Sewing Vintage #1

I hadn't really thought about it this way, but apparently I have a "collection" of vintage patterns.  Mostly, because I am loathe to throw anything away.  My female ancestors were like that also.. That's why I have my great-grandmother's wedding bodice from 1888 (a post for another day).

After I graduated from university, where I majored in Home Economics with an emphasis on Textiles and Clothing, I went to San Francisco to work in the Macy's Junior Executive Training Program.  It was a fairly brief stint, as I discovered the retail business and I weren't really suited to each other.  

But while I was there, I used my employee discount to buy designer patterns and the best fabric I could find.  Unfortunately for my budget, Britex Fabrics was right around the corner from Macy's (still is, actually).  The one piece I remember clearly buying from Britex was a yard of beautiful silk charmeuse in a gorgeous yellow and black print.  One yard cost me $25, and I remember thinking how fortunate I was to be able to sew a blouse out it.  At the same time, a colleague bought a RTW blouse that cost her weekly salary, which was around $80! 

The patterns in the photo above are representative of the wardrobe I was busy creating a home, at night, in my tiny studio apartment halfway up Nob Hill.  My fiancé was away training to be an officer in the army, and I planned to have a wardrobe worthy of any officer's wife.  Back in the day, we actually did wear gloves on the street and hats to tea and church.

I made up the two on the left, and even duplicated the emerald green color of the Pierre Cardin.  There was a matching coat, but I didn't really get much use out of either until we returned to California four years later, as my husband and I were posted to Taiwan.  Because the weather on Taiwan was mostly hot and humid, I ended up having to make a wardrobe of mostly cotton and linen.

There are lots of other patterns.  I have been going through them to see what might be useful in my wardrobe today.  There's this:

I have been wanting a Safari Suit, and this might just be the boost I need to start planning it.  All the pieces in the pattern have been cut, but I can't remember what I made from it.  I do remember making up the jumpsuit in an aubergine knit, which I paired with an ankle length sweater in a Missoni-esque design.

Since I am no longer a size 8, I will either have to grade up the pattern, or (and this is more likely) I will take the design details and apply them to one of my TNT patterns.

What about you?  Have you ever sewn from a vintage pattern?  Have you ever intentionally used a design detail from the past?

How I Plan a Seasonal Wardrobe #3

This was a real workhorse outfit during the last late winter/early  spring season.  The fabric is from emmaonesock (#40900), a poly/cotton/elastane combo that promises to wear quite well.  I had actually made the pants in 2015, using Vogue 8929, which I love for the pockets in the front.  I wore them with the Italian animal print laminated linen (which I blogged about 5/31/16) at the American Sewing Guild 2015 National Conference Fashion Show.

The jacket pattern is Butterick 6258, with some changes.  I shortened it to mid-thigh length, a style I first saw in the shop windows in Florence in the fall of 2014.  I widened the band which forms a collar of sorts and continues down the front, as the proportions looked better.  And I added pockets, well, because a girl just can't have too many pockets.  I'm going to use this pattern again, as it went together very quickly and has been a pleasure to wear.

I made this top from a TNT pattern, Vogue 8636, in a cotton jersey from Mood Fabrics.  It's superb quality and still available--#305972.  Good quality cotton jersey is increasingly hard to find, so if the colors fit into your wardrobe, I highly recommend getting some.  What has been your "workhorse" outfit this spring?