Hello readers! Thanks for hanging in there with me. It’s our busiest time of year at The Sewing Room and I have very little time to write and post blogs. I DO want to share with you, this wonderful picnic I had with friends over Memorial Day weekend. Our theme was Victory Garden with a Farm-to-Table menu. We all tried to bring something that came from either our own garden or freshly made using natural ingredients that were locally sourced. We are wonderfully blessed to live in an area with local organic produce and many of us have back yard gardens.

A big THANK YOU to Daisy Coby of Memento Moda for the use of the photos! You are amazing Daisy.

What is a Victory Garden?

According to Wikipedia - Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Germany during World War I and World War II. The idea was to grow your own food to lessen the burden of transporting food while providing food to one’s local communities.

The idea was again popularized by Michelle Obama when she planted a new Victory Garden at the White House to begin a conversation about the health and well being of our country. This was when I first learned of victory gardens as well as the concept of the Slow Food Movement. Slow Food is an organization that promotes local food and traditional cooking. It was founded by Carlo Petrini in Italy in 1986 and has since spread worldwide.

Follow the links above if you are interested in learning more about gardening, buying locally and being healthier, overall.

I brought two Fruit Galettes made using fresh peaches, apricots and cherries from my favorite - Frog Hollow Farm. Truly the finest fruit I have ever tasted. Additionally, I set up a table for Tea. It’s so nice to have tea after an amazing meal with friends.

We had such a lovely turnout with friends in this seemingly rural environment. But alas, we were in the middle of downtown Oakland at the Lake Merritt Gardens. Tucked off to the side of Lake Merrit, along Bellevue Avenue is a lovely botanical garden that has several sections, including an section with plots that are growing food. Apparently their is quite a long wait for an allotment, but you can still set up a picnic in the area. So that is what we did.

I’m so lucky to have group of friends who loves to dress up and schlep all their stuff into these picturesque environments. It’s really so special.

This really was a lovely afternoon with friends. I think my outfit might be deemed most comfortable. More on the making of the overalls, below.

I made these Overalls using the Decades of Style Ophelia Overalls. No Alterations were made to the pattern; it was cut to the size that worked with my measurements best. This is one of the fabulous things about Decades Patterns - They pretty much fit great with few revisions. Also, overalls, are a pretty safe bet, size wise, so I wasn’t too concerned about having to fit my armholes or bust line. Also, they have these little tabs on the sides, for your to cinch the waist in. Those tabs plus the ample pockets and the loose fit, make these the most comfortable and practical piece in my wardrobe. I can wear them for fun to the Alameda Antique Faire and also wear them for more casual vintage look, while I’m actually gardening. Who doesn’t want to look cute while they are gardening?

A few things I did to give them a more professional finish:

• Fabric - Robert Kaufman Railroad Denim - Cxc-13905-67 which you can find on Etsy here:

• Buttons - vintage metal antique Brass sew-on buttons at the straps and side openings. You can find similar buttons here:

• Thread - Topsitching thread in color Lee Gold

The blouse was made using Simplicity 1692 - Simplicity 85th Anniversary Vintage 1940’s Blouse. I cut the blouse on the bias, which is wasn’t intended for. Who doesn’t love a diagonal plaid? I narrowed the shoulders because they were too large on the pattern for my shoulder width. It’s common with vintage repro patterns from the big 3. They alter the pattern to fit a more modern silhouette, but often it’s not that flattering. I still feel the shoulders could be narrower, however they could be stretched out due to the bias cutting. Also, the armhole is too deep. If I make it again, I will likely raise it at least 1/2” and will adjust the sleeve cap accordingly. I believe it’s meant to have a small shoulder pad, which I did not add, so this could be the reason the armhole seems large. In any case, it turned out pretty cute and was the perfect weight for the event.

To complete the vintage look:

• Hair Scarf - Vintage rectangular silk scarf in bright colors

• Hair - Vintage twisty hair I learned from Rachel Maksy

• Blouse - Vintage top made with Rede and white vintage plaid seersucker from Simplicity 85th Anniversary Vintage 1940’s, 1692 Pattern.

• Shoes - Britta in Brown - 20’s 30’s Everyday Leather Boots by Memery Shoes

Until Next time, Happy Sewing!

xo Jennifer