go vintage

Grandma Ruth Kleinman passed away the Monday before little Rex Lee Foster was borned.  What does this have to do with crafts or sewing?  Well, turns out Grandma Ruth hoarded sewing things and I got to pilfer some of her sewing things.  I scored some great patterns, which actually may fit me (mostly!).  I also scored some awesome fabric, both of which you will see momentarily.


I have never sewn vintage before.  There is a whole vintage sewing movement going on and I think it is great, but I only wanted to enjoy it as a lurker, not necessarily an active participant.  Well, I found this awesome pattern.

When I open a pattern, I am used to it being all marked up and in one gigantic piece.  Patterns from the early '40's back don't come printed and are pre-cut (!!!! for the pre-cut!)  They also have all these holes and perforations that have a code to them.  The only directions that this particular pattern contained was a diagram explaining such holes and perforations.  Back then, they were able to assume that everyone had a basic knowledge of garment construction, is my best guess.  Any how, here's what I ended up with.

 The fabric was also pilfered from Grandma's picked over stash.  I can't believe no body took this stuff!  Gray and pink!  


I had to make a few modifications on the blouse. First, I lengthened it by two inches.  I put in a dart under the bust line, as well as lengthening the dart and put in and lengthened two box pleats.  I actually tried darts but it just didn't look right, so out with the seam ripper.  I thought that since I lengthened it so much that darts would work.  But it was a fail.  So two box pleats instead of one looked the best.  


I love vintage!  I am not a total convert or vintage purist (I WILL use my button foot and my zipper foot, no bound buttons unless it is just really that much more awesome, FUSIBLE interfacing all the way), but I have another vintage pattern I am currently looking for fabric to sew.  It was pretty fun.  My favorite part?  Well, there are two parts.  1.  Zippers are called fastener pulls.  2.  Since button holes and zippers were hand sewn, they were avoided at all costs, which is excellent!  That is my kind of sewing!  My Grandma and Great Grandma would have KILLED for my Bernina and her beautiful zipper foot and oh, so glamorous memory buttonhole function!  
Here's to you, Grandma!!

Not A Clown Car

Sooooo stinkin' glad to not be pregnant anymore.  Sure, babies inside don't poop, cry or eat, but he was beating the crap outta my insides.  This summer I made all the things for this little guy's nursery and it turned out amazing, I must say.  Take a look.

 1.  We painted the walls from a horrific pink to a light blue with a sweet gray accent wall.

 2.  Made a quilt.  I love how the pinwheel blocks turned out.  I used Jay Bird Quilts Unwind.  I used my new Sewing Computer to quilt it with my new walking foot.  I must say that the Bernina walking foot is amazing.  Almost as amazing and life-altering as their invisible zipper foot.  Almost.

3.  Made a crib bumper with the remaining blocks.

4.  I made a swaddle with leftover fabric.  So cute.  It also seemed so small when I was making it.  He fits in it perfectly!  You forget how small babies are.  Even big babies.

5.  And, to top it off, my bike canvas.  I am super proud of this.  I took the michael miller bicycle fabric and made a stencil, scanned it, and used my silhouette to cut out 15 stencils out of freezer paper.  I attached it to the canvas then painted around the stencils.  Then I chose a few bikes to paint green or gray.  I am pretty pumped about the final result!

6.  Oh yeah, and the thing I made that took 9 months.

All My Love

Here is another printable I made today.  So, I am 36 weeks pregnant and my baby is enormous.  So much so that I will most likely be induced in the next week or so (please, please, please).  That being said, I feel like doing exactly nothing.  Well, I feel like sitting on my butt, hence I am at my computer playing on CS4 all day while my kids play with their new kitchen and vacuum.  

Anyhow, I made this for my bedroom.  When Brian was on his mission, I was going through my Led Zeppelin phase (has it really ever ended???) and signed all my letters "all my love" then my name.  In fact, I have this very phrase inscribed in Brian's wedding ring-that he does not wear. i made this in honor of our 10th wedding anniversary which has come and gone back in June.
 I am loving the eye chart art going on out there in blogland.  LOVING it.  So I made some.  If you would like your own copy of it, leave me a comment with your email address and I will most definitely send it to you.  I can also change colors for you to accommodate your decor.  I mean, it is that awesome.  Humility is something I am working on.

for all yuz quilters out there

I have been thinking about making this for a long time.  You know, all those bumper stickers that have a reference to a hobby that you have to have a knowledge of to actually "get"?  For example, knitters have one that says "I do it in public".  Excellent, but I'm not part of that club.  This is ours.  Quilters.  Our exclusive club.  Again, this one is going up in my work room.  I am obsessing over houndstooth right now.  I dream in houndstooth.  No lie.  It is an 8x10 and if you would like a copy of it, gimme your email and it's yours.  I wish I were smart enough to make a download for yuz, but I am not smart enough.  Peace.

LIke My Ol' Grandma Used to Say

I remember being really young and really bored.  I told my grandma such and her response??  "Only boring people are bored."  That really pissed me off cuz I thought she was saying I was boring.  Over the years, every time I hear someone say they are bored I reply that only boring people are bored.  Hence, I made this beauty to hang up in my work room and for my sister to hang in her office. 

Plans!

We will be having a Baby Wayne, as opposed to a baby Doris coming October.  Finding out the sex of a child is AWESOME, especially when it comes to making a list of all the cute things I am going to make him and how I am gonna decorate his room.  First thing I did?  Ordered the cutest fabric EVER!  Check it.   Except that I am going to use some green and I did not get the polka dots.  Polka dots are pretty feminine so I am going to find some more masculine patterns to go with it.  But the bikes?  YES.  I really wanted to find some cute robots and things, but I just loved this Michael Miller fabric.  The quilt I am going to make is this one from JayBird quilts.  It is called Unwind, which I bought months ago.  I thought it would be cute for any Doris or Styles!  Since I don't know where I will be bringing the little darling home to, that is as far as I have gotten.  I am considering making him a blessing outfit, but I also kind of want him to wear the outfit Rad and Roo have worn. I don't know.  I will figure it out when I get settled in AZ!  Happy Sewing!

Knit Wit.

I finally delved into the world of jersey knit fabric.  My new Bernina sewing computer came complete with an overlock stitch, as opposed to my old machine that was certainly NOT a sewing computer or buying a serger (which is not totally out of the question).  So...I went for it!  I have made the boys sweatshirts so I am not a total rookie sewing with knit.  I am clearly not PRO either.  That being the case, I made a maternity dress that I found on this pretty awesome blog.  I had to take it in a TON (not b/c I am skinny...that is not what I am saying.  I am most definitely NOT skinny right now.  Heck, I had two reese's pb easter eggs today).  I love the fabric!  The color is fab, for sure!  Okay, here you go!

Please excuse my filthy house.  I have boxes stacked to my head, as we move to AZ soon.  I HAD to finish the hem of this dress before we leave.  I was going c.r.a.z.y. just thinking about it.  Anyhow, I debuted it at church today and I love how it turned out!  I am not entirely sure I will be sewing a lot with jersey knits but I do like a few things about it.  Namely:  1.  It is very forgiving, both in wear and sewing!  2.  No ragged or frayed edges.  
I finished another dress yesterday too and I will post that next week.  No more sewing till we get settled in in AZ!  By then I will know if we are having a baby Doris or a baby Wayne!  I will be able to put my new sewing computer to good use making things for the new little nugget!  Peace.