A Few Threads Loose

Bias tape: binding an inverted corner.

2012-03-05T16:31:00.001+01:00

For the Ooh La La Pin-Up Sew-Along we just finished binding our top and bottom corset edges. If you want to know how to get a sharp point (as opposed to a softer, rounded look) on the inverted corner in the center panel, here's a good technique to try.

My practice corner, an exact copy of the inverted corner in the corset center panel.

This will involve sewing a pre-made corner into your binding so measure out the binding you need for the bottom first (then add two 'in case of error inches" to that.)
I suggest making a practice piece first like I have here to test out and get comfortable with the idea.

Before I started with my satin binding (notoriously difficult to work with) I tried this with a small length of cotton binding and it worked great. We're technically creating an exact replica of the angle in the fabric, with our bias tape.

First, at the center of your binding fold it in half, wrong sides out, and press.

My evil satin bias tape.

Lay the fabric to be bound over the folded bias tape.

Mark your fabric angle onto the folded bias tape. I used a disappearing fabric marker.

Pin the fold in place so that it doesn't shift or bunch on you while it's being sewn.

Stitch along your markings, back stitching in place at the edges and then trim away the excess at the fold.

When you trim away the point of the bias binding, it should be the same angle as your inverted corner to be bound.

Open your bias tape and press.

Then you can sew on the binding. I prefer to do this by hand as a point is tricky to sew under the best of circumstances. On this piece, I did it with a machine and it came out sort of messy (sorry, still running low on my sleep).

Voila! Any questions?

Ooh la la Pin Up Sew-Along... Binding your edges.

2012-03-05T16:30:00.001+01:00

Today for binding your edges, Sarah put together an excellent post for us. Her explanations are so nicely put together that there's not much for me to add! Her method is a really great way to control the quality of the binding that goes on. There are so many ways to bias bind an edge that we really don't want to overwhelm you with too much info here. I prefer to sew mine on completely by hand because crazy, unnecessary hand work soothes the neurotic person in me. You really don't have to do it that way.

~Sarah~

Before you get started, make sure you have inserted all of the bones you plan on using, and have tested the fit.

For your binding, you can use purchased bias trim or bias trim made of self or contrasting fabric. I'm using the same pink satin as I used to cover my bone casings. I am cutting bias strips 1 1/8" wide, and pressing my folds prior to stitching.

Baste your bias tape in place, leaving a little overhang on each end as pictured above.

With right sides of the bias tape facing and raw edges on the outside but folded up, stitch the bias tape together, as close to the back edge of your corset as possible. When we flip this right side out, we will have a nice, clean edge with a sharp corner. Below is what your stitched bias binding should look like.

Flip your bias binding around to how it will be stitched down, and you'll see how nice this finishes off the ends of your bias binding. Do this to both ends before stitching your bias tape down. You may need to "pull" your corner out with a pin (gently), to get a perfect 90 degree angle!

There are a few options for finishing the back of your binding. You can stitch by hand - I prefer the look of a slip stitch, but can use a cross stitch, straight stitch, or any stitch you like!

If you want to stitch my machine, like me, you can "stitch in the ditch." Stitching in the Ditch is when you top stitch over a seam. Can you see where my needle is going in the picture below? Right back into where I basted my bias trim on.

Stitching in the ditch makes for invisible stitching on the front, and a neat back. Do go slowly and stay within your original stitching line!

On the bottom edge of the corset there are lots of corners and points. When you come to a point, with your needle down, lift your presser foot and carefully "snip" into the bias binding, so it will easily curve around sharp corners.

There! all of your edges are finished, neat and tidy! Now we are ready for our garter clips and embellishments!

~Anna~
Didn't Sarah's corset turn out divine? Here's what mine looks like as well:

Here's a little additional tip for you. There are some corners and sharp points on the bottom of the corset, and these can be rounded out a bit by binding (which is how mine and Sarah's are) but some may prefer to bind so that it enhances the sharp point.
To get a sharp point on your center corset panel, see this post.

Warm Weather Thoughts... and Clothes.

2012-03-04T12:58:00.000+01:00

So for a little break from the Ooh La La Pin-Up Sew-Along posts I thought I'd share something not lingerie-related for once.

Last spring I made this set and for some reason never took photos. Mostly because it was SO COLD and never warmed up over the summer. This ended up neatly tucked away with all my other warm weather clothes and projects.

For just the short pattern, click here.

Lately people have been asking me if I have a shorts pattern at Mrs. Depew Vintage and I do! Does that mean it's warming up somewhere in the world? It gives me hope, and reason to air out my summer pretties.

I used this great Beach Set Pattern PDF that I had based on a great 40's pattern in my stash.

To make the contrasting top and bottom strips I just cut 2 more of the waistband piece and sewed it on like bias tape before sewing any of my seams together.

Because of the nifty gathering effect of the pattern front, there's actually quite a bit of room in the bust area, depending on how tight you tie the knot at the bust. This is a 38" bust and a friend with an enviable DD pair tired it on and it fit great. I had to snip 2" off the center seam of the pattern to make it fit my much less impressive measurements.

For the shorts fabric I used a stretch cotton sateen from fabric.com that they unfortunately don't sell anymore. As much as I love the sateen effect on cotton (ah, sateen sheets) it's a complete cat hair magnet so I'll probably avoid it in the future.

How about you? Are you starting to get a bit anxious for spring? Do you have any fun spring clothing sewing plans? I'm already thinking about more sew-along ideas and I think next time we'll try some fun separates. Maybe a blouse? What would you like to see next?

Ooh la la Pin Up Sew-Along... Embelishments: Hooks and eyes can be pretty too.

2012-03-03T16:40:00.001+01:00

When I last posted about the corset we had just finished sewing our hook and eye tape to the corset back. Now, here's how to make it pretty.

I chose to bind the outside edges of my closure with cream satin bias tape. This was too small a place to get a sewing machine needle into, especially with the hooks and eyes in the way, but that's ok. I really prefer to sew bias binding on by hand. I feel like I have better control over where my stitches go and how they look on both sides.

When we first moved to Norway, I made a newbie mistake and plugged my sewing machine into the wrong end of my electric transformer, blowing the electric part out. Gertie of Gertie's Blog for Better Sewing and her great readers helped me out in this post by suggesting all sorts of hand sewing projects I could do to stay busy until my machine was fixed.
I ended up sewing several projects completely by hand including an amazing silk blouse and now I consider hand stitching to be an incredibly soothing and rewarding pastime.

If you choose to bind our edge as I have done, make sure that you keep your stitches under the eyes, and that the stitches directly under the eye are split in two, just in case the hook catches, it will be anchored well there.

I bound both edges like this and then it was time to add boning again. I agree with Sarah completely when she said that if you add boning anywhere to the corset, you really need to add it to the back.

It depends on what type of hook and eye tape you have but sometimes there's a channel already hidden behind the hooks and eyes that's perfect for boning to slip into. If there isn't such a spot in your case, then don't worry! There should still be a gap between the back of the hook and eye tape against the corset fabric.

Here's my bound and boned hook edge from the outside.

For a little added embellishment I added a length of purchased ruffle trim to the back of my hook side. I just carefully slip-stitched it in place. The top and bottom ends will be nicely bound when we finish the rest of the corset binding.

Next up comes binding the top and bottom. If you've done any quilting, I'm sure your bias binding techniques will come in handy in this part!
With any luck, my garter clips will get here soon and I can finish this little beauty.

How is everyone doing so far? Are you behind or ahead of Sarah and I?
Keep in mind that there's no deadline, no homework due, and you don't have to keep the same pace as anyone else. This is to make sewing lingerie easy and fun for you, on YOUR terms!

Ohh La La Pin Up Sew Along... Your Hook and Eye Closure

2012-03-01T20:46:00.001+01:00

All right Ladies, it's that time. Hook and eye time. First, allow me to disclaim a bit. This is not my very best work. I did this on day 4 of NO sleep (hurray for medicine side effects) so my pictures and sewing both are a wee bit blurry, I apologize.

This is a bit of a long post so feel free to stop half way though and have a glass of wine. I did.

The right hand side of the tape will be our 'raw' edge.

Start by cutting the length of hook and eye tape you need for your back closure. I recommend doing this with the hooks and eyes locked together to avoid any mismatched edges.
Decide which side you want the hooks and eyes on. I went with the standard bra formula of Hooks on the Right, Eyes on the Left.

Let's start with they eyes, shall we?

EYES
Lay your corset back edge WRONG side up. For future reference, I'm going to refer to the sewing edge of the eye tape as the 'raw' edge. It is the edge that the eye loops end up pointing towards.

Lay the eye tape face down on the WRONG side of the corset, 'raw' edges matching, and stitch a 1/4" seam. Go slowly, I can't stress this enough. You don't want to slide to far off guide in a hurry and break a needle striking the metal eye.

Fold the eye tape seam open and press. Fold over again onto the right side so that your raw edges are completely concealed.

Pin the tape in place and top stitch the left side of the tape from top to bottom.

I have chosen to fold over the eye tape so that there's a 1/4" end of my fabric visible on the right hand side. This can get caught by hooks but I'll be binding it with my contrast binding to protect and neaten the edge. It's good to have a small length of fabric like this between you, and the hooks and eyes.

HOOKS
Now for the hooks. We'll be doing this so that the hooks will end up on the WRONG side of the corset. There will be a tiny bit of overlap to keep the eye-side from showing through if there's a bit of pull during wear.

Lay your hooks Face down, on the RIGHT side of the corset back, matching 'raw' edges. Pin well and carefully stitch a 1/4" seam. I recommend using a 'free style' presser foot so that the hooks aren't pressed down onto your machine by the presser foot. This leaves your fingers more vulnerable so, seriously, be careful!

Now that the hooks are stitched in place, flip the seam open and press.

Yeah, Vincent made a bed out of my corset last night and left a few claw holes to prove it. Bad kitty.

Lay the hook tape over to the WRONG side and pin. Stitch in place.

This is where my sewing got a bit wonky from the free style foot. This edge will be bound and look oh so pretty when I'm done.

I'll be binding the uneven sewing job here I did with the free style presser foot.

There you have it. I hope it made sense. Next I'll be adding some embellishments like binding my hook and eye edges, and maybe a ruffle or two. If you've chosen the eyelet version for your closure, head on over to Ohhh Lulu to see how our resident expert does hers.

Ohh La La Pin Up Sew Along... Everything in One Place.

2012-03-01T13:48:00.003+01:00

If you're participating in the Ooh La La Pin-Up Sew-Along then it might be a good idea to bookmark this page. Below are links to each how-to post so far and I'll keep updating to this page as well after each new post.

Corset:
1. Introduction.
2. What you'll need.
3. Printing the pattern.
4. Corset boning and why you need it.
5. Grading your pattern up or down.
6. Sewing your muslin.
7. Lace overlay is pretty... and optional.
8. Sewing your French seams.
Ohhh Lulu: Contrasting bone casings.
Ohhh Lulu: Preparing your center back pieces- Eyelet version.
9. Adding your boning.
10. Back hook and Eye Closure.
Ohhh Lulu: Applying your eyelets.
11. Binding your edges.
12: Bias binding: sewing an inverted corner.

Bra:
Coming Soon!

Ohh La La Pin Up Sew Along... Adding your boning.

2012-02-28T15:39:00.000+01:00

In our last post we went over sewing a French seam to encase our corset boning.

