Another Lamp for the Kitchen

Here's another little project for our Kitchen!

I decided we needed a small lamp on the coffee bar---so that when we had friends over we could turn off the bright overhead lights, use the accent lighting in the kitchen, and our guests could STILL find the coffee!

That little corner just gets a bit dark. Now, somewhere (where?  I just don't remember!) I had seen a small lamp made from a coffee pot.  Wouldn't that be cute?

Wait! Hiding in the garage!  Just the thing in our camping equipment!  A teensy old aluminum coffeepot! 
BTW, it was missing some vitals innards and bits....so it was absolutely useless for camping or anything involved in making coffee...

Plus some pieces I'd saved from and old children's lamp:

Which needed some sanding and painting......

Here's the bottom of the coffee pot with a hole drilled in the middle (by Dearest Husband)

and the gold stem painted in silver:

And here's the base painted red---plus some more parts from

that old lamp....it's starting to look like a lamp!

Putting the wiring back together:

 I dug around upstairs in some old homeschool supplies

 and found this sticky-backed craft felt:

       Which made a nice felt bottom for the lamp!

And look!  A lamp!

Next.....a Lamp Shade to finish it off.....

"And it was juuuusssttt right"...the 1931 Vintage Butterick Repro

I'm working on cutting out the projects for SWAP 2012.

Tissue-fitting the 1931 Reproduction Butterick from Vintage Fashion Library,

I realized that it needed some "letting out."

Time to make a muslin.  First the toile was too small.....

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Then it was too big.....

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 And finally it was just right!

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Pattern review:

From Vintage Fashion Library:
"Princess seam frock dress has V neckline and deep V back.  Sleeveless style can be made in mid calf or evening length, with large flounce at hem.  Large bow embellishes the back.  May also be made in long sleeve style with lace neckline."

Sizing: One size only, Bust 32

Does it look like the pattern envelope?  Yes.  I made the v-neck, knee length, long sleeved dress.

Were the instructions easy to follow?  Minimal instructions as per vintage patterns, but it's easy to figure out!

What did I like/dislike about the pattern?  The pattern was really small.  It was even quite short (and I'm only 5'2" !) I added 4 inches in the bust!  I usually wear about 34" bust.
It's a very pretty princess seamed dress, and the pattern is printed on a nice, sturdy paper.  Vintage Fashion Library has done a nice job in replicating this pattern.

Another quick comment: The pattern's fabric allowance is very skimpy!  If you are tall, or if you need to grade the pattern to a larger size, you would definitely need more fabric. 

I managed to cut out this dress--but I don't have any extra to make seam binding for the neckline. 
Fabric used: Cotton/wool challis

Any alterations? Yes--made it much larger (see above)!  Then had to adjust the armskye--it was too tight.

Would I sew it again? Yes, now that I've fixed the pattern. I would like to make the evening gown one day.

Recommend it to others?  Just be prepared for the small size.

I've got a bit of finishing up to do (I'm trying to find a vintage lace collar to add to it!), so pics will come in a bit.

Pattern Review: Retro Butterick 4928

This pattern was a stretch for me---I'd never tried a coat before!  But I've always wanted a red jacket, and I had this pattern and red wool in the ol' stash---and well, here it is!

Actually, this wasn't too hard to sew.  It's quite a simple pattern. It does run large, just as other sewists noted in Pattern Review.  I made the coat in an extra-small.

Also, I made the coat without the cuffs.  I'm too short to wear too much stuff.

I did run into some troubles with the lining.  Somehow, the lining just wasn't quite long enough!  I don't know if I let that slippery purple rayon slide around (or maybe I stretched it out), but you can see here that I had to sew a bit of hem tape to the sleeve lining to make it long enough.

I also just couldn't wrap my head around the instructions on finishing the lining at the lower edge of the coat.  Besides the problem of the almost-too-short lining, I could not picture exactly what I was supposed to do!  So I just winged it.

