Verity Vintage Studio

1940s Daisy Suit Alternate Jacket

When I made this year's 1940s Easter suit, I realized that I would likely only wear it a couple times a year because of the 3/4 sleeves, and I liked the fabric well enough I decided to also make a short sleeved top - this would give me 3 pieces to mix and match.

 

I pulled out a favorite pattern I've made twice before for a 1940s ruched jacket.

 

Since this was the 3rd time, it was quite quick to make and went together with no issues. I was very pleased with how it turned out - the fit was better than the 3/4 sleeve jacket, and it feels very spring-ish and trim.

 

As always when I do a pattern again, I like to change it up a little. This time I made the no collar version, so that I can either wear it plain, or with interchangeable vintage collars.

 

I also added wide pink lace cuffs to the sleeves. 

 

Fabric and buttons were both from The Timely Tailor, and the pink buttons were such a good match to the pink in the daisies.

 

This was also the first outing for a new pink vintage hat I'd been sighing over from Abigail's Vintage Attic, and finally pulled the trigger on it when it went on a big sale. Isn't it delightful? 

 

I was so happy to find a pink hat that wasn't straw, so it will be more seasonally appropriate to cold weather if necessary. 

 

I took the silver touches from the hat and incorporated them in the shoes and jewelry, since I didn't have pink shoes to wear.

 

Even though it's the same fabric, it has quite a different look than the original Easter suit. Swapping out accessories can do a lot!

 

Altogether, I'm delighted with this ensemble, and am glad I tried again since I love the fabric so much. It will be nice to have 3 pieces to interchange depending on the weather!

Christmas in June with Poppie Cotton Prairie Christmas

I believe in enjoying the current moment, so I always prefer to sew or craft in the season I'm currently in - but when I need to work ahead of schedule, I find it's also nice to get a jump start on my later seasonal sewing! This month I took a few days to make some Christmassy projects with new Christmas fabric by Poppie Cotton, and it was rather fun...also nice to stock up on some gifts and decor before the seasonal crunch begins. 

 

This is a rustic Christmas line, and while it's not a style I would normally gravitate towards, I quite enjoyed these projects using it, and kept making just one more thing! The little town and farm scenes are especially adorable.

I started with a couple of 18" pillows. 

 

I used the Flower Love pattern by Sew Mariana and made 1 block in 2 different combinations, choosing my favorite prints to highlight in the bigger areas of the block.

 

I quilted them differently, and added a basic envelope back. This is so helpful if you have a lot of pillow covers but limited space. You can fold and store the covers flat, and reuse the same few pillow forms as you switch out the seasonal covers. 

 

I really love the bold flower block look. It reminded me of a giant Christmas bow, and really works well for Christmas with the star and heart center - perfect for this traditional collection. 

 

The edge finish provoked thought since I wanted something stronger than hand stitching a binding, but that looked nicer than a machine stitched binding - which I still have not mastered.

 

The answer was to hand stitch it through all layers with size 10 crochet thread. Super strong, looks nice on both sides, AND adds a lovely contrast stitching detail to the edge. Now I want to try this technique with a full size quilt. 

 

I'm looking forward to using these on the couch this Christmas season.

 

Then I grabbed the leftover fabric and made a slew of smaller scrappy projects!

 

I quilted two panels, cut them in a circle for potholders, and added a pocket for little gifts or decor.

 

I did my favorite quilt-as-you-go string blocks, sorting the strings by color. The green one I left as is; the white one I added little raw edge hearts on each corner and loved it! These are so quick and easy - sew your fabric strips together through all the layers, trim, and bind! Great for a quickly made addition to a gift basket.

 

I think my favorite potholder though was the log cabin - also quilt as you go, starting with a large center cut from the scenic fabric. I loved it so much I'm thinking about doing a whole quilt-as-you-go quilt like this, with fussy cut floral centers!

 

I love how they all coordinate but are all different and unique. 

 

The final project was one I've wanted to try for years, and this fabric line was the spur to finally make me get around to it - folded no-sew Scandinavian stars. I followed this YouTube tutorial and found it quite clear and helpful.

 

It was SO FUN and easier than it looks. I want to bust out my Christmas scraps and make more this year for sure! 

 

The one other thing I had made earlier were these easy gift placemats for our table this past Christmas, and really enjoyed how festive they were during the holidays.

 

I do wish Prairie Christmas had more red options in it, as I quickly ran low on the reds. But I'm still super pleased with the results of a few days of crafting. If you love rustic or country Christmas, this is definitely the fabric line for you. Stock up early for this holiday season, as it's shipping to quilt stores now!

 

Check out the other lovely Christmassy makes too. It's so fun to see everyone's unique spin and creativity using the same bundle of fabric. 

Monday, June 3	@sewmaryhappy
Wednesday, June 5	http://neverlandstitches.blogspot.com/
Monday, June 10	https://verityvintagestudio.typepad.com/my-blog/
Wednesday, June 12	Website: http://blueribbondesigns.com
Friday, June 14	http://www.creamcraftgoods.com/
Monday, June 17	http://www.happyquiltingmelissa.com/
Wednesday, June 19	@elliebugmakes
Friday, June 21	theredfeedsack.blogspot.com
Monday, June 24	https://bemandythings.com/blogs/news
Wednesday, June 26	https://ivoryspring.wordpress.com/
Friday, June 28	https://www.arabesque-scissors.com/journal
Monday, July 1	http://prettybyhand.com/

 

 

1940s Seed Packet Novelty Print House Dress

I have been saving this adorable novelty print for a spring dress, so I thought I'd better get it made while it is still spring!

 

Enter - my seed packet house dress!

 

The vintage pattern I used had some issues with the front bodice piece. I should have mocked it up to figure it out, which would have resulted in a better fit, but being me, I forged ahead and just tweaked it as I went. If I make it again, it will fit better.

 

It has two set of pleats on the front; the center pleats meet to cover the zip front. It's quite nice to have the quick and easy nursing access without a zipper being obvious. I chose to use an invisible zip, which is not period correct, but I think looks better when in the front. 

 

I also added some red piping to the collar, to help it stand out from the busy print, and also to trim the sleeves.

 

The rest of it is quite basic, which is ideal for a busy fabric like this.

 

The fabric is such a vibrant shade of cobalt, covered with the most adorable little vintage seed packets. It has been probably my best-selling yardage to date in my shop The Timely Tailor - and I've just restocked with the last 4 yards of this, so if you want some, act quickly!

 

My sister made fun of me while taking these photos, because I am NOT a gardener. :-) But even still I absolutely love having a lovely little backyard garden, and going out to snip herbs and lettuce for dinner. 

 

Also I pointed out to her that I did actually help this spring multiple times with the weeding and sanding of the paths, though my mother and sisters did most of the work, helped by my eager children. It looks incredibly beautiful and so much better now that the weedy paths are tamed with gravelly sand!

 

Victory garden vibes. Naturally I had to go with a 1940s pattern because it fit so well with the fabric. 

 

I always love to play with fabric at every stage. I love seeing it in person when it comes in the mail, seeing it on my shelves in a neat fold, seeing it under my needle as I sew with it, and now seeing it in my closet. 

 

I'm definitely in a sewing mood currently, so we'll see how many more things I can cross off my ever-growing queue in the next few weeks. I have ambitious 4th of July sewing plans...but I'm glad that first I got to do this fun little seasonal project!