Get Crafty for the Holidays - Make a Vintage Style Advent Calendar

In the 1970's my aunt Sharon made our family an Advent Calendar.  It's crafted almost entirely of acrylic felt and quite a testament to the crafting movement of the era.  I'm very sentimental about it, even though we were not particularly religious, growing up. I just remember waking up each day, excited to put another ornament on the tree.  Thankfully, my mom kept it around for the years after I left home and then gave it to me later on.  We carry on this tradition at home today and my 14 year old daughter feels as sentimental about it as I do.

This  is the "Vintage" Advent Calendar that we use for Christmas every Year

Here are some of the ornaments that hide in the pockets of the calendar.

A few months ago, one of my dear Bridal clients (from when I did that) dropped by to donate some sewing materials her son acquired from an estate sale. Inside were these tiny little ornaments, exquisitely and painstakingly beaded. I knew they would come into some use, when I saw that they were all Christmas themed.  So that is what led me to re-make this wonderful holiday craft. I've put together 6 kits that we are selling ($50 each) with either a mustard or Aqua background. You can buy them from me, or make your own using the directions below.  Either way, I hope you enjoy!  And Happy Holidays to you and your families!

Directions for Advent Calendar:

Materials list -

• Craft Felt - Wool or acrylic in multiple colors - 1 rectangle measuring 36 1/2" long x 17" wide, 3 rectangles measuring 2 1/2" long x 17" wide (for pockets) in the same background color,  3/4 yard green for the tree and misc. felt squares for the ornaments.
• Ribbon or cord for the ornaments - 2 yards narrow width (1/8" or smaller)
• Cotton holiday print fabric for ornaments - I bought several fat quarters and then cut out the shapes as they were the perfect size.  Note: You may have to do some hunting around to find the right fabric, or just make more ornaments out of felt.  Our calendar has little pieces of holiday cards with ribbon hangers glued on in addition to the felt ornaments.
• Various additional tiny ornaments that are small enough to put in the pockets - I bought these from a craft store. note: you need 24 ornaments in all, so it's nice to have a few that are already made.
• A small amount of polyester or cotton fiberfill for stuffing the ornaments.
• 1 package of large red sequins - I think ours were 8mm and you will need 24 total.
• 24 small glass beads - these are used in combination with the sequins and the ornaments will hang from these
• (1) 3/8" diameter wooden dowel 18" long - I had an 1/8" whole drilled 1/2" away from each end.
• 36" of narrow (1/16") cording for the hanger.
• Misc. beads and sequins for decorating the ornaments.
• Thread, sewing machine, waxy tracing paper (for transferring numbers), tracing wheel and all your standard sewing tools.

STEP ONE making the fabric ornaments -

• Cut around shapes leaving 1/8"-1/4" seam allowance. You will need two for each ornament.
• Cut a 3" piece of narrow ribbon or cord for the hanger and pin in place as indicated in the photo.
• Place right sides together and  pin around outer edge.
• Stitch around outside edge, leaving small space along the bottom, to turn right side out.
• Turn ornament right side out and stuff with a little bit of fiberfill.
• Fold seam allowances to inside and pin in place.  Hand stitch closed, using a slip stitch or ladder stitch.

STEP TWO - Making the Felt Ornaments

• Cut two pieces of felt in the shape you want (we have a diamond shape and a rectangle  pictured).
• Cut 3" long piece of narrow ribbon or cord and pin to wrong side of felt at top of ornament, as indicated in the photo.
• Place a small amount of fiberfill on wrong side of one piece and place the other side of the ornament with wrong sides together.
• Pin around outside edge then stitch together around entire outside, making sure to catch the hanger in your stitches.
• Decorate your ornaments with top stitching or beads as you desire. 

STEP THREE - Prepping the pocket rectangles

• Sew a decorative stitch across the top edge (on long edge) of each pocket rectangle. I use this same stitch for all the decorative stitching on the back ground pieces and the pockets, but feel free to change it if you want to use more of the stitches your machine offers. Note: you do not want to use stitches that will be wider than 1/4" as this will make the pockets too small.
• Trim the rectangles to fit the background width.

STEP FOUR - Transferring the numbers to the pockets.

