1970s Does 1940s Dress Refashion

It's been a long time since I've done any refashioning, so I'm excited to show my latest project.  A colleague of mine knows that I sew and she recently brought a dress in that was destined for the charity shop inquiring if I wanted it.  When I saw it, I said yes right away.  It's a floral dress with fabric covered buttons and a matching belt!

This is the dress before I refashioned it (I'm bummed I didn't take any before pictures of me wearing it...silly me!)  It was way too long in the bodice and much to long length-wise.  This combination threw off the whole proportion and fit of the dress.  In fact, it fit very much like the first dress I ever made (eeps).

Here's a close-up of the pocket and buttons:

There was also one missing button at the waistline.  To fix the fit of the dress I knew I had to bring it up at the shoulders.  This meant that I had to first take off the sleeves.  I ended up taking up the shoulders by about 2 and 1/2 inches.  I ended up making graduated tuck on the inside from the sleeve to the collar.  It does have a small pucker under the collar from taking out all this fabric but the collar hides it very well and there was no way I was going to take off and reattach the collar!

I then had to reattach the sleeves but knew that the sleeve caps were going to be 2 and 1/2 inches too small.  So I made darts in my sleeve caps (one of my favourite design features from 1940s patterns).  I got the darts perfect in one sleeve and a bit, um, too pointy in the other sleeve.  Aw, well...the pattern is very busy, I don't think you really notice (except now that I've pointed it out...lol...)

I also took off about 5-6 inches off the hemline which also allowed me to grab one of the buttons from the hem to replace the one on the waistline.  Huzzah, brand new 40s/50s inspired dress!

We took these photos right above Waverly train station.  The photo above has the Balmoral Hotel in the background.  This photo shows North Bridge and the Scotsman Hotel:

It was a little windy that day too :-)

I don't know about you, but I should do some more quick easy refashions.  They are almost as exhilarating as sewing a new pattern!

The Great British Sewing Bee Book

The Great British Sewing Bee Book tour has landed at My Happy Sewing Place! YAY!  If you haven't heard--the Great British Sewing Bee is a new TV show in the UK all about sewing!  Plus, it has the best. intro. ever. If the intro alone doesn't make you want to run (not walk) to your sewing machine...I don't know what will!

Check out episode 2 here (the title music at 1.50 to 2.10 is the best!):

You can imagine I jumped at the chance to get my sewing paws on this book. One of the things I absolutely love about the book and the show are the stories of sewing history in the UK.  The show name is inspired by the Sewing Bees that took place in Buckingham Palace to 'Stitch for Victory' in 1939.  I've just loved reading these vignettes which are scattered throughout the book..

Including the story about how bespoke tailoring started in Great Britain:

There are also loads of fantastic patterns in the book.  I think it's the first time that I've seen a sewing book in which I wanted to make almost all of the patterns:

There's one pattern included in the back of the book (for a tunic blouse).  For the rest of the patterns you either have to download them and print them out or scan and enlarge the pattern page.

I've downloaded the Pyjama bottoms pattern (I don't know about you but I've been wanting an easy staple pj pattern that I don't need to draft myself...lol):

It was really easy to download and print out the pattern.  This is what one of the pages looks like:

The black notches help you match up the pages for taping together:

Et voila!  All ready to cut out!  I'll be making both David and myself some new PJs this week!  Definitely check out the book if you want a nice collection of staple patterns (including curtains, cushion covers, a circle skirt, a fabulous halter dress...the list goes on!)  The book is also great because I recognise a lot of the patterns that were made during the show (including Tilly's blouse pattern!)

Check out the giveaways of the book happening at the moment:

• Karen is giving away a copy over at her blog Did You Make That
• There is a giveaway going on over at Teasemade

You can also buy the book at Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Also check out the other reviews that are part of this blog tour organised by Crafty magazine:

• At the blog Peas and Needles
• The lovely review by Jane who blogs over at Handmade Jane

Next up, the blog tour is heading over to Rachel, just back from her trip to Brazil!  Check out her post tomorrow at House of Pinheiro.

A super big thank you to Crafty magazine for including me in this fabulous line-up!  So, tell me... Have you seen the show?  What did you think of last week's elimination?  Do you love the intro music/title as much as I do?

Mad Men Sewing: Season 6 Episodes 1 and 2

Welcome to my new series--'Mad Men Sewing' where I will feature some of the costumes from the show and matching vintage patterns to recreate the looks!

I was very excited about the start of season 6 on Sunday and was able to catch up with the series on itunes.  I think this season is going to be really fun in terms of costumes/outfits.  According to the styles, it seems like the season is set somewhere between 1968 and 1969 (though they haven't officially said).  Some of the outfits are still very mod but creeping into some of the 1970s styles.

