summer lovin' in advance 8280, mccall 3489 and mccall 5314

version the first: cut on a whim on memorial day 2010. i used several new-to-me techniques: i block-fused the facings, i pick-stitched the zipper, and i attempted pleats. as i may have mentioned, i do often have issues with pleats, and i accidentally pleated them inside out. inside out was actually the best turnout, and it took me 5 tries just to get that far, so i kept it. to work within the constraints of a shorter-than-needed piece of fabric, i cut everything on the cross grain, changed the CF fold into a CF seam, changed the CB fold into a CB seam, and shortened the skirt by more than 9". because the skirt was, by now, quite short, i hemmed it with a cute piece of ribbon trim by turning up the edges a straight 1/2" all the way around. also, i made contrast facings, just because.

version the second:

image from Shaukat

same thing, only this time i remembered to re-size the bodice! also, i am thrilled to say that the pleats came out properly. i swapped the side seam for a CB seam, which somehow works out better for me, and i hand-picked the zipper without beads. this dress has turned into a fabulous little transitional piece as summer in NYC has rapidly faded into fall.

advance 8280: a summer love story at puu's door of time

i then used A8280 with pieces from other gorgeous 1950s dresses, specifically mccall 3489 and mccall 5314. originally i attempted to draft 3489 and 5314 from my A8280 pieces, but ended up buying the mccalls using all three patterns together to get some new dresses.

mccall 3489	mccall 5314

there's a lot of love happening here.

mccall 3489 and mccall 5314 at puu's door of time

Simplicity 2591

 It seems early to be thinking about Fall, but it has rained here all night and drizzled the best part of today. When I look up on the Mesa it is covered in snow. How did October already get here?

Here is my version of Simplicity 2591. 

The fabric is vintage and was from my stash. The fabric has that stylized brushstroke thing going on that makes me believe it is 50's fabric (also was 35" wide).

Happy Fall.

Melynda

Fall Esssentials Sew Along FO: Simplicity 3673

Despite my lack of documentation, I have been quite a busy little FESA bee. I have finished two items on my list, one more will be finished this weekend, and I've even been able to make a bonus garment!

First up are two versions of Simplicity 3673, a reproduction pattern originally from the 1950's. I shared a sneak peak earlier and I'm really delighted with the finished item. The corduroy is a bright cherry red that's lovely and warm. The bodice is lined in a mini black and white houndstooth I had in my stash.


I made View B for both versions, eliminating certain details from each. As the corduroy is heavy, I did not include the under bust band in this version. I like the gathers at the bodice and the almost sculpted look at the waist from all the darts. Sewing eight darts in total was a bit of a pain (I hate sewing darts), but the effect is totally worth it!


I used Casey's tutorial for my lapped zipper. This really is my favourite way to insert zippers - so straightforward and tidy! This is a warm, cozy, and feminine dress that is already on its way to becoming a wardrobe staple.

The 'I sewed a knit dress and I liked it!' Victory Dance

My second version of this dress is a bit more of a sewing victory for me. I made this one from knit fleece that I found in my stash. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know about my great dislike of sewing knits. However, with a bit of perseverance, I found comfortable way to make it work. Yippee!


This dress is soft and warm and I feel like I'm wearing pajamas! I eliminated the darts from this version as there is more than enough stretch to give the fit I was looking for. I did include the under bust band as I like the detail it adds.


Now that the weather has finally decided to turn cooler - gosh, I love fall! - I can finally wear this! The dress is perfect for popping on to run errands or for lounging around.

A trio of dresses

I just finished up three dresses this week and thought I'd share them with you all. Two are from Butterick reprint patterns, and the third is essentially self drafted. This is the third one.

There are pictures of all three and information about patterns, etc on my blog. Have a good weekend!

-Evie

Catching up on a few "new" projects

I haven't shared any of my recent and not so recent projects here so this is catching up.
The latest one was Simplicity 4731, which I finished a while ago but didn't like. I then shortened it last weekend and finally transformed it into a wearable piece.

More pictures here2 weeks ago I went to a friend's wedding in Germany and of course had to make myself a new dress to wear. It turned out a little different than intended s I had to butcher the petticoat I sewed in and terribly messed up, but I love the final result.

More pictures here

I also made this little 1960s inspired number for a customer of mine.
More pictures here

My friend Charis got married in a little cotton summer dress I made for her.
More pictures here
To the same wedding I wore this dress

blogged about here
I also made a bunch of dresses I took on holiday, like this one

blogged here

another shirt waist dress
here

and a little sun dress
here
I am not sure if I have caught up on everything "new" since my last post
I hope you have enjoyed my little vintage-y sewing adventures. Thank you for your time. I'd like to hear your thoughts.

catalog Sunday

This Sunday are images from my 30s embroidery catalogs by Frederick Herrschner.

Silk Party Dress: Simplicity 3965

Hi Everyone!
I finished up a lovely teal silk dupioni party dress, just in time for a Christmas Party this past weekend. I used Simplicity 3965, a full-skirted vintage dress pattern which I've made twice before!
Here's the finished dress:More on my blog here, plus a few tips on sewing with silk here. Thanks for stopping by!

The Picnic Dress: Simplicity 3965

Hello everyone! I just finished a delightfully feminine 1950's dress, nicknamed 'The Picnic Dress.' I was inspired by a dress Betty Draper wore on Mad Men. The fabric is a vintage floral acetate print, and the pattern is vintage as well.
Here's the original pattern and fabric:And here's my finished dress!
For this dress, I made a waist stay, and hand-picked the zipper. Detailed tutorials for both techniques are on my blog so you can use them in your next retro dress project!

