Go On...Get it, Vogue!!

Well, McCall's Patterns is on fire this month! Their latest Vogue pattern release is full of modern and creative clothing with angles, fabric manipulation, and asymmetry...just the way I like it!. I loved so many of the designs this time.

However, I want to focus on the obvious Duchess of Sussex/Meghan Markle love story they have been creating since 2018:

How could you miss recognizing Meghan's Oscar de la Renta peplum blouse as Vogue 1636? I loved this piece when she wore it to an engagement in Fall 2018 and was hoping someone would knock it off!

Vogue 9373 was in the last pattern release as a version of her Stella McCartney wedding reception dress, having been simplified by the elimination of the open back and train.

Don't forget that in an earlier release there had first been Vogue 9355, an obvious homage to her "last night as a single woman" Roland Mouret "Barwick" dress.  It could also be adapted to resemble the gray "Clover" dress she wrote in New Zealand. I own this pattern and hope to make both!

I would also include Vogue 9293, whose first view, when made without the tie belt is similar to the Carolina Herrera denim dress HRH wore to a polo match in 2018. All one would need to do is widen and lower the neckline and replace the attached bow with a wide belt.

What I love is that the below patterns could easily reproduce a DIY wardrobe worthy of any Windsor duchess:

Vogue 1631 is a take on the "Royston" dress by Roland Mouret, whose designs have been worn by both the Duchess of Sussex and Cambridge.

However, Vogue 1649 is ALL Duchess of Cambridge! Made in a solid color other than black, this could be one of her many Alexander McQueen coats, don't you agree? In fact, in a lighter color it would look just like this one:

Ok, I admit, I probably missed a few less flashy designs, but I'm a big fan of what Vogue is doing. To be honest, the wardrobe is the only thing I envy about being a royal, so thanks for helping a thrifty girl out!

She Did Good!

Harry and HRH, The Duchess of Sussex, 

Countess of Dumbarton, and Baroness Kilkeel.

Givenchy

Stella McCartney

I loved both these, the ceremony gown was even more streamlined than I had imagined and so thoughtful with symbolism. However, it was not as accurately fitted as it should have been from a design house such as Givenchy. It was disappointing but I chalk it up to the stress she's been under these last few weeks and Meghan probably not being as bothered with the loose fit to have them take the dress apart for alterations.

When I first saw Meghan, my first thought was of Princess Angela of Liechtenstein, the first black female royal bride. The dress, veil, bouquet, minimal makeup, and the lack of opulent jewels are so similar.

Princess Angela of Liechtenstein in 2000.

Then the Internet reminded me of the resemblance to some other European royal brides who also admire a classic streamlined, romantic style that allowed themselves to shine more than the dress or their adornments.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, 2001

 and Infanta Cristina of Spain, 1997.

She did very well, indeed.

Worth Checking Out: Dates

I don't know why the CW decided to air "Dates," a series that originally aired in Britain two years ago, but I'm glad they did. This is a brilliant and entertaining show that I think could only survive in the US on cable. It just has that feel.

The show was created by Bryan Elsley and aired earlier this summer but is still available to watch HERE on CW's website in full. The nine episodes depict men and women meeting for the first time as arranged by an online dating service. The show utilizes great British, Scottish, and Irish actors such as Gemma Chan (Humans), Andrew Scott (Sherlock's Moriarty, Spectre), Oona Chaplin (Game of Thrones, Crimson Field), Greg McHugh (Fresh Meat), and Neil Maskell (Humans) among others.

You should really check this out:



Behind the scenes of Episode 1: David & Mia

More TV...And A Confession

Here's a (not-so) secret about me...

I like pretty things and pretty people.

Shocking right!?

Well, I also love PBS and almost any British production the network airs. However, one show I didn't watch, let alone even give a chance, was Inspector Morse. The story of a lonely police inspector solving murder cases in England did not appeal to me and I am a die hard Hercule Poirot fan from age 12. Curious.

A few years ago, I did start watching Inspector Lewis (it's successor) and loved it. I now suspect that was because of dishy Laurence Fox (whose father, Edward, I had a crush on in his younger days) I guess I am shallow like that. Despite that, when Endeavour, the back-story and early life of  the same Inspector Morse aired last year I still wasn't interested, no offense to actor Shaun Evans' good looks.

Last Sunday, I sat down and watched my first Endeavour episode (the new series is airing on PBS channels nationally now, check at PBS.org to see airing times in your area) when it followed Last Tango in Halifax (check it out too if you can!) and found myself intrigued. I became truly hooked; however, in the second half when stunning Black nurse Monica (Shvorne Marks) from across the hall arrived on the scene. The possibility of an interacial relationship between the two of them in 1966 Oxford England ramped my interest up sky high. I'm now officially along for the ride. Strangely, actor Shaun Evans also became twice as attractive instantly! Hmmm, interesting...

