010 12:43:00 PM Yellow dress: Ewwwwww!!! What is it??!!!
White dress: Yuck! It stinks!
Grey dress: I'm not even going to look at it! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Packrat DATE:Mar 12, 2010 1:27:00 PM Amen to Hannatu's comment. Cute dress, hilarious illustration. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lainey DATE:Mar 12, 2010 2:02:00 PM Oh, the diamond one! The diamond one! Did they actually MAKE that fabric with the border print? Even the strangest hand signals can't spoil that spectacular print! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cel Petro DATE:Mar 12, 2010 2:43:00 PM Perfect. You are over the top--again! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Skulleigh DATE:Mar 12, 2010 3:19:00 PM LOL! My first thought before scrolling down was "Talk to the hand!" ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cookie DATE:Mar 12, 2010 3:40:00 PM "Don't be caught with undainty B.O." ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

in a world of my own DATE:Mar 12, 2010 3:41:00 PM LOL - gang symbols!! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Kristen DATE:Mar 12, 2010 5:45:00 PM I'm with Natalie. It comes from an overabundance of boys in the house, I'm sure! ....(I hope!) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Kristen DATE:Mar 12, 2010 5:45:00 PM This post has been removed by the author. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cathy DATE:Mar 12, 2010 6:50:00 PM Also with Natalie. Yellow either did it or is looking at the offending source.

My youngest boy (of 3) is 16. I think they all outgrew it a long time ago, but I didn't. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Serendipity Handmade DATE:Mar 12, 2010 9:25:00 PM ROFL!

I really, really wish that pattern were mine. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Theresa DATE:Mar 12, 2010 9:38:00 PM Natalie - all their lives.

I noticed the phrase "quick and easy" are they referring to the girls or the pattern. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Steph DATE:Mar 14, 2010 12:48:00 AM Makes me think of the "White chicks and Gang Signs" photo project a friend of mine did a few years ago. He'd go to bars on the weekend and get white chicks to flash gang signs, made a huge composite of it. Great stuff. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Katie DATE:Mar 14, 2010 6:22:00 AM How many fingers do those girls have? It looks a lot like they only have 4 on each hand (that's including the thumb...) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

RheLynn DATE:Mar 14, 2010 12:31:00 PM As Natalie said, I've been with a toddler too long and I was also thinking they were fanning off some offensive smell (that explains yellow's vomit posture, too) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

infodaisy DATE:Mar 14, 2010 9:35:00 PM I'm thrilled to see this, odd hand gestures or not. "A" is my 8th grade graduation dress, which I loved! Mom made it in white organdy eyelet with a pale blue polished cotton cumberbund. Although this pattern cover looks vaguely familiar, and view A is definitely the same as my dress, I'm not sure this is the pattern she used. She never cared for Butterick patterns though I don't remember why. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cookie DATE:Mar 18, 2010 5:47:00 PM I love that your mom made you cute, special dresses, Daisy, that you still remember with happiness! ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: A Few Procrastinatory Monday Links DATE: 5:28 AM ----- BODY:

Jessica found this incredibly steampunk Norman pattern and wonders if anyone has information they can share about Mrs. N.R. Norman, inventress. This is Centennial Pattern No. 8, for those keeping score at home, and is from the 1890s. It may be a St. Louis company -- it's marked St. Louis. Any information? Please leave a comment! (Here's a bigger image.)

Speaking of comments, Becky O. left one on Friday pointing us to this WONDERFUL writeup by TrueUp about the different on-demand fabric printers. Exhaustive and well-researched, definitely worth checking out.

Kate found the button-top (not dress) I was thinking of. Great for Rolling Stones fans!

Kristen sent this link to dresses knitted from trash. So cool. (Although probably itchy.)

Anna sent me a link to The Sewing Machine Attachment book. (It's a book about different attachments FOR your machine, not about fostering your attachment TO your machine.) I have purchased mine, will review when I get it!

Lucy (who is the person behind Home Movie Day London) sent this link to a digitised (British spelling, in Lucy's honour) film of 1930s fashions. Lovely!

A few self-promoty links:

If you like words, and are on Facebook, might you not consider being a fan of Wordnik on Facebook? Our fan page is here. If you're not a Facebooker but still want Wordnik words of the day, that link is here. But the only place you can see the Wordnik LIST of the day (a collection of related words) is on Twitter:@wordnik. [If you're looking for me on Twitter, I'm @emckean for word-type stuff, @FakeErinMcKean for "what-I-had-for-lunch" type stuff.] (Whew! That's a lot of social media in one place ...)

Labels: blatant_self_promotion, linkgasm, Norman_patterns

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Kathryn DATE:Mar 8, 2010 6:53:00 AM Only thing I could find is a link to an old rare book:
http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/centennial-patterns-norman-tailor-book-1896-antique ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

beangirl DATE:Mar 8, 2010 7:08:00 AM OK, so here's a thing I love: becoming a fan of something on Facebook that has less than 10 gajillion other fans. I'm elitist like that. The fact that it's something cool, no wait SUPER SUPER SUPER COOOOOL like Worknik. Well, that's just icing. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

beangirl DATE:Mar 8, 2010 7:09:00 AM OK, I think "Wordnik" is super super super cool.

"Worknik" on the other hand sounds suspiciously like something my comrade in Siberia thinks I should be once I get to the gulag. So no, not so super cool sounding. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sheila / Out of the Ashes Collectibles DATE:Mar 8, 2010 11:26:00 AM Inventress? Okay that's a new one for me - is that a real word? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

cpeep DATE:Mar 8, 2010 12:18:00 PM Check out this article, too. (Search within the document for the word Norman.)

http://www.sil.si.edu/smithsoniancontributions/HistoryTechnology/text/SSHT-0042.txt

Carol
Extreme Cards and Papercrafting ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sara DATE:Mar 8, 2010 1:37:00 PM What a lot of cool links. I love how you provide all these neat things I like to look at, without my having to search for them. Those garments knitted from trash--just the kind of thing I wish I had done in art school! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Becky O. DATE:Mar 8, 2010 5:40:00 PM The True Up post was updated with a downloadable chart today- what timing!
http://www.trueup.net/?p=5364
It should also be noted that each printer has a flickr group where you can see inspiring pictures... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 8, 2010 9:58:00 PM Unfortunately, if she patented any of her inventions, Google Patents ( www.google.com/patents )has mangled crucial information in the optical conversion of the patent documents to electronic text. I couldn't find any matches for combinations of terms like Norman, St. Louis, Missouri, dressmaking, 1893, etc., that would seem to be for her inventions. However, searching for "dressmaking" and sorting by older patents first does yield the work of some other inventive women and men of her day. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Eva DATE:Mar 10, 2010 10:53:00 PM There were a huge number of tailor block systems and commercial pattern makers by the 1890's. American women were already very prolific seamstresses and they were constantly keeping up with "modern" fashions. :) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sara DATE:Mar 11, 2010 11:04:00 AM Maybe this tailor's square is the only thing she invented? Fabulous graphic. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

libby DATE:Mar 12, 2010 9:43:00 AM Mrs. Norman's pattern is actually a giant sewist's Ouija board. Quick! Erin! Delete this post or all of our mystical powers will be revealed! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

judi.0044 DATE:Mar 12, 2010 2:17:00 PM Help - I hope you or a reader can solve a question I have regarding a Simplicity pattern line (they don't seem to know the answer). I'm wondering what the origination was for the pattern line of the 1990's known as "Maren dress"? This would be a women's line - separates as well as dresses I believe. Many thanks. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

What-I-Found DATE:Mar 13, 2010 12:45:00 AM I have a book "Cutting a Fashionable Fit" by Claudia B Kidwell. Published by Smithsonian Institution Press, 1979. Mrs. N. R. Norman is mentioned; Her publications are listed from 1878 to 1896 (4 publications listed, all privately printed), but it's not clear which one this is. It does say that the State of Origin is Missouri and that the clothing types were Men, Women and Children.
Maybe that will help the research! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jessica in AR DATE:Mar 15, 2010 5:48:00 PM Thanks to Erin for posting the Norman pattern and thanks to everyone for the helpful comments! I have Kidwell's book in hand(thank you inter-library loan!) and the link to the auction was surprisingly helpful. I still don't have a lot of info, but I'm getting a good start.
Thank you! ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Crossword Fabric DATE: 6:00 AM ----- BODY:

As promised, here's the crossword fabric available at Spoonflower:

A few notes:

-- the blacks (and other dark colors) tend to wash out & fade really quickly on digitally printed fabric. I don't know how to fix this -- anyone have hints for keeping them dark?

