I is for Ironing

 Thanks so much for all your lovely comments about the ABCs of vintage sewing series. I read all the comments and they mean so much to me! I am really enjoying doing the posts and am so glad that you are enjoying them as well!

Today is all about ironing.  That quintessential step in sewing.  Actually, as my vintage sewing book says, what we do for sewing is actually called 'pressing' and not ironing.  But as I've already got a 'p' in my alphabet, I'll just go for ironing ;-)

I just love these step-by-step instructions from my 1943 Minature Fashions: Simplicity Sewing Book:

 

I must admit that I've never done 1, 4 or 6.  I'm actually intrigued by number 4.  What about you? Are you strictly a number 3 sewist or do you go all out with your pressing?

Now I have no excuse as we just got a fancy iron (well, fancy for us).  It was a great groupon deal and I really like it:

 It's a Quest Steam Generator 2000W and it's been fantastic so far.  My only minor complaint is that it makes a lot of noise when it first starts steaming but other than that it's works like a charm.

Here's a shot of the other side:

I'm curious, what iron do you use?  Do you love or hate it?

H is for Haberdashery

hab·er·dash·er noun  

British : a dealer in notions 

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

I love vintage sewing notions.  Everything from vintage buttons to seam binding to trims and laces.  I thought I would make a list of some of my favourite online haberdashers for today's post.  Hope you enjoy!

A Fashionable Stitch: Sunni has one of the best online sewing shops around! This is my go-to store for buckle kits (among other things).

 Rita Belt Kits in various sizes from A Fashionable Stitch Shop

 

D. Raphael Vintage Sewing Goods: A gem of an online shop offering a wide variety of antique and vintage sewing ribbons, lace, trims, and notions. Many date from the Victorian and Edwardian eras; but their goods range all the way from the 1800s through the 1970s.

Spinster Emporium: A great online vintage Haberdasher.  They sell sets of vintage buttons, vintage buckles and trim.  Located in the UK.

Honiton Lace: This amazing online shop specializes in Honiton Lace but also stock all the other main collector laces from throughout Europe (specializing in 16th to 20th century).  While I've never been in the market for antique lace (at least not yet), I do love having a browse at all the beautiful collars and lace pieces.  Based in the UK.

The Old Lace and Linen Shop: Based in Florida, this amazing online store offers a wide range of lace and linens (including vintage clothing).  They have some amazing 1920's lace collars that are absolutely amazing.

Lots of Buttons: A site dedicated to buttons. Though not all vintage, this site has a large variety of great buttons. You can find everything here!  I especially love the braided buttons.

CC's Buttons: Another button shop! This online shop has a variety of vintage buttons, some multiples but many one piece items.

  

Acme Notions: This online shop has a range of vintage notions including buttons and buckles and they also sell vintage tape measures, scissors, etc.

The Gatherings Antique Vintage: This amazing online store sells offers antique vintage schoolgirl sewing samplers, plus antique vintage sewing tools such as sewing boxes, bags, books and catalogs as well as vintage notions.  They have some amazing vintage buckle and matching buttons sets for great prices!

Button Mad: While not necessarily a vintage shop, this great online store handmakes all their buttons and many remind me of 1940s style buttons.  I just adore them.  I have these adorable buttons that are waiting for the perfect outfit:

 Who are your favourite online haberdashers?

G is for Gathers

 Illustration from my 1954 Singer Sewing Book

Gathering is without a doubt one of my favourite sewing techniques.  It's super easy and can be used in so many ways!

Here's some eye candy examples of gathering (all of these vintage pattern cover images are from the Vintage Pattern Wiki).

1930s:

I love both of these patterns.  You can see the subtle yoke gathering in Hollywood 1930 but I really love Advance 1892 that has gathering along the centre seam but also on the waist sides. Super elegant!

1940s:

Vogue 7999 shows gathered sleeves and a gathered bodice to skirt and Simplicity 2484 is a 1940s staple, the peasant blouse.

1950s:

The 1950s is definitely the decade that inspired gathering to become an artform.  Just look at Advance 8270 (LOVE this silhouette) and Simplicity 3135 has such lovely sleeve and neckline gathers.