Another show worth checking out:

Tyrant on FX - it is only on it's third episode but I like the story and the pacing. It is the story of the Americanized son of a dictatorial ruler of a small country who finds himself (and his very American family) pulled back into the family business and must get his hands dirty.

Update: I know I mention a lot of the British TV productions I watch, but I keep forgetting to mention the helpful website The British TV Place, which keeps me up-to-date on what British (and Australian, Swedish, etc.) productions can be viewed online or on TV by American viewers. Please check them out, they do an awesome job tracking down all the possible viewing sources.

Working Slow But Steady...

Hey, sorry I don't have any real sewing content for you. My work schedule is no longer as conducive to all-day cutting and sewing as unemployment was. Ha!

Here is what I've been up to lately:

Cut into my turquoise denim for my first "proper" Grainline Moss. Hopefully, will do some stitching later today.

Binge watched episodes of the In-Betweeners, Rev., and more ManStrokeWoman on Hulu for free.

I rediscovered a favorite 'knock-around' dress from the Gap in storage and will be making it into a pattern so I can copy it. It's a simple sleeveless, almost racer-back, A-line polka dot dress that I wore all the time. Because of the triangle shape it still generally fits but is a bit tight in the bust.

I treated myself to the Grainline Maritime shorts pattern with my first paycheck! I wanted to get it before the price goes up when the new Grainline shop is launched. Thanks Jen for giving us a heads up on the upcoming price change!

Sadly, I had to buy two navy blue t-shirts for work. Yup, I bought fast-fashion. These two shirts from Old Navy for a total of $8 were a lot cheaper (and less time-consuming) than making my own when interlock from JoAnn or Hancock was $8 a yard without a coupon.

Tomorrow, I will be driving to Kitty Hawk, NC to spend a day at the beach. I'm not really a beach girl but getting away, seeing friends, and maybe I'll find a cool fabric store along the way. Anyone have a suggestion?

Have a great holiday weekend and when I return I'll give you a post on an ongoing project for fall (related to that last Mad Men post) and an inventory of all my PDF patterns. Most of them were free so it will be an opportunity for all of you to enlarge your pattern stashes too. We all need that, right?

What I'm Liking Right Now...

*Hulu's vast selection of British situation comedies and dramas that are FREE to view. I have been binge-watching one after another. Right now, I am watching Fresh Meat about uni (college) students in group housing. It has some great laughs, some great characters (Vod, Howard, Sabine) but its rampant promiscuity or lack of awareness when in comes to sex kicks off my "old woman on porch'" or the GET OFF MY LAWN! genes. The story has a "will they, won't they" couple who can not stop sleeping with other people. Arrgggh!

Past series I've watched on free Hulu and now highly recommend: Miranda, The Wrong Mans, Moone Boy, The IT Crowd, manstrokewoman (Man/Woman), Scott & Bailey, and the animated genius of Stressed Eric.


*Heather's hilarious recaps of "I Want To Marry Harry" (she watches - so I don't have to!) on GoFugYourself.com. Besides her observations on some of the most clueless American women, she also points out signs that the show is produced very cheaply despite having to portray the lifestyle of someone who is fourth in line for the crown of England! Her recaps are so good, I'm sometimes tempted to actually watch the show. Not.


*Library books to read, if I can ever stop watching Hulu:

The Truth About Style by Stacy London of  TLC's "What Not To Wear"
Grace: A Memoir by Grace Coddington, the creative director of Vogue magazine.
The Opposite of Fate by Amy Tan (a non-fiction book about her life before and after The Joy Luck Club).\

Coconut shell purse detail

*The most gorgeous coconut shell handbag for $40 seen for sale at a Cracker Barrel restaurant, of all places! The purse (# 453805) isn't on their website anymore but you can see a similar coconut bead belt they sell here. I have never seen a handbag in person and wanted it like this. Ever. In a magazine spread yes, but never in a store. Except for the cloth ones I've made, my purses were all gifts. I've bought briefcase-like bags and totes but never a pretty handbag for myself. This one had short enough straps that it could be worn on the shoulder and nestles up under the arm perfectly, it was the perfect size.  I just got a job but I have no justification for buying it and really nowhere to wear it. Man, it was beautiful! Update: Weeks later, it went on sale...I bought it.

The Great British Sewing Bee!

Makower London Collection Icons

Okay, has everyone been watching the Great British Sewing Bee on BBC Two? I have and I love it. I know there has been some controversy on other blogs about certain aspects but I'd rather not get into that.* The most important point is that there is a TV program/programme about sewing where technique and knowledge are paramount and ornamentation is second. The show is very unlike the Project Runway franchise where the contestants are meant to be more focused on design and flash instead of quality of construction.