Today we have a close up view of how the boning will fit snugly inside the channel created by the French seam. The above looks pretty narrow to fit 1/4" boning in, and it is but it will fit if you've measured your seam allowances right while sewing.

I'm using 1/4" wide, vintage 1940's Featherbone to stiffen my seams. If you want to refer back to the types of boning, Sarah gave us a really great overview in this post.

I have chosen to bone only the first side front channels marked for boning in the pattern. I'll be using the rest of my boning to stiffen my hook and eye closure at the back, which we'll talk more about in a later post.

Make sure you round the edges of your boning at the top and bottom. This keeps rough corners from wearing through your fabric and eventually poking the daylights out of you. Edges too rough for scissors? Try filing it smooth with a nail file.

Below you can see the boning sticking out of the top of my French seam. It's a really tight fit, but that's to be expected. Just keep wiggling and you'll get it in there.

The whole length of the seam isn't boned, just the first half. This boning is in there pretty tight but just to be sure it doesn't work it's way down the seam some day, there are a few ways you can keep it in place.

My favorite way to do it is with embroidery flossing but I couldn't find any here in the colors I wanted.

Bridges on the Body has some amazing Corset making posts that I've learned so much from the last several months!

Instead I ran a zig-zag stitch up from the bottom of the seam to the edge of the boning. It was hidden nicely in my lace overlay.

And there you have it! Next you'll be ready to add your back closure and bind your top and bottom edges.
Sarah put together some beautiful pictures this weekend for us, showing how to add some lovely contrasting bone casings, prepare your back pieces for an eyelet closure, and stitching a nice clean seam for the bone channel.

I love the contrasting bone channels she chose to use, don't you?

Has anyone had any trouble finding garter clips or any other notions you needed?

Ohh La La Pin Up Sew Along... Sewing your French seams.

2012-02-26T13:46:00.000+01:00

Today for the sew-along we'll sew all our side seams together. Unlike the regular seams we used to cobble our muslins together, we'll be using French seams, stitched flat to encase our boning.
But first, since this pattern has seam numbers instead of notches, how will you tell your pattern pieces apart? You can always mark with chalk or fading fabric pen but I prefer to make a key.

I'm not sure why I went up to five instead of four here, must've been the wine.

To tell my many pattern pieces apart since I used pattern weights instead of pins when cutting, I like to color code my seams with pins.

So for example, blue is seam #3, green is seam #4, and instead of matching notches, I match up the pins.

Now for our French seams. Remember, Wrong sides together, then Right. Sarah and I have both added a 5/8" seam allowance to our pattern pieces.

Place the pattern pieces WRONG sides together and stitch a 1/4" seam. Keep in mind that you want to be as accurate as possible with your measurements here so you have room to slip the boning in later.

A this point, I like to pink my raw edges to trim them down the tiniest bit and avoid loose threads.

Once you have sewn your WRONG sides together, you fold the pieces RIGHT sides together so that the raw edge from your first line of stitching is encased in the fold.

Pin in place and stitch 3/8" from the fold so that your raw edges are tucked neatly inside your new, French seam.

(I like to do these seams in batches so that I don't have the bulk of all the corset pieces together at once while I'm maneuvering around my machine.)

French Seam.

We want this French seam to lay flat against the corset so next, topstitch the seam down, staying as close to the outside seam edge as you can.

From the Wrong Side.

Now we have this lovely, clean seam with a nice channel inside for the boning to slip inside.

Next time: Boning! (This is my favorite part!)

Ohh La La Pin Up Sew Along... Lace overlay is pretty... and optional.

2012-02-24T23:25:00.000+01:00

Today I'm going to show you how to do a lace overlay on your corset. This is an optional embellishment; I'm using it to overlay only three panels in the corset for contrast, pattern piece 1 and 3.

First cut out your main fabric just like you normally would. I'm using some vintage satin I've had waiting for a pretty lingerie project like this and less than 1/2 yard of 5" wide cream vintage lace.

I found another random pattern weight option. Money, or more particularly, heavy 5, 10, and 20 kroner coins. They weigh roughly the same as euro coins and silver dollars and they work great!

For the front panel, piece #1, open it up and lay your lace over it. If you have a pattern that you want to center, do that and then pin the lace in place to your bottom fabric, smoothing but not stretching the lace.
Cut out your lace.

Pin well as your lace, especially if it's a lot of net like mine, can stretch and shift quite a bit. You'll want to stitch your pieces together in a particular direction. Start at the inside of the point and stitch to the outer point in each direction, then sew the top closed.

Do the same with any additional pieces that you would like to have overlay.

Here I have the lace cut on the double to get two pieces exactly alike for my sides.

And you've finished this step! Great work, you deserve a glass of wine!

Or, if you've totally botched it, that's what whiskey is for. Have some of that!

Next up, side seams!

Ohh La La Pin Up Sew Along... Sewing your Muslin.

2012-02-23T13:08:00.001+01:00

We've reached that point in the sew-along where we have to roll up our sleeves and sew a muslin. I know, it seems like a waste of time, and I know a lot of you don't have a ton of time to sew as it is. But trust me, you don't want to waste your valuable sewing time making something only to find out it doesn't fit right. So take an hour (yeah, it will go fast) and get your muslin started.

When I cut out my muslin I like to do it on my cutting mat, with my nifty seam allowance guide stuck to my rotary cutter, and I can blast through it in minutes.

Yes, Yes I do use spools of thread as pattern weights.

You won't be binding any edges, sewing on any garter clips or any of that nonsense. This is just to make sure that your corset closes, and isn't too small or large, or short, or tall, or hot or cold.

My big stroke of brilliance with my last muslin was to write my seam number on my seam allowances. What? I know! Happy thought, right? Who hasn't wanted to just take a marker and scribble markings on their fabric so they won't smudge or disappear. Muslin graffiti.

What I'm listening to while I sew:

Darling, I have only one desire. from ShelteredBeats on 8tracks.

Sarah from Ohh Lu Lu has put together an excellent post on what you need to do to get your muslin ready. You can read all about it here.

Or Below:

I have to admit... I can be a lazy sewist, when I am sewing for myself, but lingerie muslins take no time to sew, because they are so small! No need to worry about interfacings or linings for your mock-up -You just need something to test your fit!

For my muslin, I did not worry about sewing flat felled seams, like I will be sewing in my finished garment. I stitched regular seams, 5/8" in from the raw edge and pressed flat. The pieces fit together perfectly - great work on Anna's part!

For the laced corset - On the centre back pannel, fold your 2" extension flap over (towards the inside), press, and stitch 3/8" in from the centre back edge to form a bone casing, and again 1 1/2" in from the center back. We will add 2 bones to the mock up corset to test the fit. Insert a bone along the centre back, beside where the corset will lace. Always round off the edges of your boning, to prevent the bone from wearing through your fabric.

Instead of using eyelets on your mock-up, make a mark every 1 1/2" down where your lacing will go and make a small button hole - this will allow you to lace up your corset to test the fit, without any waste of precious eyelets!

You now have a corset that laces up the back! Try it on and see how it fits.

Mine looked good from the front, but didn't quite do up all the way in the back. I added 1/8" of an inch to the side front and side back seam, which corrected the fit.

Oooo... Curvy! Va va va voom!

For those of you making a hook and eye corset, if you have extra hook and eye tape, you can add some to your muslin to test your fit.

Remember to transfer any changes you made to your muslin, over to your pattern.

So, how did your muslins fit? Did you need to make a lot of adjustment?

Ooh la la Pin Up Sew-Along... Grading Your Pattern Up Or Down.

2012-02-22T12:14:00.000+01:00

For those of you that don't fit into the size range of people I had available to test the corset pattern on, then you're in luck because I am at your disposal!

First I will show you how to grade to a smaller size, then I'll show you how to grade to a larger size, though they are very similar.

Keep in mind that you should really make a muslin of this pattern, and you should REALLY make a muslin if you've made adjustments like these.

Today we're going to use reader "E's" 25" waist as our starting point.
The smallest size on the pattern is a 29" waist. (29"-25"=4").
We'll need to grade the pattern down 4" to make it her size.

I like to use centimeters for this (don't worry, there are centimeters on every ruler and yardstick out there) not because I live in Europe right now, but because it's just easier than doing a bunch of fractional math all the time.

4" is 10 cm. (roughly) Now luckily there are only 5 pattern pieces so we know that we need to distribute the 10 cm we're removing from the pattern at 2 cm per piece.
(4"=10 cm) and (10cm/ 5 pieces = 2 cm per piece)
But wait! These pattern pieces are cut double, 2 of each, so it gets easier! We're just removing 1 cm from each pattern piece.
Technically there's just one of the center piece and it's cut on the fold, but we can still distribute changes the same, as both ends of the piece will reflect the change.

Now we get to the cutting! I'm just going to show you how we'll do this with pieces 1 and 2 but you'll do the same with all of them.

Start by cutting the pieces vertically right down the center.

Measure the amount that you want to remove, in this case it's 1 cm.
Note: if you are removing more than 1 cm form each piece, I know it's more work but you'll get better results if you split the pattern pieces into thirds and remove a bit from the inside of each. The same goes for grading the pattern larger than 1 cm per piece.

Next, trim off the amount to be removed from the piece you marked and tape the two pieces back together lining up the top.

At the bottom, you will have a little bit of jagged edge where the pieces don't quite match up.

This end is a straight line so just line up a ruler between the tip of the pattern piece to the inside where it should match, mark, and then trim.

Do the same with each pattern piece.

To grade the pattern piece larger is a really similar process.

Reader "A" has a 37" waist and also asked this question. That's lucky because it's another 4" difference between the size she needs and the largest size on the pattern.

Using the same math from above, we know that we need to add 1 cm to each pattern piece.
(4"=10 cm) and (10 cm/ 5 pattern pieces = 2 cm per pattern piece, cut double, = a 1 cm adjustment)

I'm going to use piece # 5 to illustrate.

As with grading down, to grade up we split the pattern piece vertically down the center.

When I cut out a digital pattern, I always keep a handful of my paper trimmings from taping them together on hand for alterations like this.

I have measured and cut a strip 1 cm wide.

Place the piece in between your split pattern pieces and tape it back together.

Trim smooth the jagged edges and you're ready to do it to the other 4 pieces.

Voila! Any questions?

And The winner is...

2012-02-21T18:43:00.000+01:00

Hello lovely readers. I'm about to make some eggs Benedict with fresh avocado and tomatoes for supper but first I'm going to announce the lucky winner of the Ooh La La Pin-Up Sew-Along Giveaway!

We had 112 comments from you all and as chosen by Random.org, the winner is #94, Tina Cosgrove of Down The Retro Rabbit Hole!
Tina, you can email your contact info to me at afewthreadsloose@gmail.com.

Tina wins the entire Sew-Along Kit which includes the Corset Garter belt pattern, the matching Bra pattern, and a copy of Pretty Pretties" a 1940's lingerie sewing handbook.

Thanks to all of you who entered the giveaway and who are joining Sarah and I for the sew-along!
We'll both post more tomorrow on the importance of making a muslin of the corset pattern.

Ooh la la Pin Up Sew-Along... Corset boning and why you need it.

