McCall 5044 - A 1920's Robe in Luxury Cottons

Hello my dear readers, I'm back!
I'm sorry it's been such a long time since my last post! I have been so busy that something had to give temporarily and I'm afraid that something was writing. However, I have been doing some projects in the meantime and have finally got the time to share with you. My only New Year's resolution this year was to work a little bit less and to sew a little bit more and so far, it's rather nice!

McCall 5044 Ladies' and Misses' Negligee

My most recent project was McCall 5044. I found this pattern a while back on Ebay and imagine my delight when I searched my magazine collection and found it featured in a December, 1927 edition of Fashion Service Magazine!

 I fully intended to sew this lovely negligee in silk but I wanted to make a wearable muslin first, and I decided to use some really beautiful cotton from my stash.
The main body fabric is from the Olivia Collection by Anna Griffin.

The instructions were a bit vague (quite common for 1920s McCall's) so I had some room to customize the pattern. I made version A and lined the interior with soft cotton so all seams are neatly concealed. I also lengthened the sleeve bands a bit to allow for my rather long arms.

Instead of sewing fabric carriers I followed this incredibly nifty Youtube tutorial and made thread carriers for the sash. It was so much fun to try something new, and to avoid stitching those darn cloth carriers made my day!


I also searched high and low and found a lovely art deco rose motif online, adapted it a bit, and embroidered it with my initials on the sleeve.

I know, I went a bit overboard for a wearable muslin but every step of sewing up this negligee was more fun than the last and I just couldn't help myself. It went together so easily and I can't wait to make another one in some sumptuous silk.

Update: This pattern is now available as a multisized reproduction in both PDF and print!

How about you? Did you do any recent sewing or make any sewing-related New Year's resolutions?

A Giveaway Winner and some Vintage Eye Candy

Hello my lovely readers,
It's time to announce the winner of the November issue of Molly makes sitting here on my desk!
It was really great of you all to share your favorite sewing/ crafting magazines with me - I'll be checking out a few I've never heard about before so thanks for the recommendations. In case you didn't read the comments on our last post, here are a few that you all suggested:

My Image,
Knit Scene,
Vogue Knitting,
Cotton Friend (Japanese),
A Needle Pulling Thread,
Threads,
Interweave Knits,
and SewStylish.

Our giveaway winner is Angie of Bombshell Babe (I just had fun reading your blog, my dear). Angie, if you could email me your contact info at afewthreadsloose@gmail.com, I can send you your prize!

And in other news, the other day I was lamenting the fact that my favorite sewing/ crafting magazines were all published about 70 or 80 years ago and aren't so easy to find. I started looking through my collection (also known as the massive hoard in my spare bedroom) and fell in love all over again. Oh, how I wish that Nouveauté (novelty) was still published!

So, to honor my favorite, no longer with us sewing and crafting magazine, here are some really, really pretty excerpts from Nouveauté - June, 1935.

One of the most charming aspects of this magazine is that the inside cover was always illustrated to look like the back of the model on the cover.

I wish I could look that glamorous while fishing...

Just lovely, n'est pas? If you want to read more, you can find the entire digital copy of the magazine here.
Happy sewing, mes amis!

Sew Expensive... Millinery For Every Woman Sewing Book

Hello my dear readers! For you today I have another Sew Expensive moment brought to you by the internet and people with too much money!

For today's installment, I have a stunning book that recently sold for an equally stunning price!

This beautiful, and painfully rare book sold on Ebay recently for a sum that made me quite literally squeal. I scared the hell out of the dog.

This original Millinery for Every Woman by Georgina Kerr Kaye sold for an incredible $587.90 (that's 427 € or 354 £!).

Why would this amazing little tome go for so much, you might ask? Because it's full of hat patterns and very rare millinery knowledge that is slowly dying out. Very few people make their own hats any more compared to the average woman of the 18th century who often knew how to make just about anything. That sort of knowledge is rather scarce these days so a book like this would find a very welcome home among those who wish to preserve that kind of knowledge.

If you're interested in making your own hats, there isn't a lot of info readily available and books like these are not easy to find!
But don't fret, my dears, there is an alternative to spending half your rent on antique millinery books! There are several re-prints of this book currently available on Amazon for as little as $25.

In other news, Happy New Year! Another year has gone by and I find that as a whole, I'm just as content with life as I have been for the last 7 or 8 years.  So no resolutions for me, just happy business as usual.
How about you? Any grand resolutions you hope to keep?

New Paper Patterns Sitting on my Shelf of Awesome.

Boy have I been busy, my dear readers! Between two college classes (why, oh why did I think two at once would be a good idea?) running Mrs. Depew Vintage, and le pup needing full time watching, I've been seriously overwhelmed! I dropped everything yesterday to go get a massage and today, I'm sore but also a bit recharged again. When I haven't been chasing after Butters (le pup has been renamed... it's a long story), doing homework, or taking care of the house (so much pet fur to stay on top of...) I have been busy folding patterns!

I thought that I was going to hate it but there's something so satisfying about breaking a large piece of paper down into exact fractions so that they fit perfectly in their little envelopes... over and over again... I'm such a sucker for repetitive work.

I have started with my most popular patterns, most often requested by those with no printer at home, and so without further ado, here they are!

Depew #1003 available at Mrs. Depew Vintage.

Depew #2013 available at Mrs. Depew Vintage.

Depew 2012 available at Mrs. Depew Vintage.

Currently they sit in a place of honor right under "Boobs" McGee, my 1950's bullet bra model.

My "Shelf of Awesome".

Next up in paper patterns will be the 1950's Style Bathing Suit pattern (Depew #1001) and the ever popular 1950's Style Beach Bustier (Depew #1018)... if I can ever find the time to finish them!

I was so excited about how reasonable printing costs were in comparison to what I paid in Norway! It means that I can offer reprints of my other paper patterns for lower prices. Huzzah!

This has been a big project and I'm so relieved to have it finished for the time being. But enough about me!
How about you? Have you been working on any of your own big projects lately?
And when you're finished, how do you usually reward yourself? With a massage? New clothes? Shoes? More fabric?

Happy sewing,