Sadly though, much of what I find in op shops turns out to be the worst kind of 80s patterns, and garish, slippery, nightmare-to-sew manmade fabrics. Sometimes I'm tempted to buy it just because, yay, I found something! But if it's so objectionable that the first owner never wound up using it, why would I?
All this led me to pay a visit to the North Melbourne Market a few weeks ago. It's run by Thread Den, a local business who run sewing classes and such. My sleuth voice told me that, given its sewing connection, this market MUST be the place to find vintage yardage!!
Most of the stalls were showcasing finished clothes and accessories - all cute, for sure, but I needed the pure, unadulterated goods. Then, tucked upstairs in the furthest corner of the labyrinthine venue, I found these babies:
AHHH PRETTIES. Check out how much length there is:
The floral is, I think, 100 per cent cotton with a fairly robust hand - like shirting weight. I took one look at it and thought, "shirtdress". There is 5.5 yards of it - more than enough for the pattern I chose:
I must have looked at hundreds of shirtdress patterns! I tend to obsess over details, and what sold me on this one was the yoke and pleat at the back. I think they'll add a touch of boyishness to counter the all-over floral!
The wool is ... Wool? I don't know any more than that, haha! It's quite a bit lighter in colour than the picture suggests. It's soft and makes me feel nice when I handle it - which I do a lot, lol. When I bought it I knew already what pattern it would be used to make:
I've had this one in mind since Claire from Errant Pear posted her version at We Sew Retro. I feel like the poncho shape and underarm buttons make this one slightly more casual and contemporary - just a little toned down compared to a full on 60s circular cape! I'm going to make the view with the hood, with a flannel lining for coziness! So. Bloomin'. Excited!
I currently have all these bits and pieces perched at the bottom of my bed, so I can look at them all the time. Do you ever have that, where you enjoy looking at something new so much, that you can't bring yourself to put it away? They're going to start fading there though, so I'm going to start work on these real soon!
Oooh that shirtdress is going to be so lovely! Great finds.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm going thrifting today to look for a sheet or something to start my muslin for it!
DeleteHa ha, so funny - when I was buying that same short dress pattern I didn't realise that I had already seen it on your blog! You know I did exactly the same thing with another blogger too. I'm jealous that your pattern is in my bust size though, so I wouldn't need to face grading! :)
ReplyDeleteHaha, that is funny! Unfortunately I looked and looked for one in my size, but this pattern is too small for me too. So unless there's a lot of ease in it, I will be grading it, too! It's like a two-person sew along.
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