Stitching Stories ~ Tackling Bias Cuts & Pattern Matching

This post is on the behind-the-scenes details of my latest me-made project, which I recently featured in an outfit post ~ My Fall Fancies Dress.

  

So I started this dress in February with this vintage Advance 9785 dress pattern I got off Etsy and this vintage thrifted cotton.  I think the Advance is late 1950s – early 1960s?  I’m not 100% sure, but I thought it was pretty anyway.

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I had to tackle a few new skills with this pattern ~ doing to an FBA on a kimono sleeve bodice was just for starters.  The dart ended up looking funny, so I just moved it to where I thought it should go and thankfully it worked! 

I also had to try my hand at my first on-the-bias project, as the bodice was bias cut, and to make the layout trickier, I had to pattern/stripe match as well!  This meant that it took me THREE hours just to cut out the bodice, and I wasted a fair amount of fabric which led me to the conclusion that, although pretty, bias cuts aren’t necessarily worth it. 

Buttonholes and pleating were also two new skills to me ~ and I have to say I adore my Bernina 860!  It’s five step buttonhole program is the easiest, simplest way to do buttonholes and once I practised a few I just breezed through the three buttonholes on the dress’s bodice.  I never thought I would say this, but ~ I love stitching buttonholes!

The pleats were relatively simple, and I am positively ecstatic with how they look!  I think that they suit my figure far better than gathers, so I know I will be trying these again. 

Of course, although I like the original pattern, I still made an alteration and took out the buttons/facing strip down the front of the skirt.  I think my reasoning for that was that the bodice buttonholes were scary enough without having to do more!  Plus, I find button-down skirts annoying.  They tend to pop open a lot for some reason.

I had trouble with the collar/neck facing and end up tacking and sewing that down in about a hundred different ways/places, as well as the collar being a pain to put on.  I had to re-apply it and rip it out at least three times, but even though the inside is a little messy, you can’t tell from the outside, which is good. I guess these things just take practise.

All these new challenges meant I did a lot of stop/start sewing; sometimes leaving the dress for weeks until I could summon up the courage and the time to pick it up again. 

However, the thing that I am most proud of with this project is how perfectly my seams match!  The centre back seam and the shoulder seams are spot on and I love how the front facing has that lovely ‘bridge’ between the two front chevron-stripes.  Pattern matching is fiddley and time-consuming, but oh, so satisfying when it comes out right!

~ Project Details ~

Year:  Late 1950s – early 1960s
Pattern:  Advance 9785
Fabric:  About 6 yards/5.5 metres of thrifted cotton doona cover {$9.00} ~ this is one fabric eating pattern!
Notions:  Three buttons {$3.00}
Time to complete: I have no idea…
Make/Wear again? Definitely wear again!!  I am really happy with how it came out: I love the fit, the style and the fabric. However, I am not so sure that I’ll make the pattern up again.  I’m thinking that once was enough.  Although, I do love the skirt, so it does seem likely that I might use that part of the pattern again. 
Total Cost:  $25.00 including the pattern

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ Be Your Shoeself

- ‘Coz you are perfect just the way you are!

The link to this adorable video popped up in my Twitter feed and I am so glad I clicked through!  For any shoe lover this video is well worth the watch.  So cute!

xox,

bonita

Wordless Wednesday ~ 4th July Ed.

    

    

xox,

bonita

My Fall Fancies Dress

Fall Fancies Dress  ~  Made by Me, ‘12    Harvest Guardsman Gloves  ~  Etsy   Basic Brown Belt  ~  Thrifted   Cream Cable Stockings  ~  Target   Tan Penny Loafers  ~  Big W  
~ * ♥ * ~

M’dears, I am dreadfully excited to show you this dress as it has been an extraordinary length of time in coming! Can you believe I started it in February no less?  Mind you, it has been finished for a couple of weeks as I completed it on the 2nd of July, but I have been waiting for a chance to wear it.

I was originally planning for it to be my autumn dress, hence the title, but five months {give or take} in the making and we were well into the winter season before I was done!  I shall give you more details on why it took so long in my stitching-stories-sewing-geekery post that is coming later, but for now I will say that I am glad it is finally finished!  

Yes, I have already started planning the next project in my head, and I have gotten as far as “It won’t be a dress!”  Sadly to say, for the moment I am over dresses.  They just seem so complicated and time consuming! 

It’s not that I can’t do all of the steps, {with a little help from the sewing master ~  teh Internetz!}, it’s more that there are SO many steps that it takes too long!  *sigh*  And while I love a pretty vintage dress, I just would like to get my teeth into some shorter and more winter friendly projects ~ like some blouses, or a pair of 40’s slacks…  I am itching to cut into Simplicity 3688 which is all the rage with vintage blogger seamstresses at the moment ~ mostly because of the near-perfect trouser fit; something almost unheard of!

