Tuesday, March 25, 2014

FEATURED SHOP - Come See Come Sew



My Passion for Patterns

by Tricia King, from ComeSeeComeSew


I am a wife, mother, and high school English teacher by day and small business owner by night.  I needed an outlet for my crafty creative side and this is my story.

 My husband Shane and I have been married 6 years and we have two beautiful daughters.  Zoe is four and already loves to create and sing, just like her mommy.  Piper is twelve months old and has just started to show her loving personality to us.  We live in the beautiful state of West Virginia and even though we live “in town” in the busy little city of Parkersburg, we still make time to get the girls out in the fresh air to enjoy everything our naturally beautiful state has to offer. 
 Shane and I love all things vintage, retro, and antique.  When I met Shane, I was in awe of all his collections.  His small “bachelor pad” was full of antique fans, vintage Coke advertising, antique cameras, and miles of music on vinyl. 

When I asked how he began collecting history, he turned me on to auctions and “thrifting” and I have never had more fun shopping and collecting. 
It was during a regular weekend thrifting excursion that I stumbled across a large box of vintage 60's and 70's sewing patterns.  My mother sewed constantly when I was growing up.  My younger sister Allyson and I were always among the best dressed each Sunday at church, thanks to her crafty talents. I desperately wanted to learn to sew for my girls and my mom was more than willing to teach me.   I bought the box for five dollars and went home thinking I would pick out a few dresses my mother and I could bond over sewing.  What happened next still astonishes me. 
I started looking for patterns anywhere I could and I became obsessed!  I have a small craft room in my attic and it was slowly being swallowed up by patterns.  It became clear to me that I was on my way to becoming a professional hoarder!  

Then it hit me.  I could turn my obsession into a lucrative business opportunity and that's exactly what I did. 
I began to research my patterns, collect more, and learn how the fabulous professional pattern sellers on Etsy made their dreams a reality.  I wanted to follow in their footsteps and I opened my store Come See Come Sew in December of 2013. The store has been hard, but rewarding work.  When I sell a pattern, I not only feel a sense of accomplishment, but also know I have had a hand in preserving history.  Too often these beautiful patterns are ignored and discarded.  My goal is to take a small step to ensuring their life continues to bring beautiful vintage clothing to life.  Balancing a full time job, two small children, and a business is difficult, but entirely worth it!  I am so excited to see what this business has in store for my family and me in the future.  


Come See what I have for you to Sew! 
Use Code: BLOG20 for 20% OFF! 




Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Focus On: Easter Finery

By Sherri from sewbettyanddot

“In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it/You’ll be the grandest lady in the Easter parade.”

These lyrics are from the title song by Irving Berlin from the 1948 film Easter Parade (starring Judy Garland and Fred Astaire). How did the tradition of wearing elaborate hats at Easter come about? Easter, symbolic of rebirth, is celebrated in springtime, when the flowers begin to unfurl and animals give birth to their young, and it's believed that in premodern times people wore garlands of flowers and leaves to celebrate the end of winter and the arrival of the longer, lighter days of spring. At the end of a cold dark winter, women often gladly switched out of heavier, darker, more practical clothing and celebrated spring with pastel colors, lighter fabrics, and more frivolous hats. Manhattan's Easter parade began in the 1880s and continues today (today's hats are often over-the-top themed hats rather than the elegant chapeaux of the past)--there's still time for you to make your bonnet and book a ticket to New York!

Let's take a look at some hat patterns from the Pattern Patter team...and while we're at it, how about picking a frock to go with your lovely bonnet (interestingly, a "bonnet" is traditionally defined as a hat or cap with strings that tie under the chin, definitely NOT what we think of today as an "Easter bonnet"). And let's not forget the little ones...or the guys...or the dogs!

As always, please click on the image to enlarge it.

Top row, left to right: Anne Adams 4926: FriskyScissors




There is a style for everyone--and that's the beauty of sewing with vintage patterns, don't you agree? Which style suits your fancy? Tell us in the comments!

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Piet Mondrian 1960s Dresses

Piet Mondrian and His Influence on 1960’s Fashion

Piet Mondrian (1870-1944), considered to be the founder of Modern Art was born and raised in the Netherlands. He is most famous for his Color Block series of paintings.  He was also an important contributor to the De Stijl art movement.
I have always loved the Mondrian Dresses of the 1960’s.  I imagine that Yves St. Laurent’s homage to Mondrian’s works would have pleased him immensely.  The design was so popular after St. Laurent introduced it in 1965 that the imitations sprouted out in many forms from dresses to boots. Some of the imitations were from other pattern companies. In 1966 it seemed that every pattern manufacturer had a version of their own.
I Rifled through my pattern leaflet collection and found the following examples from Vogue, McCall’s Simplicity, and Butterick.
            To this day, the Mondrian Dress retains its prestigious spot in fashion history. The sewing patterns continue to be popular when available.
               
                                    Vogue’s Yves Saint Laurent Mondrian Dresses 1965
                                              
                                    
                                                          Vogue 1556 and 1557


                                        McCall’s 1966 Mondrian Styles
McCall's 8139                                                              McCall's 8131
   McCall’s 8131 is one of my favorites. I have never come across one.
  

                                                                            
Butterick Mondrian Style Dresses and Blouses

Butterick 4170, 4171
Butterick 3798, 3886, 3907 
                                                                              

 Simplicity’s Contributions
Simplicity 6384 Matching Daughter Dress 6432 

    Even the littlest girl wasn’t left out!
 Simplicity 6376
                                                                     

    
       

                             

                                      
      

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Fabulous Grace Kelly?

Hello Pattern Lovers, 
  I was strolling through Facebook the other day and was stopped dead in my tracks by this photo!

Source
The grace, the elegance, the fabulous illusion given by the color blocking, the comfort of the design amazed me. But not as much as the fact that a dress like this can come from a pattern that looks like that.
Source
Are you ready to caftan up?