Dec 31, 2010

Peter's best (and worst) of 2010!



Friends, as 2010 draws to a close, let's take a few minutes to recall some of the high -- and low -- points of this, our very first year together.

Dec 30, 2010

Resisting Sewing Obsession



Readers, as you can see, I now have my Pfaff 30 here at home in its original table.  I am so into this machine.  We have an incredible physical connection.

Dec 29, 2010

Oh Joy! Oh Rapture! The Pfaff 30



Friends, let's face it: when it comes to sewing machines, I'm a playa.  In just eighteen months I've been with more sewing machines than some of you will sew on in your entire lives.  Is it me or are men just that way?

Dec 28, 2010

Snowed-in Sewing



Twenty inches is a lot of snow, my friends.  I am at an age where snow is a nuisance, sadly.   My Flexible Flyer days are far, far behind me.

Dec 27, 2010

Leopard Print Pants and the Holiday Hangover



We're in post-holiday recovery mode here today, folks.  I feel so grateful this time of year -- mainly that I'm not stranded in a Chicago airport waiting for my flight to be rescheduled.  Life is good.

Dec 25, 2010

Mens Leopard Print Pants for Christmas!



THANK YOU, SANTA!

OK, how cool are these pants?  I can't wait to wear them to Paris Fashion Week!  A Hollywood PremierDrinks in London with Madonna!  Fabric shopping.

Dec 24, 2010

Purrrrfect holiday sewing: Men's Leopard Pants!



What is it about Christmas and leopard?  They just go together.

Dec 23, 2010

Peter's Holiday Hodgepodge



Readers, it can no longer be ignored: it's almost you-know-what-mas again.  I hope you've been good little girls and boys; I know I have been!

Dec 22, 2010

BREAKING -- Singer treadle switcheroo!


Friends, I know I lose a great many of you when I talk about vintage sewing machines.  Eyes glaze over, minds wander, thumbs twiddle.  We live in the time of Twitter and attention spans are short.

Dec 21, 2010

Welcome, Singer 15-90! or "Out with the Old, In with the Older"



Friends, Monday was a very exciting day here at MPB headquarters.  As if guided by the spirit of I.M. Singer himself, I was able both to sell my Singer Spartan (my seventh sewing machine sale since I started decluttering earlier this month) and hours later to receive my Singer 15-90, courtesy of UPS.

Dec 20, 2010

Conflicted Sewing


Wise readers, do you subscribe to the belief that our outer worlds are a reflection of our inner worlds?

Dec 19, 2010

Leopard print for men -- yea or nay?


PLEASE NOTE: No actual leopards were harmed in the writing of this blog entry. 

Dec 18, 2010

End-of-year projects et al.


Wow!

An MPB reader created this fabulous Andy Warhol-esque portrait of Cathy a few months back and -- don't hate me --  I forgot who.  Anyway, I wanted to share it with all of you.  You rock, whoever you are.

Dec 17, 2010

The Last Toggle Post



Dear readers, a million thanks for yesterday's comments.  I think we're all going to enjoy wearing this coat and don't think I'm not serious -- I share.

Dec 16, 2010

FINISHED! Peter models the Vogue toggle coat



Friends, the toggle coat is in the can!  Wait -- that sounds wrong.  It's done.

Dec 15, 2010

MPB SHOCKER: Peter buys another -- !


Friends, it's barely past dawn here and I have already eaten breakfast, voided my colon, and bought another --

Dec 14, 2010

Return to Toggle Land



Friends, we're getting close to finished on this toggle coat but we're not there yet.

Dec 13, 2010

Pet Peeves: sewing for dogs



Friends, I'm not one of those people who are into dressing up dogs "cute" and I hope you're not either.

Dec 12, 2010

Toggle-free Sunday



Friends, I made absolutely no progress on my toggle coat yesterday due to a wedding-related party my mother threw up in the Bronx (or rather ...my mother threw, up in the Bronx) for all the neighbors she has known for decades but who didn't make the wedding cut.  Plus a few who had been invited but were too old and frail too attend.  At one point we had actual walker traffic, with a line of four waiting to get through my mother's foyer.

