Ticked off the To Do List

Although it rained most of the day it warmed up a bit so I was finally able to get some photos in the garden! This is Butterick 5314 and Butterick's free pattern download for the Retro Tie Bag I wrote about here.

This is a modern pattern but I think it's got a retro vibe, don't you? I made the bag because the fabric is such a wonky colour (sometimes it looks more blue, sometimes more lavender) and I have had a horrible time trying to match accessories. The only thing I don't like is the self made belt..it isn't very secure but I'd never done it before so I figured I'd have a go, but I think in the future I will use a professional service. I think I must have lost some weight since I originally cut and fit it because the dress and belt feel a tad baggy. Other than that, it was sooo easy to make and could probably be done as a weekend project. I used embroidered linen with a cupro lining for both the dress and bag. This will be perfect for summer if we get some warm weather..*sigh* such is life in North Yorkshire!

Bank Holiday

Hope everyone had a great Bank Holiday/Memorial Day weekend! I've been so busy again this week I haven't had much time to blog, but I have squeezed in some sewing that I will share in future posts. First I want to share my bank holiday, which was spent at Chatsworth, the estate of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. If you ever get the chance, GO VISIT..it was amazing!

It may be somewhat familiar, as part of the movie The Duchess with Keira Knightley was filmed here. She played the somewhat scandalous Lady Georgiana Spencer who was queen of society and fashion of the time.

Lady Georgiana Spencer

Besider oogling at the family jewels and artwork, I found the wardrobe display of Deborah Mitford (11th Duchess of Devonshire) to be particularly interesting, as I have an interest in historical fashion. She married in 1941 and her wedding dress was made from 80 yards of tulle! Can you imagine?? (Unfortunately it wasn't on display, but I found this picture on the net..although you wouldn't guess it from this picture)

Image from dailymail.co.uk

The display said that the Duchess bought all of her clothes from either agricultural shows or Paris..how funny is that! Much of the clothing on display was from famous couturiers but there were some casual sweaters from the shows. The plaque below this dress stated that the printed silk dress (blue and white) was made by her friend Oscar de la Renta (that must be nice!), which she wore for a 2009 Vogue magazine photo shoot. Most of the others on display were Givenchy or Balmain.

Oscar de la Renta and Givenchy dresses

I got this really great book from the gift shop:

Order online from vandashop.com

If you are into historical fashion you will love it! It has close-ups of the intricate detailing that often made up the garments of this time period with line drawings so you can see how they are put together. The only frustrating part is that they do not show pictures of the entire garment, but nonetheless it is a great resource if you are into couture detailing. There are also companion volumes for Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Fashion in Detail, which I most certainly plan on purchasing!

Now it's time to get some sewing done, and hopefully things will calm down a bit so I can catch you up on my projects this week!

Weekly vintage pattern

Just wanted to share my weekly vintage pattern find!

I'm not really into 60's style, but I thought the long coat and dress ensemble was very striking although simple. I'm thinking silk charmeuse for the dress and coat lining with silk velvet for the shell..this could possibly be my outfit for Elizabeth's wedding (or maybe just drinks at Hotel du Vin)!

Finally, some much needed stitching!

After a long week of working overtime and a relaxing weekend filled with warm weather and barbeques, I finally had some time to sew today! Here is the first item in my stash-bustin' series:

This bag is actually a free download from Butterick called "Retro Tie Bag." I made it from some fabric scraps that were left over from a dress I made (pics of the dress will come later, I'm waiting for the warm weather to return so I can shoot it in the garden). This was so easy to make, and it is bigger than the pattern photo looks..I can fit my purse, phone, and diary in there! I do suggest that you make the ties longer because in my opinion they are a bit short for the size of the bag. The pattern doesn't specify what type of zip you need, so make sure you purchase a regular zip. I'm really chuffed because this is going to look so cute with my dress!

Status update

Today I finished the toile for the Paulie Trigère dress..I'm not going to show it though because the fabric is really ugly (camouflage colored flowers with turquoise thread..can you tell I'm trying to get rid of all this excess fabric?!). I am excluding this dress from stash-bustin' because I started it beforehand and there is a certain way I want it to look. I don't have the right fabric so I have some swatches on order, but this means it will probably be a few weeks before I finish it..especially if this volcanic ash buisness contintues to cause UK airports to close!

On Saturday I was excited to start some little swing-type jackets I have been wanting to do for awhile, but the fabric fents I wanted to use aren't big enough! So now I've got to figure out what to do with them...

Tote bags, maybe? Not really my thing though...*sigh*..guess these will go to the bottom of the stash basket for now...

On another note, I'm not sure how much I'll be around this week. I'm working overtime so that doesn't leave much time for sewing in the evenings, but at least I'll have time to line up my next projects!

Taking on the stash

As you can see by the nifty little button on the left, I have joined Zoe's stash-bustin' challenge! (If you click on the button it will take you to her post). This was actually the reason I went through my fabric stash on Tuesday..I was kicking around the idea and wanted to see how much/what fabric I actually had to work with. Due to lack of storage space (which seems to be a common characteristic of English houses) all my fabric is kept in a large basket, and since I can't fit another metre in I figured this challenge is in order!

If you don't feel like clicking the link, I'll sum it up here (this is the pledge Zoe made):

I am pledging to bust my stash, using as much of my fabric collection as I can, over the next few months. I will only be stepping into a fabric store when absolutely necessary to pick up items like linings and interlinings to complete projects when I don't already possess an alternative.

Sounds a bit daunting, doesn't it? I'm going to abide the best I can, but sometimes, I just can't resist a nice print! Therefore I am adding the caveat that I am allowed to buy new fabric only if it is an absolute must have, and I cannot buy more than I have used up.

So, what to make? When I get done looking through the 60+ patterns my mum sent me from the Hancock's 99¢ sale I'll let you know!

(This isn't even the half of it!!)

Is it destiny?

I'm so chuffed that I found these patterns today!

This morning I decided to go through my fabric stash and figure out what I am going to do with some of my scraps and uncut pieces. Everytime I come across this, my mind wanders with delight:
It's a heavyweight home furnishings cotton that I think would look great as a 50's coat dress..the only problem is I only have just under 3 yards and it is 54" wide, which isn't enough for most patterns. After a frustrating search on eBay and Etsy I couldn't find anything that I liked with my fabric restrictions or that was in my price range, so I put it away having no idea what to do with it. Later I went out to run some errands and because it started SNOWING (WTH isn't this May??!) and I only had a cardigan on I decided to wait it out in a nearby vintage/retro shop. After poking around for awhile I found these beauties hiding in a little basket (and £2 each is definitely in my budget)! Although the coat dress looks more 60's it is the closest to what I want and meets my requirements..I think it will be stunning in this fabric! (The Blackmore dress I got for fun because I liked it). My measurements were conservative so I may just have enough fabric..but I will have to wait until I finish my Pauline Trigère dress.