• In my kit, I've created a template for the numbers.  If you are doing this on your own, you will need to create a template.  It's easy to do in Microsoft Word or Google docs.  You will just need to create a TABLE with columns measuring 2" wide x 2 1/2" tall with 1/8" wide columns in between. Find a font you like and type in numbers 1-24 in each of the larger cells. Pick a font size that works so that the numbers fill up the box.
• Print and cut out, your numbers, then tape them together in 3 rows: 1-8, 9-16 & 17-24.  Make sure they fit within the 17" width with 1/4" space on the outer edges.
• Transfer the numbers to the pocket rectangles using tracing paper and a smooth edged tracing wheel.
• Filling in the Numbers - I stitched on the transferred numbers using a machine straight stitch and had to go over them a few times.  You can also hand embroider the numbers or use fabric paint.  The original calendar was done using fabric paint.

STEP FIVE - Creating the dowel casing

• Fold top edge of calendar rectangle (background) to back side 1 3/4" & pin in place.
• Using a decorative stitch, sew a line of stitching across the top edge using 1/2" seam allowance.
• Using the same decorative stitch, sew another line of stitching across the top edge using 1" or  1 1/4" seam allowance.  There should be at least a 3/4" space between the stitch lines.

STEP SIX -  Finishing the Pockets

• Place the finished pocket rectangles at the bottom of the background rectangle on the front side. The rectangles should be flush to the sides and bottom edge and 1/2" apart. Pin in place.
• Using a decorative stitch, stitch around the outside edge of background rectangle, starting and ending at the lower dowel casing stitch line,You do NOT want to stitch through your casing.  Also, make sure your decorative stitch lands about 1/8" away from outer edge.
• Mark vertical lines, either with chalk or a steam away pen, between the numbers. Then, stitch between the numbers, vertically, along those lines, using your decorative stitch.

STEP SEVEN - Attaching the Tree

• In my kit, the trees have been pre-cut .  If you are making this on your own, you will need to create a tree pattern. Ours measures 20" long x 16" at the widest point.  There are 5 branch points on each side tapering in fullness from bottom to top.
• Place your tree evenly between the two sides and between the pockets and the bottom edge of dowel casing. Pin Trunk in place.
• Using a decorative stitch, stitch trunk in place, around it's three edges.
• Pin tree in place so it won't move and, using a decorative stitch, stitch swags diagonally across tree.
• Note: the original calendar had the tree glued in place in various spots. I chose not to clue, but to sew, in order to secure the tree in place.
• Mark the spots of your sequins by placing 24 pins through the tree in an organized fashion. Take a look at the finished tree for general placement.

STEP EIGHT - Sewing on the sequins (ornament holders)

• Divide a strand of embroidery floss into sections.  Mine has 6 plies and I divided into two strands of 3 plies each.
• Thread a needle with your floss and, from the back side, pock through the tree at one of the pinned positions. Leaving about 1 1/2" of thread on the back side, load a Sequin (curved edges up) and a bead onto the needle.  Push the sequin and pin down the thread to the tree.
• Now, put your needle through the sequin again and back through the tree to the back side of the calendar. The sewn bead will secure the sequin in place.
• Using both ends of your floss tie a double knot to finish securing the bead and sequin in place.
• Trim your thread, and repeat for the other 23 sequin/bead ornament holders.

STEP NINE - Dowel & Hanger

• Push dowel through casing at top edge of calendar, leaving 1/2" exposed on each end.
• Using a 36" long piece of 1/16" diameter cording, thread through holes on each end of dowel. (Ends of cording should exit holes toward bottom of calendar. )
• Double or triple knot cording ends on each side, to prevent from exiting holes.
• Note: if you do not have a drill to make 1/8" holes in dowel, just make a slip knot loop at each end of cording and slip on to dowel ends.

You are All Done!  Just place ornaments in pockets and hang on the wall on December 1st.

Until next time, Happy Sewing!

xo

Jennifer

Full Bust / Narrow Shoulder Adjustment - Fitting my Embroidered Jacket

This jacket was found at the Vintage Fashion Expo in the Michaan's Auction House out at Alameda point last Fall.  I loved it immediately and was pleased to say that it fit fairly well upon first trying it on, all be it, a little loose.  This beautifully embroidered piece was only $45, so I nabbed it up and took it home.

Once home, I kept trying it on with different outfits and just found that I felt a bit frumpy in it.  Have you ever had this experience?  My bust and hips are full, at least in comparison to my shoulders and rib cage.  The difference in size is about 3 dress sizes.  Yikes.  I'm the typical "Pear" - size 4 in the shoulders and rib cage, size 8 in the bust and a 10-12 in my waist andhips.  Makes for a difficult fit a lot of the time.  Well, this car coat (that's what these short jackets are called) is just a little too "Miss Fisher" to give up, so after close inspection, an alteration seemed in order.

