Here's various stuff I got during the month of June. I wish I had more to say in this post introduction, but I don't. I feel like the end of June closes a series of stressful months at work (even though I've worked from home since March), so despite doing cool activities like shop and sew, work stuff was always in the back of my mind. I believe the following months will be less tense, notably because it's summer, but I can never be certain.
Anyway, let's start with two cardigans I found at Values Village.
Pastel Pink Cardigan With Embroidery Flowers
Such a lovely colour and the condition is near perfect. 🌷 I found the embroidery flowers tacky when I first saw them, but my initial impression quickly changed. The fit is on the tighter side (I can't really button it), but the secondhand cardigans I find are usually always too big for me, so I'm glad it's the other way round this time. I can see this cardigan matched perfectly with a pair of slim capri pants and ballet flats, just like Audrey Hepburn:
Love the buttons at the cuffs
Beaded pistils
The only flaw is that there's a name tag (where the brand tag is) that has been firmly pressed onto the fabric with an iron. I tried to remove it, but it's so well stuck that I risk damaging the fabric if I insist on pulling it off.
White x Black Polka-Dot Cardigan
This cardigan is so cute. I thought it came from Japan, but the brand says Franco Valeri (the possibilities that it was from Japan were quite nonexistent anyway.) I'd also totally wear this cardigan with capri pants, but since it's shorter, it would also fit well with a midi skirt.
I should really get better at inspecting clothes while thrifting.
Both sleeves have stains which I only found out when I arrived home. Even with good amounts of Spray 'n Wash and after several washes, the stains are still faintly visible. I hate stains, especially when it's secondhand and I'm not the first owner. I'll probably wear the cardigan nevertheless since it's adorable. However, the stains did dissuade me from replacing the buttons as I didn't feel like spending more money on a cardigan that is damaged.
Cute Memo Notes
I found these notes at Michael's. There were other products displaying this character, but these notes were the cutest. It's so rare to find such things here!
The characters are from OnceMoreWithLove. I feel like the creator got a lot of her inspiration from Hello Kitty (cue the red bow on the above character), 问题儿童欢乐多 (Problem Children Are Very Happy?) and 长草颜文字 (Budding Pop). The shop is based in Canada, so I'm glad that for once, I can access cute stuff within the country. For instance, I tried looking up Budding Pop stationery multiple times on Taobao or AliExpress but had no luck.
Bio of the creator
Sewing fail with Simplicity 1888
A couple of weeks ago, I began a sewing project with a pattern I had been impatiently waiting for in the mail.
Notions bought.
The pattern is in size 11 (bust 31.5", waist 24.5").
I decided to make the set in blue on the pattern cover. I'm a bit ashamed to say this, but I really thought this was a dress... I only realized it was a two-piece set when I received the pattern lmao. I imagine I could have turned this set into a dress without pulling my hair out, but I didn't want to make things too complicated for the first time using this pattern and thought it would be interesting to pair the skirt with a different top.
I didn't plan on wearing this set a lot during the summer, thus I wanted something that would look great for fall. This dark raspberry looked really nice and I wanted to try a solid colour for once.
Close-up of the fabric used for the stand-up collar and the contrast skirt trim.
It's ivory cotton with a flower print.
I chose this oriental-looking ribbon instead of rickrack.
I found the colour matched perfectly with the fabric.
After my mom washed the fabric, I noticed lint and very slight pilling on it. This had never happened before with fabrics after washing them. I kind of ignored it, thinking that it wouldn't make much difference when sewing, notably because it was labelled as being 100 % cotton. Upon starting to sew, I realized I was wrong. The fabric felt fragile and thinner, therefore it was harder to control and stay in place when sewing.
Making the darts and tucks was so painfully long. The white pencil wouldn't show on the fabric so I had to fold each of the dart/tuck's lines, place the ruler and draw a straight line with the chalk (instead of just marking dots and tracing straight lines with the ruler and a pencil). It doesn't seem that arduous, but the fabric's wool-like texture made everything more complicated. The roll-on chalk didn't glide smoothly and my lines were not as precise as with a pencil.
Some steps later...
In the above picture I was supposed to finish the bottom edge of the (inside) collar with ribbon seam binding, but stitching it onto the fabric went so bad that I just gave up. Shortly after I accidentally made a small hole with my scissors on the front bodice and that was the last straw. I dropped this project with this fabric.
A couple of weeks later, my mom and I went to Magasin Comeau for the first time. I had searched for fabric stores "nearby" and this one seemed to have pretty cotton patterns. Never did I expect to find so many lovely prints! The store carries lots of plaid patterns which are my favourites. The price per meter is also less expensive than most fabrics at Fabricville or Club Tissus, but it takes a while to get there by car, so it costs more in gas.
I always feel awkward when telling the person at the cutting table how much fabric I need for a garment. This is because I have a vintage pattern, therefore, all of the measurements are in yards and in inches (inches aren't so bad, but we use meters here instead of yards.) This usually brings me to show my vintage pattern to justify the uncommon units of measure. I've been wanting to convert all of the measurements ahead of going to the fabric store, but always forget to when the time comes and this time was no different; I arrived unprepared at Magasin Comeau. Again, I explained the reason for my pattern's units of measure. While discussing vintage patterns, the lady mentioned that she and her mother were actually looking to donate a box of older patterns to someone. Yes, donate. My mom and I said that we were very interested, and two days later, we went to pick up the patterns.
All of the patterns given 💖
Most patterns are from the 1970s and 1980s, but there are also some from the 1950s and 1960s. Among them are really pretty designs, even in the more recent patterns.
The only downside is that none of the patterns are in my size (they're all for a 32" bust or more), but it isn't that big of a deal. You can resize patterns and the younger patterns include multiple sizes, e.g. from 8 to 14 (and because the first owner used a bigger size, I guess that I could just recut each pattern piece on the smaller size line). Besides, the lady was generous enough to give her patterns to me, so I have absolutely nothing to complain about. I'll surely make dresses with some of these patterns.
By the way, I left Magasin Comeau with two different fabrics! One is actually to try making again the set from Simplicity's pattern 1888. I'm currently working on it and the new fabric works so much better than the dark raspberry one. This saddens me a little because I bought notions that I won't be using for this project, though I'll try to use them in another one.
Simplicity 1958 Sewing Book
I got this book on eBay for only 11 $ CAD. It was the lowest price among the other ones up for sale. The condition is very good, only the spine's top and bottom are a little turned up, but the pages are pretty much intact and still firmly bound to the spine.
The magazine covers so many subjects. Here are snippets just to show you the range of topics discussed:
Tips on Simplicity patterns. Being my favourite patterns as of now,
I'm glad to have access to this kind of custom info.
Reading this before making my first vintage dress would have helped me tremendously...
Here's how to make a blouse, but there's also how to make a skirt, a dress,
a child's dress, a jacket and a man's sports shirt. All include pictures and drawings.
As you can see, it gives lots of sewing tips, tricks and recommendations. I'm aware the internet is already flourishing of sewing resources, but I'm interested in vintage dresses and this magazine is all about (Simplicity) vintage patterns. I know I won't be applying everything written in this magazine, but I'll certainly discover new ways of doing things.
Ending again my post with food, this time take-out poutine... my favourite fast-food along with pizza.
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