• What I like about GBSB is that the challenge projects were selected by an actual professional sewer, Claire-Louise Hardie of The Thrifty Stitcher. She also timed all of the projects to make sure that the time limits were do-able. She is currently writing on her blog about the GBSB: from the preparations made before filming to episode commentary once the latest episode has aired. 
• I love the fact that they acknowledged the many types of sewing; dressmaking, menswear, alteration of ready-to-wear, home decorative arts, and costume. One doesn't have to be able to drafting their own patterns to be considered skilled in the art. 
• The sewing history bits were great and informative. How many people outside of Great Britain knew about all the sewing-related street names that exist in England?
• Love that it focuses on details we might not be as aware of now, such as menswear's traditional rules, while ready-to-wear womenswear has become less strict, ex. the direction of men's flys and shirt button plackets.

Having seen the episode 3 semi-finals, it is clearly down to Ann and Lauren for the win. I adore and respect Ann Rowley, administrator of the Stitchers Guild forum on Artisan Square, and would love to hang out in her sewing room and pick her memories. I am also increasingly impressed by Lauren Guthrie, now the owner of fabric shop Guthrie & Ghani. She is great news for the future of personal sewing. Though very young, she is knowledgeable and technically proficient in the art and has a great attention to detail. She understand the patience it takes to create a quality product. Those rouleau ties she constructed were amazing! I absolutely hate turning fabric tubes inside out and I can't believe she was able to turn those incredibly teeny ones. Impressive, indeed.

If you are in the US, the official show website will not allow you to view full episodes. Instead, they can be viewed on YouTube: Episode 1, Episode 2, and Episode 3. Here is Episode 4 - The Final.

*The show does have problems: the judging format and those silly sewing project segments. Seriously, if they are meant for beginning sewers/sewists, then the instructions are given too fast and are far too vague to actually help.

Something to Look Forward to...on PBS

The advantage of reading blogs from around the world is that you become aware of things outside of your environment that you might have missed otherwise.

I just found out about this British series - Dancing on the Edge - currently running on BBC Two that takes place in the 1930s. Um, don't they all?  The series depicts life around a black Jazz ensemble, the Louis Lester Band, in London. Now, that's something different from BBC, right? It stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Matthew Goode, Angel Coulby, Janet Montgomery, John Goodman, and Jacqueline Bisset. Luckily, due to the immense popularity of Downton Abbey on this side of the pond, I have great hopes that this one will also come over and play on our TVs.

For the best look at the costumes of  Dancing..., I'm sending you to the web site portfolio of the series' costume designer, Lindsay Pugh. This costume slide show is amazing. Try not to drool all over your keyboard!


Click on this photo to see the slide show.

She was also responsible for this fabulous 100 Years of Style - East London commercial that was all over the internet a few years back.

From Me to You:

When I found this sweater pattern in my friend's 1941 copy of the British Weldon's Home Dressmaker, no. 562, I decided to type it up and offer it to anyone interested in making it up.

It is a Word document, I can also convert it to rich text or plain text, if needed. If you would like a copy just send me an email via this blog or comment below with your email address and I'll send it to you.

To see more scans from this particular issue focusing on homemade lingerie, The Prettiest Undies, check it out in my Flickr set here.

There's More To Austen Than I Thought...

I thought I had read all the Jane Austen that was available. As it turns out there was one more novel that she had finished, Lady Susan, but it had not been edited or published. There were also two others that were not finished, The Watsons and Sanditon. I picked up a copy of this collection from Borders a few months ago and thoroughly enjoyed reading them.

That time spent dwelling in Austen-land made me eager for more, so I not only watched the new BBC adaptation of Emma, relished in last year's version of Persuasion, and watched Becoming Jane on NetFlix, but I also reread my copy of Emma. I am now in the process of rereading Persuasion even though the binding on my paperback volume is now in horribly bad shape. I don't know what it is, but each time I read one of her novels I find more to love and make new discoveries of passages that I did not remember from the last time I read it.

With this last purchase, I now have all that Austen wrote and I am sure these two (I wasn't as big a fan of Sanditon) will be as well read as the others.

In fact; in my opinion, The Watsons had the makings of an extremely satisfying novel with another fantastic heroine like Anne Elliot or Elinor Dashwood. Unfortunately, it was put aside when some of the subject matter (the death of a father) became too close to home for Jane to finish.

A Must See - Do Not Miss!

I highly recommend that you watch the Masterpiece adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion this weekend on your local PBS channel*. Of the latest round of Austen adaptions, this one from last year, was my favorite. My emotion at the ending even surprised me.

