the lace museum, Calais

My friend Ksenia recently went to the north of France and visited the lace museum in Calais. She posted the following pictures on facebook with this message:

AMI, THESE PICS I MADE ESPECIALLY 4 U =)
HOPE U ENJOY THEM
this is the lace museum at Calais, the north of France, where lace manufacturing has been traditional 4 centuries, and in the end - vintage models of dresses and underwear of couturiers that now are legends

I thought I would share them with you since they are so beautiful.

Lace as you please (1852-1870)
Industrial progress and the expansion of colonial possessions made the Second Empire a period of prosperity. The bourgeoisie, growing fast, wanted to show off its social and economic success. Feminine dress became the visible symbol of masculine success. Lace found price of place on dresses, which gradually increased in size, as well as on the multitude of accessories that propriety recommended using.

I love the merriwidow hiding on the left.





Check out this link for an english article about the museum that includes some history of lace making in Calais (it was actually smuggled in by lacemakers from Nottingham, England) and some images of some very nice lingerie!

A very merry un-birthday

A few weeks ago I began to think about why I started this blog. I have been thinking up a new 2010 project and its relationship to my opening post and the post by Kate Davies that inspired this blog. I have found that I started this blog as my sewing and knitting and all things related haven just over a year ago. Before beginning a new project I thought this would be a good time to check in and give myself a bit of an evaluation of the past year.
I have not been the creator of a mass of perfect garments for myself as I perhaps thought I would be but I did make a few things. More importantly I learned a few things about sewing, knitting, fashion history, the sewing blogger community and most importantly about myself and where I fit in and feel comfortable among all of those things. I had decidedly stated that I was not ready to stop buying clothing for an entire year (with a whole crock of bad excuses) and then that was exactly what I did! At least mentally anyway. I bought a few items during my trip to Israel in August and a couple more in the Fall that still need to be documented so I can get out of Re-Fashionista Jail but I was much more conscious about what I bought and tried to make more than I bought, Being more self-sufficient is an idea that I have grown increasingly attached to, in all aspects of my life. I am trying to be a more conscious (vs. unconscious) consumer. I try to buy from local shops, buy used items when I can, and donate or repurpose what I no longer need before I think of just throwing it away. I am not always perfect in these aspects but I am more aware of them and my 2010 project will continue to explore these ideas.

So the year in review:

Tree dress


Tartan School Tote


Summer Dress


Floral Fall Shirt

Find me on BurdaStyle.com

Art Smock


Corduroy Jumper



I participated in my first clothing swap through which much of my unwanted clothes received new lives and I received:
a cardigan, a little black dress, a wrap-to be used as dress material, and a skirt I liked the design of that I would like to copy

Fixed 2 winter coat pockets and completely replaced one more

Learned how to create faux smocking with elastic thread in my sewing machine (Used to repair Arabian Princess Dress)

I attended 2 natural dyeing workshops and taught my first knitting class (I hope to do more of both of these things)



Jersey dress (I wear this ALL the time. Definitely a good buy if there ever was one) and Belt (often worn like this or a variety of other blouses and other dresses. I wear this a lot. I need more waist fitted belts)


Tunic top (good with skinny jeans or as a beach dress)


Leggings, black (this doesn't need a picture does it?)

Sweatpants (this doesn't need a picture either, right? Haven't owned a pair since high school. I did wear these all winter as they are super comfy for around the house.)

Sweater Coat (This was my main splurge. I just loved it so much and I don't really have a between jacket. I get lots of compliments on it. It isn't wind proof though. I have thought of lining it with a breathable wind breaking liner (also one that is silky as it is currently lined with fleece that sticks to my clothes and makes it sometimes hard to put on))



Bought but does not require a Get Out of Jail Pass:

Cute shoes

Memphis Belle Dress


2 vintage handkerchiefs

Paris Scarf

A much belated (posting of an) honor (cross posted from Amy was Here)...

About 2 weeks ago I was honored by the lovely Homely Heroine with some blogger awards and I have failed to post them. Which I feel is not only bad blogger etiquette but really bad manners towards my longest and best blogger friend. For these things I apologize and hope that she will forgive me. I was delayed in posting mostly because of 2 things, I have been working a temp job full time and have just had less time to blog and also because my life has been a bit of a roller coaster lately and most of the things that I blog about (on either blog) have been put on a back burner while I deal with the other things in my life. Everything is on its way to being worked out and I am trying to get myself back on the blogging band wagon but it may be a little slow so please bear with me. And now with out further adieu...



This award is kind of special to me. Homely Heroine honored The Dart and The Hem with this one and it made my day. My life has been a bit difficult and stressful lately and I was so elated to receive this (and for a blog that I am working very hard on with not too much success). For this I must tell 7 things about myself that you may not know and then nominate 7 other blogs.

