The Vogue Coat- Actual Progress?!?

Here is a post where I lamented my lack of progress on my vintage Vogue 775. It chronicles the years that have passed since I bought that beautiful pattern at an estate sale in Oregon. The wool came from Mood in New York later and I managed to do a muslin and cut and underline all of the pieces before we moved to Chicago, ahem, two and a half years ago. 

Finally, a week or so before Thanksgiving, I finally started sewing the coat together. Having made a muslin, it came together quickly and easily. 

 Sorry for the mediocre phone pictures, but I was just taking them to show my mom my progress. I have the shell completed, but I am currently debating the addition of the cuffs and the double collar. I think they may look a tad costumey. That will be for a later post.

 It has that cool button detail where the buttons make an inverted V, but I still need to find 15 buttons to do that. I saw these as Jo-Ann and I might consider them. They are made to look like vintage brass buttons and are metal. I think they would maybe look nice with the blue.

Hopefully I will find some buttons and a lining that I like and maybe finish this coat THIS WINTER!

 Whoo hoo!

Next up: Red Silk Pendrell Blouse

Actually, it is complete, but the weather has turned and I can't get a decent picture yet. I'm going to wait until this weekend when the weather is supposed to be in the 80s! Yay. I tried to take a picture yesterday, but the goose bumps were clearly visible.

At Millennium Park on a warm, but foggy day last week

Soon, an exciting mystery project, another Pendrell in blue flowers and a blouse of my own "design" (aka tracing a blouse I already own). Nicer weather has improved my sewing mood!

Next up: Insanity Zebra and FEBRUARY PATTERN GIVEAWAY

These were part of my giant box of patterns and I immediately thought "Mardi Gras!" Woot woot. We will be in New Orleans next Wednesday and I'm super excited! Stephanie made me a bead bra to match hers, so I am making us both insane kimono things.

 I went back to Discount Textile Outlet because they had a ton of cheap, crazy lycra. I bought hot pink and lime green zebra lycra which was 5/yard. Which is good, since the patterns want 4 yards. I bought 3.5. I am making Stephanie's pink one first.

On to the GIVEAWAY! I will mail these four patterns below to ONE winner! The winner gets ALL of them! I will mail internationally (slow mail). Just be a follower/become one and leave a comment to enter. All of the patterns are for a 32 bust. It includes a 50s blouse pattern, Simplicity 4256; a 1960s suit pattern, Simplicity 4859; Vogue 7192, a late70s/80s skirt, blouse and vest pattern and Butterick 6146 for some 80s business chic.

I will choose a winner on Sunday, Feb 12 and then hopefully mail it on Tuesday before we go out of town. Good luck!

Next up: New Year's Dress

I picked up this pattern on sale recently. It's another of Vogue's "let's make this pattern up in a fabric so that you can't see any of the details" collection. 

 The line drawing shows how it has a billions pieces, all with princess seams. I decided to cut out a 6, to make it snug and because waiting tables has made me skinny again. I lost 1"-1.5"- 2" from my measurements.

 I don't think I even posted about this fabric from an estate sale. They were all severely overpriced, so I only got this one piece. It is knit fabric and I didn't realize until later that it was a 2 yard long tube of fabric.

It is grey and white with gold sparkly thread woven in. It's design reminds me of one celled organisms. I think it will be a slightly flashy, sexy dress. Whoo hoo!

Next up: Sew-Rite 8860

This is the next dress I am working on, yet another pattern from my stash that I am trying so hard to work through. I think it looks very 1950s. It was a pristine pattern in factory folds. I got it from my Aunt Sherry. It is a mail order pattern and has no envelope. As you can see, it is also perforated and has no printed marks. 

This is for a 34 bust and 37 hips. There is no waist measurement given, as I'm sure you were expected to be able to adjust that to suit you. I am almost finished, I just need to add a side zipper! Pictures soon.

On a good note, my teaching certificate is finally in the mail! While I don't have a permanent job, that will at least allow me to substitute and work on making some connections for next year...

Dress In Progress...

Once again, I am copying a dress from a magazine. It is hard to see in the picture, but it has little scalloped sleeves and gathers at the waist instead of front darts, plus the three tier skirt. If you can read it, this cotton dress sells for 2,741 dollars. Oh my lord! Cotton? Maybe if it was made out of clouds and silver, lol. 

 Anyhoo, my fabric is rayon so it does not have the stiffness to do the scallops on the skirt. I am doing a side zipper, so the waist will be more fitted, it just isn't pinned shut. I self-lined the bodice, so that is isn't completely see-through.

