Me Made May week 4

Gardening season has arrived! I am loving the summery weather and I hope my seedlings are, too.

This sundress is one I made last year, after finding the cutest cherry-print cotton. It ties at the neck, and ties up the back, and has ruffles! (n.b. this dress was sadly not cute enough to solve all of life’s problems...

Sundress with cherry print

This butterfly-wing top was inspired by a Ravelry poster who is no longer with us. Bittersweet to wear in her memory, but she’d want us all to be twirling.

Polka dot butterfly top with denim pencil skirt 

Pulled out this gingham top from almost exactly 12 years ago - originally inspired by Bye Bye Birdie, interesting to compare my garden then to my garden now!

Yellow gingham sleeveless shirt 

This dress was a very pandemic project: cotton baptiste bought in a colour I didn’t care for, but was on sale for next to nothing. I de-coloured it, and then hand painted all the  polka dots. Lined the skirt with an old bedsheet. Buttons from stash. Really everything was stuff I had on hand already, except the vintage buckle which you can’t even see in this photo, from Agnes Vintage Buttons. Because during a pandemic, why not wait for something shipped from Spain?

Polka dot cotton baptiste dress with pussybow 

This linen-cotton top is from yeeeears ago... matching pencil skirt as well, although it got worn more, and washed more, so it’s faded more. I keep thinking I will over-dye them both. One day. Skirt is a simple wrap, cotton print from a Fabricland haul a couple of years ago.

Linen bateau neck top, wrap skirt with bicycle print 

Currently raining, hope my sprouts enjoy!

Liesl is done!

And Kurt is done too, just needs a couple of buttons sewn on!

How do you solve a problem...

Like playsuits made from curtains?

A while ago I volunteered to work on the costume crew for a local production of The Sound of Music. Turns out, I'm the only sewer on the crew, and the playsuits Maria makes out of her curtains all need to be made from scratch!

There was a bit of confusion about getting the fabric, but after a long anxious wait it is finally here, and I am finally sewing! And my collection of random vintage kids' sewing patterns is finally proving its worth!

Of course nothing is exactly right, but at least I have starting points for things in kids' sizes I'm not in the habit of working with.

Liesl, at 16 going on 17, is basically a grown up, so I dipped into my for-me pattern stash for that.

Like I said, lots of alteration...

I'm just kind of freestyling it. Crossing fingers it all works! 

more pyjamas!

sitting quietly at a sewing machine seems to be the one thing that is easy for me to do while recuperating from surgery! so i am working my way through half-started sewing projects. it's quite embarrassing the number of things i cut and pin and abandon. oops. today's project: pyjamas!

i love tailored pyjamas. i think they make the kid look handsome and sophisticated. this fabric i like especially, because from a distance, it looks like the sort of classic pyjama that william powell might have worn in the thin man...

... but if you get a little closer, you see that the fabric is actually inspired by another 1930s classic, the wizard of oz.

hmm, now i am thinking i should make the kid a smoking jacket, for the full effect.

a little weekend sewing project: silk crepe tank & brocade skirt

after being sick all last week and doing literally nothing, on saturday i remembered that, oh yeah, a childhood friend was getting married the next day, and organizing something to wear was to have been the previous weekend's activity, except i just slept all day and night instead. oops.

so, what to do? dig into the stash, and see what i could find.

i had just enough of this lovely blue chinese silk/rayon brocade to make a skirt, and magically came up with a scrap of silk crepe in a coordinating blue. i think it was from a remnant bin, or maybe the textile museum sale? in any case, there was barely half a metre of it!

i managed to locate a zipper of the right sort & size and some bemberg to line the skirt, so that wasn't too hard. the real trick: what to do with that scrap of crepe? that wouldn't take any extra effort or fabric?

the solution, was to make a super simple tank.

i did this in the quickest way i could think of with the least amount of fabric and finishing:

first, i simply folded the fabric in half, selvedge edges together.

using the folded edge as the "shoulder seam" (except i didn't have to do the seam, ha) i cut out armscyes and the neck hole (a boat neck wide enough to go over my head, no fasteners needed).

