My Vintage Fairy Godmother has been quite active over the last few months. In fact, I’m actually quite lucky to have friends that give me vintage pieces that they no longer want or don’t know what to do with. The story behind this ensemble, definitely falls into this category.
Read moreLearn How to Make Your Own Bras - With Linda Sepeda of Violet's Valentines
If you can sew a sleeve into an armhole, you can make a bra….Linda Sepeda
It shouldn't hurt to wear a bra.
Nor should wearing a bra cause "divots" in the shoulder area or the rib cage.
Many women wear the wrong size bra, and doing that can hurt for a number of reasons.
It can also affect circulation and cause numbness. The shoulders and back can hurt. Wires could constrict or poke.
A properly sized bra can alleviate many of these conditions, and might even make you look younger and slimmer.
Read moreAlameda Point Vintage Fashion Faire and Costume Contest
Last month on a beautiful fall evening, Michaan’s Auction House opened up it’s doors to the Alameda Point Vintage Fashion Faire produced by Sandra Michaan with a little help from Jonathan Belmares and a host of a dozen (or more) others. This is an annual (and sometimes bi-annual) event that happens at the Point and the opening of the event is really quite special, happening the first evening of this, weekend long, event.
Read moreSewing Pattern Review - Colette Patterns Parfait Dress
Welcome to my favorite dress ever! Ha! I love this dress. And by this dress, I mean the Colette Patterns Parfait dress. I like it so much I’ve made 4 of them. There are only 3 pictured here because I have something planned for the 4th. It’s a little unusual and a little patch work…More on that later.
Read moreRe-Creating My Grandmother's Dress - Gatsby 2018
Every year the Art Deco Society of California puts on the The Gatsby Summer Afternoon. This Gatsby Event is the highlight of my year, as far as vintage events go, and this year was no exception. The weather was perfect (high 70 degrees and breezy), the picnics were exquisite and the company eclectic and entertaining.
For this year’s ensemble, I chose to replicate a look that my grandmother wore (see photo above) in one of her modeling photos. I’ve admired this dress for years and have not quite had the nerve to re-create it until now. That front neck detail with the capelet and ruching really had me flummoxed.
Read more1930's Sleeves - Weirdly Wonderful and Over the Top!
I’m getting ready to put together a Fall outfit and am very excited about working with some of the fabrics I’ve put aside - lots of luscious wools and silks in gold tones. And I bought a terrific 1930’s hat at the Alameda Point Vintage Fashion Faire, last weekend. So when Wardrobe Shop and Nataya approached me to do a sponsored blog post with this article, I couldn’t refuse.
Read moreVintage Style Knitted Lace Cardigan -
I fell in love with this style when I paged through the Fall 2014 issue of Vogue Knitting Magazine and stopped on page 44. I’m kind of a sucker for a well styled layout and this was no exception (you can see a bit of the magazine in a photo below). What I really thought, however, was that this sweater would be a great accompaniment to my several Colette Parfait Parfait Dresses (Pattern Review coming soon). And pictured here in this post, it pairs perfectly with this dress.
Read moreCreating a 1920's Style Velvet Evening Coat
Well, because you asked, here is a blog post about the Blue Velvet Coat I wore to Miss Fisher Con. In this photo shoot (Thanks Mom!) I paired the jacket with a true vintage 1920’s silk lace and chiffon dress, along with some rhinestone / crystal accessories and coordinating shoes and bag.I think it all works together quite nicely.
Read moreHand Knit Beret - From Vogue Knitting Fall 2009
This little beret is probably the most complicated knitting project I have ever embarked on. Thank goodness it was just a hat. Yikes! I was managing up to 5 DPNs (double pointed needles) at a time and having to keep track of a pattern which was a 24 stitch repeat over 54 rows. My goodness. Well, I feel quite accomplished after finishing this project.
Read moreNew Fabric, Sewing Supplies, New Signage & More!
