Mail Order Shirt

I have replaced the photos as there seemed to be a problem viewing them, hope they work now!



I got this pattern a while back from Mom's Patterns (link on the sidebar), I have no idea what year it is as I didn't make a note when I bought it and they didn't seem to put the year on the postmark and it's not on the printed pattern instructions.

The pattern includes a short sleeve version of the top shirt and a long sleeve version of the bottom shirt. The pattern was uncut which is always lovely but kind of sad that the person who originally owned it never made it up, I always wonder why that was (perhaps they were just a hopeless pattern collector like me!).

This is my version from fabric found in my local fabric shop that just had to be used for this pattern.



This shirt went together incredibly easily, even the front neck pieces which have facings on them, something like that on a modern pattern is always a real pain to get to lie flat but this fit first time around.

I'll definitely be making this shirt again, perhaps in a more floaty fabric next time so that the sleeves drape a tiny bit better.

I will do my dress soon, it is another mail order pattern and has yet more gathers, considering the fact that I don't like sewing gathers I seem to be wanting to wear them all the time for some reason!

Anna
finally waking up

An old favorite from a new member

Hello,
I have just joined the sew retro fun, having been an avid reader for pretty much as long as the blog has been going.
By way of an introduction, here is my take on the ever popular Butterick B4790 reissue of their whirl away dress.
I used fabric which had been on the shelves in the shop for long enough to have its own driving license...
I blogged it here, on my blog Practical Polly, where I was a little more self indulgent with the photographs...

I'm looking forward to posting here regularly- I've got quite a backlog of pre-blogging sewing to get through!

My latest creation

I've edited this post as of 12/8/2010 to remove broken links.

****** UPDATE BELOW ******


Would you believe that I am attending a "garden party" (replete with floppy hats and ALL WHITE) in mid-October? Sure it's for Nana's 80th birthday, but please...


So while I normally would not be caught dead OR alive in all white, here is what I'm making for the fiasco festivities.

I'm making the short-sleeved jacket and the skirt in winter white. The skirt will be crepe-backed satin (loverly) and the jacket is in a stretch twill with a lovely tone on tone strip. I'll post progress updates as I go along. If I can get a wearable muslin done before the end of September, I might enter it in the sewing contest. We'll see.


As far as a wearable muslin goes, I scored this FABULOUS olive green moleskin (fake ultrasuede?) for $1 per yard. You heard it right folks! The fabric only cost me 50 cents more than the decorative button for the jacket. WHEE. It's such an awesome find.


I did a sneaky thing today. I went to FedEx Kinko's and had the entire pattern copied on their HUGE format copier. That way I have something durable to work with while I'm re-drafting to fit my 5'2" 171.5 pound self. Then once I get it the way I want it, I can transfer to my own pattern paper. I hate tissue paper with the fire of a thousand suns. Which is to say, only slightly less than buttonholes. Which I will have to do for this outfit. Egads. Once I get to that point, I'll be relying on the experts here to walk me through the Valley of the Shadow of Buttonholes. And I DO fear them!


****** UPDATE 9/5/07******


I'm 98% done modifying the pattern to fit my measurements. Working with the stiff paper from Kinko's has been EXCELLENT since it doesn't shift or wrinkle that much. One small hitch has developed: two pieces didn't copy well. One I was able to fix (mostly straight lines) but the other (jacket back) I was not able to fix. So now I have to hie me off to Kinko's AGAIN with three small children in tow to get it fixed. Once that is done, I will have my pieces ready to try out on the green moleskin fabric. Hoorah! I believe I shall drop the kidlets at the Y with their daddy and go from there. Then I can sneak over to Qdoba for a treat. Just don't tell, ok?


****** UPDATE 9/6/07******


Back from Kinko's last night too late to do more, but was able to get the ONE piece redone with about 15 minutes of fiddling with the large format machine. Here's a tip for anyone who wants to do this... Make sure your pattern is smooth and flat. That machine HATES pattern tissue with wrinkles. Now I'm off to mod the last piece and start cutting. Keep your fingers crossed girls! I'm (secretly) terrified of this project since I've never made grown up clothes before with any success. Kids? Yup. Dolls? Yup. AUGH! Off I go...

