Grand Reopening: Seams Sustainable Etsy Shop

I've been hard at work reopening my Etsy Shop.  I'm very pleased to have about 150 items posted!  Mostly sewing patterns, but a few other items as well!

Like this really cool mid-century sewing box.  I picked this up at a thrift store, and I'm really hoping it finds a terrific new home!

I am constantly acquiring new patterns at yard sales, estate sales, thrift shops, etc.  Many are simply intended for resale, but there are very many I actually have to argue with myself to part with!  Sometimes I promise myself that if a pattern is not re-homed when the listing expires I can keep it!  Here are a few of the ones I love:

I also buy a lot of sewing references.  Here's one I liked so much, I bought it twice!  The duplicate is in my shop (oops).

I'd really love it if you'd stop by the Etsy shop!  Please let me know if there's anything you have been looking for, that perhaps I can find for you!

Lisette Dress BP277

Finished the Lisette dress, BP277.  The pic shows how easily the fabric crumples, and it also shows as quite a bit shinier than it actually looks "in real life".  It's very comfortable to wear and is a perfect work dress,  Now I just need to get some time to work on the pants project!

I'm also back at work on the seat cushion and pillows that I started for a friend ages ago.  We had quite a delay over a pattern for the window seat cushion, then I had a few sleepless nights over how I was going to accurately cut 3 inch thick upholstery foam.  You Tube to the rescue!  Who knew that an electric carving knife would cut it like butter?  Woohoo!  Now juat have to sew the cover and a few more pillows!

Now Appearing in my Sewing Room

I have not been sewing much lately.  I've been arriving home from work too tired to do anything precise.  My commute is about 50 minutes each way most days (I work from a local office 1 day a week) so whatever vim and vigor I have left at the end of the day is usually drained away by the time I get home.  Not a complaint - just the way it is.

Because of the lack of energy, I've turned to some pretty simple patterns to fill in the spare moments, as well as the holes in my wardrobe.  Here is what I am working on:

First, Butterick BP277, a Lisette pattern.  I really like the simple lines of this dress.  Perfect for those warm summer days, without being at all revealing.  Great for work.

And here is the fabric I chose from the stash.  This particular fabric was obtained from a friend who was given the fabric from another friend who was downsizing!  Free is my favorite price point for fabric.  It's a rayon, which seems to crinkle easily.

Then there's McCall's MP393, an easy pull on cargo pant.  I am ALWAYS in need of pants.  I'm making this one out of a khaki blended fabric which also came out of the "friend of a friend" box.

I hope you are enjoying spring!  Weather here is getting nice, so I've also been spending spare time on the yard as well.  So many competing priorities!  I'm sure you feel that way, too!  I'll [pst pictures of the completed garments when they are done.  Thank you for checking in with me!

Top 3 Finds of the Day

Today was my first real yard/estate sale foray of the season!  I love these sales for a lot of reasons. First, since many of the things that do not sell at a yard sale end up in the trash, I feel as though I am diverting things from landfills. Second, they are a wealth of raw materials to the crafter or sewist. Today was particularly productive for me.  I hit about five sales, and purchased things at three of them.  Here are my top three finds, which were all sewing related!

I just love this little pewter finish Timex sewing machine clock.  I'm not certain of the age of the item, but some quick online research says sometime between 1970 and the present.  The replaceable battery sits under the base and is reachable with a tiny screwdriver.  This is a welcome addition to my little sewing room!

The second sale at which I made a purchase yielded these lovely vintage linen pieces.  I just love vintage linens.  I use them around the house, and I also use them in crafting and sewing.  These do show some staining and wear, so a little bath is in order to see how these will be used.

Last, and possibly the most exciting to me is this large haul of sewing patterns.  I scored about 250 patterns in one stop.  Most of these are 1960's and newer, but nothing that looks to be newer than 2000.  You are seeing them after I transferred them into these wire baskets.  They were stored in a large cardboard box which was coming apart at the seams, and in a plastic garbage bag. In other words, not really stored in an archival manner! However, the treasure trove here is incredible.  Children's, women's, men's ... Simplicity, Vogue, Butterick, McCall and a few smaller brands ... day clothes, evening wear, accessories and even a few craft patterns.  I will be keeping some to use myself, but the vast majority will be posted for sale in my Etsy shop!

So, I had a productive morning (back home by noon)!  Leave me a comment sharing what your best yard sale find has been!  Oh, and please let me know how you feel about the new design of the blog... good? Or do I need to keep working on it?

Completed Project: Butterick 4228

Well, it's done!  This was a fun pattern to sew and I'm quite pleased with the result.  If you've been following along, you know that I did a wearable muslin of the top of this pattern last month.  I wanted to be sure that the top would fit.  Here it is.

I made the entire dress from lavender linen.  I love linen!  The hand, the drape, the fact that it's a natural fiber, the ease of sewing!  Well, everything about it!  Here's the result.

The skirt will go with either top nicely.  Here's a dtetail pic of the little front vent on the linen top.

I would definitely consider making this ensemble again.  It was a very easy pattern and I love the way it came out.  I'm sure I'll be wearing it a lot this summer.  Thanks, as always for peeking, and your comments are always welcomed.

Progressions

Lot's of progress to report today.  The top to Butterick 4228 is coming along.  Here's a shot of the top zipper.

I know, it looks a lot like the skirt zipper!  But honest, it's two different things.  I hope to complete this one sometime tomorrow.  I already love it!

I've also been working on my decoupage notions box.  Making some real progress there as well.  I'm enjoying doing this, as it's a little different from my daily routine.

