A Vintage House Coat - McCall's Pattern 2696 + Fabric From 1977

The robe pictured above was a labor of love. While it was actually a simple make, I decided that I needed to hand sew the entire lining in. I spent most of my weekend parked on my bum in my office in front of Outlander streaming on Netflix hand-sewing this together.

McCall’s Sewing Pattern 2696 from 1970 - size medium.

I’ve had the shell fabric for some time and was deciding on either using it or selling it. It’s a heavier weight cotton, think a soft denim fabric from 1977 made by Riverdale. (I will upload the selvage notation image up on to my flickr soon.) The background is a brighter navy blue with vibrant floral and bamboo imaging. Honestly it’s quite spectacular for being 45 years old. I had a few yards of it and paid $7.99 for it at the thrift store. i actually thrifted everything I used to make this robe/coat. The lining is a substantial polyester satin in a creamy champagne color. It’s some slick devilish shit, which is what made me decide to hand sew the lining in. Better to be safe than sorry.

The colors are very saturated in person too.

While it was a laborious, I actually don’t mind hand sewing. My stitches aren’t super neat or evenly spaced. But this was something that I made for myself and whatever grandchild of mine inherits this can see that an actual human put this thing together.

Alterations to the the pattern:

I shortened the length by two inches. As you can see that the length still drags on the floor a little. I decided to keep it long to add to the drama of my walking up and down my stairs. I am quite extra in that way.

I also changed the collar. I didn’t like the original closed tightness of the the collar. This is meant to be a lounge item and wanted a relaxed fit all around. Otherwise, I sewed the patterned per the manufacturer instructions. Pockets were included, so thankfully I didn’t need to add them.

I paired this with a vintage nightgown.

It’s not perfect but I am quite pleased with it and have enjoyed wearing it so far.

It has been challenging finding good projects for my vintage fabrics that I actually want to (and am brave enough to) execute. I’m glad I did this one.

Now I’m off to dive into another project.

xo-Thea

Weekend Sewing and Darkness Drive Update

I’ve been doing my best to sew with fabrics that would be a challenge for me. I feel like that is a necessary step to my process of learning in my sewing journey.

This weekend I attempted to sew the top of this dress (pictured below) in a beautiful stretch lace. Everything was going beautifully until I decided to line it. I should have listened to my guys and just left it alone. Alas, things did not work out and now that top is in my “deal with it later” pile.

I used a vintage 70’s/80’s knit fabric instead. I did decide to flip the angle of the design to point up instead of down. Just to look a bit different from my previous dress. I think it gives it a 30’s look.

After one more dress on my table, I am moving onto a vintage pattern for a much needed item. I will share that project too.

Until Death - Gothic Valentine

The laser work is still going strong behind the scenes. Unfortunately, it has been awhile since we’ve released a new product. Today I remedied that for our Darkness Drive line. We made the decision last year that I should keep my spooky things separate from our main line, since it seems to dissuade a few customers. So we have a new shop on Etsy for these items for the public. (Wholesale is a different story for any of my shop owners who happen to read this.)

I’ve never been big on Valentine’s Day but love a spooky/creepy/gothy love token. This began as a doodle of vintage mirror I own. I’m sure at least 4 people who own a Glowforge will copy it poorly and list it for half the price by tomorrow. John and I have grown accustom to that and just keep making our quality pieces on our beloved LeeLoo The Laser anyways.

I hope you all had a nice weekend!

xo-Thea

Learning through fabric.

If you’ve been following my sewing adventures, you’ll catch it when I mention that I’ve never worked with a particular fabric before. I’ll share details of my experiences with them and any tips that I learned through the process.

Well, boy howdy do I have some tips about stretch crushed velvet. In my last post, I shared that I made this dress. Super great pattern, very satisfying if you do the stripe thing on top. LOVE IT. But an alternative neckline is a sweetheart gather neckline. The sample photos/videos showed this option. THIS IS NOT A NORMAL PICK FOR ME, BUT I DID IT.

