New Glasses for Cathy! Yea or Nay?

As anyone who has ever shared a meal with Cathy and wondered why she was eating off their plate soon realized, Cathy's eyesight is not one of her strengths.  Most of the time she's stumbling around in semi-darkness, poor thing.

Unfortunately my cousin was raised to believe the old adage that "Men don't make passes..."  I'm trying to get her to re-think things and update her look.

What's your take?

PAIR #1  -- Too...derivative?



PAIR #2 -- Too big?



PAIR #3 -- Too busy?



PAIR #4 -- Too Carol Channing?



PAIR #5 -- Too smart?



Because Cathy is indecisive, she needs your help, readers....really!

It's photoshoot day so I'm busy helping Cathy squeeze into her "Adaptolette" girdle -- tune into tomorrow for the results!

Big hugs from Freddy and Willy!

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Can you see my butt crack?

Readers, today I'm going to challenge your sense of decorum and tolerance.  The easily offended might want to come back tomorrow.

Oh wise ones, what's your take on the ubiquitous men's saggy pant?  Does it bother you?   How about on, say, teen idol Zac Efron -- as close as we'll ever get to Troy Donahue, who never flashed his crack to the best of my knowledge, at least not in "Susan Slade."

Apparently the town of Flint, Michigan has had enough!  Get THIS!

Meanwhile in the Bronx (my hometown) they'll just have to live with it.

Apparently Japan has other problems...  (Hope this isn't anything obscene; I don't read Japanese but it looks pretty self-evident.)

Friends, isn't this just another case of young people wanting to show off their bodies and create a look of their own?  How concerned should we be?   Is it as a symbol of a larger breakdown of our society and/or respect for authority or just teens pushing our old generational outrage buttons?

I'm on the fence.  I used to find those sagger pants a little ridiculous but lately they look kind of cute to me, provided it's the pants that are sagging and not the ass underneath.  (Just a joke -- I am not saggy-ass-phobic.)

Haven't we been through this kind of generational outrage before?  Think back...women in PANTS!

The TWO-PIECE!!

The LOW-RIDER!!!

Life went on.

I see this look with increasing frequency in my uber-chic, over-art-galleried neighborhood and frankly, it nauseates me.

To my eye, the Thom Browne suit silhouette looks contrived at best but nobody seems to be up in arms about it --  I'm guessing it's because it has only been adopted by fashion-forward men who can afford a $4,000 suit.

But isn't it sort of the mirror image of this?

In 1000 words or less, please tell me how these are different and how they are similar.  Fans of ancient history may want to make reference to the thong flash that nearly brought down a presidency.

Please open your blue booklet and begin.

Saggy Butt Pants:  Yea or Nay?

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Learning to Sew: Peter's TOP TEN TIPS!

Increasingly I am asked how I learned to sew and what advice I would give beginners.  Since I only started a year ago this is easy -- it's all very fresh in my mind!  

So here, in no particular order, is my entirely subjective, highly biased top ten tips list:

1. Start off with a good machine.  I can't imagine anything more discouraging than learning to sew with a headache-inducing, temperamental sewing machine.  I think you all know by now that I am extremely biased toward vintage machines, straight stitchers in particular.  But most people these days start with zigzaggers and that's OK.

Good used machines can be had for less than $50 on Craigslist, eBay, and at your local thrift store.  Maybe your neighbor or a family member has one in storage.  Make sure you clearly ask the seller/donor whether the machine has any mechanical problems.  The last thing you need is to bring home your first sewing machine and discover the bobbin winding mechanism doesn't work (sound familiar, you-know-who?)  A manual is always helpful and if missing, can usually be downloaded online for a few dollars.

NOTE: There's nothing wrong with spending more for a high quality machine, but when you're starting out you don't really know which features you'll value most.  I recommend thinking of your first machine as a starter and spending the big bucks later, if at all.



2. Avoid (avoidable) complexity.   This relates to sewing machines and so much else in life.  The simpler the machine the less is likely to be/go wrong with it.  If you're interested in making clothes, you don't need fancy embroidery stitches, which is the selling point for new machines.  Nothing has changed mechanically in decades and nothing has improved, though some sewing machine companies may try to convince you otherwise.  I know that some people prefer the "new" and that's fine: it keeps our economy afloat, or somebody's....

