Aviatrix Costume: The Coat

I'm back! Boy, the holidays really hit me hard this year; I haven't done much sewing, blogging, or really much of anything since Thanksgiving! I almost didn't post this one since it has been so long since Hallowe'en, but I had it mostly written and decided that I really wanted a log of the entire costume. If you're tired of seeing the same pictures that you've been seeing for the past two months, scroll down; I finally managed to post a few photos of my little one!

As I used real leather to make the coat, I really wanted to be able to wear it again. I used the leftovers from a huge thrift store coat that I had cut up to recover a chair cushion, so most of it was in pieces.

I used parts of several different patterns to make it. I had to do a bit of improvising, as I needed to use the largest pieces for the sleeves, hence the panels in the bodice. I didn't take as many pictures of the process as I had thought, so I hope that you can see how it all went together . I was finally forced to do bound buttonholes; seven of them! I was terrified to do these in leather, as I don't have much practice with them in the first place, but I found that the stiffness of the material actually helped a lot.

I had originally planned for the coat to have four buttons, but then I found these amazing vintage buttons on etsy, and I decided that I wanted to use more of them! Luckily, it worked out that I could put another buttonhole between each one that I had already done; I had to lengthen the coat slightly to make the spacing right, but I think it still looks fine. And yes, I did use one of my son's blue crayons to do all of the markings. It worked like a charm and wiped right off!

Putting on the waistband. Have you ever tried to gather leather before? I hadn't, and I hope that I never have to again! It does make the back look pretty, though. Here you can see how the waistband is pieced together, and how I couldn't quite make the seams on the bodice and the waistband match up. They match in the front, though, and it's really not noticeable when I'm wearing it. I still think that it turned out better than it would have if I had used a vinyl or some other cheaper material.

To make the coat more versatile, I wanted to make the sheepskin collar removable. I had this big piece of faux sheepskin that came home with us from the hospital when I had Henry and which has been sitting in my stash ever since.

I cut out a piece the size and shape that I wanted it, and lined it with some brown satin.


You can see how bad the bound buttonholes look from the inside in this picture. Don't look! Allow yourself to be distracted by the clever way the collar buttons onto the jacket!


The lining was a pre-quilted acetate that I got on sale from my local fabric store. I was so proud of how the lining came out; I don't line things very often, and I really struggled to figure out how to put it all together. Especially the sleeves. Success!


Here's what it looks like without the collar. Sorry for the quality of the photo; our camera broke last month, so it will be more of those old camera phone pictures for a while! This was an unseasonably warm day, so we decided to do some outdoor activities.


I was inspired by the jacket illustrations at the lower left of this advertisement. I'd love to have these sporty skirts and blouses, too, and especially that plaid sweater!

I made this little scarf and hat using a regular-sized scarf from Target. Making the sweater-covered buttons was a nightmare, but I think it was worth it.


Here we are getting ready to go on a little hike.

I made Henry's knickers using brown corduroy, and he loves them! He won't even wear regular pants anymore, especially since we attended a showing of "A Christmas Carol". When he saw Tiny Tim, he decided that he would "be that little boy when he gets bigger". I'm so proud of my husband for letting me put girls' tights on him. (On Henry; not on my husband. Although there was that year that I convinced him to be John Adams for Hallowe'en....)

The hat is an adult hat that I found at Goodwill; I just put a seam up the back to make it fit his head. It does look a little big, but I think it works! The sweater came from a resale shop, and the scarf is mine. The shoes were white; I painted them brown using these Angelus Leather Paints. Worked like a charm!


And now that the new year is here and I have finally finished talking about my Hallowe'en costume, on to other things! I've been working on my very first evening dress, which I plan to wear to a cousin's wedding in a few weeks. Since I can't seem to concentrate on just one project at a time, I've also been sewing a vest for my husband, a few more dresses for myself, and the cutest outfit for Henry to wear to the wedding, which I can't wait to share!

A Duchie Award For Me, and A Coupon For You!

Some time ago (okay, over a month ago; ack; so sorry!), I received the Duchie Award from the lovely Lauren of Wearing History! I am always so honored to receive blog awards, but it feels extra special to receive one from someone whose style, skills, and creativity I admire so much!

“When you receive a Duchie Award, post on your blog (in any order)":

• Five things you love about historical costuming/wearing vintage clothing
• Three (or more) blogs to pass the Duchie Award onto
• A link back to the blog who awarded you the Duchie”

Five things I love about historical costuming/wearing vintage clothing:

1. The details. Vintage patterns have beautiful details that most modern patterns just don't have. A sleeve from the '30s can have more features than an entire modern dress, and don't even get me started on all of the wonderful seaming and pleating!