Me in my crushed velvet Joan Wiggle dress.

I sewed this on my beloved PFAFF sewing machine which thankfully has a stretch stitch. I changed out the needle for knit specific fabrics and I gave my machine a cleaning prior. I will have to clean it again now because this stuff just leave a remarkable amount of “fabric dust”. I took it slow and steady with a firm hand on guiding the fabric. I kept my eyes fixed on my 5/8 seam allowance marker on my machine too.

I only lined the bodice. Which is a big deal for me personally because I typically lazy out of lining stuff. I kept the sleeves unlined but I created a “tunnel/tube” for the elastic to pass through at the top of the arms. It worked out really well. I used 3/8 elastic around the neckline as recommended and it really gave it a defining “edge”.

The top is a size up from the bottom. I feel like this pattern has a more generous fit. Perhaps due to the stretch fabrics used. But I really love how many different looks you can have with it.

Lots of good skill building with this I will definitely make a few more dresses and tops too.

I’ve been loving getting out of my comfort zone with fabrics. Sure, I know a lot about silk and silk blends thanks to my kanzashi making, but I’m enjoying building my knowledge base on one of my life’s true loves - fabric.

xo-Thea

The Joan Wiggle Dress by Charm Patterns

I'm a patron of Gertie (Charm Patterns by Gertie) and this wiggle dress is a recent release in her new series. Normally, I am a full skirt or a-line skirt type of gal, but the sewing technique of the top portion of the dress piqued my interest.

Thea Starr - Joan Wiggle Dress

Fabric hoarding came in handy for this one. In my stash was this 80’s vintage velour stretch knit type of fabric that had a nice strip to it. I also have a couple colors of ponte fabric too, which is what I used for the skirt. My Pfaff sewing machine has a stretch stitch setting and I used that in the construction of this. I also switched out my universal needle for a knit needle. Small things worth mentioning.

I took Gertie’s advice to go overkill on pinning every stripe together to get this effect and it paid off.

Up close. I’m pretty proud of this matching.

There are no buttons or zippers on this dress. (Also, sadly no pockets.) So, it’s an easy on and off pullover dress. I currently have a crushed velvet one cut out on my sewing table with the sweetheart neckline. I have some spare striped fabric that I will be making into the top version too.

The style of dress was inspired by a dress that Joan Holloway wears in Mad Men.

It’s pictured to the right.

I love the orange and black stripe on the original and I will searching to find something like that and recreate it.

I haven’t sorted out my plan for a constant need for a pocket for this outfit. I’m guessing I’ll just need to wear a blazer or a sweater that has pockets.

Overall, it was a nice sewing project to start off the new year.

Aside from sewing, I have some plans to revamp my shops in the works. I’m also working on something a little experimental that I hope will be fruitful. I’ll share of course as things develop.

I hope everyone has a safe and healthy start to the New Year!

xo-thea

2021 - Favorite Makes and Vintage Finds

Per usual once Halloween passes, I dive deep into the holiday season rush. This year was no exception. I mostly avoided socials and just posted little stories on IG.

Two days before Christmas/my birthday I closed up my shops for a bit of a vacation. It feels so good to recoup and let go of some rude customer interactions. I typically don’t take things personal, but with mail delays things got a little spicy at times.

With all of that behind me and 2021 almost behind us, I wanted to share some of my favorite makes and vintage finds of the year.

A lined jacket, vintage embroidery tea towels,(An Original By Thea Starr) kanzashi, floral knit top, Super Mario circle skirt and our (6 by 6 Arts) Roots plant stand.

Bedsheet summer dress, bedsheet 60's style dress, snake earrings, vintage patttern Halloween dress, 80's A-line skirt and a vintage fabric Christmas blouse.

I had many makes this year. Also, many I didn’t finish. I look forward to making even more in 2022.

A ridiculous vintage velvet wall hanging, a rare vintage Olga full lace dressing robe, vintage bias tape and more from my awesome neighbor, 1970's deadstock goddess fabric, vintage ice cream boobies slip dress and my vintage tea cart that I plan to restore.