-- this design is optimized for the upholstery-weight fabric. I haven't tested it on other weights. (That fabric is slightly off-white, too.)

-- this fabric was designed for me by Beth Keller. She's awesome. You can check out her Etsy site, KellerDesigning. I don't know if she's taking commissions now, but you could always ask ...

Enjoy!

Labels: crosswords, fabric, fabric_design, spoonflower

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

cindy b DATE:Mar 5, 2010 7:03:00 AM When you first get the fabric, set the color with a vinegar rinse. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Nathalie DATE:Mar 5, 2010 9:35:00 AM That's been my big fear with digitally printed fabric and one of the reasons why I've resisted it to date (that and the price...). Love the pattern though! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

lizzcorner DATE:Mar 5, 2010 11:41:00 AM A vinegar rinse is useless on cellulose farbics, get some Retayne, it is an anti bleeding rinse. Quilt shops often carry it and you can get it on-line from Dharma Trading Co. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

belphebe DATE:Mar 5, 2010 1:08:00 PM Where's the answer key? ;-)

For that matter, where's the puzzle questions? (You can tell I don't do crosswords: I can't even think of the right words for the, um, clues!)

That does look like fun fabric though. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 6, 2010 12:38:00 PM Surely that's all spam?
I was going to ask about the vinegar rinse (white vinegar, cold rinse) wot we were all told to do to our Levi's 501s in the days when we didn't want them to fade.
I've also heard things about alum, but I'm not sure what.
[I always remember they told us to put our nylon tights in the freezer overnight and they wouldn't run...why didn't the manufacturers do that? Of course they wanted us to buy more?]
What can "a vinegar rinse is useless on cellulose fabrics" mean?
I haven't looked at Spoonflower today, but when I did look, it was cotton. So are Levis. (And the Levis trick WORKED - I worked at a shop selling them for years, and many happy clients from both sides of the "want fading" and "want new-look" attest it works.
? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 6, 2010 1:23:00 PM Hi, I'm the same Anonymous again -
WOW! You're in Pulp Diction!
Congratulations!
AND YOUR DRESS! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Becky O. DATE:Mar 6, 2010 3:53:00 PM True Up did a digital fabric printing experiment here:http://www.trueup.net/?p=5364

It won't help setting colors, but it may help when choosing a printing house for your design. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jen DATE:Mar 8, 2010 9:14:00 AM Dye/Ink fastness is all about chemistry, and the printer should know how their ink will perform. First step is to find out the ink type or brand and go from there. It might also need to be heat set. I am guessing they are using an ink better suited to 100% poly, and second the vote for running this problem by Dharma--Queen of all things dying related. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Phyllis DATE:Mar 12, 2010 8:18:00 AM Yep - Dharma! ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Today's Pattern Story DATE: 6:00 AM ----- BODY:

Darla: "Oh. You're right. I do look like a walking café curtain."

Carla: "I hated to be the one to tell you, but someone had to do it."

Darla: "And you know ..."

Carla: "That I look like I'm about to call "offsides!" at the World Tea-Drinking Championship? Yep."

Darla: "Our home-ec teacher has a lot to answer for."

Carla: "Don't worry, I already spiked the faculty coffeepot with something that causes unpleasant gastrointestinal effects, yet is non-life-threatening."

Darla: "You rock. Also, cute shoes!"

(Thanks to Janet at Lanetz Living for today's pattern!)

Labels: patternstories, Simplicity_1912, whatsthestory

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Meghan DATE:Mar 4, 2010 7:00:00 AM I always enjoy these, but this one made me laugh out loud. I think it's the "oops!" hand-to-mouth on poor Darla. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Val DATE:Mar 4, 2010 7:37:00 AM Funny! I wish I had your talent for coming up with clever descriptions for some of these rather bizarre outfits. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Latter-Day Flapper DATE:Mar 4, 2010 7:45:00 AM Poor choice of fabric and trim, but the dress itself has potential. I'd maybe do it in burgundy, and lose the ruffle. Nobody needs a ruffle at crotch level. I think I'd do a strip of flat bias trim. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

onemockingbirdhill DATE:Mar 4, 2010 8:25:00 AM I have to agree that no one rivals your creativity when it comes to these little conversations, but I have to respectfully disagree with the lace at crotch level comment...after all, EVERY girl needs a little lace here and THERE... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 4, 2010 8:53:00 AM OMG! I wondered why they had built-in aprons. Are they the kitchen staff in the zeppelin fleet? Oh, and my Mom's name was Darla. Ha ha ha. --Karen ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Kathryn DATE:Mar 4, 2010 8:54:00 AM LOL. Even though it looks a bit like a walking cafe curtain, it is cute and I would totally wear it. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lacey DATE:Mar 4, 2010 9:07:00 AM That was hysterical. You are so accurate in that exchange. Granted you can opt out of the lace and stripes for a better dress on a whole. Love it!

Lacey

http://www.sewingcouture.com/ ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Coconut Pie DATE:Mar 4, 2010 10:54:00 AM Ah, home-ec teachers! My home-ec teacher neglected to tell one of my classmates about one way fabric before she started cutting out. At our class fashion show the poor child wore a dress made out of toile with a huge French chateau right-side up on the front, and upside-down on the back. I was appalled. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Im Estee DATE:Mar 4, 2010 11:59:00 AM Love it! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Packrat DATE:Mar 4, 2010 12:53:00 PM You did it again. So funny. Love the others' comments, too. This is a very strange design. As much as I love aprons, why would one deliberately wear this one? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cookie DATE:Mar 4, 2010 2:13:00 PM Gosh, can you imagine what an insulting anniversary gift this would make from a husband to a wife, especially if the apron part was in a contrasting fabric?

("But the girl at the store said any wife would LOVE it!" / "You can't mean Cindy WALLIS? She's been trying to break us up for YEARS!" ) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sara DATE:Mar 4, 2010 2:25:00 PM Hooray! I've missed your stories! Love 'em! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Katie DATE:Mar 4, 2010 3:38:00 PM You are right, this pattern does have a bit too much of the "oopsie!" factor. :) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

WendyBee DATE:Mar 4, 2010 9:06:00 PM These are always fun, and this one is really good! Thanks for the chuckle!
WendyBee ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Larissa DATE:Mar 5, 2010 1:13:00 PM you are one funny person. these make my day. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

RheLynn DATE:Mar 6, 2010 4:37:00 PM Uh-huh, looks like Darla was already partaking of the coffee pot with that 'oops' expression hand-to-face. A little wind to inflate that apron sail? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

LB's Sewing Sanity DATE:Mar 7, 2010 7:53:00 AM LOVE the post! Love those vintage patterns! Thanks for sharing. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Talbots? Talbots. Huh. DATE: 6:00 AM ----- BODY:

Somehow I managed to get on the Talbot's catalog mailing list and this shirtdress caught my eye. LOVE this color green:

I can't tell if it has pockets or not, but it really does look nice. The whole catalog seems full of surprises, including some great cardigans in one kajillion colors and some very very cute shoes.

I haven't shopped at Talbot's in ages -- it was always a bit off in a way I think our friends in the UK would call "mumsy." So either they have gotten better, or I have now aged into their target demo. Or both. Both is always possible.

