I've been looking to finish my own "French (Chanel inspired) Jacket" this year so I turned to an expert for some inspiration and encouragement in doing so. Susan Khalje is THE expert and has been making, teaching how to make and writing about making these Iconic pieces for many years. She is also my own Couture instructor
Read MoreAfter all your wonderful suggestions, I did end up choosing Ladies 1931 Dress from Vintage Pattern Lending Library for my Gatsby Dress. I just can't seem to get enough of those VPLL patterns! More on THAT later. Here is the story of how I came to use a Vintage 1940's dress for my "muslin" prototype....
Read MoreSummer is my busiest time of year so I only work on projects I can pick up and put down easily and those that travel well. That usually translates into hand sewing or knitting. So, when The Recrafting co., my local (crafting) consignment shop, had a posting a few weeks ago for a Sashiko Sewing class, I could not pass it up.
Read MoreMy friend Jonathan invited me to his 30th birthday party. He wanted to leave his OWN roaring 20's in style and asked everyone to come dressed up for the occasion. What a great opportunity to play dress up and put on a made-by-me gown from my favorite era!
Read MoreAs part of my quest to build a "Miss Fisher" wardrobe, I've sewed up three little blouses inspired by separates her character wears in different episodes. This post will show you 3 blouses I have made, starting with one pattern and explain how you can do it too!
Read MoreRecently, I've given myself the task of creating a "Miss Fisher" wardrobe....
Read MoreBody Image - That's a tough one for a lot of us. It's not something talked about openly, very often, but a lot of the people I work with seem to be challenged by it, and daily. I've struggled with my own body image over the years as have most of my friends. As a teenager, looking through fashion magazines constantly (wanting to be cool, fashionable and popular), I compared myself to the models on those pages, dressed beautifully & styled to the nines. The comparisons killed me. You see, I've always been my own worst critic. Self criticism and loathing get to the heart of the matter. That internal critic (along with a little external reinforcement - peer pressure, magazines etc.) led me to an eating disorder, hospitalization and a life unmanageable, all by the tender age of 15...
Read MoreMy best friend (Angie, I know you are reading this!) has started to identify herself as a "quilter" in recent days. This was somewhat alarming the first time I heard her say it. I haven't really understand the pull, other than the simple act of sewing. Well, as I was about to find out, it is much more than just stitching some fabric together. It's about color, design, brain work, pattern manipulation (2D this time and not 3D) and ,funny enough, comfort. The process is much easier than trying to fit a garment (again the 2D as apposed to 3D aspect of it). I'm beginning to see the appeal.
Read MoreHaving acquired all the materials - wool hat (a la Old Navy), millinery wire, ribbon aplenty and a beautiful feather rose, I was ready to make my hat for the Girl's Inc. Hat's off to Women Who Dare event. Yay! I love decorating hats and making them very special.....
Read MoreFor me, it usually starts with Fabric. This time, I was lucky enough to be gifted two beautiful pieces of silk from my friend, assistant and fellow fabric-lover, Maria Chenut....
Read MoreAfter I interviewed Sewing Blogger and Hat Enthusiast, Chuleenan Svetvilas, I asked her if she would meet me at Lacis to help with some of my millinery choices. We met inside (where I as already busy picking out boning for my foundation garment) and then did the tour of the Millinery section.
Read MoreOne of my Goals in my Vision for 2017 is making a Roaring 20's hat to wear to the "Hat's off" event which benefits Girl's Inc. With this in mind, I set out to talk to an expert, and the first person I thought of was the organizer of the Bay Area Sewist meet-up Group that I attend. In addition to facilitating our meet-up group she also runs the blog CSews and is a guest blogger for Britex Fabrics. She always wears such fabulous hats and I know that she makes some of them. Below is our conversation. I hope you find it as gripping as I did!
Read MoreEvery year the Art Deco Society of California celebrates it's members with a cocktail party in January. This year, the party was held at Flora in downtown Oakland. It was a lovely event in a wonderful Art Deco building, gloriously restored to it's original beauty. There was a grand crowd all dressed up in cocktail attire from the era. Some are serious vintage collectors and some, like me, enjoy making their own creations from vintage inspiration...
Read MoreAs a special treat this week, I'm giving away a fantastic book from my collection - Vintage Lingerie - 30 Patterns based on period garments plus finishing techniques. I'll pick one lucky reader from our email list, so you have to be a subscriber to win!
Read More
