Spring and Summer Clothes

Well, I still have not been doing much sewing lately. I did manage to sew a strip of fabric and a bow onto a dish towel to "dress it up a bit".  I also read over the directions for my Vogue apron, as they had been confusing me just a bit.  Hopefully this will be a more productive week than the last few, but only time will tell.

I know that a few posts ago I promised to show the goodies that I had found at the thrift store. I still plan on doing this once I get some good pictures in some halfway decent light. I also can't show you the lovely clothes until I fix my boo boo that I did to one of them.  You see, I found a lovely fitting sleeveless dress from The Limited complete with it's tags still on it for the wonderful price of $4.  Being the cheap person that I am I decided that I wasn't going to spend $6 at the dry cleaner to clean my $4 dress. So, I threw the dress in the washing machine, all while laughing in the face of the dry clean ONLY tag.  Well, the dress got the last laugh when I pull it out of the machine to find that the lining had torn in not one but two places, both of which I am sure was fine before tossing it in the machine. So, I suppose the moral of the story is that I should just spend the $6 to have the dress cleaned and professionally pressed. Instead, I will have a dress with some mutant looking stitches holding the lining together and a sub par pressing because my ironing skills are up to par with those of an orangutan.

So, let's get on to some fun stuff. I have been thinking a lot about spring and summer clothes and looking for some inspiration for some things I could possibly sew.

1. This lovely little dress from ModCloth.  I love all the mixed patterns in different hues of blue.$78

2. A wonderful little springy number from Anthropologie. I love the white and color colors and the fun ruffles on the bodice.  $148

3. Another cute dress from Anthropologie. I must be loving yellow as this dress also includes the color. $138

4. I love anything nautical, so it's no surprise that I love this dress. The fabric that this dress is made from is so thin though that you can see through it in their photo. $60

5. This is also another cute little spring number from Anthro. I love the combination of colors as they are something I would never put together myself. $158

6. These shorts are also adorable, though I think I could do without the cuffs. I have chunky legs and a cuff isn't the most flattering. $73

7. I also love this cute little top. It looks as if it wouldn't be too hard to recreate. It could also be made for a much cheaper price as the fabric is polyester. $68

8. There is also this whimsical dress from Kate Spade. It could be recreated in theory, though similar fabric might be tough to track down.$395

9. I love this! The fabric is cute and I love the peplum. $88

10. Last, but certainly not least, is this cute top from Kate Spade. I don't think it would be an extremely difficult task to track down some striped fabric. I think this top would pair very nicely with the retro inspired ModCloth shorts that I posted about a few days ago. $125

I'd love to hear about others spring and summer sewing plans. Have you already started sewing? Or just daydreaming like I am?

Dresses at the Oscars

While I am not a die hard fan of watching awards shows I do like to check out what all the celebrities are wearing down the red carpet. Some of the dresses are gorgeous, some just mediocre, and some are outright spit your drink across the room, laugh, point, stare, and repeat hideous.


My favorite dress was donned by the lovely Reese Witherspoon.  Her dress is a classic style, in the always appropriate shades of black and white, and seems to flatter her shape well.  I think the dress would have looked nice with a necklace, but as I have stated before I am certainly no style expert.

I also like the dress of Scarlett Johansson, though it doesn't look remotely similar to Reese Witherspoon's dress.  I think the dress has some definite vintage vibes so perhaps that's I why I took a liking to it. The only thing about the dress however, if you look close at the pictures, there is some rippling across the bust where it's a bit tight. Looks like someone needed to do a FBA...

Now, for the not so oh la la dresses.

First, is the dress worn by Jennifer Hudson. There isn't anything necessarily wrong with the dress itself, though the orange does clash with the red carpet. The weird thing is her gravity defying, airbrushed looking, uneven cleavage. Never in my life have I put on a halter top where my boobs didn't touch the bottom of the halter part, and I am under 30 and baby free. What in the world is holding them up that high? Duct tape? Chewing gum? Mighty Putty? I don't know what it is, but all I know is I want some!