"What to do?"  You ask.  Well, I say, make it fit in the shoulders.  I started by pinning out the shoulder to see how much needed to be reduced - about 2" in the end.

After seam ripping the sleeves off the jacket, I drew a new armhole on the jacket, making the shoulders 2" smaller on each side.  This made the armhole quite a bit larger than the sleeve.

In order to reduce the armhole measurement so that the sleeve would fit, I created a dart along the sides of the jacket, as there was no side seam to reduce.  This made the bust smaller as well, but that worked out just fine, as the jacket was quite full in the bust already.

The sleeves were sewn back into the garment and the lining pinned in and stitched by hand.

With my jacket altered, and fitted properly, I now love it even more.  Time to make an outfit to go with it, don't you think?

Happy Sewing!

Designing Vintage Gowns

An Interview with Vintage Clothing and Pattern Designer,Theresa LaQuey

In preparation for draping my Art Deco Preservation Ball Gown, I reached out for a little advice and encouragement from Couture Vintage Clothing Designer, Theresa LaQuey.  She has a wealth of knowledge, after spending many years creating beautiful bespoke creations for ladies with an eye for vintage style.   Our Conversation is below.

Additionally, we will be doing another giveaway this week.  Theresa has generously given us an autographed copy of one of the Simplicity patterns that she designed.  I'll do a random drawing of our email subscribers to see who wins!

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a 1920's style beaded silk and velvet gown photo by Laurie Gordon

Gorgeous vintage style by Theresa LaQuey on the Red Carpet!

Jennifer:  Theresa,  I'll likely drape a late 20's look in silk charmeuse and chiffon and will probably take a trip to Britex Fabrics for some pretty beaded appliques.  A friend gave me a purple and yellow ombre length of silk, that I intend to use for the main part of dress. I think the purple yellow combo will be my ode to Egypt but maybe I'll do a fun head dress as well.  I'm still in the planning stages. Do you have any advice as to how I should begin?

Firstly, I so admire your thoughts on draping your gown.  If I may make a recommendation, try to find the pattern making and draping book that was printed by the Women's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences, Scranton PA, published in 1928??  I think.  When I was learning my trade, a dear fellow student gave me a xeroxed copy of that book.  It made all sorts of dress making from the 1920s very plain and simple.  Just geometry and physics.

I do not give a good review on getting purchased appliqués.  I have had very bad experiences with them.  They are too stiff and don't look correct.  It sounds cruel, but get a dead dress and cut it up.  You will do better with it.  (note from Jennifer - I think this is a great idea!)

I would like to teach you to bead.  I know the Tambour method.  It takes about one hundred hours to learn it, and another couple of thousand hours to perfect it.  But oh boy it is worth it.

However, purchased appliqués can work.  Just make sure they are soft, not stiff.  Also, give a call to the Fashion Company in SF.  They have carried appliqués and are very great.  Be prepared to meet the minimum of $70. 

Jennifer: How & When & Where did you first begin studying bespoke sewing and couture design?

Well, my mother was the costume designer at Diablo Valley College (DVC) and my whole family has been stitchers for at least 100 years.  My mother was paid so poorly and because of that, I started hanging out in the costume department with my mom at age 5.

(Later in life) I was in the punk scene and got married to the lead singer of the Dead Kennedys.  He was a collector of vintage records. That’s when, I started collecting vintage patterns.  After we broke up, I started the apparel design program at DVC. It was a fantastic program. If you want to get into design, don’t spend $30,000/year.  Go to a community college.  It’s an amazing experience.

Then, in 1987, I ended up partnering with Mark Jones, making couture gowns and learning how to bead..

Our very first commission was a wedding gown was a replica from a movie Topper with Constance Bennett and Cary Grant. I had to have foot surgery and I spent my time, in bed with my feet up, beading that gown.

Jennifer:  At the Art Deco Preservation Ball 2 Years ago, I was completely impressed with all the glamorous ladies walking around that evening, at the Oakland Scottish Rite. Each woman looked spot-on, and I thought for sure they were all wearing mint condition vintage.  Then later that night you were honored with a special display of all the ladies wearing your gowns (I think there must have been over 30 ladies standing up near the stage) and nearly all of the gowns on display were the exquisite designs I had been admiring earlier .  It was wonderful seeing the variety of designs you produced from the Art Deco Era and the 1930’s styling in particular. Is this your favorite era?  Or just the one most on display?

