Saturday, October 19, 2013

UFOs and Vintage... my next projects

 
 
One of the hardest parts of packing up for the big move was taking stock of all the "stuff" I'd accumulated over the years and deciding what to keep, donate or throw away.  This was particularly challenging with all my sewing and crafting supplies... Should I keep the basket of scraps?  Fabrics I bought on sale and don't have a designated purpose yet? Multiple knitting needles in a single size? Hideous patterns from the 70s that I will likely never use?  Unfinished projects that have been languishing for a year (or three)? 
 
Ultimately the unfinished projects (or unfinished objects, aka UFOs) made the cut.  And I now have a wardrobe full of garments in various stages of incomplete.  Given that I'd like to save both space and money, I have decided to tackle the staggeringly time-consuming and somewhat frustrating undertaking of finishing what I've started.
 
I started simple... with a Colette Sorbetto top that I started well over a year ago.  Now I've made this lovely free pattern multiple times out of lightweight cottons.  It is easy to wear and makes for a great layering peice.  So over a year ago I thought how nice this would be in a floaty silk to wear as a shell under work pieces.  I bought silk in both black and white, cut out and sewed the front pleat, side and shoulder seams, and then never bothered to finish them.  For the white blouse I had also made bias tape out of the leftover materials.  So this week I finished the neckline and hems. 
 


Amazing!  Emboldened by my success with white silk, I decided to finish the pussy-bow blouse that I had cut out and started for the 2012 mini-wardrobe contest. 


 
 
 
At this point the blouse is fully contructed and all that is left is hand finishing at the sleeve caps, hems, and buttonholes and buttons... Maybe next week.
 

Another unfinished project is a highwaisted cream wool skirt made from a 70's pattern.  For this one I needed to finish the inside of the waistband and add the zipper.  I still need to hem this one and add hook and eyes to the top of the waistband. 


 But just as I began to make some headway, I realized that the November pattern review contest is the vintage pattern contest!  So I busted out my box of vintage patterns (the ones that made the cut) and identified the following as possibilities to try in November:
 

Day dresses from the 40s and 50s

Workwear from the 60s and early 70s

An awesome jumpsuit from the 70s that I would likely never wear but nonetheless find amazingly glam

 
Four of these patterns are actually in my size and I wouldn't have to grade up... These four the are most likely to make the cut.  Any suggestions?

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