I posted about this pattern yesterday but was unable to load the image - here it is now!
Belated Easter Dresses
Excuses, excuses. I'm late -- had to get Easter skirts done and then get a whole household full of girls ready to leave for a week of spring break in Orlando. Then I had no internet access while there. And the pattern is copywritten 1985 -- sorta vintage, does 20+ years old count? --
Ah well. Here they are anyway. I changed the skirt up a bit. Instead of a waistband, I used quilt binding in white -- my girls are so used to skirts sitting down on their hips that the waistband sitting at the waist just did not work. The girls loved the side-seam pockets, on both sides instead of just the left. And I used a back zip instead of a button opening in the left pocket.
Very easy, very quick (thank God!) and everyone looked like a collection of Easter eggs. The biggest problem was the shopping for the tops so everyone would coordinate. More on my own blog at www.blondiejenthemom.blogspot.com.
P.S. One more thing that made them easy -- for the hems, I just turned it up about 1/4" wrong side up, and stitched white grosgrain ribbon over it. I love the way it weights the hemline and accents the white dots.
Dream a Little Dream
I made these spring-themed cotton pajamas from a 1950s pattern bought from Out of the Ashes. I took a picture of the pattern but the camera battery died before I could get it onto Flickr!
I am obsessed with vintage nightwear, housecoat, and robe patterns. Wearing pretty pajamas lends a little bit of elegance to those times when I'm not at my prettiest.
I wish the camera battery hadn't died, because I wanted to take close-ups of all the neat little details there were on this pattern. The pants have a button closure at the waist instead of today's lazy elastic waistband. And TWO rows of topstitching on almost every seam! I was really happy with how professional-looking it came out.
And check out the pants cuffs - that was a little idea of my own. I figured the PJs were matchy-matchy enough already, why not take it that extra mile?
Lastly, do you like my teacup prop? Ever notice how old loungewear patterns always show the illustrated model holding a cup, book, or hairbrush? Love those details.
An experiment cannot fail
A wise high school science teacher once explained to my class, “An experiment cannot fail, because you will always get a result. You may get results you didn’t expect.”
This patternless halter top was sort of what I expected, and yet not what I had hoped.
The Venus de Milo of Dresses
This is Style 4408, from 1973. I made attempted to make the view with the short sleeves, without the little tie at the neck. I bought this pattern in a B42, even though I am B36 (when stuffed). I had to do some major adjusting to the bodice to deal with that extra six inches of fabric in the bodice. I was just making it up as I went along, which usually works for me. This time, not so much. Still, it's my favorite sewing project so far.
This was supposed to be my first atttempt at set-in sleeves. My complete lack of consideration of the armscye in my adjustments made the sleeves impossible, especially for my first try with sleeves. I improvised with some double-fold bias tape and made it sleeveless. You can read all about it in tedious, rambling, excuciating detail here.
Vintage Skirt
From this 1957 Simplicity pattern:
I made this skirt:
::Does anyone else feel weird taking pictures of a topless dress form, or is it just me?::
I used this fabric, which has an incredibly supple hand. The herringbone pattern refused to submit to the will of my camera, even with the added incentive of a nice, sunny day. Let me assure you that it's fabulous in real life.
Because of the fiber content, the fabric proved to be quite a challenge to sew. It went all wiggly and refused to be pinned in a straight line. In the end, I left off the pockets because I figured they would be limp as noodles and if I used any interfacing I was afraid it would show through. The zipper and waistband went in well, but I’m still not happy with the hem. Not that Joey will let you see it, but it’s rather bulky looking. There’s plenty of length, so I may cut it off and try a different hem treatment. This fabric doesn't like to be ironed - the nap flattens right out and the color changes. Hard to change my turn-it-up-all-the-way ironing habits.
All in all, I like it. Now I need some tall black boots and a knit wrap top.
I made this skirt:
::Does anyone else feel weird taking pictures of a topless dress form, or is it just me?::
I used this fabric, which has an incredibly supple hand. The herringbone pattern refused to submit to the will of my camera, even with the added incentive of a nice, sunny day. Let me assure you that it's fabulous in real life.
Because of the fiber content, the fabric proved to be quite a challenge to sew. It went all wiggly and refused to be pinned in a straight line. In the end, I left off the pockets because I figured they would be limp as noodles and if I used any interfacing I was afraid it would show through. The zipper and waistband went in well, but I’m still not happy with the hem. Not that Joey will let you see it, but it’s rather bulky looking. There’s plenty of length, so I may cut it off and try a different hem treatment. This fabric doesn't like to be ironed - the nap flattens right out and the color changes. Hard to change my turn-it-up-all-the-way ironing habits.
