Last Sunday before Sew-Along stream of consciousness

Friends, have you ever seen the original version of The Thomas Crown Affair from 1968?  I bought a used copy of the DVD at the flea market yesterday, having heard about what a stylish movie it is, and it is indeed quite glamorous.  Faye Dunaway is fetching in styles familiar to any fan of vintage Sixties Vogue Paris Originals.

Lovers of taupe nail polish, this is the movie for you.

Otherwise it is something of a snoozefest, though not unwatchable, especially if you're a Steven McQueen or Michel Legrand fan (The Windmills of my Mind won the Oscar for Best Song that year). I read that the Persol sunglasses McQueen sports in the film were auctioned off recently for something like $60,000, which is a lot of money for a pair of sunglasses even today.

Anyway...

Other fun flea market finds include three yards of this vintage cotton fabric for $2.



I was originally attracted to it because it had a very distinct right and wrong side and I thought it would be perfect to use for my Sew-Along Negroni muslin.



It was a little stiff originally but after laundering and ironing it has softened up a lot. Does it look too much like something you'd pull out of a Dixie cup dispenser?  Should I save it for something better?

I also found some wonderful old patterns for just $1 each.  I picked up three but I may go back for more today.  A vendor had an entire boxful of largely Seventies patterns that had likely belonged to the costume designer for Eight is Enough.  

Have you ever in your life?  The last time I saw this kind of foreshortening was in a Mannerist painting.  And just think what a shirt in that vintage-airplane-and-hot-air-balloon pattern would cost today -- if you could find it.





Words fail me.



And then there's this.



If there was ever a Junior pattern that tacitly acknowledged the reality of teen pregnancy, I think this is it.  You'll be relieved to know that this pattern includes matching "bikini pants."







I know more than a few of my readers were dressing this way back then, and probably well into the Eighties.  At first I thought that girl was holding a yarmulke, but on closer inspection I think it's a 45 rpm record, no doubt Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves or Paper Roses.

Speaking of Marie Osmond, did you know she has her own Marie-branded Janome sewing machine?  Apparently she's been sewing her whole life, quilting in particular.  Who knew?

I have a soft spot in my heart for Marie Osmond I won't lie.  Any Marie fans out there?

Oh, before I forget! -- If you have a few minutes: remember that video I posted yesterday of an Eighties-era commercial for the Nevele hotel in the Catskills?  Well if you really want to laugh -- or cry -- read some of the feedback left by some of the Nevele's last guests on Trip Advisor (12 pages of them). 

The titles of the reviews are a bit of a giveaway, from "Pathetic and Disgusting," "The Worst," and "Remember the Shining?" to the more nuanced, "No!!!!!!!!"  Honestly, I nearly peed my pants reading them, so go now just to be safe.

Friends, it's time to get moving -- much planning in the works.

There is still time to join our Sew-Along Flickr group if you haven't already and I am delighted to see that you're getting to know one another there.  Frankly I wouldn't be surprised if some real and lasting relationships came out of all this or at least a hook-up or two, given the amount of activity under some of the discussion topics.  Fortunately I'm a very laissez-faire moderator.

Does everybody have their fabric and pattern(s) at the ready?  Hope so!

NOTE: You have only one more day (January 31) to get the 20% discount on the Negroni pattern offered at the Colette website if you're just joining us.  More details here.

Happy Sunday, everybody!