2012-02-21T17:17:00.000+01:00

When to Use Boning, and What Kind

The question is, are you wearing it to the bedroom or the boardroom?
Boning your corset is always best, to be honest. In my experience, unless it’s hiding under a dress, bedroom lingerie has a shelf life of about 2.5 minutes before it lands on the floor. That 2.5 minutes doesn’t require too much support. The main point of the side boning in this corset is to keep it from folding and bunching up on you when you bend over.
(I’m sorry, I’m immature, and I’m giggling at all the double entendres as I write this.)
There are several kinds of boning that you can use both new and vintage.

Vintage Notions:

My mother, the fantastic vintage dealer and former custom corset-maker literally has buildings full of vintage clothing, patterns, ribbon, fabric, notions and a million other things. Last summer on a visit home she and I dug through boxes and boxes and I stumbled across more than one large box that was overflowing with old bias tape, rick rack, needles, ribbons, spools of thread, and to my delight, a box of Warren’s Featherbone.

Needless to say, I bought an extra suitcase to drag the contents of the box home with me.

Since I’m using vintage satin and lace, it’s obvious I need to throw some vintage boning in the mix.
The Featherbone seams to be a somewhat flexible fiber and plastic composite material already covered in a neatly stitched casing.

It’s not too easy to find but so far I love working with it. There’s a box of it for sale here.

Sarah is the resident corset expert in this sew along and has kindly detailed the types of boning available to the modern seamstress.

Most corsets of the 1940’s and 1950’s would have used flexible plastic boning but there are several kinds of boning you can choose from. Throughout time, people have used everything from baleine (whale bone) to reeds to stiffen their undergarments. Here is a run down of some relatively easy to find boning.

Spiral steel boning is made of a flattened, coiled metal. It is very flexible, and can be purchased by the yard or in pre-cut lengths. Spiral boning comes in different widths - the wider the bone, the more supportive. Spiral boning works nicely to shape the sides of corsets. When buying yardage of this type of boning, you will need to purchase bone tips to cover the raw ends of the bones.

Spring steel bones are very rigid, plastic coated metal bones. These are are very strong bones that are somewhat flexible, but do not easily bend. Spring steel bones come in differing widths and thickness. The thicker the bone, the less flexible it will be. Spring steel bones are great for putting on either side of your lacing, to help reinforce your eyelets, or down a flat front corset.

Plastic boning is the most common type of boning. It comes in different densities and thicknesses. Regular Plastic boning (sometimes called featherweight) is a thicker boning, that generally comes in ¼” widths. Rigilene boning is a lighter weight boning that can be easily sewn through, and tacked into place. Either type of boning is suitable for the corset girdle. Plastic boning is quite flexible, but can retain bends, unlike spiral steel boning. Most plastic boning is sold in a casing.

A combination of Spring and Spiral Steel bones will make for a more durable corset that will take off more inches. Plastic boning is quite comfortable, easy to care for, and good for every day wear.

http://www.farthingales.on.ca/ Canadia corsetry and costuming supplies.
http://www.corsetmaking.com/ a US Based corset supply retailer.
http://www.venacavadesign.co.uk/ a UK Based corset supply retailer.

More on your muslin next.

Ooh la la Pin Up Sew-Along... Printing Your Pattern and Adding Seam Allowance

2012-02-20T22:01:00.003+01:00

Let's get started, shall we? By now most of you should have your pattern unless you're waiting to see if you win the giveaway which will be announced tomorrow.

Sarah from Ohh Lulu will be posting a very similar post to this one with a few small adjustments for those of you who will be sewing eyelets at the corset back. If you are, it's a must read.

I know I said this in the email but it's important so I'll say it again. Make sure your printer scales the image to 100%.

I don't know why but my printer always wants to print my patterns at 90% and I have to change it. Once I spent 3 hours trying to figure out how I had made an entire pattern too small in my design process before I figured out it was my printer's fault. Grrr.

So, one you've printed, lay your pattern tiles out and match the numbered arrows.

You'll end up with the below. (Don't you just love my shoe tape dispenser?!)

There is enough room between the pattern pieces for you to add up to a 3/4" seam allowance to each side. If you want a larger seam allowance for some reason or plan on making a lot of alterations then you can trace over the pattern pieces and adjust accordingly.

Here is a 5/8 seam allowance measured from the 30" waist size line (solid black line). I used colored pencil to make it easy to see. You can find the niftly little ruler I used at Fabric.com for $0.35!

Next you can move on to cutting your pattern pieces out and cutting your fabric.
It's pretty important to make a muslin of the pattern at this stage as a corset needs to fit you quite well.
Sarah and I will both have more for you on that next time.

Ooh la la Pin Up Sew-Along... What will you need?

2012-02-19T14:55:00.001+01:00

I'm so excited by the overwhelming number of you who want to participate in the sew along! The most important thing I want you to take away from this experience is the knowledge that sewing lingerie is NOT SCARY!

"Blue Eyed Monster" Hugh J. Ward, 1930

I started sewing my own lingerie when I was just a novice. No one told me it would be hard so I started with a vintage tap pants pattern and it was still one of the easiest things I've ever sewn!
Think about it... most vintage lingerie is really just a bunch of small pattern pieces, quickly cut out, quickly sewn together and finished off with a buttonhole or two!

There are three simple things I recommend if you're new to sewing lingerie:

1. Use a vintage pattern! Many vintage lingerie patterns will avoid using techniques such as bias cutting, serged edges, and elastic that intimidate many a new seamstress.

2. Avoid satin, silk and lace the first time. Slippery fabrics if you're not really used to them will make a new process that much more difficult for you. Instead use a lovely cotton print or flannel in a playful design. Intend your first project to be for everyday wear and the fabrics and techniques involved will take the pressure off making your first try perfect.

3. Make a muslin! Trust me, I'm not qualified to preach when it comes to making muslins because I nearly always skip that step. I'm lazy. But I ALWAYS make a muslin of my lingerie pattern first; the pieces are usually small and you can make a muslin quickly with no fuss, and lingerie needs to fit really well or you'll never wear it!

Now, on to details. What kind of fabric will you need for the sew along? That depends on two things.

1. What is your experience level with sewing?
If you're new, try cotton. You can always bind the edges with a satin bias tape to make it look a bit fancier. If you have some more experience with sewing, by all means, try some satin, brocade, silk, whatever you like!

2. When do you plan on wearing said lingerie?
If you're planning on having it on for a few minutes of foreplay before it's removed, then go for the fancier fabrics, lace, and trim.
If you plan on using it as an actual long wear support garment while you're at the office or church, then think of what you'll wear it under. Satin is great because dresses can slide over the fabric without catching and sticking. Cotton will breathe better if you're wearing it all day. Keep these things in mind when making your decision.
I'm making mine with a vintage peach rayon satin fabric. A couple of panels will have lace overlay but overall this will be a sexy but serviceable undergarment.
There's a great story to illustrate this point on Annabellebumps.

In my experience, you can make a corset out of just about any fabric, it just depends on whether or not you add boning, or plan on wearing it very long that will decide your fabric plans.

On to notions. Here are a few links to places that you can get garter clips online:

I found some winderful vintage lingerie notions including straps and garter clips at Acme Notions.

Create for Less (has two versions new by Dritz). They also sell several kinds of boning and eyelet supplies.

This ebay search shows several sellers with both new and vintage garter clips

This etsy search shows vintage garter clips (though you have to wade through a lot of horrendous lingerie to find them).

I found my hook and eye tape for the best price on ebay but keep in mind that I can't buy these things where I live so I get nearly everything online. You might have better luck at your local shops.

Have fun shopping!

Ooh la la Pin Up Sew-Along... with a giveaway, of course!

2012-02-18T13:20:00.004+01:00

Ladies, I present the Ooh la la Pin-Up Sew-Along:

I've been talking for a while with a fellow blogger about doing a joint sew-along and now it's finally happening! The lovely and talented Sarah from Ohh Lulu is even more interested in lingerie than I am, if that's possible. And she's good at it too, enough to open a lovely shop of her own on etsy.

Sarah and I have decided to start with the French Pin-Up Corset Garter Belt pattern that I just recently finished.

If all goes according to plan, we'll also follow up with the French Pin-Up Bra Corselet.

And of course I would never do a Sew-Along without a coupon code! Take 15% off using the code "OOHLALA". Make sure that you click on the "Apply shop coupon code" link to add the code, otherwise etsy will charge you the full amount.

Sarah and I are working as we speak on our corset garter belts and we'll start posting soon, but not before you have a chance to gather some of the things you might need. I'll be working with a vintage peach satin for my corset and bra, and so far here's what you might need depending on what version you make:

I've got about 2 1/2 yards of fabric for both corset and bra.
4 garter clips, (optional) vintage or otherwise. I recommend removable ones if you can find them.
eyelet and eyelet punch or 1/2 yard hook and eye tape
corset boning (optional)
3 yards of matching bias binding or ribbon for edges
2 yards ribbon or cord for corset lacing (eyelet version only)
1/2 yard ribbon or plush elastic for attaching garter clips
3 bottles of wine

Naturally, there's also a giveaway attached! One of you will be chosen at random to win BOTH of these patterns!
To enter the giveaway you can do any or all of the following, just leave a comment for each entry to get your name in the hat!
1. Leave a comment telling me what your absolute favorite piece of lingerie is.

2. Become a follower of A Few Threads Loose on Twitter, Google, or Bloglovin'.

3. Like A Few Threads Loose on Facebook.

4. Like Mrs. Depew Vintage on Facebook.

5. Mention the Sew-Along on your blog.

I'll announce the winner this Tuesday the 21st.
Good luck!

Friday's Pattern of the Day... and maybe another sew along...?

2012-02-17T10:00:00.020+01:00

Today's pattern of the day is super unique. I know it's not really along the lines of what most of us sew but it's just so unique I had to pass it on.

Have you ever in your life seen an ANTIQUE stocking pattern?! This Butterick 1200 is available for a limited time on ebay so grab a peak before it's gone!

When I think of Victorian stockings I think of women and 'working age' children running knitting machines in some stocking factory, I seldom think of the average American woman sitting at home and stitching them herself. Who knew?

Here's a pair of beautiful Edwardian (post Victorian) embroidered silk stockings that are for sale on etsy.

And another set of children's silk stockings with matching rosette clips for sale here.

If you're interested, there's a really interesting article on the history of the stocking here.

Here are some pictures of lovely Victorian era "pin-ups" in stockings.

And what does a girl need to keep her pretty stockings from puddling around her ankles? Why, a Garter Belt Corset, of course! That's right ladies, it's done! The French Corset Garter Belt can be made with or without boning and has multiple closure options.

Not only have I got a new pattern for you, but very, very soon I'll be collaborating with another blogger to have a joint sew along with this pattern! That's your heads up to start buying your satin and boning now! I'll announce more tomorrow along with a giveaway!

Oh Chinese Food, oh Yeah...

2012-02-16T10:41:00.001+01:00

One of the interesting things about living in Norway is the food. You have your fish and potatoes to be sure, but those fish and potatoes are fresh and of very high quality. That being said, you only want so much of the national cuisine before you start to go a bit crazy.

Lutfisk... looks horrible, doesn't it? It is.

Norway thought of that too. There are several Chinese restaurants, a couple of Italian places, 2 Mexican restaurants, and a few others in my general area.
There are 2 downsides to this. #1. It still all tastes like damned fish and potatoes. #2. Said carefully disguised fish and potatoes will cost you an arm and a leg. On average, $30-$40 per person for food that wouldn't make the cut in your average U.S. restaurant.

