Sweater Girl Showdown 2013: Which snug little cardigan to knit next?

Cardigan indecision overload! Please. Help. Me.

As a knit-loving girl approaches the end of her second TARDIS sock, her thoughts naturally turn to... sweaters! Said girl will not dwell on the length of her Ravelry queue (though it might be said that even the most productive of knitters might take several lifetimes to complete it) but will instead look ahead to her very next project—another cardigan.

So... last time around I chose the Georgina in chartreuse.

This time I pondered knitting a serious vintage sweater pattern in tiny little fingering weight yarn from one of the A Stitch in Time books (both out of print but available as e-Books) (have you seen Laura Mae's beautiful Tri-Stitch Cable Jumper?!), but... I really need to bust my yarn stash, and the only yarn I actually have enough of is a big old pile of KnitPicks Merino Style DK weight in Eggplant (and a few other colors):

Six Top Contenders:

1. Faith peplum cardigan by Kim Hargreaves from Heartfelt: The Dark House Collection.

• Pros: Peplum! Cool stitch pattern details! A lovely curve-hugging shape!
• Cons: No instant gratification of a quick online purchase... would have to order this book used and wait for it to arrive. GASP. CANNOT DEAL. Not sure about the not-slim sleeves, either.

2. Peggy Sue Cardigan by Linda Wilgus from her website Wooly Mammoth Knits.

• Pros: Such an adorable vintage style--I love the figure-hugging waist cables and the short sleeves. And it's free!
• Cons: I'm not sure if it would look too prim on me when buttoned up. And I passed it over last time—there must have been a reason why?

3. Cityscape Cardigan by Laura Chau from Twist Collective.

• Pros: Little colorwork buildings marching around my neck!
• Cons: Eternal plain stockinette boredom knitting hell once the neck fun is all over.

4. Agatha by Andi Satterlund of Untangling Knots.

• Pros: If Lladybird has knit MORE than one of these, it's got to be an AMAZINGLY fun sweater to knit, am I right? Lots of cool details and shaping and lacy fun.
• Cons: It might emphasize how short-waisted I am?

5. Cherry by Anna Ball.

• Pros: Sweet little vintage-esque cardigan with a cute stitch pattern and defined waist, almost peplum-esque but not quite.
• Cons: Does it actually make any sense to knit a short-sleeved wool cardigan? (pattern suggests cotton, but I do NOT knit cotton after several bad experiences with baggy saggy sweaters of stretched-out misery).

5. Delancey Cardigan (shortened version) by Alexis Winslow from her website Knit Darling.

• Pros: Um, hello. STRIPES. CHEVRONED STRIPES. Plus, plunging neckline. Plus, full with color patterning.
• Cons: Same (amazing) designer as Georgina. Not branching out and trying new pattern designers.

I was super super indecisive when I drew all this up... but now that I look at it, I'm dithering between just two, with a strong inclination towards one of them... can you guess? Which cardigan would YOU knit if you were me?

Sewing Through the Decades Illustration for We Sew Retro!

Our family is off on another little trip for a few days (to Boston for my grandmother's 90th birthday party and my husband's 39th birthday), but in the meantime, I did finish up one of the sewing illustration commissions I was working on!

It's a timeline cover photo for the We Sew Retro Facebook page. Here's a screenshot of the art in action:

I had so much fun working on this (even though it took me ages longer than I estimated), deciding what outfits to dress each of them in (SO hard to choose) and on their hair and makeup. (Can you tell that 1960s seamstress woman is pregnant? I originally was working on a more rainbow-bright color scheme (1970s seamster dude originally had a bright orange plaid jacket) but it looked like a box of crayons so I muted it down.

More details later! Hope you like it!

In Defense of: "Mom" Jeans, "Granny" Panties + "High" Waists

High Waisted Denim Love by m1khaela featuring Not Your Daughter's Jeans Marilyn Straight Leg

"But you don't want to wear MOM jeans, do you?"

