Thirty.

Wow, thirty isnt as scary as I thought it would be - in fact, thirty is great!

Even better, is getting a commitment ring from Jakk.

Turns out she has a British passport and I can get one - and the British Consulate will perform same-sex marriages in Sydney.

Not for a few years though!

I wish I could have had a dreamy, well dressed photo of her giving me the ring - but i'm not complaining at all!

(the ring is from Safari Lee, a fabulous jewellery artist in Newtown)

Gay and youthful utility sweater, circa 1944

I'm a sucker for any knitting pattern described as 'gay'.
Easily amused I guess...

This pattern is from the ever-fabulous Womens Weekly Knitting booklet, and I know personally i'd really love to knit it up (i'm waiting for the weather to cool down a little bit before I pick up my needles again).

VintageStyle - BurdaStyle

I'm not a huge fan of the BurdaStyle website (I don't find it really user friendly) however, they really do have some great patterns with a retro vibe - some for free! Here are some of my favourites... hope you like them...

The Coffee Date Dress

there are SO many gorgeous versions of this dress!

 

Dress with A-line skirt

50s Petticoat

Three-quarter length sleeved blouse

Full skirted dress with cut out bust

 

Katjusha dress

High waisted pencil skirt

How can a grrl say no...

when Retrospect'd had their sarong dresses for 50% off?

I only went in to double-check the construction to make my own, but then I saw the midnight blue dress for half price and somehow I ended up walking out the door with it.

Retrospect'd is a great 40s/50s reproduction store on the south end of King St in Newtown. Unfortunately the website doesnt do the store justice - its filled with so much eye candy and a bigger range. I've found the service can be hit and miss sometimes, but if you go on a Monday say hi to Geeves - she's fabulous!

Fair Day 2011

I'm definitely feeling tired today! But I love Fair Day, people come out that you only see once a year (hello WebGoddess!)

Our theme this year was Femme Fantasy Island - which worked really well with the Pirate Island theme on the Dirty Magazine stall next door...

We sold quite a bit of merchandise, badges and talked our mouths off about being Femme! I think I have femme fatigue, and need to have a bit of a rest... especially since i'm turning 30 on Friday. Eep!

Hope you all had a great weekend too!

No rest for the wicked.

Or the under-staffed at work.

I have 17 days to make some sailor shorts for Dykes on Bikes, and a sarong dress for the Love Boat recovery party.

(While the sailor pants are a deviation from the STtDC, the sarong dress would fit the 'Wiggle Dress' criteria, phew).

Sarong dresses look so stunning, especially on the curvier girls (Doris MayDay, I love you).



Fleur's Flickr

So, it can't be that hard to make one right? How about drafting your own pattern since they sell for over $60 online?

Piece of cake.

Lets see. Take Butterick 9629.

Thats just a sheath dress, with the wrap and a fake tie on the top. A bit of googling came up with this result for drafting a sarong skirt with cascade.

These are great diagrams of how to draft your own, i'm inspired to fiddle with a pattern and see what happens...

Not-So-Mellow Yellow!

Yesterday I was asked to be a Ride Leader for the Mardi Gras Parade! Exciting!

I'm riding with Dykes on Bikes, and am heading the Yellow Group (the third group).
No, i'm not wearing leather, latex or going topless.

I dont have to wear yellow either which is a relief!

I know I havent posted much in the way of vintage sewing, but the Mardi Gras season is always hectic for me (especially as I'm responsible for a lot of stuff on behalf of Femme Guild). I do plan on completing one more outfit before the MG season, fingers crossed...

Wartime Glamour - Ladies topper from Copleys

'A wartime evening "Dress Up" with glamour in the Fair Isle yoke and dainty full sleeves. Such a very slender waist'.

Yep, those sleeves would even out anyones pear shape! This pattern is one of my favourites, from her beautiful hair to the line-backer sleeves. Not to mention they used puce/magenta coloured ink!