New Sewing Books!

I have three new (to me) books to share!

New vs. Old

Friends, there are two kinds of people: those who prefer to buy new and those who prefer to buy old.

I was in suburban New Jersey this weekend at Michael's parents, and let me tell you -- as if you didn't already know -- the suburbs are full of people who prefer new.  New cars, new houses, new appliances, new stores -- new, new, new.

Raw Silk Laundry FAIL + My Interview!

Dear hearts and gentle people, occasionally I do something so stupid that, rather than hide it behind a facade of perfection, I put it out there for all the world to see, as a cautionary tale for others.

Or perhaps you already knew not to throw three yards of inky raw silk into the same washing machine as your white towels?

Meanwhile, in Mondo Maternity...

Readers, I am truly enjoying juggling multiple projects at once; it keeps things interesting.  I hope it's not confusing for you.  I'm not sewing different projects on the same day, of course, though I certainly have enough sewing machines to do that.  (Silk pajamas at Sewing Station 4...)

SIL Dress Project -- He LIKES it!

OK, so the SIL dress project (SIL stands for sister-in-law, for those not accustomed to acronyms) is underway, right on schedule.  And friends, I have the most awful confession to make, which may be difficult for those of you who have vowed never to sew for others due to feelings of exploitation and abuse at the hands of friends and family:  I like it.  I mean, it's fun!

Matchy-matchy style -- YEA OR NAY?

Readers, today I challenge you to dig a little deeper than usual.  In fact, you might want to lie down on your couch, close your eyes, and free associate.  I want to know how you feel about matchy-matchy dressing.

Whatever happened to the Singer Featherweight?

Sewing machines are a lot like cars.  How we feel about them is entirely subjective.  Regardless of the official product description or what online reviewers may say, if we like it, we like it and if we don't, we don't.

Coming this May to MPB...

Readers, sometimes I can have too many irons in the fire and my life feels a little disorganized.  That's why I've decided to prepare for May by composing a list of what's in store here at MPB.  Still leaving room for the spontaneous, here goes...

Holy Housecoat! Cathy wins the PR Vintage Pattern Contest!

Readers, I'm about as far from a "math person" as you can get, but if it's true that numbers don't lie -- and good grief, I hope they don't -- then Cathy's opera coat has just won the vintage pattern contest on Pattern Review!

Fabric Shopping with an Aussie

Readers, I think of myself as relatively worldly, but when it comes to Australia, I know virtually nothing.  Kangaroos.  Koala bears.  Mel Gibson.  Whats-her-name from Grease.

So I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I was contacted recently by an Australian reader, telling me she was coming to NYC and would I be up for a little fabric shopping? 

SIL dress UPDATE + Inside Peter's Fabric Stash!

Readers, a word of advice: never say you'll make a dress for somebody, assuming that by the time you get around to it they will have forgotten.  THEY WILL NOT FORGET.  And you must make the dress.

My new favorite vintage fashion book!

Friends, do names like Adrian, Helen Rose, Irene, Jean Louis and Travilla start your blood pumping faster?  Well you better sit down, because have I got the book for you!  It's California Couture by Maureen Reilly, published by Schiffer in 2000.  It was another birthday present to myself (the best kind) and I love it.

More Maternity Madness + Vogue WINNER!

Hello, readers, and welcome to my second half century.  I have so many fun things planned for us while I'm still lucid (and continent).  First, to announce the winner of the June/July issue of Vogue Patterns!

Peter's 50th B-Day VOGUE PATTERNS GIVEAWAY!

Holy freakin' moly, friends, today I turned fifty.  That's right, the big 5-0.  I can't believe it and hopefully neither can you.  Well it's no joke, and if it were, it would be a very cruel one.

The Pattern That Would Not Die!

Readers, yesterday we discussed rare vintage patterns.  Today, let's talk about the not-so-rare pattern.  Let's ponder the pattern that, every time you stumble upon it while doing a vintage pattern search on Etsy or eBay, you think, OMG, not THAT again!