Buffy Style

When we first got Netflix Khloe and I watched all of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I'd heard so much about it but it aired when I was, for various reasons, unable to watch. Khloe and I really, really like it. Some of it annoyes me - the whole bad Angel stuff was kind of bleh to me. Well, I started watching it again a couple of weeks ago, skipping the episodes that I don't care for as much. Know what? I really like most of the clothes. In fact, Jenny was waring a skirt this morning (it's on the Chiller channel before school) that I'd really like for myself - bias-cut chiffon...I have a couple of dresses from the same time frame that are also the bias chiffony type. I'd love to find a pattern so I can make up a couple of skirts. I have some fabric just waiting to be sewn up. Tara wears a lot of the boho-Indian style of skirts and jeans that I've always liked but never owned but maybe I'll try to whip up a couple - I have some Indian clothes and saris that would work perfectly for both fabric and embellishment. As for Buffy herself, well, I've always been a fan of great boots. She's in the seasons where she wears pants - her high school days were all micro-minis that most of us (who have asses and thighs)would never be able to wear in public. Willow evolves into a cool gypsy look as she develops her powers. You know, I don't remember much about that people were wearing in real life during the Buffy years because I was busy with babies and such. Perhaps a Goodwill in a bigger city would have some of the looks that I'm eyeing. I know what you're thinking - where are the dress details? Well, I've been working on resizing the pattern. I've got the top cut out and ready to sew. I've just been, well, distracted a bit by my super hot honey...and preteen daughter drama. I'll be sewing up trials of the bodice until I get it just right and then will move on to the skirt. The problem is that I'm quite a bit bigger than the pattern in most areas so it's taken much research into how to adjust things. I want to get it done, though, because I want this dress in so many fabric! (Did I say that already?) I have a couple of others that I need to trace, too - some 50's ones from etsy that are my size but I don't want to mess up. I for got to mention Spike in my Buffy talk. What can I say? Jeans and black leather trench don't ever go out of style.

Here It Is!

I tried to add a picture of my pattern yesterday but it wouldn't work. I don't know. Blogger has changed the picture uploading and, well, who knows. Let's see if this works. Isn't it gorgeous? I can't keep off of even though I should actually go look at actual fabric to see what it feels like. And yes, I have a couple of pieces in a cart. is the site that I mentioned yesterday - lots of prints in every style. I've found lots of beautiful and cool designs. Just a note - I've had to switch browsers just to post this. Do you know how much that pisses me off? I seriously want to swear at a certain company that's becoming quite annoying. I'll just grumble...the kids are home right now.

Quest Accomplished!

You may remember the post I made a while ago about my quest for the wrap dress. Well, my quest is over. I was casually browsing patterns on etsy last Friday night and saw the actual DVF pattern - for 99 dollars. I kind of chuckled as I kept looking and came across the Simplicity knockoff, with shipping for less than 20 dollars, and snapped it up. I got it in the mail today. ( A quick bit about the seller - I ordered it on Friday night and got it in two days, yesterday being a holiday. Awesome!) I'm kind of in shock. It looks like a rather simple pattern to put together. I need to resize it, since my bust is a long way from the 31" on the pattern. As for the fabrics, the envelope says any can be used, knits and wovens. I will have to invest in some new fabrics since my stash is very lacking - most of it was purchased before I had kids, and Kerry will be 14 soon. I see this dress in so many colors and patterns! I even have some picked out on Spoonflower, a fabric website that's not inexpensive but has a wonderful selection of custom prints like Doctor Who and steampunk - look at your own risk! I'm so excited. I'm nervous, too, because I've never resized a pattern before. Several of the sewing blogs have tutorials, so I should be able to figure it out. I've been looking at sewing books on Amazon, too - in fact, I have more sewing than knitting books in my wish list. I've gotten some lovely 50's patterns, too. I haven't made any fabric decisions for any of them yet, mostly because my brain goes crazy with ideas and then stops working. You know what I need? Someone to help me. And new fabric. I'm off to adore my new pattern now. Squee!

The Weather is Making Me Crazy!

Honestly, I think the Mayans meant that the weather would go berzerk when their calender ended. I mean, warm and sunny to snowy to thunderstorms to warm again...in one week! And have you ever heard so many reports of thunder snow? Crazy. (Have you been out in a lightning and thunder snowstorm? Whew! Can't even describe it!) I do have some FO's to share, though. First is this sweater...