Lastly, this dress worn by Jennifer Lawrence isn't my cup of tea either. ( I should fess up to the fact that I have no idea who Jennifer Lawrence is or what she acted in.) The color of the dress is nice, but that's the only compliment I could muster up for it. The top half of the dress looks exactly like Pamela Anderson's Baywatch swimsuit.  After the Oscars she could take that dress home, do a little refashioning, and have a perfect, albeit very expensive, bathing suit for summer. The worst thing about this dress however is that it just isn't glamorous. I like the glam of Old Hollywood, the fabulous dresses, the elbow length gloves, the cigarette in a holder, everything that this getup is not.

Well, that's all my thought's on the dresses. Did you all watch the awards? What dresses did you love and hate?

What to do with Fabric Scraps?

Anyone who has ever sewn anything in their lifetime has undoubtedly been plagued with the question of what to do with all those scraps of fabric. Those who were born without the hoarding gene would have no problem simply tossing those leftover pieces right into the trash can, never to be thought of again. If I were to toss a piece of fabric larger than the size of my hand into the trash can I would no doubt be plagued with recurring nightmares and cold night sweats.


Let me backtrack a bit first however. You see, I am pretty sure that when I toss my fabric scraps into the over-sized shopping bag sitting beside the table they begin to multiply. I swear that every time I throw a scrap in there I can pull out three. It's a miracle that I haven't pulled out any mutant scraps with all the inbreeding they are certainly doing in the deep dark pit of that American Eagle bag.  I really haven't sewn that many things thus far and I already have two large stacks of scraps. May I add, that is after throwing out a few handfuls of strange shaped pieces. Don't worry though fabric activists, they did receive a proper funeral and burial. 

After decreasing my scrap pile slightly I decided that I needed to find something, anything, to do with all those pieces I just can't bear to throw out. So, I have been searching the interwebs to find some suitable projects for my scraps. I thought that I'd compose a list of the resources I found and share them with you all and to ask for a favor from my multitude of few readers out there. First, I'd love to know how ya'll use up your fabric scraps or if you simply toss them in the trash never to cross your mind again? Secondly, I need to be pestered and nagged to actually complete these projects before I have a fabric scrap pile so large I get buried under it.

Without further adieu here is the list of projects that I can hopefully work on next week to get rid of the scrap pile. My goal is to, gulp, throw away all the leftover pieces after I have made these projects. It really is time to come to the realization that I don't have enough room to save all my scraps, especially since the cabinets are bursting at the seams already with 70s yellow canisters and Pick-A-Delis.

First, are these cute quilted coasters from Martha Stewart. The directions indicate that only a 4.5"X10" piece of fabric is required. I will need to pick up some batting in order to make these though. 

 

Nest, for the larger scraps I think I am going to turn those into oven mitts and pot holders.I intend on swiping the oven mitt pattern from a McCalls apron pattern that I have. On a side note, I did attempt to once make an oven mitt from a 40's vintage apron pattern only to find that when finished it wouldn't fit over my gorilla sized paws. 

I found this tutorial to make patchwork hot pads, which seem to be a perfect way to use up those really small pieces.  Since it also requires a binding I could also use a few larger pieces to make bias tape. (Especially since store bought bias tape is a bit pricey and can be a challenge to match.)

Making oven mitts and hot pads also seems to be a good way to learn some extremely basic quilting skills which I will put to use when I hopefully make an actual quilt one day.

I also found this tutorial to make zippered pencil pouches. I could certainly use one of these to throw down in my purse to stop all those pesky ink and pencil marks that seem to cover the bottom of mine.

Next up is another Martha Stewart tutorial for padded hangers.  I know that the traditional use for padded hangers is lingerie, but I was thinking that is might be better to hang my vintage dresses on padded hangers. The dresses slip off hangers that don't have a little cutout, but the hangers with a cutout sometimes leave indentations in the shoulders. 

