1940s • Winter Tones

These photos were taken almost a year ago, but we never got around to posting them!  Typically when I go back to the archives for outfits to blog about, the background never matches the current season, but in this case, it does!  ;)

My mom made this dress last year from some gorgeous fabric purchased for her birthday by my dad.  :)  She used Simplicity 3847 for the bodice, and added a simple gathered skirt for a perfect '40s shirtwaist look.  This is a similar style to her Rose Chintz Dress.

I love how the dress can look dressy with furs and accessories as shown in these pictures, as well as being a practical housedress at other times!  It's not often you can balance those two looks with one garment, but this dress is very much up to the mark.  ;)

The famous "Dead Monkeys" (read more on that here) fur piece has been featured with quite a few different outfits on the blog: 

-red plaid '40s

-'40s separates

-'40s Pendleton

She used the sleeves from Butterick 5846, for a less fitted look.  She also added ease to the back shoulder seam for added comfort. 

The fabric this dress is made of is a lighter-weight variety, so she made a 3" or so hem, which makes it hang ever so nicely.

Bound buttonholes!!!!  :D

These niftiest of buttons are some that she purchased from Czechoslovakia.  They are made of glass, and feature the prettiest design!  She has as couple of other styles and colors that she's just itching to use.  :)  There's nothing like vintage buttons!!

It is hard to believe that December is here already; we just had one of those a few months ago!!  ;)  I am hard at work on a custom dress for an Etsy customer, but meanwhile am planning my winter wardrobe as well.  I already have a (very) few pieces made, but am excited to add some more!  There's also a new addition coming in the footwear department that makes all of this winter sewing muuuuch more delectable to think about.  ;)  More on that soon!

Thanks for stopping by, ladies!!

Simplicity 1587 • Version 5

It's rather ironic; I had planned on photographing and posting a tropical, lightweight rayon dress today, and instead I ended up posting a wintry plaid dress worn with furs. Interesting how that works, isn't it? ;)

The weather took a sudden turn into coldness again, so I decided to buck the April fur deadline and sneak in one last appearance of them for the season. It was cold enough to need them, that's for sure! 

I made this dress before Christmas, and have worn it a lot since then! It is made of the same material as my plaid 1912 skirt; a thick, woven cotton material that has a slight stretch to it. In short, it is the ultimate dress fabric. :) 

We bought this fabric quite a few years ago! I wanted my mom to make me a dress like one that Kit, an American Girl doll had. That was so long ago, I can't even find a picture of the original dress! Sadness! ;)

As you may have guessed, that particular dress never got made, so I had about 5 yards of this lovely material laying around to make into something. I made the plaid 1912 skirt out of it first, but had a little bit of material left afterwards. I never thought there would be enough for a dress, but surprisingly enough, there was! I was able to *just barely* squeeze Simplicity 1587 out of it, using the Vogue 8767 skirt.

I suppose the amount of times I've made this pattern rather speaks for itself. Suffice it to say, I love it. And I'm not going to say that I have enough of them, because every time I do, I end up sewing yet another one. ;) There is another summery version that has not been blogged about yet, in fact!

Click to see versions 1, 2, 3, 4.

I made three-quarter length sleeves on this dress, and opted for a bow-less front with a simple (nut) button as an accent. We happened to have a belt buckle that was similar in texture, so that worked well!

This dress matches my vintage 1940s shoes from Two Old Beans better than any other, I think. I just love them! 

Thanks for stopping by! I'll be back in a couple of days with a lovely tea-themed blog post. :) Stay tuned!

• Brown & Cream 1940s Separates •

Believe it or not, I didn't forget about the fact that I have a blog! It just seems that way! ;)

I've been so busy ever since Thanksgiving (and before!) that I kept putting blogg-y things off until later, which translated into them not happening at all! Oops!

I am glad to be back into it though, and I can't wait to share my upcoming projects with you! A couple of Christmas dresses are in order, but I had better hurry up or I'll miss getting to wear them for Christmas entirely!

Last week our church had a Christmas banquet, so I whipped up a blouse (and a skirt) to wear to that. Unfortunately for me, the skirt didn't end up fitting, but fortunately for you, it's now for sale in the shop! :) Check it out here. I ended up wearing my '30s flannel skirt with it for the banquet, but the blouse matches pretty much all of my skirts, including Grandma's wedding skirt! I realize I did sort of break my vow not to wear it until I had the jacket made, but...you know...who can help wearing a pretty skirt that's just hanging there in their closet?!

I made the blouse out of the same fabric as Grandma's wedding blouse, which is a poly-rayon blend. It is very soft and comfortable, but not so fun to deal with! It does not take kindly to any stress on the seams, so I'm going to have to do a little fixing-up on a couple of them. :( GRR. Rayon is on my hate list right now.

But aside from that lovely little fact, I still really do love this blouse!!

I used Simplicity 2154 for the bodice, using Simplicity 3847 as a guide for the armhole and shoulder areas in order to accommodate sleeves. The sleeves are from Butterick 5846 (like my green and cream 1940s dresses).

I made the bow on the blouse quite a bit longer, and a little wider so that it would be "deliciously drapey." Ahem. ;)

I also cut the collar rounded on the front edges rather than pointed for a more 1930s-40s look.

Although Simplicity 2154 is technically a 1960s pattern (oh dear! 1960s!), it is very handy for making a variety of blouses and bodices from the '30s-50s. And the bonus is, it's as easy as pie to make! :)

I'm also a big fan of this skirt! It too was exceedingly easy to make, and fits quite well. Just for the record, I have worn it with Grandma's wedding blouse...just not for pictures yet. Maybe I'll reserve that honor for when I get the suit made.

I was going to entitle this post, "Of Dead Monkeys," but I thought it might throw everyone off a little bit. ;)

A few weeks back when I wore this fur piece to church, one of the little girls there saw me and said, "That looks like a dead monkey!" Another little girl piped in, "It does look like a dead monkey!"

I proceeded to explain to them that it was a mink, and a vintage one from the 1940s at that, to which they replied, "What's a mink?"

So now we have a name for these little fellas; Dead Monkeys. Very endearing, don't you think?

;)

I'll be back next week with (hopefully!) progress on my peppermint-y Christmas dress! See you then!