Said my mom, to me, after a frustrating hour-long jeans try-on-a-thon at our local Old Navy. I had just rejected yet another pair of "classic-rise" jeans that weren't even making a serious attempt at approaching my belly button (or covering the stretch marks), and I was about to cry.

My sole pair of halfway-decently-fitting jeans are falling down and falling apart, and I had searched high and low for a pair--just ONE pair--of jeans that might replace them, even if that meant trying out the skinny jeans trend.

Well, maybe I do want "Mom jeans" (minus the stonewashing and pleating, anyway). Because I'm sick of jeans labeled "high" or "mid-rise" resting five inches below my natural waist. What conspiracy decided that "modern" jeans should sit barely above the hips, requiring tunic-length shirts to awkwardly hide exposed bellies, and belted tops to emphasize a natural waist that could just as easily be emphasized by a well, waistband?

I am perfectly fine with my post-baby belly--stretch-marks and squish and all--because I couldn't begrudge anything having to do with the birth of my amazing wonderful little girl. But that doesn't mean I covet the muffin-top look, and I would much rather the emphasis be on my waist than my belly, thank you very much.

And as a vintage lover, I reject the idea that a low-waisted jean is inherently superior (though it certainly works awesomely for many, of course). Seriously, when and how DID this happen? If you look at any pants or skirt sewing patterns from the WHENEVER up to the 1980s, they pretty much rest on the so-called "natural" waist:

1930s:

1940s:

1950s:

1960s:

1970s:

Oh wait!

Yeah, there you have it--the hip-hugger jean (and that pattern envelope girl is even striking a pose worthy of Tanit-Isis, queen of the low-rise jean!). Perhaps we can blame the 1970s? The natural waisted jean had a brief revival in the 1980s:

Source: etsy.com via Mikhaela on Pinterest

And then somehow, somewhen--in the 90s?--someone permanently decided that it was more modern to ignore the laws of logic and gravity and figure flattery and decree that natural waists were not only outdated, but UGLY, PASSE, and FRUMPY, retraining the eyes of millions over time until we could not but be horrified and terrified by so-called "Mom jeans." This (admittedly hilarious, thank you Tina Fey) Saturday Night Live video didn't help:

So where does this leave me? Frustrated and jeansless, pretty much. (And that Craftsy Jean-ius class wouldn't work for me, as I have no jeans I'd even want to copy). I even went to American Apparel, but their high-waisted jeans did NOT work for me, and seemed quite a bit more 80s than 40s or 50s:

American Apparel jeans

And speaking of natural waists--what's a girl supposed to wear with her high-waisted jeans, pencil skirts and so on? It's almost IMPOSSIBLE to find cute, reasonably priced high-waisted underthings... in fact, most of these are actually retro swimwear bottoms from Modcloth:

Not Your Granny's High-Waisted Panties by m1khaela featuring Rago Shaper Panty Brief With Lace 919 (Made in USA)

So, readers, some questions for you:

• How do you feel about natural-waisted women's trousers and panties? Do you think they can be sexy, or do they automatically scream "FRUMP-VILLE" or "80s" to you?
• Do you have any favorite sources for high-er waisted jeans and panties--or do you prefer to make them yourself?
• Have you ever been accused of wearing "Mom jeans"?
• If you DO prefer low-waisted jeans--tell me why?

Update May 2013: Thank you for all the awesome comments on this post. I went to many stores and tried on a number of jeans, and the ones that ended up working best for me were the Not Your Daughter's Jeans Marilyn Straight Leg—they don't hit EXACTLY at my waist, but they are close enough. I did buy one pair full-price, but have bought a few others at deep discount from 6pm.com.

I also ordered a huge variety of different "high cut panties" styles from HerRoom and ended up really liking the Naomi & Nicole Light Control Lace Brief Panty 724, the Rago Shaper Panty Brief With Lace 919 (Made in USA) and the Warner's All Day Fit No Pinching Hi-Cut Brief Panty 5138. The Warner's are the most casual and low-cut of the hi-cut bunch, the Naomi and Nicole are close to the natural waist, the Rago is a bit above the natural waist. All are awesome in their own way!

