See & Sew 5160 - a Vintage Camisole

One vintagey summer camisole, finished.

While collecting images for my camisole folder,  I fell in love with several I saw on Etsy.  A 1970s Laura Ashley cami in a faded rose print became the inspiration for this one.  I even had the perfect shabby rose print, a lightweight cotton from Fabric.com.

This is the pattern I used, a See & Sew from the 80s:

There is an interfaced band across the top, and it's slightly shaped to fit at the armholes.  The cami body has a bit of gathering at the top of the bustline (I could use a bit more, sort of a cheater FBA on the next one.  This one fits the tiniest bit tighter than I like).

I was lucky enough to happen across a basket full of vintage laces at an antique store last summer, and I pulled from that stash for 3 strips to use down the front of the camisole.  The wide strip in the center is flanked by a 3/8" tuck on either side, and then a strip of 1" edging was placed on the sides of the tucks.

The back of the camisole has a small casing with elastic.

 

At the hems, I added small vents, since I probably could have used about 2 more inches in width. Not the optimal solution, but it will make this one a little more easy to wear.

I'm pretty enamored with this pattern.  The fit across the chest and back is perfect!  I'd like to have a tunic-length one, with a ruffle, and maybe some Cluny lace.  And a white one with tatting and entredeaux, and...well, you get the picture.

Summer's comin!

Vintage Vogue 9523 - complete!

 

I thought I'd start off with a bang and show a lovely photo!  Here's the pattern photo, in case you missed the in progress post:

I made very few changes to the bodice pattern, a small FBA and measuring it against another vintage sundress bodice that fits me well to adjust width.  I was worried about how widely-set the straps were.  And sure enough...they were too wide.  Falling off my shoulders too wide!  I compensated for that by making two little tucks in the front square neck:

Now it just looks like a design feature.  It does create a bit of a horizontal wrinkle from my underarm, but I can live with that.  I wish I had saved scraps of my fabric to make a tiny bias tube bow.  Do you think a solid bow would look bad?  

The straps sit much better with the little tucks though.  With the right bra, no straps showing!  I also changed the skirt to a full gathered skirt.  With my super high hips jutting out immediately after my waist, those a-line skirts are a real bear for me to get to hang right.  I love the gathered skirt though!

The fabric is a pink & orange & coral tropical print lawn from Fashion Fabrics Club.  The entire dress is fully lined in pink Imperial batiste.  I sort of winged the lining & attaching the strap part, since the dress pattern calls for facings.  I ended up making two bodices and leaving openings to insert the straps later.  Then I followed the pattern directions from that point forward for attaching the straps. 

The batiste underskirt (lining) makes the skirt just poufy enough.

The cardigan is from Old Navy and is the perfect coral color.  It's just a tad too long (as are most ON cardi's!)  

There's a center-back zip and a hook & eye:

I did have a pink invisible zipper, I'm just leery of putting them in.  Even though a sewing angel sent me the correct foot!  I think it's  a mental block. 

It has a super deep hem, nearly 5 inches!

Perfect summer dress. :)  

Except for the fact that, you know, after I went to all the trouble to ensure I was laying all of the pattern pieces in one direction to cut out...  The entire dress' print is UPSIDE DOWN!  

I just had to laugh because I've been staring at and/or stitching on this dress for two weeks and never once noticed.  I'm glad.  I probably wouldn't have finished it and I love it!  I'm going to wear it, upside down or not!

Happy Saturday!

Vintage Simplicity 4657 - skirt!

I finished my skirt, the sun came out, I had cute shoes...time for photos!

 

Here the illustration for Simplicity 4675, a vintage pattern from the 50s:

I really just used the skirt pattern piece for length measurements (plus, I had to shorten due to limited fabric!)

This cute dotty fruit print has been in my stash just over a year, but I bought it on ebay and I can't find another piece of it anywhere!  It's by Darlene Zimmerman (? I may be butchering that) and was part of the "Clothesline Club" in 2007 per the selvedge. 