Here are my pick of outfits and pattern matches based on episodes 1 and 2...

Megan's bikini:
Episode one opens with Megan and Don on the beach in Hawaii.  Megan is wearing a really fun and bright bikini:

Retro swimsuit sewing patterns from top to bottom: 1. Swimsuit and trouser/top cover-up available at Retro Monkeys' Etsy shop; 2. Bathing suit and cover-up pattern available at CynicalGirl's Etsy shop; 3. Swimsuit and top and shorts cover-up pattern available at Retro Monkeys' Etsy shop

It's interesting because I think her bikini might not be historically accurate? All of the vintage patterns I've seen are mostly for bandeau type tops or halter neck bikinis with thick straps. What do you think?   There are a lot of 1960s bikini patterns--the ones shown above are a few of my favourites.

Megan's beach cover-up:

Keeping with the funky and bright coloured fabrics, Megan wears a short cover-up on the beach:

1960's swimsuit cover-up and beach patterns. Left: pattern from SewVintageLady; Right: Butterick Easy Living beach dress pattern from Mrs Depew Vintage

While the beach cover-up pattern on the left (McCall's 8812) is a more accurate match, I can't help but LOVE the pattern on the right (Butterick 2288)....such a cute mod beach dress!!

Joan's Double-Breasted Waistcoat/Vest, Skirt and Ruffled Blouse Ensemble
Can I just say that even though she didn't have very many lines in the first two episodes, Joan still stole the show?  She looked fantastic!  I love the purple tones and the ruffled blouse:

1960s ruffled blouse patterns from left to right: 1. Ruffled blouse pattern, available at Adele Bee Ann Patterns; 2. Ruffled blouse pattern with skirt and jacket, available at Retro Monkeys' Etsy Shop; 3. Ruffled v-neck blouse and pinafore pattern, also available at Retro Monkeys' Etsy Store

You can't tell from the photo above but Joan is not wearing a one-piece dress.  It's a waistcoat/vest with a matching skirt.  Here are a few one-piece double-breasted wiggle dresses from the time period:

Double-breasted pinafore/jumper patterns.  Left: Available at Miss Betty's Attic Etsy Shop; Right: Available at Delicious Patterns and at Deja Vu Patterns Etsy Stores

And here are a few waistcoat patterns for a more accurate portrayal of Joan's outfit (to be paired with a pencil skirt):

1. Butterick 9474 pattern, available at the Alternating Pattern Etsy Store; 2. McCall's 5783, available at Frisky Scissors' Etsy Store

Jane's Mod Dress:

Ok, besides Joannie...the show was also stolen by Jane.  Who looks that good at a funeral??  I gasped when I saw her outfit.  She looks like she just walked off the cover of a Vogue Paris Original (VPO) Pattern.  I didn't find a VPO that matched exactly but here are a few that remind me of her outfit:

1. Vogue Paris Original 1540 designed by Jacques Heim, available at All the Precious Things Etsy Shop; 2. Vogue Paris Original 1809 designed by Patou, available at All the Precious Things Etsy Shop:  ; 3. Vogue Paris Original 2206 designed by Molyneux, available at Hela Q's Vintage Patterns Etsy Shop

Here's a closer look at her dress and matching hat:

And here's the outfit I wish she was wearing (lol...maybe I should name this series 'What they should have worn'...):

Vogue Paris Original 1722 designed by Pierre Cardin, available at Floradora Presents Etsy Store

This has to be one of my favourite Vogue Paris Original patterns.  The design is so mod-a-licious!

So, tell me...did you watch the season premiere?  Were you as shocked as I was by the last five minutes?  Oh dear...I think we are in for a ride this season!  What was your favourite outfit of the night?

Scotland Sundays: Summerhall and the Mini Maker Faire

Today I went to the Edinburgh Mini Maker Faire which was hosted as part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.

Tinker, tailor, homespun maker

The Faire showcases what people are making--everything from innovative technologies to sewing and crafting.  It was held at the Summerhall venue--an impressive building with space for festival events as well as workshop spaces.  

To say the faire was 'mini' is very accurate.  There were about 8-10 booths in one room that consisted of the bulk of the Faire.  With that said, there were a lot of interesting things there--though we ended up venturing off and checking out the Science Festival as well.

Hey look...'I'm on a boat'...teeheee.  The space is very interactive and there were a ton of things for kids to do (of which I, of course, took part in as well....).  I'm wearing my Raspberry Sorbet dress with my new, *ahem*, Ness jacket (it was half price and my resistance was futile).

Though the coolest thing ever was the sewing bicycle.  The brilliant idea of Hannah Brackston, it's a vintage singer sewing machine connected up to a bicycle.

