I hope to inspire and entertain you with a lot of sewing and a little of everything else!
Project Run & Play is highlighting formal wear this week!
This romper was Andy's Easter outfit this year. I made it from a 1940s Advance pattern, size 3.
I love the high-waist; not quite overalls, not just shorts. This pattern had only unprinted pieces and the directions were missing, yet it went together beautifully.
I used a cute bunny embroidery that I thought would work for Easter, but also carry the outfit through spring.
This pattern is a recent acquisition. I did not realize its size when I bought it. When the tiny envelope arrived in the mail, I wondered what was inside. I was shocked and delighted to find the smallest pattern I have ever seen! You can see in the scan how it compares to a credit card.
This is an actual pattern with unprinted tissue pieces to make a middy skirt and dress for a 14" doll. Here's the back of the envelope next to a tape measure. I don't think these pictures get across the tiny dimensions like holding it in your hand does! This text is all you get for directions! Do you want to see the pieces?
These scans have a field equivalent to a piece of paper, so you can see how small the middy pieces are. The skirt has perforated dots for marking the pleats.
I am guessing that this pattern may have been a sample or give away for little girls or their Moms. It probably dates to around 1908 judging by the style and the envelope. I am excited to have it in my collection. Thanks to your comments last week, I have decided that Thursdays will be Vintage Pattern Love days at MAS.
Project Run & Play's Theme this week is: It's All in the Details. I wanted to do something fun and different this week. I have been wanting to try shirring, so I thought it would be a good choice. I chose the Sew Adorable pattern by Footloose and Fancy Free on etsy. I decided to make the 6-12 months, so that it might fit Ella this summer.
I went to JoAnn's, thinking of a cute popsicle fabric I had seen last summer. Luckily, they had some! It is a really nice cotton poplin by Lisette. I wanted to make something with it last summer for Andy, but even I couldn't justify this as a boy's fabric!
I had read that the Dritz elastic thread doesn't work well, but it was all I could find (at first). I made a sample and it didn't gather much, but when I hit it with steam, it gathered up beautifully! Then I found Gutermann elastic thread, so I used that for this top. I found that it gathered much more when sewn, but didn't have as much reaction to the steam. I was surprised that I used a whole spool of elastic thread on this little top! I can't believe I was afraid of shirring; it couldn't have been easier!
I decided to shorten the dress to a top and make shorts to go underneath. JoAnn's had some really cute cotton twill prints, including this pink one. I used a bloomer pattern, but added cuffs to the legs instead of elastic. I love the way the outfit turned out, though it looks like it will be big for Ella this summer!
