A review of WWII Era Flight Cap from Mrs Depew

As I told you recently I bought a few pdf-patterns from Mrs Depew Vintage & Notions and the first I tried was the WWII Era Flight Cap. The very short review is that I have only good things to say about the pattern.

A review of #4002 1944 Housedress, Decades of Style

Hello all! My vacation is over and a very nice time was had indeed. But now I’m back and hopefully there will a bit more action on this blog as well. One of my goals this summer, and something I will continue with, is to try to put an end to this terrible back log of sewing projects I have. To just work on one project at the time is not a good idea for me, I get bored and then I do nothing at all. So I have given myself the rule of finishing two dormant projects before I start anything new. I finished the green housedress that I will review some sentences down and I’m almost finished with an 18th century jacket I started a couple of years ago and when I need a pause from that I’m working on a 40’s raincoat with checkered lining. When the pink jacket is done I think I will finish the white washable dress that is at the annoying point of just needing a hem, buttons and buttonholes…

The housedress from Decades of Style was actually the very first garment I cut out for my wardrobe project. Then I got annoyed over something. Nothing important obviously, as I can’t remember what is was, but I didn’t touch it again until this summer.

A review of the Parfait dress, Colette Patterns #1003

After the wedding, which despite being small still took a lot of time to prepare and some stress, we both got a cold. That is, J got a cold and I got what I for a few days feared was the return of pneumonia. Turned out it was "just" a severe case of bronchitis and I was ordered complete rest. As in "not even emptying the dishwasher"-rest. I spent a few exceedingly boring days on my back, but thankfully I have now progressing to sitting in the sofa stage. And sitting up means that I can actually hand sew and I'm not quite as bored now. My inner puritan is having a merry time, though, telling me that I ought to be able to do a little, but I have been told off by all my near and dear to not listen. So I try not to and is now working through all the blog posts I have not read in a while, answering mails and sewing. I'm currently working on a brown hat that is turning out somewhat more extravagant than usual and I have finished a dress. Hence this review.

The Parfait dress is the second pattern I purchased from Colette Patterns. The first, the Jasmine blouse, is reviewed here

Source: colettepatterns.com via Elisa on Pinterest

A review on Pleated beret with accent trim

The Pattern
I bought the pattern for the 1930's Pleated beret with accent trim as a PDF-pattern from Kalliedesigns at Etsy. When writing this the cost was $4.25. It was mailed to me very promptly, well within the time limit of 24 hours. The pattern is a copy of an old one, and is a bit sloppily executed, I'm sorry to say. The lines are broad and uneven and you need to redraw them to get an even shape. That is, however, not difficult to do. The pattern also contains 2 pages of sewing instructions. I find those easy to follow, but I suspect that you might find it a bit more difficult if you are unused to sewing.

A review of the Jasmine blouse, Colette Patterns #1018

There have been quite a buzz over Colette Patterns for quite some time now, but initially I wasn’t that interested, I don’t know why, really. Then I succumbed and bought a couple of patterns and so far I haven’t regretted it. Colette Patterns have a growing line of patterns that aren’t reproduction patterns, but has a distinct vintage feel to them. Though the skirts and dresses generally are too short for a 40’s style that is something that is easy to change.

Source: colettepatterns.com via Elisa on Pinterest

A review on Revlon lipstick

I know, know, I really didn’t need more lipsticks. And I also try to not but things just because, but the idea of trying a lipstick shade that have actually been around since forever, appealed to me so much that I just had to try. Unfortunately the shade I most wanted to try from Revlon, Raven Red, who was launched in 1945, was discontinued some ten years ago. It is still around here and there, but I haven’t found any who ships to Sweden. Oh well. I did buy three other shades, though.

Quality
Really good actually, for the price you pay, even excellent. All my lipsticks Revlon’s Super Lustrous Lipcolor and they go on very creamily and don’t feel drying at all. I thought all the lipsticks covered well on the first application, but I think it looks better if you do two layers. Staying powered, however, differed a bit between colours. To me it doesn’t smell anything at all, which I think some appreciate, even if I don’t mind a discreetly scented lipstick. They are not completely matte, but not at all shiny- just shiny enough, if you ask me.

Price
Revlon is a budget brand and my three lipsticks; with shipping from the UK I paid less then £14. Compared that to buying a Became lipstick from What Katie Did cost £22 + shipping and a Rockalilly lipstick is £14 + shipping. Don’t get me wrong, I think both Became and Rockalilly are worth the money, but I think that on a slim budget, Revlon is a very good option, but they are worth a try even if you can afford bigger brands.


