• 1940s Ensemble in Navy •

This gorgeous ensemble is my mom's most recent creation, and it's already a favorite! We both sewed outfits in red from the same patterns for vacation, but haven't photographed them yet.

She made this dress from fabric she purchased while we were on vacation. It is the loveliest quality fabric, nice and thick, and it doesn't wrinkle! The bolero is made from some interesting cotton twill-like fabric we had in our stash.

The bolero is made from a vintage 1940s pattern, the same one I used for my purple bolero. It is a very easy pattern to put together, and makes a very flattering, fun-to-wear garment! And you could easily change the look just by reshaping the revers, adding lace, etc.

She used Simplicity 1692 for the bodice of the dress, adding darts instead of tucks, altering the fit a little bit, and altering the neckline to be a sweetheart-shape, based off of another vintage pattern we have. The skirt is from Butterick 5951. It's so much fun being able to put different patterns together to achieve a new look! :)

A pearly belt buckle adds the perfect touch. We both *love* belt buckles with prongs. They are so comfortable to wear, and although it's a bit of a pain making eyelets for them, it's worth it for how secure the belts are. 

The neck edge, hem and revers are faced with contrasting fabric and slip-stitched in place. It's such a fun design! And the dress looks lovely with or without the bolero. It's the perfect sundress, and is so versatile for casual or dressy wear!

What a gorgeous dress, don't you think? 

Thanks for stopping by! :) Have a lovely week, and enjoy the springtime!! 

Meanwhile, don't forget about the sale going on in my Etsy shop, through March 31st. Use coupon code SPRINGTIME to save 20% off your purchase. :) 

• 1940s Gumdrop Dress •

...Otherwise known as Gumdrop #2. 

Gumdrop #1 is still in fabric form, waiting to be transformed into a 1950s dress.

All that aside, I made another '40s dress! (surprise!)

Lily posted a few weeks back about her 1940s dress, and I fell in love with it immediately. The design is so simple, and yet so detailed! We actually had the pattern on hand, Butterick 5951, so just a few days later I produced this dress. And I couldn't be happier. It is one of those dresses that you just feel good in. It's a wear-it-every-day-dress.

I had looked at this fabric for weeks and months, but never thought it was much to write home about. One day a few weeks ago, however, I picked it up and *boom!* fell in love with it. I ended up only using 3 1/3 yards of fabric for this dress, thanks to the fact that it has no nap. I just love dresses that don't take much material!

The very same day that I bought the fabric, we went to an antique store and found this delicious green buckle that just *happened* to match the fabric perfectly. That was definitely Providential.

And, we just *happened* to have four perfect little green buttons in the stash as well. I just love it when that happens!!

I did not want to line the whole bodice, so I just made neckline facings. I also put in a keyhole opening and a side zipper, as Lily recommended.

Speaking of zippers, I bartered with my mom and got a brown metal zipper to use. I was a little leery of it at first, I mean, a metal zipper? Won't it be scratchy or something? All of my fears dissipated as soon as I put the dress on. It's actually more comfortable than regular zippers. It's super-bendy and just amazingly comfortable, not to mention flat and easy to sew! I'm hooked!!

I was thrilled to actually have to widen the shoulders of the dress for once! I know...that sounds a little weird. Recently I had been having to take in the shoulders in every single dress that I made because the pattern called for shoulder pads. I was starting to doubt whether I really had wide shoulders anymore!! My fears are now relinquished, thank goodness. ;)

We found this whimsical hat a few weeks ago and fell. in. love. It is daringly whimsical, at least for me, but I actually like it more than most of our other hats! The brown color matches a lot of outfits, nicely enough.

It ended up being ridiculously snowy out yesterday, so we had a very interesting photo shoot. Freeeeeezing cold, snow-covered minks, and whiteout conditions just between where I was and the camera! We managed to get a few good ones though, thankfully. I love the snow, it's just annoying when it complicates picture-taking!

• Photography by my mom •