Mad Men challenge 2014 - my entry

Hello all, I hope you’ve been enjoying the sunny weather this weekend! It’s been lovely here in the UK! And if it hasn’t been very sunny where you are, I hope spring will come soon for you, too (unless you are on the other side of the planet, in which case I hope you hold on to the summer a little longer!).

Speaking of the other side of the planet, the lovely JuliaBobbin from down under has once again organised the fabulous Mad MenChallenge, and here’s my little entry this year.

So I made Betty’s super girlie floral blouse, in a ditsy floral cotton in more of a pink/red tone compared to the green/blue/red fabric that made Betty’s blouse. This is more of an “inspired by” as opposed to “copycat” attempt.

I used the vintage Simplicity 3092 once again, and following my last attempt, I made quite a few changes to the pattern for a closer match to Betty’s blouse and a better fit:

•  I lowered the neckline to accommodate a collar with an “integrated” collar stand;
•  I made the plackets more narrow to match the smaller buttons;
•  I increased the SBA for a better fit (and played around with the side seams and darts until I was happy with the ease); and
• I made the shoulders more narrow.

Here’s what the whole blouse looks like, without the map in the way:

Betty teamed her blouse up with a cute coral cardigan, so I couldn’t resist the temptation:

I am in love with this little number. Naturally I have a soft spot for pretty florals, and this fabric simply bursts with prettiness and happiness – looking at the blouse puts a smile on my face every time. I know I’ll get lots of wear out of this cutie this spring/summer! I can see it teamed up with a smart work skirt, casual skirt, jeans, or even shorts, and with or without a plain cardie. What’s not to like?

In addition to this, I also entered my picnic dress which I made a good few months ago into the challenge, as who else, it was Betty that inspired me. Maybe the obsession will calm down soon and I’ll make a garment inspired by another character next year (perhaps Megan? As I do adore her modern style)…  

For now, I’m just so excited for the big reveal, and can’t wait to see what you’ve all made! 

Sew Retro diy memo board

Something a little bit different today, but I couldn't resist sharing this project with you! It's a DIY memo board, made with only the best fabric!! Isn't it simply fabulous?

It's a Makower fabric called Sew Retro Montage, and as soon as I saw it I just had to have it! It's elegant, retro, and absolutely beautiful! I mean, I have seen other sewing-themed fabric before, but this is something special. What better fabric to use for a memo board for my new sewing space (more on that soon..)?

I won't bore you with how to make it yourself, as there are already hundreds of tutorials for it (but happy to answer questions as usual). What I will say, though, is that it's soooo simple to make! All you need in addition to your usual sewing supplies is a good staple gun (I've only had mine for a couple of weeks, but can't live without it now!). It's a good way to use up leftover fabric from a sewing project, too, and if you quilt (I don't, but I had wadding leftover from my Kindle case), then you might have some offcuts of wadding to hand, too, that you didn't know what to do about.

I also attempted to make self-covered buttons! It's about time, I know. I bought loose small metal ones from the Village Haberdashery, and they are really simple to work with. No tools required!       

Also, do you remember this lady here from Simplicity 3092?

She might have dyed her hair, and put on some red lipstick, but worry not -- I've tracked her down right here!

Not much else to say really other than how fabulous! I'm seriously in love with this little DIY project, and am sure it will take a prime place in my new sewing space. In fact, I may have to decorate the sewing room to match this memo board... but we shall see!

Geometric vintage blouse

Happy Friday everyone! 

 

Gosh, I'm smashing this vintage sewing pattern pledge that I've made just under a month ago! Here's my second item made from vintage pattern already, though this is from an original rather than a reproduction like my Vogue 1137. This was kind of my trial run for this year's Mad Men challenge, and I'm reasonably happy with how it's turned out. 

So I used Simplicity 3092 from my stash, and apparently it's from 1949! I attempted to make view 2, but in this amazing geometric stretch cotton from MacCulloch & Wallis in a dark navy, mustard and white. Admittedly it's not my usual type of fabric, but I think sometimes it's good to be outside of my comfort zone. 

You may recall that this is the top that I'd like to make, in a floral cotton, eventually:

 

I made quite a few changes to the pattern, to fit me and to get to a design that's similar to Betty's top -- I made my usual SBA, eliminated the armhole bands (and used a bias binding facing instead), widened and sharpened the collar, moved the placket facing to the inside (the original is designed on the outside) so that when the top button is undone, the reverse side that you see is not the wrong side of the fabric, as the original pattern is deigned to be worn with the button done up. Am I making any sense?! I also changed the order in which the placket and collar were attached to the bodice.

 

The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed that I'm wearing the top with my Navy Work skirt and Ultimate Work skirt, both creations from McCalls 3830 last year.

 

As I say, I'm reasonably happy with the blouse, and can see myself wearing it to work. There are a few niggles, though, but then that's exactly why I'm trying out the pattern before the real deal. So the things that I hope to improve in my next version are:

• Adding a collar stand - currently there isn't one;
• Reducing the armholes - they are a teeny bit too big;
• Increase the SBA - there's a lot of ease and some excess fabric on both sides still, and at the back; and
• Making the shoulders more narrow 

Next, a not so flattering photo (my arms look kind of chubby!), but it's a close-up, so I'm sharing it with you. Can you see all those darts cinching the blouse in at the waist? I think once improved, this could be a really shapely blouse, especially in a pretty floral fabric (back in my comfort zone, eh?) 

OK, finally a bit of a life update... Today's my last day in my current job and I'm moving house over the weekend! It'll be sad to leave Reading, but I'm moving to the leafy Surrey (anyone nearby?), and hopefully into a job that is less demanding (read: more time to sew!) Whoop! Then I've got a week off to do some works to the new house (including my new sewing room!), and lots of catching up with sewing! I think it'll be time for my Mad Men Betty blouse, or even blouses! And I may have ordered a certain fantastic pattern from By Hand London! Stay tuned ;)  

Mad Men challenge 3 - I'm in!

Yippee! It's finally that time of the year again! What else, it's the Mad Men challenge organised by the wonderfully talented Julia Bobbin. 

You might remember that I participated last year (see my entry here), and let me tell you, it was soooo much fun! If you have the time, and are a fan of Mad Men (who isn't?), then it's time to join in! 

Do you also remember this summery little number? That was also Mad Men inspired! 

So for the challenge, I currently have my eyes on a couple of outfits from Season 6 (admittedly the style has moved on quite a bit by Season 6, but there are still some gems here and there): 

Image from AMC of course but copied from Instyle

It was lovely to see Betty all fresh and summery, and also slim and confident again. I like her "traditional" sense of style -- she is more of a 50s lady.

Again AMC image but linked from Instyle (you can also read about comments on Mad Men fashion by the show's costume designer!)

And I just love Joan's purple two-piece, despite mistakenly thinking that it was a dress. The neckline is lovely, and I adore the cute bow details. 

I can't wait to get started! I think my vintage pattern Simplicity 3092 view 2 will be a lovely base pattern for Betty's top (with a few tweaks, mainly for the neckline). At this rate, I'll be flying through my Vintage pattern sewing pledge ;) I'm still looking for a pattern for the shorts, but think I may just attempt it too, if I have the time. 

Update -- I have already tracked down 2 versions of Betty's lovely top in the sewing blogsphere! Here's Jane's version, and here's Ami's version. Aren't they both adorable?

So, are you participating this year? I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone's planning on making, and of course the finished projects!