A mystery gift

One of the moms that help out with theater gave me the above roll of pins. It looks like a ribbon of pins perfectly aligned pins. She received it from her mother in law I believe and since she doesn't sew that much she gave it to me. From what I gather it was used in a machine but the exact purpose or manner I'm not clear on. I did a bit of research  online but couldn't find much.

Here is the pin size comparison, they remind me of applique pins.

Anyone have a clue?

Voting is open!

At Pattern Review for the Vintage contest! There are a lot of nice pieces in the competition, but if you would like to vote for mine I would be very happy =). Just click on the button on my blog that says "I entered  the Vintage Contest" and it will take you straight to the voting page.

I'm deciding what to sew next, so stay tuned!

My entry for the Vintage Contest in Pattern Review

I did it! I finished on time to enter the contest! No voting yet, I think it starts next week, I will let you know when, in case you like my project and would like to vote for me =)

I'm copying here my review

Pattern Description:
From the envelope: "Sleeveless, front yoked dress has center back zipper and may be underlined". I'm adding that it is an A-line dress.

Pattern Sizing:
Single size, 14 which in 1968 is a bust 36. I had to narrow the upper bodice following the instructions on McCalls Step-by-step Sewing book from 1967 which the pattern refers you to, and I happen to own. On multi size patterns I always use a smaller size for the upper chest area so in this case I needed to try something different, the technique has you slash and adjust as needed and it worked for me.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
It sure did, except that I used three colors.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
The instructions were very good except when it came to install the lapped zipper, the instructions say to refer to the zipper package instructions; I used the method described by Sandra Betzina which always gives me good results. The pattern notches are numbered which is wonderful, I don't know why they stopped doing that, it is very helpful especially on patterns that have similar pieces.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I love the 60s and therefore A line dresses. This seemed an easy enough pattern to try my hand at sewing vintage dresses. While I have a few vintage patterns I had never used one before, entering the contest gave me the push I needed =). I was inspired by the dress, Megan of Mad Men, wore in the new season and I showed you in a previous post.

Fabric Used:
Two fabrics are linen/blends, the brown and orange. The tan is a cotton with a linen like texture but lighter weight. All fabrics are from my stash.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
The only design change I made was to cut the back with a bodice seam to match the front so that I could incorporate the color blocking. To follow the rules of the contest I mantained the A line shape although my inspiration dress has a pencil skirt. I also follow all the construction instructions, added an underlining (cotton batiste), used all the facings and applied interfacings where the pattern recommended it. The facings were tacked to the side seams and to the underlining.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I don't know if I will sew it again but I enjoyed sewing my first vintage pattern. I recommended if you can find it and like the style.

Conclusion:
I like how the dress turned out, I think I might add a snap at the neckline to keep the bodice more upright, other than that I'm happy!

Vintage sewing

Pattern Review is having a vintage sewing contest and it made me pull out my vintage patterns and try one.  I chose McCalls 9230 which is a 1968 pattern (I love the 60s). My inspiration for this dress?

Picture from TomandLorenzo.com

I will use the tan for the main body, orange for the crossed piece on top and brown for the other crossed piece. The back of my dress is one piece so I modified the pattern to include a pieced back where I will use brown again in the bodice.

I am using some of the techniques I'm learning about in the Susan Kahlje class. I will make the Vogue dress from the class next, I was just too excited to make the vintage dress!

I made a muslin since I'm not sure about the sizing and I'm ready to sew it today and try it on! I am so excited about this project!