Naughty Little Monkey: Girls Jumpsuit With A Retro 70's Vibe

I love jumpsuits-- for me, in my size, but for my little girls as well! I used a romper pattern but improvised a bit to make it more of a retro jumpsuit style. And I love the monkey polka dot fabric!  For more info and photos, please stop by my blog.... Just Five Minutes More.

1946 dress, 1948 undies

Hey y'all! I've recently finished my latest vintage project-- A 1946 little girl's size 3 dress--

and a set of 1948 undies in size 3 to go with it--

a bit of this, a bit of that

I'm heading back to work in a few short weeks after having 14 months maternity leave, so I've been sewing like a madwoman lately! I've churned out quite a few projects, including several vintage pieces.

First up I made a little girls dress for my daughter's first birthday from Butterick 5521, which is a 1977 pattern. I made it from modern fabrics though (some seersucker cotton), but I don't think you'll see this style of dress in any children's store. It's a 'special occasion' dress, because that big, white collar is sure going to attract some stains I think!

Next I made a circle skirt for myself from a sturdy cotton printed in a caramel/yellow bias plaid pattern that I bought in an op shop some time ago. I used Style 1932, which is a 1970s version of a 50s style circle skirt, right down to the poodle applique. However I made a fundamental mistake with this one - I was so busy trying to match the plaid pattern at the seam lines (which I failed in anyway) that I overlooked cutting the skirt panels on the bias and as a result the skirt doesn't ripple evenly around the body. It's not too obvious from this photo, but the skirt does tend to gather at the centre and side seams and I seem to be constantly rearranging the folds. Oh well, notch that one up to experience, when a pattern says cut something on the bias it's for a reason! The white blouse is made from a Burda magazine pattern.

My most recent project is a bow tie neck blouse made from Simplicity 4676. So simple to make, yet it came out fantastically in terms of fit and finish without any alterations to the pattern. This is also made in a modern fabric, a dark red pinstripe, but there was a scrap of fabric in the envelope from the previous owner which funnily enough was a dark blue pinstripe fabric!

Sadly now my overlocker is burnt out and in need of a service so the sewing has to come to a halt for a little while. Might be a good time to clean up my sewing room! Or not.....

More deets over at my blog.

pretty pink nightie

a cute poly cotton print from the stash and Style 1715, a 10 cents pattern from the hospice thrift shop equals

a pretty, pink nightie for Miss almost 3. There's no date anywhere on the pattern itself, so I'm guessing that it's an 80s style. I lengthened the nightie to the knees and added some lace trim to the sleeve and hem edges.

When Miss almost 3 first saw her nightie, her response was "awww, so beautiful, so pretty..." That's priceless! I'm very interested in sewing vintage and retro childrenswear patterns. Drop by my blog and see what I'm working on. Here's a clue, I'm making a dressing gown next.

sundress

this sundress is perhaps the cheapest item of clothing that I've ever made for my almost 3 year old. The pattern was 10c from the local hospice thrift shop and the fabric was a leftover remnant from an 80s dress. Combine the 2 and viola! a quick and easy dress. It's a very similar style to the many pillowcase dresses I've seen all over blogland although this little dress has an A-line skirt, facings and self ties. Don't you just love the bows on the shoulders... a very nice vintage touch. Visit my blog for more sewing adventures with vintage patterns for girls amongst other goodies.

groovy play dress

I started sewing this dress for Miss almost 3 back in June 2009. Then it sat in my ufo basket waiting for me to add hems, handsewing, buttonholes and buttons. A whooping 6 months later, I'm pleased to say that I finished it today. Luckily she hadn't grown enough for it not to fit.

The play dress is made from a pattern drafted from Enid Gilchrist's 'Toddlers clothes' book with 2 lots of remnants. It's an unusual color combination for a toddler - off white & black - but I think it looks really striking. An ideal twirling dress! I'm planning to make a lot more Enid Gilchrist vintage inspired wear for Miss almost 3 this year. You can follow my adventures with Enid's patterns on my blog

Crazy Linen

I found a super cool piece of vintage linen at a thrift shop a few months back. I turned it into a tunic top for my daughter. I used McCall's 5456 with a modified sleeve. It's a very easy pattern to complete, and I'm really happy with the results. You can see pics of this week's other non-vintage projects on my blog.

Hello Sew Retro

This is my first post to Sew Retro and I'm really excited to be a part of this blog. I've been sewing for approximately 2 years. I started with clothes for my daughter but quickly realized that I could make clothes for myself as well. Clothes that fit and were unique!

