Happy Thanksgiving!

Wow, I can't believe it's Thanksgiving Eve already! Where has the year gone? I have so many things to be thankful for this year. I gave birth to a beautiful healthy baby girl 9 short months ago and she is already growing so fast. My sweet son is making huge milestones in his efforts to communicate. They are both healthy and happy and I couldn't be prouder of them. I'm sewing again and for that I'm thankful. I'm thankful for the skill and the ability to make something beautiful out of nothing. I'm thankful for my family, I don't get to see them enough since I live across the country from them, but they are there for me always. I'm thankful for the friends I have made here and for my job which allows me to provide for myself and my children. I'm blessed in so many ways, and I hope that no matter how you celebrate your Turkey Day, you celebrate it with those that you love, or at least those that you like a little bit. ;)
Be grateful, be joyful, be beautiful.

Me, In a Past Life

So there was a time in my life, during the end of the 1990's swing and big band revival, that you would find me, on many given nights, jumping and jiving my time away. I was an acrobatic swing dancer, complete with saddle shoes and rumba pants. I danced 5 out of 7 nights a week. I also taught lessons and got paid a fair amount on numerous occasions. I came across some pictures of a much younger me during one of these paid gigs. Forgive the quality as these are terrible scans of the originals. Digital cameras weren't what they are today and I believe these were taken on a 35mm.

 

 

I was quite a collector of vintage dresses that I could dance in and had way too many garter belts and baskets of stockings. Most of those dresses are now ripped in the armscythe from too many lifts and tosses and in desperate need of repair. They are also way too small for my post baby body. This little gingham dress was always one of my favorites. It had a metal zipper up the back and cute little cross stiching along the bottom of the skirt using the squares of the gingham.

 

I recently reconnected with my partner from those days, and it brought to mind better times. I miss this part of who I used to be. I miss the music, and the crowds. The dance-offs and the shim-sham. I miss the dresses, golly the dresses. I still have them tucked in a box in my basement. Which reminds me, I really need to get them out, repair them and pass them on to a new home.

 

There is a little window into me and who I am, and used to be. Thanks for taking this trip down memory lane with me!

Dreaming of Summer

So the weather has taken a turn and it's getting colder. Naturally, my thoughts turn to summer and warm, sandy beaches. I'm a southern girl living in the Buckeye State. We've been here for 3 years now; I still miss my Florida sunshine, and I just can't get used to the cold, wet, snowy weather. I grew up in Texas, but moved to Florida in my early twenties and was there for the better part of a decade. While I'm tring to put together a fall/winter wardrobe, I can't help but dream of light cotton dresses and seersucker playsuits. So I've put together a list of adorable playsuits that I'd love to add to my wardrobe.

 

Simplicity 3583A

I just love the cute capri length overalls in this one. Find this one for sale here in a size 15!

 

 

Butterick 6161

Great shirtwaist dress from for the cover up in this one. Would be a great transition suit from beach to dinner by the water! Find this great pattern from 1952 here!

 

 

Advance 8636 

Loving this 1958 pattern. The little cover up is to adorable and the great halter look on view 1 is cute! Find this pattern for sale here in a size 14!

 

 

Simplicity 1621A

Such a cute peasant top style with a little midriff showing! Adorable bubble shorts/bloomers too! This pattern is for sale here in size 16!

 

 

Vogue 6029 

Lots of cute pieces in this pattern from 1947. Loving the shrug and the bra top. Very versatile. Let me know if you come across this one for sale!

 

 

Advance 4147 

Super cute top on this one. Love this all the way around! Get this one for size 14 for sale from Mrs. Depew!

 

So there you have it. A few summery suits to daydream about. Have a wonderful day!

Swirl Progress and Update!

As I mentioned in this previous post, I'm doing a Swirl Dress Sew-Along with Beccie from Sew Retro Rose. We're up to step four now and the bodice is put together and almost complete! It's so exciting getting to watch this vintage dress come together and share the progress with so many other like-minded ladies from all over the world!

 

*Disclaimer - Please excuse the photo quality and colors.I was snapping pictures with my phone while working on the various steps and some of them came out with good color and others did not for whatever reason. :)
 

 

I started the cutting process last weekend and got all of the pieces cut and pressed. The beauty about doing a sew-along is that you know the process, from start to finish, is going to take some time, so there is no rush to get to the finished product, it's all about enjoying the act of sewing.

 

 

Once all of my pieces were cut, I messed around with colors and buttons and trim. I settled on this nice hot pink to match a button I found that had a swirl on it. Reminiscent of the original Swirl dress buttons! To me it was a match made in heaven.

 

Having settled on a contrast color, I started out planning to use ric-rac as a trim and came across this hot pink cotton in my stash and it was just what I needed. I really like the look of the color bars against the blue.

 

 

I got started on the pockets and played around with a few different trim ideas, I lined the pockets in the hot pink for the fun of it. I attached and removed the trim several times before settling on the final trim.

   

 

I'm really happy with the final look. I did a two toned belt with the blue cherry blossoms on the outside and the hot pink inside. This should be interesting when tied.

 

The sew-along is going so well so far and it's very nice chatting with everyone and seeing all the progress being made.  Thanks for following along! If you are a fan of Instagram, you can see all the wonderful Swirls in progress with the hashtag #Swirlalong!!