Roaring Twenties

Did you know that after I graduated from design school, I turned my back on all things sewing and design related? It's true. I had spent my entire college career slaving away over garments until the wee hours of the morning. Each garment would start with a series of sketches and inspiration boards, and from there we would flat pattern or drape the garment, create a pattern, fit it in muslin, and finally sew it in the fashion fabric. It was an enlightening process, but, oh, what labor of love (with the emphasis on labor)!

I moved to New York City seven months after I graduated college, and while I took a job in fashion, it had little to do with fashion design. Instead, I decided to play the part of muse, pursuing modeling rather than designing.

Well, seven years after putting down that needle (with a few exceptions here and there), my passion for sewing seems to have returned with a vengeance. These days it seems that all I think about are patterns. I am not drafting my own so much (I don't have a personalized fitting shell, nor a dress form in my proportions), but am working with store bought patterns.

A screen capture from Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)

I have bought a few modern patterns, but mostly my interest runs to patterns from earlier eras, namely the twenties to the fifties. I have spoken of my love of the styles of the 1920s before, but not unlike the protagonist of Thoroughly Modern Millie, my shape just doesn't accomodate the silhouette of the twenties. Nevertheless, I was practically salivating over this pattern book from spring 1923 that is on Ebay right now. The going price is still quite low, but I'm sure it's going to shoot up, and alas, I have no room in my budget these days for such items. Below are the seller's images from the book. They're lovely!

If you happen to be the lucky winner of this magnificent book, won't you please share the images with us?


XOXO,

Please Vote For Me-- Madmen Casting Call

My sixteen-year-old niece, Morgan, is something of a triple threat. She's spunky, beautiful, and incredibly talented. A few years ago she got her hands on a camera, and within no time, was producing incredible photographs.


I've long said that I wanted her to shoot me, and yesterday we finally collaborated. I wanted something fifties-inspired, and she was able to indulge me. I provided the dress (a gold lamé dress that I picked up at Goodwill last year for a few bucks), did my hair, makeup and nails, and she did the photography and photo editing.


I LOVE the results. Just take a look and see:

Morgan hand-selected these photos herself, then used the online editing software, Picnik, to adjust the colors so that the pictures look like they're from another era.

This one (above) reminds me of a photobooth picture. The one on the left could be from the late fifties or early sixties, whereas the one on the right reminds me of a headshot of an actress from the silver screen. We had an inspired moment when I lay down on the ground and flipped the lace of the skirt behind my head. It adds such a nice texture to the photo.

This one has that same 1950's feel. I LOVE it!


So, I really need your help. I'm entering the Madmen casting contest for a chance to win a walk-on role on AMC's Madmen. PLEASE VOTE FOR ME HERE BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK.


Below is the picture I chose to use for the contest. I like some of the above pictures better, but this one has the most sixties feel, I think. The current season of the show is set in 1964, so I thought some of the black and white photos looked too old.

XOXO,

Wedded Bliss

Whilst celebrating my birthday on Sunday, little did I know that the wedding of the decade was going on.  No, I'm not referring to Chelsea Clinton (who got married on Saturday night), but to a certain Lisa Simpson who celebrated her nuptials at 1pm in the afternoon.

The episode originally aired in 1995 and was entitled, "Lisa's Wedding."

Lisa, I hope that you and Hugh St. John Alastair Parkfield have a beautiful life together.


XOXO,

The Big 3-1

On Sunday my sister and I celebrated our 31st birthdays. It is hard to believe that I am firmly entrenched in my thirties; I don't feel that old, and yet, when I'm 80, I don't think I'll feel that old either.

To celebrate, my mom threw my sister and me a mini-party.  We ate delicious homemade vanilla ice cream with toppings like strawberries and mint.

I wore my shirt that I bought at the Delheim Winery in Stellenbosch, South Africa.  It was so nice to be able to spend the day with my family.  Last year, Erin and I were apart on our birthday.

As I grow older, I am encouraged by these lines of my favorite poet:

No spring, nor summer beauty hath such grace
As I have seen in one autumnal face;
Young beauties force our love, and that's a rape;
This doth but counsel, yet you cannot scape. 