I ran out of fabric, so I had to buy more. Then I hit a mental block. I just haven't been able to get motivated to finish it. Plus all I have been doing is cleaning the evil bathroom and packing boxes. That is both boring and tiring. I have also read a book a day since I went to the library on Thursday. They are all sappy chick-lit books and are pretty ridiculous!

Maybe if I take a nap I will feel peppy and ready to sew!

Interesting Story and a New Project

My brother bought me this pattern for my birthday, the Colette Ceylon. I decided to make it out of this pink and off white striped polyester chiffon like fabric. Or something semi-sheer. I am going to underline it in off-white lining, which is on the bottom. I don't have the buttons yet, but it should be cute. I am slightly worried about the proportions, though. It seems to think my waist should be one inch smaller (and I agree!), but my boobs and hips should be two inches bigger. Hmm. Plus, I am a zero, which worries me. Then I can't cut out a smaller one if the shoulders are too big. We shall see.

 At the garage sale on Saturday, the one-eyed cat Uno  was hanging around all day. A woman came by and bought a bunch of books and was petting the cat. She started talking about how she works at an animal rescue and a few years ago they had taken in a cat that looked so much like this one. I said he wasn't mine, and he belongs to the girl across the street. She said the cat had had a terrible eye infection and they had done surgery. I told her the girl was home and where she lived, if she wanted to ask her. It turned out it was the same cat! What a small world! The only sad part was the rescue woman said the girl had promised to keep it inside when she adopted it, which she clearly does not. The girl came over to talk later and said the cat's name is Gossip because she used to meow all the time when she was an inside cat. The rescue woman called it "Wink," which is by far the best name!

This is Snickers (who recently had a buzzed belly, so I'm thinking someone fixed it) on the left and Uno on the right having a grumble. First time uploading a video, so humour me! Too bad it is all sideways and I sound like a Valley Girl. Live and learn!

Cupcake Dress Update

I know some people are bored with work-in-progress updates; if that's you, goodbye! :)

I have been sewing so slowly lately with school. School isn't overwhelming me like last year, but it is time consuming. Plus, I have had some unfortunate after club late nights- two times parents didn't come pick up their child until after 6pm- when the club ends at 4:30! We are legally not allowed to leave until the kids are picked up, obviously, so it was unfortunate!

However, I have made the skirt for my dress. Now all I need to do is to sew the skirt to the bodice, make two buttonholes and sew on the snaps and buttons. I hope I can finish this tomorrow!

Dress overall- remember, the skirt isn't attached, so it won't be crooked.

The giant, awesome collar.
The buttons I chose for it out of my stash.
The many-pleated skirt. They are in little groups of three, maybe 30 total?

It definitely is now the Cupcake Dress because it is so poofy and pink. I will look like a big dorky cupcake in it. I doubt it will help me look 26, and not a middle school student, but oh well! You only live once!

Next up- Simplicity 2549

This is my fabric. Looking at my closet I was struck by how many blah work clothes I have in neutral colors. Ick. I know everyone else will be sewing for fall, but I have so much brown, black, navy and gray already. I want more color! Plus, in New Orleans, it sometimes begins to get chilly around the end of October, so I still have a solid month of summer dress weather.

Recently, my students pointed out that blue must be my favorite color because I wear it a LOT. And they were right. Many of my dresses I've made are shades of blue. Therefore, this one will be PINK! The color is slightly off in the picture, it is very baby, pretty pink with tiny black dots. It is just a quilter's cotton, but I have had my fill of slippery fabrics lately.

This is my pattern- Simplicity 2549. From 1958, according to the interwebs. I am making the full, pleated skirt. I made the bodice and tried it on. Although it is a 34 bust, it looks like it will be a decent fit.

Don't you think it will be cute with my black flower belt I just made? I pulled out all my pink buttons, and I am still pondering the two for the front.

In progress: a cape

This cape, from the movie Atonement, was my inspiration. I saw it in the theatre, then went and bought a vintage pattern for a cape on ebay. I really love how it looks reversible.

Then, not last October, but the year before, I bought some very nice cream wool and black wool at Mood when I was in New York to make the pattern out of.

Last December I pinned all the pieces on the cream wool and cut them out.

And last week I dug them out of the Mood bag to try to get this rolling. I would love to have a cape. It would be so sassy.

Any thoughts on a cape? Sassy vs. crazy lady?