Thanks again readers!

**Disclosure: Actions you take from the ready-to-wear hyperlinks within this blog post may yield commissions for polkadotoverload.com (and quite likely spent on yarn or fabric).

Sweater Girl Showdown: Which Shrunken Cardigan to Knit?

Which curve-hugging vintage-inspired cardigan to knit? Decisions, decisions!

Now that I've finished Z's Tomten hooded sweater jacket, I'm so excited to make a shrunken spring cardigan for myself to go with my spring wardrobe separates. I'm a die-hard sweater girl--I wear a colorful fitted cardigan almost every day (with a rare blazer thrown in here or there), and there are so many awesome vintage-inspired super-fitted negative-ease knitting options to choose from...

I kind of got lost in the black hole of the Ravelry pattern browser, but I eventually emerged with:

Four Top Contenders:

1. Puff-Sleeved Feminine Cardigan by Stefanie Japel from Fitted Knits.

• Pros: I already own the book and the yarn--bought both ages ago when I first pondered making this sweater.
• Cons: I might look like I have balloons stuck in my sleeves.

2. Georgina Cardigan by Alexis Winslow from her website Knit Darling.

• Pros: When I look at this pattern I want to say "Beautiful sweater, where have you been all my life?" That shawl collar! The plunging neckline! The fabulous lace and ribbing! And while I had never previously heard of this designer... she is seriously awesome. I'm also totally crushing on her chevron-patterned Delancey Cardigan, and ombre-striped Nora sweater dress. AND she's from Brooklyn. And wears glasses.
• Cons: This looks to require some serious gauging and blocking precision, and few Ravelry-ers (Ravelers?) have gone before me. Also: yarn will need to be purchased.

3. Miette Cardigan by Andi Satterlund from her website Untangling Knots. (Photo above is a lovely Miette knit by Erika Made It, as Andi prefers no Pins from her site)

• Pros: Love the scoop neck, the little lace touches around the edges, the super-short length (less knitting!) and the serious bust dart shaping. Another designer I was unfamiliar with, Andi seems to have a range of awesome vintage-inspired feminine knitting patterns... you may have seen Lauren's awesome in-progress Agatha. Also: Miette is a free pattern!
• Cons: Again, new yarn and some serious fitting precision required.

4. Peggy Sue Cardigan by Linda Wilgus from her website Wooly Mammoth Knits.

• Pros: Such an adorable vintage style--I love the figure-hugging waist cables and the short sleeves. And it's free!
• Cons: It's DK weight (i.e. slower to knit than the Georgina or Miette), and I'm not sure if it would look too prim on me when buttoned up.

So... can you guess which one I chose? It should be pretty obvious from the sketch (all my knitting friends guessed immediately).

The Yarn Contenders

I also need to decide on yarn--one thing I know for sure is that it will be wool or a wool-dominant blend! The last spring cardigan I made for myself (Pam Allen's Flutter Sleeve Cardigan from Interweave Knits)-- I knit to the 36" bust size with correct gauge...

And yet it sagged and stretched to fit me even while 37 weeks pregnant--you can imagine it is rather baggy now (perhaps a little sweater surgery is in order?) ... that's what I get for knitting with a cotton/silk blend.

After years of knitting with lots of cheaper KnitPicks yarns, I'd like to try something a bit fancier, especially since these cardigans don't require tons of yarn. Like madelinetosh tosh vintage 100% superwash merino wool, maybe in Forestry:

Or Chartreuse:

And then there's Berocco Ultra Alpaca (50% wool, 50% alpaca), at about half the price of the above, but not available in nearly as many fun or bright colors. Perhaps in Periwinkle:

Or how about Dream in Color Classy Spring Tickle?

Or Malabrigo Rios in Lettuce?

And then there's a whole bunch of other yarns I've been pinning...

