Showing posts with label Vogue 8728. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vogue 8728. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

• 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

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Monday, February 23, 2015

• Broccoli and Gingham 1940s Dress •


Otherwise entitled, Make Do & Mend, Of Fruits and Vegetables, How to Get a Dress Out of Two and a Half Yards, or Historical Sew Monthly #2.

Now that all that's settled, I can continue. :)
This dress is indeed a tale "making do and mending." Making do because of a definite shortage of fabric, and mending because of some mistakes that I made.


I originally intended this fabric for a blouse, but I loved it so much that I really wanted a dress out of it. I laid out pattern after pattern, thinking that there had to be something that would work out of 2 1/2 yards. No. Nothing would, it seemed.
But, stubbornness prevailing, I had one last pattern to try laying out. Vogue 8728. It almost fit on the fabric, which gave me enormous hope. Determined to make it work, I decided that I could use a contrasting fabric for parts of it. Enter the famous blue gingham! That fabric has been used for so many things, it's just crazy! My mom has a 1950s dress that has a gingham belt and piping, I made a blouse out of it ages ago, and recently, a baby dress.
Obviously, after all of those projects, there was not much of it left, but there was just enough to get the front and back bodice bottom (on the bias) and seam binding! I never thought of the two fabrics matching before, but they really do go together beautifully. It's ironic, because the broccoli fabric itself is on a light diagonal gingham background. It seems they were made for each other!


I had to make several alterations to the pattern; since the pattern sleeves are awfully short and large, I extended them up and out into kimono-style sleeves. I also made the neck about 1 1/2" higher.

Through trying to remember to do all of these alterations, I managed to forget one very important one; making the neckline narrower! I was so mad at myself. I was beginning to detest this vegetable-laden dress! What would fix the very wide neckline? A neckband? Big bias binding? (Wouldn't that look just lovely....)


I finally decided to sew in a piece on each shoulder in order to make the neckline narrower. It seemed like a rather ludicrous idea at the time, but it actually worked quite well! It is not, perhaps the most desirable thing to have to do on a dress, but under the circumstances, I'm pretty happy with it!


We found this delicious green bakelite buckle at a local antique shop recently, and it adds the perfect touch! I just love it. And it's our first bakelite item of any kind, so it is definitely exciting.


I pieced the back of the bodice out of necessity, but I'm actually very glad it worked out that way. It makes it look like an intentional continuation of the contrasting bodice front. 


My mom decided to make a dress out of this pattern as well, using some gorgeous matching fabrics that she had in the stash. I just love those fabrics together! We affectionately named our dresses "Blueberry" and "Broccoli."

Oh, and did you see her shoes??!! They are too stinkin' cute! I realllllly want them. I'm not entirely jealous, however, because I actually have a little surprise of my own in the shoe department. But that will have to wait until next week when I have a matching dress to photograph them with. Bright orange somehow doesn't quite match this dress. *tear*


Yep. We're weird like this. Proud cow pose followed by Roman soldier. How delightful.
;)


And now, for the delightful HSM details!! I have been frightfully delinquent in participating in the HSM this year, so I am excited to be back into it! 

The Challenge: Colour Challenge Blue
Fabric: Cottons purchased at two different quilt shops. 2 1/2 yards of the broccoli, and leftover scraps of gingham.
Pattern: Vogue 8728
Year: 1943
Notions: Zipper, thread, belt buckle
How historically accurate is it? Mmmm...85-ish%. There is some serging, and the zipper may or may not be correct.
Hours to complete: 8(?) It would have been less if I had not taken some detours into mistake-land.
First worn: Last Sunday, to church. (And this past Sunday, to church.) I guess I like it. ;)
Total cost: $35
I'll be back on Friday with either another Excerpts From the Past post, or an apron!
Thank you all for the delightful comments on the magazine scans - it gives a girl the incentive to keep it up!
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