Hurry Up Season 5!

With it being sew-along season and all... did you guys know there is a Mad Men Sew-Along going on right now too? I only just found out the other day and am kind of sorry I missed it since I'm kind of Mad Men obsessed. I also came across that show purely by accident. I really love old movies, and will just watch them for the costumes if the plot isn't any good, so flipping through channels one day I came across Mad Men. It was the second episode where Betty has her first visit with the therapist. At the end of the episode the therapist calls Don at their house to fill him in on the session. I guess in the 60s when a spouse is paying for therapy there isn't such a thing as confidentiality? Anyhow, I'm sitting here thinking I must've come across a movie and was so disappointed when the show ended and I didn't know what happened next! Obviously between the drama and the costumes I was immediately hooked, like so many others :)

I Heart Sewing Art

This week and last have been super busy on the school front, and super stressful everywhere else. Currently in class we are working on our final projects for Design for Print, which is huge and all kinds of frustrating. I'm having difficultly in motivating myself to finish this one, so I took a time out yesterday (aka procrastinated), browsed Etsy, and decided that I would reward myself with some sewing related art if and when I finish said project. The first is from sunnybuick's shop:

And the second from kimillustration:

I love the attention to detail in this print! One of the best parts -in my opinion- are the pockets stuffed full of notions. Also it's got an animation (really verging on Disney's Sleeping Beauty, but less cutesy) feel to it, which I'm a sucker for. If I don't purchase either this time around, then I'm certainly buying at least one to celebrate the end of the Graphic Design Program in May. By then I'll surely feel as though I worked really hard and really do deserve a treat.

(Isn't it funny that it's so easy to justify buying fabric and much less so to justify treating yourself to something you wouldn't normally buy?)

Sew-Alongs & Finishing Projects

There are so many sew-alongs going on this month! Gertie is doing a Crepe-Dress sew-along, Casey has just proposed a Swing Dress sew-along, over at Sewaholic they're making the Pendrell Blouse, and I believe there is even a Trouser sew-along. How is a girl supposed to decide? Well, I've decided to take part in the Vintage Sew-Along in order to finish my '30s jacket. The fabrics are already waiting to be sewn, and I even have the muslin cut out already. The idea is that being a part of the sew-along will be my motivation for completing it. Also, having the jacket finished will be an unfinished project crossed off my list, which would be nice since the only thing I managed to finish from my pile of unfinished projects over the holidays was this apron:

The pattern it's made from is a vintage re-issue, Butterick 4087. It's made from a cotton in a Michael Miller print that has a retro feel to it. Unfortunately I couldn't find any solid yellow ric-rac in the right size, so I'm afraid this is a little busy. Another unfinished project I'm working on is Simplicity 3780.

The dress is a lightweight cotton with tiny little cherries. The bolero with be reversible, Solid red on one side and the cherry print with a contrasting red tie on the other. Actual pictures of the garment to come! 

Time for some Stashbustin'

It's about time I started Stashbustin'. I've been trying to do a bit of organizing in my sewing room, since I find it's easier to be a productive sewer in a relatively tidy space. And I certainly haven't been a very productive sewer as of late. During this general tidying I found about 12 projects I had started and never finished... so right now they are all in (tidy!) little piles waiting to be sewn up. And sewn up they will be! I've decided I'm not going to start on my Elizabeth Taylor Project until I have these little bits all completed and out of the way. Another discovery while putting things away was that I've run out of room in my cabinet for storing fabric... 

See how I've had to start stuffing things in sideways? 

Of course it's about the same time as I've made these realizations that my guy texts me to ask how things are at home and I confess that maybe I have a small problem? And get the "I told you so" to be expected. So it's time to make an effort to sew up most of this stash before it gets really out of hand. Not to mention that I recently received a tote full of satins and laces most with matching linings! from my guy's mother. She used to be a dressmaker, but now mostly sews up items such as meditation pillows for charity events and is trying her hand at quilting right now. She still has a bigger stash than me, as do many sewers, but I'd like to attempt to keep mine under control since it starts to feel like although any new yardage is lovely and exciting, it's distracting me from the projects I should be working on...or finishing...in about 12 cases. Oops. 

Barkerville: Part II

More Barkerville! This post is mostly pictures, some of them are from when I went during the summer, and some were taken by my parents on their previous visits. It'll help you get a better idea of what it looks like there. Here is a view of the town:  

The first building on the right is the St. George Hotel Bed & Breakfast, which you can actually stay in. Beside that is the Nicol Hotel Museum. It's full of neat old garments, jewellery, bottles and many guns. In one of the hotels you can wander through upstairs and look into the old rooms, most of which have been refurbished, some were still in the process of being restored, so we got to see what they start out looking like, which is pretty much how they found the building to begin with: dirty wallpaper peeling off the walls, stained threadbare rugs, rusty bed frames, papers and plaster on the floor...get the idea? It then turns into this:

Here is a photo of some of the belongings they found in one of the rooms. Isn't it funny that there was still a cup of sugar? If it doesn't get wet it doesn't go bad, so I like to think this is some really old sugar!

So quickly going back to the first picture:

Still on the right, just past the museum, you can see Wake Up Jake's restaurant. It's one of a number of places to eat, and of course they do breakfast. The brown building you see at the end is the St. Saviour's Anglican Church (if you open the photo in a new window you can zoom in to see better!). The previous church is still standing near it, if I remember correctly, although you couldn't go in that one. The Williams Creek Schoolhouse is on the left side of the church. You can sit in on a lesson there which children can participate in. There's also a costume shop in town where you can rent a period costume to wear for the day, or to have your photo taken by the photographer next door. That isn't seen in this photo, but I thought I should mention it since there were lots of girls dressed like Holly Hobby, and little boys dressed like cowboys, complete with holster. On the left-hand side though, is the Goldfield Bakery, and if you ever do visit Barkerville, you absolutely can't leave without having something to eat there! Seriously, the smell will draw you in if you're doubting whether or not to go inside. The ground squirrels really like the smell of the bread too:

They might chase you if you have a baked treat. Also serious. 

