Knitting / Sewing: Vintage pledge

I would define my style as classic, bordering pretty much on the conservative side.  Not that I don't like some of the modern trends, but... there's something about a line, a style that has survived decades that just speaks to my sartorial endeavours.  If I'm to invest in good fabrics, in time to take measurements, to pin down, to baste, and then finally to sew, I don't want the end product to last for a limited time only. Same goes for knitting, selecting wonderful (and expensive!) yarns and spending many an evening learning new and complicated stitches...

And then there's the issue of elegance... Yes, elegant pieces I want to wear - all the time... Even in the most mundane day of all, this is something that is bound to brighten up my world and make me smile.

All this introduction to say that I'm participating in the Vintage Sewing pattern pledge for 2015, hosted by A Stitching Odyssey and Kestrel makes.  After getting over the shock that "vintage" can be as recently as the 1970s (yes, people, I'm that old...), I'm all the more looking forward to it -- having inherited my mother's "Golden needles" encyclopaedia from the 1970s, this is a very good reason to finally get to use some of the patterns therein.

Another very good source is one of the blogs I follow : The Midvale Cottage Post, with plenty of material and patterns from the good old days of the 1920s and 1930s.

Not that I will totally disregard knitting:  since this pledge is also open to vintage knitting, I will indulge myself with one of the best - in  my humble opinion - sources of vintage knitting: A Stitch in Time, by Susan Crawford and Jane Waller, has sat long enough on my nightstand table.  I will now be able to have a go at one of the wonderful designs...

My #vintagepledge:

I, Patty from CraftsEverywhere!, pledge to sew at least 2 vintage patterns and knit at least 1 vintage pattern 

For more information on how you can join, follow this link.

Sewing: Glamour Exhibition in Brussels

Brussels may be tiny, but it never ceases to amaze me what wealth of attractions it has. True, they may not all be at the palm of your hand - but with a little bit of search one can find all the pleasures of a cosmopolitan capital (ok, almost).

Detail from a Vionnet dress 
on display

I'm interested in all crafts, but I'm more drawn to sewing, and more particularly the art of stitching. I just love the craftsmanship that goes into each and every well-sewn garment - and I'm more and more interested in the history of sewing. I really enjoy the old-fashioned way of doing things and the attention to detail, and I would like to see more everyday garments receiving that special care - not just haute couture.

I'm also interested and fascinated by the 1930s - I love how fluid the dresses were, how the colours complemented the patterns, how Chanel, Vionnet and so many others made their mark in sewing history by pioneering styles still embraced today... I was thus thrilled to find that both these interests found their way into my hometown.

Evolution of style

The Museum of Costume and Lace in Brussels is known for the well-cared exhibitions it houses. Currently, "Glamour" displays garments of the 1930s and lets us take a peek into the fabulous world of (well-to-do) women of that time. (I am conscious of the fact that the majority of people living then would not be wearing such clothes, but I'm also aware of the wonders great sewing can do to humble fabrics).

We are greeted by a pair that makes the difference between this and the previous decade evident: from straight, sack-like to fluid, body-hugging dresses. The accompanying guide informs us that one would change attires throughout the day, going from plain to more elegant and formal as the day progressed (and here I go straight from work to dinner in the same set of clothes...). The exhibition displays the costumes for the respective time of day / social activity but always makes the point to include several types of examples. And that's what makes this exhibition so interesting: not only to witness the variety of the styles but also to mark the evolution through the years.

Dress code for the casino

The majority of garments displayed are gifts from private families in Belgium, which in my mind also shows how lively little Belgium was (and still is). One would have to even have to seriously consider what to wear when going to the casino - dress codes reminding me of the likes of The Great Gatsby... 

Tiny, really tiny but

beautiful dress

The exhibition continues, and I lose myself to a myriad of delicate fabrics, all hand-sewn, with little flowers decorating the hems of otherwise simple dresses and I'm thinking of an era when bespoke was the norm, not the exception...

Also interesting to note is how tiny women were in those days: all the dresses shown are really minuscule and it makes me wonder how such styles would look today. Don't look further: also on display are creations by contemporary Belgian fashion designers, inspired by the 1930s and made for today's body types.

how to stay flexible and THIN!!!

This exhibition is a lovely way to spend a Sunday morning, when the rest of the city is trying to make the most of the last rays of sun and when there is a noisy beer festival going around town - inside the Museum, the soft 1930s music takes me to a calm place, full of nice perfumes, soft fabrics, exquisite accessories, girdles... Wait, what?

