• 1940s Utility Dress •

The warmer weather we've had off and on over the last few days has been nice for photographing a few summer dresses!  Maybe for once I won't be modeling summer frocks in the snowbanks, like I did last year.  ;)

I made this dress a few months ago for a vacation, and it turned out to be quite perfect for travel!  It is made of poly-cotton fabric (from Hancock Fabrics, just before they closed.....), and therefore doesn't wrinkle one little bit.  What could be better for cramming into a suitcase?  ;)

I always *loved* the pattern illustration from Butterick 6282, and when I found a solid-colored gray fabric, I knew exactly what I would use it for.  

Overall, this was a very easy pattern to sew; I did a few things differently than the pattern instructed, and altered the fit a bit here and there (lengthening the skirt 7 inches...that has to be the record for me), but that is all pretty standard.

The back bodice extends over the shoulder to form a small yoke in front.  The front bodice is gathered onto that yoke, and also gathered onto the skirt below the bust on each side.  A band extends from the front around the neck for added interest, and features a double row of topstitching, true to '40s fashion.

For the buttons, I wanted something that wouldn't distract from the overall design, so I opted for simple dark grey ones.

As is typical with a lot of vintage repro patterns, the finished waist measurement allowed for way too much ease, so I took in the skirt quite a bit at the side seams, and the bodice a bit as well.  I don't remember if I took the bust in at all, but I think I did, as the fit was just too roomy as it was.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I came across red, white and blue striped ribbon at the fabric store, just exactly like I needed to match the pattern illustration!!!  I couldn't find a gold buckle like the picture showed, so I settled for tying the belt. 

A couple of things I did differently than the pattern instructed had to do with the front pleat and the pockets.  The pattern says to simply iron over the pleats, bring them to the center line, and topstitch them 1/4" away from the edge on each side.  Obviously, that would not hold the pleats down in the center, and the edges of the fabric sticking up would look terrible.  Instead, I sewed the pleat from the inside, pressed it, and then topstitched, making a nice, flat seam.

The other variation (somewhat unintentional, but it ended up being much better this way!) is that I sewed my pockets on flat with the skirt fabric, rather than leaving them to gape on the top, as the pattern directed.  While doing that would make them more useable, I don't picture it looking very nice, and it would have to catch on everything rather badly.  I also moved the pockets down on the skirt over an inch, as the pattern wanted them to be awfully close to the waistline.

The sleeves are hemmed in the niftiest fashion; first you press under the bottom edge 2-1/4" and baste it to hold it in place, then you turn it under again, this time 2-3/8".  Next you stitch 1/4" away from the bottom (folded over) edge, all the way around, forming a tuck.  Turn the tuck toward the sleeve cap (causing the hem of the sleeve to fold down), and press.  The raw edge is encased in that tuck from inside, so the sleeve looks flawless, inside and out.  It was so fun to sew, and especially to see that it actually came out right!!  ;)

The sleeve cap has 5 darts, and a long, slender, crescent-shaped sleeve head that supports it.  The directions want you to stitch the head on by hand, but it works quite well to machine-stitch it on, and saves time as well.  The sleeve heads are just the right size, so you can not even detect them while wearing the dress.

Another of my favorite features from this pattern is the deep hem!  Perfect for a slightly lighter-weight fabric, no snagging the thread on everything you walk past, as well as being more vintage-appropriate.

All in all, this was a fun dress to make, and it has turned out to be quite fun to wear as well.  Do let me know if you make this pattern - I would love to see your rendition of it!

Thanks for stopping by!  :)

• 1938 Dress in Periwinkle •

A few months back, my dear friend Sarah of Prairie Rose Sewing sent me a package that included this gorgeous dress pattern from 1938. I couldn't wait to sew it up! I found some gorgeous fabric at Fabric by the Pound down in Alabama that just begged to be made into it.

I absolutely love the style! It's so very different from anything else that I have!! The style of the front bodice reminds me very much of Kristen's teal dress, which is just gorgeous.

The remarkable part about this pattern is that there are three different garments that can be made from it; a jacket and skirt, View 1, and a dress, View 2. Quite a difference from nowadays when pattern companies split up one outfit into three different patterns!! 

The pattern called for making thread loops, but let's be realistic; thread loops are a pain. And time consuming. So I made fabric ones instead!! :) They worked out very well, and once again are a change from my typical closures. Thanks to a tip from Brigid a while back, I used the nifty method of basting the loops onto a piece of interfacing, then sewing that into the seam and tearing it away afterwards. It is so much easier than trying to pin each loop onto the dress and stitch it!

I love the gathered accent on the front bodice as well; it adds such a ladylike touch!

The sleeves are puffy (my favorite!) and have pleated accents at the hem.

I finally found the perfect project for my pearly buttons!! :)

This buckle is another southern vacation treasure, and it's so nifty! Most other buckles we have are the two-holed kind, so this is a neat change of pace.