Beside the bakery you can buy a stagecoach ticket at Barnard's Express Office. Here is a photo of one of the coaches:

There are a few different kinds. Some are more open. They take you through town to the courthouse in Richfield and back. You also have the option to walk,  although it's recommended to go in groups if you're walking as there are Grizzlies in the area. Not an animal you want to run into. On the way to the courthouse you can see the old schoolhouse, which is mostly fallen down now, waterfalls and gopher holes; they're mostly shallow cave-like holes where the miners have blasted into the rock. Some run deeper. There are little plaques along the way to describe different places and events. The river is on the left side on your way, and there is a little plaque telling about a townswoman who either committed suicide by jumping off the cliff into the river, or she was simply drunk and fell in! 

The next pictures were taken outside the Theatre Royal:

My dad was manning the camera, and actually took it upon himself to get pictures of the performer's dresses. I didn't even ask! My parents know me pretty well I think :) 

You can see real shows here (I'll have to do that on the next visit), and the Hurdy Gurdy girls may have worked there too? I can't remember if that was at the theatre or a different building that used to be in the town before the fire. Hurdy Gurdy dancing girls are named after a really awful instrument that I unfortunately don't have a picture of. It's a box with a crank on one side, and you crank it and press the keys on the front at the same time. It sounds like a combination of bagpipes and something dying a horrible death. Maybe a newer one wouldn't sound so bad? The poor performer was also only just learning to play it...

More performers:

I  can't recall the exact story they were telling here, but it was about ghosts in the graveyard, and the actor on the right was very "drunk." He ends up "puking" and kind of tumbling off the walk by the side of the house. The actress rushes over in concern and he accidently? looks up her dress. That stifles her compassion and she abruptly exits in a huff. 

There are many many interesting headstones in the cemetary. There's a trail you can take if you're walking, or alternately you can drive up, it's not too far from the campsite. There's also a guided walking tour so you can hear all the good stories.  

They're open on Hallowe'en for ghost tours, which I would love to do! And looking a little ahead (although it does tend to sneak up) Barkerville is open for a weekend in December. They have horse-drawn sleigh rides! And since it's up North there's certainly snow! My mom would like to do Christmas shopping there one year, which I think is a great idea. There would of course have to be a trip to the bakery to try the Victorian Christmas treats :) 

The Elizabeth Taylor Project

Okay, so the idea is nothing new, sewing garments either copied or inspired by movie stars or musicians of yore. (Maybe 'yore' isn't fair, lol) But I looooove love love the outfits that Maggie the Cat wears in 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' -which I've seen at least a half dozen times. They're just so classic and pretty, and it doesn't help that Elizabeth Taylor wears them so well. So to start off this new project I'll be making these:

It's surprisingly difficult to find a good picture of this outfit, but it's basically a classic white button-up blouse and a beige coloured pencil skirt worn with a dark orange belt.
And the Maggie the Cat dress:

This dress was designed by Helen Rose and apparently after the film Elizabeth requested a copy of the it for herself, which then ballooned into more requests from other women, so Helen produced them as ready to wear garments. I wish they still sold it now! I've linked the photo to a web page with some interesting bits about both the dress and Helen's career. It's certainly peaked my interest in learning more about her and her work. Oh, and there's also a bit of drama concerning Irene (Lentz I think, they both worked on 'The Harvey Girls' together, which is a great Judy Garland film if you haven't seen it) and also Edith Head. Would anyone be interested in more thorough posts on costume designers?
More updates on patterns and progress soon, for now I'll leave you with this screen shot of Paul Newman:

Much better looking than on the salad dressing bottle, don't you think?

Lovely Wool Tweed for Lady Grey

Finally! Fabric for the Lady Grey coat! It's a lovely reddish wool tweed with tiny bits of purple in it. Here's a picture:

 I had looked in 4 other shops before going to Gala Fabrics, and I have to say I have no idea why it wasn't at the top of my list to begin with. They have a great selection of woollens, all types of silks, cotton prints, knits, bamboo and hemp fabrics, and that's just naming a few. They also carry Colette Patterns! I feel kind of silly having ordered mine online now. C'est la vie. So this being said many of the fabrics have pretty steep prices (especially the beautiful patterned silks) but it's all quality, and...they have sales! The first time I went there they had wools on sale for $6 per metre (1.09 yards), this time the ones on sale were $12, but that's still more affordable. Also important: the service is excellent! If you live in Vancouver and sew or are crafty in the slightest, chances are you've been to Dressew once or twice. Now, I'm not knocking them, I'm there for one thing or another every other week, but when I went to Gala Fabrics and picked out my pretty fabric, and gave it to the man at the cutting table, it was the usual "How much do you need?" and I replied with the yardage (well, it's metres here, but you get the idea). But then: he asked me if I needed thread. Now, this doesn't seem like a big deal, and I was pleasantly surprised because I am forever forgetting to purchase thread at the same time as the fabric. However, he then takes the cut fabric over to the thread and picks out a perfect match for it. Then: "Do you need lining?" Yes, actually I do. So he picks out a perfectly matching lining as well. How's that for service? Not like Dressew at all, when you know you're lucky if someone willingly helps you, and must be blessed that day if the cashier is in a good mood. Again, I'm not complaining, it just seemed like such a treat to have wonderful service :)

Now I'm wondering if that's a good thing or a bad thing? Should a person get used to less than adequate service? Is it a reflection of our present-day society? Now fabric shopping is all of a sudden getting philosophical...