Now, no blog post about what I should do would be complete without some sort of crazy hair brained idea of mine. You see, I came across this tutorial to make a really cute ruffled camera strap. Now, I don't own the sort of camera that you would want to use one of these straps with, but that didn't stop me from thinking of some strange other use for it. I want to make just the ruffled strap and affix some sort of strange card/money carrier to the end of it. Why would I want to do such a silly thing you ask? I have two reasons actually. One, fanny packs aren't really acceptable to wear in public and I did my fair share of sporting those circa the fourth grade. Secondly, if I could cram my money into some sort of sleeve then I could have two hands free and no purse dangling from my shoulder when I make a mad dash at an estate sale for vintage Pyrex/Tupperware/sewing patterns/vintage dresses. Oh yes, I told you the idea is crazy.

In closing, be on the lookout for coasters, oven mitts, hot pads, zippered pouches, padded hangars, and ruffled straps. If you don't see these in say, 10 business days, then please feel free to nag me until you do. If there is no sign of me in three weeks I have been buried under my fabric scrap pile and I'm still digging my way out.

So, what do YOU do with all those scraps?

Simplicity 2626

Sewing has been slow nonexistent at my house lately. I haven't sewn a single stitch all week long, but hopefully that is going to change this weekend. My goal is to finish the vintage vogue reprint apron and to finish the Butterick skirt I had started that was a bit too big.  Since I don't have anything new to show ya'll I thought I'd show a few aprons that I made before I ever started this blog. I think I should let it be known that aprons are my first love in sewing and nothing, not even adorable retro dresses, can steal the spotlight away from them.

This pattern, Simplicity 2626, has three variations, which all look very similar, and includes misses' and child's sizes.  Since I have no children I obviously only made the misses versions.  The great thing about the ones that I made is that they only take one yard of fabric each. The only downside is that quite a few yards of bias tape are required.  Personally, I don't really mind applying bias tape but I understand that bias tape is the archenemy of many.  The pattern instructs you to use 1/4" bias tape, but on the white and black apron I used 1/2" bias tape instead. Come on, we all know that notions requirements and directions are only suggestions right?  I did as I was told for the green one and used 1/4" bias tape but it just doesn't show up as well. 

By the way, both of these fabrics were purchased from Etsy.

Apron number one which was made with the 1/2" bias tape. Here is a closeup of the fabric, which has awesome vintage car advertisements on it.

And here is the second apron, which was made using a Michael Miller quilting cotton.

Hopefully I will have some new things to show you all after the weekend. Good luck to everyone with their weekend sewing plans!

My Pattern Picks

It seems that there are some new McCalls patterns up on their website. These may have been up for a while now,but I am not sure as I don't check their website frequently. Nonetheless, I thought that I'd share my pattern picks. Hopefully, I can pick up a few of these when there is a 99 cent sale. I'd love to hear what patterns everyone else plans on picking up!

First up is 6330 which may be a bit out of my sewing skill range, but that hasn't stopped me in the past from attempting to make something. If I did make this dress I am not sure where I would wear something like this, but perhaps I could make it in a bit more casual fabric and pair it with some flip flops. This dress most certainly has an 80s vibe to it, which normally wouldn't be my style decade of choice.

Second is 6318. I like the version that is illustrated in the yellow and black fabric. It seems that it has some interesting seaming so I think I would opt for a solid fabric so that the details would come through a bit better. This dress is lined, as is the first, so I would be learning a new skill if I decide to tackle them. My goal is to master all the basics and I would certainly count lining something as a basic sewing skill, so I might as well just do it.

Next is 6322, which is admittedly hideous in the fabrics that McCalls chose to make it up in. Sometimes, I truly wonder who is making design decisions when it comes to choosing fabric for pattern envelopes? A band of monkeys? Preschoolers who still think that a ballerina tutu and cowboy books is a stylin' combo? I am not claiming to be stylish by any means, but I could do better than this. ( To prove my lack of style, I have to routinely stop myself from bringing home elastic waist wool skirts and perma-pleated polyester pants from the thrift store.) So, after all my complaining let me redeem myself by saying that the line drawings of the dresses are really cute and some fun summer sundresses could definitely be whipped up from this pattern. Also, as a bonus these dresses don't require enough fabric that you could wrap a mummy in it as some fuller skirted patterns do.

