Cummerbunds and Bows

I absolutely adore reproduction vintage patterns.  I also love vintage patterns – they both have their pros and cons.

I purchased Simplicity 2491 from an ebay seller.  

The envelope on my copy is horribly torn, but there are yardage notes written by a previous owner.  

The pattern tissue for the scoop-neck version (the one that I chose) was obviously made up by someone as the edges of the tissue have been cut in places with pinking sheers.  I absolutely love the idea that someone used this very pattern tissue to make up their own version of the pattern – I only wish that I could see how it turned out!

So I will be the first to admit that working with vintage patterns is wonderful and always an adventure.  However, I do have a few issues with them.  For one, you can never be sure that the pattern will be complete until you open it up and examine everything.  Also, the tissue may be ripped or smell funky, which is never fun.  I have had a couple of unfortunate ebay experiences (thankfully, not with Simplicity 2491) in which the pattern tissue inside the envelope had nothing whatsoever to do with the advertised pattern.  When you do find the pattern of your dreams, it is often in a size that will not work without major adjustments.  And, of course, when I want a bit of instant sewing gratification I can just cut into, a vintage pattern is not the way to go.

Enter the reproduction pattern.  

I am so thankful that there is enough interest in vintage looks that companies big and small are reproducing and saving these wonderful patterns, although they sometimes making fitting alterations that I do not always appreciate. 

 This is not the first vintage reproduction from the McCall pattern company that I have made, and it will surely not be the last.  Try as I might, I cannot resist the adorable vintage pattern sketches on each envelope, no matter how simple the silhouette. 

It is actually a brilliant marketing ploy – everything looks better on an elongated fashion sketch with an impossibly small waistline! 

For this particular pattern, I had some serious gaping from the upper bust area to the neck.  I thought I had fixed the problem using the muslin (what a good girl I am!), but after putting my dress together, the neckline was still not laying flat.  To fix the problem, I added another dart.  Unfortunately, the dress was already lined, so it is not the prettiest fix in the world, but it makes the dress wearable.  And I should have added a bit of boning at the center back bodice as it has a tendency to pull downward over a day of wear.

Overall, I am very pleased with the end result, and plan on using many more of the reproductions in my stash, and I am sure that I will be seduced by another adorable envelope illustration in the future and add to my extensive collection! 

More of my vintage adventures may be found over at my blog, Lilacs & Lace.  Feel free to stop by and say hello! 

"Summer Sky Dress"

  Hi, loved sewing, I just wanted to show you the last dress I sewed, it isn´t made from a vintage pattern, I made alterations in a current pattern to get this dress, but the look is full of 50s fashion, if you curious to know more and see more pictures of it, please visit here .... your suggestions are greatly appreciated.

50s Day Dress

Hi retro-lovers! I've been enjoying all your creations so much, time for me to add one of my own into the mix. I recently made this dress from a 1963 McCalls pattern, don't know about you but I think it's got more of a late 1950s vibe, which is why I refer to it as my 50s day dress (I hope to make that plural some day soon!).


I was lucky enough to come across this fabric at work which fits with the era of the pattern pretty well. It's such a sweet ditsy design. I've gone into more detail about this pattern, including this interesting under-arm stabilising/finishing technique that the pattern instructions (which I rarely follow!) suggested in this blog post.


I'm gearing myself up to making a full gathered skirt 50s style dress, but this four-gored skirt is full enough to push my comfort zone, and actually wearing it feels really nice. I'm usually more of a wiggle dress girl, but I find they are a bit sexy for day wear, or at least the kind of days I tend to have!


Forgive the flipflops, vintage fiends! Keep it creative,

Zoe xxx

The result of inspiration

Hi dear sewers, I'm here again to show the dress I finished this week, it is inspired by this pattern and I looked up the fabric from my stash as close as possible, I drew the pattern (I have the pattern, only the image), so it gave me enough headaches for proper operation.

There are other beautiful photos in my blog, if you want to go through there.

Simplicity 5408

I've finally finished my first item for Colette Patterns' Spring Palette Challenge: Simplicity 5408


I'm really pleased with how it turned out; the fit and colour are terrific. I know it will be on high rotation during spring and summer.

I love the little bit of complimentary fabric peeking out from the pleat.



The dress also fits in with my Hepburn Hepburn and Lifetime Wardrobe projects, as well as the Sewing Through the Decades Challenge.

NVLs First Giveaway!

Hi everyone.

It's time for a giveaway.

Details are on my blog. I'll choose a winner on Sept 27th!

catalog Sunday

This Sunday are pages from an Excella Catalog.

Enjoy!

Cotton duvet dress

Made this number from a duvet I bought at the thrift store from one of my favorite 40s day dress patterns.

More pictures on NVL.

Two Finished Projects

This is The Grey Sash Dress, made from Butterick 9029, from the 50s.

This is The Blue Tie Waist Shift Dress made from a Kate Marchbanks mail order pattern from 1967.

These were my first two vintage pattern creations. Read more at Modern Twist!

Jacki

Hello Dolly

Hi I am a keen maker of all sorts of things, and apart from having a bit of a thing for making dinosaurs, I love all things vintage. I blog about all this and about life in general, check it out. I have been getting into making vintage clothes lately, sewn and knitted, so I thought that I would join Sew Retro for inspiration and advice!

My most recent project has been a yoke top made from a vintage dress pattern, which I originally thought was from the 1950s but now think is more 1960s. I have worn it loads actually, and am planning to either make a long version or swap it for a similar smaller pattern as this is a bit big (size 14). Anyone interested?

Just Peachy!

Hi all, I've been looking for an easy Summer dress pattern that would be nice over a bikini. I've had a few tunic style dresses and fancied making one myself. I saw quite a few vintage patterns online along these lines...

