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A touch of noir, Advance 6190 and Simplicity 5294
Advance 6190
One of those, OMG patterns, Advance 6190, is a vintage pattern I splashed out on a while back, it is my first in the American Designer range, a pattern by Adele Simpson, came to me complete and in good vintage condition. I had in my stash some pale blue crepe, a wool blend, with the most luscious drape. THE exact colour on the envelope. I had to use it. Only minor issue was I had about 2.5 metres of fabric for a dress that calls for approximately twice that amount….I never let not having enough fabric hold me back though…but I would not be able to give it that ten gore skirt (yes, ten!).
Simplicity 5294
Around the same time a friend passed on to me a load of family patterns (wohooo!) which included some really elegant 70s patterns, like this one above, Simplicity 5294. Which has a really simple, shapely skirt. Perfect. Also I was able to squeeze it into the fabric. Phew.
Austin anxious for me to Sit Down.
I had barely enough fabric for the facings, I would have loved to make a belt to match, alas not this time. I used a cotton/viscose blend as a lining, the crepe is fairly rough, or at least bobbly, and I wanted something smooth against my skin. Here is how I finished the sleeve and skirt hems, a little lace.
Lace hems.
This is one of my preferred finishing techniques, it hides the cut or zig zagged edge and is about the only thing I use all the lovely lace I have in my stash for.
One of those projects that warrants multiple photos, such a beautiful neckline on this baby! It was a little tricky to get it all to sit right, the fabric was fairly bulky, so I needed to carefully trim back more that I would normally.
Finished!
I was really worried that using a different skirt, from a different era, with a reduced fullness would compromise the design and final look of the dress.
But, I don’t think it was worth worrying about, I think it came of very successfully, and I like the slimmer skirt, dare I say, I think it has a very 40s Noir look to it, which I can only credit the 70s skirt for.
And, possibly the hat!
The fabric and shoulders square off nicely too, I don’t usually go for shoulder pads, but I like a the definition that shoulder pads can give. It’s just, you know, the 90s ruined it for me! I also added a side seam zipper for a closuer instead of button down front.
I added a side seam pocket, nice and deep too.
To link the skirt and bodice more, I echoed the three pleats at the collar in three darts at the waist of the skirt.
Nice huh? I think it works well with the three darts in the sleeve elbow too (which I hadn’t thought about..).
So happly!
This is an unplanned Vintage Pledge garment, how are your vintage makes going? Not long now to finish them all off….
#vintagepledge
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Mycelia:Myceliuim – recent work
Mycelia:Myceliuim, detail
I have spent this winter working on some new stitching projects, one I can share here comes from some of these findings:
Roots of fungi, or Mycelia
Luna and Blake are really into fungi, so we get to spend many hours searching local parks and wild places for these amazing organisms.
Hyphae
This project resulted in a large scale hand embroidery, Mycelia:Myceliuim. Which I’m still thinking over…in part it was about living in a mouldy flat, knowing that in some places the building, our home, was decomposing around us (you know that smell? That damp mouldy smell?), the landlords were mostly cool about this, we were not so pleased. Our own small experience of the Auckland housing crisis. More on that another time….
Mycelia:Myceliuim takes up a bit of space!
Mycelia:Myceliuim
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More Vintage Suit Sew Along makes!
We have had some major moves lately, so the blog has been rather quiet…more on that later!
Meanwhile some clever stitchers have shared their completed vintage suit makes for the Vintage Suit Sew Along 2016. Did you join in? Or make plans? Let me know! I’d love to hear how your project went.
Eszter Molnar from EM Originals, made this lovely, lovely suit, 40s of course. Eszter used nubbly/boucle green cotton and lined her suit with a polka dot rayon.
So elegant, and I think this suit just shows how timeless a really good suit is.
Don’t you think? Nice detailing in the bolero jacket and pleats in the skirt, I love it!
Another stunning finished make is from Beccie Leathley from Sew Retro Rose, who has made many a vintage suit, so it was great to have her sewing along with us all.
Some pattern inspiration….McCall 6562.
We were all very, very impressed by the extreme shoulder pads on this suit. Which work so well, and those bishop sleeves are to die for! Beccie goes into detail about her process over on her blog, so check it out, (she’s quite the pro).
