Pattern Pyramid arrives in Northern California

Talk about six degrees of separation.  Today we have two degrees of separation, in that I put my name in the mix to win the Pattern Pyramid drawing held by Winnie, aka the ScruffyBadger. Winnie happens to be a pal of Karen, who originated the Pattern Pyramid. The same Karen who was my sewing student last spring here in California (and who recently sighed, if e-mails could sigh, that she should have been born a Californian based on what I told her was happening here, weather-wise while she was dealing with dog-walking in the snow).

So thank you Winnie for sending this suprisingly big package of pattern goodness. And keep up your tradition of great poses and action shots for your various creations, they are great! Check out her recent Jungle January post to see what I mean.

Now you want to see what is in store for you if  your name is drawn in this latest Pattern Pyramid.
First up, some vintage goodness.  Love that outfit on the left, perfectly Mad Men so get out your opera gloves. The Simplicity on the right has potential, but I think also has a hint of housecoat about it. The jumpsuit is just plain fun and as it says designed for Easy Living, and I really wish someone would make that.

Next up, how about some undies. Or the Simplicity retro re-issue. I have made that dress and it is a good one. 

For the two here, below left,  I think we are talking costume only. It may be time to cull the herd as that hideous overall pattern seems to be lingering since the original shipment.  The two on the right are junior sizes and are giving me flashbacks. I know I had tops like those in junior high.

How about something that evokes Working Girl? I mean the movie with Harrison Ford and Melanie Griffith not whatever you were thinking.  Despite the 80's or 90's styling the blouse on the Butterick is very pretty and the Simplicity dress has great lines in the sleeveless version,  it reminds me of this coral color Vogue I made ages ago.

And what am I contributing?  After having a little chat with myself on the unlikelihood of ever sewing some of these I am dipping into my stash of vintage patterns for you.  Wedding season is approaching and someone may just be searching for a lovely retro look. I think the skirt on that dress is so pretty. The Simplicity on the right is really charming and is vintage size 18 which means bust size 36.

Also going in the package are a few more modern patterns that I will never get to, unopened. 

What am I keeping from the package I received? A cute skirt pattern and this Butterick with the drawstring neckline. I forsee making this one as soon as the weather turns hot, even though I am trying not to make any more cotton summer dresses (and wear the many I already have).

I find it hard to resist an interesting vintage pattern and this one seems to have a bonus included. It is McCall 4634, in slightly sad condition but seems to be all there. I have included a view of the back in this photo, it is actually a 3 piece outfit, skirt, blouse and jerkin.  They had me at jerkin, which I presume is what we Yankees call a vest ( ages ago in a small town in the west of Ireland I had just requested two pints from the bartender. The rather handsome fellow sitting next to me turned and said, "you're a Yank, aren't you?"  I confess it gave me a little thrill to hear that word. I suppose in some instances it can be a bit pejorative but it was his opening line to chat me up. All I thought of were all those moody 1940's wartime in Britain movies.) 

This is one of those patterns with no markings on the pattern pieces, just plain white tissue with some perforations. I would love to know what year it is, note that it says McCall not McCalls plus with the pattern number it appears somewhere between 1941-1943 and it is printed in England. Wouldn't it be great to know how this pattern spent those years?

I find it interesting that they could get the entire instructions with illustrations for 3 pieces on one small sheet of paper. Am I the only one who thinks the pattern instruction sheets are excessive these days?

I am not promising to make this outfit but I think the blouse looks nice. The bonus in this pattern was the following tucked inside the other pattern:  a Weldon's # 403 pattern for 2-piece Evening and Day Frock. With no illustration so now I am intrigued and want to see if I can figure it out. From the scrap of the instructions (all that was in the package) I can see a bit of the bodice and it looks very pretty.  I think this is just the type of vintage challenge I will  be unable to resist. 

So time to enter by leaving a comment below.  Let’s recap. remember this is the brainchild of Karen at Didyoumakethat & here are the rules (lifted from the original post ) to remind you:

THE SMALL PRINT

• No way am I going through 30 patterns, ensuring that every pattern piece is there. This is pot luck!
• Please don’t email me for specifics on these patterns. Take your chance!
• Your selection of patterns will be picked at random, though I do promise to attempt a good variety of makes. Please don’t contact me asking for specific patterns.
• If you’re a winner, I would love it if you could make a small contribution to The Brooke. This is a charity close to the heart of Catherine, who so generously provided these patterns.

All Karen asks of participants is to engage in a timely fashion, launching their own giveaways soon after receiving a parcel. you must also be happy to post patterns worldwide – we really want to spread the love!

Let's give it a week, so next Tuesday morning I will draw from those who leave a comment. Happy almost spring sewing, Beth

and some tiny Tete-a-Tete daffodils have made an appearance. What next?  thinking about  what tomatoes to plant, of course :)