If anyone hears of a Simplicity or Butterick or Vogue online pattern sale ~ do let me know!  I have some favourites to buy, but want to wait for a sale.  Then maybe I can try my 1940s trousers!

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ The Flying Gnome

Animation by Mochimochi Land

If you are into tiny cute knitted gnomes, balloons, snowmen, pianos, unicorns or just about anything else you can think of Mochimochi Land is the place for you!  These tiny knits are available as patterns or complete kits, so you can make your own Mochimochi! 

I personally haven’t knitted up any yet, as I tend to favour amigurumi instead{see here and here}, but I thought this animated .gif was seriously too cute not to share.   > U <     Up, up and awaaaaayyyyyy!

xox,

bonita

How to ~ A guide for seaming a knitted cardigan

I was so eager to finish off my last {and first!} knitted cardigan that I didn’t bother blocking it, or learning how to seam it properly.  While the ribbing is very forgiving, and has settled down nicely into the shape I wanted, I thought that for my next cardigan I should learn a few more tricks for finishing a knitted garment. 

 

First off:  how to block a cardigan using wet blocking, or spray/steam blocking techniques.   Blocking is done at the end of the knitting process, usually before seaming a pieced garment. Here’s an article detailing the benefits of blocking and which fibers respond to what kinds of blocking ~ To Block or Not to Block, as well as a video on how to do the three different methods.

Then, you can seam it together with your choice of stitch style. This video is great in demonstrating how to set a sleeve in.

This one is good for stockinette shoulder seams.

And this website has some great knitting and finishing tips, including this great little video on mattress stitch, which is good for doing up side seams.

I hope you find these resources helpful.

xox,

bonita

Wordless Wednesday ~ 3rd July Ed.

    

    

xox,

bonita

Elegant & Chic ~ The Charm of a Lady

 

“Elegance to me is, at its core, about warmth and consideration for the feelings of others. A truly elegant woman never fails to lift the spirits of other people, never fails to blow a guest away with her hospitality, and never misses a chance to brighten up someone’s day with her smile.”  ~  Nina Pundarik-Dossin of The Proper Lady in an interview with The Glamorous Housewife.

When I read this interview with Nina on The Glamorous Housewife, I thought that it was a perfect summary of how I think a lady should act. And then I thought, “But there’s a little something missing.”  I wanted to add that, for me, I think that a lady is also temperate, gentle and kind in spirit, always considerate of those around her.  This way, not only does she brighten up the room with her smile and inner beauty, but with her consideration of other's needs.  This is central to her charm.

To me, Grace Kelly was charm personified.  While I don’t know much about Mrs. Kelly’s personal life and actions, I do know that while she not only appeared to be the epitome of classical beauty and timeless elegance, she also was said to be charming, kind and and just as lovely in person as she is in her pictures.  A real princess in every sense of the word.
 

I don't consider myself to be a 'real' lady yet, but I thought I would share with you all the hope that I have ~  that one day I will somehow become a lady.  While others may or may not agree on the importance of this personal choice, I think it is something that every woman should consider.  What does a lady look like to you?  What kind of woman or lady are you aspiring to become? 

As women, we have much power to influence the lives of those close to us.  Don’t under estimate the extent of your power.  You may not ever become a household name like Grace Kelly, but you might just become the living example that helps to show others what a lady truly looks like. 

It was said of Grace that she brought “a soft warm light” into other people’s lives.  What a wonderful legacy to leave behind ~

“I just love Grace Kelly. Not because she was a princess, not because she was an actress, not because she was my friend, but because she was just about the nicest lady I ever met. Grace brought into my life as she brought into yours, a soft, warm light every time I saw her, and every time I saw her was a holiday of its own.”  ~ James Stewart

So what is your legacy going to be?

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ 1940s Collegiate Fashion Video

Amazing 1940s fashions!

I love this fashion video from the archive at Glamour Daze ~ the clothes are really cute and I do so like the circle skirt playsuit!  I am thinking I shall have to see if I can sew up a set for myself come summer.  If you want a better look at some of the outfits, there are some neat stills from the video here.  Enjoy!

xox,

bonita

My spectacles ~ how to find vintage frames to suit you!

~ *  Vintage 1950 advertisement for spectacles ~ I quite like pair number 4  * ~

Finding glasses frames that look good, suit your style, and don’t overwhelm your face is difficult at the best of times, but what do you do when you have a very distinct fashion style?   I am currently facing that problem ~ my script has changed {again!… } so I am shopping around for the perfect pair of vintage glasses to suit my look and my face.

The first place I went to look for glasses was Dead Men’s Spexs Vintage Eyewear.  You may have already heard of this site ~ they sell vintage frames that you can fill with your own prescription lenses. 

I couldn’t find a pair that I liked there, but I think that visiting their site is really handy.  You can use a “browse by period” feature to check out what style of frames where popular for the era that you prefer.

