Vintage Patterns and an Antique Thread Case

This past weekend, we traveled out of town to visit with family "back home" where my husband and I grew up.  While there, I found an old box of sewing patterns that once belonged to my mom (and some to my grandmother). Most were for things she had made me.  I picked out some of my favorites and brought them back to my current home in case I want to make Ella a vintage outfit.

Here's what I found...

I'm pretty sure I have a pink skirt with suspenders made from the Simplicity pattern at the top right.  It's stored somewhere deep in Ella's closet right now or else I'd get it out to make a picture.  It has some condition issues, so I never made Ella wear it.

My favorite find is Simplicity 6124--the top with the peplum.  Ella just wears a size 3/4 now, so I guess I'll have to wait to try that one out unless I decide to do some pattern resizing.  After the sewing day I've had today, I think that won't happen any time soon.

The top two patterns here are a couple more of my favorites.  The maxi dress is so cute, so that is going on the to do list as well, and I just love the dress/top from the Simplicity 5483 pattern. My mom used to sew for other people, and I think that is where all three of these patterns came from.  

Ok, these three patterns were definitely my moms.  I had the wrap around skirt, the long skirt with big pockets, and the dress with the ties at the shoulder.  Skirts with fitted waists were always hard to fit on me because my natural waist is not much smaller than my hips.  Still have that same problem today.

This group of patterns brings back the most memories, probably because they were things my mom made me in high school and the first year or two of college.  We loved the Laura Ashley patterns (there's another one that I didn't find) and made them all numerous times.  For some reason, we called the romper a bubble romper.  I'm not sure if that is what everyone else called them back then or if that was just something my mom and I made up!

These dresses/jumpers were so large and loose fitting that I wore them years later when I was pregnant with Connor!  They worked great until the last month or two of my pregnancy when I outgrew the bust!  They are all now neatly packed away in my attic.  

Whew!  What a stroll down memory lane!  I love the memories though, and am so thankful to have them!

Just before we left "back home", my mother-in-law told me her sister had left me an antique thread display case if I wanted it.  I didn't hesitate to answer "yes!", and we managed to fit it safely into the trunk of my car for the 6 hour return drive.  It was already wrapped up for travel, so I didn't even see it until the day after we were home and unpacked.  It's made of all metal except for the front glass.  I've searched for an exact one online to try and determine its approximate age and value, but I haven't found one like it yet.  I know it's not a one-of-a-kind because my mother-in-law has one exactly like it!  

Thanks, Jeannie, for this wonderful treasure.  I promise to use it and take good care of it!  

What goodies have you found or been given lately?  I love making old things new again.

Felt Fabric Flower Tutorial

Now say that three times fast!  Whew!

I've got a quick tutorial for your today on how to make fabric flowers from felt.  You know, the cheap craft felt sheets you buy.  These are super simple and so fun to make.

I know you've seen these a lot out there in cyberspace, but I haven't seen any quite like mine.  My quick tutorial will show you how to make a large felt fabric flower that looks a lot like a zinnia or maybe a dahlia. I've got some you can see in the final pictures that look like daisies, too. Ok, so here we go!

Step 1:  Cut the strips for your Flower Center and Flower Petals out of the craft felt fabric sheets or if you want to go a more expensive route, use wool felt.

The dimensions shown above are for making a large flower, but you can vary the width of each piece however you want to make up all kinds and sizes of flowers.  I also used a 1" to 1.5" wide piece for the Flower Center and 1.5" to 2.5" for the Flower Petals on a lot of small or medium flowers.  Just play around with it and see what you come up with, too!

Step 2:  Glue the strips.

Step 3:  Cut the petals into the strips.

Step 4:  Cut the Flower Center.

Step 5:  Roll and glue the Flower Center.

Step 6:  Add the Flower Petals and keep rolling and gluing.  We're almost done!

Step 7:  Glue a felt circle to the back to cover up any glue that oozed out from the rolling (this part is optional but makes the overall flower look much neater).  Also at this point, you can glue a barrette or pin to the back in you want to wear it.

Voila!  A Felt Fabric Flower! 

I'll show you very soon why I made all these Beautiful Flowers (hint, hint)! Aren't they sewVery pretty!?

See how you can vary the center of the flower?  You can use different colors or you can omit the step where you cut the center and simply just roll and glue it up.

Have fun making flowers and have a great day!

This tutorial was featured on March 30th, 2012 at Sew Can She.  Please check out their blog and sign up for their daily tutorial emails!


UPDATE: This tutorial and all photos are property of sewVery and are NOT to be reproduced, rephrased, or copied and reposted on your blog!  As with all other content and photos on my blog, it belongs to me (Veronica) and you may not use it on any other blog or social media without my express written consent!  If you wish to share my idea, please contact me at sewvery(at)gmail(dot)com for permission.  

One of My Favorite Patterns

A few months back, I picked up this Chelsea Andersen pattern (M6062) put out by McCall's.  I had just started sewing again and wanted an easy peasant style shirt/dress pattern to make my daughter something cute. First of all, the two little girls on the cover are adorable, and the fabrics I thought were so cute in pink and green.