Luckily I've got a pair of socks in progress, so I can take my time on the yarn decision, and hopefully buy it at a local yarn store like Knit-A-Way or Brooklyn General.

Which cardigan would you knit? And if you don't knit, am I tempting you?!

P.S. Speaking of chartreuse cardigans, I'm considering attempting to resurrect my half-sewn McCall's 5529 doubleknit cardi-jacket (with peplum!) from the UFO pile--it's super huge since I started making while pregnant, but maybe I can cut it down to a smaller size?

P.P.S. If you enjoy these showdown posts, see also "Sheath Dress Showdown: Colette Edition" and "1940s Red Dress Showdown: Du Barry Edition."

Sew Grateful: Vintage Pattern Giveaway Overload!

Giveaway Option #1: Du Barry 5415 vintage coat or topper pattern, 1942

Sew Grateful week is in full swing over at My Happy Sewing Place, AND I just hit over 150 blog followers, so I'm super excited to host my first ever Polka Dot Overload giveaway!

In typical Mikhaela fashion I could not pick just one pattern to give away--and since I'm doing a vintage pattern giveaway, I wanted to have a range of bust size options. So here are a variety of patterns I've collected that aren't quite moi, but deserve a loving sewing home.

So, the rules:

• To qualify for the giveaway, please leave a comment here by Sunday Feb. 12, midnight EST telling me which pattern is your favorite, and either (a) what type of fabric you would make it with (color? material? etc.) or (b) what occasion you would wear it for. Please don't enter just to resell on Etsy or eBay--obviously I have no way to check that, but I would just love to think you'll actually sew with one of these!
• There will be one giveaway winner. (The rest of these lots will go on eBay, as I don't have time these days for Etsy).
• Some of these are lots--if you win the giveaway and pick one of them, you get the whole lot!
• Out of qualifying answers, I will pick a random winner.
• Please make sure to include your email address or other contact info when you post your comment (it should be visible to me only, I think).
• I'll ship to anyone, anywhere, but please give me a few weeks of leeway before you start worrying about your pattern(s)--things are a big squeezed over here timewise!
• Due to the sheer number of patterns involved here, I did not have time to check to make sure all pattern pieces are present for all patterns. If you choose a lot, hopefully most of them will be intact! If you choose a single pattern, I'll check the pieces before I send--if any key ones are missing, I can give you backup options.

And the options (I have links to back views or more details on the Vintage Pattern Wikia for some of these):

1. Vintage Du Barry 5415 coat or topper pattern, 1942, size 16, bust size 34 (photo above). Love those Du Barry crayon colored illustrations!
2. Vintage Simplicity 3431 dress with full skirt, early 1960s, size 16, bust size 36. Check out the sheer sleeves in the main view (and here's the back view):
   
3. Lot of three adorable vintage smock-style maternity dress, top and skirt patterns, one from the 1950s and the others from the 1960s. Bust sizes 32 or 34. (Here's more info on Butterick 7395):
   
4. Lot of six vintage patterns from the 1960s or 1970, in bust sizes 37-40. I really wish these were closer to my high bust size, especially Simplicity 3722 (double bows!). And isn't Style 2876 (love that bodice seaming) very Star Wars--whereas Butterick 6329 is a bit more Star Trek? Also includes a half-size sloper pattern...
   
5. Lot of six vintage patterns from the 1960s or 70s, in bust sizes 32-34. Yes, I know there are seven pictured... but then I realized I just LOVE everything about Simplicity 6577 (the orange/plaid combo! eek!) and it's only one size too small in the waist/hips. So (sew?) sorry!
   
6. Lot of two vintage 1960s mail-order dress patterns (see detailed blog post about this collection "A Life in Mail Order Patterns") in bust sizes 34 and 35, Patt-O-Rama 8356 and Mail Order 8359.
   
7. Lot of five vintage 1970s and 1980s mail-order dress and separates patterns from same collection (see detailed blog post about this collection "A Life in Mail Order Patterns") in bust sizes 39-42, including Mail Order 4785, Mail Order 8250 and Mail Order 9441 (my favorite! Love the polka dot bow-neck dress!).
   