It's my tribute to one of my favorite Doctor Who companions, Barbara. She's one of the first two humans to travel with the Doctor in 1963, "kidnapped" with Ian because the followed Susan out of concern. Barbara is one of Susan's teachers and used her intelligence in their adventures, even becoming an Aztec god in one episode. She really let the Doctor have it on more than one occasion and always had a sense of dignity and class about her. This pattern is from the Custom Knits book. It's similar to a sweater that Barbara wears in a couple of stories. I don't have a picture of it on me yet (still figuring out how to use the timer on the camera), but I can tell you that it's not the loose, boxy style of the sixties - sometimes I forget how chunky I've gotten. It's very fitted on me but still looks cool. THen I finished these spats

that match a sweater that I made...um, last year I think. This was a fun pattern to knit. I should have done them both at once, like I do sleeves, but I didn't even think about it until the first one was about half done. The picture doesn't show the great stitch pattern - it's like a combination rib and moss stitch with cables. Very pretty! I've been working on a top from the vintage pattern haul in October. It's almost done, I think. The difference in fit and styling has me a bit confused. I know that tops were shorter because waists on pants/skirts were higher, but I'm nervous that it's too short. And I may have goofed on the sleeves, but I'm not sure. I'll keep messing with it for a few days...maybe it needs blocked again. I've knit a couple pairs of socks, too, because my feet have been cold. Sometimes I need to wear two pair to actually feel warm enough. Lately I've been working on keeping our computer running. It's quite old - nine years, I think, and until recently has been great. Lately, though, it's slowing down a lot. I know we need a new one, but honestly I don't want to deal with the whole stress of transferring everything over. I mean, I don't want to transfer my bookmarks from one browser to another! I'd much rather spend my time doing fun stuff...mostly, of course, because I'm computer-stupid and don't often know what I'm doing. I really should take a class. That's all for today. I need to go take more sinus medicine - another weather-related problem - and calm this headache. See you soon!

The First Workbasket Project

I've finished crocheting a project form the oldest of the Workbasket magazines that I inherited. It's issue 2959 December 1948. The pattern is called Pan Holder.

I used some fingering weight wool that I bought on ebay a long time ago. It was all the black and white but I'd overdyed some of it purple because, well, that's what I do. I sewed a layer of heat-resistant batting in between the crocheted sides because the squares have little open spaces and I'd rather not hurt myself - and it makes it safer, in my head anyway, if I use it to put a pan on. I would hate to scar our table. I've tried to make the pattern into a PDF but it didn't work. Any assistance in that would be wonderful! The next issue is 2965 June 1949. Some pages are missing from the center, but there are a couple of patterns that are interesting. I'll see what's in the stash that will work. See y'all next time!

Inheritance - Of A Sort

The other day I went to my parents' house to look for some of my things - the things that I didn't take when I moved out. Unfortunately, I didn't find what I went looking for (maybe it's all in another storage place) but look at what I brought home!

These are all sorts of patterns from my ancestors. They range from the late thirties to the mid-seventies. They are amazing. Some of them are unfortunately missing pages and have bits stuck together from moisture, but I'm so very inspired. See the one in front with the blue tag? It says "A Necessary War Measure" and explaing that wool from Britain may be hard to find. In today's all-available world it's sometimes difficult to think of a time when there was no 24/7 anything-you-want life. The four books in the front all have tops or sweaters that I adore. The Workbasket magazines in the middle range fron 1948 to 1976 (but no '60s) and I have a plan for them - you'll see. The top is mostly doily and tablecloth books. I think my grandma crocheted doilies, but my great-grandma must have, too. I have some plans for those patterns, too, if my hands hold up. So, where did all of this come from? Apparently my mom's cousin had them in his attic and was going to throw them away but mom saved them. I kind of wish they had some handwritten notes in them- you know, so I can picture which relative worked on what. I'd love to know if anyone made and wore any of the tops so I can emulate them. I do need to find a way to store them to keep them from getting more damaged. I suppose I should invest in some plastic sleeves or archival boxes. Right now I'm still entranced in looking at everything over and over. and how sad is it that I can't still order all of the wonderful dress patterns advertised in the back of the magazines? Just one more time I'd love to have a time machine...

Hats Off

Around twenty years ago I had a hat that I wore all the time. It was slightly fedora shaped, black, courderoy, and from Avon. I wore it plain or wrapped with a scarf. Unfortunately, my ex-husband's stupid cat peed on it and ruined it. I miss that hat so much. I have lots of hats. Most of them are vintage - several only because they were new when I bought them and have gotten older. Three were gifts, given to me because I love hats and they were in the belongings of a wonderful lady who died. One is sadly in need of some restoration - a lovely 40's feathered beauty that needs reshaped and some new feathers. I'm going to wear my hats again, often, much to the dismay of my children. When my hair was long it was too thich for any of my hats to fit. Now that it's short they all fit perfectly. Yesterday I wore a round-brimmed one to the store. Yes, lots of people looked - maybe because it's slightly reminiscent of the one that Boy George wore in those colorful videos. Honestly, I don't care if people look at me when I'm feeling good and stylish and myself. They should look anyway. I walk tall and straight and smile. Perhaps they should try to emulate that a bit. (I hate that so many young people slouch! Ugh!) I'm planning to photograph my hat collection. Eventually they'll turn up here. You'll be amazed at the beads on a couple of them - the pumpkin one is spectacular. In the meantime, you can find me smiling and in a hat!