Black & Vintage Zine Vol. 1 | Summer 2017
Black & Vintage:
At the Intersection of Fashion & Black History
Vol. 1 | Summer 2017
BUY | Black & Vintage Digital Edition
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MAKE |Eunice
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Keep Calm & Knit
Right after I publicly swore off sweater knitting, this pattern appeared roughly EVERYWHERE in the DIY areas of the inter webs. In a moment of ‘I HAVE TO BUY SOMETHING RIGHT NOW’ I bought the pattern. Which is ridiculous because I hate knitting cables. And this pattern is lousy with them.
Heather, at her most be your best self enablist, has thrown down the gauntlet with a knitalong. So now I have someone I can bug, directly, when I want to burn the 3 inches of sweater back that’s not growing fast enough.
My second coming with knitting is quite recent. I’ve been fondling yarn more than sewing lately. I think something’s going around because I have a lady date with several members of my old knitting crew. I’ve been trying to think of way to grab my yarn of choice before I get with them so I can curse and gnash my teeth over the cable chart with in person company. I think I’m going to use Cascade Eco, perhaps Eco+, if I can find a color I like.
With Heather’s cheerleading, I think I could actually knit this sweater in 2016.
16 in ’16
Or, what I plan to sew and may not get to 😉
Ginger Flares
I already love Heather, but she gets extra squeezes for saving me from trying my own attempt at modding the Ginger pattern. I have chunky platforms all ready to go with these in the spring.
I love the swing top variation of one the patterns in this book and cannot stop thinking about all the cute outfits I can make with it (see flared and regular Gingers!). I’m also toying with the idea of the sleeveless blouse done in a classic white. I’m not generally a real shirt person once it gets hot, but I can’t deny the utility of the garment in a work wardrobe.
Speaking of preferences: 
tees will always be high on the list. It seems like all my favorites have gone missing or have worn out. I need new ones as of yesterday. Tons of Larks on deck.
Pauline Alice extravaganza. I really love all of her patterns (my love for Malvarosa is well documented, I already have another cut and ready to sew).
I just noticed this new, free, addition to her shop. How versatile is this baby? 90s slip dress dreams can come true in 2016.
Culottes a-go-go.
There are so many pattern to choose from. I already own this style, the Girl Friday Culottes, and Tania from Megan Nielsen.
Something jacket-y. A Tamarack. Or maybe another BHL Victoria jacket is a looser silhouette.
Or maybe Sydney or Tokyo from Tessuti. I’ve been in love with Tokyo since Sallie made it. And Sydney would be so cool for those early cool-ish spring days.
Also on the make list: cool & transitional dresses.
I made a version of this Mociun tie front dress years ago. When it was quite literally all the rage. At that time my sewing skills were minimal and my size smaller, lol. I’d love 5 or 6 of these to see me through spring, summer and fall.
I have an almost complete Alder that I think is too small. I still have my heart set on adding a few to my closet. Especially those bottom heavy friendly version.
I test sewed Giselle and have always wanted to make a chambray maxi length version. For those ‘cover the legs’ days. 
Anything from this book will work for hazy summer days and in fall when layered up.
I do have some pre-spring projects in mind, like this skirt. I have some faux leather and black wool and I’d like to use a Seamwork pattern to make it up.
And the dress below based on Butterick 6169 (the same pattern as my moto jacket) has always appealed to me.
So, 16+ over the next 11 months. Doable? Let’s see.
Some Little Bits
Hey, y’all. Happy 2016!
Mine has started off swimmingly. Two great bits of career related news and some little bits of sewing.
That scrap of fabric under my mitten cuff is leftover from this refashion. I had been pondering what to do with it. Since 2011, apparently. That’s a hell of a long time to hang onto a hunk of gorgeous sweater knit.
Spurred into action by the cold. I finally turned it into these puppies.
LEGWARMERS!!
Here they are in action with another QUICK must-stay-warm project.
Leather and wool mittens! Look how happy they make me ;p
For the leg warmers, I basically cut that large scrap into four, stitched them together at the raw edges leaving the ribbed portions at the top and bottom and then made one long seam up the side to make two long tubes.