~John Donne, Elegy IX

XOXO,


Scalloped edge tutorial and tape images courtesy of the lovely Katrina Tan.

Time Lapse Photography or My Mugshot

I just returned from the Department of Motor Vehicles where I picked up my new federally compliant ID/driver's license-- my old license was set to expire on August 1st (my birthday), and as of 2014, all licenses will have to comply with the new federal standards.

This probably confirms me as shallow, but I said a quick prayer before having my photo taken as I didn't exactly relish the idea of carrying around a terrible-looking identification card for the next five years.  And, at the DMV they're pretty ruthless-- you get one shot and that's it!  I have to say that I am happy with the results, although with their no-smile policy, it does come off looking a bit like a mugshot.  Oh well!

While we're at it, I thought I'd post a few pics of me through the years.  Below (from left to right) you can see my first passport (I got it at fifteen to go to Juarez, Mexico on a mission trip with my church), my current passport (I got that in 2000 so that I could go to Paris, France-- my first trip overseas!), my last driver's license that I got when 26, and the "Under 21" license was my very first license, issued when I was sixteen and a half.

Next up: finding my misplaced passport so that I can renew it before it expires in October.  I'm hoping I have more travels ahead!

XOXO,

Winner for Book Giveaway

A few weeks ago, I posted a giveaway for the book I had just finished reading called The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. As you may recall, it's a bit of a mystery novel meets vampire novel. I like to think of it as the thinking (wo)man's version of Twilight.

The winner of the book is Joanna who sweetly wrote: O wow! That sounds incredible! I was reading your blog entry and thinking..."I wonder if this book is available here"! :) I love that you are giving it away and I would love to have it if I win :)

Joanna, can you please email me-- elventryst@gmail.com-- and let me know your address!


XOXO,

Abject Failure

Years have passed since I last touched a sewing machine. Well, strictly speaking, that is not exactly true, but after sewing every single day for four years in college (B.S. in apparel design from University of Delaware, thank you very much), I really needed a break, and pretty much didn't touch fabric or my sewing machine for years. Then my sister got married and asked me to make her wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses, and after that ordeal (just the pressure of sewing four dresses on a deadline), I once again retreated from the sewing world.



Enter July 2010, when I decided that I would make a dress to wear to my friend Lucia's wedding.  I pulled an out-of-print pattern (Vintage Vogue 2241) that I have in my stash and have never made and decided that this dress from 1931 would be "the one."  And, after days of pouring over it, drafting and re-drafting the pattern, sewing multiple muslin versions (the count is up to three now), I am beginning to think that the ban on sewing was probably a good idea.


One of my biggest problems was that my pattern was purchased in 2000, when I was definitely a size smaller.  The top seemed to be fine, but the hip area was way too small.  No worries, I thought, I'll just grade the pattern to a larger size.  Well, now the hips fit but the top is too big.


This problem is one big headache, because there are no side seams.  Laid flat, the pattern looks like one big rectangle, which is great in theory, but how many people's bodies are shaped like rectangles (meaning their hips and bust are the same size)?


The frustrating part is that I know patternmaking, and yet, I still don't know what to do next.  I'm ready to forget this dress and move on, but for some reason, I can't admit failure and move forward.  I won't get this finished in time for the wedding, but I may try to work on it some more once I'm back from the wedding.  Of course, then I won't have anywhere to wear this dress, but every girl should have a beautiful gown in her closet, right?


Sigh.  

XOXO,

Sainte-Chapelle (Paris)

My best friend, Corrie, is one of the coolest girls you'll ever meet.  She's really fun and outgoing with a huge personality and she's thoughtful and considerate to boot!

Look at this really cool postcard that she sent to me from Paris.  I love that she reused a vintage postcard!

She knows me too well :)  Look at the cute paper airplanes on the stamp!  (Can you believe it cost that much to mail a postcard?)

The postcard is of La Sainte-Chapelle, a beautiful chapel on a little island in the heart of Paris.  The stained glass is amazing, and if you stop by on a sunny day, it is like being inside a giant kaleidoscope!

I'll be hanging her postcard next to the one I bought there ten years ago (incidentally, the last time I was in Paris).

XOXO,