All in all, I like it. Now I need some tall black boots and a knit wrap top.
Making a new dress older
I am hosting a 1950s afternoon tea party at Costume Con 26 in San Jose, CA next month. I figured if I tweaked this dress a bit, it would work fine. I will also be giving a lecture that same day at the convention on the history of sewing patterns.
It is a dress from the fall by Isaac Mizrahi for Target (on the sale rack now). I figured if I changed the buttons and the belt. Maybe added a half apron, I would be ready to host tea. I would wear gloves, but it is hard to serve tea with gloves on. Any suggestions?
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Based on your comments - how about this for accessory ideas? For those you want to know this is Vogue 9880 c. 1959
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Based on your comments - how about this for accessory ideas? For those you want to know this is Vogue 9880 c. 1959
I can use this pattern from 1961 for the hat. It is off by a few years - but it is almost the same hat.
vintage made (accidentally) modern
I liberated this 1975 Style pattern from my mum's collection because I really liked the neckline and arm bands. My mum made this in the 1970s from a floral cotton which she probably wore with wedge shoes not dissimilar to those on the pattern model. I decided to use a stretch cotton in black with a fine white pinstripe from my stash, because I thought it would nicely contrast the neckline and arm bands by cutting them on the horizontal whilst the bodice was cut on the vertical. I also ditched the puffy sleeves and recut the skirt into a pencil skirt because the fabric was too stiff to hang the way a flared skirt should, and these modifications combined with the fabric choice unexpectedly gave the dress a much more modern feel:
Worn with a red belt and red shoes (which look great but really really hurt) it has a very corporate feel and is perfect for work.
More details of this and the other projects occupying my waking hours can be found on my blog.
Worn with a red belt and red shoes (which look great but really really hurt) it has a very corporate feel and is perfect for work.
More details of this and the other projects occupying my waking hours can be found on my blog.
Easter Dress
This is my latest dress, which I am calling an Easter dress, although it may be too cold this Sunday to actually wear it. I like the way it turned out, despite the fact that I didn't cut it on the bias as the pattern called for.
I followed the pattern exactly except for omitting the sleeve ruffles. I did not lengthen it, as it may appear. It's just that my legs are about half as long as the pattern illustration girl's.
More construction details can be found on my blog, here.
I love the butterfly print; it reminds me of old school tattoo flash.
Bird Seed Skirt
I have oodles of vintage patterns for this style of skirt, but they are all just big squares of tissue paper so I opted just to make up my own pattern. I cut out three panels of fabric, stitched up the seams, and gathered the waist. Easy and fast and oh so cute!
Ode to a Vintage Dress
I wrote a post at my "regular" blog, which isn't about sewing, but is (mostly) about my love for a particular vintage dress in my collection. I thought I'd put up a link here in case anyone was interested.
Hi! I'm just getting started with retro sewing
My name is Jenny and I'm a long-time lurker. I started teaching myself to sew clothing last summer, and I'm completely hooked. (Ok, I had one semester of sewing in home ec, but I don't think that really counts.) I'm in my late twenties and I live near St. Louis, Missouri. I sew because RTW never fits my tall, pear-shaped body, and my sense of style keeps drifting away from mainstream fashion.
I've been recording my creative project experiences since last summer at my humble blog, Chronically Uncool. My projects typically include home decor, junk shop furniture rehab, and sewing. I also have a whole category of posts called "Whining about my giant ass", but I won't be offended if you skip those posts.
So far my retro sewing experience has been limited to these projects:
I've been recording my creative project experiences since last summer at my humble blog, Chronically Uncool. My projects typically include home decor, junk shop furniture rehab, and sewing. I also have a whole category of posts called "Whining about my giant ass", but I won't be offended if you skip those posts.
So far my retro sewing experience has been limited to these projects:
Variations on Simplicity 3673: digital camo and red silk dupioni
Simplicity 6778, from 1974. My first vintage pattern!
Right now I have this one on the cutting table (View 3):
Figuring out how to adjust the pattern without messing up the bodice line or the pleats has been a good mental challenge, and I'm finally ready to cut it out. I'll post pictures here when it's finished.
I'm also considering making a retro, pin-up style, one piece swimsuit this summer. I know it's going to be a stretch for my limited sewing skills, but I love a challenge. Has anyone here ever done a swimsuit? I would love to hear from you. Please take a look at this post and let me know if I'm crazy or not.
