Sew Weekly Challenge: To go with a hat

The challenge this week over at Sew Weekly, was:
"So for the first time at The Sew Weekly, we're letting an accessory dictate our outfits and celebrating the joys of hats! Next week's challenge is all about creating a dress to go with a particularly charming hat. "
I call mine South Pacific. Or Maybe Royal Wedding. Those are what I had the telly on to watch while I cut or hemmed. I find having the telly on rather entertaining while sewing actually. And I have been known to knit and draw in front of it too ;)

The Pattern was McCalls 4662, a vintage 1940's pattern that was super easy to make, and fabulous to do. I wouldn't say the instructions were very clear, but a little fiddling around enlightened you somewhat.

I like this picture of me better than the other front picture, but I hate the background. But I wanted to be near the Jacobite Rose which was blooming :)

The fabric was a 100% cotton from Joann's, with birds and butterflies all over it. I fell in love with it, and paid $28 for 4 1/2 yards- JUST enough to make this pleated dress.

I'm smelling the Jacobite Rose here- very nice!

The hat was something I got many years ago at Colonial Williamsburg- and it was untrimmed when I bought it. I have trimmed it a couple of times before, but this time, I too some bias binding and sewed it to the brim edge of the hat. Then I took a white satin ribbon and wound it around the hat before tying it in a bow. I clipped a butterfly I picked up from Michaels for $1 to it, because I thought it made it look much more amazing. Then I turned the hat around to wear them both (the bow and butterfly) at the front, as many of the 40's hats seemed to be that way.

Back view

Not being in possession of a hat pin, I added a small amount of elastic cording to hold it onto my head- a good thing because the wind likes to blow my hats off :)

A much nicer background :)

Here's the hat...

And the I wore the hat tipped slightly to the side- flat it looks colonial, tipped it looks much more 40's :)

Yarn Along: 27th April 2011

Ginny over at SMALL THINGS says:
~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a single photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

Today you can see a top I am sewing, a cardigan for a friend I just finished, the lacy top I am still knitting, a hat I just trimmed for the Sew Weekly Challenge- and a fun book my aunt sent me, from which I shall knit her dog a corgi :)


See the other Yarn Alongers at Small Things today.

Yarn Along: 13th April 2011

Ginny over at Small Things says:
~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? ~

On my needles: a vintage lace cowl-neck pattern.  I love this pattern- tiny, tiny stitches though.  I hope it stretches!
And as for the books:
Alligators, Old Mink and New Money and Mourning Gloria.

Knit Along: April 6th 2011

Ahh... a chance to enter the yarn along again- you can find the other posts over at Ginny's Blog. I know somewhere in my files are pictures of completed knitting pieces from before, that I actually managed to do between the last time I posted a yarn along and now... but I forget what and where!

Here is a completed 3 hour sweater, and another elephant in the works. I am writing out the pattern for him as I go. There are of course, other things in the works, but just not here.

You can see a picture of a Gladys Taber book... I found her after Susan Branch mentioned her in a newsletter. Fabulous and enjoyable writer :) And the other is my current obsession- Vintage clothing. In this case, the 1940's. I shall have to add a Vintage section to the sidebar so you can share the wonders I have found ;) Even better are the wonderful knits the 1940s had on offer. Expect to see more from that era forthcoming!

A couple of notes on the 3 hour sweater. It takes longer than 3 hours (primarily because those huge needles like to slip). If I were to make changes, I might add a little length to the body- maybe extra ribbing too. And I'd do something else with the neckline ;) Also, I recommend when binding off at the sleeves, to use a stretchy bind off as you would for sock ribbing.