And the winner is...

Hello lovely readers. Today is Monday, and you know what that means. It's time to announce the winner of the giveaway for my new sewing pattern!

And the lucky winner is: JacieKakes! You can email me afewthreadsloose@gmail.com and I'll send you your pattern! Jacie also happens to have started writing a blog recently and I found myself giggling at the clever way she describes things. You should really check it out! Jacie also commented that the next pattern she would like to see from Mrs. Depew Vintage would be a Geisha style robe like the one in this picture:

And I have to say, you're totally right! This is gorgeous and I've been wanting to do a robe pattern for the longest time! Wow, Lana turner... what a babe.

On my last visit home I recently acquired a beautiful cream silk charmeuse robe almost exactly like this. The lovely thing was coming apart at the seams and I spent most of the last two days carefully hand stitching it back together. Now it's soaking in my laundry room sink and I'm hoping some old stains will work their way out (any tips?)

I'm thinking about starting with a pattern from one of my old German pattern magazines and working my way out from there. What do you think of this one? (robe/ nightgown on the left)

Which leads me to a very important question that I would really like your input on. A robe pattern would be a great deal larger to print out as a digital pattern than what I've done thus far. To save paper and ink for the seamstress using it, I could overlap pattern pieces onto the same sheet (much like a Burda pattern sheet, only with one pattern). My question is, if you've already gone to the trouble of printing it out, is too inconvenient to also have to trace a few pattern pieces off? Or is the right pattern worth all the trouble?

And in other news, here's a quick sneak peak at what I'm working on right now:

If you didn't win the bathing suit pattern and would still like a copy, you can download it directly from my Craftsy shop, (yay instant download!) or you can find it in my Artfire shop, and my Etsy shop.

And don't forget to stop by Ohhh Lulu... to enter the giveaway to win her beautiful new Betty High Waist Panties pattern (yay Sarah!). I've already got my pattern and I'm off to the fabric shop (I've nickname the place, 'the mess') tomorrow to get supplies!

How about you? What are you working on this week?

The Much-Anticipated Bathing Suit Pattern Giveaway!

My lovely readers, you have been so patient with me. I put off the main part of my pattern drafting work to do the Pin-Up Sew-Along and now that we've reached a nice lull with that, I have finally had time to finish the much asked-for and anticipated bathing suit pattern!

Many of you are familiar with the famous photograph of Marilyn Monroe in the lovely and clingy white bathing suit and that was my main inspiration for putting the pattern together. I find myself getting a bit curvier than I used to be (isn't that always the case?) and I love the idea of a suit that emphasizes those curves while still providing a bit of modesty for the one's you'd rather not draw attention to.

I also created it in sizes x-small through x-large, in two versions, one strapless and one with halter collar strap for supporting those more endowed like Marilyn than myself.

Before I got started I had fun using an app called Penultimate to create a mood board with bathing suits and patterns that fit into this glamorous Hollywood image that I wanted to recreate, adding sketches and ideas to incorporate into my cover image for later as I progressed.

And of course, as I always do when I release a new pattern, I'm offering a free copy to one lucky winner!

To enter the giveaway you can do one or all of the following, just leave a comment for each entry to get your name in the proverbial hat.

1. Tell me what kind of pattern you'd like me to create next. I'm always open to suggestions!

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 this giveaway on your blog.

I'll announce the winner this Monday the 9th.
Good luck! 

In Sewing News this week...

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!

We have a winner... a little late...

Um, was I supposed to announce the winner of the last giveaway on Monday? MONDAY? It's Friday for crying out loud!
Wanna know what happened? I broke a rib. Yeah, fun. So in the hubbub of doctor visits, pharmacy trips, x-rays, and allergic reactions to pain pills, I kind of forgot. So apparently the only pain pill that I'm not allergic to (aside from the not really effective over the counter stuff) is vicodin. They don't carry that here in Norway because, get this, "it can cause feelings of euphoria." Freakin' DUH! If it helps the pain, why grudge a poor invalid their happy side effects?
So the last week or so has been basically me roughing it through the day on ibuprofin while I work to finish up my custom sewing project for a friend, and when my sewing hours are over and I can take it no more, curling up in a Southern Comfort induced stupor till bedtime.

So, finally, now that I've remembered (so sorry) here is the winner of the hat and bag pattern giveaway as drawn by random.org's number generator.

And the winner is lucky #13, Elisabeth! (I'll be emailing you, dear) winner of a copy of my new hat and bag pattern. Congrats!

If you didn't win, you can find the pattern in my etsy shop.
Happy weekend, and I'm back to my sewing machine.

And we have a winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway! The lucky winner is Alice of Alice's Closet whose comment # was chosen by a random number generator:

She has a super cute sewing blog that you might like to check out.
Congrats, Alice, and thanks for reading A Few Threads Loose! Just leave a comment here on this post with the pattern you want, and how I can email it to you, or email me at afewthreadsloose@gmail.com.
The prize? Alice get's to choose any one pdf pattern from my etsy shop that she likes.
I have some super cute pdf patterns on there, but by far, my favorite is the beach bra pattern.

Either that or the flight cap pattern which is my other best seller. I think it's because my husband was gracious enough to model it for me.

Lord, but he's good looking!

Free.............!

I love the weekend. You know what I love almost as much as the weekend? Giveaways. Free stuff. They just make me smile. So my very first giveaway sponsored by the lovely ErikawithaK ends tonight and I'll be announcing the winner on Sunday, instead of Saturday. Why? To give people all of Saturday to enter, and because I live in Norway, 7 hours or so ahead of many of you, and that would cut it short.

On another note, here are some other great giveaway's that I've scouted out for you to look at, and perhaps win.

Handmade Jane is offering a free pattern by Collete Patterns to one lucky winner over at her beautiful blog.

And Sew Darn Tired is offering a great giveaway package including a pair of vintage sunglasses and a great sewing pattern in honor of her Blogiversary.

(Source)

And it's not a giveaway, but it's certainly a great discount. FinickyFinds is offering 20% off in her shop just for today to celebrate two years of selling on etsy. Just use the coupon code TWOYEARS20 at checkout.
I did, and I got the most adorable pattern. I'm going to use it in an attempt to make my own cami knickers of sorts.

 

Happy weekend, and good luck on the giveaways!