For the mittens, I used a collection of scraps and Purl Soho‘s felted wool mitten pattern. The leather is from a jacket I made for my husband, the wool from a wool Nettie dress and the looooong ribbed cuffs are leftovers from yet another project I never blogged about, lol. I simply cut them off at the wrist and added the ribbing. The only other change I made was to line the mittens with the same wool.
I LOVE THEM BOTH!!
And they kept me warm, today.
WINNING!
Brooklyn Des
Pattern :: The Desmond Roll Top Backpack
Fabric :: Heavyweight Denim (long in the stash from Fabric.com)
Muslin (Mood Fabrics) and indigo shibori dyed fabric (made with love and friends at the TAC).
Notions :: D-rings, hooks, sliders & webbing from Pacific Trimming, denim zip from SIL Thread (NYC GD)
But does she like it, you ask? Check out that puss! I think she digs it!
This morning, Brooklyn Des carried lunch and snacks and books. I’m really so happy with it! There are some things I will do differently next time, though. My webbing is quite slick. It wants to slide out of one set of d-rings, something with more of a tooth would work better. I’d also like to pad the straps. They’re not uncomfortable at all, but walking to school with 4 book bag carriers highlights how common it is to do so.
I like my plain muslin lining, with those sentimental pop-o-shibori pockets, but I’d add a contrast band to the top so it doesn’t show while carrying. I also think the thicker fabric would help the roll stay in place when the bag is less full. And I would not use a jean zipper! Those teeth really want I stay shut, lol. I added a little leather pull that helps some.
And it’s cute!
I think Desmond is the perfect blend of casual and chic. It totally worked with this outfit and would fit just as well with sneakers and sweats. I took my time working on this, but once the exterior was complete, I raced to the finish line. It was great fun, almost as much as coat or jean making.
This denim is HEAVY. My machine was a rock star, though. I only broke one needle and had only a couple thread jams. But attaching that zip pocket was a real sonofabitch. It was my first time doing something like that. I’m glad I didn’t realize how much harder the thick denim would make it, I’m too happy with how it turned out to wish it any other way.
I’m already planning the next one!
Granny Gerard
This coat is special.
Not just because it’s my first. Not just because I feel super accomplished for having gone back to an old WIP. Or feel a little smug about how quickly I completed it while still high on the fumes of moto jacket success.
It’s not the new techniques and skills I applied (flannel interlining, complex collar construction, roll lines and bagged linings a-go-go) that make it special. Or my willingness to unpick and redo better (or just correctly) a second, and sometimes third, time.
It’s special because this wool, this beautiful classic herringbone wool, belonged to my late grandmother. I inherited it when she passed away. The anniversary of that date is fast approaching and I’ve been feeling uneasy for weeks.
But, working on this coat, feeling the fabric, smelling that old-stored-in-an-overstuffed-closet smell I will always associate with my grandma’s hoarding, thinking about wearing it and how it’d be like getting a warm hug every time…It was glorious.
But wearing it is even better.
It’s the Granny Gerard.
This is the third time I’ve worn it. It’s the perfect thing for Brooklyn’s current crazily varying temps. Cool in the morning, humid in the afternoon, bone chilling in the evening. It’s ideal for chunky sweaters and running around all day with kiddos. Which is what I was doing when these photos were taken. They pretty much think I’m a sewing rockstar now that I’m making jackets and coats, lol.
That’s the exact kind of thing I always wish I could share with my grandma. She delighted in hearing stories about them and I loved to share them. This is the thing I miss most, late at night when I imagine her reactions to their antics.
I also imagine she would think that it was silly to use this old wool for a coat. And would certainly have thought that pdf patterns (in French no less!) were some kind of lazy seamstress witchcraft, lol. I know she’d be pleased at the overall cost of the project, though. Current fabric prices scandalized her. But scoff at my having paid for the buttonholes 😉
Would she like this lining? I dunno. Maybe.
Think this contrast under collar a little ridiculous? Signs point towards yes.
Would she have still said good job and been secretly pleased that the grandchild most like her also inherited her skill and love of sewing?
Hell yes.
Pattern :: Manteau Gerard
Fabric :: Wool from my late grandma’s fabric stash, flannel for interlining and a yellow penguin print crepe for the lining purchased ages ago from Fabric.com. The under collar fabric is a scrap from Mood.
Notions :: Buttons from Mood (buttonholes courtesy of Jonathan’s)
