i’ve become a huge fan of today’s guest within the last year.  it’s An from StraightGrain, who hails all the way from Belgium, and she even hosts a kids clothes belgian style series to prove it (remember my silly deer dress inspired by An’s own deer dress and cow dress?)!  i totallylove that An made sewing with forest fauna / livestock fabric a THING now.  cracks me up.

An has one pattern out (the adorable bubble dress) and the dress she made today is a preview of her NEXT pattern, apparently to be called “Tinny!”  it’s really cute, take a look…

love this little catalog girl.  :)

i bet you’ll be chomping at the bit to get your hands on An’s pattern once you see her post, so maybe you can distract yourself by checking out Craftiness is not Optional where Jess has a preview of the CUTEST little top by Alida Makes!  speaking of forest fauna…i need to get my hands on some of that raccoon fabric pronto!

my favorite of all the decades is the 1920s, so today’s guest sewed right up my alley!  it’s Heidi from Elegance & Elephants, who’s been taking our corner of blogland by storm with her two adorable patterns – her ruffle top (which i have cut out and ready once i decide on the perfect fabric) and her bubble pocket shorts (which popped up all over KCWC a few weeks back).

i love Heidi’s classic style, and i’m super happy she joined us for vintage may!  her look is Gatsby-inspired with gorgeous self-drafted top and slip, and OH LOOK!  VELVETEEN CLOCHE!

just lovely, Heidi!  and once you’ve drank your fill of classic Jazz Age style at E&E, head over to Craftiness is not Optional for a preview of Melly Sews’ fantastic surfer boy look – it’s giving me major Hawaii fever!

I’m so happy to have my very-long-distance-very-good-pal-i’ve-never-met as my guest today!  you know her as the winner of PR&P season 4, my creative partner in film petit, amazing quilter, all around funny gal…it’s Jessica from a little gray!

also, i know it’s only May, but you should definitely pin this tutorial for Christmas.

Jess has inspired me in so many ways, especially w/r/t boy sewing.  it’s like her personal mission to get us all sewing more creatively for our little guys and i think she’s succeeding – just look at her post today!  okay, so Jess went ’80s – we told our guests that though the title of the series is Vintage May, “retro” is welcomed openly as well – it’s just about celebrating past styles.

don’t worry, be happy!  check out her post!

and once you’re done perusing Jess’ pretty great  tribute to pop art and free-wheeling creativity, shimmy on over to Craftiness is not Optional for a preview of the sweet little tutorial Dana from MADE whipped up!  we actually had bibs like that as kids…ah the nostalgia!

i discovered my first guest via my pal Jessica.  she texted me one day saying “do you follow Mad Mim?  I think you’d really like her a lot,” and i obediently headed over to check her out.

Jess was so right – i fell in love instantly.  Miriam has a super cool retro/modern style, she’s the master of hand printing (she’s teaching a class on it at Sewing Summit this year!), awesome crafts, is an open and honest writer, she’s just a person I liked right away through her blog.

she also does a mean refashion, a skill she demonstrates today.  head over to Mad Mim to check out Miriam’s excellent refashion of a shapeless muumuu to a shapely ’40s dress for herself!  pretty incredible transformation, really.  here’s a preview of the result…

and once you’re through browsing around Mad Mim, be sure to visit craftiness is not optional to see what her first guest cooked up!  (hint: it’s Delia, it’s a tutorial, and it’s adorable!).

first, a little about the skirt, which i sewed in Anna Maria Horner’s beautiful “coordinates in saffron” cotton from bolt. i love this print and had been saving it for a special project – this fit the bill nicely. wouldn’t it be so gorgeous in field study linen too? love that stuff.

the pattern is simplicity 2226, a basic, inexpensive, easy-to-find pattern which i bought back when Anna did a sewalong! i sewed a size 14 but should’ve taken her advice and sewed a size or two smaller to get more waist cinch. it’s comfy as is, but waaay bigger than my store-bought skirts (i’m usually a 6). the pattern instructions are really well-written though – i’d never sewed a non-indie pattern and i was pleasantly surprised at the clarity of it! i sewed view A without belt loops and added an extra 1″ in length just to be sure it hit me below the knee.

so i knew i wanted to make a skirt but didn’t know what era to go with. i googled “20s skirts” and “30s skirts” and “40s skirts” on up…aside from the more flowy, flapper-esque look of the 20s and the more structured look of the 40s, there didn’t seem to be TOO much in terms of everyday-type skirts that would make you say “that skirt is from THIS decade.” i made this skirt to have a ’30s vibe (which to me is more casual than the decades surrounding it and slightly art deco) but people i’ve shown say it has a 50s/60s look…so i don’t know.

i guess it’s kind of a “know it when you see it” type deal – styled like i typically dress, it just looks like a normal skirt. styled with red lipstick and vintage silk headscarf with a tucked-in cardigan, it’s a throwback (especially when you stand next to a beauty school door).

anyway, onto the pocket tutorial! this is the same method i used for sam’s shorts in moonrise kingdom film petit, and it’s easy but adds a pretty neat detail. the pattern comes with your typical curved front pockets, so this tutorial is to show you how to modify those.

