I thought I'd treat you today to a sampling of one of my Patreon Posts - my weekly "Tool Tuesday" musings.

Tool Tuesday – Rotary Cutter

I’ve probably talked about this a lot, but you know I am a self-taught seamstress. Well, my grandmother got me started at a very, very early age hand-sewing, but after about nine years old I was on my own to keep sewing and to try to learn what I could through trial and error. Remember, I grew up in the pre-internet era so if I wanted to learn something I had to get myself to a local library and pull down books (I still remember the number for sewing and costuming - 646!)

Anyway . . . this is a long story to get to the point and that is when you’re self-taught you often skip over or miss some fundamentals. And that’s what I’d call the rotary cutter – A FUNDAMENTAL!

Okay, I’ll attest to the fact that maybe when I was growing up rotary cutters weren’t in popular use so that might also be a reason I never learned to use one or even really knew they existed. A quilting friend of mine gifted me a rotary cutter probably 10 years ago and I just looked at it and thought what am I supposed to do with this?! (I wasn’t connecting the fact that I would also need a HUGE self-healing mat to go under it, so it seemed kind of useless to me as a seamstress).

I can’t even tell you why one day I decided to splurge on a couple of 36 x 24 mats, but I did! (Probably a really good sale going on at JoAnns or a Christmas deal on Amazon) And it was no turning back after that!

I mean, let’s face it:

1. You don’t have to pin! (Hellooooo . . . I HATE pinning and I almost never do it!)
2. You don’t have to lift the fabric up to cut it, which can cause it to move around or even to distort your edges if you’re not careful.
3. It’s FAST!

I was sold.  I love using a rotary cutter and it’s yet another tool I wish I had known about ages ago.  I discovered that I could butt up two 36 x 24 mats on my kitchen table and they fit perfectly and prevented me from having to cut out on the floor, which is another huge plus! Eventually I built myself a cutting table (I’ll share that one in a future post) and bought a big 36” x 48” mat and that’s been my go-to.  Absolute heaven!

Now, I will say there are a few drawbacks:

1.        You need to buy the mats and sometimes they can be expensive (unless you have an old table you don’t mind cutting into but I’d think eventually that’s going to splinter and could damage your fabric.
2.        You’ll want some pattern weights (I’ll share my favorites in a future post) but you really can use anything heavy you have lying around – canned food, your cell phone, a shoe . . . 😊
3.        The blades wear down pretty quickly and they can be expensive to replace.  Keep your eye out for sales and snap them up when you can.
4.        You need to be especially careful around curves or you can move the blade too quickly and cut where you don’t want to  - especially a convex curve where you might slip and cut into your pattern/fabric.
5.        Internal corners you’ll still need scissors to get a precise, sharp angle.

Well, that’s it folks!  Rotary Cutters – I love them!

I’d love to hear your story?  Do you use rotary cutters?  When and how did you discover them?  Have you figured out any other really cool tricks or tips?  Share!

Lafayette Ball Early Bird Ticketing Opens on Valentine's Day!

 

Okay folks time to get excited!
Ticket Sales are About to Open!

I’m thrilled to announce that ticket sales will open on 💙🤎Valentine’s Day️ 💙🤎 for this amazing event! I’ve curated some truly fantastic experiences including Dancing, Games, Exhibits, Carriage Rides and much more! There are 3 tiers of tickets depending on what you want to include in your experience and lots of discounts for Patrons, Military, First Responders, Teachers, and Students to make the event affordable for everyone.
️💙 But don’t wait, because certain tiers are limited and will sell out fast!
💙 Take advantage of special Early Bird pricing thru 15 March - NO CODE NEEDED!
💙Get all the details on the main event website.

And don't forget about the

"Preparing for Lafayette" Lecture and Sewing Workshop Series

coming up in June, July and August.

Registration is Now Open for the First Workshop: Foundations

Not yet a Patreon member?

It's too easy, just pop on over to Patreon and sign up - I have three tiers that make supporting my business quick and easy. Don't forget to spread the love and encourage your fellow pattern lovers to join up!

