Sewing: The Ahwahnee Coat

Hello all! Sorry for my short blogging break there. Work has been very busy here in Alaska, and I have had hardly any time to sew or write! I have been knitting quite a bit as usual but I think I should spread my knitting posts out a bit :) I am pleased to say I have accomplished knitting my first hat though.

Today I thought I would share with you my progress on the first of two winter coats I am sewing this year! I chose Wearing History’s Ahwahnee pattern to get my feet wet in winter coat sewing and it proved to be just perfect for that! I chose a good warm wool and simple lining from Denver Fabrics, and I am loving the color contrast of the grey and the blue.

There are a couple of key design elements that led me to choosing this pattern. 

1. It had a hood (I love hoods!) 
2. It had welt pockets
3. It was not overly formal in design

Later this year I will be embarking upon making a fully tailored 1940’s coat and I wanted this coat to be suitable for everyday use. As well as exploring the highlands later this year. (Ethan and I will be taking a slight detour after Alaska to visit Scotland.)

The coat is not quite finished yet, but it is getting close! This was my first time sewing welt pockets and I think they turned out pretty decently for my first try! All that’s left is sewing the buttons and making the button holes then it is done! I believe I will wait to post the final photos till we are in Scotland however, for a pretty backdrop :) 

Have you ever sewn a winter coat?

Sewing: Smooth Sailing Trousers

Good evening everyone! Good morning depending upon what time you are reading this. As I sit typing this moment I am on anchor watch. My shift lasts for 2 hours and is on rotation so it never happens at the same time as the night previous. While I hated anchor watch at first, I now enjoy it! I get to have a space all to myself and enjoy peace and quite. Which happens to be quite a luxury! The days here are a blur and the nights are bright and full of work. I am exhausted. We arrived here in Alaska in May and it is now July…I can hardly believe it! I have moments where I think that I love this job and could definitely stay for years. While on the other hand I have days where I contemplate jumping overboard and taking my chances with the Bristol Bay rather than one more day of being on our boat! Truly, I don’t think its that bad in and of it self. But rather that I am so not suited for the lifestyle of a sailor or ‘sailorette’ ;) and don’t particularity enjoy being thrown so far out of my comfort. zone. On the other hand I love it and wouldn’t trade this experience for the world! I am completely at war with myself when it comes to how I feel about working here in Alaska so I think I will stop writing about this and blame it on hormones for the time being. And start talking about Wearing History's fantabulous Smooth Sailing Trousers! 

 I have wanted to sew these pants for years. Literally years. As I sat down to begin this project I started to wonder “Why on earth have I not made these before?” Seriously though people. I have had this pattern on my make list ever since it was released and I am proud to say that it is scratched off! Not permanently though because I will for sure be sewing these again! 

Construction was easy as pie. Around 5 hours including pattern adjustments for fitting. I lowered the crotch and the length of the pants. Per usual :) You can’t be over 6 ft tall and not make adjustments such as those.  The fit of these make me feel so elegant! the high waist hits just right and is quite slimming :) 

I purchased the fabric from Mood and bought some extra yardage in case some other projects happened to arise. Now I really want to make a coordinating 1940s suit jacket! The only down side to the fabric is that the plaid doesn’t really stand out as much as I would like it to. From far away the color of the pants looks like a muted brown/gray tone. Which is a shame because the pattern is really lovely! And has a light blue thread running through it. 

The blouse is from an old 1940s vintage pattern from my stash. I haven’t sewn using it in years and realized that while it may be one of my favorite patterns that next time I would need to do some updating to the sizing. The blouse fits OK but not great. So one of my next projects is to re-grade the entire thing for future use. On the subject of the blouse though. I am loving my new married initials! It’s the small things…

Usually I am not a fan of monograming. (Hello living in the south were women monogram EVERYTHING. And do it with chevron, anchors, hot pink colors, crazy fonts and deco mesh and YIKES the list is endless.) That being said I have come to realize I do indeed like monograming! When it is tastefully and legibly embroidered on cloth or stamped into leather. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe 4th of July! 

Have you ever sewn Wearing History Patterns before?

If so, which one is your favorite? 

What are your thoughts on monograming? Is it a Yay or Nay? 

Have a lovely day!

