pattern junkie

McCall's 3435 and the Dreaded One Note Bird

When Mr. Pattern Junkie and I first moved in together, we rented a nice little house (emphasis on "little") in the hills near the Hollywood Reservoir.  The house, besides listing so badly to one side that visitors would be momentarily seasick when they entered, had one major flaw: the Dreaded One Note Bird.

The Dreaded One Note Bird had a "song" consisting of one monotone note: tweet.  Every time the same length, the same note, usually at very regular intervals.  All day, every day.  Now, you could go days without noticing the Dreaded One Note Bird.  But then, suddenly, it would permeate your consciousness: tweet.

At that moment, you knew you were doomed.  Because then, the only thing you could notice for the rest of the day was the incessant tweet of the Dreaded One Note Bird.

What, you may ask, does any of this have to do with McCall's 3435, what with its pretty Peter Pan collar, flared skirt and knife pleats?  Really, it's just a darling dress:

Except for that chair.

The more I look at this illustration, the less I can tear my eyes away from the chair.  Why is it there?  Why?  What mad impulse made the illustrator think, "Hmm, this drawing needs a little something more...a little something to, oh, draw the eye away from the dresses...Should I put a plant?  A tiki stand?  A garden umbrella?  No, a chair would be perfection!"

Really, I try to focus on the pretty puffed sleeves of the yellow version or the knife pleats and pearls -- but DEAR GOD WHY IS THERE A CHAIR IN THE BACKGROUND?!  And why, if you must put a chair there, why oh why dash off the plainest most boring chair ever seen?  Put some effort into a wingback, please, or maybe entertain me with a chaise lounge or -- WHY THE CHAIR?  Is there some symbolism I'm missing?  Some hidden message?!  Is this a statement, or are you just messing with my mind?

Tweet.  Tweet.

Tabs, Tabs and More Tabs!

Today's piece of eye candy has my heart are a-flutter:

A darling silhouette, yes -- but look at all those button and tab details!  Sure, actually measuring and marking them and sewing them would make me lose my mind...but if someone could make a dress like this for me, I would wear it to death!  (Cool colors only, please...I look horrible in orange.)

You can find Spadea 1061 at Heavens to Betsy Vintage, which is where I found this drool-inducing image.  Click here for the vintage wiki listing.

On The Awkwardness of Outgrowing Childhood Friends

Mary sighed, pretending to be distracted by a flaw in her fingernail polish.

Kathy and Polly still thought "Guess What's in my Pocket?" was a good way to pass the time.  Then they wondered why no one thought they were "sophisticated."  As if a nice coat and long gloves were all it took!

Simplicity 4612

Juvenile Delinquents

When I first encountered Butterick 4149, all I could focus on was that doll.  It left me speechless, breathless and everything in between:

Look at its freakishly long arms and legs, its blank-eyed expression and its stringy stringy hair.  It's ghastly!  The hairline is receding!  Its hand is shaped like a dog bone!  It's the stuff of nightmares and horror movies.

But on a second look, the little girl holding the doll is much much scarier.  Towheaded little Buffy looks so sweet, so innocent...yet don't you think she's in the process of slamming that doll facefirst into the ground?  The doll's limbs are in motion because Buffy there is bashing its little cotton brains out on the rocks, a sweet smile on her face the whole time.

Speaking of little girls up to no good, how about these two in Simplicity 4880?

I don't know what Checks is hiding behind her back -- a tortured cat?  a lethal combination of cyanide and Coca Cola? -- but I know that she and Blue are Up To No Good.  Those innocent looks don't fool me.

Finally, meet the sweet little girls of Vogue 2867:

So ladylike!  So patrician!  So Upper East Side with their painting and tea party settings and contemplation of tulips!

I'm sorry, but someone needs to let these children play in the mud, pronto.  Otherwise they are going to hit puberty and EXPLODE. 

Let's Get a Little Bit Meta

I'm planning on doing a post on 1950s maternity patterns soon, and recently stumbled upon McCall's 3516.  Take a look at what Blue is holding:

It took me a minute to figure out what that red scrawl was: "McCall"!  She's holding a McCall's pattern book or magazine -- because, of course, she sews with McCall's patterns.