Labels: green, shirtdress, Talbots

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Elle DATE:Mar 3, 2010 8:18:00 AM I'm a Talbots fan, but some seasons I do find the designs particularly "mumsy" (love that!) and avoid it entirely. I do have a few pairs of Talbots shoes and the fit is great, they're comfortable, and very well made. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

B a la Moda DATE:Mar 3, 2010 8:18:00 AM Oh,yeah! This green is stunning. I ahve never shop in Talbot.

xoxo
B* a la Moda ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Joni DATE:Mar 3, 2010 8:26:00 AM Ooh, I love that rose print cardigan. Would be just the thing over a shirtdress. However, it's $89 and will only be joining my wardrobe if I somehow manage to find one at Goodwill... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

puncturedbicycle DATE:Mar 3, 2010 8:26:00 AM Ooh, yes. When I visit my mother I always have a look in the nearby Talbots and sometimes there are lovely things that are just the vintage side of mumsy if that makes any sense. I think they are trying to compete with Banana Republic and Ann Taylor. When they depart from frumpy, they touch on a Lilly Pulitzer-but-more-elegant kind of vibe that I quite like. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

A Peppermint Penguin DATE:Mar 3, 2010 9:06:00 AM Don't know Talbots.

Green, I know green and that is a fabulous shade of green. Buy it and put the pockets in your self if necessary!

(And if you are getting old, I am getting old. Hmm, some days I feel 97, maybe I am old!)

Cheers,
AJ ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

FairLadyofCardigan DATE:Mar 3, 2010 12:03:00 PM Wow! I rarely step in Talbots, but looking at this dress, and looking at their Spring line, maybe I should. It's definitely not you--they've changed. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Ann V. DATE:Mar 3, 2010 12:07:00 PM I buy tons at Talbots (mostly at the outlet, though). You'd be surprised at the wacky, floral pants I've come home with, as well as a rack full of really great skirts (and my sexy jeans). They clear out seasonally so the sales are good, too. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sara DATE:Mar 3, 2010 12:53:00 PM I don't usually like shirt dresses, but this one has a nice skirt. I do quite a bit of shopping through the Chadwick's catlog. They have a cute dress right now, the Crisp Cotton Wrap Dress, I have my eye on.
http://www.chadwicks.com/ ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Val DATE:Mar 3, 2010 1:56:00 PM Well, I'm 26 and I think it's lovely. So, if you're getting old, you're not alone! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

tyellas DATE:Mar 3, 2010 2:11:00 PM Talbots is kind of the "libertarian" of older-demographic-clothing; sometimes their stuff goes so far to the right that it turns out to be radically left. Designwise, they've made an effort to join the 21st century recently. Which is a good thing, because their clothes fit me very well! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

sil DATE:Mar 3, 2010 2:54:00 PM I believe they got a new CEO who's mission was to bring the company up to date. I agree, very cute dress - akin to one I saw in the Saks window in Union Square the other day. Is that a trend? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 3, 2010 3:31:00 PM My mother is 70 and shops Talbots almost exclusively, so you're in good company! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Zoltar Panaflex DATE:Mar 3, 2010 3:55:00 PM Talbot's is not all old-lady clothes.

And their outlet is a source of constant wonders. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Erin DATE:Mar 3, 2010 5:45:00 PM My mother-in-law is a great fan of Talbots, and I'm glad she is, or I'd never have acquired several cute items, because my impression was the same as yours. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lisette DATE:Mar 3, 2010 6:25:00 PM I often pick up talbots at the thrift store (and I'm only 21), because they make cute things, and in petite sizes! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

MVB DATE:Mar 3, 2010 6:26:00 PM They've definitely become a mix of matronly and hip. Watch out for sizing though! I have to go down a size in Talbots clothes -- they definitely run large. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

alison DATE:Mar 3, 2010 8:27:00 PM They're targeting a broader demographic these days. I say this because I no longer cringe when my mom wants to go in there and shop for cardigans, and I know my tastes haven't strayed too much from when I was 18. In the ten years since, Talbots has gone from high-waisted narrow-wale corduroy pants and folksy embroidered, high-necked cardigans to a whole range of clothing including flirty dresses, bold florals and some more flattering cuts for people from petite to plus-size. My mom still chooses the most un-appealing clothes, from my point of view, but the fact that we can both find things to look at and try on in that store is a testament to their changing sales approach.

I am addicted to that colour of green, and have been craving shirtdresses lately. This does not bode well for my budget! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

the sewist DATE:Mar 4, 2010 1:01:00 AM I'm pretty young (a mere co-ed), and hate frumpy clothes with a passion, and I shop at Talbots when it's not too pricey. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

bani DATE:Mar 4, 2010 2:54:00 AM Sometimes the mumsy companies trick you by getting new models, posing them cleverly and updating the accessories. *nods*

I really like that, but it's too short for me. juuuust another inch and a half (see! I can do stupid US measurements despite being metric at heart) wouldn't hurt. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Robyn DATE:Mar 4, 2010 9:45:00 AM I was quite distressed when I was looking for (green) pants a few months ago, and the only ones that fit and were the right color were in Talbot's. But I did buy them anyway. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Steph DATE:Mar 4, 2010 12:50:00 PM Yes, Talbots used to be very buttoned-up and frequently veered into "mumsy" territory, but they have--as others have noted--made a concerted effort lately to liven up their line. My mom and I used to shop there when I was in college and was looking for some "professional gear" for starting out in the working world, but then it got REAAAALLLY frumpy for several years, as well as using cheaper materials and charging the same price as more expensive materials, and I abandoned the store. But now that I've matured some more, and that they're targeting the younger set, so many of their items strike me as surprisingly relevant and beautiful. I've bought scads from Talbots in just the last two months, including at the Outlet store. LOVE! They always have great sales, they always have enough in my size, AND offer almost everything in petites. AND women's petites! For very reasonable prices. Again, LOVE! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

bani DATE:Mar 4, 2010 2:36:00 PM Would it be to OT to ask how their sizing works? I don't understand this apparrel/woman difference. Petite I get, I don't look at that because I'm not. But the rest? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Trude DATE:Mar 5, 2010 12:22:00 PM I've actually been shopping there with my mom for years (somebody has to teach that woman how to dress!), and occasionally find things for myself too. Typically work clothes, not exactly weekend wear for a 20-something, but my girlfriends and I all appreciate how well cut their clothes are for real womanly body types. Their trouser jeans are wonderful, button downs actually fit over my boobs, and sometimes they have super sweet dresses like the one above. You just have to keep checking back! Love their semi annual sale. :) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Eirlys DATE:Mar 6, 2010 4:47:00 AM Ha! That's funny! I know exactly what you mean, Erin. I heard somewhere that most store buyers are put out to pasture over the age of 35 because their eye is deemed to have over-matured by then (you could say that their judgement is all mumsified). Either way, I'm in blissful ignorance. That IS a lovely shade of green! ;) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lizzie DATE:Mar 7, 2010 9:04:00 AM What's that? A pair of cute shoes? In 2010? Unheard of! (thanks for the link!) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

eword10 DATE:Mar 8, 2010 8:38:00 PM I love that green dress!!!! Love it! Talbots has definitely changed. It's not us, it's them! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 12, 2010 3:18:00 PM By VERY CAREFUL if you purchase an item at a Talbot's store. They will not take returns unless they decide it is a quality issue. So if you wear an item and decide it actually does NOT fit or, in my case, I do not like the way the zipper works, they will not refund your purchase. You are stuck! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 14, 2010 10:14:00 PM It is not true that Talbots won't take things back, a complete falsehood.

Here is a link to their return policy.

http://www1.talbots.com/online/customerservice/customer_service_returns.jsp?cmp=ppc-g-e-B%5ETalbots%5EGeneral%5EK ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 14, 2010 10:19:00 PM Talbots has revamped their line. I really like some of their stuff, some of the prints are really great. Nicely made jackets, good quality.