Just keep it simple and don't let yourself be wowed by fancy computerized geegaws you're unlikely ever to use.

3. Buy yourself a good beginner's book.  In my experience, there aren't that many of these; I've looked.  There are countless excellent encyclopedic sewing guides, like the Readers Digest guide, Vogue's etc.  These are great to have on hand for reference but I would not use them to get started -- too much info.

My favorite beginner's sewing book is Diana Rupp's Sew Everything Workshop.  I have raved about this book so often you'd think Diana would have sent me a few free copies.  Diana walks you through step-by-step in the gentlest, most caring way, and the book itself is beautiful to look at AND spiral bound, which is a tremendous help.  It also includes many simple patterns for some basic garments and home dec items that are cute and trendy (and on real pattern paper too).   They're mainly for women, of course, but not exclusively.   I made my first garment -- a pair of boxer shorts -- from a pattern in Diana's book and I still wear the results!





4. Start small.  If you follow Diana's book you won't have to think about this.  It's more fun to sew something simple and do it well than to tackle something too advanced and have it turn out crappy.  You'll learn either way, for sure, but some of us get very discouraged when our results don't match our expectations.   Whether we're making a pencil case or an evening gown, choice of fabric and other details is going to make a huge difference in our enthusiasm and happiness with the result.  It's not what you sew but how you sew it.

5. Practice.    Like any other skill, sewing takes some practice.  After a while things that seemed difficult at first, like matching the edges of two separate pieces of fabric at 5/8", become second nature.  When I got my first sewing machine, I just loved to sew scraps of fabric together -- any fabric!  It all seemed very miraculous to me at the time and still does!

6. Lower the stakes.  A lot of perfectionists are drawn to sewing.  People who are highly concerned with well-fitting clothes and cultivating a unique look through home sewn outfits are often the ones who obsess over getting things "right"  in all aspects of life.  I've sewed many dozens of garments and some came out better than others.  I try not to make sewing a reflection of my self-worth or engage in any other self-defeating behaviors.  Sewing is just a fun craft.  With skill you can make some fantastic things but ultimately, most of us don't have to sew to have clothes to wear.  Many of us already had bulging closets before we even picked up a needle.

Sewing should be fun.   Sew like a child and enjoy it.  You're only going to get better with practice.

7. Make up your own rules.  I am a big believer in trusting one's intelligence.  Some things you read in a sewing book or in pattern directions -- how to insert a zipper, say -- may sound unnecessarily complex.  Don't be afraid to try it your own way.  The people who wrote those directions are just people.  Maybe there's a simpler method and YOU are the person who will have discovered it.  If it doesn't work, you'll have learned something.  You have nothing to lose provided you're not experimenting on your nearly-finished garment made of $75/yd. silk shantung.

8. Find a sewing community.  I could not have learned as fast as I have without the support and encouragement of the Pattern Review community.  Other sewists prefer Burdastyle, Craftstylish, or other sites.  But you really need to make some sewing friends, not only at the beginning but all along your sewing journey.  It makes things so much more fun.  A dirty little secret is that I rarely looked at sewing blogs until I started my own, but blogging is a great way to connect with and/or create your own community.  Some of the blogs I enjoy most are written by people who are just starting out, like Elizabeth or Rachel.  Highly entertaining and educational!

9. Make sewing your play and not your work.  Life is stressful enough without adding even more stress.  Sewing can be challenging, especially when things aren't working out the way you'd like them to.  But remember why you're sewing in the first place.  You didn't learn to walk in a day or in a week and you're not going to master sewing in that amount of time.  But imagine how much you'll know a year from now if you just keep plugging along, making mistakes and learning from them.  Just keep going and maintain a sense of humor.



