• Happy May Day! •

Ever since I can remember, we have celebrated May Day (May 1st) with the giving of candy-filled cones. My parents' families always celebrated it, so we are carrying on the tradition! :)

My paternal grandmother would cut Morton salt containers in half, add ribbon handles and fill them with popcorn and candy for my dad and his siblings.

My maternal grandmother would help my mom and her sisters make paper cones that they would fill with candy and give away.

All in all, it's a pretty fun tradition! Any excuse to get or give cones full of candy is a good one, right?

My mom got the idea that we should  make a May Day basket for an elderly lady in our church who lives at a nursing home. It seemed to be quite the splendid idea!

We made a cone out of buckram, and found a couple of cheery, springy fabrics to use for the inside and outside...

...and added some lace, ribbons and bows.

That polka dot fabric is SO cute!

We went to the antique store and found a couple of gorgeous handkerchiefs to put in the basket. They are SO beautiful, and in absolutely perfect condition! They are both rolled hemmed by hand.

We included this little May Day rhyme based on the song "Trust and Obey."

And for the most important contents of the whole basket, candy! Actually, chocolate. Lots of it. :)

We also threw in a tiny bottle of lotion and some chapstick.

I don't think either of us are quite ready to go into the May Day-basket-making business for good, but it was certainly a fun project to make!

And since I was in a May Day-celebrating mood, I whipped up a basket (out of paper, mind you!) for each of us.

Various chocolates for Dad, a vintage-style scarf, candy and a tulip for Mom, and chocolate and a tulip for me!

Do you celebrate May Day?

• Simplicity 1587, Version I •

Although I made this dress back in October, we just got around to photographing it yesterday! We meant to take pictures of it when we were on vacation last fall, but it was much too cold not to be bundled up in winter coats constantly!

Since then I've made three more renditions of this pattern, the second of which I have posted about here. The others should be up here soon!

I like this pattern quite well (as evidenced by my desire to make it again and again); the details are so cute! I just love the bow and the soft pleats at the neckline.

I found this fabric (polyester crepe) for $1 a yard at our local fabric shop. I bought 5 yards, which turned out to be a very good thing! When I made the dress, I cut the skirt and yoke like the pattern, but due to the "crispness" of the fabric, the gathers did not look well at all. As such, I had to cut a new skirt using Vogue 8767.

Aside from those issues with the fabric, it drapes beautifully in this pattern.

My mom found this lovely belt at a thrift store, and it happened to be the perfect color to match my dress!

I was having trouble sewing in the elastic on the sleeves, so instead I simply gathered them and sewed them down.

I had been having issues sewing this dress from the start; first I carefully marked the pleats on the yoke front pieces with a water-soluble marker and then used a damp press cloth and a steamy iron to press the pieces before I sewed them, causing all of the marks to disappear completely. 

There were some other minor foibles as well, but the other main one was that unbeknownst to me, my needle was terribly dull and snaggy, so it kept pulling threads in the fabric as I sewed the sleeves and hem. It's always great when you discover such things after the damage is done, isn't it?

In any case, ever since then this pattern has gone perfectly smooth for me, I'm glad to report!

The old train station wall served as a nice backdrop once again! 

Thanks to my mom for the lovely photographs!

P.S. Don't forget to enter Emily's Spring 1940s Photo Contest over at Emily's Vintage Visions! Thursday the 30th is the last day to enter.

• Of Busy Schedules •

Due to a rather busy schedule, I'm pushing back my regular post to tomorrow. See you then!! 

Excerpts From the Past • Clarks O.N.T. Fashions

As per request from Brigid, I'm sharing the 1930s Clarks Fashions book today! We picked up this magazine at an antique store for just a dollar or two, and it's an absolute gold mine! Pattern after pattern for nothing but lovely styles of hats, sweaters, dresses, gloves, and even purses!

There is a sad part of this story, however; (insert weeping violins) when we got home and looked at it, we discovered that there are a couple of pattern pages missing. It is very sad, but there is still plenty of goodness left in the magazine to make me happy.

Ironically enough, the lady who originally owned this magazine was named Esther! That's a fun coincidence, don't you think?

The patterns for the projects are towards the bottom of this post.

Unfortunately the pattern is missing for this gorgeous blouse. If you felt adventurous, you could probably make this blouse with no pattern! It looks simple enough.

Yes!! There is a pattern for this dress! Somehow I can't imagine crocheting a whole dress, but it's actually a rather neat idea. It's so beautiful!

(no pattern for blouse)

That jaunty hat looks fun to crochet, don't you think?

I'm starting to think I might want to make this "Russian Turban." It looks quite cute on the model!

Don't you just love that little coin purse?

Another lovely ensemble.

(no pattern for blouse)

Oh, how I wish I had the pattern for this blouse! It's such a beautiful, feminine design.

The first part of the pattern for this blouse is missing, but the second half is on the first pattern page that I have. It could perhaps be invented based on that!

Ah-ha! A knitted dress! Brigid, I expect to see you wearing this next week. 

It's not like she couldn't do it. 

:)

I also love that beret. Someday I will conquer knitting in the round, and when I do, this will be the first thing I make.

First I need to conquer just plain knitting...

I used this pattern for my crocheted collar. I stopped after the 13th round (omitting that extra front part) because I thought it would interfere with the design of my dress. It would be fun to make it as the pattern says, however, to go with a simple 1930s blouse.

More lovely accessories.

Ahh. This cape. I'm going to make it. It's just the thing to keep me warm without crushing my puffy '30s sleeves!

Now for the patterns! The partial pattern on the left is for the Striped Yoke Blouse.

I hope you enjoy using these patterns! Be sure to comment if you make any of them so I can see your lovely creations! :)