Original Inspiration

• Steal the Game Show Dress from modcloth.com

Resources

• Fabric: Montreux Chevron Pink from fabric.com ($5.98/yd)
• Pattern: Simplicity 1880

Plus…

• Aromatic Adornment Belt from modcloth.com ($14.99)
• Maritime to Study Heel from modcloth.com ($99.99)

It’s a constant work in progress and I’m still looking for artwork for the rest of the walls. Additionally, I’m going to replace the glass Crate & Barrel coffee table with something I’ll hopefully find at Alameda next Sunday. I have a terribly time decorating rooms — they’re far more overwhelming than pulling outfits together. For the living room, I had to come up with a theme and shop around it. Basically, it’s decorated for a family in the 1950s who like to travel in America, particularly the West Coast. Kind of specific.

Here’s the widest shot I could get of the room.

We bought these chairs at the Candlestick Point Antiques Show. I believe we paid $30 for both of them. The step table came from Alameda and were $100 for a pair. In the background you can see the window box which I covered with some barkcloth I bought in Arizona.

I love this tiny piece of a sectional. I bought it at Alameda for $175. Maybe one day I’ll find another piece of the sectional puzzle.

At an antique store in Fairfax, CA, I found these wooden fruit pieces and tray for $27.

The bear painting, vase, bird, arizona bottle all came from stops on our Southwestern road trip. I’ve been collecting the cameras for Gatsby events.

I’ve had these souvenir tea towels for quite some time but had yet to frame them. While Florida isn’t exactly the Southwest/West Coast, I liked it too much not to buy.

The other step table and an awesome donkey lamp I bought at Alameda for $20.

The Facts

Fabric: Polyester double-knit from friend, Some sort of woven for skirt from Novato Estate Sale, ~.25
Pattern: Simplicity 1752, Simplicity 9385
Year: late 1930s
Notions: Zipper
Time to complete: 5 hours
First worn: February 2012
Wear again? Yes to the skirt, no to the top.

Total Cost: ~$.25

My Oscar inspiration is hopefully obvious enough that I don’t have to explain it. But in case I’ve missed the mark, I’m channeling Faye Dunaway in 1967′s Bonnie and Clyde. Theadora Van Runkle, the film’s costume designer also designed costumes for The Godfather II and a personal favorite of mine, Peggy Sue Got Married.

This week I really wish I knew how to knit or crochet. Not that I would have been able to make a sweater in a week, but at least it wouldn’t have been this totally unflattering polyester mess. I have to say, though, it wasn’t all the fabric’s fault. Because I’m in Los Angeles for the weekend, I needed to have my outfit finished by Friday morning so I could photograph it at my in-laws’ house in the afternoon. However, this timeline didn’t quite dawn on me until about 3am on Friday morning. So I started around 3:30am and finished by 8:30 by the time I needed to take Penelope to school. If I was a bit more awake, I would have found a more suitable fabric for the top in my stash. But since this yellow fabric had been given to me last week and just happened to be closest to my sewing machine, I got lazy. The shirt pattern was a 1970s stretch top pattern — the same I used for the Hello, Sailor Outfit. The last time I made the shirt, I was about 35 pounds heavier. I kind of forgot that fact and made the shirt, despite it being a 38 bust. That’s a bit why the top is so bulky.

I shortened the skirt and actually quite like it. The zipper I inserted looks like it was inserted at about 5:30 in the morning. (That’s because it was!) So I’ll be taking it out and reinserting it next time I want to wear it.

Okay. The photo shoot. I had way too much fun taking these photos. The gun was a toy gun that my mother-in-law played with as a child. I also took some photos with the BB gun that belonged to Ben, but none of those photos turned out well. I do have to say I felt a little weird taking these photos in a field, brandishing a gun. And especially given my stance on toy guns (No, Pen you can’t play with that water gun!), I felt like a hypocrite as well. All in the name of my “art.”

Original Inspiration

• Marvelous Memories Floral Dress from shopruche.com

Resources

• Fabric: Jolie Fleur Shirting Floral White/Grey/Red from fabric.com ($3.98/yd)
• Pattern:  Simplicity 2692

Plus…

• If You Wanna Be My Lava Flat from modcloth.com ($29.99)
• Retro Dollie Earrings from modcloth.com ($9.99)

Original Inspiration

• Glamour Power to You Dress in Roses from modcloth.com

Resources

• Fabric: Joel Dewberry Heirloom Rose Bouquet Gold from Fabric.com ($8.98/yd)
• Pattern: McCall’s 6466

Plus…

• Plume and Aplomb Headband from modcloth.com ($19.99)
• No Cutting Corn-ers Heel from modcloth.com ($42.99)

The Facts:

Fabric: 3 yards of red linen at $5.00 per yard
Pattern: Simplicity 2591 View B (second use)
Year:  Contemporary
Notions: Fusible interfacing (in stash), invisible zipper – $2
Time to complete: 6 hours?
First worn: Saturday night to a rock and roll show!
Wear again? Definitely.
Total cost: $17.00

Hello everyone! This is the first challenge I have participated in and I am so excited! Between quilting, sewing up the patterns for Sew Colette, and reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (and letting that take over my life) I haven’t had much time for other sewing. I knew that I needed to change that and wanted to make a dress, so I decided to make a dress with a pattern I used for the first time a year ago. What a difference a year makes!

