Next Time, Butterick, I'm Coming For You...

Because I am trying both to conserve money and not to add any more sewing projects to my to-do list, I passed up on the Butterick $1 pattern sale at Hancock's this past week. And it's not like I would have gone in their blind. I knew exactly which ones I wanted, in fact, this first pattern has been on and off my wish list for over a year now.

Butterick 5032

Mostly, for the little capelet but the dress isn't bad either.

I saw this 3.1 Philip Lim dress in Lucky and couldn't get it out of my mind and then I saw this...

Butterick 5259

on Lindsay T's blog and with the pattern's addition of belt loops, I like this one even better! I also adore the little red jacket.

Butterick 5415

What does this remind me of? This vintage pattern, that I have tried SO HARD to love with no success. Perhaps, I could take this new one and alter it to recreate the looks on the vintage one? I'm so lovin' the banded V-neck too!

Butterick 5211

Can you guess why I like this one? Yes, it's practically the Anda dress!



Of course I won't be buying this one because I already have the pattern and can easily add pockets or the gathered sleeve cap to the Burdastyle pattern myself. I will definitely be making more of this dress again.

Inspiration in a Buttonhole?

I love when I see something new done with something that I have never given a second thought. Well, someone else did and what they did with that idea is genius. Look at this:

Image: Makesomething.ca

Yes, a buttonhole made with variegated thread. I've seen variegated yarn before and definitely could see the benefit in making projects with it. But variegated sewing thread? How perfect is that for stitching and detailing a dress in a print made up of many colors?

I'm hip to and have used contrasting zippers in garments before (I've yet to install an invisible zipper) because I thought the quick glimpse of the zipper would be more interesting if it really didn't match the fabric. Because how rarely do you find a zipper that matches perfectly? I have also used a more dramatic color thread to stitch up a garment, like red on blue... but this is an even better idea. You no longer have to worry about the stitching being too obvious on certain sections of a dress when you make that possibility random.

Please check out the great clothing created on Karyn's Make Something blog and if you are lucky enough to be in Toronto, also check out The Workroom's sew-by-the-hour sewing lounge. I so wish we had a place like that here in my city.

What Did I Do Today?

• I am watching 1959's "The Best of Everything" with the DVD commentary. Already saw it earlier this week with close captioning and after this viewing, will be watching it again for the clothes. Great screen captures here at Sweet Sunday Mornings' lovely, lovely site. Also check out the lovely mid-century office design in this link from the B.E.L.T site.
  
  
• Searching online for job possibilities, in event planning, public relations, or non-profit work related to affordable housing, children and women health issues, and shelter animals.
  
  
• Reading more Agatha Christie. I used to read them a lot when I was a pre-teen (yes, that young!) Now I'm addicted to reading all the ones I never read or can't remember who the murderer is. This one is the eleventh (plus a book of Miss Marple short stories) in the last two months.
  
  
• I opened an Etsy shop, Dragonfly. I still have a lot of work to do on it though.

I Already Made This One

Practically. Sorta.

Over 10 years ago I made a brown wool crepe dress from a Style pattern that I truly wish I hadn't thrown out. It was lovely and I did a great job with it. Unfortunately, it just looked ridiculous on. When I made the dress I really miscalculated on the size and I was swimming in the dress. One thing about the design that didn't help at all was that it required huge shoulder pads. Imagine this; huge linebacker shoulders and then a sack (a heavy wool sack!) of a dress swimming on a tiny girl. However, because I loved the design, that dress has been with me ever since, though it was only worn once or twice. Today I decided to try it and a few of my old vintage pieces on. While none of the ones I actually used to wear could even be zipped up (or get past my hips), this one FITS!!! Yes, and it fits like it was always supposed to. Amazing.

Fifteen pounds heavier and with bust, waist, and hip measurements all three inches larger...it fits. See for yourself:

Forgive, the dress has not been pressed in 10 years either!

I had no idea when I put that Simplicity pattern above in my wish list that it was really because I was remembering details from this dress. Notice the interest at the neckline (with a pull-through tie) and the dolman sleeves that become tighter towards the wrists.

Also, can you believe I made this in high school? To wear to high school? Yeah, I was a strange duck.

Craig and McQueen Part II

Craig:

Here is a great analysis of the movie Casino Royale, in five parts, from The Man From Porlock site:



McQueen:

Check out this piece at Cinebeats about the role of fashion in The Thomas Crown Affair. I loved Faye Dunaway's clothes in this film, but she sure didn't look like an insurance inspector to me.

And even though through most of the film Mr. McQueen is the most debonair and well dressed bank thief I have seen, there is one glaring costume mistake. If you've seen the movie, either you know what I'm talking about or you have blocked it from your memory. Lucky you.

I am talking about the bright yellow shortie robe that Mr. Crown wears in one scene. Ugggh, so scary it took me right out of the movie at that point. What were they thinking? That Mr. McQueen was so macho that he could get away with it? Um, NO. Not in that robe.

Oh, and that theme song...The Windmills of My Mind. WOW. Still one of my favorites, SO trippy yet truly beautiful. If I could only memorize that baby!

The music:

Bonus! An Alison Moyet version

The lyrics: If you want to try memorizing them, here they are, here and here.