Read 2007 line in link-
Former design director at Ann Taylor has been with Talbots a couple years.

formerhttp://www.talbotsinc.com/brands/talbots/milestones.asp ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 15, 2010 11:39:00 AM Back to the return issue... Note their policy says "unworn". I wore the pants into the store to show how the zipper would stick. They said they would not take them back since (1) I had worn them (duh!) and (2) it was a function of the pant style - not a quality issue. I later called Customer Service and was told the same thing. I guess I should have lied. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Inspiration DATE: 6:00 AM ----- BODY:

Seen last week on the Collette Patterns blog:

navy dress with taffeta roses and leaves

The tone-on-tone of this is really gorgeous. (Click on the image to go to the blog and see a full-length view.) I would love to see something like this on a non-princessy wedding dress, say a simple silk sheath in cream with cream roses along the waist and hem in taffeta or even organza.

While I'm at Colette's blog, I would like to point out how cute these little bias-tape bows are. Adorable!

And speaking of embellishments, I *think* I saw recently a dress with a heart on it, where the heart was made of random sizes of heart-shaped buttons. Does that sound familiar to anyone? Or did I just make it up?

(The dress itself is available here, and it's a larger size, too!)

Thanks to Kathleen for the link!

Labels: embellishment, vintage

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

'nora DATE:Mar 2, 2010 8:39:00 AM Oh my goodness, thank you for the link to Collette Patterns! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Joni DATE:Mar 2, 2010 9:45:00 AM Boy, that's pretty! And I love the Collette blog. If I hadn't sworn off buying patterns for 2010 I think I would have ALL of them. I will definitely have to try the bias-tape-bows trick on a 1940s blouse pattern I have waiting to be made up! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Packrat DATE:Mar 2, 2010 9:45:00 AM This is gorgeous. Your idea of using this on a wedding dress it wonderful. Thanks!!! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sara DATE:Mar 2, 2010 11:51:00 AM Collette Patterns--what a neat place to visit, thanks! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cookie DATE:Mar 2, 2010 7:44:00 PM Yeah...really neat! Would look cool as a white crepe dress with orange satin applique, too.

Good way to cover the waist seam, and create a seemingly more unbroken line to the garment. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Zoltar Panaflex DATE:Mar 2, 2010 11:19:00 PM Patrick Kelly used to do a variety of jersey dresses with a heart shape on the front made of buttons. That was a little while ago, in the dreaded 80's. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Vegan DATE:Mar 2, 2010 11:30:00 PM Gorgeous! And someone snatched it up already. I loved the bias tape bows, too. Very sweet! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Dressim DATE:Mar 3, 2010 8:06:00 AM Beautiful patterns! Thanks for sharing! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Kate DATE:Mar 4, 2010 3:38:00 PM Is this the button dress you were thinking of? I think you wanted to try it with hearts--it was near Valentine's Day.
http://www.outsapop.com/2010/02/margiela-artisanal-at-yoox.html ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Miss Sews-it-all DATE:Mar 5, 2010 10:36:00 AM Simpy fab! I love those vintage details that seem to be missing from today's styles. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Beth DATE:Mar 5, 2010 10:44:00 AM Thank you so much for featuring this Salvage Life dress! I when I find things for the shop with such unique details.

xoxo
Beth, owner of Salvage Life ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Beth DATE:Mar 5, 2010 10:45:00 AM oops, that was supposed to say "I LOVE when I find things for the shop with such unique details." :) ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Another Loafer Roundup DATE: 6:00 AM ----- BODY:

Yes, I am still obsessed with penny loafers, so it's time for me to share another roundup of them with you.

In some very exciting loafer news, Bass has finally come out with a low-vamp penny loafer (the Brookfield). I wish they were an update (but not this one) on the classic cordovan Weejuns, a shoe I wore constantly from elementary school through high school, but you can't have everything. (The menfolks can have updated Weejuns this spring, though.)

What you can have is them in white, which I think is really cute for summer:

Bass White Brookfield Loafer

And being Bass, they come in wide widths, which I appreciate, and they have more padding than most of the other loafers I've seen. (You may have to search a bit for the white ones -- I see them intermittently on eBay.)

I like these Franco Sarto Ivy loafers too, but I'm not sold on the suede, and all the non-suede options are fake croc. I really, really hate fake croc (and real croc, for that matter).

I haven't had a chance to try these on (unlike the Brookfields) so I think the vamp may be too high.

These Via Spigas Olsins are super-cute:

Via Spiga Olsin

They're on the expensive side (~$100) but are on sale everywhere right now in random colors (including the dreaded croc) and a bright shiny orange.

(The Via Spigas, with that wonderful snipped-off 1960s toe, don't look so good on a wider foot, I'm sorry to say. If you have narrow feet, they will probably look fabulous.)

This KORS MICHAEL KORS Harper loafer is cute, except for the lug sole. (Why, Michael? Why?) And they're very expensive, at almost $200:

Aldo has a loafer, too, in black, brown, and red (red's on sale!) but I don't like the trompe l'oeil nature of the penny slot (you see how picky I am?):

These Aldo loafers are a little too 1990s for my taste, but maybe the 90s are coming back, now that we've nearly exhausted the 1980s revival?

If you're out and about and see any other penny loafers, please drop me a link!

Labels: penny_loafers, shoes

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Babett DATE:Mar 1, 2010 6:11:00 AM You have seen these, right?

http://www.etsy.com/shop/darlingtonia?section_id=6549988

If only they were less expensive! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Otherwise known as Jen DATE:Mar 1, 2010 7:38:00 AM I've always wondered why they are called penny loafers...you mean people actually used to slot pennies into the slit on the front band?

Why?

I'm intrigued. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Zoltar Panaflex DATE:Mar 1, 2010 9:24:00 AM Talbot's new catalog came out, complete with short sleeved sweater cardigans.

Penny loafers usually have a copper penny in the front. I used to put wheat pennies in there instead. One time I put aluminum pennies in. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Packrat DATE:Mar 1, 2010 9:49:00 AM That last pair of loafers are very similar to a pair I had in about 1968. (I remember, because I loved them.) Classic never really goes out of style. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

lucitebox DATE:Mar 1, 2010 10:25:00 AM I love loafers, too! I wore cordovan tasseled Weejuns in high school and for some reason my penny loafer of choice was a black Dexter. (I think they were cheaper.)

I went to a fairly preppy school where the uniforms were repulsive, but I would break dress code in an effort to give my outfit a Facts Of Life vibe. The loafers conveniently seemed to fit that image and didn't break the code. My men's neckties, however, we not appreciated in the least.

By my senior year, I liked to buy men's wingtips and loafers from the 60s. They lasted longer and looked more like the sort of shoe that Blair would never be caught dead wearing. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Zoltar Panaflex DATE:Mar 1, 2010 11:03:00 AM I should have mentioned my own experience with Weejun-love.

I convinced my mother to buy me a pair of Bass Weejuns at the Nordstrom Place Two in 1981 - they cost $31.90 and my mother was not interested because of the "high price) but I wheedled and begged (not like me, so she caved) and I wore those puppies for over 10 years.

They were hell to break in, but after that? They went everywhere, to Seattle, Boston, LA, anywhere I was.

My feet went from 8M to 9M eventually and I kept my poor shoes in the wrong box and they got mold, so I had to throw them away.

Lesson learned: Do NOT store anything leather in PLASTIC!

Don't ask why I remember the price, I can't even remember my cell number.

Erin, you prefer low-rise, I prefer high and NOBODY is doing that now, so I'm just miserable. There is a brand called Me Too that does cute loafers. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Toby Wollin DATE:Mar 1, 2010 11:47:00 AM In my 'youth' I wore Sebago's and they are still in production - and look exactly the same:
http://www.zappos.com/search/Shoes/filter/productTypeFacet/%22Shoes%22/gender/%22Womens%22/subCategoryFacet/%22Loafers%22/brandNameFacet/%22Sebago%22 ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 1, 2010 12:25:00 PM I wore Weejuns all thru high school--they were very "in" and I just loved them (I graduated in 1967--yes, I'm THAT old!). I am sorry to learn this morning that they no longer come in AA, however, and I must have AA. Good luck to you in finding a style that fits--I have to have a high vamp.