There are big changes afoot in Alameda, CA! and one of them is a complete update to the shop. Over the last 6 months I've been working to give the shop a little overhaul and pretty it up a bit. Another change, sad for many of our customers and friends around town, was the closing of Beverly's, our local big-top of crafting supplies. Fear not, friends, we have what you need now - thread, zippers, buttons, skirt hooks, lots of pretty fabric, sewing needles and more!
Read moreCreating a Miss Fisher style hat by Upcycling a Vintage 1970's hat
This was a fun and quick upcycle to create a 1920's style cloche like the ones that Miss Fisher wears in the series, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. While not totally period correct, the style similar to some of the hats Phryne wears on the show, designed by Australian Milliner, Mandy Murphy.
Read moreGoing to Miss Fisher Con 2018 - my favorite moments
It's been almost two months since I attended the 2nd annual Miss Fisher Convention. If you don't know about Miss Fisher, she is the main character in a series of books by author, Kerry Greenwood. The books inspired an Australian TV Series called Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. A quite liberated lady detective, Miss Fisher, lives in 1929 Melborne, Australia. The Convention, celebrated everything "Miss Fisher". If you haven't seen it, you should. Fantastic show and books and her snappy dressing (ie. beautiful costume design) inspired me to create a whole wardrobe and rope my friends into coming along for the ride.
Read moreSewing a Velvet Evening Coat for Miss Fisher Con
A 1920's evening gown is not quite complete with out an evening cloak, a headpiece and the right jewels. Luckily for me, I had a lovely piece of velvet and some pink silk crepe-de-chine along with matching crepe back satin, tucked up on my fabric shelf just waiting to be used.
Read moreMiss Fisher Con or Bust - Fitting my Art Deco Inspired Evening Gown
Miss Fisher Con is less than a week away and my wardrobe is getting the finishing touches (even as you read this!). Here is a little sneak peak into the fitting of the evening gown I'll be wearing to the masquerade on the Saturday Evening of the Con.
Read moreSewing Elegant Rag Dolls - with Ann Wood Handmade
Recently, my good friend JoAnne took at trip to Los Angeles to take an art class. What a renegade idea! If she could do it, then so could I! The opportunity arose, to do just that, when I got an email from Ann Wood Handmade back in January or February, announcing a class she would be teaching in Los Angeles, in March. I jumped at the chance, because...
Read moreSewing Wardrobe Basics - A Camisole & Wide Leg Pants
I've started working on my "Miss Fisher" wardrobe for the Miss Fisher Convention in June. Very exciting! The first step was determining some wardrobe basics. After analyzing her wardrobe in the show (Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries), over all the seasons, I have broken down her DAY outfits to include the following:
Read moreBonjour Teaspoon Sewing Patterns - The Mia Dress for Tweens
For those of you who don't already know, along with teaching sewing and fashion at The Sewing Room, I've designed a collection of Sewing Patterns. It is comprised of 3 hats, 4 dresses, 1 pair of shorts, a blouse, a skirt, 2 tote bags, a vest, a set of aprons, a relaxation kit and 1 jacket - Am I forgetting anything? Most (but not all) of our patterns are made for the "TWEEN" girl, and some are sized for adults as well.
Read moreSide Tracked from my Sewing Goals - 1930's Green & Peach Ensemble
Have you ever come across the perfect fabric that goes with another fabric you've been waiting to do something with? Well, this darling plaid came into my life and I just had a to make a new outfit around it. It's a synthetic Charmeuse, which is not a regular go-to for me. I much prefer silk. However, when I saw this plaid which was printed on the diagonal, it really screamed 1930's blouse, right at me! AND it matched perfectly with a beautiful green wool that's been waiting to be made into something for quite some time.
This outfit doesn't exactly fit into my "Miss Fisher Wardrobe" goals, but it does kind of echo some of silhouettes of the (Miss Fisher) era worn between 1928 - 1932, and definitely covers the "Colorful" way she dresses on a regular basis. The emerald green of the wool is one of my favorite colors and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make this skirt, for which I had a pattern waiting in the wings. I've used this pattern twice before, once recently using a wool tweed and made slightly shorter. You can see the post for that skirt by clicking here.
