Tunic with Embedded Recycle

As part of my stash and UFO busting crusade, I came across a cotton T Tunic I had cut, probably years ago.  In case you were not aware, a T Tunic is a tunic cut using a shirt from your wardrobe as a pattern.

In this instance I wanted to incorporate an antique pillowcase that had a few holes in it.  I love clothing made from antique linens, and the white of the pillowcase and the dainty embroidery contrasted nicely with the blue check.

I cut off the body of the tunic, turned it sideways and stitched a center back seam.  Then I added in the area of the pillowcase I wanted to use.  I gathered the new body of the tunic and attached it to the kimono arms.  Here is the resulting tunic.

I've already worn it, and it's light and airy and comfortable for summer, but could carry into fall with a long sleeved top underneath. This was a quick project to do, allowing me to wind down from more intense painstaking work on the Downton Dress.  Thanks for looking!

Estate Sale Booty

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this to you before... I LOVE ESTATE SALES! I had to take a time out today and do something non-wedding related, so I hit an estate sale! and OMG! I came away with the most amazing haul!

First, it's important to note that I got everything you are seeing here, and more, for a total of $15! Yes, that's right, $15!  That high pitched noise you hear is me squealing in delight.

First up, a nearly mint copy of the Better Homes and Gardens Sewing book from the sixties... AWESOME!

The, a ginormous box containing hundreds of patterns...

as well as a few odds and ends.  There were a small collection of notions,

and a little pile of iron on embroidery patterns.

As well as about a half dozen cooperative extension publications on sewing.

The patterns are fantastic.  Most are used, so I'll need to go through them to be sure they are intact, etc.  Many I will put to good use myself, others, I will sell, and still others will be part of a really cool give-away in the not too distant future.  Not only were some of these from the pattern companies we know, like Simplicity, Vogue and McCall, but there were a fair number of Advance and Hollywood, and some awesome mailorder ones.  Best of all, most of these are close to my size, so, for the ones I keep, there'll be relatively little drafting up and down.

Most of the patterns were addressed to Miss Adorna Wheelock... Adorna... what a unique and interesting name, especially for a sewist!  There were some handwritten notes on some of the patterns, like these:

As I said, some of these may be missing pieces, and some have some tearing on the pattern envelopes, but what a find, yes?  Do any of these strike your fancy?

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?

SCORE!

Yes, yesterday was Superbowl Sunday, but the SCORE I'm speaking of didn't have anything to do with the game (Yea, Giants!), as I'm really not a football enthusiast, though I do live in a house full of them.  No, my score occurred earlier in the day at our local Friends of the Library Book Sale.  Being frugal in the extreme, I usually attend the sale on Sunday because Sunday is bag day...all the books you can cram into a standard size plastic grocery bag for one low price.  If you love to read, that alone should be enough to get your heart pumping.  Of course I always peruse the non-fiction area, specifically in the DIY category.  Yesterday I found a copy of the Good Housekeeping New Complete Book of Needlecraft by Vera P. Guild.  This is the 1971 reprint of the 1959 original, with sections on sewing, embroidery, quilting, rugmaking, crochet, and much more.  As you can see, the dust jacket is not in the best shape, however, the book within is practically mint!  And, this book must have been a donation to the sale, as it had an inscription on the flyleaf.

"Janie, Christmas 1971, Have many happy hours! Love, Mums".  Well, Mums, I hope Janie did have many happy hours with her book.  Now, forty years later, I hope to as well.

Also, I did manage to purchase the buttons I needed for my sailor dress.  Back to work on that project!