Romantic, Boho Dress McCall's 2856

I am smitten, no, not by a person or animal, but by this dress pattern. I love the scoop neck, the fitted waist, and the slight flare of the skirt. Add the shawl for a romantic date night and it is worthy of a Victorian era swoon. The pattern is from 1970 and shows the influence of the hippie styles of the 60's. I just love it.


Post by Eileen of GoofingOff Sewing.

New Listings in GoofingOff: Capes, Cape Collars, and Flower Girls

Every have one of those nights where you just can’t sleep? Well, that was me last night. Tossing and turning without a bit of feeling tired, then it hit me. My friend came back from Costa Rica with the most wonderful coffee to share….and share we did, at 5 PM. Not a good time for me to drink coffee if I plan to fall asleep before 1 AM. The time change was enough to mess up my sleep habits (why do we change the clocks? Anyone?) but the caffeine keeps me charged for hours. So….after tossing and turning I surrendered to the coffee and listed patterns. Here they are:

Simplicity 9223 from 1994. One size. Talk about a dramatic entrance!

Simplicity 7128 from 1975 in size 6-8 bust 30.5-31.5 inches. So cute. It is designed for Stretch Knits. Love the cape collar. The evening length dress has a nice flow to it, elegant but comfy. Could show off some curves…..

New Look 6357 from the early 1990’s. Lots of ruffles and lace in sizes 4-10.

 

McCall’s 2528 Misses’ and Men’s Poncho. One size. From 1970.  OK, not a cape or a flower girl dress. I had to include this one, though. I love it! 

Well, at least I did something constructive with my time.

Use the coupon code BLOGGIN to get 15% off your purchase in the GoofingOff Etsy shop. I’ve added new fabrics to the shop so stop by.

Peace, Love, and Happy Stitching!

Holiday Stitches: 50’s Skirt, Tree toppers, Angels, and a Big Turkey

Aside from cooking, I don’t think there is anything more traditional than holiday stitching. When I talk to friends, some of their favorite Christmas and Hanukah memories are of gifts made for them by loved ones. Not only is there love in every stitch but the creativity of the stitcher comes through to treasure for many years to come. My grandmother, Frieda, crocheted a shawl for me, one that I still use and treasure to this day. Here’s a few ideas for this season.

McCall’s 2352 in size 4 from 1959 features a full skirt with suspenders. An embroidery transfer comes with it for those adorable pictures on view B. It has a headband, too! View A is pleated with embroidered daisies on the suspenders. Short on time or your embroidery skills are like mine? Use adorable buttons over snaps for the suspenders.

McCall’s P247 includes a tree skirt, ornaments, tree topper, stockings, and even a pinafore for the little one.

 

This Thanksgiving table topper pattern is from My Sister & I Patterns. Cute turkey!

How about a Victorian Angel Ornament? This pattern is from Shelley & Pat Etc. for a tree topper,garland, and a door decoration. A beautiful gift for a newly married couple.

Well, there’s a few ideas to get you started. You can find these patterns in GoofingOff Etsy or Artfire shops. Don’t put it off too soon….you need time to create without feeling stressed. Besides, wait too long and the patterns just might be gone.

Use the coupon code Bloggin and get 15% off your purchase…a one time deal from me.

Costume Sale

Announcing the Annual Goofing Off Sewing Supplies Costume Sale!

All patterns are 30% off until October 15. All of them….toddlers, children’s, adults. Everything, even these:

I feel like the white rabbit….late for a very important date.

If the costume pattern isn’t marked down yet just convo me and I’ll fix it. I’m a work in progress, still not perfect yet.