And although it doesn't have Easy written on the front of the pattern, it really is easy to make.  As you can image, there are no complicated steps required to put together a peasant top or dress, but for someone new to sewing, this pattern clearly outlines what you need to do.  Very simple instructions to follow.  Love it!

Since it was approaching fall, I decided to make my dear daughter top A in cotton quilting fabric I had picked up at Joann's. I had a remnant in the perfect teal green corduroy to match the top, so I whipped up some pants, too.  I think I didn't have quite enough of the corduroy to do two rows of ruffles on the pants, so I just opted for one.  I also extended the sleeve length a few inches to be a 3/4 length.

And I had been wanting to learn how to make a fabric flower, so I searched online for some tutorials.  Of course I came across a ton, and now I don't even remember which ones I used, but I made a couple of fabric flowers--one I turned into a big barrette and the other a pin to attach to the top or a purse.

Here is the fabric flower pin.  Sometimes she wears it on the waistband on the side or the middle, but most often she doesn't wear it.  I still think it is cute.  I had thought she could also pin it to this cute brown corduroy purse I made her, but she hasn't let me do that yet.

 

To date, of all the outfits I have made for Ella, this is the one that I favor most.  Apparently, so does everyone else!  Whenever she wears this, people go out of their way to stop us and tell us how pretty she looks or how cute her outfit is.  That is such a good feeling.  I can't believe I haven't made any pictures of her wearing it though!  Ugh!

Because this first attempt at McCall's Pattern M6062 was such a success, I decided to make Ella's Christmas nightgown from the same top but with some modifications. First of all, I went with a full length sleeve, then I left of the elastic waistband, and I made the overall top longer so it would be more like a dress.  This is the best picture of her in it that I could find.  She had just woken up Christmas morning!

Again, this pattern produced a winner!  She loved the gown, which I made using some vintage holiday themed fabric from my mom's stash.  I even had enough to make Ella a matching pillowcase.

Even though it is way past Christmas, she still likes wearing the gown and using the pillowcase!

Around the same time I made the Christmas gown, I purchased some designer fabrics from a local store.  I thought they were so cute.  Owls seem to be so popular right now, and the light blue color was a nice departure from the mostly pink/purple wardrobe Ella has.  I made another outfit--top and pants--just like the first very popular outfit, but to my disappointment, Ella is not as fond of the fabric as I am.  She has worn it maybe three times since I made it, and it always takes some coaxing on my part to get her into it.  Oh, well.

I even matched up the plaids!   I can't understand why she doesn't like it! Aren't owls cute?

And finally, I made her another nightgown like the Christmas one.  In fact, it was the very first thing I ever blogged about here.  The Valentine gown.  The fabric is so fun and playful, and of course, pink!  She loves this gown and wears it often.  

So, if you are in the market for a great peasant top/gown/dress pattern, I highly recommend the McCall's M6062 by Chelsea Andersen.  I've yet to make Dress B on the pattern, but that is on my to do list for this spring.  I have a feeling Ella is going to love it, too.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

My First Zippered Pouch

I woke up early this morning to help my husband pack for a business trip, and since it was Saturday, the kids were sleeping late.  Once we finished the packing, I had no reason not to tackle the zippered pouch and tissue holder that I already had cut out.

As you can imagine, the tissue holder was a breeze and took no more than 5 minutes to finish.

The zippered pouch took me a little longer.  Maybe an hour.  You see, I have never sewn a zipper into anything before.  The whole idea just scared me, that is, until I actually tried it.

I had used a Simplicity pattern I purchased recently for a $1 at Hobby Lobby, but it was not until I got home and read the instructions that I realized the pouch was not lined.  I couldn't believe it!  Why would someone need a pouch that wasn't lined?  Just seemed really weird to me, so I decided to make mine lined and figure out how to put it all together with a zipper as I went along.

It ended up being much easier than I thought it might be.  You see, the instructions for the unlined pouch called for hemming the top of the pouch and then just sewing the zipper to the inside.  So that is what I did.  I just sewed the outer pouch and lining together first, then hemmed it, then sewed the zipper in.

But the first time, I somehow didn't get the ends of the zipper lined up with the end seams of the pouch, so I had to pick it out and try again.  The second time, I was much more careful to notice where everything lined up, and it went in with no problems!  What a relief!

Now I have this adorable ensemble to use with my matching Pam's Purse! I've already organized my coupons and loaded them up in the pouch.  The inside of my purse is so neat and tidy!  Yeah!

And now I am no longer scared of zippers!  Mission accomplished!

Pam's Purse: A Talbot's Knock-Off

I haven't sewn much the past couple of weeks, but last Saturday, I devoted my day to making a purse pattern and then the purse.  I've had this black leather Talbot's purse that has become pretty worn from years of use, but I love the bag and can't seem to part with it.  So, I decided to just make a new one.

