Vintage Coolness

I have reallllly been hating on my kitchen lately. It's a VERY VERY VERY bright green. At first I thought THAT was the problem. Now, I'm not so sure. I think it might just be that the curtains in there are AWFUL with the bright green. So, I've been thinking about making over the kitchen without painting it.

I have some green gingham and some bright white fabric that will make very cute curtains (and will MATCH). Then I started thinking about how to style the kitchen. I was thinking about my bathroom as well. I think it's a special bathroom that still has it's original 1920's feel with claw foot tub and stained glass (faux) window. I need to work WITH that. ;)

As I was perusing Pinterest I came upon a ton of vintage ads. PERFECT!!!! I am thinking about printing some of them out and using them in the kitchen and bathroom.  I have a couple of Norman Rockwell prints already and I am going to use those, too.

Here are a few that caught my eye.



























































































































These are just a few that I am thinking about using.

I am probably going to use vintage ads/prints throughout the hallways, as well. Might as well make a thing of it! ;)





Once I get the kitchen done (after the Sewing to Rebuild) I will take some pictures and show you what I come up with!





In sewing news, I am humming right along. I have another bag and toy made. Today I will be working on the clothing to go with them! I will be showing you all of them tomorrow!

<3 Pattern Love <3

While we are packing and packing and packing, I have nothing new on the horizon. :/ It's been sooooo long since I did any kind of sewing!! I am starting to go through withdrawals now!!! LOL To tide me over, I have been looking at and Pinning patterns. I thought I would share some of them with you! :) You know, I am SUCH an enabler!! LOL





Isn't that DARLING????? Butterick B5901

It's under things but I'm thinking it would be cute as an outfit if the bodice was lined!







McCall's M6689

I love this silhouette!!







McCall's M6735

That looks perfect for summer!!



Now for the grown ups! ;)



Butterick B5881

Not crazy about the color but I love the silhouette!! I would probably pair it with leggings. ;)







McCall's M6758

I LOVE THIS!! It has a definite 60's Megan Draper vibe, don't you think???







Butterick B5895

There is absolutely NO WAY that I could ever pull that look off BUT I love it!!!!!  And I reallllllly want those shoes!! LOL









Simplicity 1609

This is a remake from the 60s.... Yeah, I'm going to have to get this one!! LOL





Here is a link to my sewing board on Pinterest where you can find tons of patterns and sewing inspiration! ;)

Easy Peasy Apron Tutorial

Here it is!! The part 2! :) Actually, I was going to do a pinafore but when I saw how well the apron turned out I decided to leave it. What do YOU think?? Should I leave it as is or go ahead and turn it into a pinafore?? Leave me a comment and let me know!



What I used -

1 yard by 12" cotton Swiss dot eyelet stuff (I am soooo technical!) I got it for a $1 at Hancocks in the remnants bin!! ;)

3 yards by 5" cotton gauze (leftovers)

2 yards by 4" cotton sheet (leftovers)

So in all this little apron cost me a dollar. ONE DOLLAR!!! :)



When I take pictures for the tutorials I usually take 3 shots per step just in case. Well, in this case all 3 shots of the first few steps were blurry. GRRRR!! I think I must have had something on the lens. SIGH... So, I will be telling how but I won't be able to SHOW you for the first couple of steps. But don't worry! This is super easy!!!









Step 1 - I cut my yard of Swiss dot stuff into 4 equal sections.



Step 2 - Sew 3 of the pieces together with the lace part in the middle. (You can look at the pic of the apron above to see what I mean).



Step 4 - Sew a hem on the 2 sides. NOT the top and bottom.











Step 5 - My 2 yards of leftover cotton sheet was in 2 pieces so I needed to sew those together.

Step 6 - Then I folded it down the middle lengthwise and pressed. Pin and sew the sides together. If you had to use more than one piece to get the 2 yards make sure your seam is on the outside when you sew the sides together.









Step 7 - Turn fabric tube right side out (SORRY!! I hate that part, too!!) and press with the seam in the middle.







Step 8 - Tuck in the ends, press and sew closed. Sorry this one is blurry. :/









Step 9 - My 3 yards of cotton gauze was in 3 pieces so I had to sew the ends together.









Step 10 - Fold up 1/2", press, fold up another 1/2" press, pin and sew hem.  Do the same to the 2 sides.

Step 11 - Sew a gathering stitch across the top of the gauze strip. To sew a gathering stitch on my machine I set both stitch dials to the highest setting.









Step 12 - Remove the DARN CAT!!









Step 13 - Pin the top of the ruffle to the bottom of the apron with right sides together, adjusting gathers as needed. Sew.









Step 14 - Run a gathering stitch across the top of the apron. Pin top of apron to the bottom of the ties, right sides together, adjusting gathers as you go.









Step 15 - Flip over and press the back side.





YOU'RE ALL DONE!!! :)



















I think the apron gives the dress a vintage/retro/old-fashioned look. What do you think??



As always, let me know what you think. Was this easy to follow? If you have ANY questions, just ask! I would be more than happy to answer them.

Let me know if you make this!! I would love to see it!!

Retro Butterick '47 Is DONE!!!!

YAY!! It's all done! :) Well, I think I need to add a couple of snaps above the zipper, but other than that, IT'S DONE! :)



As you can see, there's a bit of a gap over on my left side where the zipper is located. I'll just add a couple of snaps there above the zipper and it'll be just right! :)

Apparently this is pattern is very flattering for my body type. As soon as I came downstairs d said, "Ooh! It makes you look thinner!" I may need to make 10 or 100 more from this pattern. ;)

Check out those shoes!! Those are the pair that I got FREE from Sears for using my reward points!! YAY!!

Here's a back view of the Retro Butterick '47 B5209



The dress is a little bunchy in the back but that's due to me being so short-waisted! LOL

So, there's another vintage/retro pattern to mark as done! YAY!

Next up will be my purse. And if things go well I'll be posting a tutorial for that tonight or tomorrow. Wish me luck! ;)

Here are the fabrics I'll be using.



I had a lovely navy blue that I wanted to use but it picked up SOOOOO much lint that I decided not to use it! The blue here is what is left over from the What a Hoot skirt and the gold and cream is what I won from Handmade by Hilani. I'm a little nervous about this... I have never made a purse before and I don't think it will be as simple as d's bag.... But I'm gonna try! ;)

I think after the purse and tops for me I will make some play clothes for the cs. I'll be sure to post tutorials when I do!