DO I DARE

aka sewing a vintage pattern that is two sizes too small.

Okay, I must have weighed 25-30 lbs less when I acquired this pattern, or I was delusional, or I thought maybe some day it would fit. Who knows. I've had it for a long time. The envelope cover is literally disintegrating. I keep it in a plastic sleeve and every time I look at it more of the envelope falls apart. The measurements are barely there, the only reason I know the pattern number is because it's on the instructions.

This is the pattern, obviously not my picture, because on this one you can actually read the size.


But, and it's a big but, it is two sizes too small. But I want it. And I really don't want to learn what I'd need to learn about grading patterns to grade this up two sizes to make it out of a woven. So my solution was to spend an entire evening measuring all the pattern pieces, figuring out based on measurements what the ease was, doing the math on if "I add 1/4 inch to every seam" it will still not fit, thinking about 1/2 and deciding I'm not up for any more math or disappointment and then arriving at the brilliant idea to lay it out against a dress I have that fits, that I destroyed by spilling nail polish remover on, but saved because it fits. It is made out of knit. The fabric I want to make it out of is knit. So okay, it appears it will work.

So, I've ironed all the pieces, which amazingly enough are not fragile like the envelope, and tomorrow I will lay it out and cut. Plan b is well if it doesn't fit, I'll still be able to make a skirt out of the bottom half pieces and hey, I'll be on my way to a many pieced ensemble but I'm really hoping the dress works out.

My Wool Has Been Shipped and Pants Update

I'm so excited. The wool I ordered on Presidents Day is on it's way.

Is it suitable for a coat. Nope, still haven't found the perfect wool for any of my vintage coat patterns. But while looking I came across this great wool, that yes, it will work for a retro suit jacket and, bonus, I can dye the excess for rug hooking. How much excess will there be, oh about 7 yards or so.

Meanwhile, the pants. Well I pretty much went as far as I'm going on the pants. The good news is, hey they fit. And the bad news. My fabric selection sucked--but remember, I have no fabric for pants because I generally don't sew pants and this fabric was free. I burn tested it and hey, it's not synthetic, so I think I will sew up the side seam, attach the facing, baste the hem edge so it doesn't ravel and wash these every time I do a dark load and see how much this fabric will soften up. I don't want to waste my time on a zipper unless these soften up. So it's cotton, it's a medium weight twill, there is some hope these could end up very soft and hanging very nicely by summer. Currently they are too stiff. It's like trying to make something out of cardboard. So now that I know they'll fit, I just need to make them out of something decent fabric wise.

And now for he darts. Check out the angle of the darts. Different eh, but they work. Anyway, having difficulty the first time out with trying to pin and sew I gave that method up and basted just inside the line I should be stitching on. I wised up after the first one and used a contrasting thread.Then I finger pressed along those lines to form a ditch to stitch in, then I matched up the stitch lines to find the fold line for the dart and finger pressed that. Then I sewed just outside the basting. The threads on the outside are the bobbin from the basting using contrasting color. You just pull those threads and your basting goes away. More on these after a few months of washing.

Vintage ? Vogue 7648

I had planned on cutting out a coat, but no I didn't have enough fabric for any of the vintage coat patterns I have especially when I know I'm going to need to lengthen the sleeves and probably the bodice too by at least 3 inches. I couldn't just take off and go to the fabric store, not that there would be a whole lot of selection had I managed to get there, because we got dumped on with a blizzard.

Given that I have 5 comic book boxes of patterns, a baby bed full of fabric, yes that's where I store my fabric, in a baby bed with a folding door on top that acts as my cutting table, chances were good I had a pattern and fabric I could amuse myself with. So I went through my patterns and pulled a pattern and fabric I thought my work and cut it out.

I'm not exactly sure what the content of the fabric is. It's blue twill weave that was given to me. I got as far as sewing the darts tonight. Which is not accomplishing a whole heck of a lot. The darts have slightly different angle than your usual dart, so this should be interesting. I was able to mark the darts rather nicely with some weird tool I picked up somewhere. Check out these markings.