Its been a while.......

but I'm back again :) I finished my last project and learned a few lessons about sizing and altering - but its always better to make something too big than too small right? Not a brilliant pic but this is how it turned out which wasn't too bad for a first attempt I hope :)

I have a few things to be getting on with before starting college so I thought I'd tackle something easy again, not strictly retro/vintage but has the feel. Its McCalls apron pattern no M5358. I look forward to sharing the result with you

Hi ya'll

I love this blog and have kept up with it for awhile. I got into sewing because I couldn't get the vintage clothes I wanted for prices I could afford off eBay. Well, thankfully, my Mom wasavailable to help me get started and even had a year dold sewing machine in the garage that one of my little sisters bought a couple of years ago ad didn't take with her years ago. That sewing machine has now taken over my deask. Thankfully, I use a laptop or I've no idea whether I could sew.

I'm a librarian and college student and given that classes start up again tomorrow, I don;t suppose I'll have much time for sewing for quite awhile. This is my last semester, so I just need to focus on the end of the road and try to avoid getting bogged down. I completed a couple of dresses during the week and worked on this ensemble today.



and here's the pattern for the top. The blouse came from Walmart and I made the skirt from Simplicity 4047.

If it itches, scratch it

I spent several hours this weekend working on my 1975 era dress project. I tried it on before I put the sleeves on, and the fabric ITCHES! It felt fine in my hand, had a nice drape, so I never anticipate this problem. Guess that is why the fabric was on sale. I don't want to line it, so I guess I will rip out the zipper to use on something else and toss it. Grrrrrr. It am annoyed that I wasted so much time, but I will have to just consider this as practice, and move on to another project.

What do you do when a project isn't coming out right, for whatever reason? I HATE giving up on a project, and it is frustration like this that makes me question if I really want to start sewing again.

Time at last

Hi All, I love this blog. I've been reading it, and Dress-a-day for a few months and enjpy seeing all the wonderful projects. When I am stressed out I find it very relaxing to waste time on the web looking at great vintage style clothes.

Mom taught me to sew as a very young girl, and at various times in my life my big-ol' sewing monster, a green Elna (nearly 50 yo, and still chugging away), has been quite prolific. I worked in a fabric shop for a while and got a nice collection of patterns. I donated most of the over-the-top 1980's styles to Goodwill the last time I moved, a move I will probably regret someday- especially when I see them for sale for a gazillion dollars on eBay!

As years went by, between a hectic career in advertising, and then graduate school, I still accumulated toward my "Stash," but haven't done much sewing for a number of years. Sew Retro has inspired me to get back into sewing, and now I have a new position as a professor of art and some free time at last! My goal is to complete a project every month.

My first project is a pattern for a dress that my oldest sister wore to her high school prom in 1975. The fabric is "vintage" in the fact that I bought it in a bargain bin for a buck at this crazy fabric shop, and it had probably been in there for at least a decade. I only had a yard and a half, and tonight managed to fanagel the pieces to fit and got it cut out (on the bias!) Hope to get it sewn up over the weekend, if my sewing skills are not too rusty.

So I am very glad to be here, and will post a photo as soon as I get my scanner hooked up.

Introducing Another Anna

Hi Everybody,
I've been enjoying this site for awhile so when I made a linen jacket from a 1960-ish Simplicity pattern I decided it was time to step up to the mic. My neighbor was throwing away a box of old sewing patterns when I happened to be passing her house so she gave them to me. This pattern didn't have an envelope but I looked at the pieces and determined they were pretty much all there.
I made a sketch for myself of how the Jackie-O suit probably looked, it was size 14 1/2. The length was fine for me, I'm 5' 4.5". I used the "Sew Fit Manual" pivot & slide method to make it fit my girth. It has three quarter sleeves, I added an elbow dart to them, these sleeves are maddening if they're too tight. I also made real pockets from what must have been decorative flaps. I used Claire Shaeffer's "High Fashion Sewing Secrets" to construct them. Becasue of the length of the jacket, they won't hold more than a theater ticket and a two coins.
I thought I'd have enough fabric to make the A-line skirt that was part of the pattern but I don't. The pattern includes a sleeveless, jewel necked shell also (of course). It just so happens I have some yardage that will make a nice summer dress to go along with this, stay tuned. I also made my first post to Pattern Review about this, with a few more picutres.

