Needlepoint Book

I bought this book from the 1970s for $1. I haven’t ever done needlepoint, but I liked the patterns in it.

I like some of those geometric patterned pillows.

Here are some of the patterns in the book.

Things I Didn’t Buy 78

Here are some cute sewing patterns. The first one is this vest and culottes pattern from the 1970s that I think is awesome.

I thought these 1970s overall dresses were interesting—I probably wouldn’t wear them but they do make a statement.

I liked these 1970s separates.

This was a nice simple dress pattern.

And I thought these pajamas were interesting.

Finally, I liked the simplicity and asymmetry of these 1960s dresses.

Fur Trimmed Winter Coat

I’ll often shop to avoid the summer heat, and I did so recently when the temperatures got to uncomfortable heights. I went to a thrift store that has booth areas for different vendors; the vendors all sell different stuff and set their own prices. It’s always an interesting mix of things. Some are carefully curated items. Others are handmade. And then you have some that you know they’re just cleaning out their garage.

I planned on buying nothing because I didn’t need anything. I got about halfway through the store and was pleased with myself…nothing caught my eye. Yes, there were some interesting items, but nothing I couldn’t live without.

Then I came upon a clothing rack with about twenty jackets and coats on it, and I immediately knew these were quality items. These items didn’t feel piecemealed from thrift stores—they felt like they all belonged to one woman with expensive taste. Many items were nice but not my style. Then I saw this vintage tan coat with white fur trim that I had to try on.

The large pockets, the stitching detail on the pockets, the hood, and the tie belt feels very 1970s to me. Although I’m often wary of anything in the brown family, (because the wrong shades make me look sickly), this tan was very neutral and flattering. It doesn’t say what it’s made of, but I’m guessing wool (whether 100% or a blend)—it’s a very warm and heavy coat. I have very little knowledge of fur, but I’m guessing it’s rabbit.

And the back has a lovely pleating detail.

It’s a Youthcraft coat.

And it was union made in the U.S.A. It’s just so well made. [Sigh of appreciation.]

I admired the coat in the mirror and then took it off and put it back on the rack. I certainly didn’t need another coat—I already had a wine-colored wool coat and gray wool cape that I loved. So I was on the fence on getting this tan coat. However, as I walked around the rest of the store, every so often I’d think, “Did anyone take my coat?” That’s when I realized that I was going to buy this coat. I already owned it in my mind.

I bought the coat for $25. It’s in very good condition—no stains or holes. It does need a little mending where the lining is torn about three inches at the waistline, and both arms need a little stitching on the outside of the coat. But these are very minor things. I want to wear my new coat…but it will be some months before it’s cold enough to do so.

Things I Didn’t Buy 71

I really liked this 1950s dress pattern. Sooooo cute. I love the way they worked the red stripe dress and the navy dress is so adorable.

This 1950s dress and jacket was pretty nice.

I liked this 1960s simple top and skirt pattern as well.

This 1970s long robe is awesome (although I could do without the lace trim).

These 1970s separates were nice.

Finally, this 1970s wedding dress is fantastic. I love the sleeves, the high collar and the buttons down the front. The bridesmaid’s dress I mostly like—I’m just not a fan of that collar.

Things I Didn’t Buy 53

I really liked this dress from the 1960s.

These pants and tops from the 1970s are interesting—I really like the white top.

I liked this dress from the 1970s, although it may be slightly too Little House on the Prairie for me.

I liked the dress quite a bit, and it looks fairly comfortable.

Finally, I liked this Asian-inspired dress from the 1980s.

Vintage Binder Articles

I was at a thrift store and stumbled upon this awesome vintage binder; I love the design on the cover. I like the colors, the geometric shapes, the fonts—everything is just so retro. I bought it for $2.

It’s a huge binder and filled with selected magazine articles; it’s someone’s collection of things they thought worth keeping over the years. There are some recipes, but it’s mostly craft articles: crochet, sewing and DIY gifts. It’s rather interesting to see the range of articles that are mostly from the 1960s and 1970s.

Here are some of the articles that caught my eye. I thought these play boxes were interesting.

I like these crochet white pillows. They have lovely elaborate patterns, but are still very simple being white on white.

These pillow dolls are amusing.

And I liked this article of how to stretch your fashion dollars by buying quality clothes you can mend and alter.

Finally, the cover of Woman’s Day that shows hairstyles from 1966.

1970s Wrap Dress

I finally finished my 1970s wrap dress; it took a while because I sewed sporadically over a few weekends. After measuring the pattern pieces, I altered it (in length and width) and managed to squeeze the pattern pieces onto my barely large enough piece of fabric. Because the position of the pattern pieces on the fabric was straight, I thought this fabric would work well because of the pattern’s vertical orientation.

I decided not to do the keyhole detail and pocket because I didn’t really like it. I also did a quick narrow hem on the dress because I didn’t want the length of the skirt to be any shorter. (I’d already shortened the length of the skirt when I cut it out because I was about 1/8 yard shy of the fabric requirements.)

The dress itself wasn’t difficult to sew. In fact, I didn’t have any trouble with it at all. The biggest hurdle was realizing that I didn’t have any half-inch double-fold bias tape in navy, and instead of buying it, I decided to make-do with the quarter-inch double-fold navy bias tape that I happened to have on hand.

It’s a pretty comfortable and lightweight cotton dress to wear—perfect for summer (although its days are already numbered). I prefer to knot the tie ends in the back rather than a bow in the front. It’s a simple dress and I’m pretty satisfied with it.

