Author: Erin

Today's Pattern Story, Sale, and Lame Excuses

Erin9 Comments

Simplicity_2459
 [Note: this is a maternity dress.]

Beulah: I am thinking motherly thoughts. Deep, motherly thoughts about my precious babe-to-be. Thoughts that require me to stare into the middle distance, and ignore the teeny tiny person undressing at my feet.

Hester: Dude! You're knocked up, you're not the Dalai Lama. Get over yourself. And pass me the saltines, will you? I think I'm gonna hurl. 

[This pattern is from Sheila, at Out of the Ashes — she's running a 15% off sale, today through Sunday. Use the coupon code SUMMER.]

And, as promised, lame excuses — sorry for the light posting lately, I am completely, utterly, irredeemably swamped with work. Not sure when it will let up, either. Wish me luck!

Back To Where You Once Belonged

Erin8 Comments

Forgive me for turning my back to you like this, but Holly at Lucite Box is having a big sale this week, which includes this amazing red gingham shirtdress:

Holly_gingham_back

Bows *and* buttons. And pleats. AND it's a larger size! (B40/W32) If it only had pockets, it would be well-nigh perfect. 

Oh, okay, here's the front: 

Holly_gingham_front
 

There's lot of other stuff on Lucite Box right now that you just might like … if plain gingham isn't enough for you, how about this gingham and paisley combo? Or maybe this tiger-lily dress? (I think orange and tan is a very chic combination …) Or perhaps this absolutely glamtastic long gown? (Holly has such a good eye, don't you think?)

A Few Quick Links for Monday

Erin8 Comments

Thanks to Anna (and Threads Magazine), I now know there is an iPod app for tracking your fabric stash. Dear developers: please make one for the Palm Pre & Android, too. 

Has anyone heard anything about fashionstake.com? I am hoping it will be like kickstarter.com, but for clothing … but I'm not feeling their "democratize fashion" tagline when everyone in their promo picture is a skinny white model. What would be really useful is if they connected would-be designers with someone like Kathleen at Fashion Incubator for some real-world advice, but that may be wishing for the moon … 

I still haven't written up the "How To Make Five Heidis and Not Go Crazy" post, but there's a video of me wearing one that I made in my Heidi binge. (For the Liberty obsessives out there: the lipstick I'm wearing is the incredibly bright MAC Liberty Petals and Peacocks shade.) 

Did you know ModCloth is doing a literary anthology? I love it when sites do things Just Because It's Cool. Check out their submission guidelines here.

And I loved all of TrueUp's coverage of Quilt Market, and I am marking my calendar to watch for these Alexander Henry prints in the fall. Oooh!

Book Review: Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts

Erin17 Comments

Martha_Sewing
 

It's taken me forever to get around to reviewing Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts … but it's basically everything you expect from a Martha/Potter Craft book. Beautiful photographs taken someplace where the light always says "It's a summer Sunday afternoon"? Check. Meticulously detailed instructions which somehow manage not to imply that, left to your own devices, you'd stab yourself in the eye with the safety scissors and eat all the paste? Check. The firm conviction that the single most compelling thing you'd like to do today, more than anything else, is sew ribbon onto a bathmat? Check and double-check.

The clothing in the book falls under the heading "One Size Fits All," but not in a terrible way. There's a truly gorgeous and avant-garde scalloped suede skirt pattern that I drooled over, and the obligatory chiton dress, but the cutest thing is a little girl's dress made from a man's shirt. If I had a little girl handy I would make, like, five hundred of them. There wouldn't be a man's shirt left in any thrift store within a ten-mile radius.

I am definitely going to hold on to this book (they sent me a review copy, full disclosure). It's just sooo gorgeous, and, like everything else that comes from Martha Stewart OmniEverything, it is a perfect book to flip through when you want some kind of extra oomph for a project, but you're not sure exactly what. Plus, there's a CD of patterns for the appliqués and so forth, so that the next time I think "ooh, what this needs now is a felted stuffed chicken!" I will have one to hand.