Well yes, my dears. While on the surface everything is smooth and fluid, underneath there is a lot of construction work going on. A self-explanatory display informs us what to wear on what occasion...

If you happen to be in Brussels, this is one of the exhibitions I fully recommend. It is on display until February 1, 2015.

Crafts: The Spring Knitting & Stitching Show

Well hello there - glad to find you again!

Having spend this past year and a half on a personal matter, I'm really glad to be back on track and back to my beloved activities:  crafts galore...

I'm just back from visiting one of the more famous shows and my first outside Belgium:  The Spring Knitting & Stitching Show in London, UK. 

Rowan - so much to choose from...

When:  Of course, the very first day - I naively thought to take the day off work, so that I would be one of the first visitors, avoid all those not being able to come because of work and thus be comfortable.  Right?  Wrong!  This must be one of the more visited venues I've ever been to!!! Good thing I dont' suffer from agorophobia, because it's places like this that can trigger major emotions.  To explain, I'm of a certain age, don't like being tread on constantly, rather enjoy lingering over "stuff" and appreciate contact with the sellers that takes longer that 3.2 seconds...

Soak and needles

Where:  Olympia, London.  London Underground is great for such things, and the people at the reception great - helpful and calm and very, very accomodating!

Time:  given that I was there for anything knitting, stitching, sewing only, I managed to skim on the remaining parts of the show, so overall it took me about 3 hours to get a very good glimpse of the show!

sewing patterns with a difference

What I left with:  I'm happy to say that there were a good many offers to be had.  And a lot of new businesses worth getting to know:  my bundle of joy included:

-  Rowan yarn, at a staggering 70% reduction

-  Knitting needles, at the difficult sizes of 2.5, 3.0 and 3.5

-  Knitting soak (from Canada!)

-  By Hand London sewing pattern (btw, the girls were amazing and their stand really cute!)

what presents are made of

-  Sew la di da vintage sewing pattern (intrigued to try this one out)

-  Stitching little projects (for various presents I have in mind)

I didn't buy anything from but I'll seriously consider once I've mastered my sewing skills:  a rather new company, Til the sun goes down, with a selection of vintage-inspired fabric --delightful!  Really, people, keep an eye for this site, because the fabrics are the most elegant and a treat to see and touch!  The shipping costs to Belgium are more than reasonable, so I'm already thinking of all my DVF-inspired wrap-dresses I'll be making...

What I really enjoyed:  the whole buzz and the way all workshops were full -- so full! The whole experience showed what a great community the crafts community is - and what a great escape from all that can be negative in our lives!

Now, on to stashing everything away...

MMM13: Appreciation time

I'm very excited to have participated in MMMay'13 (Me-Made-May-2013).  This has been a great initiative to challenge myself into making and wearing my own creations.  Being a newbie I was wise enough to pledge to participate only in the weekends (this time only, I promise!).

The real challenge - I was to find out - was that I did NOT have any me-made clothes, that I would actually have to MAKE my me-made clothes (but not to worry, I was reassured by my learning to refashion clothes - easy, quick, effective!).  I'm happy to report that most weekend days were covered and the revelant posts will be published in the coming days.

How did I find the experience?  It's an amazing challenge!  I cannot believe I would dive into this world of refashioning so easily, but that alone has opened up my outlook on what I can and cannot do.  I thoroughly enjoy following patterns, don't get me wrong.  But to be able to give a second life to garments I already own - it's just unbelievable. To be able to grade patterns, even better!  Now I really understand the glory of one's  craft achievements and the luxury to wear clothes that perfectly fit ME!  I followed plenty of the other bloggers through their MMMay'13 journeys (who, of course, DID have me-made clothes...) and I saw how fun this can be - thank you Zoe for organising this challenge and here's my pledge:  by this time next year, I will have a whole wardrobe of me-made clothes!

Sewing: refashioning a dress

I'm really excited about my first participation in the MMMay'13 - and this is because I'm actually making the clothes for this challenge.  As I've just rediscovered my passion for crafts, I do not have a stash of me-made clothes, so this is a great opportunity to start a collection!  Of course, I cannot only rely on making clothes from scratch and here is where refashioning comes in.  Such an ingenious way to give clothes a second life, I was hooked on all the instruction posts from the other wonderful bloggers...

Without further ado, here is my first refashioning project:

This was the dress in the back of my wardrobe - which I did wear a couple of times, but then found the pattern was a little too large for me at a dress scale.

I followed the instructions laid out by dear Miss P and the whole transformation took less than half an hour.

Now it's a skirt - it immediately reduces the impact of the pattern while retaining the exotic look I like.    The most difficult part?  Actually taking the scissors and cutting the dress! Now that I'm over it though, be afraid my dear clothes set aside and long forgotten, be very afraid...