Here's some more gathering goodness from my 1954 Singer Sewing Book:

Some great examples of shirring (which is just two or more rows of gathers to achieve a decorative effect).  I love all of these but perhaps my favourite is the evening coat with the shirred sleeves.

I use gathers a lot in my own sewing, here's a few examples from different vintage sewing patterns:

My 1939 'Royal Wedding' dress from McCall 3554; My 1940 McCall 3638 dress

 My 'Midcentury Madness' dress from Style Print 1283; My 'Tiptoe through the Tulips' dress from Simplicity 4209

Resources
Here are some of my favourite gathering technique resources:

• Tasia from Sewaholic has several great gathering tutorials including gathering an edge using machine stitches and using a neat trick to secure gathers using a pin.

• The Coletterie blog has a fantastic tutorial on gathering including the tip to use three rows of gathers instead of two!

• Make It and Love it has a helpful tutorial on shirring and smocking

• Gertie put together a great 2-part tutorial on adding shirring to a bodice back (part 1 and part 2)

Are you a fan of gathers?

F is for Fagoting

Fagoting (or Faggoting in the UK)/ noun: embroidery in which threads are fastened together in bundles 
Pronunciation: /ˈfagətɪŋ/

Or more simply put, fagoting is a method of joining hemmed edges by crisscrossing thread over an open seam.

 Photo Credit

I see this detail a lot in 1930's blouses and dresses.  A couple of years ago, I lucked out and found three early 1930's collar patterns (for very cheap) and all of them included fagoting:

Not only did I get these lovely patterns but I got a few surprises as well!  Including this completed collar (which must have been from another pattern):

Look at that beautiful detail!  I just love it!  I have plans sometime soon to sew up an outfit to match this great yellow and white collar (maybe for the spring?).

But that wasn't all, there was also this beauty:

It's a long, almost necklace length collar piece.  Another stunning piece of craftmanship.  I want to incorporate this into an outfit as well!

After spending some time examining those two finished pieces, it inspired me to try my hand at it!  I used McCall 392 version A and did a bit of a trial run.

Here is the result of one of the triangles (this is the back side):

The technique is surprisingly easy but I was definitely aided by using the very easy Colleterie blog tutorial on how to sew a fagoted seam.  I really love the way the stitching looks when using this method.  I'm still deciding on actual colours for the final collars and cuffs and of course, a dress to match but it's was really great learning a new technique.

Here's a bit more on the technique from my 1954 Singer Sewing Book:

I really like how this spiral stitch looks.

Here's the method that the Colette tutorial teaches:

I also really want to make the leaves collar from McCall 392.  Here's the pattern pieces that the previous owner has carefully attached to brown paper and already used:

I'm definitely intrigued! Another project for the list ;-)

Have you ever done any fagoting stitchwork?  Ever heard of it before?

E is for Edge Finishes

Nothing says vintage sewing to me than edge (or seam) finishing techniques!  While the actual techniques have changed very little through the decades, our preferred techniques for ensuring strong seams has changed mostly due to modern technology.  The best way to learn what seam finishings were popular in each decade is to pick up a pattern and take a look at the instructions.  Recommended seam finishing techniques are included in most vintage patterns from the 1930s through to the 1950s.  It starts to drop off in instructions in the 1960s, which is of no surprise given that the first home overlock or serger machines were available to home sewists around 1964 (though they had been around in industrial sewing since the 1880s!).

Here's a few examples from some of my patterns on popular seam finishings through the decades.

1920s:

The top four techniques listed in this McCall pattern are 1) overcast edges together, 2) overcast edges separately, 3) seam binding, and 4) turned under and sewn.  While many of us know that seam binding was a popular method used in the 20s, 30s and 40s this is one of the only patterns I've seen that listed it as one of the top four techniques.

1930s:

In the 1930s we start to see a reference to 'pinking' seams using pinking shears (and this pattern says 'or by machine').  Pinking machines were available for home use at the end of the 19th century and was a simple hand cranked machine that you could run your fabric through to get a scalloped ('pinked') effect on the edges.  Check out this blog post for some photos of antique pinking machines.  Singer also introduced a sewing machine pinking attachment.  Susan from Spare Time (for Sewing) gives a great tutorial on using the pinking attachment.  While pinking scissors were originally patented in 1893, they were not widely used in home sewing until the patent of new and improved pinking shears by Samuel Briskman from Brooklyn who also started the Pinking Shears Corporation.  From the mid 1930s we start to see pinking as one of the top four recommended seam finishing techniques on vintage patterns lasting all the way through the 1950s and it's still a seam finish used regularly today.