This would make an excellent present, even for experienced sewists, simply because of the high production values. There's nothing like looking at pictures of gorgeous projects (even if they're as huh-inducing as sewing your own coasters) to inspire you to get going and make your own stuff.

Meet Our Advertisers #[something mumble]: Michelle Lee of Patterns from the Past

Erin2 Comments

So yes, we're restarting this long-forgotten feature — more to come!

Meet Michelle Lee, of Patterns from the Past [oldpatterns.com]

How long have you been in business?

I started my business around December of 1995, (yes, I was an early adopter of the World Wide Web). Before I had a website, I sold box lots of sewing patterns on listservs.

What motivated you to go into the vintage pattern business?

I have been interested in vintage fashions since I was a child.  Some of my favorite books were the Wizard of Oz series by L. Frank Baum.  They were filled with beautiful illustrations of 1910's and 20’s fashions.  I started sewing vintage clothing in college and found it was cheaper to go to tag (yard) sales and buy large boxes of sewing patterns than to just buy the patterns I liked. When I began my website, I was already a web author for other companies. I started my business to sell off my collection of extra patterns more easily.

What did you do before this?

I was a high school Biology teacher and a part time historical researcher of vintage fashion for Past Patterns.

Where are you based? 

I’m a half hour North of Boston near the border of New Hampshire.

What's the weirdest/best/craziest/most beautiful thing you've ever found? 

I have this pattern in my private collection. 

Vogue_4087
 

I know I will never make the dress – but I love the illustration and the how someone would feel wearing it. I think a friend of mine gave it to me years ago.

What do you have in stock that you can't believe hasn't sold? [

I love these McCall’s dress patterns from the 1940s.  They came from an old store that closed in the 1940s – they are in excellent condition.  I acquired over 100 of them many years ago.  Only the smaller sizes are left.  I’m surprised that I still have so many on hand given how unique they are.

What do you dream about finding?

A box lot of dress patterns from the 1930s.

What do you enjoy most about working with patterns? 

I love looking at all the illustrations.  There are an amazing number of designs produced for sewing patterns. I also enjoy the range of sizes that the patterns where produced in, such as the petitable, half size, and chubbies … There were patterns designed for all shapes and sizes of people.

What do you wish someone would ask you about your site?  

"Can I give you credit for your pattern in my film/tv show or school musical?"  There are several movies and dance companies that have purchased patterns from my company, and I worked with the TV show Mad Men – but I have yet to see my company name in the credits.  I love to help find costumes for vintage productions!

It's a good day at work when … 

I can ship out my orders AND add new patterns to my site.

If I ran the internet for a day I'd … 

Find a way to put my site on top for vintage pattern searches!

The blogs I read (other than ADAD are …) 

I love reading about the projects people are working on at Sew Retro.   I’m also enjoying the research about vintage sewing patterns that Unsung Sewing Patterns is doing.

You'd laugh if you knew this about me …

That I have over 3 times the amount of patterns in my back stock than I have on my website.  Maybe I should cry rather than laugh.  The order processing and data entry never seems to end for me!

Today's Pattern Heckling and Sale

Erin25 Comments

McCalls_3766

Hey! Hey you!

Don't look around, computer lady. I'm talking to you. (Oh wow, this is just like TRON!) Don't have that "oh hell no," I mean "oh heck no," look on your face, 'cause you know me. 

That's right. You would have TOTALLY, like TO THE MAX, made me when you were in junior high school, but your sewing skills just weren't up to it. You were, like, too lame. You didn't think you'd be able to pull off all these buttons and flounces, so you just didn't try. Bet you're sorry now, huh? There could be tons of pictures of you wearing this dress, only in toothpaste green! That would be *awesome*!

Also, I'm pretty sure you also had one of these lace hair excrescences! Aren't they, just, too cool? Add an armful of rubber bracelets and we can hit the dance, no problem.

[Today's pattern — and sale — from Jen at MOMSPatterns,  who is also having a sale. Friday through Monday at Midnight (EDT), May 31, 2010, save 20% off of your orders by using coupon code 'hotdog' when you check out! This story was also inspired by her, as she's heading to an 80's party this weekend …]
 

Today's Pattern Story: Vogue 9003

Erin12 Comments

Vogue_9003

Hortense: It's only a matter of time until little Daphne back there is completely under my spell. She looks so innocent and oblivious now, but once she loses those puffed sleeves and the floral prints, I will be able to absorb her energy into mine and I will RULE the bridge club!