I also promised apeak at my garage sale treasures from last week.  I went to about seven sales last Friday, and only bought things at two.  At the first I got a duvet and sham set covered with ribbon embreoidery, in really good shape.  Not sure yet what I'm going to do with it.

At that sale, I also got yet another "mom jumper".  I really love these for restyling.  The possibilities are almost endless.

The second sale at which I purchased yielded a non-sewing treasure!  For $5 I got this pretty wooden box (which I do not plan to alter in any way!).

But the best part was inside the box.  A myriad of little tools and cutters.  I plan to use these in my paper crafting and jewelry making.  I was so psyched that the contents were included in that price of $5.00!

So, there's the booty for the week.  I'm excited to see what I can do with the ribbon embroidery stuff.  Any suggestions?

Butterick 4228 Sneak Peek

Hi everyone!  Hope your weekend was fantastic!  I hit some garage sales on Friday, and I plan to share my haul with you later in the week.  The rest of the weekend was pretty laid back, but I managed to get some sewing done on Butterick 4228.  The skirt is almost complete, so here are a couple of sneal peek pictures.

Well, just the zipper!  Just hooks and hems left on the skirt, with the top left to go!

Also, I have a new post up at SewMantra on getting out of a sewing or crafting slump.  Please stop by there to see it and make my day by leaving a comment!  Thanks!

Box Tops

Hey!  Still working on the sewing room, but I've also been a little distracted with this box decoupage idea.  Here are some interim pictures.

Obviously very preliminary, but starting to take shape.

Also, my lavender linen is ready to cut, so I think I'll take advantage of a low humidity day and go do that!  Back to you Butterick 4228!

Semi Completed Project: Burda 8995

I completed the dress portion of Burda 8995 today.  Still to be finished is the black short jacket topper.
My plan is to finish up the jacket next week.  I need to do a couple of little projects brfore that.  Then, back to my lilac fabric and vintage Butterick 4228.  I do like how the fabric complements this 1960s style sheath.

Please let me know what you think!

Completed Project: Butterick 4228

I completed the wearable muslin top portion of Butterick 4228.  This is a pattern from the sixties, an era I seem to have suddenly become enamored with. 

As touted on the pattern envelope, this top was easy!  And it has a very flattering drape.  Here is a picture of the completed top.

I thought it would look nice styled with this cardigan.

My plan is to do the complete suit in this lilac linen.  Then the skirt will have two interchangeable tops.

I need to prewash the linen, so I think I'll jump into a couple of other projects first, but I'll be back to this one pretty quick because I can't wait to wear it as an outfit!

Progress and Paying it Forward

Tina at Down the Retro Rabbit Hole is playing the Pay it Forward Handmade game, and I would love to play this game, too.  You see, the first three commenters on this post will receive something from me that I have made just for them!  How fun is that, and who doesn't like to receive goodies in the mail?

So, here's what you need to do:

• Leave me a comment telling me your favorite color (or the colors you absolutely loathe) to help me make you a gift you'll hopefully love! Please don't forget to include your email address (if you profile doesn't link back) so I can get in touch.
• To complete signing up, you MUST play along too by blogging a similar post and pledging to make a surprise for the fist three (3) people who comment on it.  

The rules state you will receive your handmade item within 365 days, however, I pledge to get this out to you within 30 days. I wouldn't want you to wait around forever!

 

Now, regarding Butterick 4228. I am in love with this pattern! The top came together like a dream, even though I had to trace and refit the facings. I had just the right zipper in my stash, thanks to a purchase I made from Vogue Fabrics at a sewing show.  I bought a mixed bag of random zippers for

$7.00. I have been saved so many trips to the sewing store by this purchase. I almost always can find something usable in my little box of zippers.

So here's the zipper installed.  Just some handsewing, and this top will be completed.  Then I'll show you the fabric I want to make the entire outfit from.  It coordinates with the "muslin" top so the outfit will have two interchangeable tops!

Don't forget to comment to play Pay it Forward!  Can't wait to make something for you!

Cutting to the Chase

I needed to vacuum my bedroom today.  Not really worth mentioning except that I thought I might as well cut a few patterns first.  The logic in that is that my carpet is chocolate brown and shows every thread (and bit of goosedown from my comforter), so I thought I'd cut first and then vacuum.  Here's the color scheme in my bedroom below:

Here in the northeast we spend so much of the year in hibernation, that these colors work great for that!  However, it does mean you vacuum frequently to get rid of the fluffies on your carpet.

First I laid out a pattern I've been wanting to get to since last summer.  I bought it in a discontinued pattern bin, and even though it's not vintage, it definitely has that vintage sixties feel.  It's Burda 8995. 

I reminds me of a dress worn by Emma Stone in her role as Skeeter in The Help.

I'm doing the dress in a contemporary print somewhat like a barkcloth, and the jacket in plain black.

Then I cut a (hopefully wearable) muslin of the top of the Butterick 4228 I got yesterday in the mail.  I'm using fabric harvested from another one of those thrift store mom jumpers.  But confusion, consternation and kerflufflement ensued when I laid out my pattern pieces and found that the original owner had decided to alter the facings.  She cut each facing into two pieces!

Which I then carefully pinned together to make them whole again.  I will now trace these onto freezer paper to make replacements.

The fabric is a soft jersey, and I really like the little violets.  If it does turn out to be wearable, I have just the skirt fabric to go with it!

And now I'm done cutting, and my room is vacuumed.  What other trouble can I get into today?