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?

HB 2 Me!

I'm sure I'm not alone in treating myself to a couple of goodies for my birthday.  At least I hope I'm not just utterly selfish and the only person who would do such a thing. 

I "found" a new antique shop on the outskirts of town.  Apparently they've been there since February, but who knew?  Certainly not me.  Anyway, I decided that today, being my birthday, I was not going to clean or do other housework, I was going to treat myself to an outing.  So, I went to the antique shop.  There I found two soft cover books of interest to sewists.

The first is the 1940 Simplicity Sewing Book, which sold for 15 cents at the time!  This gem is packed with advice on everything from fabrics to pattern fitting and alteration, and all manners of finishing, including facings, plackets, buttonholes, frogs, edging and hems.  The copy I got is worn around the edges, but still in very servicable condition!

The second item is the 1942 Make and Mend for Victory, produced by the Spool Cotton Company. The inside front cover contains the Consumer's Victory Pledge:

     "As a consumer, in the total defense of democracy, I will do my part to make my home, my    community, my country ready, efficient, strong.

     I will buy carefully -- and I will not buy anything above the ceiling price, no matter how much I may want it.

     I will take good care of the things I have -- and I will not buy anything made from vital war materials which I can get along without.

     I will waste nothing -- and I will take care to salvage everything needed to win the war."

Good advice to this day, really!  This volume teaches how to mend and patch, reclaim used wool, and restyle a variety of garments.

I had also indulged myself in a couple of patterns from Sandritocat's Etsy Shop.  I can make patterns larger to fit me, but I love it when I don't have to.  She had a couple of larger sized patterns I loved, so I treated myself and they came in today's mail.

Butterick 4228 is a skirt and top with the look of a sheath dress.  There is no date on the envelope, but it certainly screams 60s.

McCall's 6199 is copyright 1961, and is a suit with two skirt options, a slim pencil skirt, or a flared skirt.  I'm eager to sew both of these.
As far as the UFO dress, goes, I am working on that as well.  Just a few more tweaks and I should be able to reveal!  Thanks for attending my little birthday party and watching me "open" my gifts!