1. I want to go to grad school and study fashion history and theory (and maybe museum practice too). FIT in NYC has a perfect program but I don't really want to live in NYC anymore. I have been thinking that maybe studying in the UK would not only be appropriate but more interesting than NYC. I am just not sure how to research programs in other countries.

2. I also would like to spend an extended amount of time in Israel, probably before going to grad school. I think if I could intern or volunteer at a museum it would be beneficial to my grad school resume but there are also really great environmental programs that I would love to do and just can't decide which I want to do.

3. I have never been away from home for more than 3 weeks. I am DYING to live somewhere else for awhile. Though I am fiercely proud of my hometown. (Check out Bertha Honore Palmer, she was proud of my hometown too and she is my heroine)

4. I hate wearing pants, most of the time. I much prefer to wear skirts and dresses. I feel more like myself in them. I also freeze in the winter so I am wearing mostly pants right now which drives me crazy. I am working on making myself winter skirts and stocking up on tights. I am in love with wool tights right now too.

5. I hate shopping. Which I think is kind of weird because I like clothes and fashion. Though most of my interest lies in good construction details which is hard to find these days at a reasonable price point and in vintage styles which can also be expensive and isn't necessarily mainstream. But my loathe for shopping extends everywhere. I don't even go to the grocery store. We have groceries delivered and then go to the Farmer's market or a small local grocer. It is all just so overwhelming and makes me question my old school-ness and I feel like I don't fit in and need to be something that I am not.

6. I am obsessed with self sufficiency. From making my own clothes (everything in my wardrobe, including underwear and socks except shoes) to growing my own food (I would love to have a kitchen garden that provides most veggies and some fruit trees and shrubs. I also want to have chickens because I eat an insane amount of eggs and I have a weird fascination with chickens. Now I think a few dairy goats would be good too) and making my own lip balm and soap and lotion and studying herbal medicine. I have actually been thinking about writing a book about urban homesteading for truly urban people. AKA you live in a tiny apartment with no personal outdoor space or very little of it so what can you do to feel and be more self sufficient? There will be no chicken keeping or outdoor composting or hooking up your bicycle to you washing machine in this book.

7. This one is for HH. I have not read all of the Aubrey Maturin series yet. BUT I have been wandering around singing "Safe and sound and home again.." under my breath for a very long time. I will read all of the PO'B repertoire within my lifetime and i will learn to sail at some point. :)


This was awarded to amy was here just for making HH smile and has no meme requirements. HH, you make me smile too!



So here are my nominees for both awards:

1. Wild Rumpus because she writes very thoughtful and honest posts that make me think, want to be a better person and make me feel less alone in my short comings.

2. Amanda Atkins in a Canary Forest because she is an amazing artist as well as a fellow vintage style and animal lover. (and the person I heard about SNM from. Sorry I just can't get over it!)

3. Vintage Red because she has placed a formidable and admirable task in front of her and goes through it with hilarious honesty. And she used to live in Chi-town.

4. Sustenancebecause she is a good friend of mine, a newbie to blogging and has really good insights and ideas.

5. My Happy Sewing Place because she got the vintage haircut I wanted! (Though I think i wanted the one that was the next step longer, the middy plus.) She also lives in Scotland and I really really want to go there right now.

6. Sweet Sassafras because she inspires me and is a most lovely and friendly person (even though I don't really know her) and she designs the most fabulous vintage inspired home sewing patterns.

7. Rockin' the Roccoco because I just have to bring attention to this project and unendingly praise her for it. I drool buckets over this.

Hope these blogs inspire you as much as they inspire me and keep checking back because i definitely have some lovely and tasty things to share with you very soon!

my vintage wardrobe...in patterns

I can't believe that it has been 3 weeks since I posted! I feel like I have lots of news. First off I have finished the navy blue corduroy jumper mentioned in the previous post. I wore it to a friends for dinner and got lots of compliments. I forgot to take a picture so that is still coming. I think I am going to wear it this weekend to show off so I will be sure to get a picture then. Secondly is a string of related things:
I got this book about a month ago. I have been lurking ebay and the internet trying to find the patterns and I have found a few but they go for prices that I can't really afford right now. This was kind of discouraging so I stopped obsessively looking for them and instead tried to find similar patterns which has been fairly successful; some of which I like even better. Then I decided that if I am going to spend this much time and money on it I might as well just get the patterns I like. (Duh!) So I have been building a wardrobe with the idea behind the selection of patterns in VoNBBS sort of guiding me. I really liked the portrait neckline blouse and the idea of a slim skirt so I started there.