Having more fabric than I needed for the skirt, my mind wandered into the world of accessories. I've been wanting to try out a couple different patterns - one for a 1930's hat and one for a clutch from a book that I had on my shelf. I found a small piece of velvet in a coordinating color (to the green) that I was able to use for both the hat and the clutch to give them each a little depth and contrast. The top piece of the hat, which makes the point is actually a circle that is gathered in 3 spots fitting into the circle of the next piece. The hat is comprised of 4 hat pieces (3 for the top and one for the side) and a hat band that finishes off the bottom edge. The pattern did not call for lining, but I added some because it gives some structure to the finished piece. I really like the very 1930's, whimsical nature of this silly little almost "beret".
For the clutch, I had originally planned to add a trim between the velvet and the wool, but got so excited to finish the bag, that I forgot. In the end, It's fine without the trim. I added a stone and filigree broach to give it some pizazz.
The Blouse was made from a Simplicity re-issue of a 1930's dress pattern, and shortened to blouse length at the hip. I used the version with a v-neck & 3/4 length puff (at the cuff) sleeves, that seemed to suit the fabric being used. It is a raglan sleeve made from what appears to be a kimono style shape, with a dart at the shoulder. If I do use this pattern again, I will re-shape the raglan armholes and side seams so it fits a bit better under the arm and around the bust. It does not hang perfectly in this area, which is my only disappointment with the whole project in general. No reason to complain overall.
Also, I added a little tab at the front neck so that I could loop a bow through it or hang a flower from it which is a very '30's detail. In the photo above you can see the flower I made by creating a long double sided triangle and gathering the bottom straight edge. Rolling the gathered edge and sewing it at the bottom, creates the rose-like shape. The fabric color pattern, serendipitously, arranged a black point at the center of the flower. The flower was finished off with a tab of it's own that snaps in place around the tab on the dress.
Here is the lineup of all the patterns used along with my accessories:
- Blouse - Simplicity 8247 reissue of a 1930's Dress
- Skirt - Vintage Pattern Lending Library - 1936 Ladies Skirt - #T1047 - re-sized to fit my body measurements
- Hat - Vintage Pattern Lending Library - 1930s Ladies Hat, Scarf & Gloves - #H2851
- Clutch - Making Vintage Accessories: 25 Original Sewing Projects Inspired by the 1920s-60s by Emma Brennan
- Shoes - Decobelles and Angels Shoes from Argentina - Style Leah
- Necklace - Hotcakes Design
- Scarf & Pin - both vintage and gifts from either a friend or my mom
- Belt - 1 1/2" wide vintage grosgrain ribbon and vintage green celluloid belt buckle. Buckle bought from VictorianButtons on Etsy
- Earrings - Feathered Outlaw Alameda
Until Next Time, Happy Sewing!
Jennifer
Fashion Styling for American Girls
What is Fashion Styling ? Those who master it, become our style Icons. It's how you put outfits together or how you make something look a certain way for a photo shoot. Styling gives the observer a visual reference and creates stories around design. It's how it all comes together to create a cohesive idea. Styling comes down to how you assemble a "look", making the end result more exciting than the sum of it's parts.
Read moreThe Classic Breton T-Shirt - Learn to Make Your Own
Anyone who knows me, knows I LIVE in striped T's. I made the one pictured as a sample for some upcoming classes that I'll be teaching. It has long sleeves, a Bateau neck with a button shoulder/sleeve vents with grosgrain trim and side vents at the bottom opening. It's made from a beautiful navy blue and white synthetic yarn dyed striped (the stripe is knitted into the fabric as opposed to printing on top of the fabric) double knit, purchased from Piedmont Fabric. The gold nautical star buttons and vintage striped rayon grosgrain ribbon at the neck and sleeve vents were acquired from the ReCrafting Co. I made the pattern for this Breton Striped T-Shirt, using my body measurements. I'm fairly happy with the fit. I would only make the armhole and bicep a little smaller to match the slim fit of the body. I'll make those changes on the next one I make up.
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