Filipino American History Month Painting of the Day: "Lou Reed" by Manuel Ocampo

(Photo source: fARTiculate)

Find me this dress pattern, please.

Friends, as you probably already know, it's Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.  Or maybe it just was -- or is about to be.  I'm very holiday-resistant, and with the exception of MPB Birthday, on January 23rd (which you should mark in your calendars if you haven't already), tend to get them all confused.

We were over at my brother and sister-in-law's last night to celebrate, and Prachee, my sister-in-law -- a fantastic cook AND marathon runner -- asked me if I would make her a dress.  Since I offer to sew her something pretty much every time I see her, knowing that, busy as she is, she's unlikely to take me up on it, I was very surprised when yesterday she made a very specific request.  I'm trapped.  (Just kidding, Prach!)

It's the dress up top, a picture of which she snapped with her cell phone.  It looks like a simple sheath dress with horizontal darts and a decorative halter-style neckline.  I don't think it will be difficult to make, but I still want to work from a pattern and I'm having a hard time finding one that fits that bill.

To me this dress just screams Eugenia, or Elizabeth, or Rachel.  I'm hoping one of them, or perhaps someone else, can steer me in the right direction.  I've hunted a bit online, but I'm coming up short.



As you can see, the pattern below has a somewhat similar neckline -- but this McCall's dress is more of a maternity muu-muu.



For the dress itself I found this:



To be honest, I was a little surprised at how little there was to choose from and how difficult it is to find something basic, without gathers or fuss, and for a woven fabric.

So I am hoping somebody can help steer me in the right direction.  It doesn't have to be one of the big three (or is it four?) pattern companies but I'd like it to be an in-print pattern, if possible, so I can get my hands on it easily.

I'm excited about making something for Prachee.  But then again, I was excited about making a skirt for my mother, and a suit for Michael.  Hopefully this will play out better.

It shouldn't be too difficult, right?

A big thank you in advance, friends.

Happy Monday, everybody!

Coming to DVD: Mission: Impossible - The '88 TV Season

Coming to DVD on November 29: Mission: Impossible: The '88 TV Season

Peter Graves reprises his role as Jim Phelps, the brilliant and charismatic leader of the Impossible Missions Force. Summoned out of retirement, Phelps organizes a new team of IMF agents in order to carry out dangerous and complex assignments. The revival of the classic, award-winning spy show that launched the blockbuster film franchise debuts on DVD with its first explosive season! 5 disc set -- released in time for the December theatrical debut of the Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol film -- includes all 19 first-season episodes introducing the new IMF team. Guest stars include: John de Lancie (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Parker Stevenson (The Hardy Boys), Maud Adams (Octopussy), Lynda Day George (Mission: Impossible).

Mystery TV Themes: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE

Buy Online:
Mission Impossible: The 88 TV Season
Mission: Impossible - Complete Series

BREAKING! The 1944 Outfit Project

Friends, I am very excited about my next project and I hope you will be too.  I'll be making three separate garments, all from 1944, to create a lovely WWII-era ensemble for demure Miss Cathy Lane.

The genesis:  I was perusing Etsy last week, and I stumbled upon this cute jumper and blouse pattern (above right) for only $3.  DING DING DING!!!  El Cheapo just had to have it.

I love the simple sweetness of it, and couldn't you just see a youthful Gene Tierney or Jennifer Jones -- or even somewhat more mature Eve Arden -- wearing that outfit onscreen?

Joan What's-her-name and Eve Arden in "Mildred Pierce"

Here's an ad for a somewhat similar jumper, from a September, 1944 Screen Guide magazine I own:







Now that it's fall, we couldn't have Cathy parading around in nothing but a jumper and blouse, so I decided to look for a suitable coat pattern.  And that's when I found this, also on Etsy:



It cost quite a bit more than $3, but what are you going to do?

Yesterday I went to look for fabric ideas, and here's some of what I came up with.  I don't want anything too matchy-matchy, and I want it to have a period feel.  The coat, I think, should be wool; the jumper can be velveteen, corduroy, or plaid or patterned wool tweed.  The blouse will be a very soft cotton, perhaps a soft camel and white stripe.







Last night, I remembered that Pattern Review has a Refashion contest starting November 1, which is just around the corner.  So at the flea market this morning, I picked up this huge salmon pink wool blanket.  It's not perfect -- there are some difficult-to-capture-on-film areas of fading and discoloration -- but I think it's usable.  It's darker than it looks immediately below, more of a rose beige, but I wanted to show you the blanket-stitching.





I'm fond of many of the styles of the mid-Forties and, paging through Screen Guide, part of my vintage movie magazine collection, I was reminded how lovely they are.







Oh, look what else I picked up!  I don't think it's real fur, but I love the look.



And that, readers, is what's on tap, starting soon.

What do you think?  Can you see a salmon coat, perhaps with contrasting lapels, combined with herringbone jumper and brown striped blouse?  Or should I go with textured velveteen?  Planning a new project is fun!