   

Phew! That's it, folks. Good luck to all of you, and while I don't want to put on any pressure, I would just be incredibly delighted if the winner eventually made up their winning pattern ... maybe in time for next year's Sew Grateful week?

P.S. Later this week, I'm also planning to do a Sew Grateful tribute to my grandmother Melba, who taught me to sew (and left me her beloved serger and money for a sewing machine). I'm also hoping to do a project post about my Sew Grateful colorblocked skirt from a pattern she left me--if my fabric arrives in time.

Let's Play: Sheath Dress Showdown! (Colette Edition)

Readers, sometimes sewing just isn't ... FUN. And that is unacceptable. Considering how limited my sewing time is, I just can't afford to feel like I'm taking my sewing medicine or paying my sewing dues or gritting my sewing teeth. I need to be having a party at the sewing machine, a cut-up at the cutting table, so lost in what I'm doing that the time flies by and I look forward to each step.

And for me, fun generally involves bright fabric with a bold print.

So whilst waiting for petersham and zipper for my trousers to arrive in the mail, I pulled this fabulous stretch cotton (acquired ages ago at Mood) from the stash:

What a hot number, am I right? All my patterns want to ask her out! But I only have two yards, so I had all my sheath dress patterns do a little strut down the fashion runway of my mind... The top two you can see in my sketch above--Colette Pastille and Colette Macaron.

The other contenders:

Vintage McCall's 5955.

• Pro: Love the keyhole!
• Con: Neckline too prim, could lead to dreaded uniboob look.

Vintage Simplicity 3045 Slenderette (1959), view 2.

• Pro: Hello sexy scallops!
• Con: I fear the belly pleats.

The ever-popular Roland Mouret Vogue 8280.

• Pro: Such an awesome shape.
• Con: Print may overwhelm detailing.

Vogue 9668, bodice from first view and skirt from the second.

• Pro: I have wanted to make this pattern from FOREVER. One of the first in the stash.
• Con: I think this pattern prefers drapey rayon.

So I was leaning strongly towards Pastille because I think that fitted carved-out shape (minus pleating) is perfect for this fabric, maybe with a nice black belt... and my husband was really excited for me to use the book since he bought it for me.

Also, looking at my croquis sketch I have my doubts about how Macaron will look on me--it has similar fearful belly pleats as the vintage pattern above.

But then I realized my yardage is only 48" wide, which actually eliminates ALL of the options. Except Macaron. I have some Fabric.com black swiss dot in the stash for the yoke. Likely the same type of Fabric.com swiss dot The Sew Weekly's Mena Trott used in this Macaron, although I do worry about mixing stretch and non-stretch wovens... we shall see. Anyway:

Macaron wins by default!

A Life in (Mail-Order) Patterns

Some vintage patterns come in pristine factory folds. Some come carefully cut and refolded, with handwritten hints at their former owners' tastes (such as: "very good skirt pattern for me" or "make in brown check"). And some come with a history.

Enter Mrs. D. I first met Mrs D. in a 23-piece eBay lot entitled simply "Vintage Sewing Patterns - LOT DEAL @LOOK@":

You will be getting all of these patterns. Each envelope has the pattern and pattern guide for cutting. I don't know if all of the patterns are complete, but this lady seem to keep them all together but not guaranteed.

I tore the tape off the box barehanded when it arrived, crossing my fingers that a reasonable number of the patterns would be cute and within a few grades of my bust size (and they were, but we'll get to that!) But as I gingerly opened each brittle mail-order envelope and photographed the contents, I felt as if I was traveling through time.

Most vintage lots I've acquired are random mixes of envelope patterns from the 40s to the 80s, with little clue as to who owned or used them. But thanks to the mailing address that appeared on every one of these pattern envelopes, I knew they were all ordered by one particular woman in Missouri as she sewed throughout her life.