I also like 6338 which is an adorable set that includes patterns for a casserole carrier, a hot pad, a picnic carrier, some sort of bottle insulator, and a smaller carrier which I assume is a lunch box. The hot pad has an interesting design and seems like it would be a good way to use up those too big to throw out scraps. I would be tempted to make the casserole carrier though I rarely have the opportunity to bring a casserole anywhere. On a complete tangent, I would love the opportunity to drag a casserole or baked good everywhere I went and wish that my generation/age group would embrace the pot luck and/or dinner party a bit more. While I can imagine that beer pong is quite entertaining, I would much rather get to wear a cocktail dress and make casual small talk about current events while eating something other than soggy greasy pizza. Now that I am off my soapbox let's discuss the pattern a bit more. The main reason I would buy this pattern is for the picnic carrier, which I am already envisioning in black, white, and hot pink fabric.

As a whole the patterns seemed to be geared towards the younger seamstress. For this reason I don't foresee some of these styles to be popping up often in the review gallery at Pattern Review. (Unless, of course, there is a huge number of people who like to sew for younger family members and friends.) Don't get me wrong, I love Pattern Review and spend far too much time there, but I don't seem to be part of the predominant age group. Those in my age group seem to post more on BurdaStyle, but I have not grown to love that website. I also think that since most seamstresses on Pattern Review seem to be a bit older than I am there is more opportunity to learn from them and their years of sewing experience, therefore I am counting it as a good thing.

Well, that is all for the night. I would love to hear ya'll's pattern picks and your thoughts on Pattern Review and BurdaStyle. Also, toss your comments about potlucks and cocktail parties into the mix. Have a great night!

Inspiration Time Again

I finally did some sewing tonight, though I didn't get much done. I am working on a Vogue retro reprint half apron. I am pretty sure I gathered about a mile of fabric tonight. Sadly, I think I can gather a mile of fabric quicker than I can run an actual mile. Plus, the only thing I would run for is a humongous fabric sale. Well, I would probably run and/or trip others for vintage Tupperware. I'm only kidding, but don't test me if 70's canisters are involved.

I finally did my laundry tonight so hopefully I can show ya'll my wonderful thrift store clothing acquisitions soon. I washed my new fabric the other night instead of washing my clothes, but I finally washed what I bought today. Also, I should have all the patterns I intend to use to sew my new fabric pulled out the closet soon. Some of them are vintage that I am going to have to resize so I might actually make muslins, though I will probably just use old bed sheets picked up from the thrift store.

Now. let's get to the inspiration part of this post.

First up is this lovely skirt. The price tag? $1050.00! I loved it from the moment I saw it. I intended to make a similar skirt using the striped fabric that I ordered. I also found a vintage pattern in my stash that would make a reasonably similar skirt. However, when my fabric showed up it was a bit thinner than I anticipated so the only way I can make it is if I line (interline?) it.

Nest is another skirt that I also ordered fabric to attempt to recreate. I intend on using a Burda pattern to make a similar skirt. The Burda pattern is just a plain high waisted pencil skirt, since what I really liked about this Kate Spade skirt was the color.By the way, when I last looked at this skirt the price was just over one hundred bucks.

Next is a super cute retro looking pair of shorts from ModCloth. I don't own a pattern that would be suitable but I think I think that there is a Kwik Sew pattern that would work. However, I have never spent more than $4 on a pattern so I'm not sure I can bring myself to shell out the $15 or so dollars a Kwik Sew would cost.These shorts retail for $65 though, so I might be able to convince myself that $15 is a deal.

Here is the Kwik Sew pattern.

Well, that is all for tonight. I am going to sit in my floor and dump out all my patterns and dig through them like a kid digging through a sandbox. Adios amigos!