10. Make something you really like.  I've heard a lot of stories from people who were taught -- and turned off -- sewing in Home Economics class where they were forced to make something they hated, like an apron or an ugly skirt.  As an adult, you make the rules.  It's much more inspiring to sew something you might actually want to wear.  You don't have to pay a lot for the fabric (beautiful cotton prints can be had for $2 yard if you look and cotton is an easy fabric to start with since it irons so easily).  I would never call myself a Selfish Seamster (what, and invite a lawsuit?), but I do think sewing for oneself, especially at the beginning, has its virtues.  You don't have to please anyone but yourself and you know best how you want something to look or fit.  It's just plain more fun.

BONUS ITEM!  DING DING DING!

11.  Take a class.  Don't take a class.  A lot of people ask me if they should take a class.  We're all different.  Some people really enjoy the social aspect of a class or the way a class organizes their week or (potentially) keeps them from making costly mistakes.  I didn't take a class though I wouldn't rule it out for the future.   I'd recommend that anybody who wants to take a class take one and anybody who wants to learn on their own do so.  It's not either/or.

I will say that given the tremendous amount of information available in books, DVDs, on YouTube videos, and on sewing blogs, nobody has to take a class to get the information they need.  All those "sewing secrets" have already been revealed.  If you don't believe me, just Google "sewing secrets."

So wise readers, anything to add?  Anything that would be in your top ten that I haven't included? 

How did you learn to sew?

Hop in!

P.S. -- For more info, check out my entries under SEWING BASICS in my archive, or just click here.  

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May your days be merry and bright...

Kids, it's still 1942 at MPB for better or for worse.  So bring out the popcorn and let's watch "Holiday Inn,"  "For Me and My Gal, "You Were Never Lovelier" and "Casablanca" -- a quadruple feature.  Just stay home from work, OK?

Never one to let parental visits get in the way of my sewing (I just throw 'em out at a certain point), I did make some notable progress on my 1942 Hollywood dress yesterday.

Skirt done!





Obviously this will need to be hemmed, among other things.  The bodice is almost done; it needs sleeves, waistline pleats and gathers and then to be attached to the skirt.



As you can see, the skirt is quite swingy and drapey.  Upon closer examination, the slightly-off-grain issue I mentioned yesterday seems less dramatic; in fact I think it's actually supposed to be somewhat on the bias.  As far as matching the pattern on either side of the skirt, well the pattern is quite busy and falls naturally into pleats, so I don't think it's a problem; we'll see what the finished garment looks like.

Here's a close-up of the gathered yoke...



And the neckline.  This will be all-but-covered by a bow of some sort.



I really want to finish this today, if possible.  I may let the skirt hang another day or so before hemming just in case it needs to stretch itself out a bit more.  I also have to track down Cathy, who was last seen sitting vigil outside Lindsay Lohan's minimum security prison.   And then there's the question of shoes.

My but that flowered fabric is busy, isn't it?  We'll have to tone that down somehow.

And so the day begins....

Even if you can't stay home today, please enjoy Fred Astaire dancing with one of my favorite gowns worn by a popular starlet of the time whose name escapes me.  (Dance begins at 2:30 for opponents of lip-synching)

Enjoy!

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Working on the 1942 Hollywood Dress

So, 1942 -- I remember it well!  Well, not really; my connection to it is mainly through Hollywood movies (actually, that's my connection to most things).   For much of the world there was a war on, and that's how many of us still define the period: The WWII Years.

Hats were popular, but fashion was relatively subdued: many textiles became scarce for the home sewer, who had to limit herself to what was available.  And the mood was more somber than that of the late Thirties, fashion-wise.  Plus everything was in black and white.

Hollywood pattern #910 is very typical of women's clothes of the period: a one-piece dress with a simple four-panel skirt, attached bodice, gathered yokes, and padded shoulders.  Demure and modest (there's that word again!), with the hemline just below the knee.  Nothing fancy; just something you'd read a letter in.



Of all the vintage dress patterns I've worked with up to now, this was the most fragile.  I'm not sure it had ever been used, but the tissue paper had aged badly -- it was very discolored and ripped easily.  It should probably be traced.





This is one of those patterns that's unprinted but rather has little holes and "V" cuts that signal where seams line up or where a dart goes.



Piece "E" is the front yoke.



The instructions are detailed but brief.  It's not a complicated dress. 