Sewing: London calling...

Most of the craft blogs I follow are from the UK - it's only natural then, that whenever I go to London (Eurostar is such a great invention - 2 hours from Brussels!), I will seek out any of the addresses I've found mentioned.

This time around, it was Tilly and Karen who mentioned Walthamstow and Berwick Street, and I was happy to oblige.  Walthamstow is in East London, an area heavily under development.  Which is great from an economic/social point, but not so great from the point of trying to walk around in search of a craft heaven!

my mini-loot from the W. Morris Gallery:
a bookmark and a folding bag 

my maxi-loot: all the trimmings and more!

With a little detour (in Walthamstow there is also a great little museum on William Morris, one of the masters of the Arts & Crafts movement), it was time.  I found High street, and gathered all my courage to zig-zag across the various construction sites there.  I soon found very interesting shops with fabrics and I got excited.  Alas, it was not to be - the prices were normal prices (i.e. like the ones I can find in Belgium), which was not what I was there for - I wanted the 1 and 2 pound-a-metre fabrics!  (I have a slight suspicion that I really looked like a tourist, and that people were not willing to offer me the same prices as to Londoners, but that's ok ...)

What I did find, however, was a tiny little shop with all the trimmings!  Now, that was a great discovery and I'm not ashamed to say I bought half the store (ok, I'm exaggerating a little).  Seriously, all the bindings, the threads, the needles, the zippers -- anything that has to do with sewing was there, and it was at 1/4 of the price here in Brussels.  How could I resist?

my medium-loot from the Cloth House:  rollends

The next day it was Soho day, with a visit to Berwick Street and then on to Liberty.  The Cloth House is a very nice establishment, that carries mid- to high-range fabrics (again, vs. the prices here) but I really liked the ambience that I found there - they even have vintage French buttons (how cute is that!).  I did not leave empty-handed:  I found these two rollends at a bargain!

All in all, a great way to discover yet another facet of London.  Next time, I'll continue with my Goldhawk road adventures...

Sewing: fabric on sale

Like the majority of people, I'm always on the lookout for a bargain in everything, but more so when it comes to fabric.  I understand that "you get what you pay for" and I'm usually fine with that.  I'm still in an early phase of sewing, so I prefer to ruin cheap fabric rather than cry over a torn expensive one.

My Laura Ashley finds

But every now and then, I do want to feel the quality of expensive fabric - it feels better, it sews better, it looks better...  How to accomodate this need?  by looking for sales or rollends.  The price may still be a little higher than the "cheap" fabrics but they do just fine for small projects.

These are Laura Ashley fabrics that I managed to pick up -- all that is left now is to transform them into cushion covers. Stay tuned!

Sewing Patterns - paper or digital?

I started sewing some 20-odd years ago, and have only recently taken up this hobby again.  How many things have changed in the meantime!  How many extra buttons are now in the sewing machines that make sewing so much more enjoyable!

And the patterns:  how interesting that we get to have our very own patterns, printed at home, thus saving primarily on postage.  I remember finding some exquisite patterns in American sites, only to realise that shipping charges to Europe would triple the original price...

So, off to my first such purchase:  for a novice like myself, I rather liked the fact that Sewing Patterns has an extensive collection from all major (and other) makes.  I immediately ordered a nice little bunch of patterns, and off I went to print...

what am I supposed to do again?

Ahem... it  does look weird.  My logical mind tries to explain that if I were to cut a usual pattern sheet from a magazine, it would look exactly the same, still it takes a while to sink in...

What I liked:  the fact that I can have a pattern instantly!  If ever I find myself in a pattern drama (...), I know I can have something within 5 minutes!  Plus, the print is much larger, there are far fewer lines, making the project easier to trace and cut!

aahhh.... now I get it!

What I'm not sure about:  the file is available for one year, and I can print it up to 3 times.  Of course, this is more than I'll ever need, still the fact that there is a limit suddenly made me think again.  Some of my (postal) patterns lie there for several years before I decide I want to use one of them.  Now, I'm "obliged" to print almost immediately, lest I forget... OK, I'm exaggerating, but there is some food for thought!

Will I switch to digital patterns?  For the time being, I think I'll stick to the original pattern sheets, in their little envelope.  I like the idea that all information is kept in one place, waiting for me to pick it up!  On the other hand, I'll continue experimenting with the digital ones, just to make myself accustomed to this new technique - plus, there are several free patterns to be had (I'm making this top pretty soon!).  It reminds me of when e-books started...