I realized I hadn't seen this before -- a pattern illustration that actually suggests that a woman sews.  Isn't that interesting?  You'd think that since the intended audience for patterns are sewers that you'd see more representations of, well, people sewing.  Instead the illustrations show people at parties, at barbecues, at the beach...enjoying the garments they've sewn.  I suppose that's why they work so well -- I for one look at the picture and imagine myself in the completed garment, completely forgetting that it will take time and work to get there!

What do you think?  Would seeing a pattern illustration of someone in a fabulous dress picking out fabric or draping a mannequin make you excited to sew?  Or would it remind you of the work involved and make you less likely to buy the pattern?  Have you seen other pattern illustrations that show women sewing?  If so, please send them my way!

A Nice Touch

I was doing my morning browse of the Vintage Pattern Wiki and ran across Simplicity 2849 from the late 1930s.  Isn't it just lovely?

The skirt, the suspenders, the bolero -- all great.  But what really stands out for me are the flowers embroidered on the shoulders -- I don't think I've seen that before.  What a wonderful, sweet detail!

Of course, I'm also thinking it would be fun to make a blouse and embroider an anchor on one shoulder and "Mom" on the other.  I'm too indecisive and chicken to commit to a tattoo, but that just might work.

Wedding Night Jitters

I don't know what Yellow told White, but the poor girl looks absolutely petrified:

The arched eyebrows, the handwringing...in fact, she's been twisting her fingers together so intently that she's LOST HER RIGHT ARM!

Yellow, I don't know if you're White's mother, older sister, aunt or best friend, but this I do know: you have a black and twisted little heart.

Simplicity 1466, 1930s

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?

Web Junkie June 13, 2010

• Carmencita is hosting a pattern giveaway for the above pattern over at her delightful blog, and I'm honored to be co-judging the entries!  Head on over to her blog and come up with a caption for the above white teeth/bronzed skin and forced smile horror; we'll be picking a winner soon.  I've been meaning to do a post on these McCall's mid-70s scary women for a while, but I have to say I can't look at them for very long.  They give me the heeby jeebies in the exact same way those "air dancers" outside of car dealerships do.  Carmencita says they don't have them in France (I think the French WOULD react in horror), so here's a clip for our international friends.  Imagine driving down the street and being assaulted by THIS:

Sorry, seven seconds in and I have to pause it.  They freak me out THAT much!

• Over at Male Pattern Boldness, Cathy models The Ugliest Pattern Ever.  It's great!  But why oh why didn't I submit my western bodysuit pattern to the competition?!
• Need a little direction for your summer sewing?  Join the "Summer Essentials" sew along organized by Ali of the wardrobe, reimagined.  The idea?  Pick your 5 summer essentials and join in the fun.  I think mine come down to dress, dress, dress, dress and dress.  How about you?

Happy Sunday to all!

Good Housekeeping's "Just-For-Fun-Clothes"

Who knew that Good Housekeeping could be, well, so downright groovy?  Good Housekeeping 768, 1967, is classified as a pattern for "Just-For-Fun-Clothes" -- but the fun covers a much larger range than I'd expect.

Let's start with the Shoulder Strap Shift.  This image is EXACTLY what I'd imagine Good Housekeeping to consider "fun":

A demure shift. Cute.  A sweet pose.  And I bet her shoes match her earrings.  Very GH -- I just wish the photo were in color!

But then...things get a little interesting.  Check out the quasi-Amazon women modeling the Striped and Batwing Ponchos:

I suppose gladiator sandals demand a gladiator pose?  This promises a different variety of fun -- namely, the "Honey, if you burn that steak, you're going to be punished" variety.  Really, these two look like they stepped out of a Roger Corman biker movie to model for this pattern.

But the best picture is this one -- and boy, do I wish it was in color!

This is straight up late 60s groovy psychedelia!  Those paisley swirls and multi-colored stripes (not to mention those sultry looks) are just an invitation to a little chemical induced vacation, don't you think?  The women modeling the Beach Burnoose, Caftan and Toga are having fun in the Haight, not at the neighborhood BBQ. 

Wow.  I'm starting to think that my mother's Good Housekeeping would be much more entertaining than the one available today!