The Maria Dress

The second thing I managed to do over the weekend was finish a dress I have been working on since the start of the year.  I cut this out before we went overseas but never got around to sewing it up.  Last Saturday I finally sat down and started and this Saturday I finished it.

I used Simplicity 3078 which I used to make my hawaiian dress last year (posted on my old blog).  I have one more idea for a dress that I could like to make with this pattern and then I will stop.  I think 3 of the same dress will be enough don't you.

I am calling this the Maria Dress because my friend Maria loves the colour purple and every time I see it I think of her.  I am trying to add a few different colours into my sewing because I noticed the other day I tend to use pink, white, red and black quite a lot.  I am thinking more yellows and greens are in order.  Although I do have a couple more red things up my sleeve.

I am really happy with the inside of this dress.  The bodice is lined so I decided to make the skirt and everything as neat as possible too.  I get a quiet sense of satisfaction wearing a dress that I know looks just a good on the inside as it does on the outside.

I haven't been sewing nearly as much as I would like to be so I am really hoping to change that for the rest of the year.  I have a list of things I want to make for Christmas presents and for myself for Summer so hopefully I can get cracking and have some more sewing projects to show you soon.  For more see my blog!

Vtg Simplicity 2757 ~ the Bicycle Dress

I just finished this sweet little bicycle print cotton sundress.

I used this amazing vintage Simplicity:

More details over at my blog!

Full Skirt 50's Dress

Made this dress to wear on St. Patty's day. I got tons of compliments and will definitely wear it again and again.





See more at SewIThought...

McCalls 4115

I just finished this great 50s sundress:

You can find the details on my blog!

Black and White 1950s Vintage "Dinner" Dress

I finally finished the black and white polka dot vintage “dinner” dress! It is not quite fancy enough for evening wear since the fabric is a cotton polka dot, but definitely fancy enough for a dinner out with my sweet Hubbin, Chris. Right after I finished making my Grandma’s dress, Chris asked me if I wanted to make another dress using the opposite fabric, a black fabric with the white polka dots. Of course I said yes, and he gave me a little extra spending money to go buy the fabric, which makes this dress a little more special.

I am sooo happy to be done with this dress. It gave me a lot of heartache, and I thought I would never finish it. Part of the reason the dress was so difficult is because I deviated from the pattern. My plan was to make the Retro Butterick Pattern B4918 with the skirt from New Look 6886. The trouble came when I decided to make the bodice drape (without the shoulder drape) out of the polka dot cotton. I knew there was a strong possibility that the cotton would be way too heavy and thick to make the drape, but I had to try anyway. Since the drape was a complete and utter failure, I had to pull a Project Runway and come up with something entirely different, which is how the white satin ruffle and crystal button came into play. I am actually happier with the white ruffle.

For more photos, check out my blog! This dress has boning, and I will be posting a "how to" blog entry on boning soon.

Circle Skirts and Vertical Stripes? Ask the Sears Catalog!

What was I thinking? Last night I sat down to wash the fabric and tape together the skirt pattern for my mini-wardrobe contest entry--it's an elastic-shirred waist circle skirt in a purple lawn print, which I planned to make reversible by lining with a black dotted swiss cotton lawn. Here are the flats and planned fabric again:

As I ironed the fabric dry last night, I realized that the bold motifs ran in vertical stripes down the fabric--how would I ever lay this out with my bagel-shaped pattern pieces?

In my doubts I turned to one of my favorite fashion reference books, "Everyday Fashions of the Fifties: As Pictured in Sears Catalogs" (second in my heart only to "Everyday Fashions of the Forties"). My worst fears were confirmed--there was nary a vertically-striped (or otherwise vertically patterned) circle skirt in sight, though there were a few horizontal or chevroned striped numbers. All the vertically-striped gals were wearing full or fitted skirts:

I trust the Sears catalog ladies, so I'll be "drafting" a full skirt (i.e. taking a big rectangle and gathering it around my pregnant "waist" with shirring elastic.)

As a bonus, how much fun is the 1952 children's circle skirt spread the top image came from? If I ever do make any circle skirts, I will be sure to take every opportunity to pose sitting on the floor with my perfect circle spread out around me!

I'd love to be proven wrong here, by the way--have you ever made or seen a workable vertically-striped circle skirt? Am I just not thinking creatively here?

Cross-posted to my blog.

Pattern Search Help

I adore this dress and want to recreate it. However, I'm having a hard time finding a pattern that is similar. I wouldn't mind using two patterns to piece together, just as long as I have the building blocks to make this dress. I'm a size 14-16 in vintage patterns; 34-36" bust, 28" waist, 34" hip.

Your help is much appreciated. Promise I'll be posting sewing projects soon. Life is busy; therefore, no time for sewing! :(

Sarah

The fluffer makes all the difference

Remember my version of Vogue 2960? When I made it, I realized that it deserves a petticoat. (Petticoat? Crinoline? Whatever.) I'm all about the instant gratification, so I didn't make one, I bought it on eBay. It's two layers of ruffly netting, with a length of approximately 24 inches.

I like it much better with the petticoat! Don't you?

I wore the dress, with the fluffer, for a full day of shopping all over St. Louis. Wearing this atypical dress changes the way the public interacts with me. I wrote about the experience on my blog.