So I've gotten creative. I've learned how to cook everything under the sun.

I didn't get the job that I was hoping for and it was just one too many slaps in the face since I moved here. I was in serious need of comfort food so I retreated to the kitchen, the place where I feel powerful and successful (because I'm awesome at food) and I made Mongolian beef using this recipe from blogchef.net.
And it was brilliant!

Even if you have a great Chinese restaurant down the road, you still want to make this. The recipe made enough for about 4 people with the rice and broccoli, and the Man and I at it ALL.
Neither of us could sleep after because we were so stuffed but it was SO worth it.

And that is all I have to say about that.

The Job Interview Dress

2012-02-10T16:59:00.000+01:00

As many of you know, I've been a jobless, stay-at-home seamstress for the last several months. It's really hard to get a job here and my best options have been grocery clerk or waiting tables... not exactly easy to swallow when I've worked so hard for my (apparently useless) education.
I've been sewing this dress for good job interview juju. In other words, build it and they will come. Sew the dress and get the interview.

Well, as I was sewing in the armhole facing, I got a call for an interview. This is HUGE. For every 50 jobs I've applied for, I've heard back on 2. It's weird being the immigrant, so to speak, in a country where they want to hire locals. Today was my interview, a scant 12 hours after I finished getting the hem in this little baby.

So this morning I threw the dress on, along with my lucky underwear and my lucky high heels and off I went. Well, first, I took photos.

Now, this isn't the pose I struck for the interview, just so you know. That's not how a girl should get a job. In the interview, I looked more like this:

I used McCall's 5637 from 1960. I made it without the sleeves and instead faced the armholes. I still have plans for that jacket.

For the closure I used an invisible zipper in the side and it worked great. The fabric is Robert Kaufman Carolina Chambray in Magenta and I LOVE IT! It's shot through with blue threads and though it's cotton, it looks almost like an iridescent taffeta in some lights.

One thing I really liked about this pattern was all the tips it gave for finishing techniques. It described four different options just for finishing the raw edges of just the neck facing! I chose to use Peridot green rayon seam tape.

The tricky part was getting my back dart line on the bodice to line up with the middle dart line on the skirt. After having sized up the pattern I hadn't thought about that. I made a few adjustments and got it to work.

This is the first time my vent came out perfectly with no trouble at all. Overall, I'm really happy with this dress. The pattern design was very easy and I feel like I could make 8 of this dress.
As for the interview, it was pretty good and I'll find out Monday if I got the job... fingers crossed!

Pattern of the Day

2012-02-06T13:14:00.000+01:00

Today's pattern of the day is the super-rare Originator 383 being sold by ErikaWithaK Vintage.

RARE 1950s Originator 383 Vintage Sewing Pattern - Wide Neck Slim Skirted Dress with Tie Waist Detail - 30 Bust

I don't know about you, but I was totally born in the wrong decade.
If you don't know much about originator patterns, there's a really good reason these little gems are so hard to find. They weren't really mass-produced like Advance, Butterick, McCall's, Simplicity and Vogue were.

Originator only started out as a sort of "trade only" fashion news service. They provided subscribers like seamstresses and designers with current fashion sketches. It wasn't until the late 1940's that they started offering patterns to go along with their designs. Look at the price tag: $1.50 in the early 1950's. An advance pattern at the same time sold for $0.35. Not everyone could afford them, and even fewer had the skill to sew them.

If you want to see more of what originator had to offer at the time, check out Don't Sass Me on etsy who has an amazing collection of Originator pattern catalogs digitized as PDF's for the price of a latte.

Gorgeous Lingerie in Hiding

2012-02-04T22:03:00.000+01:00

I'm not feeling too great today on a new medication so I'm going to keep this short and sweet. While I've been tucked away on the couch, I've been using my ipad for my usual search for vintage lingerie and sewing patterns.
Here are a few goodies:

This is a to-die for 1920's night gown pattern that I've had my eye on for a while. If only I didn't have too long a to-sew list already...

Vintage Sewing Pattern 1920's Slip Gown Mail Order Lingerie Pattern Ideal 713

This nightgown/ lingerie set just makes me swoon, and even manages to make bloomers look sexy in a revealing sheer gauze.

RARE 50's Vintage McCall's Sewing Pattern 3029 - Nightgown, Petticoat & Panties - UNCUT - size 14/32

If you're into knitting, then this great reproduction booklet for sweet little underthings is right up your alley.

Weldon's 6D Knitting Series (5) c.1939 - Vests & Pantie Sets, Ladies' Vintage Lingerie in Knitting

Thinking of lingerie always has me looking for bras. This time I was looking for the 1920's and I found this great little brocade bra. I love how the brocade is sateen and how the rounded top looks a bit like a sweetheart neckline.

Vintage Bra Deco Era Cotton Sateen Brocade Bralette

And last but not least whilst we have bras on the mind, Sew Vera Venus is offering a giveaway for her recently developed 1940's bra. This design is pure genious and I can't WAIT until it's available for purchase.

Photo from VeraVenus.com

I'm dying to know how she does that lovely little stitched pointed V. Swoon. You can click on this link to leave a comment to enter the giveaway.

Have a happy weekend, mama's off to go mix alcohol with pills. Cheers!

The Bateau-Neck Blouse

2012-01-31T17:19:00.000+01:00

I have a tripod! I finally got around to getting one and it has made taking blog photos so much easier. If you blog and you want your photos to come out a bit better, I highly recommend getting one.
So I used the tripod recently to take pictures of my latest sewing project, a bateau neck blouse using the pdf pattern I recently released.

Here's the finished product:

I wanted to use this beautiful vintage grosgrain ribbon that my mother gave me but there wasn't very much left of it. Hence, only three ruffles instead of four.

It was quite relaxing sewing a gathering stitch in yards of ribbon, and then catching up on Grey's Anatomy while I gathered it all into place.

For the shoulder ties I used black cotton bias tape. The tie basically extends from one shoulder to the other as it binds the top of the blouse in between.

Materials: I used a really great pink vintage linen/ rayon blend crepe (it took me 5 burn tests to figure out what it was!) courtesy of my awesome mother. (+ cotton bias tape, yards of grosgrain ribbon and one invisible zipper)

Time: About an evening and a half. This pattern was so easy and straight forward (God bless the late 1950's for that!).

Thoughts: I have a very long torso so I had to adjust things here and there. I found that the bust line rested a little high for me so I would change that next time. I also extended the pattern just below the waist by a couple of inches so that it would cover my waist a bit more. The pattern called for a regular zipper at the side and I used an invisible one because that's all I had on hand; it worked nicely and fits like a glove in the waist!

Coming soon, curtains, curtains, curtains!

Bomb Girls

2012-01-29T11:03:00.002+01:00

If you're not watching Bomb Girls yet, you should be.

The Canadian show is a beautifully put together drama about the women who bravely worked in one of several munitions factories to help the war effort during World War II.

Women heard the call in every country involved in World War II and rose above social restraints and convention to take the places of men who had gone on to fight.

Women diligently working in a Russian munitions factory.

In some countries, joining the work force was required, as in the UK's Land army. In other cases, it was voluntary, and many women caught hell from various detractors who thought it was more important to defend a woman's role as home-maker than it was to win a war against a violent aggressor.

Bomb girls does an amazing job of depicting not only the war effort, the stress these women were under to keep their men well armed, the worries they shared over sweethearts in harm's way, and gives a very good idea of what it was like to live and work during a war, with the rumor of possible invasion looming over their heads. (And the clothes aren't half bad either.)

But more importantly, what Bomb Girls does is shows how much many women welcomed the chance to work, how they valued their sudden independence, and how willing they were to hang on like hell to that independence after the men came home.

The poster above is a great illustration of the sudden power given to women to contribute to their countries as valued citizens.

This topic is particularly dear to my heart because my great grandmother, Ora, worked in a bomb factory herself during the war. Her middle finger was somehow smashed between two bombs. It healed straight and she was never able to bend it, but she still somehow managed to play the piano, straight finger and all. I remember my dad telling me that he thought it was so funny when he was little, she would make a fist, and her middle finger would still stick straight out. How I wish I could have met her.

Thank you to all the women who worked harder than we can imagine to fight the war in any way they could, and who paved the way for women to have the social and financial freedoms that many of us take for granted today.

You can watch bomb girls online here.

Knitting Patterns, a Scallop ruler, and it sold for WHAT?

2012-01-27T18:11:00.000+01:00

Hello all, please forgive this week's radio silence. I've been fighting with this old shoulder injury and it makes sitting at the computer and typing somewhat uncomfortable. I'm feeling ok today though so let's get to it!

This morning's mail brought a much anticipated 1933 knitting book full of bathing suits and beach fashions. I'm updating them, cleaning them up and posting the patterns a couple at a time to my etsy shop. Here are the two that I had so much fun coloring today:

1933 Bathing Suit Knitting Pattern

1933 Surplice Blouse Knitting Pattern

Hurrah Photoshop... helping me while away the hours until my sweetie comes home from a long trip to the States!

In other news, I have a great image of a most indispensable tool and decided to scan it in and help you create your own, should you want one. This scallop ruler is so handy for adding scalloped edges to your sewing projects, and for re-drafting the scallops on a pattern that you've adjusted the size of.

To make your own, you can just print it out on thick paper and cut, or print it on regular paper and paste it to thick construction paper.
Get the free Scallop Ruler PDF.

This could come in awful handy if you have the Mrs. Depew Vintage Bias Tap Pantie Pattern and plan on sizing it up or down.

In other sewing news, I thought you might be interested in how much this lovely Simplicity 1441 sewing pattern sold for a couple of days ago. Can you guess?

Yeah... did you see that coming? Phew!
Stay tuned for more this week including two new sewing projects I've completed, updates on the Sewing Studio Redecorating effort, and hopefully the release of a new sewing pattern, if I can bear to be at the computer for long enough!

Pattern of the Day and a Giveaway Winner

2012-01-23T16:11:00.001+01:00

Today's pattern of the day is really, really, REALLY gorgeous. Seriously, it's worth all $165, pawn your jewelry or rob a bank in stilettos and Ronald Regan mask to get your hands on this baby, gorgeous.
(By the way, don't Google 'sexy bank robber', it's mostly porn and mug shots)

Butterick 9635 is available on etsy here. This pattern reminds me a bit of a more flirty, youthful version of the stunning and seductive Charles James gown from 1951.

But enough about things I can't afford right now. What I can afford is to announce this week's French Corselet Pattern Giveaway winner!

And the winner (as chosen by random.org) is Annabelle! Annabelle always leaves the most insightful comments here at A Few Threads Loose and also has her own blog Annabellebumps which is well worth checking out!
Congrats, Annabelle! I'll be emailing you your pattern shortly!

Modes et Travaux

2012-01-19T20:13:00.000+01:00

From my collection.

Most of you have probably seen this beautiful copy of Modes et Travaux here on A Few Threads Loose before.

From my collection.

The covers of these magazines starting with the 1920's going through the 1950's are so beautiful, I just had to share a few more of them.

This lovely image from lettersfromhomefront.blogspot.com

For sale here.

Image from bettydiamond.com.au

I just bought this one today!

Have a lovely rest of the week!

Eye Candy - 1939

2012-01-18T13:26:00.000+01:00

Today for your viewing pleasure, I have some clips from DuBarry Fashion Prevue, Feb. 1939.