1940s:

The top four finishing techniques listed in most 1940's patterns are very similar to the ones from the 1920s but with the addition of pinking as one of the most mentioned techniques (for example, the Advance pattern in the photo above only lists pinking in the sewing directions).  The top four finishing techniques most commonly listed in the 1940s are 1) overcast seams together, 2) pinked seams, 3) overcast seams separately, and 4) turned under and sewn.

1950s:

We see the same techniques listed in the instructions of 1950's patterns with a few exceptions including the introduction of french seams.  French seams have been around for ages and are listed as a technique in sewing books from earlier decades but I've never noticed it in sewing directions until the 1950s (like in the Weldons pattern above).

Here are some illustrations of popular edge finishes from my 1943 Minature Fashions: Simplicity Sewing Book:

Resources
Here are some really great tutorials, often with step-by-step pictures, on various seam finishes: 

• Seam Finishes tutorial from Casey's Elegant Musings

• Turned and stitched seam finishes and bound edges seam finishes tutorial from Tasia who blogs over at Sewaholic

• Another great seam finishes group of tutorials from Sew Mama Sew

• The Coletterie blog did a whole series on seam finishes including a great bias bound seam finishes tutorials in two parts (part 1 and part 2) 

• A great tutorial from the Oliver + s blog on pinking seams

• A fantastic four-part series from Sunni over at a Fashionable Stitch on seam finishes (Basic seam finishes, Self Finished Seams Part 1, Self Finished Seams Part 2, Decorative Seams Part 1 and Decorative Seams Part 2).

What's your preferred technique?  Have you come across any unique seams finishes in vintage patterns?

D is for Darts

 While darts may not be as exciting as collars or accessories, they can totally change the fit of a garment and give it a more vintage look.  Each decade seems to have favoured different types of darts and dart combinations to achieve a unique overall silhouette.

 Picture Source: Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing

I'm super excited to have just gotten Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing in the post yesterday! It's jam-packed with vintage sewing tidbits (and yummy patterns).  I really love the illustration above on the different types of bodice darts.

Here are a few examples of bodice darts through the decades from vintage patterns:

1930s:

The 1930s and 1940s utilized a wide range of bodice shaping techniques.  The most common darts I see in my 30's patterns are side darts and waist darts usually partnered with some specific pattern design that gives unique shaping (gathering, princess seams, etc.).

1940s:

I love the 1940's silhouette and a lot of the shaping comes from waist darts.  Have you ever had a 40's blouse and found it hard to wear with non-40's trousers?  That's because the waist darts made it easy to tuck blouses into high-waisted trousers.  In my opinion, the 1940s (and late 1930s for that matter) is also the decade with the most variation in bodice shaping achieved through tucks, gathers, princess seams among other techniques.

Here's an example from a 1939 and 1940 pattern respectively (all of these patterns are from my ever increasing pattern stash):

1950s:

The 1950's silhouette combines a side dart and a waist dart to achieve, well, a more pointy look.  This often makes it difficult to wear with modern undergarments.

I also see a lot of slanted or 'French' darts from 1950s patterns, especially in blouses.  These are usually accompanied with waist tucks (such as in the Maudella pattern) or neckline shaping such as in the Simplicity pattern.  I really love this silhouette and find it very easy to wear!

1960s:

We see a lot of 1950s style darts in the 1960s, just longer!  I really love the Simplicit pattern above which has a dart shaping turn into a design feature (hidden pockets) and the Style pattern shows the long darts that give 60's shift dresses their shape.

 from Make Handmade blog

Have you seen this illustration?  It's absolutely mind-boggling to see all the different dart arrangements for various blouse shapes.

Resources
Here's some handy resources for working with darts:

• The Coletterie blog has a good tutorial on sewing darts.

• Gertie is the dart manipulation queen! Her blog is packed with great tutorials including how to sew darts, pivoting a dart, moving skirt dart to hemline flare, and dart alterations.