The oldest patterns in her careful collection seemed to be from the late 40s or early 50s (most of the postmarks are undated, but I used this Cemetarian article for reference). For example, this gorgeous deep-V Marian Martin 9279 day dress with pocket detail: bust size 32, postage, 1 cent.

The most recent ones are from 1990--I didn't even know mail-order patterns were still available then! The last one is a multi-size pattern, but from her 80s purchases I gather Mrs. D was sewing a bust size 42 at this point. And the postage had gone up to 18 cents.

Here's what I learned about "this lady":

• She probably had a daughter or two. There are four 1950s girls patterns in the collection, and I am so keeping the below two for when Cartoonist Baby gets old enough. The first one, Mail Order 3863, is from 1954 or earlier--I was able to date it by the newspaper comic strip pages she used to trace the bolero pattern. I think the second, Mail Order 9276, could make a fun modern party dress, with that lovely notched neckline and sash.
  
  
• She was probably on the shorter side. Many of the patterns in the lot are "half-size" patterns, meant for women 5'3" and under. That said, none of the misses' patterns seem to have been shortened for a smaller torso, so perhaps she either traced them, or never actually sewed them up. And I see no signs of any FBAs, but perhaps she was busty as well, as suggested by her note on the below Mail Order 1447 shirtwaist pattern from 1963: "cut shirt bigger." LOVE the tab details on the shoulder yoke, but I'm too tall for this one.
  
• She loved a trim button-front shirtwaist day dress, with pockets if possible. (Witness the Marian Martin 9096 at the top of this post). From her 50s and 60s orders, you'd almost think no other style of dress existed:

  Mail Order (Anne Adams) 4750, from 1958. Wouldn't this be great made up in perpendicular stripes as illustrated?

  

  Mail Order 9213. Check out the gored skirt with partial yoke and those cute cuffs (collar optional):

  

  Mail Order 4874, with its collar and pleats, is a more dressy variation on this theme--I imagine this in a polka-dot silk, especially with those gloves and bag. Though she could just as easily have done it in a cotton.

  

  It wasn't just her--the shirtwaist seems to be a staple of the mail-order pattern business, as evidenced by this pink tissue poster (enlarged version here) in one of the envelopes featuring "Pattern Hits of the Month--Voted Tops by Our Fashion Council for Style, Sewing Ease, Flattery."

  
• ...At least until the mid-1960s, when things got a little looser. Mrs. D had gone up a bit in bust size, and was trying out less fitted styles. Here's 8349, from 1964:
  

  And 9066, from 1963. It's not even belted!

  

  By the 70s and 80s, she was in bust sizes 40 or 42, and had gotten into relaxed jumpers (4785) and culottes (9069). I wonder if she made this tank in a polka dot and wore with sunglasses?

  

  It's not 50s style, but it is belted and pocketed:

  
• She made at least occasional forays into embroidery and crochet. Or not--the transfers on the three apron and embroidery patterns are unused, and I can't tell if she ever made the very 70s owl crochet pattern:
  

  

  By 1983, she was quite relaxed!

  

Of course, there's much more I don't know about her, such as:

• Did she also sew with envelope patterns? There was one mixed in--a 1950s Simplicity envelope pattern for a girls dress--but the pattern was so shredded that I could barely see the illustration. Perhaps she stored those separately.
• Did she ever wear pants? Evening dresses? Blouses? Suits? Perhaps she bought those ready-to-wear, but her mail-order sewing preference seems to have been strongly in the day-dress camp.

So there you have it! A life in mail order patterns! I've made a Flickr gallery so you can see the whole collection and I've been entering all the patterns into the Vintage Pattern Wiki (here's one, for example). I'm keeping all the non-half-size shirtwaists, but as soon as I set up an Etsy shop I'll be selling all the larger sizes, half sizes, and styles that don't quite suit me, like this "Patt-o-Rama 8356" (too bulky in the bust area for me):

Pattern Stashing/Destashing, Pt. 2: Vintage Edition

In the first part of this series, I covered the modern patterns I picked up recently in anticipation of the post-preggo return of my waist. In part two: a look at my recent vintage stashing and destashing.

