Can you believe it’s Friday already again?! I always get to the end of a week, look at my “to-do wish list” (the one that doesn’t include all the required weekly items, like housework! lol), and feel like I’ve only done a tenth of what I wanted. Do you ever feel that way? Take for instance the 1950s sundress pattern I’m working on. So far all I have managed to do is cut out the bodice muslin and fit it. Granted, this is a needful step–the bodice wouldn’t have fit correctly over my small chest if I hadn’t checked it first–but I didn’t get as far as beginning on the dress with the good fabric. *sigh* Now my head is teeming with other sewing ideas too! *double sigh* haha!
The reason behind the idea onslaught is going through all the vintage pattern images I’ve saved over the years. It would not be inaccurate to state that I have hundreds of these. Here are some of my favorites (most are from my poking around on Ebay) to give you a peek into what’s catching my eye!
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Have any fashion images (current or past) been haunting you this week? I’d love to see them!
Rhiannon posted some drop-dead-cute 30s springtime looks inspired by stars of the era
Solanah made the case for wearingvintage hats and the zip they add to any outfit
this is certainly one of the neatest ideas: using headboards to create a quirky bench!
Now I must be off to do some “serious” stuff–work, cleaning, and perhaps a little sewing? What are your plans for this weekend? The weather is so gloriously sunny and springish that I’m just dying to get out and enjoy it this weekend…
Aren’t these dresses so cute? I really love the vintage feel to many of the frocks at Shabby Apple; they’re just so feminine! Rhonda from Shabby Apple contacted me recently to let me know that in celebration of their spring line, they’re offering 15% off anything on the site if you use the promotion code SASpring2009 (good through April 18, 2009). Now, considering spring is right around the corner, and a gal can always use a new dress to add some zip to her wardrobe, this is quite tempting…
And not to steal the thunder of the dresses, but be sure to check out the shoe and handbag offerings too. I’m drooling over this and this! Alas, the latter are more appropriate for cooler weather, but they are pretty darn cute! *sigh* But then again, I’ve had shoes-on-the-brain syndrome lately! haha!
I was so excited when I saw that Threadbanger had done a tutorial with Kenneth King, someone who’s sewing articles in Threads magazine are very familiar to me. I was even more excited when I saw he was demonstrating his technique of taking a pattern from an existing garment! Years ago, I had purchased a back issue of Threads that contained an article on taking a pattern from a Schiaparelli dress, but it was still a technique that I couldn’t quite get my head around. Being a visual learner (and someone who understands information best when I watch someone do it first), this was the “aha!” moment for me. Now I can’t wait to get my hands on some organza; I’ve got a couple garments I’ve been saving over the years to take patterns from… (I’m also thinking about getting his CD-Book on the subject as well, which can be found here.)
Thank you all so much for sharing in my excitement over the new hairstyle! It seems that many of you are curious about the cutting diagrams–having those helped quite a bit to communicate to my stylist exactly what I wanted. I also included some photos of Rita Hayworth, Dita von Teese, and a young Marilyn Monroe to give her an idea of how I wanted the final look (however, I didn’t have her set my hair). Even though 1940s Hairstyles is out of print (check your local public library!), I did find it online in .pdf form! I don’t know how “kosher” this is, but here is the link. For those interested, I had my hair cut to the length of the “Middy Plus”.
If you already have a layered cut, here are a few resources for setting your hair into 1940s styles! (Be sure to also check out the 1940s Hairstyles book; there are styling suggestions in that as well.)
Saturday dawned and I had gotten really nervous about having my hair “chopped off”. I always do this, so it wasn’t the least bit surprising! But thankfully it went well, my stylist was fantastic and did an amazing job (she had no problems following the cutting diagrams I brought from 1940s Hairstyles), and the resulting cut is perfect for both modern and vintage styles.
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It’s shorter than I’ve had my hair in years, but I’m really enjoying the length and lack of weight! lol. I set it in hot rollers yesterday morning, and the curl held up well throughout the day (even after driving around with the car windows down!). I’m eager to try a few pincurl sets (Aya has a wonderful video tutorial on pincurls) and keep playing with it. Certainly there are a few styles I have been doing lately that the shorter length does not allow for, but that isn’t a huge problem. I’m gonna have fun with my “short” hair!
I’ve uploaded a video on YouTube with some shots of me before I went to the salon. Enjoy! (Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for upcoming videos!)