I've Got Fabric, Yes I Do! I've Got Fabric, How 'Bout You?

Okay, so I haven't actually stood on the sidelines and screamed a cheer at the top of my lungs since elementary school, but I can still get just as excited. Now, however, my excitement comes from fabric. About two weeks ago I received the fabric that I had ordered from Fabric.com, during their inventory reduction sale. I had ordered a piece of navy fabric to make a dress inspired by the dress I saw on Modcloth. Sadly, my navy fabric arrived to me with a large stain on it that looked to be grease of some sort. Finally, after a few emails fabric.com refunded my money for the stained fabric and told me to keep it. I did throw it in the wash to see if it would come out, but no such luck. Now, I have no fabric for my dress, sad.

On a much happier note though, the other fabrics in my order were fine and lovely. I intended to write a post showing my lovely goodies when they arrived but I just hadn't sat down and done it. Now, all my fabric has been washed, dried, and is ready for action. It may be ready for action, but I still have a stack of things to sew before I even dream of putting the scissors to my new goodies. As I told ya'll in another post, I don't like buying fabric without having a specific purpose in mind for it. So, I have a rule that I must have a pattern in mind before I buy any fabric, but I do have one exception to that rule. The exception is I can buy fabric (or vintage sheets) from thrift stores without a specific purpose in mind. I desperately do not want to become a fabric hoarder  stasher. Believe me, I have enough vintage Tupperware to satisfy all of my hoarding tendencies. Whenever I get a new piece of fabric in my hands I want it to be a wearable garment now now now, not in a few months, or years, or decades.

Let's get to the exciting stuff now, pictures of the fabric! By the way, I love seeing the fabric acquisitions of others on their blogs.Let's start with the fabric that I ordered from Fabric.com, then I'll show ya'll the few pieces that I picked up at the Goodwill. I will also share all the patterns that I intend on using with this fabric in a post soon. I don't want to dig through the closet tonight to pull out my plastic pattern tubs. Hmm, maybe some of my hoarding tendencies show up with patterns too.


From left to right, I bought 2 yards of this wonderful navy and white stripe fabric, in the middle is 3 yards of blue, pink, and mauve plaid, and on the right is 3.5 yards of a navy and white gingham. It seems that I have been on a bit of a navy kick lately after discovering that I don't really have much navy in my wardrobe. The stripe fabric was a bit thinner than I had anticipated so I might have to deviate from my original plan of making a skirt with it. It was just $1.99 a yard though so I wasn't expecting the best stuff in the world to show up at my door.

The first piece on the left  is just a yard of plain while cotton that I was/am going to use for the contrast of my Modcloth inspired dress. Next, is 2 yards of , yet again, navy and white pin dot fabric. Third from the left is 1 yard of a darker blue cotton sateen and on the right is 1.5 yards of an aqua/turquoise cotton sateen. It seems that I was on quite the blue kick when I ordered fabric. All of these fabrics also came from Fabric.com. I'm sure that most of you already know, but just in case you don't, if you buy anything from Fabric.com always google for a coupon code first as there is almost always one available for 15% off.

Now, for the three fabrics that I brought home from the thrift store. These pieces were under $2 each. I haven't measured them yet, but I think there is at least 2 yards each of the blue and the black and at least 1.5 yards of the floral print. On the left is a blue and white stripe which I am pretty sure is some sort of poly/cotton seersucker. In the middle is a black and white fabric that I haven't the slightest clue as to what the fiber content is, and on the right is a pretty pink floral that is semi-heavy, which makes me think it is actually some sort of home dec fabric. I am not opposed to using home dec for apparel but I already have a cute retro 50's apron pattern in mind for the floral fabric, even though it may be a bit of a squeeze to fit the pieces on there.

In other thrift store shopping news, I found a few vintage patterns at the Goodwill for just 25 cent each. Four of them happen to be kids clothes and I happen to lack any children to put into the clothes. Anyone have kids I can borrow? Actually, I don't want to have to babysit said kids, I just want to sew them cute retro clothes and leave the babysitting up to someone else. So, why buy the patterns? Well, I may have kids in the future and still have the desire to dress them in the style of decades gone by. Secondly, I just think the patterns are cute and they were less than the price of a bottle of soda. I don't really have to talk myself into spending a quarter, even if I am really cheap.

