Featured Shop: Vintage Needle Finds

Hello, my name is Debora and my shop is VintageNeedleFinds, which I opened June 6, 2012. I have been married for over 3 decades to a very wonderful soul mate. We have a son and I have three wonderful step children (adults actually) who have given me a growing extended family with 7 grandchildren and two wonderful great grandchildren. We live in North West Georgia at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I started sewing as a child in my grandmother’s interior design business, which helped me to develop the discipline and focus needed to sew. However, I did not share the love of interior design and I eventually moved toward fashion.

The area of Georgia where we live is rich in history and has many local historical events. I started creating costumes about 10 years ago for local clients who attend the many historical events in the area. I am semi-retired but still do work with a few clients throughout the year. My personal focus in sewing is the Art Deco era from around 1920 though the 1940's.

I created my shop to find loving homes for my rather large collection of vintage and
antique patterns.  I love having them but knew that I wouldn't be able to take them with me! I was drawn to Etsy because of the vast amounts of beautiful patterns available from sellers from all over the world and I knew this was where I wanted to be. There are times when I love being the teacher and then there are times I rather be the student.  If I had to offer any advice to someone interested in sewing vintage it would be to try it. You can find reference material at your local library, many vintage sewing blogs on the web and there are many wonderful shops here on Etsy that offer everything you could need from fabrics to buttons and patterns and of course have fun!

Visit my shop through November 30^th and use Coupon Code -  VNEEDLENOV for 20% OFF any purchase.

July Fashion Trends Vintage Pattern Style

by Amy Russo of Vienna’s Grace

As I watched videos of Paris and New York fashion week for Autumn /Winter 2013-14 season, a dominate design element kept popping up; hip draping. From Christian Dior to Guy Laroche, I noticed designers placing an prominent accent on the hips. Some with elegant tiny hip pleats, like Carolina Herrera (….oh how I love her designs), and quite a few others with very heavy hip sashes, like seen below from Vera Wang and Balmain. So I set out to see if these classic yet unique design elements could be found or even mimicked in our vintage patterns. Although some of the heavy hip draping would not be of interest to many of our buyers, how could they get that fashion trend in a much more wearable way?

My eyes scoured page after page of Pattern Patter team members’ shops and I found so many ways to obtain the look of this hip draping trend. Below are just a few examples of the patterns and styles I joyfully discovered. You can see the illusion of hip width from a side bustle, gathered wide set pockets, and straight forward front seam rouching. I do think this has been a classic design trend for decades, but will it be in the ready to wear departments this fall? Well, if designers have anything to say about it, we will be seeing gathers, swags, hip pleats and side bustles. So when you are listing patterns for the Fall and Winter seamstress, take a closer look; does that 1940s dress drape or that 80s skirt swag? Try finding new and creative tags to describe this unique design element. Always remember to include patternpatter, the pattern era, bust size, and all the expected search phrases, but add one or two key descriptive words unique to the pattern. This will help the DIY fashion huntress add hip draping into her trendy, but not spendy wardrobe.

Here are just a few ideas to add into your listing title and tags: drape, drapey, draping, drapes, overskirt, hip, hips, hipline, girdle, ruching, ruched, swag, swags, Grecian, Greek, sarong, wrap front, gathers, gathering, gathered, pleat, pleated, pleats, pleating, side bustle, hip sash, sashes.