But first I got to go shopping for vintage buttons to go with my blouse fabrics. God I love buttons! There is just something about them that is almost magical.
My local (well - 1 hour away) antique centre has a store that has a good collection of buttons and some other bits and pieces. I call that stall The Button Lady. I realised recently you can also find her on etsy!
This is how the button lady has most of her buttons:
They are stitched onto cards, and sorted by colour. It makes it really easy to find what you are looking for!! There are more of these baskets on the other side of the stand, and there are also odds and ends in this lovely case.
It took some time to match buttons to my fabrics, but I ended up with the following, which I'm really happy with!
These are glass, and a better match in person...
I couldn't decide between these. The ones on the left are glass, the ones on the right are plastic. Seeing them now on the fabric instead of the card I think I'm going to go with the ones on the left.
This fabric was really difficult. Its a dark hot pink. The buttons on the right are a better match in person than in this photo, but the glass buttons on the right will go better with the skirt.... still umming and ahhing about these ones.
If I hadn't spend so much on buttons (and the arctic fox fur stole I couldn't leave behind) I would have purchased this adorable single-serve teapot!
Its a TOASTER!!!!!
So with the buttons pretty well sorted, I set about starting on the blouses. Just for a reminder, I'm using this pattern:
An "Easy To Sew" pattern that only has four pieces! Sounds good doesn't it - until you have to cut it out 8 times! Sigh, it took FFFFOOORRREEEVVVVEEERRR!!!
I did also cut out some bias strips. Instead of hemming the blouse and finishing the sleeve with a facing, I've decided to use bias made from the same fabric as the blouse.
I worked for two days straight on these 8 blouses...
By the way has anyone noticed that there are 7 skirts, but I'm making 8 blouses???
Thats because I'm getting in early and making the blouse to go with this skirt!
But more on that later...
Anyway, after spending two days I ended up with 8 blouses that could be hung on hangers, which made me feel like I'd achieved something!
The sleeves and the hems aren't finished, and they don't have collars, buttons or button holes, but I worked damn hard to get them to this point, and I just couldn't face going any further...
Well, I did put the collar on one just to see what it looked like...
Please excuse the terrible lighting, it was quite late...
I still have a lot of work ahead of me with these, BUT we are going to have a competition next week when I get them finished. I'm going to show you photos of the 7 finished blouses, and the 7 skirts, and I'm going to get you to guess which blouse goes with which skirt! Doesn't that sound like fun!!! All the people that get it right will go into the draw to win..... something. I haven't worked that bit out yet! hahaha!!
Wish me luck with getting these done! I have a feeling they will be the death of me!!
Beccie
xxx
CRIKEY!!! I share your love of buttons. My mum used to have this HUGE jar of them and I LOVED tipping them out and looking at him.
ReplyDeleteYou'll be getting blouse making RSI soon!!!
I bet your mum wasn't too impressed when you tipped them out! But I would have done EXACTLY the same thing :) Mum used to take me to a fabric store that had a bowl on the counter of buttons, and I remember being obsessed with it! She'd wander around the store and I'd stand at the counter pouring through the beads!
DeleteAnd I think I already have blouse making RSI. Last night when I got home I had the choice of putting the collars on a couple more, or having a bath with a glass of wine.
Guess which one I chose...
I think most sewers have a weakness (obsession?) for buttons, at least I do. My mom had a huge box filled with buttons, playing with them made me feel like a princess rummaging in her jewelry. When my grandma died, I could save her button box from being thrown away. I spent several days sorting everything by colours and materials. Some of the buttons could as well be from my great-grandmother. I think these are things that usually were handed down from mother to daughter. And just now I finished a skirt using some of those buttons.
ReplyDeleteThe blouses look great so far! I'm sure you feel very proud looking at all 8 blouses in a row. And the pattern is so adorable. I'm very excited to see the finished ones with the matching skirts.
Wow - buttons from your great-grandmother! They would be so precious!! And yes, I expect they are something that would be handed down from mother to daughter. What a precious thing to have, and wonderful that you still use them!
DeleteP.S.: And I'm totally jealous that you have an antique center nearby… I guess I would spend lots of time and money there… :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, well I do spend a fair bit of time there.... and money! They are right around the corner from my hairdresser so I normally try to have time before or after my appointment to have a poke around :)
DeleteI really need to get a sewing assembly line going for tops as well, I'm in dire need of separates.
ReplyDeleteYou are lucky that the notion lady puts her buttons on a card. It is so much easier to get a visual that way. You would go crazy if you saw the amount of buttons I have. hahah Of course most of mine are organized until I get a neat vintage box that has random buttons. So I also have a few random button boxes. I kid you not, I have at least 30 boxes(vintage and hip) probably more, full of buttons divided by color then more specific. MOP all together then extra beautiful MOP in another container. Bigger vintage tins for extra large buttons that are extra gorgeous. That is what 40 years of sewing will do. Hahah
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI just discovered your blog, and I'll be following it! I "assembly line" produced some 40s blouses this summer, and I wear them all the time! They're so great to have to mix and match, and yours will be extra stupendous with many of them being more solid colored with a huge color variety to boot! I can't wait to see them all done!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your kind words about my Button Shop! I've spent a few hours browsing your blog, and also found a blue and green pagoda parasol that came from my store originally. I love to see my treasures being used and loved.
ReplyDeleteYou've really inspired me to get carding more buttons. I should have a new selection in the shop by the end of the week. And I've recently come by a stash of 1950s patterns which will be making their way to my Etsy Store