Artie

So, like the true hat addict that I am (why deny it?), I bought myself 3 different chapeaus for my birthday!  Ebay is a bit like the devil for my pocket book, but I have allowed it to steal my soul - putting up only a minimal amount of fighting.  Sometimes, it's easier being bad.  In any event, I purchased two AMAZING Frank Palma hats off of Ebay (one is a "Frank Palma Original" label, the other "Art Bern Hats by Frank Palma"), as well as another 1940s faux birdie tilt hat (this I won by default - since no one else bid against me - for the $26 starting bid!  Some of my favorite vintage hats have been won this way off of Ebay).  My birthday was Saturday, and my family is famous for only giving practical gifts, so I figured that if I wanted some ridiculous hats for my birthday, I needed to purchase them myself (I even bought an adorable vintage polka dot "birthday hat box" to keep them in)!  Frank Palma is "my main man" when it comes to vintage milliners, and to be able to purchase not only one but TWO of his hats was a real birthday wish come true!  I of course decided that I needed multiple birthday outfits to compliment my hats...

This is the first of my birthday ensembles:

 

I have dubbed this hat "Artie."

 

The dress is a gold brocade that my grandmother and I worked on.  It is made using a vintage 1960s pattern.  The dress actually has a removable overskirt, but I didn't have time to complete it before my birthday.  I actually almost like the dress better without the overskirt...

The "Art Bern Hats by Frank Palma" is breathtaking!  This hat is a near replica - with the exception of the color - to one that sold on AntiqueDress.com for over $800!  You can see why I squealed with happiness when I purchased it on Ebay for $99+shipping.  This will always be one of my most treasured hats, I can tell you right now.  It is both incredibly beautiful, and incredibly unique in its design!

 For my birthday, I went to my favorite hairstylist in Ashland for a vintage 1930s cut & style (if you need your hair cut, I HIGHLY recommend Salon Selah V in Ashland, Oregon!).  Then, my darling husband took me out to a lovely Indian restaurant for a buffet-style lunch (yum!).  We went to a couple of antique stores, and then headed home to get ready for the lovely outdoor soiree he was throwing for me on our new deck.  We set up tables, chairs, and tea lights, and had a lovely BBQ (and wine!) with friends.  I could not have asked for a better birthday, and say many, MANY thank you's to all who showed up!  You certainly know how to make a girl feel loved!

Latest Sewing Projects

Well, we woke up to 2 inches of snow on the ground this morning, and it's still snowing hard. Not the insanely heavy snow fall that was originally predicted, but then again, the day isn't over yet either.

Snow days are the best days for staying inside in front of the fire and either reading or working on sewing projects. I am choosing to do the latter today! Here are my two latest sewing projects:

I am making another dress using the same pattern that I created the cool black & white checkerboard dress with! This time, I scored some gorgeous watercolor print fabric and black piping for around the collar and sleeves. It's going to be a very lovely dress when I'm finished...

Next, after MUCH searching, I found the pattern to make a nearly identical dress to the one FabGabs is currently selling (which is GORGEOUS but so unbelievably out of my price range!). Since I could not afford to buy her beautiful dress, I decided I could make my own. You can view the FabGabs dress here, and compare it with my pattern below! The most difficult part of the entire project has been finding a reasonably-priced gold fabric that I actually like. I'm still searching...Option B is to make it out of an emerald green taffeta with a gold lining for the overskirt - what do you think?

Another Project (Oh No! - Oh YES!)

Well, I have decided that it's high time for another vintage sewing project! Yes, I'm rather crazy, since I have decided to do this in the height of summer tourist season, when time and craft space are pretty much non-existent...but when have I EVER been rational when it comes to vintage?! But let me back up and give you my reasoning...

As you've probably already gathered, I have become fascinated recently with the history of the 1920s and 1930s. I have been collecting magazines, articles of clothing, etc., and trying to read up and learn as much as I can! The past few weeks I have been focusing a bit more on the mid-to-late 1920s era.

About a year or so ago, I went to one of my first estate sales and purchased, for the painfully low price of $10, a beautiful and authentic 1920s "flapper era" coat.

I love it!

The problem is that I have no authentic 1920s dress to wear with it!

Sad Day.

Unfortunately, I do not have the budget to afford an authentic 1920s dress, and I have been unable to find any at the local yard and estate sales. I couldn't even afford to buy any 1920s patterns either, since those normally sell for between $35 and $85 each!...

...Well, until today that is!

Today, I stumbled across an INTACT and UNUSED 1920s "flapper" pattern for the beautifully low price of $7.50+$2.25 shipping! Ummmmm...YES! I snatched that up in a heart beat! It is a lovely dress style, and I am so SO excited to try my hand at making it!

You can view the wonderful Etsy shop I purchased it from here:
Rosenu2

Because it IS the height of tourist season, I am actually going to be enlisting my grandmother's help, both in space to work and sewing expertise. While she can't sew herself like she used to, she is still a knowledgeable seamstress from her years working in a dress factory as well as working with other talented members of our sewing-inclined family. So I think between the two of us, we'll be able to knock this pattern out rather well! And as for buttons? Well, good news: I have a tin box of antique buttons collected by both my grandmother and great-grandmother, so I think I can find some authentic buttons for the dress in there!

Now, what fabric to use...?