Vintage Pattern Jackpot?

Hi there!

Well, remember when I went to the swap meet and got all of those patterns for free?  Well, I thought that I would share the goods with you all, in case any of you were curious.  There are a lot more duds in this collection than treasures, for sure!  :)  The fabric finds were much more successful!

By the way, these are my first vintage patterns ever!  Then again, I suppose in 20 years, the patterns that I've been buying will be considered vintage.  :)  Also, I was hoping to find a little bit of history, like Tasia found in her patterns!


Let's start off with the favorites!

McCall's 6003, McCall's 2407, McCall's 7259, McCall's 6749

M6003: Rompers intrigue me since mimi g. showed her own pattern that looks cute and modern!
M2407: The only pattern I was going to initially buy was this apron pattern.  I love the envelope!  One day, if I ever have a sewing room, I think I'll frame it on the wall.  :)
M7259: This envelope is cute too, so it's hard for me to focus on the actual garments.  :)
M6749: Maybe view D or E would cute in the right fabric?


On the flip side, here are possibly the worst patterns of the bunch.

McCall's 8012, McCall's 7715, McCall's 8896, Simplicity 9052, McCall's 8028

M8012: What adult needs overalls?  Assuming you're not a farmer, of course.
M7715: Not only is the shirt a boxy shape, it seems to be a strange midriff length too...
M8896: The styling and fabrics are HORRENDOUS!  I lived through the 1980s (although I was little) and I probably had an outfit similar to the girl doing the "I'm a Little Teapot" pose in the front.
S9052: I can't get past the fact that these look like cheesy boxers.
M8028: Not even a professional model can look good in this one.


Here are some children's patterns, which I won't need anytime soon, but I'll hold on to.  Look how cute some of the vintage envelopes are!

Simplicity 7661, Simplicity 7463, Simplicity 5681, Simplicity 8597, Simplicity 9530, McCall's 6268

S7661: This is adorable!  I think the envelope is probably cuter than the garment.
S7643: Uh, not my favorite, but if my future kid asked for it, I wouldn't say no.  :)
S5681: This is going to be made one day, even if she doesn't ask for it!
S8597: Cute!
S9530: Also cute!
M6268: The smallest pattern out there.  It looks like I'll be covered for a range of ages!


Now for the quilting patterns.  I'm not a quilter, but maybe I'll hang onto them for the future.

McCall's 7816, Butterick 4423, Simplicity 5950, Quilt World Magazine 567 and 659

Apparently back in 1978, this lady from California requested a couple of patterns to be mailed to her.  I love the U.S. Postage stamp, and it cost only $.13 back then!

I might sew these next patterns one day?  I suppose if someone wants to be a chef for Halloween, I'd have the pattern ready to go.  Children's room accessories, why not?  An 1980's style maternity dress?  We'll have to wait on that too!

McCall's 7931, McCall's 8917, McCall's 8122

Okay, more women's dresses that fall into the "Eh, Take It Or Leave It" category.  They could be cute with maybe the right styling, fabrics, and changing around the skirt lengths.

Simplicity 7535, Butterick 3356, McCall's 7191, McCall's 7757, McCall's 7878, McCall's 8763

Some not so favorites...

McCall's 4393, McCall's 2125, Butterick 4296, McCall's 9441, Butterick 3985

Yep, that first pattern calls for shoulder pads.  Yuck!  I already have shoulders like a linebacker, so I don't need any help!

Now, a few non-pattern extras: some good, some not so good.

1) Pretty Christmas ribbon

2) A free pattern for a bag dispenser

3) Christmas decor needlework patterns, I think.

4) A single shoe insert, stuck on the back of a pattern.  Um, gross.

Well, after sorting through my patterns, I realized a few things.
* I adore pattern envelopes from the 1960s and earlier.
* Almost every 1980's pattern has terrible fabric choices.  They seem sooo dated!
* I love a bargain!  Even better than that, I love free things!

All in all "money" well spent!

Do you have any favorite vintage patterns in your collection?  I'd love to see!

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Weekly Wrap-Up: Valentine's Dinner, Anthropologie, Deals & Patterns!

Finally a normal weekend!  It seems that as soon as I started these weekly wrap-ups, my life started to get more interesting!

Book events, celebrity run-ins (here and here), sporting events, concerts, trying out new sports, restaurants (1,2,3,4,5), warehouse sales, exploring around town, trips to New York and Nashville, planning a huge trip to Europe, and about a million donuts (1,2,3,4)!