Akram Taghavi-Burris from Akram’s Ideas made this sweet suit using vintage separates, I’ve made similar suits using skirt and bolero patterns from my stash, it was a good warm up and if you’re not sure about tailoring or whether a two piece works for you, you can create a stylish looking suit with ease, and have separates to incorporate into your wardrobe.
I love the colour combination, and how well this works as a suit. Akram used a tried and trusted skirt pattern with a bolero pattern, and it came together so well.
So gorgeous!
I have loved seeing how each of us has embraced the suit sew along, and how perfectly different each suit is. It seemed like a great project for many sewists, whether you wanted to get into some tailoring like Beccie, or put together your own two piece from separates like Akram. I loved seeing everyone’s progress, challenges and everyone was so encouraging and supportive along the way!
I am planning another suit, are you?
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My Vintage Suit!
One of my inspiration images
My project for the Vintage Suit Sew Along is technically over!
However, the other Suit Makers and I have been speculating on future plans…it’s not over yet. You can see more of my inspiration and plans on this post, and you’ll see my making blog posts and other sewists work with this search.
Suit jacket pattern, Simplicity S-128 and skirt pattern, Advance 8443
I finished a week or so ago, spent some time revamping one of my favourite hats to complete the ensemble, and appropriately ? We did the photos at our new house! A rather all-consuming project that I was immersed in at the same time. So we collected the keys, and headed over to the new house for photos.
So, onto the photos!
I’m really happy with this suit! I had some challenges, which seem to fade when I see the photos and the whole outfit together.
It was slow going in some places.
The fit needs, maybe a touch more tweaking?
I’m never going to attempt welt pockets and bound buttonholes with a lose weave fabric, Ever Again.
Oh take a look at that fun lining!
Oh why yes, skirt pockets. Quite happy about those.
Oh and cuffs! I added small cuffs! I love them too.
The hat! I’m not a milliner, ahem, so it’s not as perfect as it could be, and basically the crown of the hat is full of my hair, so ah, not the ideal shape?
But I am happy with it, and I think it tops the suit off, pardon the pun.
Black bound buttonholes, my favourite vintage black gloves, black bias trim.
You can see a little more about the shaping of the jacket, here.
I found some lovely buttons at my mums place when I raided her stash.
Vintage plastic buttons – thanks mum!
Jacket and skirt hem, the houdstooth is a little lost at a distance.
I love the cut of the jacket.
Swirly skirt!
And it’s fun to wear!
Are you working on your suit? There are a couple of others still going, and I encourage you to keep going, and please share when you’re ready! It’s been motivating having a crew of suit makers working along together, and I’m so pleased to have finished, albeit later than I had planned and hoped.
So, thanks everyone for participating, on the sidelines, and at your machines! Watch this space for more completed makes, and who’s keen for another suit?? I am!
#vintagesuitsewalong #vintagepledge
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Recent adventures, a visit to the museum
Luna and Blake are quite keen on fossils and geology. Just a year ago Blake had an on-going ‘project’ carefully excavating our driveway looking for fossils, creating and collecting complex tales about the geology of the rocks he was finding, making experiments with waterways, eroding ‘outcrops’… all the while hoping, dreaming of finding a dinosaur fossil.
Blake, Luna and Dr Hugh Grenfell, getting into some cool rock collections
Luna and Blake are often bringing home specimens, and Luna has started a few of her own ‘collections’. Some I can help identify, others are more of a mystery, so for sometime I have been meaning to hook up with an expert on all things rocky, and where to find such an expert? The Auckland Museum! I got in touch and was able to make a time with Dr Hugh Grenfell, he welcomed us behind closed doors and solved some mysteries, shared some interesting rocks, and helped us identify the finds.
Mystery rock one:
Quartz, it turns out! Specimen from Karangahake Gorge. This small rock was a mystery, Luna said ‘Quartz!’ when she found it, cracking it open at home to see what was inside. I thought it was too light and almost chalky in texture, not what I expected.
Mystery rock two:
Another quartz specimen from Karangahake Gorge. This was exciting, we learnt that this is just what you’d be glad to find if you were prospecting for gold around the Coromandel. No gold in this one though…
More interesting specimens, including gold!
Treasure!
Colourful quartz crystals.
Mystery rock three:
Tuff, we wondered if this was a lava bomb, due to it’s smooth rounded shape
Turns out to be a well weathered piece of ‘Tuff’, maybe from Northhead, interesting! Below is another example of tuff from the museum collection, and very common in Auckland due to All The Volcanoes.
