Woman's Realm - Be Your Own Dressmaker

Among the bag of patterns that came from my Nan was this amazing little booklet which I thought I'd give you a closer look at. It looks like a little supplement with Woman's Realm magazine as part of a 'Guide to Successful Homemaking' series.

It's really quite brilliant, guides you through everything you need to know to get making your own garments quickly from the equipment you need to begin with, through cutting, construction, hemming to the finishing touches. Check out these notes on collars and cuffs:

The illustrations are fantastic, really simple and clear. It includes everything you need to know for quick reference as you make up a garment.

Who needs a modern fat tome about sewing, I'm going to learn the way my Nan did!

My Vintage Sewing Patterns

I started this blog after my Nan gave me a collection of her old sewing patterns which she used to make all of her and my Mum's clothes from in the 1960s/70s. I love having a look through the patterns and the instructions so I thought I'd give everyone a peak into the bundle and an idea of what projects I might be working towards. They were in a bag with some other treasures including these:

Below is a collection of various 1960s patterns including Style 1033 which I am currently working on. The green outfit in Simplicity 5231 my Nan told me a brilliant story about making in gold to wear to a James Bond theme party in the 1970s, I wish I could see photos!

How Mad Men are these two?! I'm sure the woman in the pictures is actually Joan Holloway! These were both in envelopes with my Nan's coupons on the front. From the postmark both are from 1960:

Some kid's clothes with brilliant illustrations:

My Mum must have been the coolest kid in school:

I think this one may be my favourite and might be the chosen outfit for my friend's wedding next year (including jacket of course). Now I just need to find the perfect fabric to make it in...

A lovely 1970s number:

Toys and dolls dresses:

I have also obtained this selection of rather 1980s patterns from a friend of my mum. I'm wondering if I can adapt them slightly to be a bit more wearable, especially that jump suit...

I've got my favourites, what are yours or your recommendations for what I get stuck into first as a novice stitcher?

Suppliers Part 2 - Vintage Stores

For the next part in this little series I'm going to go through some of my favourite vintage stores from all across London, which is just a fantastic place to be for vintage anything. I started hunting out vintage clothing when I was at uni and since then have continued to explore more stores, warehouses and markets when sourcing costumes for my job. Now you may think 'this is a sewing blog, we sew our clothes, we don't buy them...' however, I find vintage stores great to browse around and get a bit of sewing inspiration or to take a closer look at how things are put together. Also, there's certain things we just can't make (or at least I can't!) so for the time being the perfect accessories for those 60s numbers I'll be making up will be purchased.

Different stores/areas are good for different items and periods so here we go:

Beyond Retro - 110-112 Cheshire Street (off Brick Lane), 58-59 Great Marlborough Street (Soho) and 92-100 Stoke Newington Road (Dalston)
My first vintage discovery in London, the Shoreditch warehouse is jaw dropping when you first go in. You literally won't know where to rummage first and I could quite easily be lost in amongst the racks for a few hours. Most of their stock has an Americana type of feel (including vintage prom dresses yum!) and they are very reasonably priced. Particularly good for dresses though they have a good selection of shoes too. The Soho store is a fairly recent addition and more selective with stock so equally as good.

Absolute Vintage - 15 Hanbury Street (just off Brick Lane)
Shoes! Shoes! Shoes! and bags and belts and jewellery and some clothes... I've bought a lot there, for shows and myself at the same time! Their sister shop Blondie Vintage Boutique is just around the corner and is also great if you are looking for something extra special. (There are also many many little vintage shops along Brick Lane and Cheshire Street which I can never remember the names of which can be a bit pricey but just have THE most fantastic quality vintage stuff. I remember one had a most amazing display of hats from the 1920s-1960s in the window once which made me drool!)

Rokit - 42 Shelton Street (Covent Garden), 101 & 107 Brick Lane and 225 High Street (Camden)

Used to be a favourite but has got a more popular, more commercial and therefore more pricey in recent times. Still has quite a good selection of stock, particularly accessories and more contemporary clothing such as jeans but not ideal if you're looking for a real one off vintage piece.