Luckily, life is back to normal with just a few fun things along the way.  This week, the high points were Valentine's dinner with my man, shopping (Anthropologie, Off 5th, Banana Republic Factory), buying fun food items at Mitsuwa marketplace, cooking up three new recipes, pattern shopping, and getting a big chunk of travel planning done.

Wednesday

Valentine's Day was casual for my guy and me.  We decided that it is crazy to fight for a reservation at a fancy restaurant and be surrounded by tons of people who are doing the exact same thing, all in the name of a holiday that can tend to get out of control with decor, food, etc.  I'm not saying I'd turn away a pink cupcake though...

We went to Simmzy's, which I went to about a month ago for the first time.

To start we shared the Goat Cheese Tapas which doesn't look like much, but it was perfect!  Goat cheese with apricots and honey!  I'm in.  :)  I was majorly hungry and barely saved any for my guy, but then again he had his beer flight!

I got their Simmzy's Burger and added roasted Shiitakes.  So yummy!

The close-up shows off all the amazing goodies stuffed inside!

For dessert, we shared the apple pie donut which I ordered the first time around but he wanted to try.

Yep, just as good the second time around...  The slightly crunchy and tangy apples with the soft pillowy dough are perfect with the sweet vanilla ice cream.  The salty pistachios and salted caramel drizzle provide a perfect contrast to the whole thing!

And a complimentary chocolate covered strawberry for Valentine's Day.  Sweet!

Thursday - Friday

Finally a chance to catch up with my DVR!  I'm still behind on Downton Abbey so no spoilers please, and my guy is finally back on track with The Walking Dead so we could watch Sunday's episode together.  :)  And I don't care if it's passé, but I still love me some Project Runway.  A garden & hardware store challenge combined?  Awesome.

Saturday

I whipped out three recipes, as well as prepping the week's meals.  Busy, busy!  I'll blog about them later, but I made smitten kitchen's buttermilk roast chicken, Handle the Heat's Curried Red Lentil Soup, and modified a healthy banana bread recipe for some overripe bananas and leftover cream cheese frosting!

More travel planning and then early to bed.  I was pooped!

Sunday

First thing in the morning, I stopped by Anthropologie to return a gift.  I usually never return gifts, but I received the Sewing Basket apron below which wasn't my style.

It was $38, so I had time to poke around and find something new!  I was looking around when lo and behold, the same lace I used for my green lace UFO yesterday popped out at me!

 

In real life, it is a slightly darker shade of green, but exactly the same otherwise!

Then, I spotted a dress that slightly resembles the Colette Hazel in the front...

and has a surprise in the back!  I love the color, the fabric choice, and the back detail.  I'm not excited about the length, but otherwise this will be an inspiration piece soon.

A bit of inspiration for my upcoming trip.  :)

And then I found the apron I spotted a year ago sitting on the rack.  It was the last one, so I did an excited dance inside my head and got ready to exchange my present.

Then, I had a wonderful surprise.  It was on sale for $9.95, so I had $30 more to spend!  I could have easily bought something cute to wear or items for the kitchen, but I wisely put it away for the future.  It's burning a hole in my wallet as we speak!

I'm not even going to bore you with my purchases at Off 5th, just a winter hat and a French Connection dress both for 50% off and paid using a gift card.  Free!

Then, I met my man at the Banana Republic Factory Store.  Ironically, he walked out with nothing and I had a bag of goodies at the end.  :)

This dress was originally $140 and I got it for $20.99!  It fits perfectly because I actually found it in the petite section.

This dress was on sale for $10.47 from $109.99 in the factory store, so it was even more in the regular store!

Wrinkly (should have ironed it before photographing), but cute!

This textured skirt (which doesn't photograph well) was originally $64.99 at the factory store, and I scored it for $4.87!

Nubby, textured, and red!  Ooh la la!

Next, I headed to Mitsuwa marketplace to buy a couple of items.  I love a pickled cabbage salad, and these are the best!

Then, I bought a couple of fun items as well.  A package of strawberry Yan Yan for old time's sake (although I usually had Pocky growing up).

And a package of four fugetsu do mochigashi.  I forgot to snap a picture beforehand, but this package is pretty similar to what we got.  When people ask if I want mochi, this is what I want!  Not that ice-cream filled stuff.  It's okay, but this is so much better!

Credit

For dinner, we went out for sushi at our local place coincidentally.  The rest of my family had already decided, so it was an all Japanese cuisine kind of day!