So I cut this very shifty fabric yesterday and hung on my dress form overnight.  Then I started sewing, beginning with the skirt.

I tried hard to get the grain lined up correctly.  You can see already that while the two front skirt panels match nicely grain-wise....



...the back skirt panels do not, the piece on the right coming into the seam at an angle.



I have so much of this fabric that I may just cut those back skirt panels again.  It's really hard to keep the grain straight with this fabric and obviously the skirt just hangs anyway.  Am I being too much of a perfectionist?

I try to learn as much as I can from each project I undertake, and I don't want to learn that grain really does make a huge difference, even on a droopy four-panel skirt.  Also, while it's not readily visible, I can see that mismatch plainly.

The front bow, which I'd like to include, can be sewed, untied, to either side of the front yoke.  I'm a little reluctant to do this because I'm not sure how this fabric is going to look tied in a bow.  It's certainly not going to look crisp like this:



So maybe I'll experiment; I have some black cotton sateen that would make a much sharper-looking bow than this droopy rayon blend.  Thoughts?

I have some non-sewing related things to take care of today so I'm not sure how far I'm going to get on this.

Wise readers, how much of a perfectionist are you when you sew?  Will you go back and start over if something goes awry or just live with it?  Where do you draw the line?  Should I just leave the skirt back panels as-is (as-are?)

Have a great day, everybody!

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Oh, Brother (LS-2125), not again!

Don't.  Even.  Say.  It.  I can hear your collective groan of disapproval from here.  I know, I know.  But it's not what you think.

I did not purchase another sewing machine.  Nor was this a gift.  I found it yesterday, friends, in the trash -- the trash!  Here's the story:

I'm coming home from the flea market, which happens to be three blocks from my house, empty-handed.  Nothing (cheap) really caught my eye -- don't you hate that?  I'm walking west on 24th Street between Seventh & Eighth Avenues (just in case you want to re-trace my steps) on the south side of the street, and you know me, I'm always interested in what might be lurking in the garbage -- usually just rats.

So I'm walking by this five-story tenement-type building and I see this sewing machine.  Of course, I just assumed it was broken, or a total POS: it was covered with grime and just dumped there amid the black plastic bags and who knows what else.  But I noticed it had its cord plugged into it (I draw the line at no power supply) and then I saw that a second wire led down to its pedal.  So this machine had both plug and pedal -- nice.

I was only one block from home so I picked it up.  It weighed only about ten pounds -- lovely!  I turned the handwheel -- unresponsive.  Then I noticed it was in bobbin-winding mode, so I just switched the doohickey on top, and  from then on the needle went up and down when I turned the handwheel.   Great!

Did I mention it was grimy?



One of the wires looked like it had been chewed by a puppy -- I know what that looks like.  I'd have to wrap that with electrical tape.  Perhaps that's why it had been discarded.



I plugged it in and flipped the on/off switch. 



Hurrah!  The light went on.  I pressed the pedal.  It worked!

So I got a damp soapy sponge and cleaned her up.



Readers, this is a nice little machine. Though it only came with a zigzag foot, it has one of those low shank foot adapters that takes snap-on feet, of which I have many.  And I've already downloaded the manual free from the Brother site.

Stitch length and widths are pre-sets, which limits you a bit, but not much.



And it does buttonholes, albeit pretty crappy ones compared to a vintage Singer or Kenmore buttonholer attachment.



It's kind of a joke that the "25" in the name refers to stitches, as if a narrow zigzag and a wide zigzag were two different stitches.  But it does do an elastic zigzag and a blind hem stitch.  In fact, in terms of features, it reminds me a lot of the Singer Genie.

I think I'm going to sew Michael's shirt with it because...well, just because.

This machine is not vintage and it's really interesting to compare it to my older ones.  I actually like the fact that it's so lightweight.  It sits firmly on my sewing table and doesn't vibrate.  And I find the foot pedal to be very responsive -- it can go slow or fast but doesn't race.  For $50 or so, which is what you can get one of these for these days, it's a great value.   It threads intuitively and fast.  It feels powerful.  Sure plastic is plastic and I doubt anyone's going to be sewing with it fifty years hence, but you know, it is not junk.  Good needles and thread and you're good to go.