Post by GoofingOff

Sewing with Nancy

I am a crafter. I fell in love with making things by hand when I was five years old. I remember receiving an embroidery kit with a little printed fabric, a hoop, threads, and a needle. I don’t remember who gave it to me or if I ever finished it but I remember working on it. I loved the thought of creating something by hand. It seemed so much more important than something I could buy at the store. I haven’t changed much in that respect. I still like to craft and create. It is my therapy. I am always looking to try new things and learn new crafts.
“So, what does that have to do with Sewing with Nancy?” you ask. Well, for all my want-to, I didn’t know how to sew. I tried and even took a sewing class in school. I just loved it but after that class ended I was on my own. My mother didn’t sew, she didn’t even know how to run a sewing machine. Good eye for fashion but not a crafter. My grandma knew how but she liked to crochet more so she taught me that. Still left me in the dark about sewing. I could read a book but for some reason the knowledge wouldn’t cross over to my hands. I could sew a straight seam (pretty much), and insert elastic but not a lot more. That is, until I found Nancy Zieman on PBS and her show, Sewing with Nancy. She took the mystery out of zipper insertions, buttonholes, and facings. All of a sudden I could finish a project and it looked good. I was making skirts, blouses, jeans, everything, and they didn’t look homemade. They looked good. I was so proud.
Nancy Zieman is the TV host of Sewing with Nancy, a half-hour TV show on PBS. The show has been on the air since 1982 and is the longest running sewing program on North American television. She creates patterns for the McCall’s Pattern Company like this one here.

McCall’s 2879 Easy Knit Wardrobe, sizes 8-22
She has a columns in sewing magazines. She doesn’t just show how to sew, she makes sewing make sense. She is a sewing queen with a needle in one hand and thread in the other, her throne is the chair in front of her sewing machine. Hail Nancy! Long may you reign!
I don’t sew much anymore. I bought a sewing machine that was supposed to do everything but pick out the fabric and it was a lemon. That darned machine spent more time in the shop than in my home. I finally sold it on EBay a long time ago just to get it away from me. It was that or it was going to be an anchor on one of the hubby’s boats. Since then I bought a cheap machine at Wally World, good enough to do what I want, which isn’t much anymore. Cost less than 1/30 of the other, still runs, and never spent a day in the shop (Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. I might have jinxed myself). The lemon took the zeal out of my sewing passion (I should have said peel. lol, sorry, couldn’t help it).
I still have a bit of the sewing passion in me, though, especially when I see sewing patterns and fabric. I guess that’s evident when you look at my Etsy and Artfire shops with lots of vintage pattern and fabric listings. I don’t know much about sewing, at least compared to others, but I thank Nancy for what I do know. I can sew a zipper in 15 minutes or less and I can make it look good. Thank you, Nancy.

Post by Eileen Patterson of GoofingOff.etsy.com and GoofingOff.Artfire.com

New Listings on Artfire

Beautiful clothes start with well-made patterns and McCall's makes some great patterns. The styles are timeless, sophisticated, and can go from fun time to polished; the look is up to you. Here are some I just listed in my GoofingOff Artfire shop. McCall's 2029 Two Hour Skirt Cute skirt in two lengths. Good with lightweight fabrics such as cotton and cotton blends, challis, chambray, and linen. The skirt is either A-line or bias, with zipper closure. McCall's 8750 Sophisticated Suit and Wardrobe What a beautiful suit! With the right fabric it would look great at an afternoon wedding. Polished enough to go to the office and make a statement. Includes a lined jacket, top, pants, and skirt. Fabrics: cotton, cotton blends, linen, crepe, faille, garbadine, shantung. Sizes 8-12. McCall's 8907 Wardrobe Builder Lined Jacket, dress, pants, and skirt, sizes 14-18. The big picture is casual but the smaller ones show how versatile and sophisticated this pattern really is. Fabrics: Cotton, cotton blends, gabardine, wool crepe, lightweight wool and wool blends, linen blends. McCall's 8789 Vacation Wardrobe Builder Got a holiday vacation planned? Maybe a cruise? Here's a pattern that will help you look polished yet casual. Shirt/Jacket, top, dress, and pants. Sizes 8-12. Fabrics: Cotton and cotton blends, pique, rayon and rayon blends, lightweight linen, lightweight crepe. Dress is suitable for border prints. Easy Stitch n Save 3480 by McCall's Dress in two lengths. This is my bargain special. Cute dress, easy to whip up. Why not? Fabrics: Rayon and Rayon blends, lightweight crepe, soft linen, cotton interlock, cotton and cotton blends, soft faille.