• 1940s Home Front Frock •

Also entitled, "The Birthday Dress."

That's right! I made this dress for my birthday! I loved the pink fabric so much, and the pattern that I used for it so much, that I decided it was definitely what I wanted to make to wear on my birthday. 

We found this pattern at an antique store in La Crosse, Wisconsin. (It's called Antique Corner, just in case you were wondering. Yes. Go there. It's like antique heaven, and there's three floors(!). We didn't even make it to the first and third floors; we were too busy getting lost in the second floor which is all vintage dresses, hats, patterns and sewing stuff.) 

The design of the dress is so lovely with the asymmetrical front closure and those adorable scalloped pockets. I couldn't resist!

"Put on a bright front on the home front."

I decided to use red ric-rac with matching red fabric-covered buttons. The color of them really brings out the red in the fabric.

I am so happy to finally have a "princess line" dress pattern! We have one very similar to this that my mom has made, but it just isn't flattering on me. I'm glad to have a suitable alternative!

This hat. It's my absolute favorite hat ever. It had been staring at us for months, every time we went to the antique store, so we finally decided to buy it. It fits like a glove, and the style is just so cute! If I could just find about 12 other colors of the same exact hat, that would be amazing! ;)

The way these pockets were formed is quite ingenious; the side front pieces of the dress only extend down to the hip, and there is a separate skirt piece with a scalloped top. The skirt is sewed to the side bodice piece, wrong-side-to-right-side a little ways down, forming a pocket. The edges are then sewed into the remaining seams. Clever!!

All in all, this was a very fun dress to sew, and I can't wait to make more renditions of it! There is another illustration of it inside the pattern instruction sheet, showing it in a solid color with long sleeves and no neck-and-pocket trim. It would definitely be the perfect wool fall and winter dress. 

But for now, I think I had better keep my mind on summer sewing projects, don't you think? ;)

• Photos by my mom •