After-Christmas Break!

Hi everyone (or should that be anyone...since it's been so long since my last post, I'm sure NO-one actually reads this!!)

I've been so busy and crazy over the Christmas season that I haven't had any chance (or energy) to blog. I made several custom aprons for friends to give as presents. That made me very happy, but busy, right up until Christmas. What I've learned this year - don't take any custom orders within a few weeks of Christmas!!

Our Holidays were wonderful, if not relaxing. There was the annual cookie decorating

And we had several lovely dinners with friends and family, a nice and relaxed Christmas morning together (where I was spoiled rotten with a new Guitalele! More on that, later!) with presents and coffee with Baileys, a very merry New Year's party with friends downtown as well as a large birthday party last weekend for my man....he turned 40, after all! All in all, I made out like a bandit and had such a nice time seeing all the wonderful friends and family that I don't see often enough. In a very timely fashion, I have 5 days vacation left over from last year, and I'm using them this week, sewing for my poor, neglected Etsy shop, as well as vintage fashions for myself. I need to use up some of this fabric stash!!

Soon I will be uploading (to my Etsy) the 4 aprons I finished this week, as well as a few more vintage patterns...gosh I have no idea why I even bought them! They are SO much work to upload! Although, I HAVE sold a few so far, and have managed to keep about 25 or so for myself to use.

Speaking of using patterns, here's a pic taken by my man a few minutes ago of my new outfit:

I know, they're a bit blurry, and such. The skirt was sewn from a wool blend fabric using Butterick 8018 - a late '50's pattern. The top was sewn from a plain white cotton, using Simplicity 4530 - a 1950's pattern, with the collars changed to a shawl type...I just can't get into the large 1950's collars. Maybe it's because we had them in the '70's, too. Hmm. I forgot to put on my lippy and have no jewelery on. Please forgive the wrinkles...the shirt is hot off the sewing machine!!

I wish I had a narrower, vintage waist. The photos on patterns always look so much better, don't they??

I have recently acquired some 1940's and 1950's Lutterloh pattern books. If you don't know what that is, it's a pattern system from Germany that still exists today. They've been making pattern books since 1935! It's a wonderful resource for style - since there are drawings of ladies dressed in the outfits (the hair! the shoes! Oh my!) - as well as having hundreds of patterns. You can still buy them when they come up on eBay, though they're fairly dear. I've spent so much time looking at them recently, trying to decide what to make first!!! I think I'll start with a 1940's dress, like this on on the left:

Or maybe this one on the right:

And I'd also LOVE to make this blouse...isn't it adorable?? But then, I'd need a white skirt...and I'm not so good with white...

Chances are, this week, I won't get the sundress done. I'm trying to relax and enjoy my vacation...since my last 6 vacation days were used and I was SO ill. sigh.

Well, I'm going to go snuggle into bed....it's currently -1 degrees outside and snowing. Brrr!