On one last note, I did find a few cute pieces of clothing at the thrift store which I intend on writing a separate blog post about. I know that this is supposed to be a sewing blog, but I also enjoy reading about others thrift store finds so I though I'd share mine as well.. I am way faster at finding clothes at a thrift store, which is where I buy the majority of my clothes, than I am at sewing clothes. Well, it is already Wednesday and I have yet to sew a stitch this week, so hopefully I can change that tomorrow night. Though Jersey Shore does come on at 10 and I love me some tasteless reality television and that will cut into sewing time. Have fun sewing everyone!

Simplicity 5584

I finally finished the vintage top pattern that I have been working on. The pattern is dated 1973, which admittedly isn't my favorite style decade. The pattern includes 2 tops that have either a v neck or a round neck and an unlined cardigan. I made the round neck sleeveless top in a cream colored knit. I had originally had bought the fabric to make a modern Vogue pattern for a cowl neck top. However, when I went to lay out my pattern pieces I discovered that I didn't have enough fabric. In hindsight, I didn't pick a very good pattern to use up that fabric. The fabric isn't terribly thick, which renders it a bit see through, and you can see the neck and armhole facing through the shirt. Being able to see the facing makes it feel very homemade to me, which isn't exactly what I'm going for.


Now, let's get to the fun part, the picture, before I enlighten you on a few more of the details.

 

I think that it turned out a bit plain, but I have a blue plaid jacket that I think it will work well under. Of course, this project wasn't without a few trials and tribulations. First, I am apparently a horrible sewing machine mother and don't feed my machine nearly enough. How do I know this? Well, my machine attempted to gobble up my fabric every time I tried to sew. It would get sucked down and then chewed on until I could yank it back out with all my might. ( My failure at sewing machine motherhood can also be attributed to the fact that my machine doesn't even have a name.) 

Overall, this top was really easy to sew together and wasn't confusing in the slightest, even with the somewhat scarce directions. I did have to take in the side seams after I had sewn them together though because it was a bit too big, which was causing the underarms to gape open. The bust was a size 38 and I think that I should be making a 36.  Also, this top calls for a zipper to be installed down the seam in the back. Since this is a knit I didn't really find that necessary so I opted to leave it out.. The only reason I can think of for needing a zipper in a knit is if you're still sporting a beehive hairdo and don't want to wiggle a top over your mountain of hair.

Here is a picture of the pattern

The envelope of this pattern certainly won't be winning any awards for artistic creativity, but it is a window into the past, albeit a small one. I don't know if I will be pulling out this pattern again, but if I do I think I will be using a fabric with a pattern or print of some sort so that it won't be plain looking.

Well, that is all for tonight. I am off to attempt to mend the maternal relationship between me and my sewing machine. Thanks for stopping by!

Life has gotten in the way

Well, I think that the title of this post says it all. Life, particularly my academic life, has gotten in the way of being able to sew. Now that the tests I had for the week are over I can get back to sewing. Over the weekend I began working on two things that I had shown ya'll in the last post.

First, I started working on Butterick 4686, which is a full skirt. I cut the size 16 out, which is the same size I cut for my navy pencil skirt but the patterns are two different brands.  I sewed the back seam together and then attached the back piece to the front. It is massive. I decided that I would pin the waistband in the exact fashion that it is to be sewn to see if it made a difference. Well, it did make it a bit smaller but not enough to fit. The instructions simply state to ease the waistband when sewing it on, but there are no pleats or gathers called for. I can't really imagine that easing the waistband on is going to get rid of 6 or 7 inches of extra fabric. Can anyone help me out on this? Will easing inn the waistband affect it that much or should I just pick it apart, lay the pattern back on it, and then cut a smaller size?