Dec 11, 2010

Toggle Coat vs. Duffle Coat + ARRIVAL OF THE TOGGLES!



Refined readers, you'll be happy to know that for what I could have spent on dinner for two in a moderately priced Japanese restaurant, I bought four leather toggle sets yesterday, complete with genuine horn toggles and four matching buttons (for sleeves and detachable neck strap).

Dec 8, 2010

To err is human + Toggle coat update!



Friends, do you remember this lovely vintage Samsonite vanity case?   Well this morning I walked into the living room and --

Dec 7, 2010

Toggle Coat Turmoil et al.


First things first:  I sold my Necchi Lydia!  Yesterday evening the interested party -- let's call her Darlene Gillespie  -- swung by to check her out.  It was love at first sight (between Darlene Gillespie and Lydia of course), what could I do?

Dec 6, 2010

Good News, Bad News!



Good news!

I preshrank all my wool for my toggle coat project using the damp-towel-in-the-dryer method I first read about here.  (I've done it before with successful results.)

Bad news...

Dec 5, 2010

Best Basic or Beginner Sewing Machines: Your recommendations please!

 

I had a funny experience this weekend.  Someone contacted me through Craigslist wanting to buy my Necchi Lydia!

I was delighted -- at first.

Dec 4, 2010

Toggle Coat Take-off!


Good morning, hoarders, pack rats, and clutterbugs!

Feeling fresh and alive after my week of decluttering (which continues, albeit offstage), I trotted over to the garment district yesterday in search of wool fabric for my toggle coat project, otherwise known as Vogue 8452, an OOP mens pattern from 1992.

Dec 3, 2010

Positively the LAST decluttering post



Brace yourself, friends, my notable Necchi is no more.  She won't be picked up till next week but I have a deposit.  How exciting is that?  Five sewing machines sold in four days.  Let's all take a deep breath.

Dec 2, 2010

Decluttering downsides



I know this is getting a little wearisome for some of you, but rest assured, the decluttering is winding down.

Yesterday I bid good-bye to my Brother LS2125, now owned by former Floridian Melissa.  So touched was I by her excitement, I threw in a vintage McCall's hardcover sewing book for free.  Melissa seemed delighted.

Dec 1, 2010

More DECLUTTERING delight!



Meet Marcia (name changed to protect her from envious MPB stalkers), the proud new owner of my beloved Singer Genie.  Please don't hate her.  The machine was actually a gift to Marcia from a friend (an MPB reader, no less) and Marcia came to pick it up not even knowing what it would be.  I could have given her my old razor with no questions asked.

Nov 30, 2010

One down, four to go!



Good morning, neatniks, slobs, and vicarious downsizers.

So I did it -- I sold a sewing machine yesterday!  I am loathe to tell you which one for fear it might be your favorite and I don't want to cause a ruckus.  OK, it was my Singer Genie.  I know many of you love the Genie and I loved mine too.  But I never used it.  I have three other Singers, albeit without the irresistible flower-power details. 

Nov 29, 2010

Mastering the Sewing Mess



Friends, I am on a bit of a decluttering roll -- some might say obsession -- here at MPB headquarters.  I am committed to downsizing however I can.  I have Too. Much. Stuff.

Can I interest you in a slightly used chihuahua?  Two?

Nov 28, 2010

Decluttering: Part 2



Readers, I must provide some backstory to yesterday's post.  I used to have a lot of clutter -- no, not clutter exactly.  Stuff.  And I've gotten rid of tons of it, primarily on eBay and Craigslist, but also through donations to thrift stores and just throwing stuff out.

Here's an eensy weensy taste; thank goodness I took pictures!

Nov 27, 2010

One small step in the struggle against entropy!


