Category: Website News

  • Pivoting to a New North Star

    Pivoting to a New North Star

    It’d be cheesy to start with, “long time, no post” but here we are. My last post on this blog was 2022, which feels like a world away. A lot has changed, a lot has stayed the same… but my love for blogging never really went away; I’m happy to have my little carved out platform that’s not algo-driven. So let’s talk about a new North Star.

    I’ve moved from San Francisco

    After nearly 15 years in the Bay Area, I’ve moved out to Arizona to start an adventure that has had tons of twists and turns after only a few short months.

    Jose and I moved out here at the tail end of 2023 and it’s been fascinating to experience the world outside of the bubble that is San Francisco. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss home but I’ve gotten a lot better about accepting my Desert Era. It’s taken a lot from me, but after four months, I’m starting to find my sea sand legs.

    Bianca standing in a patch of dirt, with cactus of various size and shape behind her. She's holding a purse and standing under a tree.

    I’m pivoting the direction of the Youtube Channel to a new North Star.

    Sounds dramatic, but the pivot is in a way that makes me happy and more fulfilled. It had gotten to the point where I was known as someone who would only make tutorials, only talk about fitting adjustments and to be honest… it was boring and formulaic. It felt like more of a drag than a joy, so I want to bring the channel back to its roots: vintage fashion and the 40s and 50s lifestyle.

    For years, people had followed me strictly because I’ve taught them how to press a corner seam, or how to use a french curve, talking about fabrics and swatch books. I’ve appreciated the support over so many years! But I’m ready for a change, so the channel is starting to trend more towards the fashion and culture of the 40s and 50s, which unlocks so many more opportunities for being creative again.

    I’m going to start blogging more regularly again.

    Because the channel is changing, it made sense for this blog to change, too. I’ll be moving towards a more casual, relaxed tone to share inspiration, projects worked on, and some of the behind the scenes of being a content creator.

    I’m under no illusion that readership will be small and this is more of an artistic exercise… but I’m excited to talk about what I’m working on without the expectation to perform. Things I’m already considering writing about include:

    • Wins and challenges of working on any particular video and growing the channel
    • Research I’m doing for upcoming pieces of content, including thoughts on books I’m reading, media I’m consuming, or anything that’s informing what it is I’m creating
    • Round ups from what is happening on YouTube and Instagram, but with more context

    Some of my older posts will remain, though most will be removed, only because they’re so old and dusty that maintaining that old content doesn’t make sense anymore (heck, there are an insane amount of broken images and links on those old posts!)

    Regardless, I’m happy to have brought blogging back into my life, since it’s always been one of the things I’ve missed most in the hustle of the social media landscape.

    Here’s to turning a page to what’s next~

    Bianca and Jose leaning forehead to forehead, smiling against a door. Jose wears a band t-shirt and Bianca wears a floral shirt.
  • Big News + Sewing A Wedding Dress!

    Big News + Sewing A Wedding Dress!

    Jose Vivanco and Bianca Santori, engagement announcement | Vintage on Tap

    I’m happy to announce that there’s an engagement at Vintage on Tap HQ ?

    The blog and YouTube channel is Jose and my combined effort and it was only right to let you guys know the news!

    Jose and I have been together for five years and he proposed to me when we were on vacation in Italy last month. I go into the proposal story in my vlog video, but just some highlights:

    • Venice at 1am is absolutely beautiful.
    • The canals are gorgeous, quiet, and private– perfect for intimate moments and happy tears.
    • Albondiga the Cat is involved!

    Definitely watch the video if you want to know more about the moment he asked!

    Jose Vivanco and Bianca Santori, engagement announcement | Vintage on Tap
    This photo was taken shortly after he asked, in front of St. Mark’s Basilica!

    There was no hesitation in our decision to show you guys the wedding planning process.

    Of course, this blog is focused solely on sewing, but showing you some of the behinds the scenes process might sneak into projects and videos here and there. No, we don’t see ourselves doing videos about how to decorate centerpieces for the reception (…probably!)– but some of the inspiration, color stories, and more formalized photos might make their way onto our Instagram and into behind the scenes videos.