Gail D. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

puncturedbicycle DATE:Mar 1, 2010 12:43:00 PM This post has been removed by the author. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

puncturedbicycle DATE:Mar 1, 2010 12:49:00 PM Trompe l'oeil, hmmph.

In the new world order, 'ornamental' (ie fake) zips, pockets, buttons and penny slots will be prohibited. That's a warning to those who need one - you know who you are. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cel Petro DATE:Mar 1, 2010 12:58:00 PM Real penny slots. Lug--Ug. White!

I don't wear penny loafers but I love looking at them on others. And, I have OPINIONS about them. Longed for a pair of gold lame loafers in 1965... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 1, 2010 1:00:00 PM I like the lug soles on the one pair. They look tougher for when I'm walking to the bus stop downtown. Except I'm not liking the $200 price tag... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

AngelaBeth DATE:Mar 1, 2010 1:33:00 PM WHERE is the link to the white ones? SO CUTE! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Erin DATE:Mar 1, 2010 1:38:00 PM Try here: http://is.gd/9tgda ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jennifer Murphy DATE:Mar 1, 2010 1:45:00 PM I so love penny loafers. I wore nothing but penny loafers all through college. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

cpeep DATE:Mar 1, 2010 5:38:00 PM Bass has the white ones on their website for $69.

https://bassshoes.harborghb.com/catalog/product-listing.cfm/category/Casuals/group/basswomens/start/13 ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

kristine DATE:Mar 1, 2010 9:16:00 PM This has nothing to do with loafers, but I did just see an commercial for Target that mentioned they'll have fabrics and patterns by LIBERTY OF LONDON THIS SUMMER. Sorry for the allcaps. It's just too exciting. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Amy DATE:Mar 1, 2010 9:55:00 PM kristine, I saw the Target commercial for the first time tonight and thought, "Who can I talk to about this to let them know how excited I am?" Nobody IRL would understand, so I came here to see if Erin mentioned it. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

dulcet DATE:Mar 2, 2010 9:22:00 AM I was saying to my husband that fashions don't have a "why" and that holds true for penny loafers. He promptly laughs and says that they were for the trolley, which used to cost a penny. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

lise DATE:Mar 2, 2010 9:29:00 AM Let's have some Cake! Amazingly, that song was not on my ipod - it is now! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

infodaisy DATE:Mar 2, 2010 2:32:00 PM Pennies for the trolley sounds right. The slots were practical, at least for emergency money. I go pretty far back but I couldn't remember what it was that cost just a penny. When I was in fourth grade my Mother relented and finally let me have my first non-oxford school shoes. They were wonderful, grey penny loafers. I didn't put pennies in the slots though. My mom had me put dimes in my shoes so I'd have money to make a phone call in an emergency. I remember my babysitter telling me that at her school different coins meant different things. I don't remember which was which, but something like nickels for "just looking' and dimes for "someone in mind" and quarters for "going steady". This was the mid fifties. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

phyllis DATE:Mar 2, 2010 3:30:00 PM $200 Michael Kors expensive? I saw $695 Manolo Blahnick loafers on Bergdorf Goodman's iPhone app. Now *that's* expensove! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

orata DATE:Mar 8, 2010 11:10:00 PM Merrell Plaza loafers are the most comfortable loafers you will ever wear. Honest. You can see a pair here:
http://hesiraknits.blogspot.com/2008/11/so-i-was-at-department-store-today.html ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

RoseAG DATE:Mar 19, 2010 7:01:00 PM I have a pair of Nine West candy-apple red patent leather loafs in the same style as the Bass ones. They were maybe $45-55 at DWS.

They are a nice pop with a lot of black/gray things.

The low heel means I wear them all the time. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

anitaashland DATE:Apr 3, 2010 4:00:00 PM Today I found low vamp black American Eagle penny loafers at Payless today, totally unexpected. They were only $6! I don't normally by shoes at Payless but, thanks to you, I've wanted low vamp penny loafers for a long time and these are perfect. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Extremely Short and Quick Post: 2010 Crossword Dress DATE: 6:32 AM ----- BODY:

So, quickly:

here's my dress from the 2010 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. I broke 500 for the first time!

crossword dress 2010

Thanks to Jan for taking the picture (on my cell phone).

Also: this is one of those BurdaStyle Heidi dresses. I'll post a better picture of it later in the week.

Also: the fabric is from Spoonflower. I'll make it available this week too.

Also: yes, those are hot pink patent penny loafers.

Also: that's it.

Labels: crosswords, erin_sewing, Heidi, stunt_dresses

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

megan at moxie DATE:Feb 22, 2010 7:55:00 AM You look great. That fabric rocks. Way to go on breaking 500! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lorene DATE:Feb 22, 2010 8:03:00 AM I'm going to have to make me a Heidi dress. Looking forward to more pictures of this dress. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

sixties sewer DATE:Feb 22, 2010 8:58:00 AM You look so stylish. Love the loafers and the accessories. I just downloaded the Heidi but haven't taped it together yet. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Theresa DATE:Feb 22, 2010 9:01:00 AM Too cute...love the shoes. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lauren DATE:Feb 22, 2010 9:15:00 AM I really admire your style. Most people are completely incapable of pulling off the slightly funky or quirky things you often work into your wardrobe, but you always look fantastic. I especially love this outfit on you :) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Little Hunting Creek DATE:Feb 22, 2010 9:31:00 AM This is a really cute dress. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Katy DATE:Feb 22, 2010 9:42:00 AM That is awesome. So what were the comments from the attendees?? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Alice DATE:Feb 22, 2010 11:15:00 AM Awesome, right down to the pink penny loafers. You really know how to pull off a great look! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Kristen DATE:Feb 22, 2010 11:31:00 AM awesome! the pink looks great with it! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Joni DATE:Feb 22, 2010 12:01:00 PM That's about 900 times cooler than a crossword print tote bag (which I'm sure was ubiquitous at that particular convention!) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jan DATE:Feb 22, 2010 4:24:00 PM You always rock the crossword fabric - loved the pink accents, too! Glad I could help your blogging efforts by taking the photo - I look forward to checking regularly to see what neat dress you discover next! See you next year! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Monabel DATE:Feb 22, 2010 5:46:00 PM As glamorous as you are intellectual! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jana @ Weekend Vintage DATE:Feb 23, 2010 9:07:00 AM So fun and unexpected! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

SewCherie DATE:Feb 23, 2010 9:49:00 AM But will the fabric come with a answer key? :) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

saphir DATE:Feb 23, 2010 11:29:00 AM Congrats on breaking 500! I think I only glimpsed you passing by once during the weekend, didn't get to say hi, and didn't get to see the dress in person, so I'm glad there's a picture. (I'm also glad your outfit did not involve penguins.)

I'm just noting that the numbering of the squares on the fabric is somewhat odd :-) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Feb 23, 2010 12:10:00 PM You are the cutest person.

-AA ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Vegan DATE:Feb 23, 2010 10:20:00 PM Great dress! And I agree with Lorene - would love to see more photos of this dress, without the cardigan. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Coconut Pie DATE:Feb 24, 2010 5:24:00 AM Ah, a fellow cruciverbalist and a seamstress! We should really do lunch! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sheila / Out of the Ashes Collectibles DATE:Feb 24, 2010 9:37:00 AM Makes me wish I had a big magic marker to start filling in the answers! I'm a crossword puzzle addict! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Nora DATE:Feb 24, 2010 10:23:00 AM Awesome. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

RheLynn DATE:Feb 25, 2010 6:22:00 PM I like it! I need to come see you more often as I begin to think about sewing for myself again and not just for my daughter ;) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Solo DATE:Feb 26, 2010 12:54:00 AM Awesome!

