Treasures: a box full of buttons

This box is one of my oldest treasures. I loved it the moment I saw it, and even more when I opened it (...it's full of mother of pearl-buttons with a few sparkly rhinestone-buttons scattered like diamonds among them) and that was long ago enough to not remember if I bought it or if my mum bought it and gave it to me. I must ask her.

The other day I was looking through my drawers and boxes, I had a little inventory of my stash, and found it. And realised that it must be from the 1930's, I'm such a sucker for 1930's art, architecture (I live in a house built in 1932, it's a functionalist building...) and design, and apparently I have been since I was a little kid. I had never thought of when this box may be from, i've just considered it old and pretty.

Some things grip you, get a hold of you and change the way you look at other things, and for me, I think this box was one of them. Simple as it is. I think it made me more interested in both crafts and design, and that my love for things that look old and real has something to do with the... realness of the metal box and its contents. Quality.

I love Norway too. Not sure it has to do with the fact that Glott's Mild Mixture was from Oslo though...!

Grey Cowl-neckline dress

I am addicted to fast sewing projects. They get in the way of the more slow ones, for good and bad...

This dress was a fast project that became a bit more slow than expected... first the sleeve openings became almost ruffled since the material (an organic cotton) is too loosely knitted for the seam (an ordinary twin-needle-seam).

That was such a sad sight that I didn't even think of bringing the camera out... so I ripped the seam (only made one of them) and gave the whole thing a rest for a couple of days.

After deciding to put elastic in the seam I took it up again, only to really really struggle with the seam, twin needles are an excellent tool when they work, but this time it was a nightmare... I had to begin sewing one of the seams over again three times, it kept looking like in the picture, and even broke a twin needle in the process. Not fun! But the sleeve-openings came out ok in the end.

Then I decided that I'll have to dye the dress, as much as I like the colour it is now, the material gets very dark marks if it gets wet. And I'm very good at splashing water on myself by mistake, not good. So it's not quite finished yet.

But other than that, I'm happy with it!

Next on the list is to decide if I want to make something from pattern magic or use one of my vintage patterns... hm...

Anne Adams 2335

Friday night and coming home was almost like christmas eve (that's when we give our christmas-presents, we're a bit impatient here up north!).

Two yellow envelopes and one little parcel - all with much treasured patterns - were waiting for me, bliss!





















 
This first one is an Anne Adams mail-order-pattern, and I guess it's from the 1930's. It's an unprinted pattern, and it seems like it's never been used.

I particularily like the styling of the envelope, the printed text and two light blue borders are printed on the envelope itself, it's see-through, and the picture of the dress is printed on the instruction-sheet inside the envelope. Very sophisticated if you ask me!

I also like the collar, and the slim lines of the skirt. If I make it (I hope I will!) I'm going to make the skirt a whole lot shorter though.

I have this thing about skirts, I always try to make them a bit longer than usual, but I always chop off bit after bit, I think I look boring in long (in other words those that are not very short!) skirts.

I'll keep trying... maybe, maybe I'll finally be a lady one day?

(Afternoon) Tea Top, free sewing pattern download

This is a vintage-inspired top that I designed when I needed something to wear to go out. One of those moments when the closet suddenly seems very empty, even though you didn't get rid of any clothes. Strange...

I wanted it to be adaptable to more formal settings as well as to wild parties, and since I love to dance (and it can get rather warm on the dancefloor!) I wanted it sleeveless with bare shoulders. You can always wear a shrug to cover up a bit, right?

The first time I wore it was to afternoon tea at the Grand Hotel in Stockholm, thus the name.

It's a very easy to sew project, and since I uploaded it on Burdastyle in February this year it has been downloaded nearly 16 000 times (I'm amazed and a bit frightened by it!)

Take a look at some of the other finished versions! Here's another one of mine, in a cotton gingham.

To download the pattern + instructions (the pattern is a size XS = european sz 34 = Burda 36 = UK 6/8) click: DOWNLOAD FILE 


You will be redirected to a link, click the link and a PDF with the instructions + pattern will open in the browser.

I've also made a how-to with instructions for the pleated trim here.

Pattern Magic, all wrapped up!

I have a few favourite books. Books that I love, that I've kept for a long time, return to and never get bored with. Among them are two Japanese books about pattern construction, Pattern Magic vol 1 and vol 2.

They are both full of projects that make me want to immediately get my roll of pattern-paper, rulers and pencil out and get busy! Do you want to make a dress with a bunch of knots in the front? No, then maybe a top with a collared cowl-neck might be something for you? Or a jacket or shirt with a necktie incorporated in the collar? That one has been posted on Burdastyle recently, look at it here.

I have only one problem with Pattern Magic, really (except that the books are in Japanese, but that's a small problem thanks to the very clever, very instructive, very Japanese pictures that show the different pattern construction-methods step by step), it's impossible to choose what project to begin with!

Like these bows for example, which one is the nicest? I can't decide. It's actually an even draw between three of them for me... pick a straw?






















I bought my copies on the internet, from a site I can truly recommend, Yesasia, fast shipping and great service; my books were shipped from Germany and arrived within a week.

I've noticed that Yesasia sell many Japanese sewing-books that are not on Amazon.com, so it's worth a look for those who search for Japanese pattern-books (or manga, or clothes, or movies...)!