Nifty Flea Market / Yard Sale Finds

Look at this cool sh*t!

I go the numerous antique flea markets / swapmeets a couple times a month.  Sometimes I find really cheap vintage patterns, awesome notions, and on rare occasions I get fabric.  Then there are those times you find really cool things.  Like these brass duck pattern weights!

Well, the original purpose was place holders on a dinner table, but they are super heavy and a great size to fit in the corners of pattern pieces.  I use these in combination with metal washers I bought at the hardware store.

The ducks are my new favorite...and if I ever have a big Duck Dynasty themed dinner party, I have the perfect addition to the table.


(The fabric was made into a blouse for myself.  To be blogged about later when I get around to taking photos.)

These are a Few of my Favorite Things...

Like my "The Sound of Music" reference???  So, I'm in the middle of studying for my Textile Science midterm, and I'm really bored.  Instead of studying, I thought I would show you some my FAVORITE sewing notions!

1)  Mr. Spikey! or the technical term Needle Point Tracing Wheel (Tracing Wheel-needle Point)

I use Mr. Spikey A LOT when drafting patterns.  He helps me transfer markings from muslin to paper, and from one pattern to another.  I used it here to transfer the markings from a my floral dress muslin to the back to the pattern piece.  It does not reck the cotton muslin, but I would not recommend using it on a satin.  

2)  SIMFLEX! I've been wanting one of these things for a year and I couldn't find one anywhere.  Finally found it at a sewing supply shop in the Downtown L.A.  And now, it's on Amazon! Simflex Expanding Sewing Gauge.  It is so cool! It's great for marking buttons and buttonhole placements, and pleats, and its really fun to pull apart and put back together.  

I'm going to use it on my button down chambray shirt! Hooray!

Dress Form!

Creative post title, right?

Look what my parents bought me for x-mas next year?

A PGM Industry Pro dress form!  We found her at one of my favorite swapmeets/antique fairs for less than 1/2 the price they sell for new.  She's in great condition with the exception of a little dirt.  It looks like maybe some dark purple fabric transferred on to her too.

She's close to my measurements and has collapsible shoulders.  I'm excited that I can work on a project for me and not have to try it on every two seconds.  I can drape on her too!

She doesn't have a name yet.  I can't think of anything I like.  She's just "dress form" for now.

Anyways, I was really wondering if anyone could give suggestions for cleaning her.  We vacuumed the linen and then took a Mr. Clean Eraser to her, but dirt didn't come off.  I'm afraid of wetting the linen and being too abrasive because when we got a little rougher in the cleaning, the fabric seemed to start to stretch out of place.  Any other suggestions?

purple boobage.

see the dirt? ^

Thanks to Nikki, my newest Follower.  I've been going through my vintage pattern stash to see what I want to giveaway!

Pearl rides in the laundry basket when I haul it up and down the stairs. 

Vintage Awesomeness!

Just a few things I thought I would share with you all.  A hodgepodge of vintage goodness.

Really old shoe clips and some buttons.  I love the shoe clips, but haven't worn them yet.  I realized I don't have the right shoes to put them on!  Also bought these buttons to go for a coat if I ever make one.  I have some nice winter white fabric that I think they will go nicely with.

Got these patterns about 3 weeks ago in the Boyfriend's size.  It is so hard finding vintage shirt patterns in his size.  Both are intact and in decent condition.

My parents brought this home for me one day when I was on vacation.  It is an old fashion illustration I think from the 1950's I'm guessing from a department store called Hartfield.  It is really cute.  I think the cherub in the center is a little strange, but I think it was common back then.  My fashion illustration teacher would have a fit over the big heads and tiny feet!

Finally a Nylon shirt in great condition.  Check out the lace!  It's really cute on, but I can't figure out what to wear with it.  Any suggestions?

That's all for now.  Still waiting on the pattern giveaway, but I think I'm going to give in and just host the giveaway even without the 75 followers.  I'm super happy I have 73 people reading my posts! 

My New Favorite Pressing Tool

I love my new sleeve board.  It's the best $4 swapmeet purchase ever!

Perfect timing that I bought it on Saturday right before I worked on my bodice and sleeve sloper for school.  In class we drafted a bodice front and back using the dressform measurements and then after class I drafted the sleeve.  Our assignment was to complete the drafts and sew up muslins of our sloper (or block).  I used the sleeve board to iron those narrow sloper sleeves and to press and shape the armsyce seam.  It was wonderful!

Slip the sleeve on the board.

Position armsyce seam around curved edge and press.

Great for pressing seams open!

I don't know how I ever lived without one.

You can buy one here:

Heavy-duty Ironing Board




By the way, here is the sloper on my mom's dressform.  It was not made for this form so the fit isn't perfect, but I know it will be perfect on the FIDM forms.

My New Toy!

The shears FIDM "gave" me!  They are ARSuper SS 526-As.  The only place I can find them online is here.  They are AMAZING! These scissors are so smooth and cut like buttah.  I'm a lefty and they even work for me.  My favorite part about them is the logo though. It says ARS and has a little crocodile biting the S.  A little crocodile bitting an ARS-e.  Yes, yes, I know I'm immature.  The one thing that makes me sad about these shears is we are forced to cut the marker out a certain way: 

1) Lay down blue dot paper or brown butcher block paper.

2) Lay down 2 layers of fabric (muslin in this case) aligning the selveges along the straight edge of the paper.

3) Place marker on top (a marker is basically sheet of paper with all the pattern pieces on it)

4) Pin and then cut through ALL 4 layers....INCLUDING THE 2 SHEETS OF PAPER!

I hope my beautiful new shears don't die!