• 1940s in Mustard and Grey •

I never thought today's post would come to being!  I started this dress either last fall or winter, and it dwelt as a UFO for a terribly long time, being taken out only once in a while to be looked at disparagingly and then put back in its shameful heap.  Then in April of this year, I was going to finish it and wear it for a bridal shower, but ended up going with another of the three partially-made choices at the last minute.  In short, decisiveness did not reign that week.  ;)

I finally decided to finish the dress a few months back, only to try it on and find it much too big.  Enter the Overzealous Seamstress: I sewed it in at the sides the amount that I *thought* it needed to be taken in, and went so far as to serge it up that way, only to find that I had made it much too small.  Back into the UFO heap it went.

A few weeks or so later I finally pulled it out and finished it, thinking I could just wear it under a sweater to conceal the ill-fitting nature of it.  Got it all hemmed and ready, only to find that I didn't have a sweater that even remotely matched it!

This time it ended up in my Etsy shop, where it has been for the last few months.  No one bought it, which was good in this case, since when I tried it on a few days ago, it fit!

For my mom's birthday, I got her this original 1950s mustard-colored sweater from paperlunavintage.  Unfortunately it didn't fit, so I ended up inheriting it.  Sad for her, very sad(!!!), but good for me, on the other hand!  ;)  It matches a majority of my outfits, and has proved itself to be quite a staple, especially since my vintage sweater wardrobe is otherwise nonexistant.

Paired with it is my newest (and most loved) hat, which is this grey vintage beret!  I absolutely love berets, and gray is a top favorite color of mine, so it's a winner all the way around.

My parents got me this fabric a few years back, and from the first moment it just screamed "Vogue 8728" to me.  I have made that pattern once before, in blue tones, and it has been a frequently-worn staple in my closet.  I altered the pattern by raising the neckline around 1-1/2" higher, and also narrowing it down a bit, since it is utterly too wide when left unaltered.  Thankfully I remembered to cut it narrower this time, so the shoulder patches I had to add on the last dress were not necessary on this one.  ;)

I cut the skirt nice and long on this dress, and as such was able to get a 3-4" deep hem, which is always nice.  My narrower hems (the ones slip-stitched by hand, that is) tend to catch on things altogether too frequently, the main culprit being sharp edges of floor fans, while deeper hems like this one never catch.  It's definitely something I like to do whenever it is at all possible. 

My mom has this same fabric in blue tones, so I can't wait to see what she whips up with hers!  :)

Thanks to my lovely mom for the photographs, as always!  <3