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A Vintage Dress and a Home-spun 70s Jacket


I'm finally back! And with a new look...! 

I'm so excited that it's finally fall-ish weather! I've had this dress in my closet now for about a month or so. Me and Max went to a garage sale right down the street and I bought this dress from a sweet old Polish lady who said her American name was "Harriet". She talked to us for about half an hour and said that this dress used to be her daughter's. I absolutely love polyester dresses! (I know - I'm weird.)  I think I bought it from her for about $2. I am a complete sucker for retro shirt dresses. 

I think it's funny how I also have a thing for anything orange. Perhaps because it reminds me of my favorite time of year? 

 Even though this haircut is about a month old, it's new to everyone on here. About 2 1/2 years ago my hair was black and bob-ish. I don't know what happened - why did it get so long? Why was it my natural color when it was almost always black for 4 years prior? Perhaps I had needed a change. Either way, it's back! It's not as angled as I wanted this time, but it looks fine.

Also, here is an introduction to a jacket that was about 8 months in the making here. I finished it about a month ago, but due to personal turmoil I hadn't taken photos or posted about it. Plus now, it's the perfect time of year to start wearing it!
I'm not sure why it took me so long to make it, other than the fact that I messed up my first collar to it and learned the hard way to block my knit fabric. This is especially necessary if you are working with a different size yarn and/or size needles than your direction says. (This may be common sense for seasoned knitters, but I have only done a few knitwear projects.)

Also, this pattern (see original design below from the 70s) didn't have a lining pattern. (Jacket with no lining?!) So I made my own lining pattern from the existing pattern which I had to trace off since pieces overlap on it.


I also had to use snaps on the inside of the jacket although the 70s photo looks like they used similar fabric thickness. My buttonholer doesn't handle fabric thickness very well on my machine for some reason. I thought I was doomed until I thought, "Ohmigod! Snaps!" I did happen to stitch on the buttons for a faux-button look. Without them, it would have been weird.

 Sort of an unusual pattern, but I'm into it. I started with knitting the variegated yarns back in January. Me and Max walked around the fabric store one day with just the cuffs in search of the perfect fabric for it, which ended up being in the upholstery section!



I was also thrilled to find out that Butterick had patterns on sale yesterday for 99 cents a piece (good catch, Max!) and was excited to know that they have an entire retro pattern line! I got 2 of them from the late 1940s. Typically, I make all my own patterns but it's nice to learn some patternmaking from commercial ones. I sort of hate the notations on commercial patterns and think it's something I should have learned in school, but I know how to make technical production patterns. I suppose that's what counts?

Stay tuned for photos of my cloud dress! (Here's a photo from my Instagram account - terrible photo quality -  of me printing the fabric by hand.) Also, see this.

 
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