• Accessorizing My 1930s Dress •

A couple of weeks ago, Lily of Mode de Lis posted about her 1930s pocket tutorial. To say I loved it would have been an understatement!! It's so cute, and the absolute perfect addition to pretty much any '30s dress. It occurred to me that my 1930s dress needed just such an addition! I liked how it looked without the pocket, and yet it really needed an extra dose of '30s goodness.

So, I made a pocket! The tutorial is very easy to follow, and it couldn't be easier to make!

This was quite the revamp of my dress; I needed to take some extra length out of the back since it was a little bit too long in the waist. I unpicked the seam and basted it up several different times before I got it to be the right length. I ended up taking the skirt up 2 inches in the back! Goodness! And the amazing part is, it didn't effect the hem. 

So now, not only is my dress cuter, but it actually fits right! No more pesky reaching-behind-the-back-to-adjust-the-belt! I'm so happy to finally have this be the super-comfortable, wear-it-every-single-day kind of dress.

I wear my crocheted collar from the Clarks ONT Fashions pattern book with the dress. And I'm actually currently crocheting the cape from that same pattern book to wear with this outfit.

So I guess you might end up being stuck seeing this dress a third time! 

;)

This pocket happens to qualify for this month's HSM!

The Challenge: Accessorize

Fabric: Leftover cotton from my dress, plus 1/8 yard navy blue cotton for the contrast

Pattern: Pocket Tutorial by Mode de Lis on the Penny Rose Fabrics Blog

Year: 1929-30

Notions: Thread

How historically accurate is it? 100%

Hours to complete: 15 minutes

First worn: Last week to church

Total cost: $1.17

Thanks ever so much to the amazing Lily for coming up with this adorable pocket tutorial! It's a definite keeper, and I can't wait to use it again!

• Adventures in the 1930s •

Back in 1988, my mom bought a 1930s reproduction Simplicity pattern. Little did she know that almost three decades later, she and her future daughter would be sewing nothing but vintage repro patterns! :) Unfortunately, we couldn't find a single photo of her dress, but I do have a piece of the fabric in a scrap quilt of mine. At least I can envision how pretty it was!

Image c/o Vintage Patterns Wikia

The pattern features a gathered bodice with a yoke, flutter sleeves, an eight-gore skirt and an elasticized waist. I ended up making quite a few changes to the pattern; first of all, since I didn't want to use elastic, I cut the skirt much narrower at the waist in order to omit the 10" (!) of ease at the waist and added a side zipper. 

I also did not want flutter sleeves, so I gathered them onto a band and turned it under. It makes for the perfect amount of "puff!"

I originally intended this fabric for another dress, but upon laying out that pattern, I found that I didn't have enough material! I went back to JoAnn and found the precious 1 3/4 yards that I had left on the previous trip! I snatched it up immediately, of course!

As it turns out, the intended pattern for this fabric did not work out for me, so I eventually got the notion to try it in this pattern! It worked out quite well, as I am delighted with my new dress!!

I crocheted a collar from a 1930s pattern book to match. It was very easy to make, and the shape ended up being perfect with the shape of the yoke. I'll share that pattern book in Excerpts From the Past next if you would like! :)

The collar is held onto the dress by the keyhole button. Much easier than sewing on buttons and loops! 

All in all, I'm very excited to finally have a quintessentially 1930s dress! 

The pattern was an absolute cinch, and I love the design! That flounced skirt...is my favorite.

There hasn't been much action in the sewing room this past week due to gardening, potato-planting and machine-knitting, but I'm looking forward to diving in again this week!!