It's just your basic dirndl skirt, but I love it.  It's swishy and poufy.  Maybe shows a bit too much knee, especially on a windy day, but I have a vintage crinoline/petticoat on the sewing table right now being "altered" to fit me.  It's RED polkadot lace and will be perfect peeking out at the knee. 

I stitched the hem in red:

No pockets yet, but as someone pointed out to me, I can always add them later!  I did cut them out, so I'll just stash the pockets away.  They may look cute on a different skirt at some point in the future too!

My red bow ballerina flats are from Target:

I have them in black too!

That about sums up the sewing for the week  (I sewed on one hook/eye and a button).  We had Saturday school to make up for snow. Blech.  But now we're on the downhill slide to summer...can you feel it??  I can!

One more swishy vintage skirt picture...

 

Enjoy this beautiful, sunny Sunday!

Vtg Dubarry 6043 - pt 2

This is turning into one of "those" projects.  You know the ones?

For reference, here's the pattern, a 1940s Dubarry:

I'm doing the Sewing through the Decades challenge (linky on the left sidebar), and this is my 1940s entry.  Here's a snapshot of where I am right now:

Soo...the front bodice fits wonderful.  I've really got that nailed it would seem.  The back was a hot mess.  I had used my vintage McCalls 4115 back bodice and drafted a new back bodice piece for this Dubarry.  It ended up being about 6 inches too big!!  I have NO idea what happened, nor do I want to think about it too much becuase it makes my head hurt.  It would be SO much easier if I could just fit my back by sight.

Then my iron quit.  Dad to the rescue, who ran my mom's iron over to my house on his way to church!

Next, I went back and redrafted the back bodice, making it the requisite 6 inches smaller and using the pinned-to-fit bodice in progress and the original Dubarry pattern to draft off of.  Restitched the bodice, tried it on and voila.  Looked like a pretty good fit (if slightly snug this time.  sigh.)

That left me with skirt front & back.  I had compared the skirt front & back pieces from the original pattern and they appeared to be nearly an exact match shape-wise to one of my favorite New Look skirt patterns.  Which already fits.  So I subbed out my NL skirt piece (It uses the same piece for front/back) for the Dubarry.

I did trace off a copy and reshape the waistline to match the Dubarry though.  For two reasons...one, I won't have to dig around for the NL pattern next time I make this sundress and two, I was afraid the slightly different curve of the waistline would make a huge difference in fitting the bodice and skirt together.

That brings us to the next problem.  When I went to stitch the skirt on, I discovered the back skirt was about 4-6" too big for the back bodice, while the front skirt fit the front bodice perfectly. Which  makes sense I guess, since the original back bodice "should" have fit, given I made it to measurements.  And the skirt pattern was cut the same.   See, that's where the headache about this back fit thing comes into play.  HOW can that be possible??

Anyway.  What to do now?  Add darts in back?  Gathering?   It was clearly too much to ease in.  So I just went "easy" and made little pleats:

Which would be fine except now the dang thing is TOO TIGHT through my midsection/high hip!  UGH!!!  If this was a fitted dress, I think it would be fine (not in this fabric though).  Since I was going for a more flowy skirt sundress, and not a fitted midsection/hip, I'm disappointed.

I'm setting this project aside for now until I can come up with a suitable solution (bear in mind I do not have any more of this cute yellow print, so my solution has to be some sort of witchcraftery).

Before I go though, here's a close up of the cute bodice with RED RICKRACK.  I might cry if I can't fix this. Yellow daisy print with red rickrack!

I might have to find a new pattern to use my cheery pink and grey cherry fabric for...maybe a cute flowy skirt?

Don't forget to enter the Shabby Apple Dress giveaway!  Enter to win this cute wrap dress:

One more shout-out to Hell's Belle.  I really want to award this lovely blogiversary package!  If I don't hear from you by midnight Monday night, I'll be redrawing to give my vintage patterns and goodies to the next lucky winner!

Vtg McCalls 4115 - in progress #2

My Lu & I went to see this last night:

It was SO MUCH FUN!  And today I had to get up at 4:30 a.m. to take kiddos to a school competition. I'm too pooped for words.  