You see, I inherited this purse from my late mother, Pam, who passed away unexpectedly five years ago.  Her favorite things were accessories--shoes, belts, and purses--and from time to time, she would let me borrow some of her things.  I had borrowed this once and then returned it, but after she died, I carried this Talbot's purse for well over a year!  It's large enough to hold all my stuff and the opening is big so I don't have to remove everything to find something that may have fallen to the bottom.  The handles are long enough, too, that I can wear it on my shoulder or just hang it on my arm.  For me, it's just an ideal purse!

With all that use, the bag has started showing considerable wear, especially on the bottom corners on the piping as well as a few marks that won't wash off.  It's made of leather, so it has been very durable, and I'm sure I'll continue to use it.

I've been wanting to make a pattern of this purse for a couple of months now, and Saturday morning I decided it was time.  I had this black and white hounds tooth wool blend fabric that I bought as a remnant months ago, and since my mom loved black and white hounds tooth, I knew I had to use this fabric for this bag.  And to top it off, I added this beautiful rhinestone heart pin that my mom gave me on Valentine's day when I turned 12.  All that said, it was obvious that my version of this Talbot's bag had to be named Pam's Purse after my mom! I'm sure she would have had me make her one, too.

I didn't have any fabric I really liked for the lining, so after a quick trip to the store, I picked out this medallion fabric with black, white, red, and olive green.  

The purse was pretty easy to sew together, but for some reason, the fusible interfacing didn't want to stay stuck onto the fabrics very well this time.  For all my bags, I've been using Pellon 809 decor bond for the linings and Pellon 71f fusible fleece for the outer bag.  I've never used the sew-in kind of interfacing or fleece, but I'm thinking that that may have worked better on this purse considering the type of fabric I used.  If you make purses, please leave me a comment or send me an email telling me what interfacing and fleece you use and why.  I would really appreciate it!

The handles were store-bought at Joann's and are made of a synthetic fabric. I haven't been able to find any leather or faux leather handles locally.  I like these though, especially since they do have a little decorative braid on the ends.

Pam's Purse also has a magnetic snap closure just like the original; however, because my version is made of all fabric and not leather, I've got some issues with the top edge of the bag due to the weight of the tab for the snap.  Does anyone have any suggestions on how to correct this on my current bag or for future bags that I make?

I've been using Pam's Purse all week, and I really love it.  I've got a matching tissue holder and zippered pouch all cut out, but sadly, they are still sitting in my sewing room waiting to be put together.  My goal for tomorrow is to get those made so I will have a complete ensemble!  I need the zippered pouch to organize all my coupons and receipts!

So, there you have it.  Pam's Purse.  I hope I made my moma proud!  I miss her so much!

My moma--Pam

Wow! What a Deal Wednesday - Week 2

Well, it has been a while since I've been to the thrift store, but one day last week, I had a few minutes when I was out and child free. So I decided to head over to the Goodwill Outlet store to dig up a bargain.

Here's what I found in about a half hour.

I didn't find as many interesting clothes as on my first trip here, but what I did find this time was for me and not the kids.  The Tommy Hilfiger sweater was flawless and is very comfortable to wear.  You might recognize it in my photo from the other day with my Infinity Scarf from Imagine Gnats.

The Lei shirt was actually something I bought because I liked the fabric, and at first, I thought I'd probably end up repurposing it into something for Ella. However, after I tried it on, I decided it fit me pretty good.  If I don't end up wearing it, I can still use it to make her something adorable.  She was disappointed I was keeping it for myself because she liked the beautiful flower fabric so much!

The Old Navy corduroy pants were in excellent condition, so I took a chance that they might fit.  The size was correct on the label, but when I tried them on at home, they were too small.  Not a loss though.  I'll end up using the fabric for something eventually.

I dug through a bin of books and came up with these four for the kiddos.  The three larger books were essentially brand new.  One is even a lift the flap book with no tears or blemishes!  The snowman book is from the 1970's and just screamed for me to save it.  I love the illustrations and the story, although the last couple of pages are missing. :(

I found these two lovely pieces of vintage lace.  The white piece is a little over a half yard, while the green is almost two yards.  I have no idea what to do with lace, so they are for a future project yet to be determined.

Finally, I found a very tacky purse with these bamboo handles.  I decided to salvage the handles, zipper, magnetic closure, and a couple of small D-rings from it to use on future projects.  The handles alone are worth over $4 new!

At the Goodwill Outlet, all items are paid for by the pound.  So, here's what I spent:

Plus Sales Tax of $0.11

Wow!  What a deal!  All that for only $4.17!

I definitely want to head back to the Goodwill Outlet soon to search for more goodies, but it's not a place I like to visit with my kids.  I get a little paranoid about germs in there although it doesn't appear any dirtier than the retail Goodwill store, just a lot messier.  I guess it's because everything is just thrown into these large bins/tables for people to rummage through.  I've even seen some people wear surgical masks and gloves!  

Well, I'm off to fill up my Purell bottle!  See you next time!