1912 fashions - still cutting a dash

Oooh, how I wish I could get my hands on this pattern!

Isn't the orange and black coat just brilliant - I'd wear that now in a heartbeat, and I know I could sell it, too.  And the pink dress is just so dainty and feminine that I think it's timeless. What do you think?

This dinky creation could easily be a party or bridesmaid dress even now, its age given away only by the leg o' mutton sleeves and ruched cuffs but otherwise pretty funky even in 2012.

 These children look like they are having a whale of a time playing with their dollies, don't they?   And I love that  swing style coat.

 And yet another classic swing style dress, that looks both cute and darned comfy.  The cat doesn't look quite so happy, though, does it...

And in the end, this all reminds me that although times change and fashion changes almost as fast as politics, in the end it's all about looking pretty and feeling happy, and that much doesn't change.


Ref:  http://oldrags.tumblr.com/post/15369601869/clothing-for-girls-and-teenagers-1919

10 step programme

My name is Flo and I'm a fabri-holic.

I like to think I can stop at one print, but once I've started it just seems to start a domino effect and before I know it my trolley has 15 bolts in it, some of it the hard stuff like quilters' cotton.  And I tell myself, okay, well I'll just get one metre of each, that's not so bad... then I see the 50% off sign and soon I am sneaking 2- and 3- metre cuts into my unmarked brown shopping bag and hoping no-one will notice. 

So I'm asking you, as my friends, please don't offer me offcuts.  Don't ply me with remnants or fat quarters.  Keep your bolt ends locked in a cuboard out of reach.

Please help me to help myself.

My name is Flo and I'm a fabri-holic.

What's in a size?

Most women will attest to the pain and frustration of clothes shopping where you go from elation thinking you've dropped a size, to total despondency at thinking you have gone up a size, then the harrumph or realising you've not changed at all it's just the clothes in the shops are seemingly sized by a random number generator.  But, as adults are such differnet shapes, heights, sizes, etc, I can sort of mayyyybe forgive the clothing manufacturers a little...

However, as younger children at any given age don't actually differ that much, you would think that kids' sewing pattern sizes would be kind of accurate.  You know, if you're making a size 2, then it will fit a two year old, that kind of thing.  Is that asking too much?  Am I just picky?  Because patterns cost an arm and at least one leg, so I thought maybe I was paying for, well, accuracy... but no.  Of the three main trouser patterns I've been using to make trousers size 9 months, 1 year and 2 years, any given age can differ up to 2cm in length and 2 cm on the waist (and that's taking into account any dodgy sewing on my part).  And they're not even totally consistent when the patterns are made by the same company!  So, I've got a new system...

I've saved good-fitting items from Moo's wardrobe for age 6 months, 9 months, 1 and 2 and - as he is of average height and weight according the the charts - I use those as my new yardstick.  Then I re-label the pattern with what I thnk the *real* sizes are.  That way at least my customers and I stand a fighting chance of getting somethig that fits.

Pattern makers, you suck!