Blackout II - 51 Endell Street (Covent Garden)

Now if you're looking to splash a bit of cash on something really one off, original and still in great condition this is one of the places to go. A tiny little shop on the outskirts of bustling Covent Garden with a treasure trove of items continuing downstairs, they stock high-end fashion from the 1920s to 1980s so I'd definitely recommend a visit. They also have some really great menswear which a lot of the other more specialist shops seem to overlook.

Wow Retro - 179 Drury Lane and 10-14 Mercer Street (Covent Garden)

Another great one for a more contemporary look they have both men's and women's clothing at fairly reasonable prices for the centre of town. They also have some great unexpected little bits and pieces, like vintage nightwear! I bought my first ever vintage dress here, a bright blue late 60s mini. The Drury Lane store is probably the best for earlier pieces.

Pop Boutique - 6 Monmouth Street (Covent Garden)

One of my absolute favourites as it focuses on the eras and style I love the most, 1950s-1970s. Plus the shop is always decked out in such a great way as they also sell vintage furniture, vinyl and as they put it 'kitsch'. They have branched out into making their own replica versions of minis and dresses in vintage fabrics which I'm not such a fan of, I'd rather have the fun of making my own but worth a look!

Cenci - 4 Nettlefold Place
If you were ever going to describe anywhere as a treasure trove this is the place. Completely hidden down a backstreet in Norwood you'll think you're in the wrong place and then you get inside and every inch of the place is covered in vintage, there are chests of the stuff. Just go, and enjoy, it's worth the awkward trip to get there!

Rag n' Bone - 140 Deptford High Street
A little boutique store with chic pieces from the 1920's to 1980's. The place to go to for a feminine look and if you're on the hunt for some designer labels. Again a little difficult to get to (depending on where you're coming from) but worth the trip.

Hornets - 2 & 4 Kensington Church Walk and 36b Kensington Church Street
Vintage shopping in luxury for men. They have a huge collection of vintage men's tailoring and hats in pristine condition. It feels like you've stepped back in time when you're in there, like you're actually buying a suit in the 20s. As you can imagine it's not cheap, but you pay for what you get. Old Hat on Fulham High Street is good for this kind of thing too, they even have a few Edwardian and Victorian bits and pieces.

Last but not least I can't neglect a mention for the Stables Market in Camden and all the vintage stores that surround it. If you want to spend a whole day mooching through not just clothes and accessories but furniture, old magazines, home-wares and just about anything else, then this is the place for you. It has, along with some other places, become a bit commercialised over the last few years but there's still some real treasures, make sure to explore every nook and cranny.

These are just some of my favourites, I may well put a full (but briefer!) list up at a later date. Does anyone else have any others they would like to throw into the mix?

Mad Men

So I know I’m a bit slow picking up on this one but I’ve recently discovered the fantastic American drama ‘Mad Men’. I’ve fallen instantly in love with it, perhaps slightly influenced by the gorgeous early 1960s costumes. On top of the joy of looking at all the beautiful dresses (I’ve lost track of what’s happening plot wise on a number of occasions because I was too busy studying an outfit) it’s just a fantastically well written, acted and put together series. I love the way the camera suddenly focuses on one tiny little action of a character often involving an intriguing 1950s/60s prop (such as Don’s odd spring contraption for exercise in the office down to the drinks cans) or sometimes the editing highlights a fascinating detail of the setting, such as a drawer in Don’s office filled with freshly washed and pressed shirts. Everything works together to conjure up the world of the 1960s ad men of Madison Avenue and their housewives.

But let’s get to my real interest in the series and probably what you all want to see most on here (it is a sewing blog after all) - the costumes! They are absolutely amazing, beautiful to look at and beautiful in their historical accuracy. A couple of bits of underwear in particular have been distinctly contemporary – yet only when the character is undressed as clothed the ladies all have brilliantly distinct 1950s/60s shaped bosoms!

