Tuesday, December 31, 2013

McCall 3574 and McCall 741: A Scottish Christmas Dress and Hat


I hope you all had a lovely festive season!  I've been enjoying catching up on all my blog reading and seeing the fantastic round-up posts for the year.  I'll do my own round-up post tomorrow but wanted to sneak in a final me-made before the end of the year!  This is a double effort.  I made the dress (McCall 3574) and David made me the hat for Christmas from McCall 741 (how sweet!!)

This is truly the perfect 1940 Christmas outfit--and I'm so happy with the way it came together!  The dress is made out of the most beautiful lightweight wool fabric I got from the Cloth Shop, a local Edinburgh fabric store.  It's a wonderful weight to work with and it feels so soft.


McCall 3574 is your basic 1940 softly tailored shirtwaist dress.  It features a button down bodice attached with a lapped seam to a pleated skirt.  The pleats in the skirt also match up with three pleats in each side of the bodice front.  The back of the dress has two darts near the neckline. Other than that, the back is very plain and features a straight skirt which allows the tartan pattern to be mostly uninterrupted.

Matching the plaid pattern took a lot of forethought and planning during both the cutting and construction phases. I'm really happy with my plaid matching throughout the dress including at the bodice front placket, where the bodice and skirts match up and even at the hem!


The sleeves are my favourite kind--pleated at the sleeve cap!  David even made me the matching belt buckle and belt.  We made a soft belt with hair canvas as the main material.  The belt buckle is from a 1950s/60s buckle kit that I got from my most recent pattern swap partner.  I also had some perfect vintage buttons in my stash in the matching green.


I am over the moon about the Glengarry hat.  This Scottish style of hat was very popular in 1940!  Plus, no one here blinks an eye when they see it--they are still very commonly worn in Scotland, especially on festive occasions.  I just love it!!

The hat pattern comes in one very oddly shaped piece that you configure together.  David sewed the entire hat by hand!!  I am super impressed and it fits me perfectly.  It is attached onto hair canvas as well which gives it enough body to hold the shape but makes it soft and very comfortable to wear all day long.  I secure it with two bobby pins/kirby grips at the back.


The hat is trimmed with grosgrain ribbon and fastened into a bow in the back.  The pattern also comes with instructions on how to make other hat trimming such as a cockade.


It's a great pattern and I plan to make many more hats from it.  I'm already envisioning a new hat for each of my 1940 makes!


YAY!  A happy Scottish tartan dress.  I know I will get lots of wear out of this one.

Hope you all have a lovely New Year's Eve and I'm looking forward to sharing our sewing adventures in 2014!

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46 comments

  1. Love the dress -- such a classic. Happy New Year!

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  2. Thanks Peter!! Happy New Year to you and Michael as well!!

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  3. What a great outfit! I have a 1940s knitting pattern for a "plaid" jacket with a hat just like that one. Makes me want to go start it right now!

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  4. Just beautiful, Debi! I love that tartan so much- and it makes such a gorgeous dress and hat ensemble! :)

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  5. Just gorgeous! Bravo on the joint effort! :)

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  6. What's not to love about tartan:)
    Pretty cool your man made you a cap!
    Happy New Year

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  7. That dress is lovely and you did a great job matching up the plaid. I too love the sleeve cap detail. And Bravo! to your fella who made such a thoughtful gift and sew it by hand. Who does that? Sounds like you guys had a great Christmas. Wish you a great 2014 as well.

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  8. Beautiful! What a perfect Hogmanay outfit! Happy New Year!

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  9. I love the tartan and the hat is my favorite details of all! You look so festive; I just love it!

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  10. Beautiful!! May God bless your New Year! Really enjoying your blog!!

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  11. So pretty and perfect - as usual! Happy new year :-)

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  12. I LOVE your dress! I've never been brave enough to use tartan for anything but a chanter case for my Dad. Have a lovely Hogmanay in your fabulous dress!

    Pin

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  13. The hat really sets your dress off and you look so polished too, I love it!

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  14. You are too cute! This is so fabulous! I just love that you and David make things together-- that's awesome! Happy New Year!

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  15. That outfit is so darling! All the details, buttons, belt, and of course the hat, just make it so couture! You always impress me with your 1940's inspired dresses. Happy New Year!

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  16. As always - simply fabulous! Does a more perfect outfit even exist? You did a lovely job of matching plaids! Have a great 2014!

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  17. I love tartan! Very cute with the matching hat and so festive. Happy new year :)

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  18. Happy New Year Debi and David, from another Scottish sewist. Your dress and matching hat are fabulous and you even braved the weather to have some beautiful photos taken (outside the Dome?). I'm looking forward to seeing all your wonderful 2014 projects.

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  19. Your dress is so lovely and the matching hat just completes it! Wishing you a very happy new year.

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  20. What a lovely Scottish tartin dress for you! One of the first things I noticed was the belt and your sleeves - so perfectly fitted! And what a wonderful gift David made you! I love the back of the hat! Happy 2014 to you and your family! May it be filled with love & joy!

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  21. Love this Debi, it's soo amazing! And I love the matching hat. Happy 2014 to you, can't wait to see what you sew this year :)

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  22. Lovely dress! And how fantastic to have a matching hat. Happy New Year.

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  23. This outfit is lovely, you look amazing. I hope you have a lovely 2014.

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  24. You look wonderful!
    -Emily

    Emily's Vintage Visions

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  25. That is so awesome that you and David make things together. What a super outfit!

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  26. Thank you! We have fun making things together :-)

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  27. Thank you and hope you have a wonderful 2014 as well!!

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  28. Happy New Year to you too! Here's to lots more sewing ;-)

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  29. Happy New Year--we must get together sometime in the New Year--I'd love to meet Milo ;-)

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  30. Thanks so much Hazel!! I had so much fun making this ensemble!

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  31. Thank you my dear!!! Have a lovely New Year!!

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  32. Thanks Ann!! Yes--you've spotted it…these were taken outside the Dome. We tried to take some inside as well but it was a bit too dark by the time we got there…they have some amazing decorations and lights! I just love it!!! Have you heard about the Glasgow meet-up in February? I'm going to do a post on it soon but Kerri is organising it: http://www.kestrelmakes.com/2013/11/cmon-cmon-lets-get-together.html

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  33. Thank you so much!!! Happy New Year!!!

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  34. Thank you for the lovely comment! I do love the early 40s style so much! Have a lovely New Year!!

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  35. Thank you so much!! Have a lovely New Year!!

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  36. Thank you m'dear…hope you have a lovely New Year!

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  37. Thank you so much!! Hogmanay was great this year--hope you have a lovely New Year!!

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  38. Thanks Helen!! Happy New Year ;-)

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  39. This is such a fabulous story!! Well, we do follow one Celtic tradition which is similar to the dark haired visitor on New Year's Day…but in the local tradition, that visitor (should be the first person over the threshold) needs to bring a lump of coal :-)

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  40. Thanks Stephanie! Wow…a plaid knitting pattern? that sounds awesome!!

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  41. Debi, I've had a *wonderful* time yesterday and today, browsing all your amazing makes! One thing I wanted to mention is how much I enjoy how *wearable* so many of these are, despite being from 74-year-old patterns! This Christmas outfit is a perfect example -- it's dressy and obviously vintage-y, but in no way costume-y, if that makes sense.

    I'm also over the moon about your social enterprise fabrics -- I have an idea about social enterprise weaving to try in San Francisco that I will email you about when it's more fleshed out. :) Keep having ALL THE FUN!

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

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