: SUPPLIES :

• pants/skirt pattern with front pockets
• point turner / chopstick / knitting needle
• 1/4 yard (or fat quarter) of contrast pocket lining fabric
• two buttons

then working on the right side, baste top of the skirt and side so the pocket stays put as you move on to gathering the front, sewing the side seams, and adding the waistband.

continue to sew the skirt as indicated. at the end, sew the button on to keep the flap down and add visual interest. mark 1/2″ from each edge, then sew your buttons between the flap and inside of pocket only (not all the way through the skirt – gotta get your hand in there!).

and you’re done!

now go hit the town in your new skirt, girl!

i never wear a red lip, this was actually my sister in law’s gloss and i felt pretty sassy wearing it…!

and a huge thanks to my husband who took these pics and put up with my compulsive overdirection.

alright! now you KNOW you want to see Jess’ adorable little gal in a vintage-inspired gingham “romper” over at Craftiness is Not Optional…here’s a sneak peek! she is WAY TOO CUTE.

back tomorrow with our first guests!

the winner of In Stitches by Amy Butler is Annie K., who said

“In Stitches sounds like my cup of tea, thank you for a chance at it!”

::  and  ::

the winner of Seams to Me by Anna Maria Horner is Alison, who said,

“Either one for me!” 

i’ve emailed you both to get your mailing addresses.

i hope you’re all having a great weekend and a peaceful mother’s day, and i’ll see you back here tomorrow for the start of Vintage May! 

my pal Jess of Craftiness is not Optional and i had such a blast celebrating vintage style last spring (here’s my series round up if you’d like a refresher), we knew as soon as it ended that we’d want to do it again! we’ve rounded up a whole new bunch of vintage/retro-loving guest bloggers and changed the format slightly – Jess and I will each introduce our guest and post a preview photo of their project, but our guests will keep their content on their own blogs. then you can browse around their sites to see why we love them! we’ll link to each other too, of course, so it’s one big linky circle of life.

we’re also welcoming grown up sewing this time, not just kid projects! super excited about that part.

here is our combined list of lovely guests, in no particular order:

Disney from Ruffles & Stuff :: Miriam from Mad Mim ::

Jen & Autie from iCandy Handmade :: Delia from Delia Creates ::

Jessica from A Little Gray :: Alida from Alida Makes

Melissa from Melly Sews :: An from StraightGrain

Kirstin from Kojodesigns :: Shannon from luvinthemommyhood

Vanessa from LBG Studio :: Jessica from Happy Together

Heidi from Elephants & Elegance :: Dana from MADE

Miranda from One Little Minute :: Erin & Caroline from Hungie Gungie

we LOVE to see you sewing along with us too! please post your projects sewn with vintage fabric, vintage sheets, vintage patterns, vintage-inspired patterns, etc. to the vintage may flickr group (feel free to add old projects or new ones, adult or kid!). need some inspiration for patterns/tutorials to use? i’ve got a few ideas here.

here’s a little sneaky peek of my first project…

Jess and I kick things off Monday! see you then!

(bongo not included)

it’s for our out-of-town friends Lee & Erin, who welcomed their second little guy in March.  he’s a super sweet and adorable little redheaded fella; we got to go meet him the other weekend.  he inherited his big brother’s nursery, with gray walls and a bit of a whale/nautical theme, so i played off that and added some brighter colors in there too for his basket.

the moons are heather ross, used most notably here, the binding is kona olive, the blue/gray faux bois faric is from camp modern by jay-cyn designs for birch fabrics (available here, though i got mine at bolt) and the lining fabric is also by jay-cyn designs, from storybook II (available here, though mine was sent to me by Jess).

if you go check out the divided basket pattern, you’ll see a very similar pieced front pocket.  because i’m a big ol’ copycat.

anyway, once again, i LOVED sewing this basket.  it’s a super fun project – it feels like you’re doing a bunch of different techniques and the finishes are all clean and logical, not stressful, so it’s just a joy.  pretty quick, too.  only problem was i ran out of interfacing, so i spray-basted some ikea canvas to the back outer panel for structure – it worked!  (thanks for the idea, Jess)

i still haven’t made one of these to keep yet.  i keep making them, loving them, and giving them away!