After the skirt came out too large I decided to put it aside for a while and move onto another project. I decided to work on my vintage Simplicity top from the 70s. The bust size was a 38 so I expected that it would fit correctly. However, when I had sewn it together to a point that I could try it on it too was just a bit too big, and it was making the armholes gape open. Perhaps I need to take my measurements again? This time I decided to just take it in a bit at the side seams and this did the trick. After fixing the fit school decided to bust it's way in like the Kool-Aid man and snatch away my sewing time like a thief in the night. So, the top has been hanging in my room unfinished since Saturday. It only needs its armhole facings and a hem and it will be finished. Hopefully I will have a picture of a finished shirt to show the world soon!

I hope everyone's sewing is going well and the pesky thief who snatched away my sewing time will keep his grubby little paws off all of ya'lls time.

No Sewing but Lots of Prep

Well, I haven't sewn a single stitch since I finished my polka dotted shirt. Fear not though, because I have been cutting out lots of future projects. I have this idea in my head that I want about 10 things to be cut out so that when I want to make them all I have to do is pick them up and start putting some thread into them. Also, the only spot I have to sew is on the dining room table, so it is a bit easier to clean off the table and cut out a few things at once, than to have to clean it off each time I need to cut something out and then set up the sewing machine back up and then proceed to make a big mess all over again. I cannot claim to be neat and organized when I'm sewing. Instead I prefer to sling stick pins, throw fabric scraps in the floor, lose pages of pattern directions and cover every single surface within ten feet in bits of thread. Don't worry though, I do clean it up right away eventually.

Since I don't have anything new that I've sewn I thought that I'd show ya'll the fabric that I have been attacking with my scissors the past few days. Yes, attacking because my scissors are in dire need of a sharpening as are my pinking shears (which I am not even sure can be sharpened). Now lets get to the good stuff.

(Please excuse how bad these pictures are. I am a notoriously bad photographer. )

First up we have a McCalls top with ruffles, which I adore. I'm making it in a green cotton sateen. Next, is a retro reissue Simplicity jumper. The fabric is some odd feeling polyester suiting stuff that has a bit of stretch, which I am going to need considering I cut out a 14, which is the largest my pattern went to.

Next, on the left is a Butterick skirt. I am making the one in the bottom left hand corner which isn't pleated or gathered. The fabric is actually a vintage bed sheet that I bought at an estate sale. I held the cut out piece up to me and it seems a tad bit long though, so I might be shortening it some. On the right is a Simplicity Cynthia Rowley pattern that I intend of making in blue gingham. I'm making the version on the model, which has a cool rolled tube like looking collar.

Next, on the left is another apron that is a Vogue vintage reissue. I am making the half apron that is in the top middle. The fabric for this one is also a very 70s looking vintage bed sheet. I still have another bed sheet with the same print that I need to find something to make with. On the right is a vintage pattern from 1973 that I intend on making. I'm just making the shell that goes under the cardigan, but I will be changing it slightly. The pattern calls for a knit, which I'm using but it also instructs you to put in a zipper. A zipper in a knit shirt? I think I'll skip it and I doubt I'll have any trouble getting it on.

Oh yes, there really is more. On the left is a Butterick jacket that I cut out a few weeks ago, but haven't gotten around to yet. I'm making the version that is illustrated in green. On the right is another 70s vintage dress. I am (hopefully) making the shorter sundress version. I say hopefully because there is only one page of directions, which includes directions for all the garments included in the envelope. Yikes!

The last picture is actually the first thing that I intend to sew. It's a pair of pajama pants in hunter green flannel for one of my brothers.They might be just a bit tricky because they do have a fly front, but I'm sure I can figure it out.  I was supposed to make these as a Christmas present but I never got around to it and he hasn't let me forget. On a complete tangent, aren't those nightshirts some of the most awful things you have ever laid your eyes on? I think they are, which is why I tossed all the pattern pieces except for the pj pants.

Well, that is all for tonight. I am off to work on the massive mountain of laundry that awaits me.