I'm looking forward to sharing my retro sewing project with you here!
my introductory post
I know there has been a whole slew of new posters here recently, and I'm another one!
I have been a long time lurker on this blog, but being blogless I hadn't thought of joining myself but now I have a blog and here I am.
I sew nearly all of my clothes, a mix of modern and vintage patterns, using new and thrifted fabrics, so there's a bit of everything. My favourite eras are the 1960s and 1970s, with Samantha from Bewitched and Jackie O being my inspiration.
To celebrate my joining this group (my husband found my excitement rather funny), I whipped up a skirt using a 1960s Simplicity pattern, in a black and white houndstooth check with a fine yellow line through it that I bought last year in an op shop, so I have no idea of the vintage of the fabric. It's a relatively straight forward pattern, with faux pockets (just the flaps) and a front split. I deviated from the pattern by using an invisible zipper and lining the skirt in a funky bright yellow acetate, but apart from that it's pretty dedicated to the pattern:
I'm looking forward to contributing much more here on this blog, but please come and visit me at my blog http://www.loweryourpresserfoot.blogspot.com/ to read my ramblings on sewing, refashioning and op shopping (that's Aussie for thrifting)
an introduction of sorts
Hello! I'm Karen. Thanks for including me in your Sew Retro party! I've been enjoying everyone's posts and am in awe of what you all do.
I sew for my children (2 boys, 1 girl), my nieces, and for my Etsy shop, Bon*Bons. I don't sew for myself because navigating the measurements and achieving the right fit for adult patterns drives me batty. I'm in awe of the beautiful things you ladies create for yourselves and hope to learn from you.
I learned to sew when I was a teenager but really fell in love with it after the birth of my daughter in 2004. My mom sewed most of the clothing that my sister and I wore and I've enjoyed doing the same for my own daughter. I adore vintage patterns for children for their innocent simplicity and for the way that they keep little girls looking like little girls longer than the clothing for girls today.
I love a good retro floral fabric and a polka dot in any color. I'm particularly drawn to children's patterns from the 1960s and 1970s. I do the majority of my sewing on a Singer 301a who answers to the name "Brownie".
A few of my recent favorite patterns:
I sew for my children (2 boys, 1 girl), my nieces, and for my Etsy shop, Bon*Bons. I don't sew for myself because navigating the measurements and achieving the right fit for adult patterns drives me batty. I'm in awe of the beautiful things you ladies create for yourselves and hope to learn from you. Thanks again for including me! I'm excited to be among you.
Greetings from RetroRugrats
Hello SewRetro readers,
My name is Maria and this is my first posting and I am delighted to join. I've been reading and admiring everyone's work. I love to sew, especially retro things for children. This delightful Butterick pattern dated late 1930s is a favorite from my personal collection. I enjoyed reproducing it, but I made changes in the closures and sizing and I modified it to make it a reversible piece. The original closure consisted of a hand-sewn button and button hole. How fun, but probably not practical when you're trying to quickly put it on your hungry, crying one-year old. I fashioned this bib using Robert Kaufman fabrics and found a similar style to what you see on the pattern envelope, swiss dots and stripes. I haven't tried the large size cover up yet, but look forward to it.
Feel free to read my RetroRugrats blog, but I must admit, I don't contribute to it frequently. You can also find me at my own website where I create and sell vintage style products for children. I'm always looking to feature artists who sew "retro", so come and visit. Happy Sewing!
My name is Maria and this is my first posting and I am delighted to join. I've been reading and admiring everyone's work. I love to sew, especially retro things for children. This delightful Butterick pattern dated late 1930s is a favorite from my personal collection. I enjoyed reproducing it, but I made changes in the closures and sizing and I modified it to make it a reversible piece. The original closure consisted of a hand-sewn button and button hole. How fun, but probably not practical when you're trying to quickly put it on your hungry, crying one-year old. I fashioned this bib using Robert Kaufman fabrics and found a similar style to what you see on the pattern envelope, swiss dots and stripes. I haven't tried the large size cover up yet, but look forward to it.
Feel free to read my RetroRugrats blog, but I must admit, I don't contribute to it frequently. You can also find me at my own website where I create and sell vintage style products for children. I'm always looking to feature artists who sew "retro", so come and visit. Happy Sewing!
