Friday, April 15, 2011

My 1944 'Almost Easter' Dress

This week's theme over at the Sew Weekly was drawing inspiration from a childhood photo to recreate an outfit.

This is the photo I chose:
Me_pink dress
Heeheehee.... I'm totally glammed up! Check out those white gloves! And matching headband! I love that funny look on my face!! 


I wanted to capture the dressed-up Easter feeling of the photo above.  I particularly wanted something that had an interesting sleeve detail (check out those puffed sleeves in my childhood photo!), something light pink and something I could wear with lovely white gloves.

McCall 5676 from 1944 fit the bill perfectly:

 I used version A as my guide and did it up without the lace trim and without pockets.  I was originally going to do version B's sleeves but ended up going with A (to use some of the fabric details).

I've been eyeing the broderie anglaise at the local fabric shop for awhile.  It's so beautiful and I love fabric with a border.  I was, however, concerned that it was so sheer.  I also don't tend to wear pastels, so I wasn't sure how it would work but when Mena announced the theme for this week, I decided to go for it!

It was really fun trying to piece it all together and to use bits of the broderie anglaise for different elements of the dress.


 I used the scallop of the broderie anglaise for the hem and the sleeves of the dress.  This was very nice as it meant I didn't have to hem either of them!!  Of course the downside was matching up the pattern and also figuring out how much length I needed for the dress and translating that into how I made up the skirt (i.e. taking up more into the waist in front than in the back for my bum which affects the length of the dress!)



I also made self-covered buttons with the three-leaf clover design that was in the border of the fabric.  I really like how they came out!


Happy almost Easter everyone!
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28 comments

  1. Oh my, that is adorable. I love it. Thanks for being such a great inspiration. I wanna go home and sew!

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  2. Hehe, that’s such a great idea and you haven’t changed a bit! I live the way you have done the sleeves and buttons. Tups x

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  3. Aww, so cute!! And those gloves finish off the look beautifully :)
    Ashley x

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  4. Very sweet. I love easter dresses, so spring like. Love the covered buttons, nice detail. I just finished my Easter dress too, in pink. You look beautiful as always!

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  5. LOVE IT! i almost piked a shot of me in white gloves & pink dress as inspiration.... i'm glad i didn't as yours is most definitely the tops. (i am very competitive, especially in self-imposed competitions that no one else know about.)

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  6. I love this so much! And how very clever of you to center the design on your covered buttons!

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  7. Super clever use of buttons! Also - I'm curious for more info on how you matched up the scallops on the hem - I've done border prints (same concept, really) with a gored skirt (actually, colette parfait) and really struggled with that!!

    I think you really caught the spirit of the inspiration photo, although you would have gotten FULL POINTS for including a small black handback with a SUPER LONG strap :-) (tee hee)

    And I don't know if you go back in comments, but you were totally right on with my kid-picture - I'm making a grown up version for the sew weekly challenge... I'm taking a break from working out what length of shorts I want right now!

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  8. So lovely! The covered buttons are particularly cute.

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  9. Very pretty. I love broderie anglaise. All the little details like using the scallop hem and the self-cover buttons really make it special.

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  10. What great challenge - and you delivered! This dress is perfect because it incorporates the childhood elements while also looking appropriately "grown-up" enough for a woman to wear. Sweet and sophisticated.

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  11. Wow, I love that dress pattern and your take on it! This has been such a fun challenge, sadly I didn't have time to participate this week. I love your Easter colors and your love of white gloves! Oh, the days of yesteryear when we could do that more often!!

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  12. How perfectly Easter! I love all of the small but important details that really make it something special. Wow!! (I love the inspirational photo, too. ;)

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  13. It really does hold the promise of easter and spring. It's a lovely dress Debi.

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  14. Love it! Just beautiful! Sam xox

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  15. Beautiful detail on the buttons!

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  16. I think you've really caught the essence - it feels like you could also be going to a birthday tea party - cute! Love the way you've kept the edges & covering the buttons - sweet!!

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  17. oooo, perfection. I love the use of the embroidery for the buttons - very clever indeed. Your picture, however, made be shiver -- today here in Upstate NY, it is very windy and cold. If it were Easter, no one would be wearing a dress like that unless they had a matching coat to go along (and I have to admit that my memory of Easters from when I was, ahem, young, was that everyone had to wear their winter coats and boots to go to church at Easter as we always had snow still on the ground).

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  18. Wow, it is so cute! The detail with the covered buttons is just great! And no hemming, yay! :)

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  19. You look adorable! This is so pretty. I really love the scalloped edges, and the buttons - such a nice touch!

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  20. What a cute dress! I just love it :-D

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  21. Proof that it is all in the detail! Lovely.

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  22. I think this is the most adorable thing I have seen you in yet!

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  23. Such a fun challenge to do! :) I love how your grown-up version came out; all the details are stellar (especially those covered buttons). What a beautiful spring look! :)

    ♥ Casey

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  24. Total sweetness! Both the adult you and the child you, that is. I have a feeling you probably thought getting your picture taken back then was pretty silly. You look ready to crack up.
    I love how you adapted a long-ago style to something more modern and grownup.

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  25. I think this outfit is so pretty, especially paired with the gloves!

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  26. Debi you are so talented love the outfit.

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  27. So cute and sweet. I love those clover buttons. The scalloped and embroidered hem and sleeves are perfect for the dress style. Lovely!

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I read each and every comment--thank you so much!

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