Mail Call

Living at a faraway post here in Norway as military can make getting your mail a complicated task to say the least. The military does whatever they can to save us money and difficulty when we're overseas and APO boxes are one of those many boons I could not do without. Our mail goes to New York where the cost of shipping it overseas is picked up by the Air Force, then our mail jumps through a series of hoops before finally ending up at our base post office.

Photo from http://ozebook.com/wordpress/?p=69

So naturally Mike picks up the mail every day while he's at work and brings it home every evening. This is my favorite time of day. Not only does my handsome husband come home, he comes bringing packages of loot!
I get the greatest stuff in the mail. Between my endless hunt for the perfect pattern online, my many purchases of fabric from various sources, and the EPIC care packages my mom sends full of vintage buttons, trims, silks, dresses, and accessories, Mail Call, as I like to think of it, is fan-freaking-tastic at our house.
So today I'll share what I got in the mail.

Today's loot was great. From ebay I acquired "Art of Dressmaking" published by Butterick in 1927.

This book is an absolute gem, packed full of incredible illustrations and instructions for sewing the most lovely of clothes.

And also from ebay today came the much anticipated Hollywood 1633. Naturally it's hard to preserve these patterns over the years so this one has some wear and tear.
The unique thing about this pattern is the little surprise left int he envelope by the original owner. She created her own instruction sheet for making this pattern up in a quilted pattern.

Sketched on the back of an old calendar page from 1945, no less.

She also gives credit where credit is due, to the lady who gave her this idea.

I have a box somewhere in the back of my closet that has various bits and pieces of paper and whatnot that I've found inside antique books over the years, but the little bonuses in pattern envelopes delight me best left in their place.
The downside to this pattern was that it's missing piece "P," the side front piece. I've put in a request at Pattern Rescue to find a copy but I may just have to attempt drafting my own replacement if I want to sew this one up soon..

Tip: When on ebay, it always helps to send the seller a note to CONFIRM that the pattern pieces are all accounted for. Look for tricky statements like, "pattern pieces and instructions are inside." If it doesn't say "Complete" or "all inside," it's better to ask and be sure.

Also, the blog is now up on facebook so you can easily share posts with your friends, and invite them to check it out. And, if you want to subscribe or 'follow' the blog, when I get to a certain number of readers, I'm going to be hosting a REALLY good giveaway. And I mean reaaaaaaaaaaaallly good.