Fabricville

Hi there folks! Here are two shirts made with modern patterns but with repro fabrics. The first is Simplicity (Built by Wendy) with deco fabric and the second is McCalls with some stuff from about 1810. I'm sure I will be delving into some more of my vintage patterns once I have settled in from moving, but right now this is all I've got!





'til next time...

Villain

My first kind of vintage item

OK, not 100% vintage but the dress is a classic style and the fabric has the cutest retro print EVER!!!

This is my daughter modelling the dress I made. The pattern didn't have bias binding on the arm and neck holes, I put them on as I thought it would look good co-ordinating with the fabric, and I love it!

It's Simplicity 3853

1975

Hi everyone. Thanks for the invite. I am almost done with a vest for my daughter.

This was a pattern from my mother's stash. It was an outfit I wore when I was a little girl. This pattern consists of the vest, skirt AND the shirt. Talk about complete. I am only doing the vest right now because she needed one for an outfit she already has. However, I think next Spring I will make the skirt and vest together. This was one of my favorite outfits as a kid.

UPDATE: Flawed but done.

This material was hard to work with. I think it also came out too boxy. I'll do better next time.

Joining the Party!

After months of relishing everyone's projects and posting comments as The New Professor Mentor, I thought I should join the party as a full-fledged member of Sew Retro. Thank you to Anna for the invitation.

I started collecting vintage patterns about 15 years or so ago when I went to an estate sale and bought a box of dusty old patterns for $1.00. I was hooked. When I graduated with my doctorate in 2000, I wanted something really special to wear under my academic regalia and so I attempted to make a dress from a 1940's unprinted pattern. Unfortunately, my skill level and the amount of time I had to make the dress didn't match and I ended up having to buy something to wear. But I was hooked. And I've continued to buy vintage patterns. I think I have a little over 100 now, probably more.

For the next six years, I didn't really have much time to sew but a little over a year ago, a friend's blog (Carolyn of Diary of a Sewing Fanatic) caused me to reassess my sewing priorities. I started my Grandma's Sewing Cabinet podcast and have tried to sew more.

A couple of months ago, I ventured into the land of full-time self-employment. As I was visualizing my perfect day, I noticed that I was wearing lots of vintage or vintage inspired clothing. I also made sure that sewing time has a high priority in my schedule.

So, here I am! I joined the vintage sewing contest at pattern review and I'm in the process of rebuilding my wardrobe so that I look like Donna Reed while I work at home and Jackie O when I run a workshop or attend conferences.

Current projects:
Reissued Simplicity jumper out of lightweight denim: http://www.simplicity.com/dv1_v4.cfm?design=3673
I had to lengthen the bodice by 6 inches to get over my 36DDD bust. My husband is a little concerned that the jumper will emphasize my generous bust a little too much. But then, with MacGuffies (as he calls them) this size, everything seems to emphasize them!

And this delectable "wiggle dress" from Out of the Ashes: http://www.risingfeenix.com/inc/sdetail/9097

Oh, I collect vintage cookbooks, too!

Best,
Julie-Ann
Grandma's Sewing Cabinet

Skirt With Scallopy Hem

My latest finished object is a circle-ish skirt (it's 2/3 of a circle, so I'm not sure what to call it).
It's made from vintage fabric that I had in my stash.
I wanted to put some trim on the bottom to dress it up as well as to help turn the hem. After looking through my notions box and playing around for a while, I ended up taking bias tape and running it through my sewing machine using the shell- stitch setting (the one that's used for blind hems). I then machine sewed it to the skirt, turned the hem and then hand sewed the other half of the bias tape to the skirt to hide the raw edges.

Hi! Another Fan of Retro Sewing Checking In!

I’m Nina, aka The Empress, and I’m a vintage pattern junkie. I happened across the blog from Michelle’s website/blog (patterns from the past). I’ve ordered from Michelle in the past (ha ha) and I go to her site often to drool. After reading the blog, I joined Pattern Review and entered the contest. I’m way beyond hooked. I'm so thrilled to be able to join in the fun at Sew Retro. It’s right up my alley.