Solo
Travel and Living
Job Hunter ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Beatrice and Nadia DATE:Feb 26, 2010 10:37:00 AM What a fabulous outfit. We're completely in love! You look absolutely adorable. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Feb 26, 2010 12:36:00 PM nice post. thanks. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Imran Malik DATE:Feb 26, 2010 2:03:00 PM ´´´´´´´´´´´´´´¶´´¶´´´¶¶
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FOR LINK EXCHANGE CONTACT:- malikimrana1@gmail.com ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Eirlys DATE:Feb 26, 2010 2:51:00 PM This is the best crossword dress I've ever seen! And all the others have been yours, come to think of it. Fantastic fabric! Excellent scale! That dress alone makes up my entire smile ration for the day. If not the week. Thanks for sharing! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Plookiss DATE:Feb 28, 2010 11:50:00 AM I wanted to say I have left you a Sunshine Award on my blog (http://plookiss.blogspot.com/) for you to pick up for having a great inspired blog.

Thank you and keep up the brilliant work! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 7, 2010 2:18:00 PM Erin you look great! I seen you in another dress like this one; you were standing in a lobby (perhaps a hotel lobby) with black pennyloafers and you had your hands in your pockets. You look great! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Mar 15, 2010 10:34:00 PM Erin put your hands in your pockets ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Okay, Karl, Just This Once DATE: 12:48 AM ----- BODY:

Aside from the belt, the fringe, the shoes-slash-lucite-hooves, and the expression on the model's face (which can only be described as "I am smelling something bad while thinking about completing my overdue tax return"), this is one lovely dress. The neckline, the midriff band, the fantastic fabric which I can almost *touch* through the computer screen ...

And it's by that certified wackaloon, Lagerfeld (for Fendi)! I swear, I love to read about Lagerfeld. If there were a Lagerfeld News Weekly I would be a charter subscriber. Nothing about him surprises me. Bathes in a mixture of V8 and ball bearings? That's for amateurs. Can't sleep unless a minion is doing wheelies on a dirt bike up and down the parqueted hall? Pffft. Hardly even eccentric. He's been hired to decorate a secret lair on Skullcrusher Mountain, take pictures of the process for a coffee-table book, and compose a chamber-music piece for an oboe sextet for the grand opening? Please, the man does that every third Tuesday. Lagerfeld would have to build an army of robot kittens that breathe fire and knit alpaca socks before I would even raise an eyebrow.

And yet it still surprises me when I like something he's designed! You go, Karl. Love ya, baby. Don't ever change.

Labels: fashion_show, Lagerfeld, Spring10

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Catanea DATE:Feb 17, 2010 2:21:00 AM Yes, it is a beautiful dress. I bought two identical black fringed shawls, once. Maybe it's time to sew them together and add pockets. (I wish I thought I'd fit into Karl's jeans, though.) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

The Woolly Mammoth DATE:Feb 17, 2010 5:48:00 AM That dress is rather beautiful, although I think I may have to shorten the hem to knee-length though. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Allie DATE:Feb 17, 2010 6:22:00 AM OMG, Erin, I love you. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

the guilty party DATE:Feb 17, 2010 6:24:00 AM I agree, Wolly Mammoth, that is an awkward length. Of course, this is Karl, and he probably doesn't want to hear from ordinary folks (I think he probably calls us "creatures" or "land dwellers" or something) about how its impossible to find a jacket whose proportions work with this, or about it makes us look a bit like a nun.
I actually like the belt and the fringing, though. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jen Thompson DATE:Feb 17, 2010 6:26:00 AM LOL! Priceless post! I watched documentaries about Karl and Chanel all weekend. I think they need to start a Lagerfeld channel on TV - 24/7 of Karl being Karl. I'd sure as hell watch!

And yes, the dress is absolutely stunning! I wouldn't change a thing. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Janel DATE:Feb 17, 2010 7:56:00 AM lol I agree with everything you said, except the fringe. I LOVE the fringe.

Thanks for another great dress! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

beangirl DATE:Feb 17, 2010 8:32:00 AM You know, the thing about Fendi is... I never want to like Fendi, but I frequently find that I do. They're obviously doing something right (perhaps despit Karl the Wack Master... er... hmm... "Wack Master" is perhaps an unfortunate turn of phrase...) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Nathalie DATE:Feb 17, 2010 8:32:00 AM I love the fringe, the length and even the belt. I'd do without the shoes though. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Holly DATE:Feb 17, 2010 9:27:00 AM if anyone knows of a pattern that mimics this dress, i would love to know about it. or suggestions on keywords to use to search for this pattern. my garment vocabulary is not so broad. thanks :) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sara DATE:Feb 17, 2010 10:25:00 AM Before my daughter was born, I had been reading Vogue cover to cover for about 20 years. I was always up on all the designers. I miss it, it was fun. What a funny post! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lauriana DATE:Feb 17, 2010 10:27:00 AM Great post! I actually like the belt, but I would want the dress to be shorter and loose the trim. About Lagerfeld, well, I know lots of craft bloggers love to hate him and, love or hate, it's always a treat to read stories about him. However, let's not forget that this is also the man responsible for keeping Lesage (the embroidery house) and other one-of-a-kind couture workshops in business. Lots of craft and skill which would otherwise have been lost forever. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

AEBL DATE:Feb 17, 2010 10:39:00 AM Thanks for the laugh this morning.:D Lagerfeld is entertaining, but mostly crazy.

@Holly, some search words that might help: "peasant top", "cap sleeves", "corset" style waistline, and "bias cut" skirt. (Although, I'm not really sure about the skirt.) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Evelyn DATE:Feb 17, 2010 12:05:00 PM Great post. I watched the documentary "Valentino" this weekend. At one point, at V's big celebration with the entire couture world in attendance, the audio caught Karl whispering to Valentino, "Compared to us, the rest of them make rags!" True of Valentino, but I don't believe that Karl is worthy to shine his shoes! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

belphebe DATE:Feb 17, 2010 12:37:00 PM A Jonathan Coulton reference! Fantastic! I missed my chance to see him perform live because I didn't buy a ticket soon enough. Darn!

And that is a lovely dress.

I wonder what kind of outfit Lagerfield would put on the half-monkey, half-pony monster? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

riva DATE:Feb 17, 2010 2:43:00 PM I would so love to own that dress. Fringe and all! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Joni DATE:Feb 17, 2010 3:50:00 PM I would take the fringe off and use it for my surrey... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

fripperie DATE:Feb 17, 2010 5:35:00 PM I'm in the keep-the-fringe camp. The belt, i could do without... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Claudine DATE:Feb 17, 2010 5:54:00 PM this post is so hilarious that I had to read it out loud to dh. I, too, am riveted by Lagerfeld. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jocelyn H. Chilvers DATE:Feb 17, 2010 7:22:00 PM Amen, sister! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cel Petro DATE:Feb 17, 2010 8:09:00 PM I'll be so sad when you have to stop writing this blog because you're busy doing commentary for Fashion Week, Red Carpet events, busy, busy, et al.
It is a perfectly delectable dress, maybe not the fringe, but, yum. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

lucitebox DATE:Feb 17, 2010 8:26:00 PM I always mean to dress at The Kaiser for Halloween and forget. I'm not sure I could act weird enough!