2. As Lauren said, learning new skills is a huge part of making vintage clothing. Most of my '30s patterns have very limited instructions, and I am amazed at how far I have come since I began sewing with them. I remember saying things like, "It says to put the bodice together, but it doesn't say how!" In fact, I just purchased an early '30s pattern very cheaply because its instructions are missing, and I can't wait to get started on it!

3. Dressing my little one. While finding pretty dresses for little girls is not difficult, finding nice clothes for little boys is a different story. They can be had for a price, but even these stop being available after about age 2. If you don't want your little one going around in t-shirts that say something inane like "You Bug Me!" or "Macho Man!", you must either buy expensive clothes or make them yourself. I haven't been posting any pictures of my little vintage boy, but I have been taking them, so I will remedy that soon!

4. The Accessories. Hats, gloves, collars, cuffs, beautiful jewelry; there is so much opportunity for creativity with accessories.

5.The limitless possibilities. Almost all of my patterns have one or two variations, and I've found that I can make up the same dress using different materials, and it looks like a completely different dress. I can't see myself ever getting tired of '30s fashions!

And now to pass this award on to three more blogs! I always have such a hard time with this, because there are so many wonderful blogs out there, but here are three that I just love:

Lilacs & Lace- I first found Laura Mae through Sew Retro, and she makes the most beautiful vintage clothing! I'll never know how she manages to make so many wonderful garments so quickly!

Time Traveling in Costume-I love all of her beautiful creations! Plus, according to her latest post, she is getting ready to make some dresses from my favorite era; I can't wait to see what she comes up with!

My Happy Sewing Place-Debi just celebrated her blogiversery and re-posted photos of many of her lovely creations, which reminded me of all the beautiful outfits she has made over the past year!

Thanks again for the award, Lauren!

Also, Rhiannon of the lovely etsy shop Garb-oh Vintage has graciously offered my readers a 20% off coupon for Black Friday! Just use coupon code "SHOPFRIDAY" at checkout to save on some beautiful vintage clothing.

There you have it: an award and a coupon; plus, someone at Walmart told me that I look 25 yesterday...Christmas has come early for me this year! Ha ha

Aviatrix Costume: The Jodhpurs

Whenever I make anything, even a costume, I always try to think of ways that I can wear or use it again. When I made these jodhpurs, I tried not to rush or to think of them as being "just a costume". It is SO easy for me to fall into this trap, especially when I have a deadline. That's not to say that I wasn't rushed at the end of the project; I always seem to finish everything at the last minute, and there were a few things that I would have redone if I'd had the time.


Here are some images from the '20s and '30s. The first two are of real women wearing breeches (for some great pictures of a few Hollywood starlets in action wearing jodhpurs, check out this post from Baroness Von Vintage), and below them, an image of a pattern envelope and an advertisement.

The description on this pattern calls them knickers and says that they are "suitable for General Sports Wear, Motoring, Riding, Motoring, Hiking, etc".

This ad is one of my favorites; she looks so glamorous in her riding clothes! And the men in their work clothes, with their shirts buttoned all the way up and tucked in; most men nowadays (mine included!) don't look half this nice when they go out to dinner!

My jodhpurs were made using this pattern, which I have been dying to make up:

I used the same fabric and vintage buttons as I used for my knickers. I am intending to make a vest to match someday, and I wanted to be able to wear it with both of them. I did make a few alterations to the original pattern. The pattern called for side pockets, which I eliminated; those kinds of pockets are never flattering on me anyway, and I thought that they would ruin the lines of the pants. I should have used some spray starch to stiffen up the sides a little; I think that if I had used wool or some heavier material, as the pattern called for, this wouldn't have been an issue. Please ignore my Peter Pan-pose here; according to my husband, I stand like this when I'm wearing pants. Weird.

I did put in the back pockets; I love doing these kinds of pockets, and I rarely get the chance to do them. My husband has let me make a few vests for him, but that's pretty much my only opportunity. I took a LOT of fabric out of the seat; as usual, I should have made a muslin, but, well, I didn't, and when I started putting it together, I realized that it pretty much looked like I was wearing a parachute behind me. I imagine that all that material is for ease of movement when riding, but as I will probably not have an opportunity to use them for that purpose, I was really going more for looks here. :)

It was really nice to sew something completely unlike what I normally make. Here's a picture showing how the front flap works. It is supposed to be lined so that the buttons slide between a casing created between the lining and the fabric, I assume to prevent them from catching on anything. Again, though, as I most likely will not be riding a horse nor flying a plane in these, I wanted my vintage buttons to show.