I just love how colorful everything in the booklet is. It's very bright and optimistic in a world that was on the brink of disaster.

I have some old Star Twist thread spools with their cute little labels in beautiful pastel colors. And in case you weren't aware of it, you've been tilting your chin the wrong way your whole life!

The whole booklet pdf is available for purchase here.

My Guilty Vintage Pleasure

2012-01-17T23:27:00.000+01:00

My favorite old time singer drives my husband up a wall, but guess what? He's out of town, so I have Yma Sumac cranked up as high as it will go.

A genuine Incan Princess (seriously, Kate Middleton, eat your heart out) Yma had a five octave range and her voice could go from vibrating your floor boards to cracking your windows in one breath.

Oh, God, the dress!

And Boy! Did she know how to dress! I swoon at the thought of her closet in the 50's.

Yes, those white pockets ARE all full of shoes.

For your listening pleasure, here are my two favorite songs.

Let me know what you think!

In Sewing News this week...

2012-01-16T17:55:00.001+01:00

There's a lot of great stuff going on in the sewing world this week and in a bit we'll do a recap of some great blog post you might want to check out, but first, the Corselet is here!

This is by far the most ambitious multi-size pattern drafting attempt I've ever made, and it's finally done! (Though I may have sacrificed the better half of my eyesight in accomplishing it.

The corselet is a corset without boning. It's main purpose is to reduce unsightly bulges under clothing from bra or pantie lines, and to cinch the waist into a smooth line. it's the best way to get that hourglass 1950's curvy silhouette without the embarrassing underwear lines. Not mention, it's rather sexy!
This corselet can either be closed in front with a zipper or hook and eye tape. (boning can be added if you need more support).

The really cool thing is, you can pair it with your favorite bra pattern and with a little tweaking here and there, you could make one of these.... Sigh.

And as usual, with the release of a new pattern comes the giveaway to win your own copy.
To enter this time, you can just leave a comment telling me the newest thing you've learned how to do in your sewing adventures. I'll announce the winner next Monday, the 23rd.

In other news, Va-Voom Vintage is celebrating 1000 blog followers (congrats, Brittany!) with an entire WEEK of giveaways so go check that out!
(kicking it off with some goodies from yours truly :)

Sew Vera Venus recently posted the most stunning velvet dress for you to ogle over, and she's also currently offering a free pattern pdf for an adorable capelet.

Photo from Sew Vera Venus

And How About Orange just posted a great roundup of some new sewing tutorials.

Hope you're having a great week!

Pattern Envy

2012-01-11T19:12:00.001+01:00

I regularly troll ebay for great patterns and recently I found a doozy.

Hollywood 1667 may be the most ideal apron pattern I have ever seen. But of course, I was outbid.
But can you guess how much this darling pattern sold for? Can you?

OUCH!
So of course I can make a pattern for this, it's very simple... if only I didn't have 8 PROJECTS GOING ALL AT ONCE. I think I need to finish a few things first.

But on the note of lovely vintage patterns selling for quite a bit, I was bidding (what I considered to be) quite high on this lovely hat pattern a couple of days ago and lost it too.

Have you ever seen a more stunning cloche?

Can you guess what this perfection sold for?

Congrats to the seller. And on behalf of myself, RATS!
In other news, I'm sewing the most lovely blouse right now using the Bateau Neck Blouse Pattern.

All I have left to do is sew the bias binding to the top, and hem the bottom, and I'm done. Here's a peak:

I love the silhouette of the neckline, and so far in fittings it has been very flattering.

For my ruffles, I'm using vintage grosgrain ribbon and the fabric is a vintage rayon blend crepe courtesy of my excellent mother.

More to come soon!

Updates and Giveaway Winners

2012-01-08T22:36:00.000+01:00

It's that time again time for me to announce the winner of the new pattern giveaway.
The winner was selected by the random number generator at random.org:

And the winner is Khristie B, who wins her choice of either the new Halter Top Blouse PDF pattern

Or the new Wrap Blouse PDF pattern.

Congratulations to Khristie, you can email me at afewthreadsloose@gmail.com to get your pattern.

Also new in vintage PDF patterns is the Multisize Bateau Neck Blouse Pattern.

It's an easy project made from only two pattern pieces and can be made with little time and effort.

And as promised, and mentioned yesterday, I'm half way done with the corselet pattern. Here's a sneak peak:

Have a great week, everyone!

Sewing with Vintage French Patterns

2012-01-07T22:11:00.001+01:00

I have lately been working on drafting beautiful corset/ corselet and garter belt patterns from an old French diagram and it's been an interesting experience.

The measurements are given in centimeters, which I prefer because it makes drafting that much more exact. The only problem is, the pattern was simply noted as being a size 44. A size 44 in 1940's France could mean any number of things and I immediately set out to research exactly what kind of size I was dealing with.

I could find almost nothing and resorted to digging up my French pattern stash (very girl should have one). I have yet to use any of my vintage French patterns yet, as they require some skill and patience, which I'm gaining, and lots of translating of text, which I love doing but seldom have the time for.

I dove into researching the differences between a size 44 by one company and a size 44 by another. All of that is below if you're looking to learn the same thing some time, some day. But first, lets just ooh and aaaaah over some pretty patterns, shall we?

You can see some beautiful Patron-Modèle patterns here at Patterns of History.
Here is what I have been able to discern about French pattern sizing using measurements given by my patterns. I'm posting not because it will be an interesting read, but maybe I'll be able to save someone the headache of figuring it out themselves some day.

THERE WILL BE NO SEAM ALLOWANCES INCLUDED WITH THESE PATTERNS.
Patron Modele 1940's (associated with Le Petit Echo de la Mode)

Size 44
Poitrine: 96 cm                      Bust: 37.75"
Taille: 75 cm                         Waist: 29.5 "
Hanches: 103                         Hips: 40.5"

Size 48
Poitrine: 104 cm                     Bust: 41"
Taille: 83 cm                          Waist: 32.5"
Hanches: 111 cm                    Hips: 43.75"

Marie France 1940's
Size 44
Poitrine: 96 cm                        Bust: 37.75"
Taille: 72 cm                           Waist: 28.3"
Hanches: 100 cm                    Hips: 39.4"

Modes et Travaux 1940's
Size 44

Poitrine: 95 cm                         Bust: 37.4"

Taille: 75 cm                            Waist: 29.5"

Hanches: 100 cm                      Hips: 39.4"

Looking for a little color!

2012-01-03T16:24:00.000+01:00

As much as I love my new sewing studio, I can't help but feel that it's just TOO white.

I have decided to decorate the hell out of it much in the same manner as these beautiful sewing rooms:

Photo from Allsorts.

Image from AllPeopleQuilt

Granted, these people are allowed to paint their spaces. That's not feasible for me here so I'm going to have to add splashes of color however I can. I started today with finally filling a set of frames I had sitting about.
I jumped on Photoshop and whipped and printed these in a jiffy. The print is a scrap of Amy Butler fabric.

This one sits above my sewing machine, where most bad things happen.

I'm looking at adding some colorful print curtains to the mix. Which of these fabrics from fabric.com do you think would make the right curtains to coordinate with all this stuff?

I also hope to add a bright rug to the mix, perhaps one of these from Urban Outfitters.

And I'm toying with the idea of recovering my dress form to coordinate with the color scheme I pick out, maybe like this one.

From Urban Outfitters

Any decorating suggestions?

Also, there's a great giveaway over on Sew Something Vintage for some wonderful vintage German pattern Magazines and patterns.

Two New Patterns!

2012-01-01T18:18:00.000+01:00

With the holidays over I'm back at digitizing my favorite sewing patterns for your enjoyment and I have just finished a new one!

This fantastic little halter top pattern really reminds me of Marylin Monroe and her carefree and playful fashion sense.

The whole thing has me dreaming of warm weather, grabbing my man and sneaking away to a beach somewhere WAY south of here and never coming back :)

But, alas, it's still winter for half the world so there are other options. I finished this multi-sized wrap blouse pattern before Christmas but didn't have much time to make a to do about it.

And of course you know what new patterns mean... A GIVEAWAY! The winner will get their choice of one of these new sewing patterns.

To enter, leave a comment to win telling me which pattern in my shop is your favorite. It can be a paper or pdf pattern. Please make sure that I have a way to get a hold of you if you win.

For an extra entry, you can do any or all of the following if you like:
1. Like A Few Threads Loose on Facebook.

2. Like Mrs. Depew Vintage on Facebook.

3. Mention this giveaway on your blog.

I'll announce the winner next Sunday, January 8th. Good luck!

What do you think?

2011-12-31T15:48:00.000+01:00

I have had a thought. Vintage German pattern magazines are few and far between, and expensive if you can find them but the patterns contained within are marvelous.

Would any of you be interested if I were to turn one, pattern sheet and all, into a pdf?

The pattern sheets included with these vintage magazines (if you're lucky enough to get one intact) are very similar to Burda Style pattern sheets, only the pattern is usually given in just one size.

There would be only very basic instructions in German but the pdf would provide all of the patterns for one edition on a pattern sheet.

It would be challenging, but worth it for the hard to find fashions. What do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts!

My Sewing Space

2011-12-30T16:02:00.002+01:00

We have been blessed that every assignment we get sent to, my sewing room just get's better and better. I was lucky enough to have a dedicated sewing room in our last two homes but our new home just takes the cake. Here I started out with a somewhat small second bedroom to work in (lucky thing about being so far away in Norway, I seldom have to make room for guests in my sewing space.)

My sweet husband noticed that I had spent less time sewing than usual in my new space and he suggested that it was too cramped, and that I should spread out. We have a large upstairs landing and he helped me turn my studio from a one dark room to a large open bright space, plus a room for the overflow!

I'm so happy to have a big open space with plenty of light to work. And at my back I have a great big sewing table with adjustable length, my birthday gift for this year.

I plan on filling the walls with sewing pattern and vintage fashion memorabilia.

A 1950's Anne Adams catalog, the first of many to be hung in this room.

The art is a collection of vintage lingerie magazine ads from Vogue that I acquired from this great shop on etsy.

This one is my absolute favorite.

The bolt of fabric in the background of this one is just idea for a sewing room!

UPDATE: You ask, where do I stash my fabric and sewing pattern collection? In the adjoining room! That's right, when he said spread out, he meant I should use the landing and the second bedroom. The fabric and pattern mess is neatly stowed away in the next room! I asked him why he didn't mind me practically taking over our second floor and he said, "Why would I mind? You love this stuff, and I only go upstairs to shower and sleep."
What a guy. :)

How about you? Do you have your dream sewing space? Or are you creative within a limited space?
I know what I'm doing with my space today. I just got some amazing quilted silk velvet fabric in the mail from fabric.com

and I'll be making slippers today from it using this great vintage slipper pattern pdf I finished recently.

For love of a silk shirt.

2011-12-26T16:31:00.001+01:00

Did everyone have a great holiday? I had a wonderful Christmas, as my husband decided that he needed to outdo my parents for record of best Christmas of '95 when I got a new bike.

This year he got me beautiful suede boots (he bought me SHOES!), jewelry, and wonderful Swiss watch, and an iPad 2! I was not expecting such a fantastic new toy! We spent the morning enjoying our presents and each others company with a roaring fire and hot chocolate, then we had some wonderful friends over for a feast. Even though I missed my family I felt so blessed.