For more on the Picnic Dress, check out my blog here. Or if you just want to see my photos, stop by my Flickr account. Thanks for stopping by!

Lutterloh System International 1979 - Pics III

 

Third chapter with pics from the Lutterloh System dated 1979...

more to come on my blog!!

PS: I am holding a little funny giveaway....come and try to win!!

Twin Spruce Dress: Simplicity 3965

Hi Everyone!
I recently finished a lovely little 1950's full-skirted dress, Simplicity 3965. It's a true vintage project - made from a vintage pattern as well as vintage rayon fabric!
Here's the pattern I used:and here's the finished dress!


I spent a lot of time on the construction of this dress and it turned out beautifully. I'm thrilled with the results! (It's really comfortable, too.)
Check out more photos and read more on my blog here. Thanks for stopping by!

1930's Career Gal Wardrobe

After writing about the Orry-Kelly designed fashions in the 1333 movie Baby Face with my gal Barbara Stanwyck, I decided to search the Internet for home sewing patterns that may have been cribbed from character Lily Power's fabulous movie costumes. These are just some of the pretties that I found.

Check my blog for screen shots of the costumes that may have inspired these patterns.

A pick and a poll

My vintage pattern stash is growing and I can't figure out what to sew next. I asked my husband to help, and he at least narrowed it down for me. Now I need YOUR help!

Help my husband help me pick my next sewing pattern!

A dress for a wedding

I wore my newest version of Simplicity 3230 to a wedding today and felt so very pretty! Thanks for helping me to choose it!

You can read more on my blog.

Easter Dress! McCall's 5898 in Yellow Linen

I finished McCall's 5898 in time to wear it for Easter! I have had the fabric (yellow linen/rayon blend with embroidered flowers in orange, brown and green, from JoAnn Fabrics) in my stash for more than a year. It felt great to finally get it done! Here it is, with the kind of wrinkles you get in linen after a crazy day of baby wrangling:

The pattern is from 1961. The illustration shows that lovely bouffant shaped skirt, but I believe that shape requires the imagination of the pattern illustrator and/or a specially made fluffer with extra fluff at the hipline. I wore my regular two-layer net fluffer, which has more of a conical shape. I generally have plenty of my own fluff around my hips, but in this case it wasn't enough to get the skirt shape shown on the pattern envelope. Also, note that this pattern is not specifically designed for a bordered fabric. The bottom edge of the skirt is curved. I went ahead with my bordered fabric because it was a loose floral with an uneven top edge. The thickness of the border on my skirt varies a little because of the curved hem, but it's not noticable with the fullness of the skirt and the looseness of the border design. This pattern would not work with a boldly striped border print, but it's fine for this fabric. Details posted here.

I am obsessed with border prints. Speaking of which, I realized I never posted this one:

I found this fantastic fabric obviously inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's Coonley Playhouse window design at my local Hancock Fabrics. I have read that Frank actually designed a few dresses, but I couldn't find any pictures or sketches. If you've ever seen one of Frank's dress designs, please let me know! I used a very simple pattern from the 1980's: Butterick/See & Sew 3887. This pattern is super simple and ideal for a 45" wide border print. Details here.

Summer party frock

Christmas here in Australia is always very hot, so we can't wear formal dresses made of luxurious fabrics like velvet or taffeta. But a cotton summer frock always comes in handy this time of year, and this is my christmas party dress:



I made it from Simplicity 3918 (view 3 the white dress), bought from an op shop and which was still factory folded (what a find!). It is undated but I'm guessing early to mid 60s maybe? It's a pretty simple shape, a bodice with a side zip, and a large rectangular skirt gathered around the middle, I didn't make any changes to it at all, although it's a little puffy around the bust darts - I think a conical bra may make the most of the bodice shaping!

The red panel at the front, called a 'vestee' on the pattern, is actually designed to be detachable, perhaps so you could make a neutral coloured dress and a whole series of vestees in differing colours. It's supposed to be held in place by a number of press snaps but I just sewed the vestee to the facings instead.

I also lopped about 6 inches off the bottom because this reached mid calf on me, even though the pattern envelope shows the dress sitting on the model's knee. I know that women from decades ago weren't freakishly tall, so it always mystifies me why the sewing patterns are so long.

The fabric was an ebay purchase a few years ago, so it's of unknown vintage. It's a very crisp medium weight cotton which means the full skirt flares out nicely without the need for a petticoat underneath.

All in all, I love this dress - it's not too costumey so I won't feel self conscious when I'm wearing it but it's also unique enough that I won't look like everyone else and isn't that why we all sew our own clothes?

Kristy @ loweryourpresserfoot.blogspot.com

50% Retro

This dress is a frankenstein project. It's half retro and half....um, classic? The bodice is the "Vintage Vogue" reprint, Vogue 2960. It's the same pattern I used for my Cloud Dress. I slapped it onto an eight-gore flared skirt (recently OOP Vogue 7910) to make something with plenty of twirl that didn't require The Fluffer. I made it for an outdoor wedding at the beginning of October.

The biggest lesson from this project was that it's not too difficult to neatly attach a bodice with front and back darts and CB and CF seams to an eight gore skirt. All my darts and seams matched perfectly at the waist without much hassle! I will definitely be thinking about frankenstein-ing more fantastic retro bodices to wearable modernish skirts. I love the full skirts and the fluffer, but it's a bit much for work most days.

More details on my blog, Chronically Uncool.

Pardon the lack of ironing and the lumpiness (and the obvious dangling bra strap) - it's been a real challenge to keep up with sewing, photographing and blogging my projects with a 5-month old baby in the house. If I waited until everything was perfect I'd never get anything posted!