The sewing bicycle was envisaged as an art piece--bringing people together.  Hannah has done a series of events called One Cycle, One Sew in which she moves throughout public outdoor spaces and invites people to sew or bicycle with her to make things.  Such a fun idea... One person bicycles while the other person sews:

I had a blast.  I know this photo looks like I'm sewing my arm...but I'm just lifting the presser foot:

There were loads of other bikes that had been re-engineered in fun ways (like the one below).  Kids and adults could have a go riding any of the bikes...it was really fun to watch.  But the real reason for this photo is the NYC subway sign (funny, eh?):

If there's anything David and I can do, it's effortlessly moving between silly and classy.  One of our absolute favourite tea parlours (which doubles as an antique shop) is just around the corner from the Summerhall venue.  Anteaques is an amazing place--we just LOVE it.  It's only open on the weekends, so we took the opportunity to try out some new tea (almond for me and hazelnut for David).  Yum.

  

Hope you had a lovely and crafting inspired Sunday!

Why I Sew with McCall Printed Patterns

I love this McCall advertisement (from my 1940 McCall Needlework Magazine):

The illustration features three 1940 McCall dresses (3852, 3867 and 3878 from left to right).  Though isn't the plane angled a little sharply downwards?  eeps!

My favourite part is the last sentence: "It's scientific in EVERY DETAIL --eliminates error, saves my time"  hmmm....maybe if I repeat this mantra I'll sew quicker and without any mistakes...lol

Happy Saturday!

McCall 3678: The Famous Hooded Princess Dress

Photo taken by Sofia at our fabulous blogger meet-up in London 

I'm still catching up on all my 1940 McCall makes and my absolute FAVE so far has been McCall 3678, a.k.a. 'The Famous Hooded Princess Dress'.  It's definitely in my top five 1940 McCall patterns!

According to the April 1940 McCall Advance Paris Style booklet:

"There are three things here of utmost fashion importance--the hood, shown on a dress for the first time, the big pockets, which you see everywhere, and (view B) the return of the fly closing.  Not only is this princess dress smart in light-weight wool with its hood lined with printed crepe, but it's being made all of print, too.  The hooded printed dress is something as new and as fresh as tomorrow morning.  No. 3678  Sizes 12-20. 50 cents"

I do wonder if this was the first hooded dress pattern to appear?  It definitely started as a trend in 1940.  I haven't yet run across any 1939 or earlier hooded dress patterns....

McCall 3678 is also the lead illustration in the April McCall's Magazine:

The April magazine has this to say about McCall 3678:

"One Important Thing about spring dresses is--hoods.  Look at the princess dress on this page, No. 3678.  We show this dress in summery white to make sure that everyone understands that hoods have nothing to do with winter.  Hoods are not to keep the ears warm, not even to shade the eyes, not to preserve the finger-wave, but just for style. They are now a big spring and summer fashion!"

This really makes me want to make a white summery version of the hooded dress!

To say that I adore this pattern would be an understatement!  It's perfect in every way.  The princess seams make the dress fit beautifully but also make it incredibly easy to grade up (which I did for this pattern).

Another reason I love the pattern is it is brilliantly drafted.  Look at how it drapes!  The soft back folds are amazing and I love how the front hangs as well.  I also LOVE pleated sleeve caps.  Ahhhh...all my favourite things in one pattern!

I made the dress up in a stretch gabardine fabric that is the perfect weight for most of our Scottish weather!

The hood is really easy to construct and line (it's the only part of the dress that is lined).  I used a union jack lining fabric to give a bit of a fun surprise to the lining and pocket flap.

This dress often gets mistaken as a coat--which took me by surprise once at airport security when they asked me to take my coat off.  Ooops.  I did explain it was a dress and the security person look really embarrassed (phew)!  This could, however, be made into a coat very easily. I do love the button down version but also want to try the fly closing version (view B).

Ok, you might see me making more iterations of this dress.  I do love it so!  And all the polka dotted versions in the illustrations are so adorable....maybe another dress for summer?

Did you know hooded dresses were all the rage in 1940?  I think it's a trend we should bring back....it's incredibly useful (even if it is only for style) :-)

T is for Tucks

The ABCs of Vintage Sewing series is back!  I hope you didn't think I abandoned it after the letter 'S'? (ahem).  Today's letter 'T' is all about tucks!  A tuck is a fold in the fabric that is sewn into place.  When the tucks are small and placed closed together, they are called 'pintucks'.