You can see more photos from my 1944 Screen Guide here.

Have a great day, everybody!

Filipino American History Month Painting of the Day: "The Conception of Bliss" by Allison Torneros

(Photo source: Allison Torneros)

Friday Featherweight Fun-Fest!

Friends, I recognize that this week, MPB has been a little -- how shall I put this?  -- sewing-machine-heavy.  Please believe that I have new projects in the pipeline and I will return to sewing soon.

A brief recap:  If you've been following the daily drama, you know that I bought a vintage Viking 6020 on eBay on October 6th, when my other vintage Viking, a 3240 -- seized up on me all of a sudden and I didn't think I could do anything to fix it.  Well, the 6020 arrived damaged, having been dreadfully packed, and I requested a full refund from the eBay seller.





In the meantime, however, I succeeded in lubricating my 3240 and returning it to full functionality, which meant that I didn't need the 6020 in the first place.  (Whether I ever really needed either machine is not a topic we will be discussing today, thank you very much.)

In the meantime, I successfully bid on a Kenmore 158.1040, a vintage 3/4-size machine, not to be confused with a Frister & Rossmann Cub 4.  That one joined the family on Tuesday, and though it needed considerable oiling, it's a keeper, and, considering it's a zigzagger, actually has an excellent straight stitch, due to its separate straight-stitch plate and excellent straight stitch presser foot.  (I have since learned that any Kenmore low shank zigzagger can use a vintage Singer straight stitch presser foot, but I digress...)



Meanwhile, despondent over my damaged Viking 6020 and not completely lucid, I bid on and won another Singer Featherweight on eBay last Saturday night.  I took a chance with this machine, friends.  The bidding started high-ish (at $125 -- a bad selling strategy for a highly coveted item, imo) but it received a mere three bids and I got it for about $140.  The photos of the machine were poor and the description briefer than brief -- basically, that what you (can hardly) see is what you get.  Nevertheless, the seller had 100% positive feedback (as did the seller of my Viking...) and was located nearby, so the shipping was low.

Well, the Featherweight arrived yesterday, and guess what -- it's fabulous!  This is the first and only time that an eBay machine has sewn perfectly right out of the box, requiring no oiling, no adjusting, no belt or wire replacement, nothing.  Amazing.

It's positively lustrous and dates from 1948.



My first Featherweight -- which I love today, of course -- arrived last March with a host of problems.  Yards of what looked like fishing wire were wrapped around the shaft behind the shuttle.  Even after removing it, thread kept getting snagged under the feed dogs.  Ancient thread, moreover, was tangled up in the handwheel.





A screw was missing in the bobbin case and I had to replace it.  But it still wasn't sewing right.  With Rain's help, we figured out the machine needed a new hook assembly -- the old hook had burrs on it which Rain didn't have the tools to smooth down -- and I was able to find a vintage one for sale on eBay.



All told, and not counting labor (which didn't cost me anything, but still), that Featherweight ended up costing me $100+ more than my new one.  You may also recall that its carrying case was so moldy it made me sneeze every time I opened it.  Achoo!



Many weeks later, I finally got this Singer working right, and it has performed flawlessly ever since.  That's why I wanted another one, plus it seemed like a good place to park some cash till interest rates go up.

My first Featherweight came with no accessories except a buttonholer, which I didn't need, but was still nice to get.



This second Featherweight came with a whole host of accessories and a vintage Singer oil can.





And did I mention that the case -- which has a lovely leather handle and just a few minor scuffs -- smells...well, OK, we're not talking Chanel No. 5, but it doesn't smell moldy in the least.  Just a little like gun cleaner.  Refreshing!



As I mentioned, it stitches beautifully.  I feel very lucky.





Now, many of you are no doubt wondering what is to become of the damaged Viking 6020, for which I have indeed received a full refund after persistent pestering.  You're probably thinking, Wouldn't Peter -- given his familiarity with vintage Vikings, success with loosening up stuck machines, willingness to wrap exposed wires with electrical tape, and overall cheapness -- try to get that machine running? 

Friends, upon my attorneys' advice, I  shall refrain from answering that question.  Let's just say I did only what you would have done, and leave it at that.

In closing, I will stop talking about sewing machines now.  Oh, one more thing:  a while back, I was kvetching about the straight stitch on my Kenmore 158.141 zigzagger, and MPB reader Wingamajig reminded me that my machine has "a flipping straight-stitch/zigzag plate."  Oh, joy!  I flipped the plate, and after attaching an old Singer straight stitch presser foot, it too is now an excellent straight stitcher.  My $20 flea market workhorse and I are back together again!  Now if only I could loosen the clutch from the handwheel -- a problem I have with both Kenmores, actually.





And that, as they say, is that!

Have a great day, everybody, and remember: Friends don't let friends bid on eBay in the middle of the night.

Filipino American History Month Painting of the Day: "Four Seasons" by Leo Valledor

(Photo source: Rehistoricizing.org)