Hi everyone. I really couldn’t wait to share this with all of you. For many months, I have been working on designing a small collection of sewing patterns! They aren’t quite ready yet: the patterns are all designed and graded (and will be available in sizes 0-18), but I am still working on the instructions, packaging, and printing. The goal is to make them available in January.

I really think the designs themselves are wonderful. They encompass many things that I love: buttons, dresses that use more than one fabric, really flattering feminine cuts, linings where appropriate, and best of all - pockets! I’ve been wearing the samples I’ve sewn up, and I get tons of compliments, which is incredibly exciting.

So, why am I announcing all this before I have anything to show you? A couple reasons.

First, I’ve started a new blog over there, appropriately called the Colette Patterns blog. I will certainly still be keeping this one. I anticipate that I’ll be posting more helpful sewing and craft things, like tutorials, free patterns, tips & tricks, and fun things related to the new business over there. I’ll continue to post about my own personal projects and life here. I think you’ll really like both of them, so go subscribe!

The second reason is I wanted to see if any of you lovely sewers out there would be interested in testing the patterns for me. I would give you a choice between a few designs, you’d sew it up in whatever fabric you choose and let me know of any problems. You could feel free to write/blog/whatever about the project, if you’d like (or not). Don’t worry too much about your sewing skill level, a mix of people would be great.

If you sew and you’re interested, please just write me a note, let me know you’re interested, how long you’ve been sewing, and what you consider your skill level to be (beginner, intermediate, advanced).

Thanks so much for all of your kind words on this blog over the months. It has been so encouraging to see how many people appreciate my little projects.

Update: I have gotten a ton of responses, and truly appreciate it! As of now, I’m no longer looking for pattern testing volunteers. Thanks everyone!

Isn’t plaid amazing? I just love it. It just has so many layers of connotation - royalty, heritage, the countryside, schoolgirls, vivienne westwood, 1970s punk rock. And… lumberjacks.

How can one textile pattern be so simultaneously prissy and tough?

I found this dress on a $10 rack at the flea market. Perfect size, deadstock, still has the original tags. And I love the welt pockets.

If you’re a plaid fan, you must check out Tartan: Romancing the Plaid, which I know I’ve mentioned before. I’ve even added it to my Recommended Reading list, with a number of other autumnal favorites.

One of the first things we did in Paris was to head out on a leisurely stroll from the apartment we rented in Montmartre to the Saint-Ouen market, one of Paris’ legendary and gigantic flea markets. The history of this market is fascinating. It began with the rag-and-bone men who were driven out of the city in the 19th century by regulations, fear of cholera, and urban planning. They set up just outside of the city’s fortifications, and slowly the city’s residents began coming out to see the goods and do trade.

I love the term rag-and-bone men. Even better is pêcheurs de lune, “moonlight fishermen,” because they picked through discards in the night.

Anyway. Saint-Ouen is one of these markets, and is more like a huge outdoor antique mall than the temporary flea markets that I am used to. It’s absolutely huge, composed of several different markets in one area.

I thought the furniture was the most impressive thing about the market. It was exactly the type of luxurious, ornate, antique furniture you’d expect.

I mostly had my eye on clothes and jewelry and that, I’m afraid, was rather pricey. But the quality was great. I mean, if you were in the market for a vintage Hermès bag, or YSL dress, you could find it. Other stalls had incredible silk gowns from the 30s that knocked my socks off, or huge collections of early plastic costume jewelry.

Definitely worth the trip to the 20th arrondisement, despite the dearth of good deals. I made up for that later.

While down south with my family, I got not one, but two amazing bags of treasure. First, my mom gave me this incredible collection of vintage buttons she’d acquired. Some are celluloid, many seem to be on these lovely sample cards. I love the idea of using matching buttons in different sizes, though I must say, they look good displayed as they are.

Thee are many many more buttons not pictured.

The other treasure was from nonna, who brought over a giant shopping bag full of vintage lace and other gorgeous notions that she’s collected over the years. This is the very fine, soft lace you see on silk lingerie from the 20s, 30s, and 40s. I can think of a million uses for this stuff. I will be wearing lots of lace-embellished things soon.

This thread looks so pretty in its box. I want to display it as is, does anyone have any ideas? I thought about putting some of these things in little glass cases, the sort they pin butterflies in.

These are bone crochet hooks. They feel so fine and delicate. I can’t wait to use them.

I sorted the lace into jars for now. yum.

A pretty vintage milk glass necklace, which I wore yesterday. Right now, I’m really into wearing very simple neutral things with pretty vintage jewelry.

Kenn snapped these while I was pulling a sheet off the pet hair roller. My hair is sort of a mess right now from chlorine.

Also, lest you worry for my health looking at these, the dark circles around my eyes are not due to lack of sleep, but my Italian genes. I also have that Italian/Jewish dark shadowy eyes thing, so that I always look like I’m wearing eyeshadow.

I’ve taken up swimming again lately, for which I wear your typical plain black sporty speedo one piece (though I do have a pink swim cap and goggles). But it’s made me think about summer swimsuits of the splish-splash-playing-in-the-pool variety (as opposed to the swimming-laps-for-exercise variety).

Nowadays, swimsuits are usually kind of flimsy and rarely seem to be built for curves. If you’re lucky, you might get some sort of shelf bra in there but that’s about it. One look at the swimsuits of the 40s and 50s though, and you can see that they were nothing less than feats of engineering: Pieced full cups, shirring, smocking, and strategic seams galore.

I’ve never made a bathing suit. Could be fun if I could manage the elastic shirring bit.

{more gorgeous vintage beach images from millie motts}

I bought this odd 80s sun dress for a few bucks recently. I thought it was really dowdy in that sort of horrible laura ashley way, but at the same time, the bodice is really beautifully cut. It has a very fitted princess cut, elastic shirring in panels at the back, and I like the crazy pockets. And recently I’ve had a bit of a textile crush on these kind of faded flowery large scale grandma patterns.

So I chopped a good foot off the hem and it’s really a new dress. The perfect thing to wear to the nursery this weekend and bake a cherry tart.

It even sort of matches the flowers we bought at the farmer’s market this week.

There are two shops in Rockridge that sell the most beautiful vintage dresses. Most of them are fancy occasion sorts of things, so I don’t have many excuses to buy them.

But I am in love with this little blue 60s dress. pretty pretty.

I have a great deal more to write about in the way of dresses and sewing and crafts and things, so expect a lot this week!

The perfect dress, in a shop window in Oakland.

Long ago, someone sent me this pattern for Folkwear #249, 1930s Day Dress. I bought the fabric, cut the pattern, and for one reason or another, it languished in my sewing box for many months after.

Well, I finally finished it, and it’s quite nice! I used a gorgeous blue toile cotton for the self fabric and a deep indigo silk charmeuse for the flounces. I often steer clear of printed cottons for dresses, but this one seemed lighter and softer than most, and I couldn’t resist those giant birds.

I made some small modifications to the pattern, such as taking in the shoulders (I didn’t include shoulder pads), transforming the shoulder pleats into tucks to get rid of some fullness there, and shortening the hem quite a bit.

I love the back of this dress. The bodice comes to a low point in back, and the skirt is gathered below. This creates a really nice profile that emphasizes the curve of the lower back and fullness of the booty without puffing out at the hips.