vtg pattern goodness.

I recently "won" this wonderful vintage pattern booklet on ebay. It's "The Farmer" Spring & Summer 1960. I'm not familiar with this mail order publication and I don't have any of their patterns, but boy do I wish I did!


Here is a page of fashions from inside the booklet (you can click for a closer peek!)


You might have noticed on the larger view that all of these gorgeous dress patterns are available in size 14-1/2 to 24-1/2. Can you just imagine having a range of plus size fashion patterns available today that looked like this?

Recently there has been some discussion online about the availability of stylish fashions for plus sizes (in RTW, although the limited variety of patterns in plus size came up too). I don't wish to enter the debate because I'm not well-versed enough in the RTW industry. I can only speak as a consumer (and a sewist!) But...it seems to me, there was a much greater variety of fashion in ALL sizes in the past. So I'm not sure I buy into the "it's too difficult" excuse.

Anyway...More lovely dresses in bust size 36-48:


And even MORE half size 14-1/2 to 24-1/2. (How gorgeous is that cream sheath and little jacket??)


The smallest size range seems to be size 10-18, as shown in the image below. Note though, that the cream gored skirt in the middle is waist size 30-46! What I wouldn't do to get my hands on that one. Actually, I want ALL of these top and skirt patterns.


The pattern booklet isn't limited to regular and plus women's fashions, there are childrens, teens, and mens. But it was the variety of larger sized patterns that has really intrigued me. This lingerie pattern is awesome! (Size 14-1/2 to 24-1/2)


I love "play suits" (Maybe it's the heat?) These are all amazing. The white with blue stitching is the plus offering in size 14-1/2 to 24-1/2. Note that the styling and detail is no less than the regular (misses) size offerings.


The pages I pulled from the Farmer booklet to show you were mostly sized to 24-1/2 (even though it has several more pages of gorgeous garments!) because I find it extremely interesting to see that the styles offered for the smallest size woman were also offered in the larger sizes, without debate or even much fanfare. It appears to just be normal to offer the current style of fashion in a larger size. Thought went into how to tweak current styles to suit different size ranges.

In a nutshell...EVERYONE was deserving of beautifully tailored clothing, whatever their size. Somewhere along the way, that attitude has fallen by the wayside.

I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend! And if you have any "Farmer" mail order patterns, or any information about the company, let us know in the comments. I'd love to know more about them!

it's coming....

But it's even BETTER than a giant shark!

I just wanted to give all of you lovely regular reader's a heads up. You don't want to miss the blog next week. I'll be co-blogging as part of a very special event (that I can't tell you about yet, hee). But I CAN tell you that it involves very cool...


and super awesome...

Woot!

Vtg Simplicity 4657

Ok, this was a really long time coming. More than one of you will be very happy to see this finished skirt! This is a vintage 1950s "cupcake skirt", Simplicity 4657.


Note that I paired it with my new/vintage McCall top! I love it tucked in. Here's the skirt pattern photo:


I decided it might be prudent to finish a nearly-complete UFO skirt before starting a brand new UFO. Call me crazy. I love the cumberbund in the pattern illustration, but alas that piece isn't included in the pattern. Drat. I do have another skirt pattern that has a similar cumberbund though, I just need to dig it out. Of course I don't have any more of this great fabric to make one, so it will have to be for a future version.

I started this skirt way back in March. It is so stinking hot outside that I didn't fool with taking detail shots. Sorry! I do have a picture from March, of the lapped metal zipper in a nearly perfect green. (Check out all those gathers!)


That zipper is from a huge bundle of vintage metal zippers I got at the flea market last September for $2. I beat my sister to it by oh, three steps or so. She was furious. Ha.

The only adjustments I made to the pattern were to lengthen the waistband to my own waist measurement plus overlap/seam allowances, and to shorten it to knee length. I don't think I could wear it much longer (unless I was going to wear a poufy slip under it, which would require a bit more length).

I'm not sure if this cupcake silhouette is one I will find myself wearing often, but it IS fun and swishy. I feel so first season Betty Draper. I'll probably pair it with a more fitted tee or tank/cardigan more often than with this fuller blouse. I love the blouse, and I love it tucked in, but I think it might be a better silhouette for me if it's tucked into a slimmer fitting trouser.

Still, there's something very nostalgic about this outfit. I like it.


Gratuitous shoe shot:


Yummy pink flat with zipper ruffle from Modcloth.

The End.

ps...I'll be cross-posting at We Sew Vintage! :-) Just click on my name in the sidebar to view all my vintage projects!

last day of summer vacation!