Tool Tuesday - Cordless Iron

 

Let me start by saying I am an "old school" ironer.  My Dad taught me to iron when I was about 7 years old and it was often my job to press his uniform shirts (he was a colonel in the Air Force).  I appreciate it actually, because he taught me the importance of ironing in a particular order (back, front, collar, sleeves), how to iron a collar and sleeves correctly and just basically why pressing is so important.  

A few years ago I gave up steam irons (well, gave up putting water in them) because honestly it caused more issues than it solved: drips of water on fabric that shouldn't get wet, rust colored water staining white fabric, etc. etc.  So I became an ardent proponent of dry ironing.  I never fill the water reservoir.  I use a spray bottle when I need to dampen fabric and I ALWAYS use an pressing cloth (usually just a left over piece of muslin or white cotton fabric works).

The one thing that always irritated me when ironing, though, was how the cord was constantly getting caught on my garment and would pull it up and wrinkle it after I'd just pressed it, or knock it down.  UGH!  When I worked in the costume department at NC State University they had this amazing system where the cord (and I think water line for steam) was actually attached to a pully system in the ceiling.  WHAT?  It was so cool and I've always dreamed of having a system like that.

Until . . . I discovered this cordless iron!  I'd been eye-balling it for a while and last month I finally went for it and bought it!  And I have to tell you - I LOVE IT!  

It did take some getting used to for setting it down after using it because it is pointed on both ends.  A couple of times I tried to sit it down on its "bottom" which it doesn't have and it rolled over.  But it wasn't a problem.  I just had to retrain my muscle memory and learn to set it back in it's charging holder.  And this cordless iron comes in a traditional shape too! So if you want that, it's available.

I will say, it doesn't seam to get suuuuuper hot, but I haven't had any issues ironing anything.  Even stubborn creases come out with misting from my spray bottle and then pressing with the iron. 

Honestly, this is a fantastic addition to my sewing tools and I don't see myself going back to my old iron any time soon!

So now you tell me - do you have a favorite iron?  Do you love or hate steam?  I wanna know!

With love,

Rebecca

Save the Date! Marquis de Lafayette's Grand Birthday Soiree

You may have already seen my postings about my upcoming Preparing for Lafayette Lecture and Workshop Series and I know many of you live too far away to make these events.  BUT . . . you should definitely plan to attend my GRAND BALL in September!

Marquis de la Fayette's Grand Birthday Soiree is going to be an AMAZING event!  The ball is the culminating event after the workshops (helping folks build a basic late Regency wardrobe and then giving them a place to wear it!)  And what better way to celebrate than at the Birthday Bash for the Marquis de Lafayette?!?!  (His real birthday is Sept 6th and there are lots of other Lafayette themed events going on in Fayetteville to celebrate our namesake.)

BONUS:  You can use your Patron discounts for any of these events!!!

 

My oldest son's 19th birthday is September 5th and I've been trying to convince him to be my "Lafayette" for the event so that it could be like one giant birthday party for him.  I think it would be AWESOME - especially because Lafayette was only 19 years old when the American Revolution broke out! (Of course this birthday soiree is set during Lafayette's return to the United States in 1824-1825 . . . but you get the idea).  He's saying no right now - but I'm going to keep working on changing his mind. ;)

other picture of the style we're talking about for the Soiree . . . are you drooling yet?!

Here's another picture of the style we're talking about for the Soiree . . . are you drooling yet?!

I really hope I get to see some of you at my event in September.  Ask any questions you may have - I'll be updating the main Lafayette site frequently as I continue to build out the event.

With Love,

Rebecca

Link to the Soiree Page 

Tool Tuesday - Heat Erasable Tracing Pens

 

As promised I am featuring another one of my favorite tools!  Heat Erasable Tracing Pens. 

This is another tool that I wish I had known about YEARS AGO!  These pens are PERFECT for marking tuck lines, darts, hem borders, and anything else you'd need to mark but then erase.

I used to use tailor's chalk (which I also like) but sometimes it rubs off before I want it to and other times it doesn't come off well and you have to brush it a lot.  The benefit of the pens is you get precise marking and it easily disappears when you press it!

NOTE:  Sometimes there is a faint residue left behind, so definitely test the pen on a scrap of fabric before you mark up all your final fabric.  It's too easy to do and will save you heartache from finding out the hard way.  Having said that, I have found that it comes out completely from most fabrics.

