Me? Vintage?

Whewhh...

That was a lot of kid sewing the last couple months.  I have been sewing almost non-stop since the beginning of August in order to complete a school wardrobe for Abi and use Project Run and Play to supplement Eli's mostly hand-me-down wardrobe.  I also threw in a little Isa sewing to fill in some gaps in her wardrobe.

Well, after all that kid sewing, I am ready to do some sewing for me.   I have a loose plan and have already started to get a couple projects done.

My friend who lives in Korea sent me a bunch of fabric for the kids (good fabric is really cheap there) and there is plenty left over.  And I have some left over from a big order from Fabric.com that was meant for Abi.

Next, I started thinking of what types of projects I wanted to make.  I pulled out a bunch of patterns and was automatically drawn to several patterns that I received from my Grandmother.  These were patterns she used a lot and she not only sewed them for her family but she for which was a pattern tester.

I gathered up some fabric and choose one of Grandma's patterns and sewed up this cardigan.

I loved the way it turned out.  It is a thick sweater knit/lace.  I used it for some leggings for Abi but had a ton left over so it was perfect with this project.  I sewed it with my serger (other than the hem) and that really is the only way to go with this fabric.  It would have been a real pain on a standard machine.  I used purple transparent buttons and bias tape (home made left over from Abi's not-so-biased skirt) for the facings.

I am going to have this sweater be my IP project this month.  I had Eli (yes, the 4 year old) take the picture in a place that had a lot of the same colors as the IP photo and I think it is a good fit.  I have another idea for an IP project, but it may or may not be made in time, so we will see...

Since I loved it so much, I decided to try it a different way too.  This time I used a very light weight zebra sweater knit.

Instead of making a cardigan, I cut the front on the fold, just like the back and then cut a band to finish the neck line.  I LOVE this sweater.  I made it big enough to go over a blouse or long sleeve T. but I have been wearing it all on its own.  I figure it will be a useful extra layer as the weather gets colder, but for now, I am enjoying how this soft fabric feels on my skin.
At this point I was quite giddy with my fabulous new sweaters so I pulled out several more of Grandma's patterns and my new book that arrived in the middle of PRP.

This picture is not great, but there are several cardigans, dresses and a skirt in those STRETCH & SEW patterns and Gertie's book.  Gertie is a big time blogger and she sews up vintage clothing and designs modern clothing with a heavy vintage look.

I have read the book all the way through now and it is a fun read.  The first 2/3s is all how-to sewing stuff.  She definitely takes your techniques up a notch with a lot of hand and couture techniques.  The last third are her patterns.  I am going to start with the Pencil Skirt and then move to the Wiggle Dress and then I will either sew up the Portrait Blouse or Shirt Dress.  We will see.

So, For the next couple months, this is what you will see from me.  And it is funny, I have never thought of myself as a vintage clothing lover.  But, my choices on what to sew right now, certainly are vintage.