Here's my entry in progress for the sewing contest:



I've modified the length to make it fit my 3 and 5 year old daughters. I added a bit of sca;lloped eyelet trim to the bottom edge and then hand hemmed. It's awaiting pressing and then a photo session of the finished product. I'm pretty pleased with it (and myself). One other modification was to take iron in facing that will fuse on both sides. That added nice stiffness to the neckline. It will hold up to a lot of wear and tear that way.
Not shown are the buttons I got for 50 cents per card on clearance. I used them as decoration since I ABHOR making buttonholes. I just don't do button holes. Instead, I used some vintage hooks and eyes at the shoulders.
A little bit about me:

I manage a bunch of websites (which I’m really not doing much with at the moment since I’m chained to my sewing machine). One of them is http://www.thevintagefamily.com/. I am attempting to get a business started there where I make vintage repro items – mostly for babies and kids, but also aprons for mom. I’m also working on http://www.baby-retro.com/. I blog at http://empressg1973.blogspot.com/ and also http://thevintagefamily.blogspot.com/.
Cheers!

Half size patterns

So I've recently taken the plunge into actual vintage patterns, rather than reissues. After much hemming and hawing, I decided to work on this little number I purchased on ebay:

Now, I purchased a few patterns at great prices off of ebay, and was amazed that I got no competition on any of them. My wife asked me what a half size pattern was, since all of the ones that I had won were labeled half size. I figured "meh. must be halfway between two sizes."

Of course, I finally googled it, only to find that they are made for people under 5'3". I'm 5' 8". I feel like a real idiot.

Anyway, I decided to make this dress tonight, and ended up lengthening it a little bit, to make up for the half sizedness, only to find when I had finished that the waistline was somewhere around my hip bone. I not only feel like an idiot, I now look like one, too.

I ended up shortening the straps, and it looks decent. (Has anyone else noticed that when a dress looks a little off, shortening the straps ALWAYS fixes it?)

So, the point of all this rambling is this: has anyone used a half size pattern? Are they in any way different from a regular size pattern? Was it all some elaborate plot by the pattern industry to make women of short stature feel like they were being represented in the market?

Thanks, all. Hopefully I'll have some good pics of the quasi-disaster dress shortly, and photos of other dresses I've made if only people would stop outbidding me.

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen

I am sew very happy to be joining you on this blog! I have lurked for quite some time and been very envious of all your fabulous projects. Each of you is so very talented and while I do have some projects to post, I feel that I will learn so much here!

View A is my upcoming project. I plan to make the dress for my daughter from the Yellow Clover fabric from SuperBuzzy. The jacket will either be a matching light or dark green. I haven't decided which one. Probably will depend on what I find at the fabric store when I go tomorrow.

I really look forward to posting my efforts here and continuing to read about all of yours!

Excited to Find

I am so excited that I have found this blog. I began sewing a couple of years ago because I wanted to make clothes fashioned from the 1940-50s. I am completely enamoured with the styles of these decades. I am working on a dress right now that I hope to complete for a party this weekend (will post a pic when its complete).

While sewing clothes is a love of mine, my mom is also passing down the art of quilting to me. I have found quilting to be quite enjoyable as well.

I look forward to sharing in projects and experiences with everyone.

Jacquie

i'm just happy to be here

I love, love, love this site.

I'm new at sewing. A dear friend gave me a machine last year for my 40th birthday after I told her I've always wanted to learn to sew. Last summer I took a sewing class. Big fun. I made a skirt. Since then I've mostly made tote bags but I'm sooo ready to make garments for myself. I absolutely adore fashions from the 50s. I like things from the 70s and other decades, too.

These days I'm getting all homemaker and have added embroidery to my handwork arsenal. I'm really enjoying it and plan to use it to embellish clothing. I've been knitting longer than anything (but still not very long), for about 2.5 years. Sewing and knitting are dreams come true for me. I'd wanted to learn these arts for so long. The embroidery came as a total surprise. One day I woke up and just had to do it. Sometimes it's hard to believe, but very cool to know, I can actually do any of them.

By the way, I live in Los Angeles, a surprisingly crafty town.

Oh, here's the one retro thing I've made so far:

It's from this pattern, which I found at a swap meet (I added the purse because doesn't every girly girl need one?):

Because I really want to sew retro, I bought this on eBay last month:

Well, it sure is swell to meet you all.

Happy sewing,
sappmama
www.purlyvictorious.blogspot.com

Tie one on

Lookee, I done made something else:

Mercifully, not the pedal-pushers. The shirt, people!