The illustrations Vogue decided to use on the front of the envelope are unfortunate because this top has more variations that you don't even know about until you flip over the envelope.

oh. hey! a sleeve variation and a low back neckline variation! If the seller hadn't photographed the back of the envelope I would never have even considered bidding on it. I like variety. It gives the pattern more longevity. The seller I bought this from also included a handwritten thank you note and told me he would be adding more 50's and 60's patterns soon. I am a HUGE sucker for a handwritten note so I checked back in his shop to see what else I could find.

The slim skirt. I like this one, again, for the variations. released pleats/darts, welt pockets or the cute side front yokes. It is a one yard "instant" skirt. This seems to have been a popular theme. (I am desperately in love with Advance 8425 but haven't any luck finding it yet)

This super fantastic dress has a variation with slits in the neckline so you can pull your scarf through! This was one of my favorite features of the background dress from VoNBBS. I also like the other 2 neckline variations. The tabbed version reminds me of this dress.
I received these in the mail just today but there was a third pattern in with them! Curious. I looked for the handwritten note.

"Thanks again Amy. I included an extra pattern just for the fun of it. Maybe you can use it with the skirt."

Ha!

I love it! This is a blouse for all seasons and has lots of options. And it has a monogram. I always wanted to be like Lavergne and put a large "A" on all my sweaters. And it back buttons. Back buttoning blouses have been sort of scarce. How awesome was that?
The what is to be a very awesome, very vintage make over of my wardrobe is off to a good start. I am trying to stop obsessively looking at patterns and start obsessively sewing. I have a project that is on temporary hold since I am out of town for a few days over the holiday but I am hoping to finish up the first half of my 40's knitted moss stitch turban.

Happy Thanksgiving! Make sure you eat too much!

hmm...

I started making muslins for two different patterns that are essentially the same project. I have about 3 yards of navy blue pinwhale corduroy and I have been trying to figure out what to make out of it. I originally bought it to make a pair of wide leg pants but honestly I hate wearing pants and my wardrobe needs more fall/winter skirts. At first I thought just a simple A-line skirt with a center seam and the panels cut on the bias so they chevron in the center. But I wasn't really sold on it. Then I actually pulled out the material and it is much lighter weight and finer whaled than I had imagined it. I never really wanted a skirt anyway so I decided to make a jumper. The corduroy is so fine that not only can I not find the nap (I am slightly embarrassed to admit it) but it is almost like velveteen so I thought maybe a jumper that could be dressed up with snap in chiffon details and go cocktail hour. (a la the left)

Not really sure how that would work out so it is scrapped or at least on the back burner for now, mostly because I am on muslin number 2 and I am getting sick of it. I originally was making the Coffee Date Dress by Elaine May over on BurdaStyle because it was the overall shape and style I wanted and the pattern is free (so I don't have to buy it and I don't have to draft it myself). This was my first time using a pattern from BurdaStyle and while I think it is convenient and awesome that I can print a pattern at home it is sort of not convenient and not so awesome. There is a lot of taping and a lot of matching up things that don't exactly match and the trying to get it to print the right scale. Pluses and minuses, pluses and minuses. Back to the pattern I am mostly finished with the muslin except for a zipper to see if it does indeed really fit and I had decided to lower the back neckline. I was all settled on it. Then because of several other things going on that started influencing my every waking consciousness (more on this in another post) I remembered that I had this:

It is one of the two patterns I bought in July at my favorite shop. I had never pulled them out to check if they were complete. So I did that. And THEY ARE!! best $2 ever spent. So I decided to make a mock up of this jumper because I know the waist will need to be um...let out and it will need to be shortened by about 10 or so inches. I did the darts on the bodice and then I lost my sewing mojo. I just want it done already and what am I supposed to do with the muslins other than relegating them to the scrap bin? Then I read on Gertie's BurdaStyle Vintage Thursday column that women used to do tissue fittings and basted fittings because doing muslin mock ups is expensive and a more modern phenomenon anyway. Honestly I am always terrified that I will accidentally destroy the tissue if I do this but I think I am going to try it on this and then trace off the alterations onto kraft paper so I can still keep the original, original. And that is where I am now.

