The Sewing B*tch

Readers, you know I avoid vulgar language here at MPB.  Unlike some other bloggers we know and love who swear like sailors, I never use the f word, the c word, and usually avoid the b word.

Make it Reversible!

Friends, as you may recall, this green floral tropical print was my original choice for my vintage bathing suit project -- not the bikini, but rather the Advance one-piece.  Then it got bumped by the black floral print.  I thought I'd use the green print -- oh, so, Dorothy Lamour -- for my final bikini, and I had it all pressed and ready to use this morning when it just started to look so...obvious.  I wasn't feeling it.

Happiness Is a 1940's Two-Piece Swimsuit

Maybe I've watched too many Esther Williams movies.  Maybe I'm so immersed in vintage womens swimsuit patterns that I've lost perspective.

How to Sew a Wild Bikini

Readers of a certain age, do you like beach party movies?  I ask you specifically because I'm not sure anyone under forty knows what they are.

Finishing the 40's Swimsuit or "The Things I Do For My Cousin"

Readers, what could I do?

I wanted to show you my finished Advance swimsuit but my poor cousin Cathy is due to give birth any day now and hardly up to posing for cheesecake.   Consider this crabcake.

Peter's Final Knit Post!

Ta da! -- My blue knit t-shirt with contrasting neckband.

I am so done with knit jersey, friends.  At least for now.  I'm perfectly satisfied with my new t-shirts and I intend to wear them.  But the end result doesn't really merit the effort.

Vintage L.L. Bean Fashion Inspiration!

Readers, would you guess these men were dressed by designer Junya Watanabe of Comme des Garçons for the Paris Fall 2012 Mens Fashion Show?

Peter's New T-Shirt or "Down to the Knitty-Gritty"

They say the third time's the charm, which must be true, since that's how many tries it took me to attach my neckband successfully.  Oh, I'm sorry, good morning, readers!

Sewing With Knits

Before we get started, readers, I must share this latest entry in the "Who Wore It Best?" muslin competition.  Michael was insistent he get a shot, and since his mom was visiting yesterday afternoon...  Aren't they adorable? 

The Dickey - YEA or NAY?

Dickeys -- remember them?

The Robe Muslin: Who Wore It Best, Me or Mom?

I'll say this for my mother: she's game.

The Robe

Readers, do you enjoy biblical epics?  I avoid them like the plague -- a plague being one of the more repellent features of too many biblical epics, come to think of it -- as well as any movie starring Victor Mature, who made quite a few, including the The Robe, pictured above (and below).

More Bad Taste

After re-reading what I wrote yesterday about bad taste, as well as your excellent comments, I wanted to add some additional thoughts and clarifications.

The Demise of Bad Taste

So I just went to my local supermarket to buy mayonnaise.  A 15 oz. jar of Hellman's cost $5.29.  Isn't that kind of a lot?  I mean, I haven't bought mayonnaise in a while, but shouldn't this kind of thing be, like $1.29, or am I still living in 1987?

But I digress, and apologies to those who don't buy mayonnaise in the USA.

As I was flipping through my September Vogue yesterday -- I feel like I have to revisit it constantly to justify the $6 purchase -- I noticed something strange (or rather, among all the wacky fashions, another strange thing).  In among the hundreds of pages of Prada, Gucci, Tom Ford, Valentino, Marc Jacobs, etc., were ads for stores I wouldn't have expected to find in Vogue: Target, Kmart, and discounters like DSW and T.J. Maxx.

MPB Exclusive! SEPTEMBER VOGUE -- First Impressions

Friends, what can you get for $6 these days?  An iced latte and a muffin at Starbucks?  A tube of CVS-brand sunscreen, SPF 25? 

This morning I spent that much for the big, fat September Vogue (916 pages, mainly ads), and the first time I have ever purchased a contemporary women's fashion magazine in my life.  I rarely participate in big cultural moments -- parades, Super Bowls, Olympics, Oscars etc. -- but it does feel nice to do what everyone else is doing once in a while.  Well, maybe not everyone.