My favorite spring dress

This is Vogue 2960, a 1954 vintage pattern that was recently re-released. I used a home dec cotton with a fluffy cloud print. I also shortened the hem, used snaps instead of buttons, and added some elastic to fix a slouchy shoulder problem. This is a spectacular success for me, especially considering my pathetic last project!

Tons more details and pictures of the inside here, at Chronically Uncool.


Edited to add: I got a petticoat for this dress! You can see pictures on Sew Retro or on my blog.

Simplicity 3438

I recently finished this "sexy secretary" blouse (and am modeling it with my very un-sexy weekend pants). It doesn't photograph very well because of the spots, but it turned out better than I expected, even despite some bumps....



First off, the material is a sheer, silky mystery fabric that was nearly impossible to cut straight. Thankfully, I had way more than I needed, because I had to recut a few pieces.

The sewing wasn't much easier, and it took me a while to get just the right tension. It was pretty quick, though; it took two evenings, from cut to finish.

I sewed one of the sleeves on backwards; fortunately, the sleeves are plenty billowy, so you can't really tell. At this point, I'm not taking it apart!

I'm also disappointed that the bow isn't as wonderfully huge as on the package. Oh, well, maybe the next one I'll cut the bow twice as big :)

Posing in the garden......

Spring has sprung and I'm a poseur so here is my Butterick 4512, MUCH modified in the bodice, did ladies in the 50s have an extra pair of bosoms under each arm and necks like tree trunks?

Thank you to the pink broom for set dressing.

All I need now is to make a petticoat, and to find somewhere to wear the frock!

I used a cotton lycra drill, I hung the frock over night, waiting for the bias to drop, it did'nt, so I washed the frock and re hung it, the hem just stayed level, how marvelous was that :-)

Wedding Dress Craziness!

Hi guys!

I havent posted much before, but here is the wedding dress I made my best friend (she's on the right, i'm on the left).

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I made a tonne of adjustments (the pattern was heaps small), took out some of the skirt 'poof' and changed the neckline somewhat. Here's the inspiration.

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I made my dress too, but it was a Burda pattern, not retro at all! Bex - www.subversivelesbiananarchicknitter.blogspot.com

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

I can use this pattern from 1961 for the hat. It is off by a few years - but it is almost the same hat.

Regards, Oldpatterns

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:

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!

Hello, it's so nice to meet you.

I’m AmpersandRanch (also tiddleywink), and I started sewing back in high school. I also stopped sewing back in high school. I picked it up again about a year or so ago, and I’m still muddling my way through, but at least the few items I’ve made haven’t fallen apart yet. My most recent project was a dress for a vintage-Hollywood-themed New Year’s Eve party, which I based on the red, sequined dresses from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes:

Above: Original dress, as designed by William Travilla and worn by Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell.

My version, based on McCall’s M5519 and, um, enthusiastically altered, in that the dress had to be lengthened and the neckline slashed, but it also fit like a TENT the first time around and needed some serious taking in around the waist. And for future reference, that faux-sequined material would REALLY benefit from a lining. It’s itchy! 

I have a whole slew of vintage and vintage-repro/vintage-inspired patterns that need attention, but I get distracted by just about anything else. I’m hoping that this blog group will get/keep me inspired to be more productive with my sewing! Thanks for letting me lurk in the background for so long. It’s good to be here.

This is my Summer Something. It's a cute little wrap dress from the 1950s. I made it with printed linen, in a retro print. It's completely lined with a coordinating yellow linen, and I have shorts on underneath that are also yellow linen.

I also made the blouse from the pattern envelope, but didn't photograph it. It's Butterick 2745.

My Mother's Stash!

My mother's downsizing from a 3000+ s.f. home to a townhouse, and in her efforts to downsize she's getting rid of lots and lots of stuff. Quite fortunately, I am the lucky recipient. She shares a love of vintage patterns and crafts with me and had amassed quite a beautiful collection of vintage craft magazines, books and sewing patterns over the years through swaps, garage sales and other avenues.

She visited our family this weekend and brought with her four Rubber-maid tubs of craft materials including yarn, fabric and patterns. There must be close to 70 or 80 patterns ranging in date from the late thirties to the early nineties. I've picked three for Sew Retro but posted more on my blog here.


Isn't this one lovely? I love its softness and its ultra-feminine style. It looks too complicated for me to sew, and I'm not certain I'd wear something quite this feminine though I really do love that aspect of the dress.


I love this dress and it very well may be my favorite wearable option of the bunch. I love the neckline, the full skirt, the pockets and the pert sleeves. It's just so pretty and simple at the same time.


I might give this jumper a whirl, though it would definitely require resizing. I like its simple clean lines and its cute side buttons. I could imagine myself wearing it to the office, and then meeting my family for a concert and picnic in the park.

Thank God Its Spring Jacket

I've been sewing up a storm recently, but more summer colors and styles until this jacket. Its Etsuko royal dot from reprodepot and this vintage pattern
I wore it to work with a light green linen shirt and dark denim cigarette jeans yesterday, and I'm pretty sure the sheer exuberance of it all was what got me a free smoothie at Jamba Juice!