Measure Thrice and Cut Twice

So a couple months ago I went on a 1950s bender and bought a bunch of vintage and vintage-inspired patterns. The first project I decided to work on was a Hawaiian print, pleated skirt.

McCall's M6706 Pleated Skirt

I have not used McCall's before so I did a lot of measuring before hand to pick out the size that would work best for me, since nothing ever runs true to the given measurements it seems.

So I picked my size and starting  putting everything together. The first problem I ran into before I could even cut out my pattern pieces though is my fabric was too narrow for the pieces.

Regency Shift

Sooo...back in February I was looking for something to work on and while going through my fabrics, found some yardage of combed cotton lawn I had ordered during the fall. I had ordered it from Dharma Trading Co. with the intent of using it for some Edwardian underpinnings. Then I put together my Regency drop front dress.

While I do have a Regency shift already, I was the first one I made from cotton/poly broadcloth and the entire thing is machine sewn. As a result, it is very bulky, not breathable, and very stiff. The neckline is also cut very high and sometimes peeks out from my dresses. 

Originally I had used Sense & Sensibility's Regency Underthings Pattern, but I opted for the Laughing Moon Ladies' Regency and Romantic Era Corset, which includes pattern pieces for a shift.

LM #115

As I cut out pattern and fabric pieces, everything is pretty much the same in that there is a large front and back piece, shoulder piece, sleeve piece, and underarm gusset. I did some research into the LM pattern though and one of the things I noticed were a lot of people had issues with the back running a little high. To see how the shift would work out, I made a "half" mock-up of just the upper portion to check for for fit and any additional alterations that might be needed.

Just like the reviews, the back did run high. To help adjust this, I added 2" to the back of the shoulder strap pieces, and lowered the top edge the same amount to accommodate the change.

Sewing Space Improvements

So while I have been diligently working on a couple sewing projects and my cross stitch, I went on a week long hiatus of not really doing a whole lot. My sewing space sits in the same room as the office, and because it doesn't get a whole lot of use (outside of my sewing), it also has the propensity for being a huge dumping ground of things that myself and the beau (Kerry) would really not deal with at the immediate moment.

In the spirit of spring cleaning though, we go into the room to clean, purge, and just go through things. Part of the the mess includes a lot of stuff that I never got around to going through when I moved over a year and a half ago. While going through everything, I found this gem of a photo from when I was probably in the 10th or 11th grade (2004-2005). So here's a Throwback Thursday on Friday.

It's from a Girl Scout workshop that had something to do with local heritage or history (I don't remember, there's too much dust on that portion of the brain). But as you can see, I had a very early introduction to corsets. I have a vague recollection of being laced into it and going, "Cool! So this is what these things feel like!"

Spring Time Swing Time Fever

Over the winter holidays, I got bit really hard by the retro bug. Last October I had made my spider web flare skirt. We had a mild winter in northeast Ohio so we've already had several bouts of warm temps (meaning 55-65 degrees F). As a result, I've had warmer weather clothing on my mind for a while already. With no upcoming historical events to attend as of now, I'm deciding to go outside of my comfort zone and work on some - recently - historical clothing. Not to mention I'll be able to wear it on a more day-to-day basis (Crinoline hoop skirts are fun, but they're a b!tch to wear around town regularly and while driving). Plus there's the added fun of doing research about it.

I had bought Vintage Vogue pattern V8788 a loong time ago, but have never had an idea of what fabric I wanted to use for it. Recently I discovered a love of cotton poplin and shirting fabrics because they're super lightweight and still have a nice dressy look even though they're completely natural. Wanting be able to wear it into work (We have a black and white only clothing policy), I found this pretty floral poplin from Denver Fabrics.

Then I went and saw the movie Brooklyn with Saoirse Ronan close to awards season, and that retro bug became a full blown infection. As I sat in the theatre trying to ignore the packed audience around me, I fell in love first with the story of Eilis as she immigrates from Ireland to Brooklyn, New Work, during the early 1950s, then with all of the outfits that she wears (And if you haven't seen the film yet, do!).

Better Late Than Never

So for the last week of February, I had a week off from work. While I had all sorts of plans for sewing projects for my days when I was sitting around the house, that sort of ended up going out the window once I sat down in my sewing area. I had more chore projects stacking up and small projects that I had put together.

I opted for the project pile since it would help to clear up some space for me. To start, a couple throw pillows that went with the curtains in the bedroom. Not my idea of anything exciting, but they were done in a couple hours. In addition, my friend Sarah had a baby recently so I was putting together some fun stuff for her.

In the process of cleaning through the project pile though, I did finish this small wedding sampler (also for Sarah) that was originally promised to her shortly after her wedding. As you can see from the picture, it's been a while.

With one cross stitch project being finished, that means I can have another in progress! Because these can sometimes be very time consuming, I try not to have more than two going at a single time. My next one is Charlotte from Mirabilia patterns.