Three More Patterns

I refrained from getting too many patterns the last time I went thrift shopping. The selection wasn’t as wide as it often is, so I just picked up three patterns for $0.75.

The first pattern is from 1966 and has a skirt, pair of pants and jacket. I thought they were all cute classic pieces. And I love the drawings.

The second pattern is a dress from 1971. I like the simplicity of the silhouette; the high collar and long sleeves makes this pattern different than most of the dress patterns I have. While I like the option for a ribbon around the neck and waist area, I do not like it in the skirt portion that makes it look like you’re wearing an apron.

The third pattern I couldn’t find a date on, but it’s clearly from the 1980s. I like the pleated skirts and the skirt with godets. I have a few skirt patterns, but none like these so I thought it would be a nice pattern to have. To me, skirt patterns aren’t as exciting to look at (compared to dress patterns), but they’re more useful because I’m more likely to make a skirt than a dress. I find skirts are often more versatile, easier to fit and quicker to make than a dress.

17 Patterns for $3

I think I’m addicted to buying sewing patterns. I went to two thrift shops (that I usually don’t frequent but happened to be in the area) and was on the lookout for clothing, but instead I found more sewing patterns. Most of the patterns at both stores were from the 1970s to the 1990s.

The first thrift shop I went to was a local one, and I like it quite a bit because it’s rather large and it’s cheaper than most other thrift shops in the area. It’s fairly relaxed and the type of thrift store where bargaining is more apt to occur. The patterns I stumbled upon weren’t marked with a price, so I picked out 14 patterns that I liked (to varying degrees) and if they wanted more than I wanted to spend then I’d just pick out my favorites to buy. However, when I asked the cashier how much the patterns were, he said “50 cents.” I asked, “For all of them?” (Since it was unclear to me if he meant the price for the patterns individually or all together). And he replied, “Uh, sure.” I decided to pay him a dollar. I almost felt bad that I got so many patterns for such a small price.

Here are the sewing patterns I got there, from oldest to newest.

First up is a dress pattern that I couldn’t find a date on, but looking at the packaging, it’s obviously from the 1970s. I liked this cute simple flowing dress that’s reminiscent of one from the 1940s.

Next up is a vest, skirt and pant pattern from 1974. I like the pocket detail of fabric that flips out.

This simple dress pattern is from 1976. It looks like a pretty easy dress to make.

The next pattern is a shirt, pants and reversible vest and back-wrap skirt from 1976. The reversible skirt could be a fun project to try to make.

This is a simple shirt-dress pattern from 1979.

The name “E.S.P. makes me laugh. And the red periods in the acronym confuses me—why are they red? Are the periods special in some way I don’t know about? These are questions the designer side of me is just wondering…

A very simple dress pattern from 1981; I like these basic dresses that would be so easy to make (as the “’Make it Tonight’ Wear it Tomorrow!” name implies).

A jumpsuit pattern from 1983. I’m not a jumpsuit person. I don’t think I’ve ever owned or worn one. And I wouldn’t make this one. But I kind of like the top half and think could see it being used in a dress…

And on a side note, at the bottom it has “Overnight Success” on it, which is not unlike its competitor McCall’s “’Make it Tonight’ Wear it Tomorrow!” When I see these lines, I envision people in the 80’s thinking, “What should I wear tomorrow? Hmm, I know! I’ll just whip out an outfit from one of these patterns.” [Pause.] I guess they still have these quickie patterns today, but they just call them better names, like the generic “easy-to-sew” (with no time constraint because really, for many of us, finishing a dress in a day just isn’t very realistic). 

Next is one of those ladylike blouses from the 1980s that I like; this one is from 1984. I like the simple blouse number 2.

This dress pattern is from 1986. I like dress number 3. I think it could be a cute summer dress. I do not like the sleeves on these dresses.

A dress and jumpsuit pattern from 1989. I think dress A is cute; it’s simple enough that it’s pretty timeless. But that jumpsuit. [Pause.] Wow. It’s just so terrible. When I look at it, all I can think is “Hammer time.”

Simple pullover top pattern from 1991. It’s not a pattern I was particularly excited about, but I figured it could be a good basic pattern to have.

This dress pattern is from 1992. I hate the sleeves. Not super excited about the elastic waist. But I like the concealed buttons that go down the front of the dress.

Next is a dress and jumpsuit pattern from 1992. Man, this is so 90’s. I think if I took off the sleeves, the dress might be cute.

Finally, another ladylike blouse pattern; this one’s from 1992. I like C blouse.

At the second thrift shop, the patterns were more expensive, ranging from 69 cents to $6.99. I picked out three 69 cent patterns for a grand total of $2.07.

First up is a dress and vest pattern from 1973. I think the dress is adorable and would totally make it.

Next is an unlined raincoat and hat pattern from 1978. I’m not sure that I would ever make this jacket, but it is interesting to me.

And finally, a jacket, blouse, skirt and pants pattern (that I couldn’t find the year on). I really like these pieces; they’re simple and elegant. I mean, even the drawings look sophisticated. My favorite piece is the jacket that’s just so classic.

I know I don’t need any more patterns, but I find them so interesting. Hopefully I won’t find any more patterns for a while. On the rationalized upside, if I’m going to be stockpiling sewing supplies, buying used patterns is much cheaper than buying fabric…