• 1950s Egg Dress •

Unusual name?  Well, yes.  But the adorable fabric that this dress is made out of reminded us of eggs from the first time we saw it, so being named as such was inevitable.  ;)

These pictures were actually taken last fall, but with the gorgeously fall-like weather we're having, I just had to post it now!  :)

This fabric was originally mine; I had 1 yard of the blue (egg) fabric, and about 2 yards of the yellow.  When the time came to finally make it, I wanted to use Simplicity 1692 for the top, and just make a simple, pleated skirt on the bottom.  I got it mostly assembled, only to find out that I really, really didn't like it at all.  

Enter: my mom.  :)  She tried it on and loved it, just making a couple of alterations in the neckline and shoulders to make it fit better.  So I traded her this for what is now my 1930s dress fabric.  :)  We were both happy; Mom had a new dress to work with, and I had fabric to start over and make something I liked with!

She ended up buying more of the yellow plaid fabric, and making the Butterick 5920 skirt instead of a pleated dirndl skirt.  She added a bias binding of the "egg" fabric around the hem, which sets it off just right.  :)

It's hard to believe, but I got the whole entire top out of ONE YARD of fabric.  Slightly shocking.  ;)  Especially with having full, puffy sleeves!  The sleeves are cut on the cross-grain, but that didn't bother either of us.

Per usual, Mom did a smashing job on her plaid matching.  :)

Speaking of plaid-matching, she even matched up the bias trim around the hem of her skirt.  She is one amazing seamstress, let me tell you!!!!!!  :D

A bias sash seemed to be just the right accent at the waist.  And my yellow gloves?  They are always the right accessory.  ;)

I don't believe these shoes of hers have been on the blog before; they are Hotter Donna heels.  Absolutely adorable, vintage-styled, comfortable, and they match a surprising amount of outfits!!  They are definitely on my "wanted" list of shoes.  ;)

Thanks for stopping by, and for putting up with my unannounced absence last week!  Life gets hectic at times, so blogging gets set aside once in a while.  Have a lovely week, and enjoy the arrival of fall!!  :)

P.S.  If you haven't done so already, do check out Stephanie's tea cup exchange!!  I participated in the one that took place this spring, and I can tell you, it is loads of fun!  You can see my post about it here.  The deadline to sign up ends September 21st, so don't delay!  Tell Stephanie I sent you!  :)

• Mom's Original 1950s Dress •

It's time for a throwback post! ;) 

A you can tell, these pictures were not taken very recently, as evidenced by the immensely green backdrop. But since we haven't had the time, weather, or inclination (hello, head cold #3!) to take pictures this past week, it was time to pull up a draft post and get it posted.

This dress is one of my favorites of my mom's dresses! It was, in fact, her first vintage-style dress she ever made. She used Butterick 5920, modifying the neckline and drafting a collar based on a vintage dress illustration.

As you can see, the collar in the top right picture was the inspiration. I think she did a lovely job emulating it!

(Read the rest of that vintage dress pamphlet here.)

The fabric she used is a 1950s reproduction, and I absolutely love it. Pink....floral....polka dots all over...I'm in love! ;)

Since the shoulders were going to be a little too wide, she added vertical tucks on the top of the shoulder, both front and back, which brought in the width without restricting movement or messing up the armscye.

Those red buttons are the perfect accent!! They look totally different on the back side; I used them on my infamous walkaway dress as well.

And...who could help but love her adorable sandals?!!! They're soooo cute, and perfect for vintage styles. <3

Thanks for stopping by! :)

• 1950s Gumdrop Dress •

I'm so excited about today's post!! This is definitely one of my favorite dresses I've ever made. The print is SO fun and cheerful. I actually made this dress early on this year, but didn't finish it until just a couple of months ago.

When I saw this fabric at our local quilt shop, my heart absolutely skipped a beat. I LOVED it. And so did everyone else, apparently. It was one of those fabrics that comes in one week, and two weeks later the whole bolt is gone. Well, thankfully I was the one who got the last 5 yards! :) Boy am I glad!

For some reason, ever since I first laid eyes on this fabric, it just said "gumdrop" to me. So the Gumdrop Fabric it is! I already have a 1940s gumdrop dress, which you can see here. The prints are slightly different, but they both just look so....gum-droppy! :)

Since I had juuuuust barely 5 yards, it was a tight squeeze fitting all the pieces in for this dress! I used Butterick 5920, just making the sleeves and the skirt longer. Everything was going great until I figured out that the only way the skirt would fit in was if I put one of the back pieces going the opposite direction of all the other pieces. GRRR. It still bugs me. But it worked, and really isn't noticeable. The only difference between the two directions is the little flower stems that end up slightly different going one way versus the other.

The first time I ever tried matching a pattern was when I made this dress. It seemed to me, all I had to do was cut out the pieces that needed to match exactly the same, and then they would end up matching! Right? WRONG!!!

As you can imagine, my seams were quite interesting. Thankfully, the pattern was fairly close on the front skirt, so I could just sew the seam in a little bit and end up with it matching tolerably well.

Needless to say, I now know that that's not the way to match up a pattern. ;)

I had loads of trouble when I was working on the neckline. The pattern packet shows the neckline looking something like a Japanese throwing star (our affectionate name for it...very official, I know). However, when it came right down to it, it was nearly impossible to get a "V" in the middle at all. It took a lot of finagling and overlapping much less than I was supposed to to get the tiny "V" that I have.
My mom had the same problem when she made her version of this dress (to be blogged soon!), but I haven't seen anything about anybody else having trouble with it. In any case, the nasty neckline problems were the reason this dress sat around being a UFO for a month or two before I finally decided to tackle it! It was worth the effort though.

Although I always wanted gumdrop-looking buttons (yes, in different colors!), I never found any, so I had to settle for these lemony confections. Our Bakelite buckle seemed like the perfect accent for the belt.

These gloves are on the top 5 list of my most prized vintage possessions. They're SO gorgeous. I love them. So much!
They're in perfect condition, I got them for dirt cheap, and the style!!!! I love the button detailing, as well as the prick-stitched piping around the edges. And they happen to match this dress SO perfectly. Mmmm. I love them. ;)

About a month ago, I happened to glance at the Tatyana site, and saw that the Braid Purse was on sale! We of course bought it immediately. The $11 or so shipping makes the price a little less exciting, but it's still a good deal. I really like the purse; it's very roomy, and matches a surprising amount of outfits. It's quite sturdy as well, and I like the front clasp opening....as is evident in the next picture. ;)

We were having such fun taking these pictures! :) When I saw this one, I couldn't resist turning it into a little vintage purse ad.

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Last, but not least, there's a sale going on in my Etsy shop! Use the coupon code AUTUMN15 to receive 15% off your purhcase!