Hello fellow seamstresses and vintage lovers! I've been a reader of Sew Retro for a long time, and am glad to be a member. I look forward to contributing posts (though my sewing plans always seem to exceed the actual time I have for them.)
My mother taught me to sew when I was a little girl, and all of the women in my family sew. When I was younger I was embarrassed that I knew how -- out of college I made many of my work clothes, taking advantage of my proximity to the garment district here in L.A. -- but now I take pride in it, and see it as a way of being connected with all of the seamstresses in my family. I inherited by grandmother's machine -- a Viking Husqvarna -- and can't imagine parting with it!
I adore vintage patterns and illustrations: the good, the bad, the just plain odd. They offer glimpses into history and forgotten fashion trends. Notes scribbled by previous owners or ephemera slipped into the envelope hint at other lives. I muse, admire and mock them (as well as talk about other sewing stuff) at my blog, Pattern Junkie. I also sell vintage patterns at my etsy shop, Gremly Girl. (Truthfully, the shop exists only as weak justification for my collecting habit -- ie, "Yes, honey, I know that's another box of 250 patterns that came in the mail -- but I'm going to sell the ones I won't use. Promise!")
Right now, I'm in the midst of the Wardrobe Contest over at PatternReview.com and have also just signed up for Wardrobe Refashion -- between the two, I hope to get a few vintage pieces done!
Pattern Junkie