I made a dress out of a fabric shower curtain and I looooooove it. I'd think a vinyl one might get too hot for anything close fitting, but it'd make a fantastic raincoat or poncho or big floppy hat I think. Or recover a chinese-style parasol maybe?

hahah what a coincidence! I just logged in after months away to post the dress I made with this pattern (it's a thread called "The Porsche Dress" in the completed projects board). I thought the instructions for this were fantastic, actually, and it came together really nicely. The only big change I made was to shortened the skirt by 9 inches, which meant I could cut the front of the skirt on the fold and not have the ugly seam running down the centre... Because this was a retro pattern, there was minimal ease in the bodice, unlike the modern Simplicities that are known for their "help me I'm drowning" inches and inches of ease.

I'd definitely recommend it, and if you've got any questions, ask away.

gorgeous! You could be an honorary von Trapp.

I haven't posted here in a while, but my most recent project was prompted by a vintage Porsche duvet cover and pillowcase set I bought off eBay for £8.



I cut the seams from the duvet cover, laid it flat, and carefully used the fabric to make Simplicity 3780 (one of their reprinted 1950s patterns). I shortened the hem and made a few other changes, but it's mostly made as printed (though probably nothing close to what the original pattern drafter intended, hahahah)!





There's more photos and construction details up on fehrtrade.com, or if you're interested in what I've been up to in my craftster absence, here's a couple bits and bobs from the past few months:



Refashioned Ikea Patrones skirt and bag



BurdaStyle's JJ blouse



Tuxedo-inspired suit from vintage wool



Yellow satin cocktail dress and fascinator tutorial



Go Patterns perfect little black dress

And some helpful informational posts with no eye-candy:
How to trace a pattern
Burda WOF vs KnipMode vs Patrones
Spanish sewing terms
inside La Mia Boutique pattern magazine

Hopefully these will help someone fill a rainy afternoon or two.

I just wanted to second the recommendation of Staples. I use their brown (and occasionally green, whatever's cheapest!) to trace all of my patterns. I used to buy from their online shop, but now that there's one nearby me I usually just pick a roll up in store. At my rate, it usually lasts me a couple months!

Here's a photo tutorial of how I trace my patterns

http://www.fehrtrade.com/
The author even is on Craftster.

HUGS!

I also like http://u-handbag.typepad.com/uhandblog/ (she does a lot of bag tutorials) and http://practicalpolly.blogspot.com and http://busywork.wordpress.com , too.

Absolutely beautiful, and I'm so glad I inspired you even a little bit! It's interesting that you say it's snug on you, as I'm 5'8" with a 38" chest (so not far off) and I've not had any popping problems. Maybe you just need a stronger closure? I used a magnetic snap designed for handbags and it seems to work fine.

Just a few more weeks and I can bring mine out of winter storage... I have a feeling you're going to get SO much wear out of yours!

umm, kmsmaverick, this thread is two years old! 

ooh! Can you tell me what you thought of it please?

I'm a pretty experienced sewer but I wanted to know more about drafting. I mean, I can alter existing patterns pretty easily but if I see something with a complex cut and I can't quite take it from 3D to a flat pattern in my mind, and that's what I'd like to be able to do. Is the Tower Hamlets one too basic for my needs or do you think it'd be useful? I'm looking at this course, which I think must be the one you took?

It might be the wrong time of year, but check your local council's learning center (or community college, etc). I found Tower Hamlets had a couple pattern cutting courses last year that were about £30, but they filled up before I could register. The local learning places seem to have enrolments in Sept/Oct and then again in January, so you could look into enrolling for the new year..