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

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:

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

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...?

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...

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

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:

Pattern of the Day

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

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!