According to the 1943 edition of the 'Complete Book of Sewing' by Constance Talbot:

"In soft materials, tucks control fullness and take the place of darts.  These are marked in the pattern or must be planned to give fullness where it is needed.  A large tuck at the shoulder line is sometimes used to cover the shoulder seam... Every tuck in a group must be exactly the same width, and the space between tucks must be carefully measured."

Tucks are a very common feature of vintage sewing, existing in fashions from almost every decade.   Historically, tucks were also used to shorten a finished garment--so that it could be subsequently lengthened later by removing the tucks.  This was especially popular for children's garments.  Of course, this could be done in the opposite way as is mentioned in Louisa May Alcott's book, Little Women when Amy says:

"My only comfort," she said to Meg, with tears in her eyes, "is that Mother doesn't take tucks in my dresses whenever I'm naughty, as Maria Parks's mother does.  My dear, it's really dreadful, for sometimes she is so bad her frock is up to her knees, and she can't come to school.     -Chapter 4 {source} 

Here's a look at different styles and uses of tucks in vintage sewing patterns throughout the decades:

1930s:

1. Companion Butterick 8315 pattern, available at Adele Bee Ann Patterns Etsy Store; 2. 1930s Day Slip, various sizes, available at Mrs Depew Vintage Etsy store; 3. 1938 McCall dress pattern, available at Cynical Girl's Etsy Store; 4. 1930s nightgown in various sizes, available at Mrs Depew Vintage Etsy Store; 5. 1930s New York 632 Pattern, available at JFerrari Designs Etsy Store; 6. 1930s Simplicity 3152 dress pattern, available at Pattern and Stitch Etsy Shop

I just love the tucks of the 1930's.  They often appear in the form of very small pintucks but give such amazing detail to any garment.  I love that the detail also appears on everyday wear like nightgowns!!

1940s: 

1. McCall 7663 dress pattern, available at J Ferrari Designs Etsy Shop; 2. DuBarry 6044 halter top pattern, available at Cynical Girl's Etsy Shop; 3. McCall 5881 skirt pattern, available at Adele Bee Ann Patterns Etsy Shop; 4. Advance 4769 blouse pattern, available at RetroMonkeys' Etsy Shop; 5. McCall 7203 dress pattern, available at Floradora Presents Etsy Shop; 6. Simplicity 4566 blouse pattern, available at Cynical Girl's Etsy Shop

When I think about tucks, I automatically think of the 1940s.  I just love the use of tucks in blouses and shirt dresses and also the innovative use of tucks like in the halter top (#2) and horizontal decorative tucks (#5) in the patterns above.


1950s:

1. Marian Martin 9090 dress pattern, available at Floradora Presents Etsy Shop; 2. McCall 5038 dress pattern, available at RetroMonkeys' Etsy Shop; 3. Simplicity 2033 dress pattern, available at J Ferrari Designs Etsy Shop; 4. Simplicity 4556 dress pattern, available at Adele Bee Ann Patterns Etsy Shop; 5. Butterick 6293 dress pattern, available at Cynical Girl's Etsy Shop; 6. Butterick 5694 blouse pattern, available at RetroMonkeys' Etsy Shop

The 1950s also made innovative use of tucks to give the beautiful feminine 50s silhouette by taking out fullness at the waistline, bust area or hipline.  I just love all these pattern examples!


Sewing Tucks:


One of the best links for sewing perfect tucks is the tutorial from Tilly and the Buttons.  While you are at it, check out her delicious Mathilde blouse pattern and her latest creation, the Miette skirt pattern!

Have you worked at all with tucks or pintucks?  I just love them as a vintage style detail!

Burda Style 7255: The 'Liberty Hostess' Blouse

Don't ask me what I'm doing with this pose.  It's a mix between hostess and Martial Arts Sensei....lol.  I'll go with 1960s hostess.

I've been dying to try the retro Burda Style patterns.  Have you seen them?  The last time my local fabric store had a pattern sale, I picked up Burda Style 7255.  It's an adorable retro 1960s blouse pattern:

I finally used the amazing Liberty fabric that I picked up at the Crafters' Ceilidh meet-up.  I just love the bright colours.  The blouse pattern has the most amazing tucks turning into a deep pleats across the back.  The back pleats get a little bit lost in the fabric print but I know they are there ;-)

I really, really, really love the collar on this blouse.  It's such a cute 60s rounded collar.

The pattern instructions were very clear and straightforward and the sizing was spot on.



The bottom of the blouse has a separate band which is not completely on the straight grain, making it slightly tricky with a matching check design.  I'm really happy with the blouse and know it will match a ton of things in my wardrobe.

Here's my attempt at mimicking the pattern cover pose (teehee):

For more 1960s Burda Style blouse inspiration check out the adorable version from Swell Sewing and the bow-tied version by Rike who blogs over at Draped in Cloudlets.