Dang. That went by super fast!

I really enjoyed my summer though, lots of sewing, lots of reading, lots of loafing. Can't ask for more than that.

I'm not big on regrets (what a waste of time!) but I do wish that I had sewn more bottoms this summer. I have plenty of bottom-weight fabric, and I had plans for bottoms for fall, but alas, I thought my WW efforts might sabotage any bottom-sewing. Bottoms are much harder to wear over size changes.

I needn't have worried. I didn't really do much on the weight loss front this summer, giving up on strictly following the online WW plan back in June because it was making me crazy. I'll jump back on the wagon in the next week or two when I get back on a more "regular schedule" during the day.

Meanwhile, I have no bottoms. And only one day left of summer vacay. Great! (Story of my life.) I pulled out this great little mail order pattern yesterday and did a quick tissue fit:


I would date this to early-mid 1960s? I have no idea where I got it! Probably ebay, but there is no envelope, so I'm not sure which mail order namesake it carried. The number though is 4992. Isn't that jacket fabulous??

The skirt does not have a cut-on kick pleat (although it seems to in the illustration), but rather it's an actual full-length pleat in center back. Interesting! I don't think I've encountered this before. It's a very simple silhouette, and I have just the royal blue linen to give it a go!



If it goes well, I have two other pieces of linen that would be suitable, but I'd really like to have a variety of skirts, so I might be looking for other details to add to future versions. On the bright side...should be a quick project and I'll end up with ONE bottom to start school in! (haha. Just kiddin. I still have some sewing time...actual school-clothes-wearing days don't start for another 2.5 weeks!)

Vtg McCall 5600

Here's McCall 5600, a mid-1940s blouse pattern:


It is SUCH a sweet little blouse! I love it! I made my version in a white spotted voile, nearly a dead ringer for the cover illustration. I made View B, with the yoke from View A.


View B has a separate pattern piece for the yoke, a straight piece with darts marked to miter a straight piece of lace or ribbon to create the yoke. Very clever! View A has a traditional square-shaped yoke piece that is self-fabric faced. I love the gathered center front! I needed no alteration to this pattern other than scooting the CF away from the fold 1.5" to allow for a bit of an FBA.


The yoke is applied to the bodice front/back by turning under the seam allowance on the yoke, then topstitching in place. I see this technique all the time on 1930s and 1940s patterns. There were so many interesting seams in that era, and using this technique would be the easiest way to achieve intricate seaming. Here's a closeup of the topstitching:


The facing is then handstitched to the inside, covering the seam.


The back bodice has a small, faced placket. The placket & facing square are slit, stitched along the edge of the slit, then the facing turned in. Edges are turned under and topstitched. Very simple and actually very pretty! There is a loop & button closure at the neckline.


I used a vintage white rhinestone center button. It's just faded and "old" enough to make me very happy to see it at the back neck! Hopefully the rhinestone doesn't fall out the first time I handwash this blouse! (I have spare rhinestones, no worries!) My blanket-stitched button loop is just sad. I'll be cutting it off and redoing it shortly. I'm out of practice!


There are tiny turned up hems at the sleeves and hem. I did not gather and apply the binding to the short, puffed sleeve. It was a last minute decision because I thought the fluttery effect was well suited to this voile blouse.


I will say the center front gathering does have the slightest maternity look if untucked. But the fabric is lightweight enough that it does not pouf out in the least. I've already worn it! I wore it to the movies last night with my buddy StickGirl. I didn't get a photo of it on, but I'll try to get one in the next couple of days. I spilled coffee on it getting in the car for the ride home of course! So it's already been handwashed and needs pressed again.

Love, Love Love this. I can see more in my future! One of the things I've been learning from my vintage pattern endeavors, is to slow down and pay attention to the experience of creating garments. There are so many little bits of sewing information and techniques that require you to take your time or at least put a little though into them.

For example, carefully pressing under the seam allowance of the yoke with precision so that it matches the seamline of the blouse, or creating a blanket-stitched thread loop by hand. Every few steps in the instructions there is reason for me to pause and take my time in the creation process.

Nothing I've encountered has been difficult or, to be honest, better replaced by a more modern technique. In fact, I find I'm preferring the vintage techniques over modern shortcuts.

Next, I've got to finish a couple of skirts! I have 5 days of summer vacation left and I plan to make the most of them! One more parting shot of my pretty, vintage blouse:


I'll be cross-posting at We Sew Vintage!