My first true vintage ceramic tree, the angry cat sweater (I sold it), my 1940's vanity set, super clean vintage Daisy print Pyrex divided dish, my beloved Big Eyed doll and my metal/enamel vintage s

2021 was strange to say the least. I’m looking forward to seeing how strange 2022 will be.

Happy New Year Friends!

xo-Thea

Adding To My Halloween Wardrobe

While I have been mainly busy with 6 by 6 Arts recently, I have managed to sneak in some quality sewing time.

I follow a few reproduction clothing brands and I love all of their Halloween (holidays in general) designs. Unfortunately despite my daily manifestations attempts, I am not a money rich lady and I have to just admire some great pieces.

Side note - Many of these women owned companies like Pinup Girl Clothing for example, are extremely small companies. Many pieces are small batch made in the USA. Fabric and labor is expensive and when I make purchases from there I consider them investment pieces and understand the work, time and money that goes into them. I know I’m actually getting a deal on some pieces just in fabric alone.

My zipper front princess dress made from Alexander Henry Fabrics 2006 Pumpkin Party Print

With all of that said, this year since I’ve taken a deep dive back into sewing I decided to add Halloween themed pieces to my wardrobe. DIY style.

I show off a few pieces that I’ve made in the linked video below.

In the video, I do touch on the expense of fabric. I thrifted all of the fabric shown in the video. The striped full circle skirt dress, I thrifted 7 yards of that fabric for $4.99. Up close pictured are available on my Instagram. I didn’t thrift them in a short amount of time and I sat on some of these fabric pieces for a long while. But it can be done. We all can have lucky days at the thrift. Or an online fabric shop on a discount day.

I hope you’ll check out my video and welcome to October! I love spooky season!

xo-Thea

Using My Vintage Sewing Patterns

As mentioned a few days ago, i basically went on a sewing rampage. Aside from the Garden Dress I mentioned, I kicked out three bedsheet dresses. All made from vintage patterns and vintage bedsheets.

Technically, the Simplicity Pattern shown here isn’t quite vintage.

I share the information about them in this video.

As with every sewing project, I learn something new. Let me know which one you liked the best!

-Thea

Vintage Jumper Dress and a Panic Attack

In my constant hunt for vintage fabrics, I recently found a bolt of dead stock denim fabric. It’s a mid-weight black and white striped cotton/poly blend from Quincy Fancies. It was originally sold for $1.49 a yard. Amazing right?

The original bolt tag.

Compare at $2.99 yd!

I have been wanting a durable dress to be out in the garden in. Something that won’t get caught onto the blackberry bushes when I walk by. Something with big pockets for my little shears for cutting flowers too. In my vintage pattern collection I had this “Easy stitch n’ save by McCall’s Misses Jumper from 1997. Pattern number 8878.

I thought this combo would be an excellent mix for what I wanted. The pattern is very easy to work with and follow. I did have to size it down a bit to fit my shorter frame. I also had to do a full bust measurement for the bodice as well. I actually need to take it apart and size down a smidgen more to fit me better.

You can see the loose fit in the bodice.

I cut everything out and dug out 14 “close enough” matching buttons and then called it a day before sewing it together. Well, in that time my younger dog Yuki (she’s almost 3) had a small seizure.

It wasn’t something I had personally seen or dealt with before. She was napping in front of a fan and then popped up and did this weird stiff crouching stance like she was frozen. John thought maybe she was choking and couldn’t breathe. He attempted to see if anything was blocking her airway. But that wasn’t it. My knee jerk reaction is always, to go outside and get some air. By the time we made it to the back door (everything seemed like in was in slow motion) she seemed to calm down. John and I were still in complete panic mode and decided to rush her to the emergency vet. I held our 70lbs puppy all the way there because she doesn’t like car rides and she was a drooling mess. The ER vet was 100% awesome and totally patient with two babbling panicked ding dongs (us). Yuki had returned to her very happy wagging self when she was examined and we were basically sent home after a bit. It all turned out okay and she’s fine. But boy, John and I were on the verge of losing it. As John’s cousin Jennifer said “Take my husband but not my dogs.” Ha!