So now that the holiday rush is mostly over, I'll be getting back to working on the PDF's I have in development that I've been telling you about, and I have a project to share.

I finished this silk shirt a week ago but was just not able to get pictures taken (oh, illusive lighting!).
This shirt was a combination of two Burda magazine patterns (2/2010) and was part of a plan to copy a Victoria's Secret shirt (post about that here).

However, the velvet I ordered turned out to be all wrong for the shirt (scratchy, stiff, horrid stuff!) and the silk I used this time was my back-up fabric.

I sort of interchanged collar and cuff pieces to my liking until I had what I liked from both.

For the fabric I used Radiance cotton/ silk poplin from Fabric.com which I cannot recommend enough! The fabric has a great body to it, not quite stiff, but as easy to sew as regular cotton only with the luxurious feel and sheen of silk. I want to make EVERYTHING out of this fabric!

I know, wrinkles, but I wore it all day working at the computer and then my sweetie came home and it was take pictures right then or have no more daylight. It still looks good wrinkled.

For the fuffs, I made cufflinks with my extra buttons and the sleeves are closed that way.

How was your holiday? Did you get any good gifts or make any wonderful memories? Do you have grand sewing plans when the holiday is over?

Bra Winner and a Peak at What's to Come

2011-12-20T14:46:00.000+01:00

And now what many of you were waiting for, the winner of a pdf of a 1950's Long-line bra!

And the winner as chosen at random by random.org is:

Ale, who commented that she would like to see a suspender belt pattern pdf in the future. Congrats, Ale! Ale, you can email me at afewthreadsloose@gmail.com and I'll send you your pattern.

For those of you who didn't win but still wanted a pattern, I have a new deal at the shop that offers a discount if you would like to buy more than one.

For 3 $5 pdf patterns for $12, click here. For 4 $5 PDF patterns for $15, click here.

Many of you commented that you would like to see more pdf patterns of things like suspender belts, girdles, blouses, and tap panties to be made in silk. Well, here you go!

Yesterday I released the new bias cut tap pantie pattern, and what a wonder! It's in a larger size! It can either be made in a 32" or 34" waist.

For those of you wanting blouse patterns, I'm working on a great 1940's wrap-around blouse as we speak!

And for those of you who asked for girdles and suspender belts, I have something in the works, and I'm waiting for a few new drafting tools to arrive so that I can make the below a reality:

That's right, ladies, wonderful French support garment patterns are soon to come!
Stay tuned soon to see the silk blouse I've been slaving over.

A Giveaway Winner and some 1920's Fashion.

2011-12-18T12:11:00.000+01:00

Well its Sunday and that means it's time for two things:
1. Drinking Mimosas all day
and
2. A Giveaway winner!

Today we have the winner of the $20 gift certificate giveaway offered by Sherrill of Vintage4Creations, as chosen by the random number generator at random.org.
And the winner is...

Linda! Congratulations Linda, and thanks for reading A Few Threads Loose. Linda commented that her favorite item at Vintage4Creations was the green wool purse with fur trim, as did most of you, and I agree, I love it too.

Thanks so much again to Sherrill for offering such a great prize!

On another note, I'll be announcing the winner of the Long Line Bra Pattern PDF giveaway on Monday so if you haven't entered that yet, go check it out!

Also for your viewing pleasure today I have a few great images for you, Film Fun covers from the 1920's, courtesy of Retronaut.

Have a lovely Sunday and I'll see you on Monday with another giveaway winner.

Introducting a New Bra Pattern

2011-12-16T12:09:00.002+01:00

For a long time now I have been meaning to get a vintage bra pdf put together for my more well endowed (lucky girl!) followers. I finally found the right pattern in a roomy size and got it into the works.
Ladies, meet the 1950's Long Line Bra PDF.

Nice to meet you.

The bra is for a 42" bust, and can easily be sized up or down by a couple of inches.

View A stops just short of the waistline and View B rests right at the top of the hips.
The pattern can be made using 1 1/4 yard of 35" fabric.

I'll be giving one pattern away to one lucky commenter. To enter, just leave me a comment below with what kind of pattern pdf you would like me to develop next.

For an extra entry, you can like A Few Threads Loose on Facebook, if you haven't already or become a follower of the blog.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

(Also, if you haven't already, check out the giveaway I have going on to win a $20 gift certificate. Last chance to enter is this coming Sunday )

A Couple of New Patterns by Mrs. Depew Vintage

2011-12-14T15:58:00.003+01:00

Want to know what I've been working on when I haven't been sewing? I have been trying to develop a couple of new pdf patterns that are more cold weather appropriate.
I have a particular love for the 1920's, the hat styles, and the cloche in particular.

With this in mind, and cold ears every time I step outside, I put together this cloche pattern pdf (actually from a late 1940's/ early 1950's pattern throwback).

I love the idea of sewing it from warm, soft wool in two tones. It can be made in soft velvet, felt, or brocade for colder weather, or light cotton or silk for warmer weather. All you need is your fabric, interfacing, grosgrain ribbon for the band, and some buttons; super easy!

And of course, I would make matching gloves to go with it, preferable trimmed with fur. Which is what I did for my second PDF this month.

This glove pattern pfd can be made either long or short, depending on the sleeve length of your favorite outfit or coat, in several sizes. The gloves can be made using fabric scraps, they take very little fabric to make.

What is your favorite warm weather accessory?

(Also, if you haven't already, check out the giveaway I have going on to win a $20 gift certificate. Last chance to enter is this coming Sunday )

Just some updates in Sewing News

2011-12-13T15:11:00.002+01:00

I don't have anything particularly fascinating for you today (bad Anna!) so I'll just pass on some great tidbits I have discovered int he last 24 hours.

There is a $100 fabric giveaway going on over at Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing. It's well worth the comment to enter.

Also, yesterday I discovered a wonderful new sewing tool and had to buy one promptly! The Seam Allowance Guide is a genius invention! No longer do you have to measure and trace around each individual piece, the Seam Allowance Guide will do that for you while you cut out your fabric.

Here's what it helps with:

Burda Style Magazine Patterns
Japanese Pattern books
Marfy Patterns
Copying your own clothes
Designers creating patterns from scratch
Altering patterns
Left or right handed scissors
Picking up pins!

I ordered mine and can't wait to get it in the mail and try on my next Burda project.
Also, if you haven't already, check out the giveaway I have going on to win a $20 gift certificate.

Oh Yes Please!

2011-12-11T21:30:00.001+01:00

Many of us are of the opinion that we were born in the wrong era. Some of us long for the good old days of Jane Austen when one's biggest problem was finding a husband. Others long for the roaring 20's when being a bad girl was still something new. And lots of us long for the 40's. Wartime, yes, but a time when family values reigned supreme, the fashion was 'tops' and the world had something worth-while to fight for.

I'm with the 1940's school, and my opinion is only reenforced by what I have to show to you today.
Ladies, I give you the era we ALL should have been brought up in:

Yeah, that really happened. These images are all courtesy of Retronaut, a website with the fantastic motto "The past is a foreign country. This is your passport."

Have a nice week, and if you haven't already, check out the giveaway I have going on to win a $20 gift certificate.

Check Out My New Purse, and a Giveaway!

2011-12-10T15:58:00.002+01:00

As most of you know, I'm very fond of my mail call posts and I love to show off the goodies I get in the mail so often. Today I'm particularly excited to show you what I've gotten, because it comes with a GIVEAWAY!
Readers, I would like you to meet my new purse. Purse, meet my readers.

Hi, nice to meet you.

You might remember me gushing over this purse when I was on the quest to add more fur to my life.

This sweet creation is the pièce de résistance of Sherrill from Vintage4Creations.

Here's what I like about it. The sewing is excellent. I looked over every detail on this little gem when it arrived and have every confidence that this purse is sewn to last a lifetime.

I'm of course thrilled with the fact that it's made from an up-cycled vintage coat and fur, and the button detail delights me to no end.

The best part? Sherrill cleverly included an original pocket from the coat into the side of the purse and it's the perfect size for my iTouch!

Before we get to the giveaway by Vintage4Creations, let's get to know Sherrill.

Sherrill, can you tell us a bit about yourself? Your passions, your favorite materials, your personal style?
My sewing/crafting passion is to take vintage items and incorporate or change them into new creations, that is where I came up with the name for my etsy shop, vintage4creations. I love hunting and searching for those things that can be re-born. Although not quite a passion, I also have a growing fondness for gardening.
I have always liked fabrics that seem comfortable and embody home to me; flannel, corduroy, chenille, wool-not the scratchy type and cotton. I love vintage barkcloth and textures.
I don't know that I have a personal style. I'm still working on that.

How and when did you learn to sew? Do you have a sewing mentor?
I don't really remember not sewing. My mom used to sew and taught me at a young age. She had a wonderful old black Singer machine with stenciling on it that only did straight stitch and zigzag. I loved that machine!
Currently, I look for sewing hints, ideas and guidance in some vintage 1920s books that my husband found while cleaning out his parents garage, online at www.threadsmagazine.com and in magazines and books that have been handed down or are at the library.

How did you get started with Vintage4Creations and why purses?
Vintage4creations came to being from my love of sewing. I actually started making aprons and some simple totes from vintage fabrics. My shop is constantly in a state of progression. I am always looking for new patterns and ideas. I just purchased a few vintage patterns with hats, purses, a capelet and gloves. Hopefully, those will turn out well enough to expand my offerings.

Vintage Lovin the 50s Aqua, Pink, Gray Diamond Fabric Shoulderbag Tote Purse

In my purse you used a wonderful recycled vintage coat and fur collar; what are some of the materials you look for when hunt for notions and fabrics?
I look for texture and color and it has to speak to me, if that makes sense. I started out buying a lot of fabric as I found it, but now that my stash area has nearly run out of room, I am trying to be more selective. However, I can hardly ever pass up a really good deal on vintage fabric and notions.

Vintage Glam Nobby Green Fabric Large Purse with Fur and Brooch Accent

What is your favorite item in your shop and why?
My favorite item is the elephant that I just made. She is made from a 1940s mail order pattern in a vintage gray barkcloth. When I was young, my parents would take me to the Portland Zoo and I loved an elephant there named Packy. There is something so wonderful about those gentle giants, the wrinkles in their skin, their eyes and their shape.

Stuffed Elephant Toy Gray Vintage Barkcloth Collectable

Sherrill is also generously offering a $20 gift certificate to Vintage4Creations for one lucky winner.

Here's how you can win:
1. For one entry, check out Vintage4Creations and leave me a comment telling me your favorite item in the shop.

2. For another entry, become a follower of A Few Threads Loose and leave a comment.

3. For another you can Like Vintage4Creations on Facebook, and for yet another you can Like A Few Threads Loose on Facebook too.

That's four chances to win. The winner's comment will be chosen at random via random.org on Sunday the 17th. Good luck to all!

Modes et Travaux ~ December, 1949

2011-12-09T08:58:00.002+01:00

Today for your eye candy super happy fun time I have pictures of the very best that Modes et Travaux had to offer in fashion, sewing, and hand work in December of 1949.

I was elated to win this edition on ebay because the cover is a beautiful sketch of a creation by none other then Christian Dior.

A white evening gown by Dior with the illustration by Artist Pierre Mourgue.