Cool! Seeing this makes it seem not-quite-so-odd when Luna and Blake bring home chunks of rock… “But it’s a Really Good Rock mum!”
Mystery rock four:
Luna picked up this greenish rock at Waipu Cove Beach recently
So this is Greywake with quartz veins, and is really old, from the Triassic, about 250 million years!
Who wouldn’t want cupboards like this at home?? Or is it just us… It was exciting to see what was behind those closed doors, and they did not disappoint.
Examples of crystal dendrites
Mystery rock five:
Our crystal dendrite rock on the left
Picked up in Nelson recently, I had been carrying this rock around for a while in my handbag, and it was exciting to see we had what looked like a dendrite. Ours is the rock on the left, next to a rather impressive museum specimen, we happened upon dendrites in drawers in the Children’s section. Bingo!
We confirmed this with Hugh, and he showed us some really spectacular crystal dendrites.
Wow!
Some of the trays contained very old collections, and were stored with the original museum signage. Lovely.
Other interesting rocks…
Always good to see some stunning rocks and minerals
Luna waiting with her specimens
Exciting!
It is really wonderful to be able to connect Luna and Blake with experts, who can share enthusiasm and knowledge. We have moved onto looking at the resources available on the GNS website, have a look here and I’ll be helping Luna keep better records of her finds (date and location mainly).
Thanks Auckland Museum, Dr Wilma Blom and Dr Hugh Grenfell for having us!
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The Vintage Suit Sew Along – More completed makes
I can’t hide the fact that was really excited when I heard Katherine of Miss Dixie O’Dare was planning to make a Marilyn Monroe inspired suit for the Vintage Suit Sew Along.
When I first saw Niagara many years ago, I too fell in love with the same blue suit.
Here are some of her photos.
Isn’t it fabulous? I really want to make my own now, even more….You can read about her suit making and finished photos here on her blog.
I was pleased to see another Vintage Suit Sew Along project that involved making pants and a skirt to go with the jacket. Saranne Teale used a combination of patterns for her project.
Not only did I admire her plans, I loved her organisation! I initially wanted to do the jacket, skirt, slacks combo for my project too, alas I did not have enough fabric, and you can see why the idea would appeal, check out those slacks…
And the skirt and jacket out on the town… Fabulous!
There are a few more finished makes to share soon, I am lagging behind on my own, somewhat, here are some teasers of other makes lined up…
Jenn Steele’s plans…
Carla Sweetlove’s suit, check out that collar! Swoon.
And Beccie Leathley’s plans….I think we are all dying of sleeve envy.
Are you working on your suit ? How are you doing?
#vintagesuitsewalong #vintagepledge
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Home Bay and the Beach Forge
It’s feeling like summer now, we’ll skip spring and get right on to hot beach days! We opted for a much needed abandon-all-plans-for-the-beach day this week, in addition to our regular outdoorsy days. We are in a time of change and disruption, I’m a bit distracted by ‘too much too do’ as we contemplate the logistics of relocating the family.
Home Bay Beach Reserve is a lovely little beach, close to the city, but so peaceful, Blake loves this beach, for the swimming and the sand, and Luna loves this beach for the archaeological finds she makes every time. Luna and Blake got onto the rubbish detail, we amassed a couple of plastic bags of plastics before we got onto the sea glass and ceramic chips that Luna loves to collect.
I made some discoveries like sea art, in the form of this carefully carved cockle shell. Quite a nice landscape of a giraffe, with a mountain in the background, I thought.
Blake set to work making a ‘Beach Forge’, a pine cone hammer to work the spears, this kept him busy for some time. Such a good day.
And I still have so much to do!
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The Vintage Suit Sew Along – completed makes!
While I still have finishing touches left on my Vintage Suit, there have been some stunning makes from other sewers who joined in.
Danielle Gardener of Devel finished up well ahead, you can read about her plans here, and see her post about the finished Butterfield Suit on her blog.
So chic in grey.
Such great detailing. I love it!
We had various interpretations of vintage suits, including the skirt and cape combination created by Amy.
When Amy said ‘pink’ and ‘Schiaparelli’ when planning her make, well, it was going to be quite exciting.
I enjoyed seeing the progress on the embellishments that were so time consuming.