This shirt makes me feel so full of sass! I wanna go give some lip like Rizzo from Grease. Strut. Just need a bullet bra and a posse of sassy gals. (That's the Sew Retro wasp-waisted army, right?)

I always wondered how those 50s sleeves were constructed - the tapered ones that magically pushed up to a pleasingly crumpled three-quarter length. I'm happy to have learnt how they do it: three little darts in the sleeve, plus a slightly different shape to the front and back pieces. Very cunning and unlike anything I've seen in modern patterns.

Spots!

I put this blouse pattern together with a simple A-line skirt from another vintage dress pattern, and came up with this blue and white spotty number. Very easy, no interfacing, self facings, only 4 pattern pieces for the whole frock and done in under 2 hours total! I can see more of these in my future.

Not a Dress!

I cut this smock out ages ago, intending to use it as a maternity shirt, but never got around to making it. Whilst trying to fight my way through the stacks of patterns and fabric in my sewing room I decided to get it made up once and for all.

This is the pattern I used, dated 1974, bought from Mom's Patterns. I seem to have collected quite a few smock and tunic patterns although I don't like the modern versions and I'm not actually sure they suit my figure!




I used cotton fabric from a sewing co-op that I bought several years ago now, I remember that the fabric was called Nantucket, the buttons are from a local sewing shop.



I took five inches off the bottom of it as it was hitting me mid-thigh and making me look like a barrel, apparently I'm about a foot shorter than the drawing! I also moved the top button down a bit as I don't like stuff done up under my chin. I also left the huge pockets off which was lucky when I discovered how long it was on me as I would have had to unpick them and re-sew!

I'm happy with the way it came out and it was worth making it properly with the yoke facings etc as it looks quite professional! Whether or not it will get much wear I'm not so sure, it's one of those things you want to make but can't really see yourself wearing. Perhaps it will get an outing undone over a black tank top and jeans, we'll see!

My first project!

Since I am also trying to keep a pledge to Wardrobe Refashion (even though I haven't heard from them yet), I decided to work from my stash to create this Butterick 6655 pattern for my 8-year-old daughter. The polka dot fabric was supposed to be valances, but I didn't end up needing it. I bought this pattern AGES ago, and was disappointed to discover that I only had the directions and the skirt piece. So, when I pulled it out, I had to create the missing pieces from newspaper. Here are some pics!




You can see a couple more pics at my blog---nakedinfluence.wordpress.com

That 70s Dress

I can't remember where I got this pattern (probably from a lot on ebay or from the Sally Ann), but it's been sitting around for a while now, waiting to be made. The pattern was unused and came with a special (new at the time) feature: 2 sizes in one envelope! Although it's not my usual style or era in terms of vintage clothing, I had the perfect fabric in my overflowing stash, so I decided to make it.
(Making this dress was also the perfect way to procrastinate from a much more important sewing project - a dress for my Dad's wedding. Does anyone else have the strange need to start a completely new, and unnecessary, project when they have a very limited deadline on another project? In my case it seemed to work, as both dresses are done, with 2 whole days before I fly to Vancouver for the wedding.)
Here's the front:


The yellow and orange fabric is from a bed sheet I bought at a garage sale years ago. The blue fabric was a gift for my roommate. She finished her project and luckily there was enough left for me to use as contrast. I omitted the pockets from the original and cut the skirt front in one piece, but other than that everything is unaltered.
Here you can see the back:
I couldn't decide what colour buttons to use. I didn't want them to blend in with the contrast or with the main colours and didn't want to introduce a new colour, so I stacked small blue buttons with bigger (15mm) orange buttons.


I think this will be my "I refuse to accept the end of summer" dress. I shall wear it with sandals, without a cardigan and ride my bike, ignoring the stares of those who will already be wearing scarves.

Hello to All!

I am so excited to be here...I have been reading for a while, and have been inspired to pull out all of the fabric I am hoarding and the vintage patterns I have collected and start sewing. I have been sewing for about 20 years, and my concentration is mostly on costuming for our local middle school Madrigal dinners and musicals, but I am excited to try to sew for myself and my family now too!

Dawn

Hello, can I play too?