Although I've bought individual vintage patterns here and there on Etsy or eBay (like the one for my orange silk floral maternity dress), most of my collection are the result of lucky bids on poorly photographed and/or described eBay pattern lots. The ones with clear pictures and detailed descriptions usually sell for too high, but there's less competition on the fuzzy ones. Said lots tend to contain some patterns way out of my size or taste zone--but I can resell those or give them away (and I will, I swear!)

Stashing!

First up--the pattern at the top of this post, a lovely scoop-neck dress with circle skirt from 1948. Here's a less frighteningly faceless view from the Vintage Pattern Wiki:

I'd definitely go knee-length in a lightweight cotton, and I'm not sure I'd do the swirly lace treatment. But I don't know that I'll get to it anytime soon, as it's hardly nursing-friendly.

From 1945, a crisp, practical shirtwaist day dress with nice big pockets and a center front pleat. I'm loving the striped cap-sleeve look. The handwritten penciled note reads "very good skirt pattern for me." Me too!

The below ruffled sweetheart neckline housedress is actually a "maternity dress or pinafore", and is super adjustable thanks to the back tie belt. It reminds me of Gertie's recent ode to housedresses (and this 40s housedress in particular). I'd lower the neckline and go for the tinier ruffle treatment. And I have no idea why her eyes are closed.

This 1941 button-front makes me wish I was a hat and gloves girl. It's begging to be made up in polka-dot rayon... "The button fronts are top-stitched to the side fronts for a smartly tailored effect." For sure!

Oh goodness I love a shirtwaist--and with a gathered bust over a fitted midriff, too!

I mentioned this one in a recent post, but I'll show it off again because I love it SO much (and thanks to Sarah, I've learned it's officially from 1940). In case you hadn't noticed, the "vertical seaming in the front of the frock lends slenderizing flattery to this design."

And before we move on from one-piece dresses--I'm not usually a 60s gal, but this one is my size with a wonderful tie-neck detail. Both the pencil and full skirts are fabulous, and I love the layered polka-dot view:

In the two-piece department... This jacket/skirt combo is undated but the (unprinted) pattern pieces are still in factory folds--1940s, right? I love the shaping so much I could be inspired to bend my "no high necklines" rule...

Here's a "Simple to Make" two-piece dress from 1943, with more hand-written notes ("brown + white check"--no thanks!). I wonder if I could make this work for the office?

It'll be a while before Cartoonist Baby is old enough, but this 1954 sundress and bolero mail-order is worth holding onto:

I'm uncertain about this Hollywood men's shirt pattern -- it's in Masheka's collar size, but I find the men in this illustration to be strangely terrrifying:

So that's some of what's staying around. Since I have a 36" high bust, I'll have to grade some of these a few sizes (I hear that even if you lose all your pregnancy weight it takes up to 9 months for your ribcage and hips to realign). But that's a skill I've been meaning to learn anyway, and I'll have some help from the latest addition to my sewing library, Grading Techniques for Fashion Design. The book explains manual pattern grading in detail, and has incredibly detailed, illustrated step-by-step directions for accurately grading dozens of styles of bodices, skirts, sleeves, dresses, pants, shirts, etc. by one or many sizes; the 1974 edition can be had used for about $10.

As for what's (probably) going...

Destashing:

It's super cute and in my size, but it's just too big and blousy up top for my figure:

Similarly, double-breasted + full-busted can = total disaster (with the exception of trenchcoats). This fabulous 1946 suit probably deserves a better home:

And once again, I just need to admit to myself that square-dancing is not in my future:

By the way, speaking of the Vintage Sewing Patterns Wiki--I do try, whenever I acquire a vintage pattern--whether or not I plan to keep it--to check to see if it's in the Wiki. And if not, I add it--you can see my contributions here.