And, of course, I'm wearing my gorgeous shoes from Two Old Beans. They are still my absolute favorite. Leather, brand new, arch supports, low heel, perfect color to match the majority of my clothing....the list goes on!! :D

Thank you again, Sarah for the gorgeous, gorgeous pattern! :) I love it!

Vintage Fall Wardrobe Inspiration · Coats

The other day my mom picked up a couple wool coats at a thrift store, so I am planning on re-fashioning one of them. It is long, big, and rather intimidating, but with a few changes, I think it will be very nice indeed. 

Here's some much-needed vintage coat inspiration:

I just *love* this blue wool coat that Lily of Mode de Lis remade. It is so pretty, and that collar is to die for! I like those side-belts too...

Many 1940s coats had tie belts, so that's another thing to consider.

I like the big patch pockets on that red coat! They would add some needed character.

I don't know if it's possible on a thick, black coat, but a contrasting binding looks really pretty around the edges.

Once again, I'm not sure if it's possible, but making an asymmetrical closure would be perfect. Mmmm. And those biiiig buttons. And cuffs.

I am inspired!

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• 1950s Polka Dot Dress •

Ever since I first saw Lily's polka dot dress, I knew I had to have one. Originally I was going to make this into a nautical themed dress, but I kind of wanted to be able to wear it with any color, not just red. I got the fabric and buttons (big ones..hehehe) at Joann, and I love it. I never even ironed it after I finished it, nor have I since then. It has a little tiny bit of stretch to it, which makes it even more comfortable. 

I used Vogue V9000, but I left off the cuffs, and narrowed the skirt down. I got 5 3/4 yards of fabric, which is a good yard more than it calls for, but since I am 6' tall, I have to lengthen everything. Normally that's not a huge problem, but with a six-gore skirt, it was. The pattern layout had you laying the skirt pieces side-to-side, using up the whole width of the fabric. Therefore, when you have to add 3 5/8" to the length of each piece, you're in trouble. I folded the pieces over until they fit on the fabric, cut them out, and hoped for the best. I couldn't be more happy with the results - it hangs beautifully!

I also made the shoulders two sizes bigger than the rest of the bodice. (I know...weird, right?) It doesn't look bigger, but it makes it comfortable for the shoulder area. This was also my first lapped zipper ever. I was scared to death, but it came out wonderful!! Now I'm armed and ready for all the side zippers in other vintage patterns!

It was a little bit windy out....

There just *happened* to be an air show in town Saturday, so I had the perfect opportunity to take pictures of my new dress! It gets pretty boring taking them in the back yard. There were all kinds of planes there; World War II planes, modern planes, and even a 1929 biplane! It was so much fun!

We had random strangers walking up to us and asking if they could take our pictures, and wondering if we had something to do with the air show. Usually we just get blank stares from most people, so it was nice to have a positive reaction for once! :-)

I got my Malco Modes 591 petticoat last week. It took some adjusting to get used to wearing such a full skirt, but now that I'm used to it, it feels fine. Since it is made of a fairly crisp material, it had quite a few wrinkles in it from being shipped, so I put it in a sink full of warm water with a tiny bit of fabric softener, then hung it out in the sun to dry. It came out perfect, and I love it!

I also got new shoes (and sunglasses) from Modcloth. I couldn't be happier with them. It's always risky ordering shoes online, but they fit perfectly, and are so cute!

Next up is my regency spencer jacket, and then a Butterick 5920 dress out of a 1950s reproduction print.

Shoes, sunglasses, Modcloth.

Petticoat, Resashay.

Photography by my mom.

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Pearl Harbor Pillbox Hat

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have been looking everywhere for vintage dress patterns, so I happened to go to Sense and Sensibility Patterns' website. Whilst browsing through the 40s and 50s categories, I saw the pattern for the Pearl Harbor Pillbox Hat. I of course fell in love with it immediately. I mean, a vintage hat that you can crochet? What could be better? I got the pattern and went to making it. It comes together surprisingly fast. Since I didn't have any wool yarn (imagine it - no wool yarn. simply horrifying!), I just grabbed some Red Heart worsted in brown, and started crocheting. Since it isn't wool, it isn't so "relaxed" as the one in the picture, but I actually like it this way.

I sewed up a lil' bow out of my dress fabric to dress it up. It is just pinned on so I can switch it out with other outfits. 

Long story short; I love my new hat. I can't wait to make one in every color!

Currently working on:

hemming my green plaid circle skirt

planning a regency gown (I have exactly 25 days to have it d-o-n-e)

Vintage Sewing Link Party #1

Hi there and welcome to the very first Vintage Sewing Link Party! I absolutely love vintage style clothing, and have made a resolution to sew myself a whole wardrobe of it! I am so glad you are here to join me in this little adventure. I would love to have you link up your vintage style sewing and craft projects and outfits!

I haven't taken pictures of my new dress yet, but I will be doing so tomorrow. Meanwhile, here's a snapshot of it to hold you over!