I love all things vintage and am especially fond of the 50's. I'm slowly building a collection of vintage patterns for myself and selling the ones that aren't my style. I'm currently working on drafting patterns from the images I was able to download during CoPA's free trial.

This first project was made from a CoPA pattern that I drafted. It's a 60's button down blouse. The first one I made was too small for my daughter so I'm giving it away on my blog. This is the second, larger version.

This next project is a coat I made with McCall's 5743 (it's a current pattern), but I used a vintage women's wool jacket and some vintage wool blend fabric.


Lastly, I made a tunic top using Simplicity 6864 (1975).


I have more pictures and details on my blog, as well as all of my past projects.

NinjaEema

chocolate play dress

this play dress pattern is by Enid Gilchrist. I was working with remnants here and love the way that the retro looking cotton print (which had a lovely,satiny feel but frayed like mad) is set off by the plainer gingham. Yes, browns are an unusual color palette for play wear but I think this looks very smart on Miss 2 (who proved to be the most unwilling model ever!)

You can follow my travels through Enid's many pattern books here.

regards Norma in NZ

play dress

this dress is aptly named 'the economical dress for your daughter' made from an Enid Gilchrist pattern book. Again it was simple to draft and construct. I chose a square neckline and used binding on both the neckline and armholes. I find that Enid's patterns run a little on the generous side. This dress was made from 3 'ugly' fabric remnants and I think I was able to 'make it work'.

The next time I make this dress I'll deepen the square neckline and possibly have less fullness in the body of the dress. Miss 2 is delighted with her dress and did a lot of twirling and whirling in the morning sun before collapsing in a giggling heap to read a story book. You can follow my sewing adventures with Enid Gilchrist's patterns on my blog.

simple girls nightgown

was from a pattern in Enid Gilchrist's 'Toddler Clothes' book. It's a simple enough pattern to draft, although I hadn't figured on my Miss 2 having wider wrists than the finished nightgown. Improvising, I undid the french seams on the sleeves to make more room for her wrists. The fit and length are great. It's a typical 50's styled child's nightgown with a simple round yoke and a lovely 'vintage' styled ribbon at the neck. I used wincyette fabric remanants, ricrac and some leftover pink satin ribbon which makes for a lot of different pinks thrown together. I'm now working on a dressing gown and some play clothes for Miss 2, based on Enid's patterns, and hope to post pics very soon. You can follow my progress at
my blog.

Easter Dots

Remember the Polka Dot Paradise post?

Well, here's the final product:

And here's the blog post. I'm thinking I need to lengthen the older one's dress by about two inches. Hopefully I have enough of the turquoise fabric to make do... Who knew my 6 year old shorty would be taller than a 1930s 6 year old?

Polka Dot Paradise!

I scored an awesome vintage pattern from Lanetz Living about 18 months ago, I guess, and have been dying to make it into something *special* for the girls. You know how it is. You get the perfect pattern but the perfect fabric has yet to materialize (har har). I'd already bought the hairbows to go with. Chocolate brown and turquoise & chocolate brown and pink respectively. And still, no fabric. Until a late-night trip to the SuperWal-Mart. Fancy finding the exact shades of turquise and pink in dots on a chocolate brown background! Whoda thunk it? Anyhow, I spent way more than I should have for the fabric ($4/yard) but I was DETERMINED to make That Pattern into dresses with That Fabric.

Here is the project in progress:


Check out the hand-turned and sewn neck. I'm pretty proud of the work.

3 Jumpers for 3 Sisters

Cotton/lycra corduroy, cotton lined bodice, snowflake waist corsage - attaches to button at waistline, vintage buttons. Modern sewing methods used. Serge finished skirt and waist seams. Altered patterns to hopefully fit the 3 sisters; lined the bodice rather than face with corduroy; extended front flap. Same pattern as this blue jumper posted in Oct 2008. That was the test, and after that one extended the front so there was more overlap.

Girl's Corduroy Jumper - McCall's Pattern 3831, vintage 1988

The jumper:

The pattern:
Things I did different than the pattern:
Instead of putting fashion fabric casings at neck, front edge and armholes, the top is underlined with a silky cotton.
All edges are top-stitched. Interfaced the front edge under the button/button hole areas.

Serged the hem edge; serged the skirt side seams and waist seam after sewing the seams.

Top stitched the waist; after pressing the waist seam up and catching the seam in the top stitching.

What I would do different next time:
The buttons were the size recommended on the pattern, but once finished seem a bit shallow to me. I will extend the overlap another 1/4 to 3/8 inch the next time.

More details and photos on my blog. It is a really sweet jumper and worked up nicely in this vintage corduroy.