BUT these are very pricey so I used a Burda download instead and added a few bells and whistles. See more on my blog. Happy Sewing xx

Butterick 7181 in Candy Pink Stripes

Hi again! I finished this dress just this morning:

It was really fun to make, because I did view B (with the buttons down the front) and I came up with my own lining for the bodice (as it was a bit see-through), so I'm ultra proud of it:

I'm not totally sold on the colour (I used, once again, all thrifted items for this dress) but since it needed so much fabric in the skirt (about 2 metres) it was the only material I had at hand (ie. in the huge stash pile!) that could cater for such a large amount. I tend to wear bolder colours, and more blacks, so this one makes me feel very fairy floss or cotton candy-esque!

And also, how revealing is the shoulder area for a vintage pattern? I was surprised, but the pattern does say 'cut low to show off your shoulders'. Ooh La La indeed for the 1950s!

Of course, there's plenty more photos over at my crafty adventures blog, and in the meantime can I gush about how addicted I am to pin curls?! It turns out to be Pincurls Saturday every Saturday at my house! Here's my post, with a collection of other fantastic pincurlers videos, on hair setting the old fashioned way.

See you soon, Veronica from Sydney, Australiaxoxo

Advance 2709

Sorry I haven't been sewing! There's been lots of work going on at home, hence why I have only just finished hemming and photographing my newest creation, Advance 2709.

I love this pattern! Its set-in, diagonal pockets. Its six-gored skirt. The fact that it has a provision for just a shirt-waist dress as well as the full shirt dress. (I only had four buttons, so I went for the shirt-waist. Also, I hate making button holes but love shirt-waists, so... that's also a reason.)

I can't say I love this pattern enough! Read more over at The Year 2050!

"Up-cycled" L.L. Bean Dress

Lately I've been haunting the local Salvation Army, buying things that I think can be altered and made into something more interesting. Last week I found a blue rayon dress that was *very* long (almost to my ankles) and had a very boring round neckline. I loved the fabric and the dress "had good bones," so for $3.99 it was mine!

I shortened it and used the cut-off fabric to make a new neckline with a collar. Here's how it turned out:


I think it looks a bit 1940's-ish. Sorry for the wrinkles - I wore it at work all day. For more pics and details, check out my blog.

Simplicity 4015 (1952)

The original. I have this weird affection for wrap dresses. I've been chasing this one for a while and finally snagged it off of eBay. Dated 1952. Project photo set here.

It has the biggest pockets I've ever encountered. Not complaining, I just find it amusing.


Can you believe I actually found shoes that match the fabric??

This is shown without shoulder pads or crinoline. I have fairly square shoulders so it fit me just fine without pads (and, frankly, the idea of putting pads in kimono sleeves strikes me as kind of weird). Everything else is made just as the pattern dictated.

This was a nice, easy, pattern. My only minor quibble is that the bodice, since it's simplified, is not very fitted and looks a bit sloppy. Not a lot sloppy, though, and I'll freely admit that it looks much better on a body than it does on a hanger. I was pretty sure it was going to be a shapeless horror when I saw it in pieces, but I was mostly wrong. The back even stays closed better than I expected.

Mom calls this the "Waffle House waitress" dress since I made it with brown trim in a print that includes orange dots amid the blue ones. Ha ha.

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.

I have been a sewing fiend

...these last couple of weeks. I finished another dress on Saturday, but am just now getting good pictures.

I made a few changes to this pattern: I installed side seam pockets, changed the collar shape, lengthened it, and omitted the top loop and button closure.

This pattern was very easy to follow and went together pretty quickly. I really love the fabric that the collar and loops are made out of. It is a South African fabric that my preacher's wife gave me a few scraps of (they are from South Africa). I had been waiting for an appropriate use for it, and when I found the tan fabric at Goodwill for $0.59, and realized it matched perfectly, and that I had vintage buttons that also matched perfectly, I was champing at the bit to get started.

I definitely plan to make this dress again. It's a great everyday dress. The only thing I will change in future version is to tighten up the button loops a little - they tend to come undone, although it isn't much of a problem as it does not cause gaping. There is a snap behind the top button, to keep wardrobe mishaps at bay.

Without the contrast collar and buttons, I think this tan fabric would be too bland for me. The other drawback is that it is polyester, and doesn't breath. But in a cotton, this would be the perfect summer dress.
Another pic and more discussion 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.

An old favorite from a new member

Hello,
I have just joined the sew retro fun, having been an avid reader for pretty much as long as the blog has been going.
By way of an introduction, here is my take on the ever popular Butterick B4790 reissue of their whirl away dress.
I used fabric which had been on the shelves in the shop for long enough to have its own driving license...
I blogged it here, on my blog Practical Polly, where I was a little more self indulgent with the photographs...

I'm looking forward to posting here regularly- I've got quite a backlog of pre-blogging sewing to get through!

Stepford Wife....

...but without the husband, kids or the suburbs.

I finished this dress last week, but since it decided to be grey and rainy, I only got a chance to take pictures today. This is the first actual vintage pattern (as opposed to a re-issued one) that I've sewn and I'm super happy with how it turned out. It's a Simplicity half-size pattern, so I had to adjust it slightly to fit my measurements, but other than that, everything went smoothly.

Here's a close up of the front:

I wish I had a picture of the pattern, but it seems to have been hidden by my apartment's pattern gnomes. I'm wearing a crinoline and my skirt is still nowhere as big as the pattern drawing.

P.S. A couple of the comments asked about the fabric: It's a double sizes bed sheet I found at a thrift store. (Wayyyyyy cheaper than buying 4-5 meters of fabric at a regular store.) It was large enough to cut out the dress in the short sleeved option and I had enough left over to make some handkerchiefs and appliques.