More yellow gingham vintage dress progress.  Skirt is attached! And...Zipper is IN! (and much easier than before.  I think I just lost track of my brain on that last one that gave me troubles).   I veered from the vintage instructions just for finishing the skirt seam (I serged it.  You can't beat a serged seam to finish that mega-gathering!) 

As soon as I get some better light (and a hem!) I'll snap some shots ON me.  I know that's the most helpful thing.  I didn't plan on the last couple of things being straight dressform shots, I really prefer body pics too.  

Lastly...Happy Valentine's Day! 

I've had a crazy followers list the past few weeks.  I hate to lose the ones who leave, but I hope you find what you're looking for in an interesting blog, and if it's not here I completely understand.  We can't be all things to all people.  Thank you to all of you who do visit and stay!  I appreciate your firendship and your comments, but even if you're a lurker and just reading along, I'm thankful!  I hope you take something away from my sewing adventures.

On that note...my 5th blogiversary is coming up.  I can barely believe I'll be starting my 6th year of blogging in March.  Wow!  I'm preparing a really fun vintage-y giveaway, so be on the lookout!

Vtg McCalls 4115 - in progress

I made a lot of progress the past two days on my yellow gingham dress!  Here is the pattern photo:

I'm making the full skirt version, with the button on tabs from the slim version.  First, here are in-progress photos I just snapped of the bodice for you picture lovers.  Then, I'll list the changes I made for fitting for the detail lovers.  ;)

Bodice front, keep in mind I'm more endowed than my dressform! Note the cute little button-on tabs peeking out from under the collar.

 

Close up of the cute v-neck.  I'm debating topstitching it.  What do you think?

Bodice back, with the back tab.  I LOVE the tabs!  I can't wait to dig around in my stash for buttons.  White?  Pearl?  Yellow??

 

Inside shot.  I've been following the vintage directions exactly, and used pinking shears to cut out/finish my interior seams.  This is the shoulder seam with the collar flipped up so you can see the facing.  I used the "turn under and edge stitch" finish for the facing raw edge.

The opposite shoulder seam with a better view of the facing.  Because of my changes to the neck, I had to redraw the facing and it seemed a tad too large.  That was probably a drawing/tracing error on my part.  The facing ever so slightly flares out at the bottom edge.  I've adjusted the pattern piece for next time. 

The inside facing at the v-neck.  I still need to tack the facings down.  I should end up with several tack points to keep the facing in place: the CF, shoulder seams, and under the tabs at front and CB.

I turned under 1/8" and edestitched the facing edge:

I topstitched all of the tabs, although the pattern did not call for it.  I thought they looked better with topstitching!  And that could be one of those things that are "left out" of vintage patterns because it was assumed you knew to do that.

I didn't happen to take pictures of the bodice during the muslin stage.  Because it is a simple, fitted bodice, I was able to use my experience & pattern from Simplicity 3430 to help gauge fit.  My first muslin was near perfect (again the front bodice WAS perfect, needing only a re-angled & shorter waist dart, and a lowered side dart). 

The back had some issues that were similar to 3430 with an additional fold of fabric under my neck.   I must be walking around with a hump back there.  Why haven't any of you mentioned that?? haha.)  I added to the sides using the Rasband book, did a swayback adjustment to remove some length at CB, and then removed that little fold/pouch of fabric under my neck by slashing the pattern and overlapping it about 1/2".  I also lowered the back neckline by about 5/8", which I find I have to do on a regular basis. 

None of the fitting books give the slash/overlap as a fix for that fold, by the way.  Pretty much all the fitting info I could find (in books or online) suggested the opposite...ADDING fabric there.  I did try that and it exacerbated the fold.  My instinct was to pin it out and lower the neckline, so I did, and voila.  Perfectly fitted to MY back.  Sometimes you need to go with your instinct! 

Now I'm off to gather the skirt pieces and pray I have a suitable zipper.  This is another side-lapped zipper, and dang it all if this pattern doesn't give any instructions at all!  I'll have to google  or dig through the pattern box I suppose.  I hate the instructions I used last time.