    Of course, the Pinterest board for the wedding has already started to be built.

    Vintage on Tap engagement announcement

    However, one of the biggest components to the wedding is… the wedding dress.

    And Yes: I’ll be sewing my own wedding dress!

    After some back and forth, I decided that sewing my own dress would be the way to go. When I brought it up to Jose as a possibility, his reaction was 100% one of the MANY reasons I adore him:

    “Of course you should make your dress! It’ll do really well on the channel.”

    Jose’s answer was frank, without hesitation, and shows just how involved he is in Vintage on Tap’s success, that it wasn’t even a question!

    Sewing fancy dresses is already something I do for this blog so I’m not scared of the process.

    Check out a couple of the dresses I’ve made previously:

    Butterick B5603 Pinup dress, silk dupioni | @VintageonTap

    For a holiday sewing collaboration, I sewed a pinup holiday dress in red silk dupioni, with full underlining and couture sewing details. Click here to watch the sewing tutorial video for this dress. 

    Butterick B5814, Cocktail Dress, staring at the floor | @vintageontap

    I’ve also used super expensive an acetone/viscose Italian crepe for this hand sewn cocktail dress. This blue dress included spiral steel boning and had a lined top. Click here to learn more about sewing this pinup style cocktail dress.

    Being intimidated by sewing a wedding dress is not something I’m overtly concerned about.

    However, my reservations are around:

    • Deciding on a pattern.
    • Sourcing the materials I want to use at a price I’m willing to pay.
    • The process of sewing WHILE there’s also a bunch of other things happening at the same time.

    Jose Vivanco and Bianca Santori, engagement announcement | Vintage on Tap

    The wins for making my own wedding dress are epic, though.

    Wins include:

    • Making a custom, one of a kind dress.
    • Controlling the quality, in and out.
    • Making it relatively “cheap” by couture-level wedding dress standards.
    • Splurging on aspects of the dress that I find important.
    • Stretching my sewing skills and really embracing making a Once in the Lifetime dresses.

    Who knows- maybe it’ll lead to a full fledge Sewing a Wedding Dress series?

    I would love to be able to share a beginning-to-end wedding dress sewing process: the fabric selection, the sewing pattern selection, the fitting, the initial muslins, and then the sewing details to take it over the top.

    The wedding is still a ways away, so videos about sewing a wedding dress will be forthcoming. But I would love if you were a part of it.

    Vintage on Tap, engagement announcement | Vintage on Tap

  • Pinup and Vintage 2017 Sewing Resolutions!

    Pinup and Vintage 2017 Sewing Resolutions!

    My 2017 sewing resolutions are going to make me feel like a beginner again!

    With the techniques I want to learn, I’ll be hitting the sewing books again and going through muslin fabric like nobody’s business. My 2017 sewing resolutions are a big step for me, especially with so much sewing experience behind my back! I’ve actually been avoiding the techniques for quite some time, but it’s time to get myself together and finally expand my sewing repertoire. Definitely watch my latest vlog to see some examples of patterns I’d like to tackle and why.

    Also, my latest video also goes into my projects from 2016, providing a nice little retrospective of a few of my Vintage Pledge pieces and some of the projects that really pushed my sewing skills to the next level last year.

    2017 Sewing Resolutions retrospective, Butterick B5603 Pinup dress, silk dupioni fabric from Britex Fabrics | @VintageonTap

    2017 Sewing Resolutions retrospective, Sewing McCalls M7168 | @vintageontap

    2017 Sewing Resolutions retrospective, Completed Seamwork Alamada Robe | @vintageontap

    Pictured above are my collab post with Allie J, the little red dress project from December, the pinup bathing suit I made in the summer, as well as the Seamwork Almada robe. I love each of them for different reasons and it was nice to be able to look at the huge catalog of garments I’ve made for the website and see how far I’ve come.

    Definitely stick around for my 2017 projects- I can’t wait to tackle some more complicated pieces and demystify the sewing process so that you can make them for yourself!