Score!

I had the good fortune recently to be invited to tour an old home in the area.  It was an amazing 60's mod with architecture that made me want to cry--dark hardwood floors, a built in indoor fountain surrounded by wrought iron, walls of windows and shoji screens.  I never knew anything like that existed around here.  It's like it was made for me, then put on hold for me to find 50 years later.  Except that I don't have a million dollars.  Ugh.  Why oh why did I think government service was a good idea???  Darn me and my idealistic youth!

Imagine my utter thrill stumbling upon, within walls and walls of reading material, that the homeowner had been a seamstress, knitter and cook.  I was given freedom to take what I wanted, so this is what I got:

 The one on the left is a cookbook put out by the Junior League of Memphis in 1952.  The one on the right is from the Willie Maude Willimore School of Gourmet Cookery and has handwritten recipes inside.

Vintage Bathing Suit

Does anyone know where I can find a pattern for a swimsuit along these lines

This one is from the 30's and is $450

or

60's robe!!

This was supposed to be a Christmas present for my Aunt Donna, but when I didn't finish it in time, I put it aside for too long.  I finally went back and finished it!

The pattern:

And Myrtle (my dressform) modeling the outcome:

My Christmas pièce de résistance

This was my favorite project for the holidays and I am sew (haha!) proud of it.  I picked up the fabric at a thrift shop; they were curtain panels.  And I had this pattern:

Here's the finished product

I even did my first buttonhole ever and added a vintage button

 Hannah's mother loves to cook and I knew she'd appreciate it.

I think she liked it.

More Christmas Presents

This is a wallet I made for my aunt.

Made from scratch from remnants from this tutorial

Now I can show you

the jean bag I made for my mom since she opened it.  I made this bag from an old pair of my jeans

and lined it with an old dress shirt of Hannah's. 

I made the "belt" and added a fabric flower from the same shirt material.  The button is vintage.

Proper credit to this tutorial:

PJ Pants

Ok, so I've made other things, but I can't post them yet because they are Christmas presents!  But you can see these.  They used to be someone's curtains that I bought at Goodwill.  They looked like pajamas to me and now they are.  $1.50 I think.