• 1940s Winter Wool Dress •

 

As I mentioned in my last post, I have a terrible tendency to make nothing but cotton dresses year round. Lightweight, pastel, summery cotton dresses. And that just isn't always practical when it's freeeezing cold outside! Thankfully, I managed to be in the mood for sewing a couple of warmer garments in the last few weeks. It was actually quite fun!!

I purchased this wool, 3 yards in total, last summer at our local fabric shop on clearance. I can't say that I actually loved it, because I didn't, but I really didn't care. Pendleton wool, 60" wide, on sale, USA made.
Irresistible, right?

I tucked it away in the "winter" section of the stash, figuring that I would make a jacket out of it eventually. Fast-forward to a couple of weeks ago, I pulled it out to see what, if anything, I felt like making it into. We recently bought the new Vogue pattern 9052, which only calls for 2 7/8 yards for the dress. Heehee. Perfect, right? Except, who wants short sleeves on a winter wool dress? Not I. An eighth of a yard is not enough to get longer sleeves, but I decided to just start cutting out skirt pieces anyway in hopes that I could squeeze longer sleeves in later.

Thankfully, I was able to get three skirt pieces cut out of the width of the fabric, so that left me with plenty of leftover fabric to make my desired sleeves. I used the pattern's sleeve cap, but made the rest of the sleeve from Simplicity 1777. Now I have elbow darts. Happiness. :)

For being my first plaid-matching project ever, I'm definitely happy with how it came out! The fabric was really nice to work with, unlike the flannel on my pleated skirt.

I am glad to say that our lovely fur piece goes with the dress nicely! :)

Since the neckline of the dress pattern was quite low, I decided to do away with the front slit and replace it with a back keyhole opening. It worked out great, and I really like the slight V-neck effect that the final dress has. I used a plain cotton for the facings and topstitched to keep everything in place. I just love that little candy red button!

After I had the dress assembled, I tried it on and was shocked after looking at it. P-l-a-i-n. SO plain. Terribly, shockingly plain. The depths of despair were nearby, but I warded them off and started thinking about what I could do to make it interesting.
What would redeem it? Buttons? Pockets? Sashes?

I finally decided on pockets, and they ended up being just the thing. It's really nice to have them on a dress at long last! I used to be adamantly against them, but I'm starting to discover their uses. :)

It was so cold out that we decided to try an indoor photo shoot for once. But when you combine bad lighting and a bright red dress with a horrible photo editor (me), the photos end up being a little...interesting in color. I think I need to study up on Photoshop. A lot. Or become realllly good friends with a photographer. Hmmm.
All that aside, I am very happy with my dress! Now I will not be cold!!

• Photography by my mom •

• Floral 1940s Dress •

I am very excited about today's post!! I just made this dress last week, but it is already a staple in my wardrobe. Everything about it makes me happy!

I intended to make a different 40s pattern out of this fabric, but the mockup looked less than stellar. The fabric just had to be made into a 40s dress though, so I decided to make Simplicity 1587. I have already made this pattern in a polyester crepe, so I was very familiar with the design. It was not very much fun to make out of such a stiff yet slippery material, so making it out of cotton was a breeze! This has to be the fastest dress I've ever completed. So much fun!!

Since the back yard gets realllly extra boring for a backdrop, we finally decided to head into town (barely a town) and take some pictures by the old train station. It ended up being the perfect backdrop for photographing! We will definitely be back there again soon!

It was the outrageously warm temperature of 17 degrees, so if I look frozen, there's a very good reason. Times like that are what make me thankful for slightly warming objects like gloves and minks!! :)

The hairdo. I got a haircut several weeks ago because I really wanted to start pin curling. I was sick of 2014-trying-to-look-1940s hairdos, so I decided to get a bit of a trim. I only got about 3, maybe 4 inches taken off, but it made the difference between being able to pin curl and not being able to.

This was actually only my second time ever, so it was nowhere near being perfect, but I think it's not bad for starters! It's going to take commitment to pin curl every single night, but if that's what it takes to get a good vintage hairstyle then I'm all for it! I look forward to perfecting my techniques and being able to do more styles.

One of the many benefits of a pin-curled hairstyle is that hats look so good! I never was quite sure about this one in days gone by but I absolutely love it now. I think it's time to go hat-hunting again!!

As for the dress, I made a few slight alterations to the pattern. I lengthened the bodice and sleeves a bit, and added a bit of length to the bow as well so that it would drape nicely. I used the skirt from Vogue 8767, flaring it out from the waist down as much as the fabric width would allow. 

Since the neckline is a little lower than I prefer, I made a panel to wear underneath the dress. I wish I knew how to raise the neckline, but I really don't have a clue how it would be possible amidst all those pleats. Maybe someday.

I also omitted the back neck keyhole opening since I could get it on and off easily without it. All in all, I was able to get the whole dress, excluding the belt, out of 3 5/8 yards. For me, that's about like getting a whole dress out of a fat quarter when compared to the usual 5-6 yards I need for an average dress. 

I am so excited to finally have a dress that is mink-friendly! I love our little furry footed friends and can't wait to wear them more!

I wasn't sure what to do for a belt buckle, but then I realized that this lovely vintage brass(?) one was the perfect accent! I definitely need to build up the buckle stash.

This lovely purse was a prize find a few weeks back at the antique store. It was only $10, and in nothing less than perfect condition inside and out, which is amazing considering all those beads! The front and back are slightly different so it can coordinate with a lot of different outfits. 

I love the American-made cottons that JoAnn has started selling. They seem to be very good quality, and the price is great! More for less is the way to go! I've got my eyes on that green polka-dots-on-polka-dots material. Hello, 1950s dress!

I have a definite addiction to 1940s dresses these days, so don't be surprised to see more of them soon! I'm trying to resist the urge to just make 57 more of this same exact pattern, but it isn't easy.

In any case, I'm going to make a career out of staying far away from that horrible "publish" button until it's time....gulp.

Thanks to my lovely mom for the photographs!

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