Clik here to view.
Working with a vintage unprinted pattern, if you’re lazy.
1962 Spadea/Chanel unprinted pattern If you sew from vintage patterns, you may have been nonplussed to open that package and see absolutely nothing printed on the pieces, like in the photo above....
View ArticleClik here to view.
I’m tired of Coco, how about you?
Okay, here are a few last details of the construction of Chanel Jacket #4 that I’d like to add before moving onto my next, much more fun topic, a Coco Chanel vs. Madame Vionnet Smackdown! Are you...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Making of Chanel Jacket #2: Blood, Sweat and Tears
A couple of posts ago, I promised details about how I constructed Chanel jacket #2. Even though I was working on this project a year ago, it’s alllll coming back to me. The ill-fated muslins, the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Vintage, Schmintage; faking vintage looks with modern patterns
I love vintage sewing. It’s the high-maintenance aspect of using the original patterns that gives me a pain. Fortunately, there are a number of vintage pattern reproductions and homages in current...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Finding a “Fitting Shell” to fit those !$%#! vintage patterns
In the past couple of years, I’ve become the proud owner of some pretty fab vintage designer patterns that I’m dying to make up. Here are a few examples: A 1930’s Schiaparelli bias-cut dress pattern...
View ArticleClik here to view.
More “Faking Vintage Looks with Modern Patterns”
To continue my series on “Faking Vintage Looks with Modern Patterns” (Vintage Schmintage), here’s a look at recent pattern releases that could be used to create vintage-style garments without the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
$9 Couture Course
As I was listlessly shlumping through the grocery store yesterday, (because I’m a sewing enthusiast, not a cooking enthusiast) I spotted a new edition of the “Best of Threads Magazine: Designer...
View ArticleClik here to view.
An Epic Road Trip and Meeting Susan Khalje!
Okay, despite the title, there was only one thing truly epic about my road trip to Maryland, and that was meeting haute couture sewing expert and master teacher Susan Khalje! When I contacted Susan,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Susan Khalje on Making a French Jacket, Issey Miyake, and Kiss Me Karl
Hi everyone! Just a heads up that part two of my interview with Susan Khalje, where she spills the secrets of “The Little French Jacket” (AKA making a Chanel Jacket, cardigan jacket etc.) has been...
View ArticleClik here to view.
More Faking Vintage Looks with Modern Patterns, and first official...
It’s been awhile since I’ve written about using modern, commercially available patterns to create vintage looks. Some new releases have inspired me, though! Vogue 9126, for example, is a 40s style...
View Article
