• Fall in the Wintertime •

Back in mid-September or so, when fall was beginning to make its appearance, I happily started getting my fall/winter garments out.  One of the ones I was most excited about wearing was my fall dress, made two years ago.  I ironed it up with glee and hung it up to wear for the next day, only to try it on then and remember just how much I didn't like it.  There was something about the fit/style that just never agreed with me; the fact that I made the sleeves far too big probably didn't help that at all, but in any case, I just didn't like my dress anymore.  I thought of making it into a skirt, but never got around to doing so until I saw Lily's post in which she did just that with her fall dress!  :)  Hers was so gorgeous that it inspired me to finally remake my version!

One of the things that also inspired me to get it done was my gorgeous '50s sweater from Paper Luna Vintage.  I never get tired of wearing it!

Last year I made this long-sleeved cream blouse out of some rayon-blend fabric.  The sleeve pattern I used was dreadfully tight in the forearm though, so I could hardly wear the blouse as it was.  I finally snipped off the sleeves and hemmed them up into short ones at the same time as I made the skirt so I could finally wear it.  I actually like the silhouette better with short sleeves!  It has quickly become a staple in my wardrobe what with the versatile color and style.

Naturally I had to pair it with my ever-versatile Victoria Carriage boots.  :)  I just love those things!!

Since I hadn't liked the gathered skirt on my fall dress, and also have a deep love for pleated '50s skirts, I decided to do just that; pleat it.  What was fun was having the pleats come out the perfect size on the very first try.  :D  That is always fun!!!

I used a big cream-colored vintage button from my stash for the waistband. 

I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever wear another hat again other than this wondrous gray beret.  It has become somewhat of a landmark atop my head these days.  ;)

I love brooches, but never remember to wear them!  I was so excited to wear this pretty one from Emily with this outfit, and I just love how it looks!  :)  Thanks, Emily!!

I really like the skirt from Simplicity 1459; it had been so long since I used it that I was remembering it being fairly straight-cut, but it is in fact quite flared!  It gives a really nice shape, and offers marvelous twirliness, which is downright vital.  ;)

Thanks for stopping by!!

1950s • Winter Woolens

First off, thank you all so very much for your overwhelmingly kind comments from last week's post.  You don't know how much that meant to my mom and I!!  You all are the best, and I'll never forget your kindness.  <3

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Last year I had a total of 2 winter-friendly garments, those being a wool dress and a flannel skirt.  This year, although I'm not exactly rolling in woolen garments, there has been a great increase in them, which makes me soooo happy!  I have been planning a fall/winter wardrobe for ages, but in the past, whenever the time came to actually sew it up, I either got busy, catastrophe struck, or I just felt like making fruit-covered sundresses.  ;)

I found this grey fabric at JoAnn a couple of months ago in their Famous Maker line.  I ended up getting it for something like $3 per yard because of the coupons we had, and it is not only 100% wool, but also made in Japan and 60" wide!!  Can't beat that!!

I used Simplicity 8250 for the skirt, but simply cut the front on the fold and omitted that extra seaming/foldover/topstitching business.  Somehow it seemed like that would have been terribly bulky in a heavier-weight fabric like this.  I also omitted the gigantic circuitous pockets....and skipped that wacky waistband.  So I guess you could say I based it off of S8250.  ;)

This sweater is so much fun.  I purchased it from Paper Luna Vintage at the same time as my mustard sweater, but this one had numerous moth chews on it, so I got it for an extra-good deal.  I set it aside when it arrived, though, because I really had no idea how to mend the holes.  I finally buckled down and decided to tackle it one day (the same day as I remade my fall skirt and cream blouse, incidentally; that was one awfully productive day in the mending realm!), using some cream colored yarn I found in our stash, a small embroidery needle, and our needle felter.  First I weaved the yarn in and out, catching the loose stitches, and kind of weaving it closed, and then I took that mended spot, laid it on the needle-felting pad, and felted it a bit, just to kind of blend the stitches and secure it together.  It worked quite amazingly well, and the spots are not really even noticeable anymore!!

This spot on the arm was the worst one; it was literally a gaping hole with a good 1/2"-5/8" of knit missing.  I weaved it shut and felted it though, and it came out pret-ty good!  ;)

The beading details on this thing are downright incredible.  I just can't imagine having the patience to do all that!!  The brand is "Broadway, Suburbanite Sportswear," dating from the 1950s.  The fun part is, while working on it I found a paper tag sewn inside the lining with the original price of $2.98 on it.  Hahaha!  Hard to even imagine such a thing these days!!

In the last few posts featuring '50s skirts, I've been wearing both my regular Malco Modes petticoat and a tiered flannel petticoat, and I'm really enjoying the fullness it lends!  On top of that fact is how wonderfully warm it is, as compared to nothing but a nylon net petticoat.  Big difference!!  I'll have to do a post on it sometime soon just so you can see the design of it and all.

Thanks for stopping by!  :)

• 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