Friends, one of the leitmotifs of my life is the continuing battle against chaos.  It's challenging, living in a Manhattan apartment, no matter how spacious relatively speaking, to find room for two chihuahuas, twelve sewing machines (fourteen if you count the sergers), two adult men and a glamorous cousin who likes to crash at a moment's notice and rarely picks up after herself.

Nov 25, 2010

Nov 24, 2010

Peter speaks! The first-ever MPB TOPSTITCHING VIDEO!


Friends, it was time.  I have received so many comments and questions about topstitching, specifically with regard to my Kwik Sew men's jeans and Western jacket, that I decided it was time to do something about it.  The result is this movie.

Nov 23, 2010

Trend Watching: the Future of Home Sewing


Readers, when you sew all day and write a sewing blog, it's easy to lose perspective. 

Before I learned how to sew, I didn't know anybody who even owned a sewing machine.  Today, I shun anyone who can't use the word presser foot in a sentence, and if they don't know what a feed dog is, I'm not interested.  I think it's totally normal to sew bras, girdles, and crinolines, moreover, and snicker at the men who don't.  I just assume everyone sews.

Nov 22, 2010

THIS I will not sew!


Friends, I must be honest.  There are certain things I will not sew for myself and for very good reasons.  I bet you're the same.

Nov 21, 2010

Kwik Sew Men's Jeans - Done!



Friends, I hope you agree that with these Kwik Sew men's jeans I have successfully achieved the "snug and shapely mono-bun" that MBP readers favor by a wide margin according to Friday's "denimed derriere" poll. 

Nov 20, 2010

Kwik Sew Men's Jeans: Nearly done!

 

Friends, I am happy to report that my Kwik Sew 2123 Men's Jeans are coming together nicely.  I'll be revealing them tomorrow but in the meantime I thought I'd talk about how I'm making them.

Nov 19, 2010

Men's Jeans and the Denimed Derriere + POLL!



Adult readers and supervised teens, let's face it: there's not a whole lot of controversy about the fit of the front of men's jeans.  It's two pockets and a fly.  Sometimes the waistband covers the bellybutton, usually it's an inch or two below.  Unless you're a hustler (or a rustler), it's all pretty standard stuff.

The fit in the rear, however...

Nov 18, 2010

Kwik Sew Men's Jeans + Contest Winner!


Friends, we have a winner of the Audrey-Hepburnesque 1962 vintage Vogue pattern.  She is...

Nov 17, 2010

Designer Fashion for Kids - yea or nay?



Dear readers, you know I do not have any children.  In fact, I avoid children whenever possible and when it isn't possible, interact minimally and hope the elevator door opens ASAP.

Nov 16, 2010

Vintage Vogue Pattern GIVEAWAY -- Audrey Hepburn style!



Friends, the joy of living is in the giving.   I haven't given away any patterns lately and, frankly, having spent yesterday at a funeral (the husband of an old and dear friend), I could use the joy.

Nov 15, 2010

Yé-yé Girl Style


The Yé-yé girls were a breed of popular singers in the Sixties, primarily in France, but later in other parts of Europe, Canada, and even Japan.   They all shared a few common traits: they were young, they were pretty, they had long straight hair, and they couldn't sing very well. 

Nov 14, 2010

Cathy models the One Pattern Wardrobe!


Friends, the stars were aligned yesterday.  The weather was perfect, Cathy awoke with less eye puffiness than usual, and knee socks were in abundance at my local Duane-Reade drugstore!  (Worn over tights, they cleverly combine chic and warmth.)

Nov 13, 2010

Whenever you're ready, Cathy...


Look who's now reading the sports page. (click on pic to supersize)

See you on the morrow!

Nov 12, 2010

Attack of the Killer Houndstooth


WARNING: this post includes images of extreme pattern boldness that may cause nausea, blurred vision, or vertigo.  MPB assumes no responsibility for any injuries incurred by readers.  If symptoms persist consult your doctor.

Nov 11, 2010

Uniforms



Readers, do you ever find yourself having to wear a uniform, for school, for work, or even for play?  How do you feel about it?