These pens are cheap, easy to use, and a real life saver in my opinion!  If you haven't tried these yet, put them on your list!  You can find them on my BeespokeVintage's Amazon Shop too.

Let me know what you think!

Rebecca

Registration Now Open for Regency Foundations Workshop

That's right!  

The date and place is officially booked for the first of three lectures/workshops in the "Preparing for Lafayette" Series:

FOUNDATIONS 

And the best part is that I have begun planning for a Grand Birthday Soiree in September that will be the culminating event for the Lecture Series.

  I cannot tell you how excited I am for this event!  I've got dances, carriage rides, card tables, games, Regency cocktails, a giant birthday cake and an appearance by the Marquis de la Fayette himself throughout the night.

More information will follow as the event continues to be built and I know this is a bit out of the normal time period that I usually post about, but I do hope some of you can make it to the event.  It is sure to be a stunning do!  An Event of the Season!

As usual, I would love your feedback and if you have any fun ideas for activities or how to make this event even more special, feel free to share them with me!

With Love,

Rebecca

Tool Tuesday - Pattern Notcher

 

I've decided to feature one of my favorite tools each Tuesday.  We'll see if I can sustain this EVERY week - I may run out of tools and have to cut back to monthly posts . . . but let's give it a try! :)

So one of my most favorite tools that I use EVERY SINGLE time I cut out patterns, and a tool I can't believe I went YEARS without even knowing about, is the Pattern Notcher!  If you don't already have one of these - trust me - GET ONE! 

This handy (and cheap!) little tool is a life saver and keeps you from having to awkwardly angle your scissors to try to cut out that little triangle notch on the patterns.  It works just like a hole punch: slide your notcher over the pattern and/or fabric and squeeze!  Clip!  That simple.

I'll be honest for a long time I actually didn't even cut in the notches because to me they were a pain in the butt.  I know, it's not THAT hard to cut a notch with scissors, but it was just enough "extra" that I didn't want to do it.  Since I found these pattern notchers, I've become a notch zealot and I just love putting the notches in my fabric.

There's not a lot more I can say about this tool other than I LOVE IT! (In case you didn't pick up on that yet. ;)  I'll post a few links below where you can pick one up and a great video explaining how to use them.  

• Buy from WAWAK
• Buy from Amazon
• The Pattern Notcher YouTube Video

Let me know what you think and if you already have one and use it - do you love it too?

With love,

Rebecca

January Patterns Preview

Well I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas/Hanukkah (or other celebrated holiday) and got to spend time with friends and family or by yourself recharging. As the New Year approaches I thought I’d take a minute to give you a little preview of my January pattern offerings.

I’m excited to be able to offer multiple patterns again from which you can choose! I already have the New York 284 (Bust 32) ready and will be putting it up on my Etsy this week.  As a bonus with this pattern you’ll get the custom Claire McCardell option (Bust 34/waist 33) with it as well - just send me an email after purchasing and ask for it!

Before January is out I’ll plan to have the Butterick 1873 (Bust 34), Hollywood 1659 (Bust 30), and Simplicity 7088 (Bust 34) done and ready for you to pick from.

As always, Patreon members get to pick one pattern from all FOUR of these options to receive for FREE!!

 

I hope you like the idea of having options to pick from. I hope to keep this up going forward. As always, let me know what patterns you’d like to have copied so I can add them to my queue.

With Love, 

Rebecca

BeespokeVintage Merch

I’m excited to announce that I now have 

BeespokeVintage Merch available!

Show your love and support, and carry your vintage hauls in style. This tote is extra large and heavy duty cotton canvas. You’re going to love it!🥰

Get yours today from my Website Shop or Etsy.

Do you or someone you know LOVE BeespokeVintage? Want a really cool way to show your love for my little business? PLUS have an awesome way to carry around your pattern, vintage and book hauls! THIS IS IT!

Sturdy cotton canvas with black straps and bottom accent. in an generous size and gusseted bottom to make carrying all your stuff that much easier.

NOTE: You are purchasing ONLY the bag. accessories, patterns, etc are not included.