vintage pattern giveaway

Hi retro sewing gals,

I am having a little Spring time vintage pattern giveaway on my blog as I have some extra patterns. Pop over and you just might be the lucky winner.

Ingrid

xoxoxo

Summer of the dress

I am not sure how my summer of the dress became all about this dress. At the beginning of the summer I had a plan to work my way through my pattern stash and the alphabet. I seem to be stuck. This is the second time I've made the same dress. I must move on; the letters e-z await me. More on delila here.

Children's Overalls

I picked up this pattern from Moms Patterns before I even had my youngest and have patiently waited out the year (it's a single size for a 1 year old) before making it for him and then did 2 pairs in 2 days!

These are made from an old pair of jeans that I had worn out. You can see the pocket mark on the back of the leg! I topstitched these with earthtone Jeanstitch thread using a twin needle just to give it a bit of colour and the buttons are little mushrooms!


This pair are also from a pair of my trousers that I wore out. I remembered the patch was in my stash and then that I had some of the pirate cotton in the stash too so together it all went.

I'm very happy with the way these have come out. They won't fit my son until winter as he was a preemie and he's still a little small for his age but that just means that I have more time to use this pattern before I have to put it away and wait for someone else to have a 1 year old so I can put it to use again!

Anna

Need Costumes???

I am giving these vintage costume patterns away. Hurry! Drawing will be held Saturday night!

Visit The Hem Line for more details!

Hi all! this is probably my favorite from my summer sewing this year. I just love the color combination of the fabric. It wasn't really based on any specific pattern, just a general 50s style midriff sundress.

The Lace Trench Dress

This is a project I finished a little after Easter but by way of introduction, I've decided to share it with all of you. Awhile back I saw this dress in a catalog and decided, "I can make that!"

I used this pattern which I picked up from Lisa at The Hem Line.

And it turned out like this:

Please ignore the pins. I got a little excited and took the pictures before it was truly finished. More about the project here and details of what I learned while using the couture finishing techniques I wanted to master.

The Look for Less

jcrew fall '08

I need this dress. I have vintage fabric of this flavor. Now if I only had a pattern. Does anyone have a recommendation?

My future happiness hangs in the balance. :)

Finally decided to stop lurking and become a member

Hi All. Thanks for having me here. My name is Cindy and I live in Brooklyn, NY. As my title says, I've been lurking for several months and finally become a full fledged member. I am addicted to this site and I have it book marked on the main screen of my Iphone! I am so inspired by what I see on this site. Of course it may be a double-edged sword. Instead of sewing, I'm busy looking to see what everyone has made. I've recently bought a ton of vintage patterns on Ebay and through other sites. I think my biggest challenge will be 1)re-drafting/re-sizing said patterns as I bought them based on their style and not on their sizes and 2) tearing myself away from this blog. Hopefully I'll have something to show you very soon.

A brief introduction....

Hi there! I've just joined the community so want to introduce myself :) My name is Angela, I'm 31, from NZ and have been making costumes and clothing as a hobby for a little over 10 years. I've collected vintage clothing since my late teens and have recently started making my own, which is what brought me to this blog...

I was originally inspired into sewing by my mother who used to make all my clothing as a child (I even had the proverbial dress made out of a curtain!). This and my love of everything theatrical led to a natural progression into sewing and clothes 'design' (though I'm not so good at the design part, I do love it! Mainly I mishmash different patterns together to make a new one...).

I have a fairly boring technical day job, so in my spare time I support one of our local amature dramatics groups, doing their hair & make up, costume and set design. I'm about to start work on some 70's cocktail dresses for a play they have coming up, but assuming these don't take too long, here are my next two personal projects, which I hope to finish over the next month; the first is a McCalls pattern from the 40's which I was super chuffed to find:




















Followed by this beautiful Butterick pattern, which I'm sure some of you will recognise! I look forward to posting the end results and seeing some more of your stunning work here!

Coveralls

Most people who know my husband would vote this the least likely vintage pattern that he would want made for him. I was totally joking when I asked him if he wanted me to make it for him. But when you look past the belts, pants tucked into boots, and the icky bare chest and chain (or turtle-neck, they're equally bad), what this is is a pair of coveralls. And he had been needing a new set of coveralls, it turned out.

So I made a few minor modifications to make it look less like an outfit from Saturday night fever and to make it more suitable for mechanic work: left the flaps off of the pockets, reduced the length of the collar tips and the flare of the legs, and left slits in the side seams so that my husband can reach into his pants pockets when he's wearing the coveralls. Also left the cuffs off of the sleeves, just finished them with a narrow hem.

It was a beast to make, actually. The denim was really stiff and there was lots of it, and I had quite a time getting the zipper in/front facing attached. The long straight seams and the sleeves were easy, of course. I used heavy duty thread, and was really impressed with my sewing machine, which handled the denim well.

Here is the finished product, put to use immediately:




The pattern was a size or two large, which I figured was a plus, since it doesn't look like it was originally meant to be worn over a full set of clothes. The only problem is that the torso still could use a few inches of length to allow the kind of reach that might be necessary in mechanic work. I'm foreseeing a ripped-out armpit in the future.

It's FRIDAY again!

Free Pattern Friday, that is! These two patterns are up for grabs today. Visit my blog, The Hem Line, for details!

Howdy Hey!

Hello from the Pacific Northwest! I am so very happy to be here amongst you loverly creative types! I have developed a severe vintage pattern addiction over the last year, and stumbled upon this site whilst searching for my next fix.

The illness is in it's beginning stages, so there is still much to learn, many hardships to overcome....battles with dart placement, dealing with tiny waspish waists....and who has a 29" bust these days??