More pics of my little Brother here.

I had to laugh a little when I read this.  Nancy just bought her second vintage sewing machine and is laying down the law.  Good luck with that!  I don't buy into "The Secret" but it does seem like I've been manifesting sewing machines lately.  Spooky.

Friends, my normal Monday nagging and goal-setting has taken a back seat to heat-induced frivolity, borderline hedonism and a little girdle fun.  Believe me, I know just who is sewing what out there -- especially if I dig back into last week's comments.  Do NOT take advantage of this little respite I'm providing, loyal readers.  It won't last.

BTW, I've concluded that my mystery black flowered fabric is a rayon, linen, poly mix.  My thanks to everyone who threw in a guess.  Within days it will be a 1942 dress.  Now if only I could manifest one of these for my cousin!

In conclusion, what are you sewing this week and is it on a Brother LS-2125?

Honestly, what would you have done if you'd seen one of these lying in the trash -- just left it there?  How about you Europeans -- does this happen to you, too, or is throwing out a perfectly sound, modern sewing machine more of an American thing?

Be kind.

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kathy girdle fun

Friends, I rarely make reference to the behind-the-scenes world of Male Pattern Boldness or its upkeep.  It seems, I don't know, unseemly, like pointing out that Baryshnikov sweats, and it spoils the illusion of effortlessness.  In Show Business -- and that's what I consider this blog you realize -- one wants to focus on the Show and not the Business.

But if truth be told, this site is not maintained by Oompah Loompahs.  Occasionally I will peek at the statistics available through Google Analytics and something new offered by Blogger called "Stats."

These features allow you to learn the (very approximate) number of people visiting your blog and how long they stay (hours!) whether over the last day, last week, last month, etc.  It also shows you whether they've come to you directly or via another blog.

For example, whenever Elaine mentions me, a great many of her readers come flocking here.  She's one of my highest-rated referring sites despite my not being included on her "Great Sewing Blogs" short list.

The statistic I find more interesting is the list of popular keywords readers have used to find us here at MPB.  For the uninitiated, these are the search words one types on a site like Google:  say, "male sewing peter" for example, because you haven't yet tattooed my URL on your forearm.

The most popular search words (or keywords) are mainly what you'd expect:  "male pattern baldness," "malepatternboldness blog," "mqale pattern boldnes" (sic), etc.  But occasionally you'll see one and think, What was this person looking for and did they find it here?

For example:

A number of visitors arrived via the search words "algerian suit folkwear pattern," no doubt interested in my harem pants project.  Makes sense, no?

Quite a few people arrived via the search words "Elizabeth Taylor."

Now, loyal followers and lurkers, I know I have written extensively about Ginger Rogers, Mitzi Gaynor, and even Connie Stevens.  But have I ever mentioned Elizabeth Taylor?  OK, maybe once, in passing.  But it makes you wonder about the accuracy of those statistics -- and the effectiveness of search engines.  How frustrating it must be if you're hunting for extensive information about Dame Elizabeth or White Diamonds or "A Date with Judy" and you find yourself directed to MPB.

But it gets stranger. More than one person it seems stumbled upon us using the keywords "Kathy girdle fun." 

Friends, where to begin?  First, my identical cousin spells her first name with a "C" not a "K."  Second, Cathy-with-a-C is not known to wear even control top pantyhose let alone a girdle.  Third, there is nothing fun about this restricting foundation garment -- just ask Shelley!  (Although, come on, you have to laugh at "Adaptolettes" which sounds like a girl group circa 1963.)

Perhaps YOU are the one who came here via kathy girdle fun.  If so, you needn't be embarrassed.  The important thing is that you got here.

Readers, there are so many more giggle-worthy keyword combinations, like "man in a pencil skirt," "age appropriate clothes at 50 men" and the ever-popular "blue dress from the hills knock off."  Kind of makes you wonder. 

If you have children in the house, please don't go searching on your own for "Kathy girdle fun."  You might not like what you find there.  But then again, you just might.

Have a wonderful Sunday, everybody, girdled or no, and please watch the video below -- it is fantastisch.

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