Sewing: Summer Shirt

This shirt was made from the Summer shirt pattern in Downtown DIY Sewing by Alice Chadwick. I bought the book on sale because I liked the dress on the cover (which looks nothing like the photo of it on a person inside the book). I have several critiques of this book. First of which is that I think the instructions are poorly written and particularly confusing if you are a beginner and have no solid previous knowledge of how a garment comes together. And some of the instructions are just bad and could be made better very simply. For example the cuff piece on the sleeve is just a band folded in half lengthwise. The directions have you sew this folded piece directly to the right side of the sleeve and leave all the seam allowance hanging out. What?? Sew one edge to the right side of the sleeve and press the other raw edge under and stitch in the ditch. Also the seam allowance is 3/8 in or 1cm. That is tiny! Way too tiny to even comfortably finish properly. I bound the seams with seam binding as it seemed to be the easiest thing to do with out suffering severe burns on my hands. All in all this is my new favorite shirt and I do have plans to make one or two more despite the issues that I have with the book.

1 1/4 yd Floral Print Cotton, Vogue Fabrics, Remnant room, $4-5 total
Vintage buttons from Broadway Antique Mart

This is how I like to wear it. I have become very fond of wide belts worn at the waist.


And this is the muslin from it. I made it into a work shirt/messy shirt. it reminds of a french painters smock for some reason. You can see how it is wider at the bottom where i decided to take in the real version. I made the pockets out of the sleeve pattern. I shortened the cuff to the width i wanted for the pocket and removed the sides of the sleeve and adjusted some of the gathering so it was less full. 2 shirts for the price of one!!!

A Guide to Better Sewing

I am in love and obsessed with Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing. The idea is based on this book from the 50's

which claims to be able to make you a better seamstress one project at a time. There was a line of patterns that corresponded with the projects in the book but were sold separately. Gertie has tracked down some/most of the patterns and is sharing her experience of working through the book and use of sewing techniques from the 50's (copious tailor tacks and hand overcast finished seams, anyone?).
The thought that i probably do not have to add for those of you who have been on this blog before or who know me even just a little bit is: I TOTALLY WANT TO DO THIS. I am generally not as much of a fan of the 50's as the 30's and the 40's (the huge skirts are fun but not so practical, same with the wiggle skirts) but the pattern's in the book and the projects of Gertie's that she has posted on the blog seem really nice and fairly practical. i love the portrait collar blouse, the background dress and of course the evening dress. The bow tie blouse and the shirt dress are of course classics. And initially not really taken with the slim skirt until i read Gertie's post about her slim skirt where she talks about the construction of it, now I want to make one whether or not it is flattering. The skirt is made with only one yard of fabric and has only one seam, up the back, and it is shaped only by a the series of pleats at the waist line. it is the vintage construction techniques that really get me. That is what I really want to learn. (and more on that later)

In other news, I am trying really hard to post something every week. Thursday seems to be the day with the exception of this week. i mostly have bits of vintage stuff i have found to show you as my own sewing has been a bit off and going slowly right now. I did pick up the green sweater i was knitting again and have just about completed the body and will start the sleeves soon-ish. I did sew up a dress a couple weeks ago but i broke one of the straps on it during our last trip and need to mend it. I will hopefully post that for you next week. I have also been working on the muslin for a shirt and it is going really slow. it has been hard to find my mojo in my new sewing studio. it is cute button down with short sleeves and gathering along the yoke. i think I want to make a shirt dress out of it too.

So in lieu of photos this week go check out Gertie's blog and report you thoughts back to me!

Memphis Belle dress

Jules and Suzanne

Jules and Suzanne run my favorite little antique/vintage shop. My Dad and I used to go in there all the time but since i have moved out of my parents house and the shop is not very near my new home and we all have crazy schedules we have haven't been there in awhile. Like years. We went a couple weeks ago since Dad had a day off. We decided to go antique-ing together, we were looking at treadle sewing machines. Jules and Suzanne did not have a sewing machine but we had to go anyway. We lovingly refer to them as "The Girls". Suzanne wasn't there when we went but Jules was (as well as Jackie, Jules' little dog) and upon entering we received a cheerful greeting followed by a "I haven't seen you in awhile". I had been wondering if we would be remembered or not. We used to shop there a lot but not all the time and we usually bought stuff. Its a hard store to walk out of empty handed. We were there for over an hour digging through everything. The store is very literally packed and you never know what you will find. My grand total was about $13. here is what i brought home:

Paris Scarf, Silk I wore it the other day. I really like scarves. I just usually don't know how to wear them.

Button-er, I have no idea what these are actually called. i think I am going to start collecting vintage sewing/dressing implements. Because I need another thing to collect.

Patterns. I have no idea if they are complete or not but they were $2. The shirts in the 60's pattern have a separating zipper all the way down the back. My first thought is "Is that neccessary? can I change that to a shorter zipper?". My second is " Ouch, if you are sitting in a chair with a back".

And they have a huge selection of buttons. So i am starting there next time I need buttons even though it wil be an hour nad half trip on public trans... but the perfect vintage buttons are always worth it!