I love these jodhpurs, and as much as I dislike camping, I am really hoping for another chance to wear them!

Up next: the coat!

My Hallowe'en Costume! Part One

Hello, everyone! I promise that I have not abandoned this blog; I had a sick little boy, which sort of put everything else out of my head. He's fine now; in fact, it didn't seem to slow him down much at all, although I can't say the same for myself! After that little episode, I was kept very busy planning and executing (and cleaning up after!) my annual Hallowe'en bash. I'll share those pictures later, but I'm so excited about my costume that I just had to show it first! I decided to divide this into three separate posts; one to show the finished costume, and two subsequent posts to show the details of the coat and the jodhpurs. I actually stopped to take pictures while making the coat (don't get too excited; I took the pictures with my phone, so they're not great)! Here it is:


If only the Vintage Baroness and I could have attended the same party; take a look at her ridiculously awesome costume...wouldn't we have made a great pair?

Everyone thought that I was Amelia Earhart, although my original intention was to be Anne Morrow Lindbergh. The fact that a huge number of people had never heard of either woman and had no idea what my costume was supposed to represent was very disheartening. Darned American educational system! There were quite a few children, though, who yelled "Amelia Earhart!" at me, so they must still study her in school (and then forget all about her when they become adults)! Of course, my ever-complimentary husband decided that I looked like the creepy kid in "A Christmas Story"who stands beside Ralphie in line to see Santa.


I found the hat and the vintage welding goggles at a flea market a few weeks before Hallowe'en. I had been planning to make my own hat, but since I found this one, I took the faux leather that I had bought for the purpose and used it on the pants instead. It turned out to be a luckier find than I thought; the coat and jodhpurs took much longer than I had anticipated, so I wouldn't have had time to make the hat anyway!


The boots were a lucky ebay find; I had been looking for boots like these for months, and I finally found this pair, reasonably priced and only a little bit too big for me, a few weeks before I needed them. Fate! The scarf is made from white crepe, and the shirt is from Banana Republic via Goodwill.


And a good time was had by all! It just about killed me to get a store-bought costume for Henry; I actually have a child's pattern for jodhpurs and a little bomber jacket, and I was planning for us to be Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Alas, I ran out of time...maybe next year! He's really into Mickey Mouse right now, though, so he was pretty excited to wear this, as you can see!

Here is a photo of Anne Morrow Lindbergh. In addition to being a pioneer of women's aviation, she was also a well-published author.


Stay tuned for the details on the coat and jodhpurs, and for some pictures of my party!

Altered Knits: Easy Miss Lemon-Inspired Sweater, And A Blog Award!

I found this pretty sweater at Goodwill for a few dollars and knew that it just needed some embellishment. I had been watching Poirot recently (as usual), and thought that a big knitted bow à la Miss Lemon would be perfect!

I know we've all coveted this cardigan worn by Miss Lemon in the Poirot episode "The Adventures of the Clapham Crook". It was worn again by another character, Ann Shapland, in a later episode, "A Cat Among the Pigeons". Gemma of Bake Do and Mend put her knitting skills to good use by making her own lovely version of the Miss Lemon sweater. Isn't that brilliant?

This one was very easy to make. I don't have a picture of the sweater before I cut into it, but it basically looked the same as it does now, just MUCH larger and without the bow. To give you an idea of how much I took in on the sides, it was actually sleeveless before. I also shortened it by about 5 inches by cutting off the bottom band, taking it in, and reattaching it. As I mentioned in a previous post, if you don't have a serger, make sure you use the zigzag stitch for this, or you will be in big trouble when you try to put it over your head! As with everything else, I learned this the hard way :) For the bow, I took a sleeve from another sweater whose weave was identical to the bottom section of this sweater. I basically made a tube the size that I wanted the bow to be, turned it right side out, and slipped it through the holes that were already in the sweater, tacking the ends of the bow to the sweater on the inside to finish it. Quick and easy!

For all of you talented knitters out there, I found a pattern in a reproduction knitting book, which you can purchase here, that is very similar to Miss Lemon's sweater. Isn't it pretty? If anyone makes this, please let me know; I want to see pictures!