Monday

We had the day off, so my friend and I planned a bit for our trip and actually booked our last accommodations!  Yes!

Then, we celebrated by heading off to Jo-Ann's for their Simplicity pattern sale.  I was initially just going to stay home or just help her out, but I couldn't resist a few cute ones!

*After writing this, I realized that I might sound like a Simplicity pitchwoman, but I'm really just sharing the patterns I loved and bought!*

I love the Peplum top from Simplicity 1699 and even when it goes out of style, it's still a classic silhouette that flatters me and I will continue to wear!

View E on Simplicity 1693 looks like such an easy top to wear in a 1960's-ish silhouette!

The flutter on the skirt of Simplicity 1697 is so pretty.  I'm not sure if it will be very flattering, but I'll give it a try!

Simplicity 1688 is such a simple dress, but going through my collection, I actually didn't have one similar to it!  I also have to give it to Cynthia Rowley for almost always having spot on fabrics and styling!

The full skirt, piping, and contrast welt pockets are just super sweet on Simplicity 1687!

Lastly, I bought Simplicity 2444 which I think has been out before, but didn't seem to notice.  Very retro-inspired and could do well with the right fabric!

Tuesday

I was going to catch up with my shows and catch my breath, but I spent nearly all of my free time yesterday putting together an awesome, awesome Excel spreadsheet for my travel budget and future travel expenses!  I will share it when I figure out the best way to do so because I'm sure someone will be able to benefit from it when planning a future vacation.  I know I will!

Does anyone have anything fun planned for this weekend?

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New Beginnings!

My first post of the year and ever!  Very exciting stuff.  :)

Not having kept a blog before, I'm not sure what the first post really should convey.  However, I'm sure there will be many growing pains before I get the hang of it.

Having googled the phrase "what to include in a first blog post," I was inundated with all kinds of advice from format, to content, and advertisement advice.  I'm pretty sure that this blog will be read by just a few close friends, so I've nixed the idea of the "perfect blog post."


So who am I?

I'm a girl from sunny California who wants so desperately to be crafty and Martha Stewart-like, but usually ends up with a sloppy mess and thoughts of "Well next time, I'll know what NOT to do."  I  can spend hours in a craft store, much to the chagrin of my significant other.  I have wonderful friends who are creative and encouraging.  Hopefully, I can feature some of their projects later on!


What am I going to be blogging about?

First of all, I have a love of all things edible!  I began cooking for myself after college, but after about 6 months of eating pasta and canned soup, I started to slowly expand my horizons.  Now I'm considered the baking professional in the family!  However, I am somewhat of a health nut, so much of my cooking errs on the healthy side and most of the time I have a vegetarian diet (due to my aversion for handling raw meat).  I adore having culinary adventures around town, and I hope to share some of those fun times!

Secondly, I have always loved sewing, and wanted to learn early in life, but I didn't get a chance to until this last April.  I grew up with a grandmother who would make us pajamas, Halloween costumes, and other projects that my mom needed.  However, by the time I was ready to learn, she had stopped using her sewing machine.  I'm so happy to be continuing the tradition (although it skipped a generation), and I love looking over the things she's made and getting inspiration from them.  I'm most interested in garment making, but I'll be making other items because someone's always having a birthday, bridal shower, baby shower, etc. around here!

If you ask my friends and family what other career path I could have taken, the answer would be professional organizer.  I looooove when things are where they are supposed to be, and in a pretty, functional way!  Now, I'm not saying that I keep everything spotless 100% of the time, and that I have the perfect solution to under the bathroom sink, but I do love a good label!  I plan on moving some time in the near future, so I'm sure that I will have to implement so new organizational systems.  Yes!!!

Lastly, I will be blogging about my love affair with pretty, vintage items.  I'm sure it will be self-evident in my future posts, but I "ooh and aah" over all those old-fashioned details that may be tacky or costume-y to some, but precious to me.  If you have an aversion to lace, mint green decor, or sparkly earrings, you may feel like you've wandered into an Anthropologie-esque wonderland.  You have been warned!


P.S. - If you're a grammar hound, please ignore my constant run-on sentences.  I can tell the difference between you're/your and their/they're/there, so I should get points for getting those right!  I like to think that the run-ons signify an overabundance of thoughts on any one subject.  :)

P.P.S. - I welcome any comments and participation, especially when I am planning my projects.  The more, the merrier!

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