pattern junkie

006: License to Nil

Vogue 1561, 1966

She backed against the faux bois wall, doing her best to affect a casual tone.  "Microfiche?!  I don't even know what that is!  How could I possibly steal it?"

They weren't buying it.  She could tell that.  Why oh why hadn't she listened more carefully to Q when he explained how to use the hidden compartment in her dress collar?  It wasn't fair. They'd never make James wear something that made him look like one of those stuffy American pilgrims at Thanksgiving.

Monday Morning Eye Candy: Superfly!

Some regard the 70s as the worst of times in fashion.  I have to confess that I have a weakness for them.  Not for the hippie-ish headbands and caftans, but for the capital F FUNKY that abounds, from bizarre polyester prints to flared pants and (of course!) big collars.

So this week the 70s get some eye candy commemoration thanks to McCall's 2594 here.  That collar!  Those clean princess lines!  And oh, do those pockets make my heart go pitter pat.  In a coat like this, how could you ever feel frumpy or lack confidence?  That coat says "I KICK ASS -- even when wearing a crocheted beanie and granny glasses."

Big Collar Love

Wow.  My heart's all a-flutter this morning, and it's not because the coffee's a little stronger than usual.

Look at what I just found on the Vintage Pattern Wiki!  Meet Gloire de Paris 10.21:

It's French!  It's stylish!  It's a wiggle dress!  And it's got one of the HUGEST collars I've ever seen!  The tips go PAST her shoulders!  It looks like giant bat wings...like a shawl shrunken down and gone wrong...like it could pose a serious threat to her health if the wind whipped it the wrong way...

I love it so.

I've written before about my inexplicable love for big collars but this one...this one...

...this one is my destiny.  Gloire de Paris 10.21, where are you in a B34?

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Round One

Welcome to THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY.  These are a few of the men's vintage patterns I've found that count as my "goods."  If Mr. Pattern Junkie, the rebellious ex-early 80s punk rocker, did not strictly adhere to his own unique dress code (black, black, black; Vans shoes with skulls; shirts never smaller than way too big and shorts never shorter than 5 inches below the knee), these are patterns I'd make for him.  Of course, tastes vary -- you might call these your "bads" or "uglys"!  Enjoy.

First: I've got to tip my hat to Butterick 3960 for making plain shorts more interesting with the stripes variation on view B.  Both Mr. View As seems quite jealous, don't you think?

 

I really love this mod shirt and pant combo from McCall's 8475, not to mention the pattern illustration itself.  Yeah, baby!

Butterick 5738 has a deep V-neck vest with a low-slung belt.  Everything about it screams bad polyester and hideous 70s fashion.  So why do I like it so?

McCall's 5628 is easy to love: it's a classic car coat.  Even Mr. Pattern Junkie might go for this one:

 

Here's a car coat updated for the 1970s, McCall's 2981.  I thrifted a coat much like View B in college and wore it to death until my mother "accidentally" donated it to Goodwill.  She's still in trouble for that one.

Finally: Butterick 5898!  With my big collar obsession, how can I not love a robe with wide lapels?!  FUNKY!

Next up: my bad and uglys!  Got good, bad and uglys of your own?  Send 'em in and I'll post them!

Which Dress for the New Year?

So, Mr. Pattern Junkie and I are throwing a brunch on New Year's Day, and I've got this crazy notion that I've going to sew up a vintage pattern to wear by then.  (Insert maniacal laughter here.)  Being the kind of person who can't make any decision easily, though, I'm still debating between two patterns.  Do I want to make Simplicity 9030 and greet 2010 with late 60s mod coolness, showing off my strange obsession with gigantic collars?  (And yes, I blogged about this very project over a year ago and have yet to make it...)

I'd make version 2 there and be like Ms. Pixie Cut Hopeful, even though my hair is long.  (No snide hair in face shenanigans like little Miss Double-Belt there, though I do like her shoes, and snooty Miss Pink can keep her fringe purse.)  The fabric I've earmarked is green and brown, too, and could be very retro cute:

Or it could make me look like a pair of curtains.  Those heart-shaped bits are roughly an inch wide.

Option two?  McCall's 4576 from 1973.  I just bought this on Ebay and would make version A in a gauzy powder blue crepe.  I love it because it's so very 1970s junior high social studies teacher -- you know, Ms. Wilson, who wore dangly earrings, perfume and heels, and was rumored to be dating Mr. Johnson, the math teacher.  All the other female teachers went by "Miss" or "Mrs." but that "Ms." gave Ms. Wilson a little bit of glamor, and everyone was fascinated/horrified at the thought of her on a date.

 

The main risk with this pattern?  Even though it's a size smaller than my measurements, apparently McCall's had already started implementing the "add ten inches of ease to everything and call it a day" approach to patternmaking that they employ today.  So I might look less like "I'm hitting the disco with Coach Zimmer after choir practice" and more like "I'm wearing a belted blue potato sack with a Cleopatra-style collar."

Any thoughts besides "get sewing, you indecisive fool"?

Overwhelming Enthusiasm

I've been pondering over what to write about this pattern envelope for a while: Simplicity 9487 required, I felt, something involving 70s Corman movies, Charlie's Angels, pep squads and bad acid trips.  Finally I've realized this is one of those "a picture is worth a thousand words" situations: there's really no witty caption or clever story that can match the giddy excitement and studied cool of these pattern models.

For some weekend vintage pattern excitemenet of your own, be sure to hop on over to etsy and check out the Yart Sale happening now through Sunday the 14th.  To do a little shameless self-promotion, I'm offering 10% off all patterns in my shop featuring funky collars, a particular obsession of mine.  Many other pattern sellers are offering discounts, so take a look around!

Inexplicable Obsessions

I think I've picked my next sewing project.  I've had Simplicity 9030 for a while now, but I'm suddenly inspired to make it.

I love the simple A-line silhouette and front zipper (it looks like it'll be easy to construct).  But what I really love is that collar: floppy, huge, 70s-era, almost as big as the model's head.  The collar flaps may actually double as radio antennas or wings, much like The Flying Nun's habit.

Sewing patterns with big collars are one of those things I can't seem to pass up.  (Bundt cakes, odd pudding recipes and bad thrift store art also fall into this category.)  It almost killed me to list Simplicity 9026 in my etsy shop: those collars could double as ski slopes.  Someday, somewhere, I'll find it in a B34!

I can't explain why I've got a weakness for big collars -- but really, who CAN explain the mysteries of love?

I'm planning on making the dress in a midi-length with some retro-ish cotton I have.  It's a light grass green with a pattern like iron scrollwork in chocolate brown.  Of course, I also planned to make it in time for Thanksgiving dinner, which seems unlikely considering that's now only about 24 hours away.  It's probably for the best -- that amazing collar is probably a gravy magnet.

In other news, Hot Patterns is having a buy one, get one free sale for Thanksgiving.  I may have to get those gauchos I was mulling over after all...