I've been thinking that I might embellish the bow somehow; either by embroidering my initials, one on each side, or by making some stripes like in the original sweater. The sweater is a coral/salmon color, so I was considering perhaps a turquoise-colored yarn for the accents. What do you think? Any other suggestions?

Also, I'm so honored to have been given two blog awards! Okay, it was really one blog award from two separate people, but my ego wants to call it two :) Thank you to Beth from V is for Vintage and to Susan of Susan's Diary-Vintage Style meets Heavy Music for giving me the Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award!

It seems that along with this award I must share seven random facts about myself, but I could only think of six things that were different from the ones I listed last time. I guess I'm not that interesting :) So here goes!

1. I've been a vegetarian for 20 years, but I have to try really hard to eat my vegetables; I'm more of a carb-etarian.

2. My favorite cartoon character is Jerry Mouse, but I'm fairly certain it's because he dances with Gene Kelly in "Anchors Aweigh". I grew up watching musicals, not cartoons. Plus, anything that involves Gene Kelly is automatically my favorite. Except Xanadu.

3. My second-favorite period in history is the American Revolution. I am named after Abigail Adams, the wife of John Adams, and chose my screen name of "Nabby" after their nickname for their daughter, who was also named Abigail.

4. I love gardens, but not gardening. I have the blackest black thumb around, but I keep trying every spring!

5. Hallowe'en is my favorite holiday! I always host a big Hallowe'en party, and ever since I bought my beautiful old house, the setting has been perfect! Of course, it's not as creepy as it was the first year we lived here, when the holes in the ceiling and the crumbing plaster really added to the ambience, but we make do :)

6. I hate to cook and am terrible at it, but I have a few easy-yet-impressive dishes that I can make very well. I basically alternate these three dishes each time I am asked to bring food to an event, and in this way I have convinced people that I am an awesome cook!

And now my favorite part of receiving an award: passing it on to some very deserving blogs! Here are some more blogs that I think are wonderful:

Lady By Choice

Rueby Retro

Sweetheart of the Rodeo

A New Ball Of String

A Few Threads Loose

Eclectic Ephemera

Bake Do and Mend

Va-Voom Vintage

Tuppence Ha'penny

As usual, if you decide to participate in passing along this award (I know that some people don't really do them, and that's okay! I still like to give them.), you just need to acknowledge the giver, list seven random facts about your self, and pass it along to some other blogs you love. And thanks again, Beth and Susan, for my award!

Mad About Plaid!

Yipes! It's been so long since I have been able to post, but I actually have a non-baby related reason this time: our nine year-old modem finally crashed, so we took the opportunity to switch from DSL to cable. Of course, we had to wait forever for the cable company to come out, so we were without internet for about three weeks (the horror!) Luckily, I had been working on this post before we lost all connection to the outside world.

Here is a dress that I finished some time ago. I had a terrible time getting a good picture of it; I don't know if it was because of its dark color or if the conditions were just wrong every time, but I tried on four separate occasions, and these pictures were the best out of about fifty. I had to lighten them considerably in order to show the details, so just try to ignore how washed out the background (and my face!) looks.

I made it with navy and plaid cotton using this pattern from the Vintage Pattern Lending Library. If you haven't already been to this site, you should head over there and do some browsing; they have some really beautiful patterns at very reasonable prices.


I LOVE this pattern so much that I just want to make it over and over, and this is actually the second time that I have made it. The first time was immediately after I had my baby; it was for his christening. I made his christening outfit as well and had almost no time to make my own dress. This pattern came together very quickly and easily for me, which was a lifesaver at the time. I made it again for two reasons. One, I was about thirty pounds heavier and *ahem* much bustier when I made it the first time, and it was just too big to take in. Two, I was so rushed when I originally made it that I didn't have time to worry about plaid matching, putting the zipper in correctly, etc. Basically, it was just not made well. So, I salvaged the sleeves and some of the fabric and used them to make this dress, and then I destroyed the rest of the poorly-sewn evidence :)

I made a few alterations from the pattern instructions this time around. The original dress unbuttons to the waist with the yoke being completely sewn down. Instead of using the facing piece provided for the bodice, I completely lined the inside with plaid and made it open down to the point of the yoke. I did this because I really wanted to add some extra buttons there for aesthetic purposes anyway, so I figured that they may as well be functional. Also, I had a bit of trouble getting in and out of the first dress, so this helped with that as well.

Here is a close-up of the sleeve and some more covered buttons. You know I do love my covered buttons.


