McCall 1947 test blouse

Hello! I won the pattern for this blouse a few weeks ago on ebay. This is McCall 6769, copyright 1947:


So beautiful, so graceful, I could totally see myself in view B! Except that I had forgotten the petty detail that my bodytype doesn't exactly resemble that of the women portrayed on the enveloppe... I had to do without the front and back darts. When I'm making it again (fortunately this time I used cheap fabric, more on that later) I'll add a little room at the hip and I'll redraft the yoke neckline a bit deeper because even this part is tight :(

Too tight so the back opens :(

I'm NOT choking, ok?!

So, the fabric is a cheap (in quality as well as price) polycotton with tiny black dots. I had to line it with the same type of fabric in plain white and that didn't help with the gatherings and pleats that look bulky. I put black piping to define the yoke and a little ribbon bow to try and spice things up because the result looked monacal to me. I should also remember not to use fusible interfacing for the yoke, it's too stiff.
I'll admit that despite all these flaws I'm not too disappointed in this blouse and I'm sure it'll show all its potential when I make it with better fabric and I follow the changes I've mentioned. If you have any other advice to improve this lil' number please tell me in the comments!

Yes! Lovely vintage blouse

I'm not boasting, I swear! But I really love this blouse, I've put thought and care in making it and I think it shows :)
First the fabric: an incredibly soft and drapey cotton I bought in Kyoto at Nemura Tailor and that I had been hoarding for nearly 2 years. It has a black background pattern and bright, beautiful temari balls printed over. I made off-white piping to add a little definition to the front yoke and I used plain black cotton for the facing.


Next the design: I kept the bodice from this dress and drafted a peplum to lengthen it. I tested the peplum out of muslin beforehand and thanks to that the result feels quite harmonious, had I followed my first idea and not made this muslin thing my beloved blouse would be laying at the bottom of my "FAIL" box :(


Finally the details: I handsewed the sleeves' hem, the inside is finished with black bias (also bought in Japan, I know, I'm a dork^^), I put rhinestone buttons on the front -I need to buy another one because the neckline opens and reveals too much- and made loops to close them.


And now the Blouse as I wore it today:



I'm sorry for the extremely poor pictures, I didn't have much battery left and couldn't retake them. Well at least I get to show my daisies :)

New black tunic and old flowery one

Hi there! A few days ago I sewed a cotton tunic using this design.




I only made the necline a bit lower and finished it with self-made bias. I also shortened and widened the sleeves so that I could gather them. And look at these adorable buttons^^!


I dug out another old top I made when I started sewing Japanese patterns: it's the same soft, lovely printed cotton I used for my vintage long dress, the design is Y from the Stylish Dress Book and I added lace and velvet ribbon around the necklace.

Vintage finds and an update

I got very lucky this week! I was browsing through old boxes stored at my mum's place and look what I found:




The first ones are black snake skin loafers she bought when we went to Singapore for the first time in 1989. They are as good as new, unbelievable, and so comfortable! I wore them yesterday with my red overalls and they're my new favourite shoes :)
The second pair are mock crocodile loafers dating back to the 1990's, I remember receiving them when I was in high school. I never wore them because back then the only shoes I loved were atrocious platform shoes straight out of a Spice Girls' video, I wouldn't have been caught dead in flats!
The last ones are not too old, probably from 2004 or 2005; my mum ordered them from a French catalogue and she could never really wear them because they hurt her feet. I tried them, they're still a bit stiff at the back but I think I'll keep them -a dab of relaxing product will do.
I also found brown snake skin pumps, also certified S'pore 1989, they're so cute and in perfect condition!


I'm back to having more freetime so I started to sew a 1940's dress (view 2):


And finally I made another chocolate box pendant^^:

My silly lil necklace

Hi there! I have plenty of sewing ideas, my fabric and notion stashes have been sorted and are ready, however I have a little more work than usual this week and so I don't really have time to sew. So of course -and I'm sure some fellow crafters will understand^^- if I'm not sewing I HAVE to make something else to compensate, hence this necklace of the day:



Actually it's just a pendant which I put on my usual (and only!) chain. I guess you can call it an upcycle project since I used the tiny picture on an old box of chocolates to make it, the setting and magnifying glass come both from etsy and I tied a black cotton ribbon to give it extra cuteness. Still it's a silly necklace, just like the little character depicted :) and I love it!

Little Red Hen

Hello friends! I hope everyone's having a nice weekend, as pleasant as mine :) Indeed I was able to complete a sewing project of the kind I really like: a Japanese frankestein !
I had been longing for short overalls for a long time but could never really decide on a design or fabric. Well, after I saw hers I knew: I'd use the pattern of my Female magazine black and red check shirt with that of a pair of shorts I made from another Japanese book. The two patterns almost matched perfectly so I simply joined them below the waistline, shortened the sleeves and added four loops for the belt.

I'm a hunchback!!!

The fabric is a light crepe I bought 2 years ago (stash busting), the background is red with white polka dots and the print is adorable with mauve, blue, white and tan flowers. I think it looks a little like Depression print, doesn't it?

The shirt part has hidden snaps at the front, I'd love to find white plastic roses or camelias buttons to decorate the placket. I spotted some cute ones on etsy and will probably order them soon.

By now I'm sure you understand the title of this post^^: the seamstress who inspired me for the overalls is la Poule (the Hen in English), of course red is the colour I chose and little because I'm only a beginner who copied one of her sewing idols! See you, have a nice week!

Completed shacket

SO! It's finished! I tell you it was so long to make that it's going to take a little time before I want to see it again (and thus wear it^^).



I'm happy because it was good practice for my sewing skills: I made a correct peplum, I managed to sew slippery silk for the lining and the snap placket is well done and hidden. But there's still the fit issue at the back even though I altered the pattern and checked regularly how it was going.

Another knock-off top

Pheeew I've finally completed some sewing projects! The infamous shacket is still waiting for its wrist hems but I managed to make a shirt for my mum and a top for me. So, for my mum's shirt I used the pattern from this dress -design S from the Stylish Dress Book, the fabric is a soft cotton with thin blue and white stripes and I added some eyelet at the sleeve cuffs and along the necklace.



As for my top, I found the idea in Sweet, a Japanese magazine:


I used the pattern for this top, the fabric is simple white cotton with big navy ric-rac. I put 4 golden buttons and 2 little pockets. It was so easy to make it only took an afternoon to finish it :)

Work in extremely slow progress

It's weird how much bad luck I've had since last weekend! I'm not going to dwell on that but believe me when I say that it was a damn sh***y week. As a result I didn't have much stamina and couldn't sew a lot. Still I wanted to show you my current project even though it feels as if I've been working on it FOREVER :(
I'm trying to make a shirt/jacket (a shacket!) from this dress's bodice and detachable peplum. Really I shouldn't complain because it's going quite well, it looks exactly like my initial idea but I can't believe how slow I am to finish it!


Also, the amount of buttons I'm stashing is ridiculous -not to mention my current dire lack of money^^- so I'm parting with my good vintage ones. I've put some in my Etsy shop and I still have a lot more to sell so if you're interested have a look!