Now I tend to prefer to dress either 1940s or 50s, but I soon found out that I don’t really like either of the more common glasses frame styles from back then.  Before the 1950’s everything seems to be pretty much round ~ either thin gold frames, {which I could wear, except that I don’t like gold} or heavy black/tortoiseshell acetate.  Neither of those appeal to me ~ so onto the next era, 1950.

 

~ *  The classic pre-1940s/1940s spectacle shape.  The lenses rims can be gold, silver, tortoiseshell or black as seen here, and the arms can be either the same colour as the rims or a different colour like the picture above.  * ~

Everyone knows the classic 50’s look ~ cat's eye glasses!  I am not a real fan of the extremely pointy kind, although I have seen some vintage ladies looking absolutely fabulous in their sharp cats eye frames.  However, after searching around I decided that a nice deep cats eye frame, preferably two toned {dark on the top and light on the bottom} and in some shade of tortoiseshell or chocolaty brown would probably suit my style and my skin tone. 

So like these:

Or these:

At the end of a long hunt through all of the websites listed below I finally found a pair that I like, so we’ll will have to wait and see how they go when I get them!   I’ll show you the big reveal later…   Happy spectacle wearing!

Tips for purchasing vintage spectacles:

• Figure out which era you wear the most, or that suits your style the best.
• Look for frames that are similar in shape and colour to your favourite vintage pairs ~ you may be able to find a modern look-a-like for less.
• Try on styles at the optometrist to get a sense of what size/shape suits your face.
• If you have a complex script ~ bifocals or trifocals, buy the frames you like and get your optometrist to replace the lenses and don’t forget to ask your optometrist what size you need to get to fit your prescription.
• Shop around! There are many places to buy your perfect pair of frames, so if you can’t find the ‘just right’ pair, keep looking. 

Places to buy vintage eye glass frames:

• Ebay
• Etsy
• Dead Men’s Spex

Places to buy vintage reproduction/modern vintage look-a-likes:

• Bonlook – reproduction vintage glasses
• Zenni Optical – modern, but have some great vintage look-a-likes
  

xox,

bonita

Wordless Wednesday ~ 2nd July Ed.

 

    

    

xox,

bonita

The Call of the Siren Suit

*Warning ~ picture heavy post ahead!*

Rose Dream Earrings & Brooch Set  ~  Diva   The Siren Suit  ~  eBay   Chequered Deluxe Top  ~   Tightrope   Celtic Cast Tights  ~  Target    Swingin’ Kitten Heels  ~   Thrifted

~ * ♥ * ~

M’dears, I am so totally excited to show you this outfit like you would not believe!  The darling two-piece wool suit I am sporting caught my eye on eBay and when I received it in the mail I was even more thrilled to find out that it was all it promised to be and more!! 

As you can see, it’s fully lined with a sweet red and black plaid taffeta fabric and the skirt has a cute little lace hem detail.  The skirt also has pockets, and the jacket with it’s black velvet collar and princess seams is to die for.   I love the cut of this suit ~ with the full skirt, combined with the puffed sleeves, it is the perfect blend between a 1940s style and a 1950s style which leads me to believe that it could be a ‘New Look’ suit!  *le gasp!*

Even better than that ~ I snapped it up for a mere $55.00 AUD…..   O_____o 

It literally was the bargain of a century ~ I’d been eyeing it on and off for two months or so, and was so excited to see a 50% off sale price that I didn’t even hesitate to click “Buy It Now”.  Seriously, it’s the epitome of the thrill of the hunt, and the ultimate ‘trophy’.

I really can’t tell if I am more excited about how perfect this suit suits me or about the astronomically fantastic price!  Either way, this is most definitely my favourite thing in my wardrobe at the moment!  I can’t wait to mix the pieces up and it’s just what I need to ward off the winter chill. 

Happy hunting to y’all!  

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ 1940’s Dress and Style Guide

Glamour Daze is a wonderful source of authentic vintage style inspiration.  I love their latest mini series on 1940s fashions, it’s chock full of fabulous original material.  Swing by and check out their style guide post for a full run down on how to achieve an authentic 1940s look. 

Easy Guide to a 1940′s Woman’s Dress and Style

I wouldn’t call it a costume, but this video still has some helpful tips to start off your 1940s style.

… First of all, before you go looking anywhere else, try your own wardrobe. The 1940s day suit is a little harder to create, so keep it simple and find a frock ! A calf length or knee length will do, preferably pleated, and buttoned up at the front, with a fitted waist. If you can’t find a dress with a fitted waist, then a nice belt with a bow tie, can cinch your waist quite adequately. Shoulders were padded or ruffled, so remember that…

xox,

bonita

Wordless Wednesday ~ The Bokehlicious Collection

    

    

xox,

bonita