What a fabulous post! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

A. DATE:Feb 17, 2010 11:44:00 PM I'm sure Uncle Karl would find me quite demode, but it's on my life list to attend one of the chanel couture grande atelier shows he masterminds. Did you see that article on him a few years ago now where in the middle, nonchalantly, a manservant brings him a protein drink because he "doesn't really eat food"? LOVE HIM. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Feb 18, 2010 1:25:00 PM A little off topic but have people here checked out the Keepsake quilting werbsite? They have very good qualitly fabric and their "novelty" fabrics may be just what people are looking for.

http://www.keepsakequilting.com/products/U3/U5/U5.L12/Novelty.htm ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Alice DATE:Feb 19, 2010 7:21:00 AM I'm with you on all accounts. With the exceptions you mentioned, this dress looks like it was made just for me--well the me 15 years ago, not the current me who could not do that beautiful midriff band justice. And I love the length, love having something swirling around my legs, very feminine. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

wundermary DATE:Feb 19, 2010 10:16:00 AM I don't care for the accessories. But, I am all for this dress. This could be made in several colors and become the uniform for summer. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Feb 19, 2010 10:54:00 AM Now, now. Those are the nicest stripper shoes I've seen in a while. Much nicer than the ones my cousin wore at her wedding. --Karen ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Jen DATE:Feb 19, 2010 11:14:00 AM Isn't this really a rather typical 80's dress, minus the shoulder pads?
There are many sewing patterns like this with a midriff panel (if you can see past the shoulder pads), or buy one ready made, 80's vintage. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Feb 19, 2010 5:38:00 PM Echoing Jen-- I have a couple of patterns (McCalls & Vogue IIRC) from the '80s that are quite similar to this dress. Really like this style even with the belt and fringe. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

kariann DATE:Feb 19, 2010 6:23:00 PM And POCKETS! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

YYZ DATE:Feb 19, 2010 8:02:00 PM It's like you are in my BRAIN! I feel exactly the same way about dear old Karl. Why do I have so much time for Galliano and so little for Karl? They are both certifiable, but clearly Galliano has made a handy deal with the devil, enabling him to turn out delectable collection after delectable collection. Like you, I am astonished if Uncle Karl makes even one thing a season that appeals to me.

For me, in this shot, it's the shoes. Love me a hoof-like lucite ankle-wrap sandal! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lavon DATE:Feb 19, 2010 8:35:00 PM Totaly agree! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Louise DATE:Feb 20, 2010 4:49:00 AM I love Karl, even though he often spews forth supremely offensive comments. And while he doesn't bring me joy the way Galliano does, I still think he is one of the best out there. His Chanel collections usually have several frocks that rock my world.
Thanks for the funny post. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

EdgyJuneCleaver DATE:Feb 20, 2010 7:29:00 PM So years ago, like 1977 Lagerfeld was a young designer at Chloe and my mother made me a fab dress (Vogue pattern/Chloe) which is so reminscent of this dress I was a little choked up. I loved that dress and had I given it thought would have saved the pattern. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Prim Knickers DATE:Feb 21, 2010 1:43:00 PM haha amazing post! I really hope the midriff panel stays around for a while, so flattering. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lizzie DATE:Feb 21, 2010 1:50:00 PM My name is Lizzie and I have a confession:

I love Karl.

I love what he does at Fendi, and I especially love what he does at Chanel.

There, I'm glad my secret is out! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

farah butt DATE:Feb 21, 2010 2:25:00 PM I have a seen ur work its realy appreciated.its very beneficial for me.its full of filled with information.
I hope other people will gain things from here.
info@wfash.com ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

sil DATE:Feb 22, 2010 10:30:00 AM I think we can thank one of his assistants for sneaking that one into the show.

Maybe we can find a copy of this book?
http://www.blackbookmag.com/article/karls-ex-assistant-on-the-kaiser-an-unbelievable-narcissist/7641 ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Im Estee DATE:Feb 23, 2010 1:21:00 AM I agree. Its a beautiful dress ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sheila / Out of the Ashes Collectibles DATE:Feb 24, 2010 9:38:00 AM Give that girl a double cheeseburger and extra large fries! Sheesh! Put some weight on! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Imran Malik DATE:Feb 26, 2010 2:04:00 PM ´´´´´´´´´´´´´´¶´´¶´´´¶¶
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FOR LINK EXCHANGE CONTACT:- malikimrana1@gmail.com ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Vintage DATE:Feb 27, 2010 2:01:00 AM I love the dress, i think there is no need to make any changes. Its is simply fabulous. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Feb 27, 2010 5:51:00 AM http://gongfu.com.ua - Visit us or die! iojulmvcc ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Linda B DATE:Feb 27, 2010 9:27:00 PM Wow! you hit it right on the head....why do those models...male and female...always look as thought they had been sucking lemons or smelling something not quite right...or the worst when they look one step from suicide. I do love that dress, tho. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Today's Pattern Story DATE: 6:00 AM ----- BODY:

Cadets at LouAnne's House of Beauty and Space Hostess Training relax in two of the six approved Space Hostess Poses before their three-day comprehensive exams, which start tomorrow.

The exams determine not only vocational placements for each cadet but also the hairstyles, makeup, and clothing the cadets will be allowed to wear throughout their five-year probational service in the International Space Transit program. The exams are daylong ordeals of drink-serving, emergency procedures, and hair setting and waving. Cadets are allowed one four hour watch in every twenty-four to refresh their makeup and watch uplifting in-flight movies.

Graduates of LouAnne's are considered leaders in the Space Hostess field, and are assured their choice of the placements they qualify for, including the prestigious São Paulo-Marsport run.

This pattern courtesy of Sheila at Out of the Ashes, who is offering an extra 15% off through the end of today (Monday the 15th).

Labels: patternstories, Vogue_7542

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Packrat DATE:Feb 15, 2010 11:12:00 AM LOL This dress/jumper does have that "stewardess" look to it. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

nancy DATE:Feb 15, 2010 11:53:00 AM And that HAT! It just screams, "Come Fly With Me!" ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

evalyn DATE:Feb 15, 2010 1:08:00 PM "Really, Lois, of all the accesories Tim lets us have from the Bluefly.com wall, and you picked that hat!" ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Pattern Junkie DATE:Feb 15, 2010 1:35:00 PM Interesting how in Approved Pose #2 the right arm disappears...! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Theresa DATE:Feb 15, 2010 4:21:00 PM Can you get tuition assistance for Lou Ann's? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

YYZ DATE:Feb 15, 2010 6:46:00 PM Rolling on the floor! Thank you SO MUCH for this hilarious tidbit. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cookie DATE:Feb 15, 2010 7:08:00 PM The stiff blue version just makes me ITCH, it screams polyester so loud. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Vegan DATE:Feb 15, 2010 8:01:00 PM Those outfits would be so unflattering on anyone with curves. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Purl Buttons DATE:Feb 16, 2010 5:17:00 AM I worked at Disney World the year it opened (1973)and that reminds me very much of the "costumes" the girls wore who worked at the monorail station. I believe they DID have hats. The outfits were royal blue and lime green for the center part I think... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Steph DATE:Feb 17, 2010 4:16:00 PM Oh, what a sweet pattern! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Feb 17, 2010 11:42:00 PM Oh, Hey... I found a similar vintage pattern and entered it in the BurdaStyle 'Coats and Clark Pink and Red Comp'.

You should appreciate the name of the entry http://www.burdastyle.com/projects/time-traveller-airlines-in-pink-red ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: My Space Opera Fantasies Are Elaborate And Unfulfilled DATE: 6:00 AM ----- BODY:

This dress (from, full-disclosure-mode, new advertiser Marian's Vintage Vanities) is really tweaking my "MUST BUY NOW" knob, but it is just too large for me, and everyone knows Tyrannical Empresses of Space Operas wear their dresses a bit on the tight side, if anything.

But if YOU will be leading the armies of the Zorg (and wear in the neighborhood of a modern size 18) this is the dress for you! It's Lurex! Fabric of the Future (and some of the more entertaining parts of the past)! And it is only TWENTY-FIVE OF OUR AMERICAN DOLLARS. No joke.

This, some Bowie-style face paint & false eyelashes, and a blinking tiara from the dollar store and you would be good to go for dozens of Halloweens, and you wouldn't freeze your ass off, because you could totally wear long underwear under this. And if anyone asked what you were supposed to be, you would just fix the questioner with a piercing stare, snap your fingers, and say "Minion! Kill this insolent creature!" and then turn and walk away.

The beauty of the walking away part is that it means you don't even *need* minions, but if you do have minions -- well, what are you waiting for?

Labels: lurex, space_opera

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

beangirl DATE:Feb 12, 2010 7:08:00 AM well, I... just... it's just so...

I'm in love.