Nifty gifty
A very dear friend of mine turns thirty tomorrow. I'm surprising her with this gift. She has no idea. I just hope it fits!
Close up of the fabric to the right....
Yup, it's the same fabric as the last frock I posted, a Japanese cotton from Spotlight that I think is just splendid.
...and the pattern below
which I like so much I think I might have to make myself one in two sizes of blue stripe. I did put some folds in the sleeves because they were very flappy, and I knew my friend wouldn't like them. I made a couple of other changes to better suit her but otherwise it's pretty faithful to the original.
UPDATE: I hear, but have not seen, that it fits perfectly. Who'd have thunk it! Yay!
Vintage Apron
It seems that the only projects I can finish these days are aprons. Please pardon the dark pictures – I finished it late last night:
I used this vintage pattern, published in 1948:
Here’s a close-up of the pocket:
This apron was my submission to the Sassy Apron Swap The theme was “Spring,” and my partner left all color decisions up to me, so I chose a very light green cotton with a crisp, white eyelet for accent. The eyelet ended up being thinner than I reckoned for, so I put a piece of green & yellow floral behind the white in the waistband.
Overall this pattern was quite easy to put together. I used a few new-to-me techniques: I ran a zig-zag stitch over a piece of crochet cotton to make the gathers and I serged around the round edges of the pocket, making it a snap to roll the edge to the inside to make a tiny hem. Who knew it could be so easy? I’ve struggled for years to get that perfect hem around the bottom edges of pockets and you can bet I’ll be using this technique in future!
I used this vintage pattern, published in 1948:
Here’s a close-up of the pocket:
This apron was my submission to the Sassy Apron Swap The theme was “Spring,” and my partner left all color decisions up to me, so I chose a very light green cotton with a crisp, white eyelet for accent. The eyelet ended up being thinner than I reckoned for, so I put a piece of green & yellow floral behind the white in the waistband.
Overall this pattern was quite easy to put together. I used a few new-to-me techniques: I ran a zig-zag stitch over a piece of crochet cotton to make the gathers and I serged around the round edges of the pocket, making it a snap to roll the edge to the inside to make a tiny hem. Who knew it could be so easy? I’ve struggled for years to get that perfect hem around the bottom edges of pockets and you can bet I’ll be using this technique in future!
Vintage skirt: Successful remodel!
I reworked the unflattering skirt from a vintage suit, and didn’t make matters worse! I think I’m getting better at this whole sewing thing. Details (and a photo; I’m having trouble uploading to the SewRetro site tonight) on my blog.
Flamingo Dress
I've been working on this dress for what feels like ages! I really didn't expect it to be such a struggle; apparently the planets were aligned against me on this one. I had to ditch my vintage shirtwaist pattern due to some insurmountable fitting issues, but I was able to use it as a jumping off point for altering a new pattern to have the same vintage details. Overall its really cute, and I love how well the matching belt turned out.
For the long version about sewing the dress and inspiration for it, head over to my blog!
My First Post
Hey everyone! I'm delighted to join you all. My everyday blog is Where in the World Am I?. I'm currently embarking on a new wardrobe. I've been working from home for the last few years and this summer I start an office job. And that office job is in East Africa! Quite a change of pace. And a terrific excuse for new clothes!Last night I cut out Butterick 3357 (recently purchased from Lanetz Living). I love the pockets! I don't actually use them on skirts but I like them as a graphic element.
April 1930's Sewing ~ Artistic and Practical
Hi! My name is April and I adore the 1930's...... even more so do I love the 1930's feedsack prints. They are my absolute favorite! In a fabric store or quilt shop I always gravitate towards the reproduction prints of that era. Call it a rut or whatever you like, but it is my fabric haven to just absorb the beauty of all those lovely prints.
With that said, if I can find a vintage pattern to fuel that retro creativity, I am in sewing HEAVEN!
Okay, so vintage sewing is my passion... To help fund that passion, I have a website (www.april1930s.com) where I specialize in vintage Singer Featherweight 221 and 222K sewing machines and they're accessories. Afterall, if I'm going to create with vintage fabric, using a vintage pattern, it delights my vintage born-in-the-wrong-era-being to sew on a vintage machine!
Awhile ago I made (from the pattern above) a little blouse for my daughter, but I took it one step further when I used one of the most rare Singer Attachments to attach some middy braid ~ a Singer Style-O-Matic Attachment (click for more illustrations of what all this tiny metal contraption does!)
Anyway... thank you for letting me join your blog and to be a part of such retro-sewing-ness!
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