And of the bodice. I love that the tie can be styled in many different ways.

You may also notice that I am sporting a new hairstyle (sort of). I have been on a mad Poirot re-watching spree, and I fell in love with Gerda's hairstyle in "The Hollow". Here are some pictures of her hair (my very first attempt at screen captures!):


My hair looked similar to that already, except that I added one more wave at the jaw to cover the ear. I also did a center part instead of the side part that I had previously always done. Also, the truth is that I only ever did waves on one side, as the other side was always covered by my hat; the rest I had always just put up in rollers. I really love it; although it doesn't look very different from the (left) side, it looks dramatically different overall. What do you think?

Tattoos?!

First of all, I want to say how much I appreciate all of your wonderful comments on my last post. I apologize for taking so long to respond to those of you who asked me questions; it seems that life (or as I call him, Henry) sometimes conspires to keep me away from the computer for a while! I want you to know, though, that I always read every one of your comments; I appreciate them so much! It's nice to get compliments from strangers on the street as well, but even when they are very positive, you can see them thinking, "Neat-but how strange!" This leads me into my subject today. A funny thing recently happened to me at the doctor's office. One of the receptionists approached me and commented on how she liked my look. This happens frequently, and it always makes me feel warm and fuzzy! People often ask me questions as well, which I am always happy to answer. However, this time, the questioning culminated in "Can I see your tattoos?!" I wasn't in a hospital gown; I was fully clothed in a sleeveless dress, so I'm not sure where she thought my tattoos were, or if she expected me to hike up my dress to show them to her.

I want to point out that I have no problem with tattoos, in the vintage community or otherwise; I think that they can be a beautiful way for people to express themselves and their individuality and creativity. It's just not something that I am interested in having for myself. I've read some posts from bloggers in which they have been made to feel "less vintage" because they did have tattoos, which I think is sad; the vintage community is extremely varied, and that's what makes it great! Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think that complete authenticity is every vintage lover's goal, and I don't think that it needs to be. As we know, people certainly did have tattoos in the '30s and before (just for fun, there are some pictures below), but the average housewife, which is the image with which I most closely associate myself, most likely did not; if she did have one, she certainly wouldn't have been talking about (or showing!) it in public! :)

I get all sorts of questions, but this was a new situation for me; because of the way that I was dressed, the receptionist seemed genuinely surprised to hear that I did not have any tattoos. She also told me that she had attended a "1920s style party" where everyone had "Bettie Page waves", so her knowledge of vintage was obviously pretty limited. I try hard not to be a vintage snob, because I learn something new every day, but my annoyance wasn't about her lack of knowledge; it was about her lack of courtesy, or maybe tact. I told myself that she must know a person who wears vintage and has tattoos, and so that is the image of vintage with which she is familiar. Even considering this, I think that her asking to see them was impolite. It's like the question that I sometimes get: "Why are you dressed like that?" Even if it is asked in a friendly manner, which is usually is, I just think that there are much more polite ways to ask.

I realize that when you dress or act outside of the norm, you must be prepared for some stares, questions, outright gawking, etc., all of which I am quite accustomed to and normally view with slight amusement. However, I think that certain questions, such as ones pertaining to undergarments, possible hidden tattoos, etc, are simply not polite questions for a stranger to be asking anyone. Now, if I had a visible tattoo, I would probably have been happy to show it to her. In the same vein, I get slightly annoyed when someone asks me if my hair is a wig, which happens on a semi-regular basis, and when someone takes my picture without asking me. I think that most of the people who have approached me in this manner would never have said the same things to the "average" person on the street.

As much as we try to avoid it, we all infer things about people based on the way they are dressed. I know that I am guilty of it. I'm not sure what I expect people to infer about me...actually, I can think of a few adjectives that I would love to have attributed to me: creative, ladylike, old-fashioned, elegant, etc. :) I'm just not sure that there is anything about my look that screams "Ask me about my tattoos!!"

I hope that no one is offended by this post; its purpose is definitely not to criticize tattoos or anything else; I'd certainly be the last person to attempt to make anyone conform to any certain standard of dress! I'd like to hear your opinions; do you think that dressing outside of the norm invites people to behave towards you in a way that they would not behave towards others? What sorts of questions do you get, and do you think that people sometimes feel that they can cross certain lines with you because of the way you are dressed?

Sorry for the long post; I just had to vent a little, and I wanted to hear some other opinions. I have another outfit post coming up in a few days!