Happily, there appear to be a wealth of relics for the big busted and thicker waisted as well (well, thicker than 25 inches for goodness sake, gees louise), so I have begun to collect....and spend way too much time and money on ebay. When I should spend the time sewing the patterns I already have! Sound familiar? :)

I am in the middle of Simplicity 2399, a simple chemise from 1957:

http://vintagepatterns.wikia.com/wiki/Simplicity_2399

First time with plaid, first folded collar, first actual vintage pattern. It still needs buttons, sleeve facings and a hem....but I was excited and wanted to share. So here it sits on my dear dummy, Rosalind.

Here is a link to my blog if you're interested.

Ciao for Now!

Hello from KC

Hi all! I'm Toodles from Kansas City. So glad to be part of this inspiring blog. I have been sewing on and off for about 15 years. I had so many fitting problems with commercial patterns I almost gave it up until about a year ago when I found Wild Ginger software, now that is all I use. I can pretty much reproduce any vintage pattern or dress that I have a picture of. I love styles from the 30s thru the mid-60s, the 50s are my favorites. I have about a years worth of dresses to post here so hope you enjoy them!

Free Friday Patterns

I am currently clearing out stash of repetitive vintage patterns. I have a set of 2 for tomorrow's freebie. Visit my blog & post a comment for a chance to win them. US postage is free. All others, please let me know & we can visit USPS website to determine a charge for regular mail if you are drawn.

Introduction

Hi everyone! I'm Lisa from Michigan. I've been lurking on SewRetro for quite some time and finally decided that I should start posting some of my stuff. I recently made a few things from some 1970's patterns (mostly children's) which I acquired from an estate sale. I'll do a better post soon once I get more organized with the photos. Thanks for having me on your site and I look forward to reading more about all of your projects.

Party on

OH WOE, the cocktail work function that sneaks up and reminds you that you have NOTHING TO WEAR. That's OK. In this case, I suggest you go whine at Moggy in a high-pitched, annoying tone, and just to get rid of you, she'll give you the Vogue 9668 pep-talk which will lift your spirits just enough to dash home and whip it up. It's a 2001 pattern with a truly retro feel - highly recommended. This is my second incarnation of it but Moggy has made, oh, about three or four thousand of them.

This is View A with a wee modification to cap the sleeves (I have new manifesto that, on me, Set In Sleeves Are Dowdy. They must be capped or otherwise sassified. There is a post about an Unfinished Object in the works, once I can recover enough from the ordeal to post it, which is definitive evidence thereof) and the usual extra centimetres length at bust, waist and skirt that us gargantuan, towering giant folk must do.

But livebird, you say, from whence, praytell, didst thou source that wonderfully loud retro print? Could it be the work of John Kaldor: Fabricmaker? Why yes! Nicely spotted!

The secret is that this was once a bedspread in an op shop. With frilled edges. And dusty 1970s spare-room smell. In heavy upholstry polyester with a soft twill cotton lining (which I used to line the frock, as you can see at the hem). I look forward to questions this evening about where I purchased my fabulous couture. Or for someone to come up and say "Hey! My nanna has curtains like that!!"

I like to name my frocks, preferably with terrible puns, but I'm a bit stumped here. Any ideas?

Introduction

I am Myra from Texas. My blog is http://adventuresbabysewing.blogspot.com. I love vintage clothes, esp. from the 1940's and 1950's. I have an extensive collection of patterns for women and girls. I have 4 kids and have been sewing about 1.5 years. I have one completed vintage pattern dress done, S3945 from the early 50's, which is a wraparound (not walkaway) dress. Done in modern cotton, vintage flair, with scattered red cherries on a black background. Pictures are on my blog. Check my blog for more, including a pattern giveaway on Fridays to help purge my stash.

Admin

I have just added everyone who posted an intro since the last time I checked. There are still a few people in my inbox who haven't posted an intro that I've seen, if I've missed you off the list of sewers please drop me a line and let me know.

I'm just about to start tackling the long list of people who want to join (thank you all!) so check you inboxes over the next few days for your invitations.

Thanks again to everyone for taking part, there have been some fabulous things posted lately and I'm looking forward to seeing more!

Anna

Simplicity 3823 E

P8103740, originally uploaded by mooimadeit.

Hi, I've just about finished this retro style pattern by Simplicity - Simplicity 3823 E.

3823, originally uploaded by mooimadeit.

I think I bit of a little more than I could chew, ambitiously adding in piping to a dress that is gathered and lined but I PRETTY much got there in the end.

More photos and details on my blog http://www.mooimadeit.wordpress.com

Sew for FREE

It's Free Pattern Friday on my blog again today. Drawing will be Saturday night. This week HOT PANTS are featured along with this totally retro 1970s sewing book.

Yes, it's Shelly Hack!

I Made a Retro Swimsuit!

This is a retro-style suit I made from a self-drafted pattern. It was my first swimsuit and my first attempt at drafting, so it was a long process. I eventually gave up the drafting and just improvised. I documented it in exhaustive detail on my blog, Chronically Uncool. All the posts about this adventure are tagged as "Swimsuit Experiment".

This is actually a two-piece suit that looks like a one-piece. The little undershorts are separate. I also made a removable bra with huge gel stuffers built in. It's ridiculous, but effective! All the construction details about the stuffer and (with/without pictures) are mixed in with the rest of the swimsuit experiment posts.

I've only been sewing for a year, and I made a wearable swimsuit! If you're afraid of swimwear, please reconsider! It was a really fun project.

Vogue 3013

I bought this vintage fabric at a flea market in December, and I recently bought Vogue 3013, a vintage pattern. I think the main reason I bought the pattern was because I loved the cover illustration. It's like clone wars! Also, look at the fabric on view A there, the middle view. Spooky!
So, of course, then I couldn't imagine this pattern in any other fabric.
I made view D, because a girl can never have too many sunfrocks. More on the blog.