About the time I was almost finished hand-stitching the lining down to the hem, I realized that the lining should hang free from the coat.  It wasn't supposed to be stitched down!  Duh. But, no time to fix the mistake, it was time to catch a plane!

And honestly, I'm still not sure exactly how the lining is finished  at the bottom of the coat.  Plus, with the rayon being so ravelly, I personally like the lining sewn down to the coat.  So, I think I will just leave it!

Despite the slight lining difficulties, I really do like the coat--it's warm!  And comfortable!  And looks like the pattern illustration!

Sewing Plans for 2012

I am seriously considering working on the SWAP 2012 challenge.

'Cause I really need to do some sewing pour moi!

I am not AT ALL sure I can get all that sewing done....But it is certainly making me think about sewing plans for this spring.

It's just that I also have Home Decorating plans, as well as the small matter of taking three seminary classes AND teaching a science class at the homeschool co-op!

The rules for the 2012 SWAP (basically) specify sewing seven different pieces, and then repeating four of them for a total of eleven items.  The primary aim is developing some Tried-N-True patterns to use!  Because I mostly wear skirts or dresses, and I really need some dresses (!), I am sewing another dress to substitute for slacks or jeans.

I've chosen:
Blouse (twice)                
T-Shirt                         
Dress (twice)
Another dress (twice)             
Skirt (twice) 
Jacket item (cardigan)                  
Overcoat    ALREADY COMPLETED!

Here's what I'm considering:

via Olioboard

Yikes, those pictures are a bit small!

With pictures just a mite larger, here's what I'm thinking:
Four dresses----

Butterick 5556, which seems ever so popular, out of a black and white sorta slubbed crepe.  A good winter dress for Texas.

A vintage reproduction 1931 Butterick from Vintage Fashion Library.  I have decided to make the second-from-the-left V-neck dress out of a rayon/wool crepe.  Another winter dress.

A now OOP Simplicity dress (the V-neck dress) that I've had cut out since last summer, from a slightly crinkled black-and-white cotton.  This would work well with a black sweater in early spring here.

And a Crepe that I fitted last summer and have halfway cut out!  For spring and summer. (Maybe for Easter?)



The red wool jacket, of course, for wintertime,

And then a cardigan (black--I haven't found any fabric for this yet) with a free pattern from Indygo Junction.

A 1950's wrap blouse (sorta 30ish, don't you think?) from a black-on-black cotton:

I'd also like to make a shirt.  I have the New Look pattern that you can spy on the board, but truly, I don't think that's what I want to do.

Something to ponder.

A tee-shirt with the free Hot Patterns pattern from fabric.com

 Pretty loud for me!

Then two skirts, one with pleats front and back from a rose raspberry pinwhale corduroy (a vintage Butterick)---

and a black wool crepe from this Simplicity pattern:

Whew!  Think I can do this?

Seminary starts back next week!

Back Home and Sewing

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Here's hoping you had a lovely Christmas and New Year's holiday time.

We had a quiet Christmas here at home:
We went to Christmas Eve services at church;

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then a wonderful Christmas Day and dinner with all three sons and girlfriends.

I then sewed like crazy on my new jacket--because we were going to South Carolina for a few days to meet up with old friends in Charleston, and the weather gurus were predicting freezing weather!

We're back now, and here are some pics of my new red, wool jacket.

I lined it with the purple rayon challis (lovely stuff!),

then my Mother reminded me that's what

the Red Hat ladies wear.

Oh, well, I still like the purple with the red wool!

The cats are thrilled that the staff has returned, BTW.

(I think he's saying, "Don't leave again or you'll get zapped with my laser eyes!" LOL~~~~

Happy New Year!! And a Give-Away

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But not from me (not yet). It's from a Few Threads Loose. Go to http://afewthreadsloose.blogspot.com/2012/01/two-new-patterns.html for a lovely give-away.