Certainly Red, 1951
Really nice true red shade, not too dark. I think it’s a great daytime red, but that is, of course, a matter of opinion. It also has good staying power, and lasts easily six-eight hours with one meal thrown in. A second meal and it will fade noticeably. Of all lipsticks I have tried, it’s the one I have found that is closest to MAC’s Ruby Woo, though not as matte and much, much nicer to use.

More reviews and swatches: Platinum Blonde Life, with a swatch compare to Ruby Woo.
Power Femme


Fire and Ice, 1952
Fire and Ice was very successfully launched with the help of model Dorian Leigh. She had been used by Revlon before and was by the time 36 years old. Do you check out if you are made for Fire and Ice;



I haven’t really used this one yet, because it’s a really bright red and the bleak winter light makes it look a bit too stark on my lips. I suspect this colour will look a lot better in summertime, so I will return to it then.

More reviews and swatches: Vampy Varnish
Vintage or Tacky
Pink Sith


Love That Pink, 1955
I do love this pink. It’s the pink I have wanted for years. I don’t always want to have red lips, but pink so often feels to bright and bubbly for me. Love That Pink is a rather reddish pink with a hint of coral. Not in your face, but not too discreet either. I find it very wearable and flattering and have used it a lot lately. The staying power is not great, though, so you need to re-apply it, but it fades evenly so it doesn’t look too horrid. Funnily enough this colour is often called a dupe for MAC’s Impassioned, but given that Love That Pink have been around for a bit longer, I rather think that it’s the other way around.
More reviews and swatches: Shopping Intervention
Clever Endeavor

Conclusion
I think these lipsticks good ones, especially as the price is so low. They may not be as good as more expensive brands, but they are definitely good enough to use. If you want to try a colour you haven’t used before, then I think it would be a good idea to buy a Revlon lipstick to try it out, instead of buying something more expensive. I also think it’s really, really neat that you can but shades that really were in use 50-60 years ago and I’m sure I will try more of them eventually. Who knows, I might even get my hands on Raven Red.

(Picture sources: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/search?q=revlon
http://www.muncom.com/kikimimi/revlon-super-lustrous-lipstick-certainly-red-740-380984.html
http://vintageortacky.com/2011/06/12/revlon-fire-ice/
http://www.britishbeautyblogger.com/2010/10/revlon-fire-ice-its-back.html
http://shoppingintervention.blogspot.com/2011/05/shopping-my-stash-revlon-luxurious.html)

A review on Simplicity 15c Pattern #3474

It seem like Simplicity re-used pattern numbers because when I googled I found a 60's pattern with the same one. This review is for a dress with a pointed yoke from 1940.

The envelope says "Simple to Make" and I agree. It may look a bit complicated when you look at the pattern as it has a yoke and no shoulder seam, but if you have your basic sewing skill in pat, then I don't think this one is hard to make at all. It's unprinted, which I have never used before, which means that all indications on the patterns are made by tiny holes and not lines. When I got used to that I found it very easy to work with. The pattern has two sleeve options and though I really like the short sleeves, i opted to make the long ones as this is meant to be a winter dress. I choose thin black wool crepe for it, a fabric I haven't worked with before. It's beautiful but somewhat slippery, but I basted all seams before sewing. Somewhat more time-consuming, but so worth it.

A review on Vintage Vogue V7464, hat B

This review is solely for hat B, not any of the other hats you get when you purchase this pattern. I have not tried to make the other hats and have no idea if the instructions for them are good or bad.

Before I started this hat I had heard a lot on how bad the instructions were for it. I decided to give it a try anyway, as it is a cool hat. Unfortunately every bad thing I have heard proved to be true. The instruction for this hat is the worst I have ever encountered. For a start, the black and white drawing seems to be of a completely different hat. You get no help for figuring the pattern out by looking at that, so don’t. There are two nice photos of the finished hat, but they are both from the front. As the hat is asymmetrical it would have helped if there had been a back view as well.

A review on Vintage Vogue V2858

Vintage Vogue V2858 is a re-print of a pattern from 1944 and can be made in two versions. A short dress or as an evening gown with a front slit. It is now out of print.

I have a friend who has a fabric store, which means that I often buy fabrics when all I intended was to say hello. Not that I'm complaining, but my wallet and storage space may have other opinions. On one of these visits I spotted a rayon fabric that just cried out to me that it needed to become the short version of V2858. It could be nothing else. Then I came home and looked at the pattern and realized that my fabric has the exact colours as the short dress. Felt a little spooky...