I love how it feels and looks, and I love having my first vintage-style piece of clothing made and in my closet! I'll be posting a full pattern review with the pictures.

My next vintage sewing project is this blouse, but I'm going to modify it and add longer sleeves and a button back instead of a side zipper. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

And now, for the link party!!

A few rules:

Family-friendly content only, please.

Only link up the same project once.

Please add the link party button to your blog.

Visit another link and leave a lovely comment.

And last but not least, enjoy yourself and come back soon!

  

Vintage Ruffled Apron: Picture Tutorial

I used this cotton from Joann - it is wonderful fabric, not expensive at all, and it doesn't wrinkle!

You will need: 2 yards of fabric

Directions:

Cut out the following pieces:

Apron body (skirt): 28 1/4" x 31 3/8"

2 pieces (ruffles for the apron skirt): 4 1/4" x 72"

3 pieces (ruffles for the apron top): 2 3/4" x 42"

2 pieces (tails): 5 7/8" x 42"

2 pieces (waistband front and back): 2 7/8" x 21 1/2"

For the apron top, save the two pictures below, and print full size using legal size paper (8 1/2" x 14") and tape them together. This will make them the correct size. You may want to measure the length to be sure that this is long enough for you. Also make sure that your fabric is doubled over when you cut out this piece. 

Serge together the two large ruffle pieces; turn the hem over twice and sew.

Baste and gather ruffle piece.

Mark the halfway point on your apron body. Match the ends and middles of both the body and the ruffle piece. Pin ruffle piece to apron body.

Baste pinned pieces (ruffle and apron body) together. Remove pins.

Serge the ruffle and apron body together, cutting off about 1/2". 

Once you have done this, set it aside.

Turn over hem of neck ruffle twice. Sew hem close to the edge (about 1/16").

Serge the top edge of the neck ruffle piece. Turn over serged edge, just enough so that the serging is not visible on the right side. Sew turned over edge. Baste neck ruffle close to the top edge (about 3/16", and the other baste line 5/16"). Gather.

Serge neck edge of apron top.

Pin gathered neck ruffle onto apron top, letting the top edge of the ruffle overhang the apron neck by about 1/8".

Sew pinned pieces (neck ruffle and apron top) together in between the two baste lines. You may want to use a pin or needle to hold down the ruffles as you sew them. Sew another line below the second baste line.

Mark the half-way point on your remaining two ruffle pieces, and on the edges of the apron top. Turn over and hem the remaining two ruffle pieces in the same manner as the apron body ruffle. Baste and gather. Pin the ruffles onto the edge of the apron top as shown. Baste the pinned pieces (apron top and side ruffles) together. Remove pins.

Serge these pieces together, cutting off about 1/3".

Since the ruffle tends to stick up instead of out to the side, sew the serged edge down as shown below.

Sew serged edge down close to the <-- (inside) edge. 

See how this makes the ruffle lay down so much nicer? The right side has been sewn down, whereas the left side hasn't.

Repeat this same process on the apron body (skirt).

Serge the two open edges of the apron top. You will be serging these together anyway, but if you serge them first, the ruffles will be sure to lay the correct way.

Serge together the two edges of the apron top.

Mark the halfway points of the apron body and waistband. Baste and gather apron body. Pin to waistband. Sew the seam. 

Determine the exact length that you want your apron top. Pin the apron top to the waistband, with right sides together. Trim off excess apron top fabric. (I did not do this ahead of time, as you will notice in the pictures, but it is a good idea so that you are sure to get your seam allowances right.) 

Baste the pinned pieces together. (apron top and waistband). Remove pins.

Iron over about 1/3" of the second waistband piece. Pin the waistband onto the apron top/waistband pieces with the wrong side facing you. 

Sew the seam. 

This is what your piece will look like after you turn it "right side out."

Fold an apron tail piece in half, right sides together, and sew it at about 1/2". After you get around the corner, turn around and go back to the beginning so that your corner seam is very secure. The picture below shows the reinforced seam. Continue sewing to the end. Be sure to leave the other end open!!! Repeat with the other tail piece.

Clip the corner and trim the seam as shown. Repeat with other tail piece.

Turn apron tail pieces right side out, and push out the corners with a ruler or something pointed. Iron the pieces flat. You may wish to use a (metal) ruler to push out the edge seam as you iron it in order to get it perfectly flat.

Pin the open end of the tail together, making pleats, and baste as shown. Repeat with other tail piece.

Pin tail to the outside edge of the "inner" waistband as shown.

Fold the "inner" waistband over the tail. Pin again, making sure that the tail is securely "up against" the folded over waistband. Sew the seam at about 5/8". Repeat with the other tail piece.

Turn the sewn pieces right side out. This is what it should look like.

Sew down the inner waistband close to the edge, about 1/8."

This is what it will look like on the right side.

Fold over the end of the tail pieces as shown.

Sew the edges of the piece as shown. Repeat with the other tail. You are done!!!