I’m only half way through the first series so admittedly I’m not sure I can really comment too extensively on the costuming yet, but I’ve already seen some great examples – my particular favourites being Betty’s full skirted dresses:

And let’s not forget about the men while we’re at it. As dull as I can sometimes find suits to be the little details really make these outfits – the ties, the tie pins, cufflinks and never to forget the always immaculately groomed hair.

The ladies hair is definitely worth a special mention: Joan never has a hair out of place in her fiery red up dos and as for Betty’s doll face and carefully curled/flicked under/flicked out bob…it’s enough to make me want to cut all my long locks which I’ve only just grown again and weld in a hair band. It’s certainly got me reaching for the hairspray and matte lipstick again anyway.

(Plus just how amazing is that tennis inspired dress?!)

Wide scoop necklines and full skirts are also my new favourite thing. I’ve always favoured the mini skirts and shift dresses of the late 1960s, but it’s never quite sat right on my more hour glass than twiggy-esque body shape. Seeing Christina Hendricks highlighting her curves in such a flattering way in these period numbers has enticed me to start exploring a bit of an early 60s look. But I do think those big full dresses as gorgeous as they are, are really not so wearable on the wet London Bus in the middle of winter. I’ve got a couple of similar patterns my Nan gave me though, so it’s definitely my aim to work up to making a completely fantastic one to wear to my friend’s wedding next July.

New York, early 60’s glamour – what’s not to love?! I highly recommend it.

Finished Project - Manolo Blahnik Cushions

Finally! A finished product! I’ve had lots of projects on the go recently and a lot of them sitting around half finished as I’ve been hampered by not having the right tools and equipment as I’m just starting off. I know in situations like this I’m usually one for just seeing what else I’ve got to do the job and cutting a few corners but the results never turn out as well as I hope so with these sewing projects I really wanted to try not to rush things and do them properly. So at long last here is something to show for my efforts:

I am very happy to proudly show these off around my home (although my boyfriend may be less willing to display stiletto covered cushions around the house!). The main fabric is a gorgeous printed cotton designed by Manolo Blahnik for Liberty which I just could not resist treating myself to even though it cost a lot more than I would ever normally be prepared to spend on fabric! But isn't it just beautiful?! It features his designs for last winter's special collection for Liberty London. I've got a fair bit left so am thinking of what else I could make, perhaps an eye mask/make-up bag set.

Using this fabric for this project made me even more determined to take extra care and get everything just perfect. The back and the piping I made out of a lovely purple fairly thick suede which I've had for a while as I wanted some of the cushion structure to be quite robust to frame the delicate cotton. The colour doesn't show up brilliantly in these pictures but trust me, it looks great with the print. This was my first attempt at making my own piping and (once I'd purchased the correct foot for my machine) I was surprised by how straightforward it could be. I followed the instructions in the Marie Clayton book I blogged about the other week. I was most nervous about getting the seam allowance right so when i inserted it into the seams and turned the completed item inside out the piping would fit snuggly in and there wouldn't be any unsightly gaps and visible stitching where the cording didn't quite sit tight enough. But when it came to that heart stopping 'look at it on the right side' moment, I only needed to tidy up one tiny section. The piping is what I am most chuffed about.

I found the project both a real challenge and much more straightforward than I expected it to be at the same time. The main problems I had were when attaching the piping to the front piece of cotton as the cotton whizzed through the machine at a rate of knots while the suede resisted anything other than tugging to move it on, resulting in some unsightly gathers in the cotton which on more than one occasion had to be picked out and re-sewn. It would probably have been speedier to pin piping front and back pieces together and sew around it all in one go which definitely appealed to my 'is there a quicker way to do that?' side, but basically after attempting to push two pins through all that suede, with and without thimble I gave up on that idea and decided to go for the long way round which actually ended up being easier!

I didn't attempt any fastenings on this project as I didn't want to be too experimental with my sewing skills, risk something going drastically wrong and waste some of that special fabric. I simply created an overlap at the back with the suede through which the inner could be inserted. Cushions with a zip in the seam shall definitely be a future home-ware project I think.