Really I've Sworn off eBay

Truly I have!  I had to work hard to remember my sign in because it's been that long since I was on the site.  I can find way too much junk to be sent to my house from there.  Lately since I've seen a couple episodes of Hoarders, I'm rethinking how much stuff my home can actually hold!  Egads that show gives me the skivvies...besides the fact that it annoys the hell out of my that they are exploiting people who obviously have mental challenges...but I digress.

So how did I end up on eBay?  I went looking for an out of print Calvin Klein Vogue Pattern.  Now why did I do that?  Because you know I never found the dayum pattern...instead I found 10 patterns!  *sigh* Yeah I know but they were ten of those working women patterns that Vogue did so well in the 90s.  My mind started whirling and before you know it, I'd hit "buy it now"

Well they arrived yesterday and I'm actually kinda thrilled.  I want to sew four of them right away...and I can make them up in spring/summer fabrics which is even better!  I did escape with only those ten so I count myself lucky! *LOL*  Now I've gotta forget that log-in again 'cause I don't want to end up on a future episode of Hoarders...

...as always more later!

Vintage Ebay

I spent several hours Saturday on Ebay looking at Vintage Patterns. I found this store, "Linda's Sew Be It" which was chock full of all kinds of vintage patterns, and I was in love. I think I bought another 5 or 6 patterns and I have just won two more auctions! But people I'm done now...truly I am...because all of the time spent on Ebay has inspired me.

It solved a quandry that I was struggling with but had no answer to. See I love a lot of the new styles being shown by all of the pattern companies...but they lack a sense of style, an elegance, a sophistication that I want to bring to my work wardrobe. Now this is not to say that I haven't purchased a few of these patterns but it is not the direction that I want to take my sewing in...especially since I sew primarily for my work wardrobe.

If you look at patterns and wardrobes of women in the 50's and 60's they had a femininity to them that I think is lacking in many of today's patterns/wardrobes. There was a care taken with dressing, an elegance and a love of the woman's shape, that is not apparent to me today. Now there seems to be an emphasis on body parts...too much in my humble opinion and it just seems that a graciousness is lacking...and that sensibility is what I want to bring to my work wardrobe.

I want to wear suites of jewelry (earrings, necklace & bracelet or pin that all match) with my suit or jacket/dress combination or dress alone. I want to look sophisticated and well put together yet effortlessly like I just rolled out of bed looking that gorgeous! *LOL* And the pattern details that I found in the vintage patterns on Ebay have inspired me...

It inspired me so much that I am calling my spring/summer sewing, "The Summer of Sophisticated Dressing!" I found seam, fabric and notion details on vintage patterns that take a simple sheath dress to another level. I have inserted pictures of them throughout this post. These are the details that will appear in my summer dresses.

Then this arrived in the mail today:

Sent to me by my friend Sharon, author of the blog, "Adventures from the Sewing Studio." This is the perfect dress for the black/white toile fabric. This pattern combines two looks that so define the face that I want to present to the world this summer! And....it is in a size 20! Be still my heart...not a lot of grading up, not a lot of figuring out how to make it work...just a lot of making it work for my figure! *LOL*

So Sharon thank you so much for sending me the perfect pattern to start my sewing quest for "Sophisticated Dressing"!!! Somehow I will incorporate this look into my pieces for the June Capsule Contest and my "no-plan" sewing for Summer! Stop laughing y'all...this is just parameters...a direction to aim in...not actual planning! *smile*

Ebay is a very, very evil place

and could possibly get me fired! *LOL*

Okay so Myra innocently sent me off to the evil land of bidding and "buy nows" to look for a 50's shirtwaist dress pattern. Ebay novice and innocent that I am, I search Ebay for the item number that she provided...at work...people, what was I thinking! Was I trying to lose my paying gig?! The source of my fabric enhancement...'cause I was on that danged site for almost two hours! Two hours!!!! Thank God I started when everyone headed out to lunch because that place is like quicksand it just snares you in and then starts to suffocate you with the goods.

So do I find 50's shirtwaist dresses...ummm can we say that I "Buy Now" bought two patterns and bid on two more...What the h*ll do I need four plus size 50's shirtwaist dress patterns for?! But that's what I think now, earlier today was a different story...when the seducing evil that is Ebay invaded my mind and showed me the possibilities of what's out there...at that time I was thinking, ooohhhh good vintage pattern instructions, uncut factory folded pattern pieces, a detail from this pattern could be added to my final garment, look at how the pleats fall on that pattern...do you see where I'm going here?!

I caught it...Ebay fever!!!!

So all evening I have been checking "My Ebay" to make sure that someone hasn't undercut me and outbid me on my two patterns because now....I've just got to have them!

And that my dear friends is why Ebay is EVIL!










p.s. I will let you know if I win them and show you pictures of the "Buy Now" patterns when they arrive! I can see the shirtwaist dress now and it's just a matter of time and the post office delivery system on it getting made...but Ebay really is evil!!!! *LOL*