When I sewed this pattern the first time I was new to sewing and it took months to complete! I struggled with reading the pattern and understanding what all the words and symbols meant. Now, one year later, it took me several hours spread out over only a few days. Everything went so smoothly and there was no confusion at all, not even with the pockets!

I feel like a zipper snob, now that I have learned how to install an invisible zipper I don’t want to use any other kind! Sorry for the poor quality of the last few photos, but my “photographer” (husband) was busy (watching ESPN). I guess that’s what I get for asking for a photo shoot during the NBA season :)

Original Inspiration

• Too Much Fun Dress in Barbecue

Resources

• Fabric: Woven 1/4 Gingham Navy
• Pattern: Simplicity 2180

Plus…

• Flower of Love Wedge
• Bow-dana Headband

Original Inspiration

• Strawberry Sunday Dress from modcloth.com

Resources

• Fabric: Michael Miller Indigo Red Rail Stripe Red from fabric.com ($8.98/yd)
• Fabric: Radiance Cotton/Silk Poplin Crimson
• Pattern: New Look 6779

Plus…

• See You Next Hat-urday from modcloth.com ($41.99)
• You’ll be Mist Flat in Sand from modcloth.com ($49.99)

… is probably somewhere else!  With Portland, Oregon winter (and spring and fall) temps in the 40-degree F area and near constant rain, it’s a little hard to imagine sunshine.  Note that the picture was taken in the relative warmth and comfort of my sewing room as it was 40 degrees, pitch dark, and pouring rain outside.  I aspire to summer.  Maybe we’ll have one this year!

The Facts
Fabric:  Thrifted sheets
Pattern: Vogue 8648
Year: 2012
Notions: Zipper, Hook/Eye, Thread
Time to Complete: 8 hours or so
First worn: Probably next summer.  Assuming we have summer.
Wear Again: Definitely
Total Price: $0

As soon as I learned that Mad Men was coming back to our television screens on March 25th, the tie-in theme was added to The Sew Weekly editorial calendar (March 19th is the week, to be precise). By far, this had been one of the most requested challenges — especially from my four lovely 2011 contributors.

So far, the show has spanned five years — 1960-1965, with each new season taking place one or two years after the previous one. Assuming this pace, I would guess that the show will pick up in Spring of 1967. If you’re participating in this challenge you can, of course, choose any fashion trend from Mad Men. However, if you want to be a little fashion-forward, here’s my take on what the women of Mad Men will be wearing next season.

Betty Francis

Oh, Betty. For years, she has been immaculately dressed and presented as the facade of the perfect 1950s/1960s wife. With her cinched waists and billowing skirts, she’s held onto late 1950s and early 1960s fashion the longest. In season four, she’s married to the anti-Don, the boring Henry Francis and is getting a little too familiar with the bottle. When you’re married to Henry Francis, you just don’t care any more. That should be embroidered on a pillow.

I can imagine that her clothing will become even more conservative and politician’s wifey with a lot of knits/suits in her future. As she ages (and possibly has a fourth child), it’s very possible that she’s not going to be presented as the beauty of the show and her outfit choices will reflect that.

Peggy Olson

Other than Sally, Peggy seems to represent the closest bridge to a modern woman. Of all the women on the show, her character has had the least flattering and fashionable outfits. Oh, the first season! Based on her bohemian interests and her advancement at work, I think Peggy will actually be more on-trend for the late 1960s. Her clothes may still be kind of ugly with far more polyester than we want to see, but she’ll be closer to the 1970s than 1960s. And she’ll be wearing pants to work.

Joan Harris

When we last saw Joan, she was informing her creep doctor husband that yes, her breasts were indeed bigger. I find it highly unlikely that Joan will still be pregnant when the series starts up again. She’ll probably already have her little silver-haired baby in tow and will be dressing like the casual 1960s mom that she always wanted to be.

This last season we were treated to a number of shots of Joan hanging out in her apartment, dressed in pants and casual tops (even pajamas and glasses!). I predict more sweaters, more capris and far less wiggle dresses.

But yeah, her breasts will still be huge.

Megan Draper

Oh sad little Megan. She’s going to be the star of the show, sartorially speaking. Sure, her marriage will be a complete train wreck but she’ll now have the means to dress even better than she did as a secretary (and she dressed well, then!). She’s got to make a look for herself that’s so Not-Betty. Picture more sophisticated, sexier and more expensive styles. But she’s still far younger than Don, so despite her desire to be someone’s wife, she’s going to rebel. But look pretty good doing it.