It's the story of old maid (Wait, what? She's only 27!) Anne Elliot and the man that got away, Captain Wentworth.

• Will they meet again?
• Will he still love her?
• Will they ever have a happy ending?

All questions you never really have to ask in an Austen novel, but it's still worth every minute.

When I initially watched this I had not yet seen the actress who played Anne Elliot; Sally Hawkins, in her Golden Globe-winning role as Poppy in Happy-Go-Lucky. Now, I am amazed, because those two roles could not be more different!

As Poppy!

So first watch Persuasion and then if you get the chance, watch Sally again in Happy-Go-Lucky. Just let me know if she doesn't blow you away.

*To find your local channel and its schedule, click here.

A Quick Diversion

I know I said I was on vacation, but I couldn't go without passing on this bit of news:

After bawling my eyes out* last week watching the rerun showing of Cranford on PBS, I was elated to find out a new chapter to the saga; Return to Cranford, is premiering tomorrow. So if you were a fan of the original I suggest you plop yourself down in front of the TV with some cake and a hot cup of tea. It may or may not be as satisfying as the first one (I vow not to go and check the British reviews) but I'm sure it will still be a great treat.

And again, I'll see you in a bit! :)


*In fact, I believe I cried more this time than during the first viewing.

This Weekend was Full and Fun!

Friday:

• Discovered Cheerwine soda. Yum!

Saturday (THE most beautiful Spring day):

• Went down to Plan 9 for Record Store Day with a friend and scored 4 CD samplers, 3 full CDs, 1 Morissey sticker and 1 LP (remember those?) sampler of singles from various record labels. ALL FREE! And yes, I do have an adorable Crosley portable turntable to play that LP on!
• Sat at an outside table and had a snack at a Thai restaurant. Mango & sticky rice...yum!!
• Went to visit my friends and their three daughters. Watched some of Star Wars* with their middle girl, who was being introduced to the movie for the first time.
• Hemmed one pair of those pants that have been waiting around for ever. This included also hemming the lining!
  

Sunday:

• Attending the Spring Bada Bing craft show run by the Richmond Craft Mafia with two friends. Didn't buy anything but was bolstered by all the DIY goodness.
• Suggested dropping by a fabric store and was amazingly heartily agreed upon by all. (Feeling very Dickens and Austen just right now)
• First stopped to have lunch first at Kitchen 64. Yum! Will have the remainder of that meal for lunch today.
• Purchased a long-awaited copy of Stitch magazine at Quilting Adventures.
• Stopped by both Sally's Beauty Supply and Ellwood Thompson's natural foods store to purchase items for my new hair care regimen; it involves Amino Acids and Castor Oil!
• Took a long nap.
• Hemmed another item; this long-hated top, after many more revisions. Have to think about it a while before I can say if I like it now since It has been the most frustrating experience!
• Watched another wonderful installment of Little Dorrit!

Whew, I feel like I need a vacation now!

*Never call Star Wars "The New Hope" to my face, it will always be Star Wars period, to me. Changing it's name gives the prequels far too much importance. (Boo to Jar Jar Binks & Co.!)

PBS, Oh How I Love Thee...

How I've been spending my Sunday nights in April:


Claire Foy as Amy "Little" Dorrit

Watching the PBS Masterpiece Classic version of Charles Dicken's Little Dorrit. Originally broadcast in England in 14 segments, we Yanks get to see it combined into five episodes. This makes me so happy because even after 1 1/2 hours of each episode I'm dying to see more. I have no idea how I would have lasted watching it a measly half hour at a time!

If you have not read the book (like me) I suggest you check this page at the PBS Masterpiece site to keep track of the multitude of characters.


Matthew Macfadyen as Arthur Clennam

If you wish to read the book online, here are two great sites, one is actually searchable so you can jump whereever in the book you wish, the other is just more appealing visually.

• The searchable version here at dickens-literature.com
• The easy to read HTML version here from the library of The University of Adelaide in Australia.

Also, if you've seen The Lord of the Rings movies, pay special attention to the character of the evil Frenchman Rigaud. Let's just say that the most strange and bizarre evil characters in both have something in common.

How could I have not told you this?!

I just realized that even though I earlier revealed by Daniel Craig crush and the fact that I don't like UK actors having to hide their accents on US television, I have never spoken about my long life as a Anglophile or the fact that I adore illustration and animation. So with this post, that all will change from now on.

The video I showed last week (that has me in a thrall) for Winter Song just happened to be designed by a British firm, Crush Design and Art Direction.

A true treat for you is that a higher resolution version can be seen here, (found via Cartoon Brew)

Also welcome Ward-O-Matic and Orange You Lucky to my blog roll. Ward has a great blogroll of illustrators and animators you should check out.