So while I had no problem seeing where I was supposed to be pinning and sewing it didn't seem to go so swell on the first dart.

My solution: I basted along those lines and pressed, then sewed the darts.

So what will these mystery pants look like when done. Hopefully nice, hopefully they'll fit and I can make em again with different fabric. Yes, I would have to go to the store for that because fabric for pants is not something I stock up in the baby bed.

Having seldom been able to find pants that fit I pretty much don't wear pants. Levi's is the extent of my pants wardrobe. And when you check out this pattern, they're not really pants either. They look like pants from the back but have a panel across the front so it looks like a skirt. And the legs are rather wide. So all this pattern really needs to do is pretty much fit like a skirt and life will be good.

And while the envelope lists lightweight fabric such as Gabardine, Wool, Crepe, Denim, (DENIM is LIGHTWEIGHT), synthetic suede and Woolens, I think they will look good with a fabric with some weight to it but drape too. Wool Gabardine would be nice, but then I'd have to line them. Who knows. We'll see if they actually fit before I get to involved in what to use next. And no, they're not vintage. The copyright is 2002.

How Many Hours

Need inspiration, think your colors don't go together?

You can kill hours at this site:

http://labs.ideeinc.com/multicolr/#

enjoy, that's where I'll be for a while.

A better Townsend Cutter carrying case

I've defeated the dogs once again--doesn't happen often.

When I got my Townsend Cutter, which I love, it came with a carry case with a webbed handle. On of the dogs promptly chewed the handle. I like this a whole lot better. You can find these all over in various conditions. This one was pristine and even had the keys that had never even been removed from the plastic.



All you need to do is make a few drawstring bags, perhaps out of quilted fabric or wool, to protect your cutters, lay em in the bottom and put your cutter on top.

I'm pretty sure the handle on this is dog proof. The case is for sure.

And there's plenty of room left over for your other bag or whatever that holds your hooks, scissors, magnets, and whatever else you drag along for hooking. PLUS, you don't have to take those black plates off to store though mine are off in this picture.

I highly recommend an old train case as a case for your cutter. I paid $10.00 plus postage for this one off Craigslist. Granted who knew if once I paypalled the guy the money if the case would ever arrive, that's the chance you take but I figured postage was cheaper than driving half way across the state to pick it up and I was in as gambling of a mood as I ever get.

I think I need batteries

I'm so disappointed. I've dyed 7 yards of wool, they are all gorgeous and I have no good pictures to show for my efforts.

This blue and the purple are much darker than they appear. Perhaps I need to reread the instructions that came with my camera? Well, I plan on delivering in the morning so I may or may not get more shots.

So until I can get better pics, I don't have much to say about this dye adventure other than I'm pleased with how they turned out.

The Purple Rug

This has got to be the slowest I've ever hooked, but then there is the other rug that just needs one or two more squares finished and it would be done.

While searching for a pic of the unfinished rug I came across these. These are little coasters done in 3 cut for a donation for the State's History Museum a number of years ago. AOL kept sending me those cds in the mail and I thought to myself, I'll use em for coasters. So I did state symbols. The robin, a deer, and I think those are apple blossoms and then the state. Is it my imagination or does the deer look dazed. I don't think i knew much about hooking eyes at that point and I wouldn't say these are high contrast either. Oh well, they were cute. I don't remember what they went for, but here they are.I think if you double click on the pic it gets bigger.

It's no wonder I can't find the rug, there are 14,32o pics on my hard drive, never mind cds and thumb drives.

So here's where I am on the purple basket weave rug.


I have corrected my error, if you notice on the last full row the horizontal row is a little thin? Yep, I got off count and there were only 12 strips of wool where there should be 14. So I backed out the beige/gold and the purple vertical and put in the needed two rows of purple.

So, I started it in July, have hardly worked on it since November and am now plodding along. Who knows, maybe I'll get it done by early April in time for the hook in. At this point I am really wishing I'd gone for the smaller version. I need to do either 7 or 9 rows for it to look right now that I made it 5 blocks across.

Back to the dye pot. I have about 8 yards of wool to dye this weekend.