then, i sewed down the side seams, from armscye to the selvedge edge (which i used as a hem - no fraying, not visible, so no finishing required). i did a french seam, being the most sturdy-yet-nice-looking seam i know, which also requires no hand finishing.

then i rolled the edges at the neck and armscye, and finished those by hand which took all of till the clouds roll by, which you can watch for free on youtube. it's a jerome kern biopic, a bit maudlin and drippy, but gorgeous costumes, and of course lots of spectacular musical numbers. everyone is in this flick: judy garland, frank sinatra, lena horne, june allyson, van johnson, dinah shore, syd charisse, angela lansbury, van heflin, esther williams!

that's it, that's all! it was more effort getting the kid to dress up with me.

and it was all yellow

so watching bye bye birdie the other day made me fall in love with yellow all over again. everyone was wearing yellow in that film - from ann margret's iconic dress from the opening sequence, to janet leigh's fringed number (and her brassiere), to various minor characters (including the little brother's pyjamas).

it's like a breath of fresh air, all fluffy sweetness and light, combined with the lovely silhouette of that era, probably the last year with a hint of dior's new look before mod took over.

so of course i wanted a taste of that, and took advantage of a rare day for myself, and pulled out the elna supermatic. i had bought some yellow gingham a while ago with the intention of making myself a summery ensemble, and the day had come!

now, i know i have more sewing patterns "somewhere" but of course no simple blouse pattern was presenting itself, so i drafted one. and i am pleased to say, it fit perfectly with no alterations required!

usually i fall prey to some form of body dysmorphia and over-compensation and over-compensation for over-compensation, which requires some taking in or disturbingly misplaced darts. but this time i got it right. even the collar sits perfectly. yay!

and lots of nice compliments when i wore it to work the next day.

think i'll be making another blouse or too from this pattern. i'm very keen on the "sleeveless/short-sleeved blouse under a cardigan" look, lately. a bit prim, but that is fine.

i also made a half-circle skirt to go with - the effect of a shirtwaist dress, but more practical/versatile for me. i love the half-circle cut. and it is easy easy to do. and somewhat more wearable than a full circle! because the gingham is such a lightweight fabric, it's fully lined in cotton muslin.

more buttery birdie loveliess:

rainy weekend afternoons

there's no point in going outside, when you could be baking cookies and watching movies.



so, the fred astaire indoctrination continues. when i was a kid i used to watch musicals with my dad, so it's a double dose of nostalgia. and i always wanted to learn to tap! no luck finding a teacher in my small town, though.

this afternoon we watched the 1935 classic top hat. this has always been one of my favourites, and i was really enjoying the gorgeous 1930s decor and gowns, especially as i nursed a bit of a hangover from going out the night before to a 1930s-themed party - finally, a chance to dig out my authentic silk chifoon 1930s gown! doesn't look like much on the hanger, but put it on and wow. i resisted the urge to wear my opera cloak and break out the austrian-made deco horn cigarette holder of the same era, for fear of damage. but the dress turned a lot of heads, and my hair thankfully cooperated.

but enough about that, back to top hat. there was much gorgeousness to behold, but i found myself more enticed by the costumes of matron madge than the more obviously showy dresses ginger rogers wore as dale tremont. specifically, what really caught my eye was this gorgeous backless satin number:




back to the cookies, i've had a hankering lately for my nemesis, the butterscotch chip. so i decided a batch of scotchies were in order, modified to accommodate the kiddo's oat allergy.



barley scotchies

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 1/2 cups toasted barley flakes (looks identical to rolled oats)

cream together the butter and sugars, beat in eggs and vanilla.

sift together next 4 ingredients. add to butter mixture in batches, mixing well.

stir in butterscotch chips and barley flakes.

drop by tablespoonsful on a cookie sheet covered with waxed paper. bake about 8 minutes at 375 f.



so lovely with a glass of milk. between the cookies and fred astaire, i could be a kid again.

so jealous!