Does it get any better? Does it? Nope. Ah this dress, the stuff of dreams. I immediately set out to find photographs of it, and I'm still not sure I have the same dress but here is a photo of a Dior gown from 1949:

Lillian Bassman, Fantasy on the dance floor, Barbara Mullen, dress by Christian Dior, Paris, 1949. photo courtesy Phillips de Pury & Company

There isn't anything in the actual magazine about the design on the cover (what?!) so moving on we can see the lovely full-page advertisements that the magazine starts out with.

And then we are told what to wear for every winter occasion. I hate that I can't just go out and buy these anymore. Was anyone else born in the completely wrong decade?

I hope you enjoyed these as much as I did.
Is there any one vintage fashion item that you wish you could just go out and buy at your local mall? For me, it would be lovely fur trimmed sweaters with beaded details.

Lingerie Sew-Along: Final Touches and the Finished Product, Part 15

2011-12-08T18:18:00.000+01:00

Well, crap. The sun just isn't going to shine here, and without it's cooperation, any pictures I take of myself in the Pauline slip are just going to be dark and scary.
So let's just finish up the Lingerie Sew-Along, shall we?

When last we left off, we finished the side seams, the bodice facing, and we bound the top edges.

As far as the bodice facing edges on the inside are concerned, they can either be serged together with the bodice seam allowance, bound, or just basted together. The point is just to keep the inside facing from bunching up inside your bodice and creating unsightly lumps.

The inside bodice facing edges, pinned and ready to be dealt with.

Next we have the straps. They can be done as detailed in Pretty Pretties or as we discussed in the post about sewing straps to the Pauline Bra.

Images of strap sewing from the Pauline Bra.

My strap, sewn on as above, using plush lingerie elastic.

Which leaves us with the hem. There is no fancy lace inset to be dealt with so the hem is really straight forward. Here's how I like to do my hems:

I start by pinking the edges of the hem if necessary. I'm using charmeuse and it frays a bit so pinking will help keep that under control.

Next, to the RIGHT side of the hem allowance, I sew seam/ hem tape, sewing about 1/8" from the upper edge of the tape.

Once the hem tape is secured, you can just pin the hem as you normally would. When you sew your hem in, your raw edges will be hidden behind the hem tape.

I have tried sewing hems using machine hemming stitches and various attachments but I always go back to stitching my hem by hand. I like to put a chic flick on and slowly and neatly hand-stitch my hem. I find it soothing.

My hem stitches on the outside.

And here's what we have! This little darling looks even better than the one like it that I wanted to buy some time ago. It's ridiculously comfortable, looks great, and feels so soft.

So how did it go for you? Did you hit any snags? I did, I got it all done perfectly, went to iron my hem, and managed to accidentally burn a tiny spot on my hem. Yeah, lame.

Any questions/ comments?

Mode Du Jour, June 1951.

2011-12-06T13:12:00.000+01:00

For your viewing pleasure today I have images from Mode Du Jour, from June 1951.

Doesn't the cover model look like Madonna?

The gorgeous two piece ensemble above is a great, gathered bandeau and fantastic skirt with draped details.

You can get the look with this pattern.

This halter top bandeau look came into style in the mid to late 1940's and seams to have stuck around for the next decade.

You can get the look with this pattern.

Can you tell that I really can't wait for summer? We haven't seen the sun in 3 days now and it's REALLY getting to me...

A Christmas Party Dress

2011-12-04T13:11:00.000+01:00

Well I have been waiting about a week now for the sun to come out long enough for me to take decent pictures of the finished Pauline Slip. You wouldn't believe how dark it gets here in the winter, and how impossible it is to take picutres in the "energy efficient" low lighting in most Norwegian homes.
It's frustrating. And I'm still waiting for the sun.

In other news, we went to our squadron Christmas party last night and I had a blast! I wore the most amazing vintage 1950's lace dress my excellent mother gave me a few years ago.

Thanks Mom! To make the full gathered skirt stand out more a la June Cleaver, I wore a great pastel pink crinoline underneath. It was scratchy, but boy was it fun to wear!

The kitty thought it was great fun and was doing everything in his power to play with the net ruffles every chance he got.

The dress had two labels, one reading "Townley" and the other "Montaldos". I felt like the bell of the ball in this dress. First I was worried about staying within the fine line of vintage, but updated. Ig ot over it after the first few dozen compliments. I love to add vintage to my wardrobe, but I don't like to have my whole outfit to be from the same decade.
Does that make any sense?

Do any of you have grand outfits planned for Christmas parties?

Lingerie Sew-Along: Side Seams, Facing Bodice, and Binding the Top, Part 14

2011-11-27T15:27:00.001+01:00

Well, I have officially gotten all of my Christmas shopping done thanks to a bunch of black Friday deals online. Now we can get back to the sewing! Our next step in the Lingerie Sew-Along is to sew the side seams. This is pretty easy, just match the notches, right sides together, and sew.

Side seams pinned, RIGHT sides together.

Then press your side seams. Now you can move onto facing your bodice. For my facing pieces I used a soft, sheer white cotton.

Place the bodice facing pieces WRONG sides together on the inside of the bodice, matching the ends of the darts.

Pin in place. I have pinned my facing pieces to my side seam allowances as well, as I'll be basting them together and either binding or serging the ends later.

Baste the bodice pieces together at the top and sides. This will hold them in place as you bind them in the next step.

There are a few ways to bind the top. If you're using folded bias tape, you can see how we did this for the Pauline Bra here.

I couldn't find any folded bias tape in white in all of Norway, but what I did have was some lovely white rayon seam binding and this will do just fine.

Instead of pressing the binding in half, I used it as a sort of facing. I sewed the binding to the inside all the way around the top of the slip, 1/4" from the edge.

Then I pressed the seam tape up and flipped it over to the RIGHT side so that the seam that I just created was at the top of the slip, and all of the remaining seam tape was on the right side.

You can see that the top of my slip bodice is not the seam between the seam tape and the bodice.

Then I just pinned and sewed it in place, pressed again and voila! The top is finished all the way around.

Next? Straps and a hem, and we're done!

Did any of you go shopping on black Friday? Did you get any fantastic deals?

The Vintage way to Lose Weight

2011-11-26T20:04:00.000+01:00

Here I was, thinking that diet and exercise was the way to lose weight. Turns out, all I needed was to chew some gum. Huzzah!

From Simplicity Prevue February 1939.

Have a nice weekend!

Also, until the end of cyber Monday coupon code "pecanpie" gets you 30% off everything in my etsy shop!

SALE

2011-11-25T12:22:00.000+01:00

Has anyone started their black Friday shopping yet?

I'm having a sale over on my etsy shop for 30% off everything.
You can use the code "pecanpie" at checkout.

Happy weekend!

Lingerie Sew-Along: Bust dart and Gathers Part 13

2011-11-22T17:53:00.000+01:00

For our next installments in the Lingerie-Sew-Along we will be working on the bodice pieces, darts and optional gathers, and attaching the bodice pieces to the slip pieces.

To see how to sew a dart, or just to get a look at how the same three darts looked in the Pauline bra pattern, click here.

You have two options with the bodice pattern pieces for this slip. You can either sew the darts as instructed, or you can replace the bottom 3 darts with gathers. I have chosen to use the gathers as the fit is more forgiving to the bust contour, and the gathers provide the illusion of fullness at the bust (and let's face it, I can use all the help I can get in that department.)

There are 4 darts on the bodice piece, the single one at the top, and the set of three at the bottom. Sew the dart at the top as you normally would.

To make the gathers: on the pattern piece only, pin the darts in place and measure the width between the first and third dart. If you haven't made any adjustments to the size of your pattern, this distance will be 1 1/4".

On your bust pieces, mark the outside leg of the two outer darts with a pin. You should have two pins, about 3 1/2" apart. You will gather between these two pins.

Sew a long stitch (5 cm long) between the two pins, about 1/8" or 3 cm from the edge of the fabric. Do not back-stitch, but leave your threads hanging out enough to grab onto securely.

Do the same again another 1/8" from the stitches you just made. You should have two parallel lines of stitching running between the two pins.

Pull on the top threads to gather the stitches until your gathers section is 1 1/4" long (if you haven't moved your darts in resizing).

Secure the threads by tying them. You may need to adjust your gathers so that they are a bit uniform and even.

Now you can just pin your first bodice piece to the slip front, RIGHT sides together (just like we did with the bra).
Match your notches and make sure to leave a bit at the point in the center to make room for the seam allowance of the other bodice piece.

Make sure that your gathers aren't bunched or pinched when pinning. Also check to make sure that your gathering stitches are hidden in your seam allowance before you sew.

The first bodice piece sewn to the slip front from the WRONG side.

The first bodice piece sewn to the slip front from the RIGHT side.

Now you can sew the second bodice piece to the other side of the slip front. Below I have marked with a pin at the center front where I want my stitching to stop so that it doesn't overlap the seam allowance of the other bodice piece.

Bodice joined to the slip front from RIGHT side.

Tada! This is going to turn out nicely indeed!
Any questions? What fabrics are you sewing your slip from? Are you using lace? Any contrasting combinations?

Next post: Sewing the side seams and facing the bodice sections.

Lingerie Sew-Along: Starting the Slip, Cutting, and Contour Darts Part 12

2011-11-21T18:35:00.002+01:00

It's here! The final leg of the Lingerie Sew-Along is upon us and once again, I'm so sorry it took so long for me to make this part happen. Within a couple of days of getting back from the U.S. my camera went missing and my brilliant husband just now found it. We couldn't have a Sew-along without a camera so here we go!

I've been working all weekend to get this baby mostly put together and I've really been enjoying it. It's a nice and straight forward pattern and it feels SO good to get behind my machine again.

Printing: Make sure your printer is set to scale to 100% when you print!
Remember that the original vintage pattern didn't include a seam allowance so you need to make sure you add this before cutting out your pattern pieces.

Let's start with cutting out our pattern pieces, shall we? I chose to make the long version of the Pauline Slip/ Camisole. To make the camisole instead, just cut the pattern short at the lines indicated before laying it out on your fabric. The rest is the same.
Below are my slip pieces laid out on 2 yards of some great navy charmeuse I found at a thrift shop in Nebraska this summer for $1.

Fabric Requirements:
36 inch fabric:
Slip 2 1/8 yds.
Camisole 1 3/8 yds.

Cut out the following:
Slip front, 1 on fold
Slip back, 1 on fold
Bodice, 2 of shell, 2 of facing or same fabric.

Slip pieces laid out, both on the FOLD.

I chose to make the bust pieces in a contrasting white; I'm using a vintage silk handkerchief for fabric. I fell in love long ago with a 1940's vintage slip in blue and white and made the mistake of waiting to buy it. I missed out so this will be my copy.

Once you have your pieces cut out your next task is to mark, pin and sew the darts in your slip back piece. We'll start with the back darts because they are the trickiest. These are known as contour darts and are designed to fit the fullest part of the back and hip nicely.

First mark the darts well; how you do this is up to you but for a contour dart, I recommend a chalk line as it's so much easier to match up the lines.

Mark both darts and then you can start pinning them together. Start at the center. I like to stick a pin through both lines in the center first. Then pinch the center together and secure the tip of your pin.

Yes, chalk makes for very messy pictures.

You can then pin each tip working towards the center. It should look like this:

To sew, start in the center and sew tapering to a point on one end. Do this again in the other direction, once again starting in the center, overlapping your stitches on the other end a bit to secure.