And there are more! I’ll be sharing them shortly…. And while I’m a bit disappointed to be lagging behind somewhat, I’m in good company….We are still sewing, pressing and making progress.
I’ve got my buttons sorted, Luna and I went through some lovely vintage buttons from my mums stash….
What can I make for these buttons?
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Term three in pictures
Lego + cards = good times
Luna and Blake don’t learn by the term timetable, but it is a marker for us with our regular term based activities. When we pop by our regular haunts during the school holidays, I get a reminder how lucky we are to be able to visit libraries, museums, parks and zoos off-peak, on weekdays. Less traffic and parking hassles, librarians and helpful staff usually are not as pressed by numbers of visitors and have time to chat.
Monopoly card game
We have had a month or more of card games, every day, off and on all day. Including last card, poker, blackjack, speed, fish and most recently the Monopoly card game. Luna has been really enjoying Chinese checkers, staying up late and practicing moves in bed, over and over. It has paid off, she’s hard to beat!
Luna’s working for counting in 5s
All the fun of cards, counting, learning the sequences, symbols and various objectives and strategies has moved into multiplication and counting in bases. Really easily Luna has especially been motivated to get her head around the patterns and commit them to memory. Fun!
I have also observed how much Luna and Blake have leaped forward with their understanding of counting in bases, addition and subtraction when it comes to keeping track of their pocket money and reaching savings goals. At first it was great that they had a few coins they could spend at op shops, and they were a lot like pirates with their loot. They enjoyed counting, stacking and playing with the coins, they have lost money, had stashes that were forgotten (oh the tears), and found (wohooo! Treasure). I still give the same amount, $2 each week, (sometimes I forget to organise the coins, and the following week they get $5 for the two weeks) with occasional bonus funds contributed by grand parents, or found on the street (real treasure), Luna and Blake really love their Lego, and have rather impressive goals for saving for the Really Big Sets. They do buy a bag of lollies to divvy up and share (fight over) from time to time, or pick up presents at op shops, sometimes they cave and consider buying a smaller Lego box….often I remind them of their goals, and they get back on track. It’s interesting to see how things change as their understanding grows.
At the cinema
We spent on of the first days of ‘term’ at the cinema, we packed our own ice creams, were one party of film goers among maybe, half a dozen other people. How extravagant! We never go to the movies, opting for dvds on the big screen at home, as it tends to use our whole ‘fun times’ budget in one hit…So this was exciting. Blake declared he would bring ‘boxes of ice creams for all the kids’ next time. Sweetness.
Reading, reading, reading. Still on Tintin.
Can we oil your sewing machine?
I have been working on a couple of major deadlines, sometimes with kids along for the fun, sometimes when they are happily absorbed in their own activities. Blake is quite into oiling my sewing machine, most days, he’s checking on it, he especially enjoys watching it in action with the light cover open.
Reading, for a change
We put our hair in rollers early and got on to some work in the sewing room.
Love from Luna
Late night Lego
A Shark Memorial
Looking after the dogs
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The last moments of the Vintage Suit Sew Along
My dream suit
Are you sewing along with us and making your dream vintage suit? The Facebook group Amy and I started has been exciting, some of us have finished already, some of us have had challenges that have got in the way of getting it all done on time. The revised deadline was end of July, and we planned to share our completed suits in August.
It’s the 3rd of August and this is where I’m at!
If you are sewing along, and not quite there, don’t feel bad, I have some hand finishing to do which I’m fitting in when I get space during the day and I suddenly realised I don’t have buttons sorted !
Argh! I’m really happy with the bound button holes and when I looked at the buttons in my stash and considered self fabric buttons, I know I want black buttons, and I’ll be raiding my mums button stash this weekend…
First sleeve on
I love the cut, however, when I inserted the lining, I’m finding it’s not sitting so well….mostly in the sleeves, so I’ll be playing around with that this week to see what I can do. Sigh.
Shaping the sleeve head
The skirt from the inside
Making bias canvas tape
I am using some bias tape I have made from canvas interfacing for the hem of the skirt and the base of the jacket, I’m hoping this will give the shape I’m after for the skirt. So far, I think it’s going to work well.
This week, I have some photos of finished suits to share, so keep sewing, don’t give up! Watch this space, and happy sewing xo
#vintagesuitsewalong
artist, writer, curator, mentor
Angela Rowe 