McCall's 6978 from 1963: Aka The Great Wiggle Dress Disaster of 2010

I'm trying to catch up on a backlog of projects that I haven't posted. The holidays got me really behind. If you want to know more about the Great Wiggle Dress Disaster of 2010, check out my blog Sew Sixties. Unfortunately, they can't all be winners. Or maybe they can, just not when I'm sewing (ha!).


Happy Holidays!
Astrid

Peggy Dress Unveiled

The Peggy dress is complete! It's been a long and bumpy road, but despite a few tweaks along the way, I'm very happy with how it came out.  Read more about the progress on my blog: What's Up, Cupcake?

Peggy dress success!

Hi everyone! A couple of weeks ago I posted a request for help in finding a pattern similar to a dress Peggy wore in a recent Mad Men episode.  Well your suggestions were great and I found the perfect match!  I'm half way through the dress as I've encountered some stumbling blocks with working on my first vintage pattern, but I think it's going to turn out great. 

Read more on my blog: What's Up Cupcake?

Thanks again for your help and I'll post the final dress shortly.

Mad Men: Peggy Dress

Hello Sew Retro crafters! It's Christine from What's Up Cupcake?  I'm looking for your assistance in tracking down a dress design.  Any help with a recommended pattern, new or vintage that I can track down will be so helpful! Hopefully then I can post a completed project post about it.

While playing catchup with Mad Men episodes on our Tivo, I was instantly enamored by Peggy Olson's dress in episode 11.  I want to add this to my 'to sew' list but I need to begin a hunt for a similar pattern.

I love the blue/red combo, especially with the red peeking out in the skirt.  The two little buttons on the front are a fun accent.

Anyone have any pattern recommendations?  Thanks for your help!

The Mad (Wo)Man dress

I've named this dress the mad woman dress because I was mad to think I could finish it in time, let alone at all as it turns out! It also drove me a little mad because after four fitting muslins I still couldn't get it right, and I've admitted defeat. This pattern is four inches too big for me so needed grading down, it's missing pattern pieces and it comes with the scantest pattern instructions so it's no wonder I failed. However, Anna encouraged me to post it anyway, so here is the pattern I planned to make, using a beautiful fuschia / deep purple wool crepe:

The pattern envelope bears no pattern company name or date, but I think it would suit the character of Joan Holloway quite well. My first muslin was made exactly to the pattern, and it came out beautifully but too big as expected, and after folding out the excess and cutting it apart to make a new paper pattern the next two muslins came out wonky, in that the bodice pulled awkwardly on the side that doesn't have the tucks. The fourth and final muslin came out ok, except that it was too small! Here it is on my dressmaker's dummy looking rather crinkled and forlorn (I had to rescue it from the waste bin for this photo):

Anyway on to bigger and better things! Ah who am I kidding, on to easier things to get my sewing mojo back.....

More photos of the pattern pieces and instructions at my blog if you're interested in the construction details.

Teenaged girl for my Mad Men entry

Hey guys,

I've unfortunatley been working interstate for most of Sept, and had planned on shaking it all about in a wiggle dress (or 2!), but instead here is a teenage girl dress, but who'd be wearing it on Mad Men?





Maybe Peggy to church? I cut it shorter so that I could wear it, so Peggy wouldn't really wear it that short hey?

Perhaps if I made the jacket to go with, it'll be more like darling little Sally (gosh she's growing up!):


My blog is Veronica Darling's Crafty Adventures if you wanna check out how currently uncrafty I am, but there will be more stuff there soon! I've got to get one more entry in before the end of Sept!

Mad Men entry #2

Remember how my first Mad Men comp entry was for Jane, Roger Sterling's second wife? Well, it seemed only fair to dress his first wife Mona, too. Initially I was aiming for Joan but the colour and slightly 'older' feel to this one made it destined for Mona. Maybe she'll wear it to the divorce settlement.

The back of the pattern describes this dress:

"Princess-line center front panel . . . bodice side fronts and back have elongated waistline . . . panel skirt back, seam slits. Wide, deep V-neck in front, scoop back; soft drape goes over shoulders, curving into back collar."

What I think is should say is:

"Princess-line blah blah blah.... Wide, deep V-neck in front, scoop back; flippin' hilarious pointy star-trekky, dirigible-hostessy collar with architechtural shoulder annexes that will frighten anyone from mentioning your exposed dowager's hump."


Not sure if or when I'll wear this but geez it was fun to make that collar!

I made it from a bargain-basement, $2-a-metre mystery stretch woven. Fabric has a nifty textured sheen, and since it's stretchy, fits like sausage casing but required no zipper. GENIUS.

My Mad Men Entry

This is something that I could see Betty wearing with its pretty shaping, but not overly curvy like Joan, and it's pink color.







If you would like to see what else I am up to, please visit my blog.

Peggy. I think.

Hello All!

My name is Jo and I'm making my first Sew Retro post by tossing this dress into the Mad Men contest ring. 

Here is the 1955 cheongsam pattern I used.

Try as I might, I couldn't quite match the smug expression of the model on the envelope. I'm beaming because I finally used the Waverly Toile I scored for $3 a yard that was languishing in a storage bin. And I tied those frogs myself. If you'd like to read more about this dress please check this post on my blog. I'm a big fan of the sheath dress and this is my first attempt at one. I see more in my future.

Now when I asked my mom what character she thought would wear this and she said, "It's a sheath so Joan." Joan? Really? "Well maybe Betty." Hmm. I think this is Peggy at her most sophisticated. The buttoned up-ness of it all, the not bold print, and it has a collar. It seems Peggy is all about the collar. But I'm open to suggestions. If not Peggy, then who do you think would wear this?

Another Joan Dress!

Here's another dress entry into the Mad Men competition. When I first saw this emerald green wool crepe, I thought "Joan would look fantastic in that color!" Alas, Joan is a fictional character, so I had to buy it for myself instead. I think she'd approve though.

I made this from Simplicity 3673, which is a reissued pattern. Here's the original on the right:

I had to do a lot of futzing to get the fit right - it looked like a sack when I first put it on. Joan would not be having any of that!

I ended up doing even more fitting and making it in a red doubleknit, another great color for Ms. Holloway.

I wrote more about fitting this pattern on my blog. Come on by!

I'm a Joan

Thanks, Anna, for all the Mad Men inspiration! I'm throwing my hat into the ring with this red silk satin sheath dress that I think Joan would have adored.

I made this recently as part of my ongoing quest to sew every pattern from a 1952 sewing book called Vogue's New Book for Better Sewing. This is the "after-five, slim sheath dress." As you can see, it was the project featured on the cover of the book, and I tried to replicate it as closely as possible.

The pattern I used is Vogue 7101, which is from the early 50s, but has an especially timeless look I think.

I wrote a lot about the construction of the dress here, so come by if you're interested!

Can't wait to see everyone's Mad Men-inspired looks!