Manic Pop

Here it is! The 2nd iteration of my Mix n Match dress, yet again from all recycled fabrics. Mainly, these were just pieces of fabric that I had chilling in my fabric closet. Now that I think about it, I think the dark blue is from a jacket from computer patternmaking (the hem still needs to be done, 5 years later.) The red grid fabric is from... who knows where. I definitely didn't buy it, but it's cute!   The back is actually sewn flat/well but given that there is zero stretch in this fabric... it's not super-close to the body. I'm totally fine with it. Here's the thing: much of the vintage fashion I see/wear/own etc. doesn't fit like today's clothing. Why would you expect it to? Like I mentioned before, things will not "fit like a glove" or super-close to the body unless they are tailored that way . This dress has so few seam lines that it's not going to fit like a fabric with 50% stretch. It's not jersey knit, it's a woven! ...

  So I recently finally sat down to look through this little book I have. It's about a magazine size and I think my mom sent it to me a while ago. I originally thought it was just a sewing how-to manual (which it kind of is) but it has some awesome full-color photos! The publishing date is 1969 and is right around the time period of much of my design inspiration. My favorite decade range encompasses about 1965 to 1975 and 1969 is almost smack-dab in the middle!  This magazine is perfect for a beginning sewer as it shows you how to measure yourself, body types/shapes, fit & fabric, helpful hints/tricks and illustrated step-by-steps. I'm not sure of it's availability anymore, but I am always on the hunt at thrift stores for how-to sewing books, craft books, interiors from 1965-75. There are many to find!   In this post, I thought I would share some pages from this for design and sewing inspiration!  This book actua...

Ah! So excited that I finally finished my SPACE DRESS! I had been working on it far too long for how simple it is, but with generally a little over 40 hours a week and still a modest social life... things don't get done quite as quickly as they did in college. This pattern is loosely based on a dress featured in a Summer 1967 Simplicity Pattern catalog (see the "Modern Miss on the Move" photo. Originally, I had designed a built-up neckline for this dress and then decided I didn't like it. Instead, I created a semi-wide neck version.  I also decided last-minute while pattern making that I wanted a third color stripe. The result is slightly garish, but I am not afraid of that!  My design aesthetic is always vintage inspired, usually full of contrast colors, and simple silhouettes. This dress is quite indicative of what I do other than re-vamping fun vintage finds. I prefer simplicity versus over-designing and simple, washable fabrics. This dre...