NOTE: The following post is for ADULTS ONLY. All minors please return to your mines.
Mature friends, it should come as no surprise that Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and I was reminded yesterday (rather abruptly some might say) that a few of you may have joined the Men's Shirt Sew-Along with the expectation of having a completed shirt to give to your beloved as a Valentine's Day gift.
Readers, while we may be tying things up by Februrary 14, it's entirely possible we'll still be ripping out our placket seams on said date. I don't want to rush things.
Therefore I feel it incumbent upon me to come up with some alternative gift ideas for those who insist on sewing for the holiday rather than just forking over $10 for a Whitman's chocolate sampler.
As of this writing, all the patterns below are for sale on Etsy though no doubt they will disappear quickly, so don't delay.
For me, nothing says I love you like his and her terrycloth wraps. For those needing his and his or hers and hers, simply make two of the same pattern piece -- Easy!
A lovely evening no doubt awaits this committed couple, probably in a room like this.
For those too embarrassed to purchase the pattern above, a somewhat more demure version can also be had that includes a two-piece bonus bikini!
As you rekindle the romance in your relationship, you'll certainly want to stroll the quaint byways of remote Catskill villages in his and her gauze drawstring pants. Given the recent weather, bring gloves.
Girls, something sexy at bedtime is a must, but sexy can mean many things these days. For the bold...
For the more demure, what can be lovelier than a vintage negligee?
The vintage man will certainly want a pair of these:
Covered up with this perhaps:
Oh, Rex!
For the more hirsute, there's this cuddly ensemble. When did we stop tying our robe -- 1976, 1977?
Readers, I hope this has been a help to you. A shirt makes a lovely gift but it isn't terribly romantic, is it?
Would any of you like to share your favorite Valentine's Day memories with us today? Does it involve a sewing machine? I hope so.
In closing, are any of these patterns sitting in your stash, waiting for the appropriate occasion? The time is now.
Happy Saturday, love birds!
The Catskills goes Disco...
Great post :))
ReplyDeleteYou made me smile again.
ReplyDeleteI prefer nothing and I give nothing on Vday. It's the best policy really.
ReplyDeleteJust can't take that bathtub...oh my!
ReplyDeleteThe Neville is in my backyard. 20 years ago it was the place to go for a weekend getaway, if you wanted to go skiing you came there. Then they got infested with bedbugs, shut down and is a ridiculous eyesore.
That brings back memories for this Jersey girl. And, oy, Sarah, that's such a tragic demise. Brought down by bedbugs. I love the unisex gauze pants. There's a very 70s word . . . unisex. Not in circulation anymore -- thankfully. Another wonderful and evocative post, Peter.
ReplyDeleteWhat cute ideas! I figure my shirt will be a late V-Day gift - it's the thought that counts, right? :)
ReplyDeleteMinus the super old vintage ones in that mix, I remember a lot of those patterns, while perusing the catalogs all the years that I have. Makes me giggle. Matter of fact, I think I bought the McCalls 9680, to make a robe for my husband for Christmas. :)
ReplyDeleteomg, i can't breathe! those unisex drawstring pants, dear god!
ReplyDeleteIs that fur adorning the lovely negligee in Vogue 6610? Sigh. Those were the days. . . I guess. Thank you for the useful gift suggestions!
ReplyDeleteOy vey iz mir.
ReplyDeleteI have been sitting here laughing out loud! Now I know what has been missing in 22 years of marriage....I must get to work at the sewing machine.
ReplyDeleteHey! You forgot an important honorable mention! 'Sid Sorokin' and 'Babe Williams' in their cute 'one for two' PJ ensemble!!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.fanpix.net/picture-gallery/bob-fosse-picture-15626361.htm
(I'm, thinking of whipping up that pale violet negligee item for myself..just delectable!)
You called me out: I have a vintage men's robe pattern that could be finished by Valentine's Day.
ReplyDeleteLove these awful pattern envelopes.
I think they are the super sexy french knickers our textiles and design teacher made us make at my all girls catholic high school!
ReplyDeleteI was never that into V-day, but now I'm a boring old mommy it's nice to have as many special days as possible... Right?
ReplyDeleteOne V day memory involves a needle and thread. I came upon color embroidery pattern transfers in a woman's magazine. Before long, I had ironed on the transfer, embroidered it nicely, and sent a padded valentine card to the boyfriend. It paid off pretty well, I am sure it is the only embroidered valentine he ever received.
ReplyDeleteOh how I chuckle! Thank you Peter
ReplyDeleteSimplicity 2172: hey it's Ronald Regan and the Duke of Windsor!
ReplyDeleteBack in 1986 I was living with a roommate in her parents' Nantucket house and dating a guy in NYC. I decided to sew my guy a really cool pirate-y shirt out of gorgeous dark-hued paisley cotton. It was a bit complicated for me with my sewing skills and took longer than expected - so long that the relationship was on the wane when he got it. So what remained of the experience was my roommate's discovery that the tracing wheel, used on the parents' polyurethaned coffee table, had left millions of little dents, and I marked the end of my romance by refinishing the coffee table. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteLOL. Awesome roundup!
ReplyDelete