It’s my favorite era ever.  I consider myself more of a mathematician than a designer.  It sounds crazy but you are dealing with  the geometry of stretch, when it comes to Bias.  When you get into the 30’s they are really applying that “wonderful”  of the 1920’s to the feminine form. One tip - Avoid Side seams.  The 1930’s is my favorite (era) because it’s so unexpected.  If you go in there like an explorer, you’ll learn a lot about making clothes.

This is a section of bead work made by Theresa

an Adrian Inspired Gown by Theresa- photo by Laurie Gordon

Jennifer:  Are your couture gowns original designs, inspired by the era, do you use vintage patterns or a combination?  

 A combination of both.  We have a joke around the house that I’ve copied so many Adriens that we call them LaQuey-driens.  I’ve done plenty of original designs as well.  Mainly I do bespoke (gowns) only for friends, these days.

Jennifer:  For this year’s preservation ball, I will be draping a gown in the late 1920’s style.  When I made my gown two years ago, I made a corset to go under.  The pattern was reproduced from a 1920’s pattern and had the perfect silhouette for the straight lines of my gown. I’m planning to do the same this year but for a dress that will have a little more shape appropriate to the later 1920’s.  Did you ever make foundation garments for your gowns? Did you build foundations in the garment?

I have built foundation garments into gowns but they are more 1950’s gowns. The thing about 30’s gowns especially, is that they should look like they were blown on to the body and just land there.  

Jennifer: Do you have a favorite material to work with for vintage gowns?

Yes, I do - My super-duper favorite - a 1930’s red & white ensemble.  A Japanese fabric called Chirimin crepe.  It’s a rayon pebble crepe and only 36” wide.  You can find it at www.fabrictales.com

These ladies are incredible.  The weight of the fabric is incredible.

Then I have a supplier out of the east coast and Los Angeles - Eastern Silk Co. (trade only) they carry 4ply crepe and crepe back satin in 144 colors.

C&J Textiles in NY - the fabric they carry for called Silk Vanity - The colors are gorgeous. I’m working on another gown this month in this fabric.

Jennifer:  Along the same lines, do you have a favorite gown that you’ve made?  Who did you make it for?  Would you describe it for us or do you have a photo?

I do - Do you know of Mr. Pear? I worked with Mr. Pearl last year and we did a dress together for a burlesque artist.  

From my own projects I would have to say the Chanel Fireworks dress. It was so hard.  All beaded. Black Chiffon with poly-chromatic sequins.  Every time you have to knot off each sequin individually. It’s a beautiful evening gown.  The woman who wore it is incredibly elegant.

The Fireworks Dress

Jennifer:  You always look so fantastic when I see you at Art Deco events.  Do you dress in Vintage everyday?

I do not wear modern clothing.  Most of the time I spend in trousers and a turtleneck. I used to wear beautiful clothing but it always gets ruined.  I do not wear makeup either.  

I have a pattern for some vintage trousers and have made up about 6 pairs of them. The woman on the cover of the pattern, is standing there, roasting a weenie.

I wear turtle necks in the winter and the rest of the time I wear “The Blouse” which is made from a 1930’s pattern.

Jennifer:  After seeing your beautiful couture work for years, I found out that you make sewing patterns as well.  What kind of patterns do you specialize in? And where can we buy them?

Simplicity patterns.  My sister is Andrea Schewe and she got me the job.  She was designing for Simplicity.  It’s so crazy.  I have 3 sisters.  Andrea is 10 years older than me and our older sister convinced her to go to NY.

I went to celebrate my sister's wedding anniversary and Andrea told me to bring my portfolio.  I sat down, with Simplicity Patterns, and they looked through my portfolio and they asked me “ What could you do for us?” I did a swing skirt.  I made it up. It ended up selling 25,000 copies.  

Then, I got assigned Steampunk.  I had just done a Steampunk wedding and was so grateful. I became top designer at Simplicity afterward.  That means your pattern is outselling everything else. My sister has been top designer as well.

Jennifer:  Thank you so much for giving this interview and for generous giveaway of an autographed pattern!  Finding out more about you and hearing all your sage advice has been priceless!

YOU can find out more about Theresa and see more photos of her exquisite creations by visiting her Facebook Page.