Yuki the evening after her seizure. Totally chillin’ like nothing ever happened.

After all that stress build up and needing to closely monitor Yuki (in case there were more seizures), I continued making my garden jumper dress. However, since I was so worked up I totally oversewed the thing. I did all French seams and marathoned made this. While staring down Yuki the whole time, making sure she’s okay.

That was quite eventful to say the least. Yuki is thankfully okay and was treated by a special visit the night of her seizure by her favorite “boy” who drove all the way out to see his dog. I am very happy with my new garden jumper dress. The pattern was great and super easy. The buttons/buttholes were time consuming. I’ll most likely make another one but with either a zipper front or snap buttons.

The kanzashi I am wearing in the photos. Coming soon to the shop!

Thank you to everyone who reached out and sent good vibes and especially stories of your own pets. They all really helped me settle down. I appreciate you all! - xo Thea

Some favorite thrift finds and my first button down blouse.

John and I had a vintage hard to find Legoland Castle set(s) to share this week on my channel. So, I thought it would be fun to share a couple of our favorite thrift finds too.

In other news, I made my first successful button down blouse. I’ll be dedicating a post to this in the future as I am currently making more. I am genuinely surprised that I got the fit right in the bust, but boy howdy - I am stoked about it.

In other sewing news, a neighbor in my local Buy Nothing Group offered up a big box of vintage sewing patterns. I was on it and was lucky to be selected.

There are so many goodies in there, I can’t wait to try a few of them.

Sorry to those of you who follow me for my kanzashi work. I just haven’t had any new projects that are completed to share. I still do make them. Also, I am indulging this sewing bug that I have. I really do appreciate the support and encouragement on my sewing projects.

Tomorrow’s blog post will be a long awaited one and it’s a recipe. So come back tomorrow for that.

xo-Thea

I made a dress out of a bedsheet.

If you’ve been with me for awhile, you know i am all about repurposing vintage fabrics. I reuse all that I possibly can reuse from a damaged vintage kimono. A few years ago while thirsting I started to notice some really pretty patterns on some vintage bedsheets. I had the intention to use them to make curtains and decorative hold things with them. But it dawned on me that I could use them to make dresses.

There’s tons of fabric to use! It’s more affordable than heading into JoAnn’s for a some fabric.

In my video this week, I talk a bit about it.

xo-Thea

My first linen dress and John's birthday. (Vlog)

Yesterday was John’s birthday. There’s still not a whole lot one can do to celebrate a birthday. But we made the most of it and had an excellent day. I give a little run down in my vlog below.

No about that dress. You can see me wearing it in the vlog video too.

I got the fabric from a thrift store for $3.99. It was just a smidgen over 2 yards of fabric. It’s a warm burnt orange shade that I don’t think I’d choose for myself. But the thrift store gods provided and the pricing was on my side.

I had never sewn linen before and I learned quickly that you can’t make too many mistakes with it due to the nature of the weave. It’s some squirrelly stuff. But I love my linen store bought clothing so much I’m willing to try to make my own.

Vintage coordinating floral cotton fabric for the pockets.

I didn’t have quite enough fabric that the pattern called for. I made some length adjustments (the pattern was for a midi length dress) and I opted to use a vintage cotton floral fabric for the pockets.

I ran out of vintage buttons! I only needed one more to be able to have enough to make it fully functional (and modest) dress. Until then, I’m wearing it as a tunic with leggings which is pretty awesome in my book.

I’m definitely ready to take on my next linen project now that I know what to expect with it. Being the fabric nerd that I am, I’ve read up on the history of linen. Truly amazing. Even the wikipedia page for linen is an interesting read.

I hope you’ll enjoy the video and I hope your Monday has been a good one. xo-Thea