Huzzah - a giveaway!

Fripperie just reached 100 sales, and 100 shop hearts!  So to celebrate, and to thank all you fine folks, it's time for a giveaway!  I'll get right to the good part - here's the pattern i'm giving away:

It's Advance 8511, from about 1958, in a 34" bust.  Those little pleats at the neckline are awfully cute, no?

All you need to do to enter is to stop by the shop, pick out your favorite item, and leave a link to it in a comment here.  I'll draw for a winner on Wednesday, August 4, at 3:00 p.m. EDT, so be sure to make your choice and leave your comment by then!

(For those who want all the details on the pattern, it's cut and complete, pattern pieces all in nice shape; the instruction sheet has had a drawing cut out, which also took out the directions for hemming the blouse, but that part shouldn't be hard to fake.)

The ones i'm keeping

I was going to list his one.  Really.  Had it pulled out, put in order, counted and checked, and it's in fine shape.  I love the ruffles, but i've got a dress with a similar bodice, and if i really had a mind to, i could take a pattern from that.  There are already a couple of 1940s dresses in the project queue.

But when i went to write the listing, i found i couldn't get past the item title.

This is why:

I adore the drawings, and the over-the-top enthusiasm of the description!  Superior seems to have done this with a line of patterns aimed at teens in the '40s - i've seen at least one other set of pattern instructions in the same format.  I haven't been able to pin down an exact date, but suspect it's a wartime issue.  I've tried contacting the Sears archives to get dates for Superior pattern numbers, but haven't ever managed to get a response of any kind.  But there are probably catalogs out there - another research project!

Fourth of July Festivities

When you walk in and hear, "Food's here, Irish is in the front room, klezmer in the basement, oldtime on the front porch - oh, yeah, and shape note in the kitchen," it is likely to be a good party.  (Okay, maybe i have weird criteria, but give me food and a chance to play some tunes, especially with people who are better musicians than i, and i'm a pretty happy camper...)

So this year, we'll be going back to Marc's, to wander happily from genre to genre playing music, chatting, and munching.  I think the blurring of the sounds between the different musical styles is a good an illustration as any of the "melting pot," and therefore a tremendously appropriate way to celebrate an American holiday.  Some years, the music's good enough that we don't bother to leave for the fireworks.