Hello readers! Just wanted to post a few exciting new things I've found, and been sewing.  At the top of my list has been my Sew for Victory 1940's dress, and I have to say it's going quite well.  After sewing up the back of the dress a couple days ago, today was the challenge: bound button holes! It took me awhile to decide if I even wanted to attempt them, but then I thought "what would Sam do?" After a few practice tries using the method in Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing, I decided to give it a go.

Yes, the stitching is visible on the ends, but hey, it will be under a button most of the time, right?
For a first try, I'm pretty happy with how they turned out!

A few tips of my own to add to Gertie's method:

1. When stitching the rectangle around the edge of the buttonhole, don't backstitch except at the very ends - this really helps it turn nicely and lay flat

2. Make sure your "lips" aren't overlapping when you sew them on

3. Stitching in the ditch does take longer by hand, but it is worth it!

4. The iron is your friend :)

iPhone pic of the front bodice w/ all four bound buttonholes
Before I attempted the buttonholes, I had to find the buttons - there was no size specified on the pattern, I just knew I needed eight buttons.  I firmly believe that every garment has a perfect button - soul-mates, perhaps? Haha :)  But really, I probably spend just as much time looking at buttons as I do fabric!  It was a wonderful surprise when I walked into Joann's with my hubs the other day, and he immediately pointed out the perfect buttons for this dress.  I looked at the entire rest of the selection, but none were as perfect as these:

Burnished silver, pewter, perfection!
Why, you may ask, was the hubs in Joanns?  I am making him a hoodie and I wanted to look at fabric together. However, the selection was very lacking (it doesn't help that he already owns a hoodie in basically every color) so we looked at buttons instead :)

Speaking of the hubs, can I just tell everyone how amazing he is! The same day as the button find, I get a call from him at work (Half Price Books) that they just had the Vogue's New Book for Better Sewing, First Edition, come into the store, and wondered if I would want it. WHAT?!? Absolutely I would! I am no vintage seamstress aficionado, but I know something amazing when I see (or hear about) it! And apparently so does he :)  So this beauty came into my ownership as of today:

How cool is this cover art! You can't even find this one on e-bay or amazon!
How beautiful!
I can't wait to look through it - all the beautiful clothing and illustrations! Definitely more inspiration to finish my 1940's Sew for Victory dress and get started on the Mad Men Challenge! It's going to be a busy week!

P.S. After failing to find sweatshirt fabric for the hoodie at any local stores, I turned to to the internet where I found this on e-bay:


It's green. It was a great deal. And it's from Ireland.  HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY, PEOPLE!!! :)