Olivia 

Sewing: The Blueberry Lemonade Skirt

 

Hello all! As most of you know I am in the midst of moving. However, that has not kept me from sewing! I whipped up this circle skirt last night and thankfully my husband was able to take some photos for me this evening :) I have had this fabric sitting in my stash for quite a while.. I picked it up from Denver Fabrics  (Love that site!) and never knew exactly knew what I wanted to create out of it. Suddenly, the answer came to me. A circle skirt! Circle skirts are a year round staple in my wardrobe so it was the perfect solution.

You may have noticed, I am sporting a new hair color....The other night Ethan and I were talking about how when he first met me I was a red head. I had the bright idea that I should dye my hair again! (it was 1:00 A.M.) I had just finished growing my hair out to its natural color.. Also, after my many hair dying fiascos I had decided to never it again. Ha...Ha...Ha... did I mention it was 1:00? We went to the grocery store and bought the hair dye. When we arrived home, I enlisted Ethan to help me color my hair. Needless to say his talents are not in this field ;) My oldest sister Casey who had done all of my hair coloring in the past came to the rescue and gave me the shade you see today! I am fairly pleased with it! However, I would just like to say to all of the gals out there thinking of dying you hair to a completely different color than it is. Don't do it! Coloring you hair is like opening Pandora's Box and if it turns out badly? Imagine getting a bad tattoo that you are stuck with for a year.

 Construction Notes:
 Fabric- Chambray from Denver Fabrics
 Zipper- Vintage metal zipper (my favorite type to work with!)
There isn't much to say about the construction of a circle skirt. Very simple and straight forward! I drafted my pattern using the tutorial from Casey's blog.
Circle skirts are so easy to sew, I would like to try something a bit different next time and experiment with a shaped waist band.

And there you have it!

Have you ever created a shaped waist band for a skirt?

Have a lovely evening!

Olivia 

Throwback Thursday: Oklahoma!

Here is a happy Throwback Thursday post for you all! I don't know if any musical theatre lovers read this blog, but if so I hope you enjoy! I had the pleasure of performing in Oklahoma! at Temple Theatre in 2014. This was my first time performing at a professional theatre and what fun it was! I also ended up helping with a bit of the costuming as you can see below.

The dress pictured directly above I actually made to be a replica of Liza's barn dance dress from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. It worked out pretty perfectly for the Farmer and the Cowman dance scene :) 

Me and my lovely mother! She also performed in the show. 

I loved that bird blouse so much.. I couldn't keep it sadly though :(    

Happy Thursday everyone! 

Olivia 

Just Keep Swimming..Just Keep Swimming

Good morning and a happy Monday!

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Ethan and I had the privilege of getting away to the beach for the weekend. Which was much needed after so many hectic ups and downs. Over the last few months everything seems to have been changing. Doors opening then closing and countless big decisions to make. One of the biggest and most prevalent at the moment is that for the last few months Ethan has been looking at a complete career change. (He is in the process of joining the United States Coast Guard- Prayers would be much appreciated!) Also we are moving.. Moving adds a special dash of crazy to any life. Thankfully since I have stopped working and I grew up a military child...this shouldn't be too hard :) 

Here are some shots from our trip over the weekend. I also want to take a moment to write about my latest 1940's beach outfit creation further down. 

John 1:3-5

 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 

My inner child who adored the movie 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea thought picking up a jellyfish was awesome! 

As most of you who are reading know, I have had a love for the 1940's my entire life. My curiosity of the era first became pricked after reading The Chronicles of Narnia. This led me listing to Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra Christmas albums throughout the entire year.... Oh the joy in my heart when I discovered music such as this existed outside of the Christmas genre! Here we are today and my love of the 1940's only grows more everyday. 

I made this top in under 2 hours, super easy to whip up in a night. 

The pattern is from Eva Dress. I worked with this pattern several times while I was assistant costumer for South Pacific (yay theatre costuming!). In the past I inserted bra cups in-between the lining and outer fabric layer, however I used a thick interfacing for shape this go around. For the record I suggest using bra cups such as these :) 

I made the skirt using this pattern. Available on Etsy here. 

Fabric from Denver Fabrics 

I picked up my pattern at a thrift store but I was devastated when I found out it was missing the top and shorts pattern pieces! 

What is your favorite beachwear style? 

Have you been sewing anything lately? 

xoxo

Olivia