Daphne: If I can only keep up this ditz act for a few more weeks, Hortense won't know what hit her. I'll be able to consolidate my power with the disaffected officers and I will RULE the bridge club! But damn, these puffy sleeves itch. 

[Pattern from Capricorn Vintage, who is selling off her stash (!!!).]

 

What I Think About When I Think About Sewing

Erin23 Comments

Stripeydress_half
 

When I think about making a new dress, this is what I think about:

  1. Fabric. Is there some in my stash or lurking somewhere on the internet that I simply can't live without? Have I been obsessing about a particular event for which a stunt dress is necessary? Have I been thinking about a particular theme, like stripes or eyelet or giant florals? Do I have a new cardigan in a weird color (yes, I'm looking at you, Land's End) that needs a mate?
  2. Pattern. Is the fabric the right weight? If not, how do I compensate for that? Does it have pockets? If not, can I put pockets into it? Where is it tight? Where is it loose? How will it move? How low or high is the neckline? The hemline? 
  3. Construction. Are there difficult bits that WILL cause swearing, like gussets? Can I change a facing to bias binding? Is there a lining, and if so, can I skip it? Can I move a back zipper to the side, or change a placket zipper to an invisible one? Where are the stress points, and how will I reinforce them? Are there places where too many seams meet, and will my fabric make those points lumpy or bulky? Where will I have to match prints or plaids?
  4. Time. Is it a simple pattern to cut out (looking at you, Heidi), so that I can do it late at night, while watching Chuck on Hulu? Or is it complicated, so that it needs me first thing in the morning, when I'm fresh, while listening to podcasts? If I start after breakfast, or after dinner, when will I hit the putting-the-zipper-in place, and will I be awake or cranky? Have I drastically underestimated how long hemming a very full circle skirt will take (the answer to that last question is always YES).
  5. Interest. If this dress will take a long time to make, will I still care by the end? (There are several dresses lurking in my sewing room RIGHT NOW that I gave up on in the middle.) Is there an event driving me to make this dress, and what will happen if I don't finish it in time?
  6. Visualization. Where will I wear this dress? Who will be there? Will I wear it once, or over and over again? Will I blog it? 
  7. Shoes. Which ones? Do I already own them? Would this dress require shoes that do not, in fact, actually exist? (E.g., every pair of boots I've ever wanted.) Do I have a pair of shoes in a weird color that I need to make a dress to match? Am I looking for an excuse to buy a new pair of shoes in a weird color? (Lather, rinse, repeat for "Coat" and "Bag".)
  8. Fun. Will the whole process involve more fun than not-fun? This is my hobby, not a job or a chore. If it starts turning not-fun, can I bail and go watch Dr. Who? Where are the possible not-fun parts, and how can I make them fun? (See Chuck, podcasts, stunt fabric, etc. above)

I'm sure there are other things I think about while sewing, but these are the things I think about, or try to think about, before I start. What do you think about when you think about sewing? 

And We're Back!

Erin29 Comments

How do you like the new place? (Thanks with sprinkles and extra frosting to David and Brenna for their help in carrying all the boxes. Do you buy beer and pizza for people who help you move blogs?)

Let me know if you see any wonky stuff; right now I know that a couple of the ads are out of date and that the category tags didn't quite make it (I'm sure they're in a box around here SOMEWHERE). I'll unpack those soon. I'm also not sure how your Blogger identities will or won't transfer over; if you have trouble Being You, let me know!

In the meantime, how do you like the fabric I bought a couple weeks ago? Yes, that *is* yardage of the Liberty "Mark" used in Target's recent Liberty line. No, I don't know why it was at a semi-random fabric store, but I'm not arguing! 

Mark_target
 

What else did I do on my blog-cation? I also made five Heidis in one day. Yeah. That was nuts. I'll have pictures of them up soon …