Hope you're all staying warm and toasty!  We still have 19" of snow on the ground (as of 4 pm last night) after a little melting and settling yesterday.  We ended up with over 25" by the time it stopped Wednesday.  That's the most snow we've ever had here. 

Happy Friday!

snowmageddon. and gingham.

I've lived here quite a while (30 years? haha) and I don't think I've ever seen the snow come down this fast or this deep.  This is what I call Crazy Snow. 

When I open the back door, I see this:

When I open the front door, I see this:

And Priscilla jumps in.

So her face looks like this:

My poor little car is stuck in the garage with 21" (and counting) behind her:

But I'm lucky because during last week's snowpocalypse, I muslined this:

And Sunday I cut it out in this:

ps...I think poor Stick Girl got snowed in, in town.  Stick Girl, call me!

Stay warm everyone!!

Vtg Simplicity 3430 - in progress #3

After a few days "away" from this dress, I have tried it back on to reassess and discovered the following things:

1. It fits perfectly through the bust, neckline/shoulder, and armscye in front.
2. It's too tight across the mid-back but too high at the back neck, and the center-back seam has a funny curve to the left.  

If I could've figured out how to take a picture of my back that could capture all of that, I would have!  What's most confusing to me is how perfect the front can be, with plenty of ease at the waist/bust, etc, just PERFECT...and yet the back is a hot mess and feels super uncomfortable.  Weird weird weird.

A little research in my two favorite fitting books and I think I've found my problem.   First I went to Jan Minott's Fitting Commercial Patterns.  The closet wrinkle chart in this book I could find was this one:

 

I do have pulling/tightness right there at mid-armhole in back but my tension wrinkles continue across mid-back and even lower.  I have used this adjustment in the past though.  It requires you to redraw the armhole, and I'm never sure I've done that adequately (and you won't know until you muslin!) 

So I went to the next book with helpful wrinkle charts, Fitting & Pattern Alteration by Liechty, Pottberg and Rasband.  I really like this book.  I'm such a sewing geek sometimes I just read it for fun. 

And here is where I found my first back wrinkle: 

 

What I love about this book is that it gives you a variety of pattern change methods.  If you're a pivot/slider, you have a diagram.  If you're a slasher/spreader, you have a diagram.  If you're one of those cut into the seam and spread people, you have a diagram.  (I wish I was one of those people.  That method always looks like it constrains proportions of things like armhole/neckline, etc. best). 

And I didn't realize it until I saw the wrinkle chart, but I have this wrinkle too:

Overall the back is too narrow, but the armhole is fine. The funny curve I get in the CB might be the fiddly zipper insertion.  I had to re-do it several times and it's possible I took up more than the seam allowance at that curvy CB level.  For now, I'm not going to address that.

To check and see if these alterations would fix my problem (before I go any further with another method) I did a terrible thing (haha).  I used the slash method (first alteration photo, far top left) and slashed my dress as shown, on each side.  Then I tried it on.

I know.  Those of you who really loved this dress so far are crying.  Sorry!  I did not love it.  In fact, it's been looking more and more Gunne Sax (and not in a good way) hanging there on my dressform.  Taunting me with it's floral print and too long skirt.  Trust me, I was never going to wear it.  The skirt was too narrow, even with 2 full widths of fabric.  It needs 3 minimum for this style (or maybe 2 widths of 60").

The good news is, the back dropped into place and smoothed out, revealing I need about 1" more in width (if I go by the amount of skin showing through the slash!)  I also need about 1" more at waist level, so I did the 2nd slash as shown in the 2nd set of photos above.  That created a new wrinkle, one that showed the CB length is too long (which I suspected anyway).

I'm altering the pattern today and I'll recut bodice only in another scrap fabric to check.  Then it's off to find another suitable fabric.  I got several lovely shirting pieces from Fabric.com's recent clearance sale! I can't resist shirting cottons, especially at $1.99 and $2.99 a yard.

Meanwhile, I'm watching it snow.  I'm stuck home in a blizzard warning, a surreal experience for those of us in Oklahoma.  Praying I don't lose power and water (and thus my sanity).

If you're anywhere east of me, it's coming your way, so stay safe and stay warm!