but the babies need them.

so this is a tiny peek at O’s room – Erin painted this elephant for Em’s nursery before she was born so i figured it was an appropriate backdrop.  she put her spin on one we found at a baby decor store.

quick side notes: did you know you can now order heather ross’s older out-of-print designs on spoonflower?  and has anyone put in a pre-order for briar rose?  i’m kind of drooling all over it – it’s so sweet and summery!

come back for a fun blog-related announcement tomorrow!

i’ve decided to do a little spring cleaning and free up some space on my sewing room bookshelf, while helping to build YOUR sewing book library all at once.  i’m giving away both of these beautiful sewing books:

Amy Butler’s In Stitches (see table of contents and more info here)

- OR -

Anna Maria Horner’s Seams to Me (see table of contents and more info here)

i will randomly select TWO winners.  the first gets their choice of either book – leave your first choice in your giveaway comment.  the second gets the other book!  fun fun!  both books are spiral bound with beautiful color photos and an envelope with full size pattern pieces included, and both are in like new condition.

they’re chock full of fun projects for home, gifts, self, quilts, you name it.

Giveaway details:

• Giveaway is open until Friday, May 10th at 5pm PST
• Winners will be chosen at random and will be contacted by email and announced on the blog.
• Open to US residents only (sorry, these books are heavy!)
• Void where prohibited

{GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED – WINNERS ARE ANNIE K. AND ALISON, WHO HAVE BEEN CONTACTED BY EMAIL}

Here’s how to enter: 

Leave a comment on this post telling me which book you’d like to win: In Stitches by Amy Butler, Seams to Me by Anna Maria Horner OR either one!

Additional entries – PLEASE LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH:

• Follow my blog and leave a comment telling me you do so (Bloglovin, email, still haven’t moved from Google Reader, your pick).
• Like skirt as top on Facebook and leave a comment telling me you do so.

 three maximum entries 

Good luck and thanks for entering!

*This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook or Bloglovin. We hereby release Facebook and Bloglovin of any liability. No purchase necessary.  Prizes will ship within 7 days of the end of the giveaway. skirt as top takes no responsibility for packages lost by the postal service. Giveaway starts Monday May 6 and ends Friday, May 10 at 5pm PST. Once the giveaway ends, winners will be chosen at random and contacted within 24 hours by e-mail. This post will be updated with winners’ names. Winners will need to respond within 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen. Giveaway is void where prohibited.*

what i’m saying is, sometimes blog post timing is weird.

anyway, it’s made in a purple rayon jersey from JoAnn, which wasn’t super expensive but is super soft with a really nice drape.  the fabric was just finicky enough that my machine ate it a few times until I pulled out Jess’s tissue paper trick for the hemming, which worked like a charm!  first time a double needle has really worked for me too, so that was fun.

it has the pocket that i include in my pattern, and i ended up angling the placement in the final version since this seemed a bit crooked.  i also played with the hemline a bit after the shirt was already sewn, so the hem has a bit of a “don’t look too close” situaish going on.  probably not noticeable to anyone but me though.

it’s really comfy.  probably the comfiest shirt i own.  annnnnd yes i’ve definitely worn it as a pajama top.  i just love it so much!  it’s like something i’d actually buy in a store, you know?  big accomplishment over here, i’m still waaaay too jittery about self-sewing (but trying very hard to get past that, because wearing clothes i’ve made is incredibly rewarding).

my necklace is from rare bird on etsy – husband actually spotted it on my pinterest board and got it for me!  good man.  thorough.

oh hey, did you see that Anna made a scoop top?!  it looks so awesome!  it’s crazy to me that someone else could make a wearable top from my pattern.  it’s like when i sewed my first skirt for Em and had this irrational fear that it would fall apart at the seams when she wore it.  i just designed this top to fit ME so well, it’s pretty cool to see it fits other gals too!  guess that’s the beauty of knits though, eh?  ;)

i’ve seen a couple other lovely versions popping up on instagram and in comments too, and it makes me so happy you guys are giving it a whirl.  this has been a fun “dip my toe into patternmaking” experience.  i also want to give a huge THANK YOU to Melissa of Melly Sews and Blank Slate Patterns, who got me going on Illustrator – she offers a full class on it which she talks about here, and the first lesson is free!  if you’ve always wanted to learn Illustrator but don’t know where to start, start there.  it’ll blow your mind.