• The Make Handmade blog has great illustrations on how to manipulate and move darts.

• Miss P has a great tutorial on moving a dart from her Top Draftalong series.

Are there any types of darts you prefer over others?

C is for Collars

Oh how I love collars--they can definitely make an outfit.  One of the great things about vintage sewing is that there are a lot of detachable collar patterns.  Having a couple basic dresses with lots of interchangeable collars and cuffs was very popular in the 1930s all the way up to the 1970s as was dickies or false shirt fronts (a trend picked up again from Edwardian and earlier fashions).

Here's some lovely examples of collar patterns:

1930's

1. 1930's collar and dickey pattern, available at this shop on Etsy; 2. Early 30's collars and belts pattern from my collection; 3. Early to mid 30's dress pattern with large collar, available at Best Vintage Patterns, 4. 1930's removable fur collar and cuffs, photo from here.

1940's:

1. 1941 McCall removable collar to embroider or smock, from my collection 2. 1940s dickey pattern, available at this shop on Etsy; 3. mid 40's blouse with jabot collar, available at this shop on Etsy; 4. 1940's Advance dickey pattern, available from this shop on Etsy.

1950's

1. 1950 collars, cuffs and vestee pattern, available at this shop on Etsy. 2. 1950s collar and matching bouquet pattern, sewn up by Marie at A Sewing Oddysey; 3. McCall's 1950's hats, collars and cuffs pattern, available at this shop on Etsy; 4. 1940's McCall's collars, shawl and cuffs pattern, available from this shop on Etsy.

More 1950's patterns for basic dresses with interchangeable collars:

1. 1950's dress with removable collars, available at this shop on Etsy. 2. 1950s dress with collars, scarf and capelet, available at this shop on Etsy; 3. McCall's 1950's scoop neck dress with collar variations, available at this shop on Etsy; 4. 1950's Simplicity 3973 dress with overlay collar/cape, available from this shop on Etsy.

1960's

1. 1969 shift dress with collar and cuff variations, available at this shop on Etsy. 2. 1960s collar variations including ruffled collar, available at Heavens to Betsy Vintage; 3. Simplicity 1960's dress with collar variations, available at this shop on Ecrater; 4. 1960's McCall's collar variations, available from Another Time pattern shop.

My First Dress: A Removable Collars and Cuffs Project:

My first dress with collar and cuff variations

I'm definitely in love with collars.  In fact, the very first dress I made had detachable collar and cuffs.  I've made it a point to revisit this dress at the same time every year on the date that I posted my first ever blog post (on this very dress).  So far I've done yellow and green collar and cuffs.  Maybe this year I'll go for purple or another colour of green?  What colour do you I should do next?

Collar Sewing Tutorials and Resources:
Here are some fabulous resources (leave a comment if you know of others not on this list!)

• Great tutorials from Casey's Elegant Musings on making a detachable autumn collar  and a faux fur collar.

• Casey also did a two-part series on creating a scalloped 1930's inspired collar for the Pendrell blouse (or any other blouse), check out part 1 and part 2 of the tutorial.

• Gertie also did a three-part tutorial series on drafting a peter pan collar.  Check out part 1, part 2, and part 3 of that tutorial.

• The Coletterie blog has loads of inspiration for vintage inspired collars.  Check out their tutorial on making a lace overlay collar, a faux fur collar (with free pattern) and their recent post on collar inspirations details.

• Sunni over at A Fashionable Stitch recently did a shirt dress collar tutorial

• Tuppence Ha'penny Vintage has a great tutorial on drafting a sailor collar

• Also check out Brittany's guest post at Tuppence Ha'penny Vintage's blog on making a beaded collar 

• Megan Nielson put together a great tutorial on constructing a scalloped edge beaded detachable collar

• The Quality Time blog posted a free vintage dickey and peter pan collar pattern

• If you crochet, there are some amazing free vintage crochet collar patterns available here.

• The Costumer's Manifesto has a great list of free patterns for men's and women's detachable collars from the 1850s to the 1930s.  

• See Kate Sew has a neat ruffle collar pattern and tutorial. 

What's your favourite type of collar?  Have you ever sewn a detachable collar?