I have long been drawn to vintage clothes, especially those from the 1950s when women were shaped like women, with curves top and bottom, and waists in the right place. That happens to be how I'm shaped and I've very much of the philosophy that one should dress to suit yourself regardless of what happens to be in fashion at present, so I leave the smock, sack and shift dresses to those who have the frame to make it work!
I've made my own clothes on and off for years but have recently become quite gung-ho about it. I'm also much taller than average and making my own allows me to add extra centimetres to sleeves and torsos and hems - most clothes, whether new or vintage, aren't long enough for me.
I've been hunting for old patterns for some months now. Two problems - one is that they are often very expensive and especially so when I have to order them from overseas. Second is that I think my size happens to be one of the most common so they all get snapped up! I'm hoping that through Sew Retro I'll meet some people who are happy to swap and loan patterns - reciprocally, of course - allowing us to share the retro good cheer! I'm a pedantic pattern-tracer who hates to cut them which leaves them in good shape for someone else to use. So any 36" bust folks out there with a pattern stash they'd like to share, let me know - I'm in Melbourne, Australia. Perhaps we could all set up a pattern swap system through this blog? A flickr pool or somesuch? Thoughts for the future.
Enough blather from me - have a look at my blog at livebird.blogdrive.com for bits and pieces, including a jacket-in-progress with this sensational 50s cotton lining:
