Check the technique

Sadly this post comes with no pictures, but a request for advice, and an invite! 

I'm starting a new challenge called "Check the technique" where I attempt to check off a list of sewing techniques not yet tried, and I was hoping that you could help me.

Firstly, are there any vintage or heirloom techniques you can suggest?
Secondly, any good tutorials you know of? Maybe you've done one yourself! My first challenge is grading a vintage pattern (32 bust? Ha! As if), but any help is appreciated.

Thanks in advance! I promise I'll have something super vintage and fabulous to show off very soon.

Reana Louise x

Ps. This challenge is open to all! If you want to participate, please jump on over to my blog to find out more. Hope to see you soon!

New Fabric... What now?

Hi everyone!

I thought I'd turn to you lovely guys and gals for a little advice. I was just given this very beautiful vintage voile from my aunt, and now I'm a bit stuck in knowing what to make!

I love the idea of a vintage pattern, but I'm very new to sewing so I don't want to be over-adventurous and then end up wasting it. I would appreciate any suggestions, either here or on my blog Curves, Patterns and Pins where you can find more pictures and information.

Thanks in advance!

Reana Louise x

Excitement!

Last year at college I did a quick sketch of a dress I own, to explain to my pattern drafting tutor, what I would like to do as a final project for my first year of pattern cutting. Never got to do it in the end. But what should  I stumble across on my trusty Ebay the other day, but this little gem (£5.52inc P&P and in my size too!) from a 1970 issue of Woman's Weekly. I KNOW!!  It's like destiny isn't it?! So all I need do now is decide on my ideal fabric and find my way around the pattern itself. So if anyone has any fabric ideas and/or any knowledge of the quirks of Woman's Weekly patterns that I should know about, would love to hear from you! This one's going straight to the front of my "to do queue".......

Please feel free to drop by and leave me any ideas, I know there's alot of knowhow here on Sew Retro and would love to hear from you if you have something to share.......

http://portialawrie.blogspot.com/

Help! Dilemma!

In my career as a graphic designer, I have had to become aware of the basics of copyright law in order to educate my clients. You would not believe the number of clients who want to use photos they "found online," without first securing reproduction rights! As copyright applies to fellow seamstresses, it means that we cannot sew a dress from a protected pattern, sell the dress, and then sew another for sale to a new customer. The laws are written as such that the rights to use the pattern belong to the customer, and while you can sew that same dress over and over for her, you cannot sew the dress again for someone else unless you buy the pattern again.

As some of you may know, I am not only an enthusiast of sewing from vintage patters, but I also sell some online. Most, if not all, of the patterns I have available are protected under (renewed) copyright claims. The pattern in question most certainly is. And here, finally, is my dilemma: I have a potential customer who is asking me to copy and sell to her just the instruction sheet from a pattern I have available for sale. The instructions are what the copyright holders care most about, and it would technically be illegal for me to make a copy of the instructions for her. HOWEVERRRRR... I also want to help a fellow enthusiast out of a jam. The pattern that she bought was missing the instruction sheet, so SOMEWHERE out there in the ether is "her" set of instructions.

I would love if you ladies (and gents) could weigh in on this situation, particularly if any of you have a background in ethics or a law degree! Many thanks in advance for your advice and opinions.

Hair Canvas?

Hi, I was wondering if any of you have ever sewn with hair canvas? I am making a wool cape, with a vintage pattern and it wants the interfacing to be sewn-in hair canvas. Looking online there is light and medium weight; I will request swatches, but I was hoping someone has some experience with it!

Thanks

Molly

More Simplicity Retro Goodness

This is another blouse from Simplicity 4047 which so many of you have made. I highly recommend it to those who haven't - its pretty simple (no buttonholes!) and has a really nice shape to it.

On a completely separate topic, does anyone have advice on what to use to line silk shantung? I just bought a lot of it to make summer suits for work. I think I read somewhere that a silk lining is best, but I'd rather a less expensive option as long as it wouldn't result in a staticy mess.

Thanks!