When you get to to the point of the dart, DO NOT SECURE BY BACK STITCHING. This is very important. Instead, just stitch off the edge, and cut your threads about 3-4" long.

You will want to tie these ends in a very loose knot.

Here's a dart-sewing cautionary tale: When I first started sewing here in Norway I made this amazing dress that had back contour darts like this. I didn't know about the loop- tie yet so I just back stitched my dart points and moved on. The very first day I wore the dress, I bent over to put on my shoes, and the fabric at the tip ripped away and created a dime-sized hole. The dart points on a contour dart always need a bit of room to stretch out as you move. Otherwise, they will be ruined. (You can get away with not doing this on some bust darts, but in my case, I always have enough room in the bust area for my darts to never be stressed)

Anyways, next you'll want to snip the center of the back contour dart to within 1/8" of the stitches. This will relieve any stress on the dart.

Also, I'm a crappy artist so this diagram from Denver Fabrics might be handy:

Your finished back darts.

Voila! Up next: sewing the darts on your bodice, and using optional gathers instead of darts to enhance bust fullness.

Helpful hint: If you have a sewing machine with an automatic thread cutting option, you can secure the points of your darts as follows:
First select the stitch that back-stitches in place, without using your feed dogs. Then sew the dart, tapering to a point. Just as you reach the tip, sew one stitch off of the fabric edge. Then back-stitch in place 3 stitches and hit your auto thread cutter button. When you pull your threads loose, they should already be tied in a nice, loose little knot for you. (Note: this works on my Brother machine)

How about you? Do you have any tips or tricks that you like to use with darts?

Longing for more fur in my life

2011-11-19T15:23:00.001+01:00

Living in this cold, icy, god-forsaken winter wonderland of a country has led to a bone deep need for warm, comforting, and fluffy accessories. Some of my go-to wardrobe choices include a hand beaded wool scarf, vintage fur detachable collars, fur lined boots, and various mink and ermine neck warmers. l'm sure you can see where this is going.

With this season in fashion adding fur touches nearly everywhere, it has become glaringly obvious that I need to add a fur purse to my arsenal of accessories.
I had a brief debate with myself over sewing or buying one but it all boiled down to the fact that I have enough sewing projects on my plate as it is.

So I set out on the hunt and I thought that I would share some of my favorites with you.
I was really in love with this mink bag but let's face it, a military wife just can't go and spend $349 on a purse.

So I started looking at vintage and my options got a bit less expensive...until they got more expensive when I stumbled across Hopcotch Couture and their AMAZING upcycled purses:

Hopscotch Couture

Swoooooon.
By this point I started sorting my searches by price, lowest first for my own safety, and still there were some great finds. Like this 1920's purse that has rabbit fur sewn into channels to resemble a tiger print.

Lapine Ours Vintage

This antique Parisian beaver purse is an amazing find but I would never feel comfortable carrying it around... I would be too scared of hurting it.

Yonks

And then I found this sweet little baby and it was love at first sight.

Vintage4Creations

This little beauty by Vintage4Creations is made from fabric that was up-cycled from a vintage coat and a vintage scrap of mink. It's perfect! Plus I get to pass some business on to a fellow seamstress and vintage lover. It's the perfect solution. Not to mention this purse is roomy. It will have room for my tablet, umbrella, wallet, and a dozen other things I can't leave the house without.

Want one? I bought the one above of course but she has a couple more in other colors, at really great prices so check them out before they're all gone!

Vintage4Creations

Now I just need to snag some fur edged gloves and I'll be set.

Pattern of the Day.

2011-11-15T16:05:00.000+01:00

As some of you know, it's been my long held morning tradition of trolling etsy, coffee in hand, for any super unique patterns to have been recently listed. I sort of got out of that recently in an effort to save for my unhealthy Christmas addiction.
But I was weak and gave in today, and much to my delight, I found a great pattern that I only feel slightly giulty for buying.

I give you McCall's 6523.

The rosette is gastly, I know, but the ample hip pleating is just fantastic, and this dress is nearly a double of the only vintage Designer dress I have... and love.. and can't fit into anymore (or ever, for that matter).

I managed to squeeze into this dress for the gala night on our (belated) honeymoon cruise in January. And then we sat down to diner, the ship entered open water, and I was promptly overwhelmed with both seasickness and an inability to breath in my tight dress. I had to run back to the cabin to change and I sort of gave up on the dress afterwards. That and the advent of 10 lbs didn't help either.

My favorite feature of this dress was the way it made my hips seem wider and my waist seam tinier, in the most Monroe-esque way. The pleats have been lined with a very stiff horsehair interfacing, making them almost have a life of their own.
There isn't any more room for me to make this dress bigger... so perhaps I'll just have to sew another one?

New pattern for the wee ones...

2011-11-10T09:23:00.001+01:00

This week, I had one goal. Finish the new pattern I was developing before I started on the slip/ camisole part of the Lingerie Sew-Along. Well, I finished... and now I totally feel like an idiot.
I slaved all this week on this cute little sun suit pattern pdf and then I emailed one to my sister and she so obnoxiously (but rightfully) pointed out, "It's a shorts pattern... it's November, Anna."

DAMMIT!

I started on this adorable pattern in July and then put it aside for other projects, travel, and the big move from one house to the next, and I'm a complete idiot for not leaving it until summer. Luckily, I have a kids trouser pattern from the same era and I can re-do it a bit to include a long overall/ trouser version.
Ugh. I'll be putting that off for a while though so I can start on the Slip/ Cami sew along posts for you all.

In other sewing news, this was drawn to my attention and I seriously need to get some of these nearly poetic sewing labels:

They are offered for sale at Sublime Stitching. And they make a great point! There are so few really easy, immediate gratification sewing projects out there that you can tote or wear around proudly. The good ones always take sooooooooooo long.

And speaking of things that take forever, that's why I haven't attempted sewing myself a coat yet. That, and wool intimidates me... and I'm not even sure why. But I am sorely tempted to sew one after seeing something else in my Victoria's Secret Catalog:

This gorgeous military coat got me to thinking and I dug through my stash to see if I had any coat patterns. Of all wonders, I had McCall's 2054 in two different sizes! The version on the left is nearly identical!

Can anyone recommend a good place online to buy wool fabric?

Dress Pattern of the Day

2011-11-08T10:54:00.000+01:00

For your viewing pleasure today, we have McCall's 4661 from 1958. The perfect wiggle dress for that Christmas cocktail party.

The collar reminds me a bit of the L'Wren Scott dress that Nicole Kidman made so popular last year.

So pretty... I wish I could keep them all... You can find it for sale here.

Sunday Roundup.

2011-11-06T15:52:00.000+01:00

Here are just some interesting things for your day...

Tilly and the buttons is hosting a giveaway. There's a fantastic observation on fitting a garment to the human form, and the comment to win section is really a great read. She asked that everyone share a sewing secret or tip and the resulting comments are fascinating and informative.

Also, if you like vintage fashion catalogs (swoon) there's a great collection of pictures over on Casey's Elegant Musings, shared with us by her guest blogger, Ashley from Bramblewood Fashion.

In other news, I got my Victoria's Secret catalog in the mail today and instantly fell in love with this:

Velvet Boyfriend Shirt at VS.

So I got online and bought 2 yards of lovely rayon velvet and dug through my Burda Fashion Magazine collection for a great button down shirt pattern. I found a dozen or so. more on that later.
So of course that got me thinking about what else I like in the catalog that I could sew...
and I went straight to the page that had these gorgeous leggings:

VS Siren Legging in corduroy.

Naturally I hadn't checked out yet at fabric.com so did a search for stretch corduroy and found this, and promptly bought some of that too.

This Burda skinny trouser pattern is just what I have in mind. Good thing I have the issue filed away in my collection, ready to go!
I think post sew-along I'm going to have some fully modern sewing on my hands.

Lingerie Sew-Along: Everything you need in one place!

2011-11-05T20:00:00.014+01:00

I just thought that I would include a link to each individual lingerie-sew along as sort of an index where you could skip to the step you're looking for without having to drag through the rest of the blog posts. Here you go!

Bra:

Part 1: Printing the pattern, and adding seam allowance
Part 2: Resizing, Layout and Cutting your bra
Part 3: Darts, Pressing, and Attaching the Bra Band
Part 4: Binding the top of the bra
Part 5: Finishing the bra band
Part 6: Closure, straps, finishing touches and pictures

Tap Pants:

Part 7: Starting the Tap Pants
Part 8: Tap Pants Cutting, Darts and Yoke
Part 9: Inner Leg and Front to Back Seams
Part 10: Tap Pants Lace Inset and Front/ Back Facings
Part 11: Tap Pants finishing touches and pictures

Slip/ Cami:

Part 12: Starting the Slip, Cutting, and Contour Darts in Slip Back
Part 13: Bust Darts and Gathers, Joining Bodice and Slip Front
Part 14: Side Seams, Facing Bodice, Binding the Top
Part 15: Final Touches and the Finished Product

Mail call, and I still have books on my mind!

2011-11-05T18:58:00.001+01:00

I just love it when my sweetie comes home with a big pile of mail for me. He picks it up on base and brings it home from work with him. Yesterday was the first time he checked the mail in about three weeks since we were on vacation in the U.S. and boy, did some good stuff show up!

Most of this I bought online right before we left, or later whilst hunting online, morning coffee in hand, on vacation.

I'm really excited to find out that Spadea Patterns released their own book, The Spadea Sewing Book: Sewing Tips by World Famous Designers (1967).

Another great book that came in the mail was Underwear and Lingerie from the Women's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences (1940). I'm sure you'll hear me referring to this one often, as it covers EVERYTHING!

And of course, on etsy I found this cute little vintage costume brooch of an airplane and pilot, so my style. I have a thing for the vintage aviator look.

Then I got The Vogue Lingerie and Lounge-Wear book from he 1970's that I completely forgot I had bought. Surprise for me!

And this cool vintage booklet on sewing ideas for things you can make from cotton bags, along with this great collection of Simplicity and Hollywood pattern flyers that had been FOLDED IN HALF and thus nearly destroyed when I got them in the mail (grrrrrrrrrrr.........).

Folded in half, noooooooooooooo!

From being folded the aged paper was unable to handle the crease, and splintered and cracked to pieces... so sad! Poor little things.

This lovely New York Patterns booklet barely survived intact. More pictures of that later. I saved the very best for last, of course, because it comes with a story. Upon receiving two lovely vintage fashion pattern catalogs that I had ordered from an etsy shop, I noticed the name on the return address and it rang a small bell...

It took me a moment of pondering where I knew the lovely French name Wade Laboissonniere from and then it hit me, Duh, he's only my hero!

The brilliant Wade Laboissonniere is the author of the two books I reference most in my studio!
Blueprints of Fashion: Home Sewing Patterns of the 1940's (and it's equally important sister volume, Home Sewing Patterns of the 1950's) are the most informative and fascinating reads a pattern collector and vintage fashion lover could have in her possession!

I can't recommend these books enough!
I bought two vintage pattern catalogs from the collection of an author whose expertise and pattern collection I constantly return to for information when working with my own massive collection. (No, seriously, I have a MASSIVE pattern collection.)
SWEET!
So of course, without further ado, here they are:

Fashion Book Fall and Winter 1941.

You know I can never pass up adding the lingerie portion to the post!


Fashion Book Fall and Winter 1941.

Fashion: The Farm Home Edition, fall/ winter 1948.

Have a happy weekend!