Now where did I put those minions...? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Packrat DATE:Feb 12, 2010 7:54:00 AM It is too much like my wedding dress (white, tho). Very 1970's. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Theresa DATE:Feb 12, 2010 12:20:00 PM HEy, That woudl fit me! I might have to buy it! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Alison DATE:Feb 12, 2010 1:23:00 PM When I was 16 or so I had the perfect footwear for this dress: gold lurex pointy-toed pixie boots. They were 3 sizes too big for me from a thrift shop but I sewed a seam up the back and wore them anyway (with a black leather mini-skirt...it was 1978). If I still had them I would surely buy this dress and put a seam up the back it it too :-)

Love your blog! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sara DATE:Feb 12, 2010 1:29:00 PM One word for your writing, and that dress: Awesome. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

the sewist DATE:Feb 12, 2010 3:01:00 PM Minions not included? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

3KillerBs DATE:Feb 12, 2010 3:43:00 PM Other than the fabric that is a wonderful dress. The style would be wonderful on a busty, curvy, full-fleshed woman -- fitted enough and not too strained with the attention focused on the good parts. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

JustGail DATE:Feb 15, 2010 8:13:00 AM Dang - if it wasn't for a short woman, I'd buy it - minions or not. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Theresa DATE:Feb 15, 2010 4:22:00 PM OH, I'm a short woman - this is somekind of sign... ----- -------- AUTHOR: Erin TITLE: Another Heidi DATE: 6:00 AM ----- BODY:

Seriously, folks. Do you think I have a problem? I can't stop with the Heidi dresses.

Here's the most recent one:

Scribble Heidi

Fabric is from FabricMart.com again. I don't know who they know but they are getting some excellent fabric lately.

Here's the bodice:

Scribble Heidi

And the back:

Scribble Heidi

I lined the bodice and pockets in pale gray Kona cotton -- not sure why I had it hanging around, but I did.

I have a whole pile of fabric that I still want to make this dress in: TWO (two!) colorways of camouflage, black denim, a Liberty twill, a rayon plaid, possibly a rose-pink corduroy, and on and on ... Good thing it's so fast to sew!

Labels: black_and_white, Heidi

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Feb 11, 2010 7:20:00 AM you're brainwashing me aren't you? makeaheidimakeaheidimakeaheidi....
i swore off the burda patterns since the one and only time i attempted one of their freebies and ended up with a dress that gave me a completely flatchest. given that i'm normally at D cup, this was quite an achievement for mere fabric, but not the look i wanted. how easy (if you were someone who'd only - unsuccessfully - finished one dress) is it to tailor a heidi to one's -ahem, "unique" - proportions? (get it to fit big bottom and boobs in other words) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Ellie Finlay DATE:Feb 11, 2010 7:52:00 AM It's a truly wonderful neckline. Maybe that's why it's so appealing! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

edot DATE:Feb 11, 2010 8:10:00 AM lookin' fab-u-lous! I've simply got to start sewing more dresses this summer. And I totally agree with you on the excellent stuff from fabricmart lately--this one is a vera wang lavender label print, of which I've seen lots in fabric stores. Good fabric for us, bad economy for higher-end rtw. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

brocadegoddess DATE:Feb 11, 2010 8:12:00 AM Oh this is such cool fabric! I'm going to check out fabricmart RIGHT NOW!

It would be so fantastic to see one of these actually on you though (I know, maybe not so easy to achieve as on judy there).

You don't wear this one with loafers though, do you? It just doesn't seem a loafer-y type of print.

And thank you for reminding me - again - that I need to make more of these myself. I will also go pull out this pattern RIGHT NOW, lol.

To anonymous: maybe try you local library for books on fitting and alterations. They often have diagrams or photos of examples of different fitting issues with instructions on how to deal with them on the pattern. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Packrat DATE:Feb 11, 2010 8:15:00 AM If it works don't fix it. :)

Love the fabric. Oh, to have access to garment fabrics not just quilting fabrics. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Little Hunting Creek DATE:Feb 11, 2010 9:03:00 AM Beautiful! I love that fabric. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Feb 11, 2010 10:45:00 AM It looks fabulous - what you need
to pair with it are some great
red shoes! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sara DATE:Feb 11, 2010 11:39:00 AM Go with it, Erin! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Ahava Jora DATE:Feb 11, 2010 12:39:00 PM Love the Heidi dresses you've made!

Just a note: The Fabricmart link is broken... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Karen DATE:Feb 11, 2010 12:52:00 PM You had me at the first Heidi. The second was adorable. Between posting Heidis 2 and 3, I made one of my own, and I completely see why you're in love with this pattern.

Aside from the fact that your Heidi love is contagious, I think it's also a reaction to the craptacular weather outside my window that I now want to go on a sleeveless dress binge.

And I might need some of that fabric . . . ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

neighbourhood.gal DATE:Feb 11, 2010 3:34:00 PM Photo of you in a Heidi, please. I'm beginning to wonder if this is a pattern that will work on me... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Gracie DATE:Feb 11, 2010 4:32:00 PM I'm also beginning to wonder if I should make a heidi too!!

Make Your Own Patterns by Rene Bergh is an excellent book, I've used it a lot to chnage patterns to suit my own figure (f-cup bras... can you imagine what a pain it is to get those stuffed into a 'normal' b-cup pattern?!)

Erin, how many dresses do you own?! I would LOVE to see some pics of your wardrobes :-D x ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Dawn DATE:Feb 11, 2010 6:17:00 PM A 'problem'? I'm trying to develop a 'problem' that causes me to constantly make cute dresses for myself!

Dawn ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Cookie DATE:Feb 11, 2010 7:34:00 PM Oohhh...me like-y!

I want to see it on a human form, too, though...because that's the only way you can really see if a pattern has yielded a good garment.

We, the potentially purchasing public, need proof! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lisa @ the Vintage Fashion Library DATE:Feb 11, 2010 10:19:00 PM Erin, just out of curiosity, how many dresses do you have in your closet? Seriously. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Feb 12, 2010 7:10:00 AM That is a wonderful print. And the dress looks wonderful, too. But yes, we want to see it on you (you could wear a mask...or get some Dame Edna spectacles and only wear them for photo-shoots.) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Joni DATE:Feb 12, 2010 7:53:00 AM I keep picturing this dress worn over an orange turtleneck... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Annie DATE:Feb 12, 2010 11:25:00 AM So you finally convinced me to make a Heidi! I have finished my pattern adjustments and my muslin. I am ready to go with my fabric. Only a little nervous since it's the first garment I have made in about 5 years. Thanks for giving me a little push! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Theresa DATE:Feb 12, 2010 11:07:00 PM Maybe the fabric has hypnotic powers because I am thinking maybe i need to make a Heidi. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

EEM DATE:Feb 13, 2010 11:09:00 AM It looks like the link is supposed to be fabricmartfabrics, because I had to google after the link wasn't found to look at this material closer.

http://www.fabricmartfabrics.com/xcart/890682-Vera-Wang-Silk-Organza-Twombly-Scribble-53-Wide.html

I have bought, printed, and pre-constructed this Heidi pattern, I am just making myself finish my three current projects first, aiee! Can't wait! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

lucitebox DATE:Feb 13, 2010 12:33:00 PM I sure do love this fabric! (Even more than I liked the colorful one posted.) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Feb 15, 2010 3:09:00 AM ok - end of excuses. i have just acquired some old sheets from freecycle, so I'm going to make one of these, using the sheets as a muslin. wish me luck! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Feb 17, 2010 8:27:00 AM When you find a dress style that works you just have to go with it! I have multiples of Vogue's wrap around dress! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:Feb 26, 2010 6:20:00 AM http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FplRL99sLj8/S4KtEU05K5I/AAAAAAAACho/gz-rCkI-JrQ/s1600-h/IMG_0015website.jpg

thought you might appreciate the heidi-esque-ness of this... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Emma Louise DATE:Apr 5, 2010 7:27:00 PM I just love, love, LOVE this fabric!! :) ----- --------