while i'm stuck dreaming in toronto, wondering when i'll have time to finish my frock (because yes, i intend to dress up to watch this from the comfort of my living room) and dreading the heinous hour of the royal wedding here in eastern daylight time, my friend meredith is off in london - blogging it for work no less! catch up with her here: LondonCalling

meanwhile the kiddo and i watched fred's version on the weekend. gorgeous frocks, swank suits, and some of his most spectacular (if gimmicky) dance numbers. h especially enjoyed astaire's duet with jane powell on the ship (when waves caused havoc and much falling down), the hat rack in the gym, and of course the dancing on the ceiling trick. i told him he could do it too, if he really really practised.

get cracking

i've begun the kiddo's religious education by making him watch easter parade with me (which resulted in him donning his polka-dot bow tie and doing dance routines that involved a lot of falling down) and baking cupcakes with a springtime theme: eggs in a nest! the nests i made last week, and a good thing too, and this weekend was crazy (surprise party, charity event, 4th birthday party, etc.) and i never would have got done if i hadn't started early.

first off: meringues! seems the perfectly appropriate recipe for making eggs. i piped wee egg-shaped dollops on the cookie sheet, trying to stop them from getting too peak-y:




while those were in the oven, i worked on the batter for the cupcakes - here's a shot of the butterscotch being poured in:



the meringues look ready to hatch!



few things look or smell so lovely as cupcakes in the oven.




or fresh out of it! this recipe is another from the family circle cake & cooky cookbook.



i realized that my bittersweet chocolate wouldn't do for the icing - it had an allergy warning, and the kiddo's school is strictly "no nuts." so, i adapted my vanilla frosting recipe with a quarter-cup of cocoa. then, it was assembly line time: a healthy dollop of icing on each cuppy, a nest, another wee dollop of icing, and two meringue eggs.



here they are - my very own battery farm!




meringues

2 egg whites (at room temperature)
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch salt
1 cup white sugar

combine first four ingredients. whisk like mad, gradually adding sugar, till it holds stiff peaks. spoon or pipe onto an un-greased cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. bake 1 hour at 275F.

n.b.: you can use the same recipe to make a shell to fill with fruit and whip cream - heavenly!

frosting

1 cup milk
3 tbs flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup butter, soft
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cocoa (optional)

whisk flour into milk and cook over low heat till thickened. stir in vanilla, and allow to cool.

cream together butter and sugar. if using cocoa, blend it in too.

beat cooled milk mixture into butter mixture. an electric whisk is great for this!

chill in the fridge till a little set before using to frost your cupcakes.

ah, weddings

i don't know why exactly i am so keen on the upcoming royal wedding.

i'm one of those anomalous left-wingers who, while believing the state should be a caretaker (e.g. universal healthcare & education, affordable housing and social welfare programs for those in need) or else leave us alone to make our own decisions (like who we marry or when/if we give birth), also loves tradition, pomp, circumstance, etc.

maybe it's because, as citizen of a former colony, i can convince myself that we're not paying for it (even if the queen is on our money). maybe it's simple nostalgia for an institution that does seem to be winding up. with all of the sordid tragedies and petty embarrassments the royal family has suffered in the last decade or so, is it possible to imagine them carrying on much longer? even if they do, in the current economic climate, is such gross conspicuous consumption going to be acceptable? not so much.

but the pomp and circumstance is lovely. and a royal wedding, as opposed to a coronation, is all pretty dresses and parties and who-has-the-longest-train and how-did-they-stuff-it-in-the-cinderella-coach. really, it's pure fairytale, and thus perfect fodder for the golden age of musicals.

fred astaire! jane powell! peter lawford! keenan wynn!



gorgeous use of colour in this film, especially primaries and double-especially yellow.





(i'm a bit in love with yellow lately)

jane had some truly lovely get-ups in this one...

smocking!



cardigan!



jabot!



and of course fred's dancing on the ceiling schtick!



lots more great screengrabs from this flick over at sweet sunday mornings.

i was up at dawn for the last royal wedding, and i'll be up at dawn for this one, preferably eating a victoria sandwich.