Hello, I have been reading this blog for a while now and would love to join you all.
I am a beginner sewer but have always had a passion for vintage clothing, I used to sell on ebay and still have a scary amount of clothes that need selling, and now I'd like to try mixing the two, I hope to post some pictures of some vinatge patterns I have made when I finally manage it, I have a mountain of projects and not enough time, le sigh.....

Anna Bombination

Simplicity 2389 - A Wearable Muslin?

I recently purchased this 1948 Simplicity dress pattern on ebay.

The pattern description is as follows:
Misses' and Women's One-Piece Dress: the bodice, seamed down the center front, is styled with a V neckline. The shoulder yoke, cut in one with the cap sleeves, releases soft front gathers. The gored skirt falls in an easy flare.



I wanted to try out the pattern with some inexpensive fabric first, so used a thrifted bed sheet. I don't know what it is about green and/or blue roses, but I an inexplicably attracted to them.



The dress went together really quickly, but I'm not sure if the bed sheet dress is presentable out in public. My boyfriend calls it the von Trapp children's play clothes. What do you think?

Frock Lobster, ooh aaahh!

Before I show you la frock, I would like to send a special, personal, heartfelt thanks to the genius creator of the twin, collaborative splendour that is a) the blind hem stitch and b) the blind hem foot. Never again will I hand-sew a hem. Circle skirts, you no longer intimidate me. Bring on the metres and metres of hemline because I SHALL CONQUER THEE!

Anyway. I bring you the Frock Lobster.

This is the Butterick 1960 reissue, Retro #6582. Some of the gals on Pattern Review slammed it so I was a little wary, but she came together a treat. I got some terrific advice from you Sew Retro folks about how to adjust darts when you lengthen the bodice... which I ignored, accidentally, because I went ahead and sewed them before I had read your comments. More fool me. But somehow, it worked. Next time I'll do it properly though and I thank you all - what a great community this is.

A couple of comments. One of the Pattern Review complaints was that there was a whole lot of fussing to create a drapey crossover neckline that didn't justify the not-very-drapey results. I decided to structure it with three carefully placed pleats at the shoulder instead of the rather haphazard gather in the instructions. See below - I think you'll agree it worked rather nicely.

Secondly, isn't attempting the impossibly unnatural pose of the models in the pattern illustration half the fun of photographing the finished item? The classic stance - pelvis thrust forward, shoulders rolled in a coy fashion, arms all angular and hips twisted - cracks me up. This particular illustration has a vixen propped up on what seems to be an invisible bar, waiting for her martini. I couldn't do that one without falling over.

I want to recruit an army of femmes in killer wasp-waisted frocks like this one to hit some really trendy part of town en masse where The Cool People are decked out in shapeless smocks. We'll show 'em how silly they look. Yes, in a dress covered with lobsters, making THEM look silly. Hmmmm.

Simplicity Retro

OMG! I am in love with this new pattern!

And thirties lovers check out 3619

Burda goes retro

Hey, have you folks seen this frock at Burda Mode? Done right, this would look fabulous in a 50s fishtail wiggle dress sortofa way. Needs a few more darts for a better fit, methinks.

Of course, done the wrong way and it could be an 80s nightmare throwback. I'm thinking royal blue polyester satin and lots and lots of tulle.

A dangerous line to tread.

Vintage Nightie Reward...

for cleaning my sewing room. It was bad, very, very bad! I'm nearly done with the fabric sorting and on to the pattern pile after that. This will be my gift to myself when finished... a vintage nightie made from a 50 cent thrifted sheet. More here at my blog I hope you all are having a funfilled summer. (or winter, if you're downunder)

Vintage Pattern Love

I am surprised no one has mentioned this already.

The latest issue of Threads is all about sewing vintage patterns and fashion designs. By following that link you will also be able to read some online extras from the issue. It's a great issue.



One of the treats in the issue is that it takes you step-by-step through the construction of this great jacket* once worn by Katherine Hepburn in the movie, "Christopher Strong."

*Pattern is available through Evadress.com

August/September Theme

The theme for August and September will be dresses! So, pull out those patterns and long swathes of fabric and get sewing!

Me, I'm going to try and finish off the dress I started many moons ago, it won't fit for another many moons but I'm tired of looking at it in my sewing room! After that I think I'll try and sew something to encourage me to loose this baby weight, lord knows I only have 2 boxes of dress patterns to pick from!

Looking forward to seeing those dresses!

Anna