Further Fur Coat Adventures!

Friends, the coat is coming along.  I cut all my shaggy white fur (sheared pink rabbit, for want of a better name) today: fronts, backs and sleeves.  Wanna see one of my sleeves -- undersleeve and oversleeve -- all sewn up?  

70's Faux Fur Coat MUSLIN + Tools at the ready!

I just finished my muslin, readers, and that little voice inside is already asking, Do we really have to do this all over again in faux fur?

Faux Fur Fabric Haul and MORE!

OK, readers, what would you say if I told you I went to the Salvation Army yesterday ("Family Day" -- 50% off most clothes) and found a terrific blue faux fur peacoat in my size for $4.99? 

Put on your sunglasses, and behold!

The Coat Project: friend or faux?

The latest on the Seventies coat saga:  After digging around in the Garment District yesterday, I have decided to go ahead and make my coat, and -- tentatively -- to make it in faux fur.

Random Thoughts about Seventies Coats

So here's the deal: Cathy will model the Seventies pantsuit, Simplicity 7295, but she isn't willing to freeze her a** off in the cold.

Which got me thinking...

Glitzy Fabrics and the Sewing Headache

Readers, I am happy to announce that the top (I'm calling it a jacket) that goes with my Halston-inspired outfit, Simplicity 7295, is almost done.  But oye, the headaches!

Men in their Underwear

WARNING: The following post deals with adolescent themes.  Anyone over the age of 18 should be accompanied by a child.

Glitzy Halston-inspired outfit UPDATE!

Friends, it takes a certain kind of man to pull off a 1975 sequined pantsuit.  Fortunately, I am precisely that kind of man.

Puttin' on the Glitz!

Rhinestones.  Bugle beads.  Sequins.  Fringe.

These are the elements of glitzy dressing, our topic for today!

Farewell, Pfaff 30, etc.

Friends, if you've been reading MPB for more than a year, you probably know that my vintage Pfaff 30, which I found at the end of 2010 on Craigslist and bought from a Broadway actress (whose mother had purchased it new) was one of my most treasured sewing machine finds.

Valentine's Day Sewing -- YEA or NAY?

Readers, let's be honest.  As bad as the modern world can sometimes seem, all one has to do is take a peek back in time to realize that we've come a long way as a culture.

And Show It Goes...

Friends, our cabaret show, Noah's Very Unusual Insight, is finally over!  It was fun to do but also a lot of work, and I am WAY glad to be able to move on to other things.  I feel like the new year hasn't really gotten underway yet!

The Ugly Truth

 

Readers, think about it: when's the last time somebody really unattractive became famous?  Newt Gingrich?  He's been around awhile.  John Belushi?  He's been dead for decades.

It may be hard to believe, but in the early Nineteen-Thirties, comic actress Marie Dressler, already over sixty and with the face of an English Bulldog, was THE number one Hollywood box office attraction, which she remained until her death at sixty-five.  Watch an old movie of hers like Min and Bill or Dinner at Eight and you'll immediately understand why.  She was a powerhouse.

Vogue Pattern Winner + Recent Acquisitions!

First, friends, we have our winner of V2787, the glamorous 1948 Vogue repro pattern!

Pattern Stash Confessions, Part 2 + Pass the Pie!

Readers, I was stunned -- stunned -- to discover how many MPB readers are simply nuts about pie!

And speaking of pie, many of you are probably wondering what kind of pie I like.  I'll be brief(ish):  While I enjoy a savory shepherd's pie from time to time (I am fortunate to live near the extraordinary Myers of Keswick grocery store, which offers a vast selection of fresh, savory English pies daily), pie to me remains primarily a sweet dessert.