Category Archives: Uncategorized

December 11, 2013 · 8:43 pm

Color Wheel

Pantone’s annual announcement of “the color” of the coming year is always notable. Last week’s revelation of Radiant Orchid as the newest “it” color caught me a little by surprise. After emerald green’s reign over 2013, I just was not expecting such a dramatic turn on the color wheel. But, being a “pink” person, I think I can be persuaded to embrace this violet-y pink, although right now I have no fabric or project planned to do so. I am actually thinking that this color might suit me better in accessories rather than a full outfit in it. Handbags and shoes? Yes, I could get excited about that.

This choice of color made me start to think about predecessors to it, so back I went to my Vogue Pattern Magazines, two from the 1950s and one from the 1960s, to see what I could find. In December/January of 1953-54, an entire feature focused on The Pleasures of Pink.

“From bon bon to shocking – from the beach to the ballroom … pink casts its rosy glow”

Two ads from the February/March 1957 VPM featured a pink, which is very close to 2014’s radiant orchid. Who could argue with the statement “You are more beautiful in Silk”?

Here is” Radiant Orchid”, mid-century style!

Lowenstein’s ad features “Signature” cottons designed by famous artists. If you read the caption fully, you will see that the price per yard is listed at “about $1.39”.

And don’t you love the hat??

December/January of 1960-61 shows two of the suit and blouse patterns in what could definitely be called Radiant Orchid.

Look at that Chanel-type jacket in Pattern #4136.

While 2014 is set to be the year of “Radiant Orchid”, dear old 2013 is just not quite over yet. Busy December of every year finds me focusing on the colors of Christmas and the holiday season more than on the current fashionable colors.

Somehow, Christmas just would not be Christmas if I were not scrambling to finish some handmade gifts. This year is no different, as I conjured up some crazy idea to design and make Christmas-themed potholders as a small addition to the presents I give to some very wonderful ladies who help me in my house (and vacuum many a thread off the floor of my sewing room!) I dug through my stash of “quilting” cottons and came up with some holiday themed fabric, which I used as my starting point. Then I paired each fabric with some complementary small prints, and concocted what I hope looks like fancy Christmas balls – except that they are large enough to use on a hot pan!

I indulged my love of rickrack, and the most fun part was deciding which color binding and which color rickrack to use to enhance the finished product.

I added a small gray “cap” at the top to simulate a Christmas ball hook-holder, and a rick-rack loop for hanging.

This is my favorite one…

Coming full circle (pardon the pun) on the color wheel brings me back to radiant orchid – and whether our holiday celebrations will possibly see any pink hues peeking out between the Christmas reds and greens? Oh, yes! Once I get around to cookie-making, I’ll be certain to make fashionably forward stockings and mittens decorated with sparkly pink sugar!

14 Comments

Filed under Chanel-type jackets, Uncategorized, vintage Vogue patterns from the 1950s, vintage Vogue patterns from the 1960s

Tagged as 1950's Vogue patterns, Chanel-inspired jackets, Pantone, vintage Vogue patterns

November 25, 2013 · 5:24 pm

No. 2 ~ The Beginning

I may – or may not – find Chanel No. 5 Paris Parfum in my Christmas stocking, but Chanel-inspired, Classic French Jacket No. 2 can currently, definitely, be found in my sewing room. Well, actually, it’s not a jacket yet. It is just lengths of fabric and loose trims and buttons, but that is how these things begin, as every home dressmaker knows.

I actually started planning this jacket long before I took the Classic French Jacket Class with Susan Khalje this past summer. In September of 2012 when I was at Britex Fabrics in San Francisco, I found this boucle and purchased it – even then – as my intended Jacket No. 2.

This fabric is very soft, perhaps due to a certain percentage of mohair wool in its composition.

My first jacket is definitely very dressy, so I wanted this one to be less so, which meant I had to find just the right lining, trim, and buttons. It took another, recent, trip to San Francisco to produce those ingredients – and I couldn’t be more pleased with what I found again at Britex.

A bolt of this light-weight silk twill was tucked under one of the front tables, and it was love at first sight. I was hoping to find something with navy blue in it, and the geometric pattern in this fabric makes it bold and less dressy than a floral silk charmeuse would be.

The ruler will help you get a feel for the size of the squares. Click on the photo for a close-up view.

Immediately, however, I knew that I had to purchase enough for a blouse as well, which I did. I suspect I’ll be using this pattern from 1957 for a blouse with a bow, which should evoke the correct Coco Chanel look. (A muslin should tell me if I need to tame the bow. I don’t want it to be overwhelming…)

View B with long sleeves has my vote.

With fabrics in tow, I then headed up to the Buttons and Trims Department on the 3^rd floor. An initial look at the red trims flummoxed me, as none of them seemed right. Then one of the wonderful assistants in the Department came to my rescue and found these two trims.

Shown with the lining/blouse fabric . . .

. . . and again.

Back and forth I went between them, unable to make a decision. It was then that I went to my fail-safe method of choosing between two equally wonderful trims: I bought both of them! ( It certainly helped that neither was terribly expensive – and both very versatile.)

Now that I have them home, I am leaning toward one of them – can you guess which one? Does it help to see the buttons, too? Once again, the experienced button assistant quickly found these – and there was no question in my mind that they were just what I wanted for this jacket.

These are shank buttons, with gold decoration reminiscent of Chanel "C"s.

These are shank buttons, with gold decoration slightly reminiscent of intertwined Chanel “C”s.

And here with the other trim.

Well, as in so much in life, timing is everything – or it sometimes seems that way. My timing could be better to be starting such a lengthy project. It is, after all, one month until Christmas. I have those proverbial stockings to fill and much to do, but I’ll just bet I can squeeze in some sewing time before my sewing room transforms into Santa’s workshop.

15 Comments

Filed under Blouse patterns from the 1950's, Boucle for French style jackets, Buttons - choosing the right ones, Chanel-type jackets, Coco Chanel, Uncategorized, vintage Vogue patterns from the 1950s

Tagged as 1950's Vogue patterns, Boucle, Britex Fabrics, Chanel-inspired jackets, Choosing buttons, fashion sewing, vintage fashion, vintage Vogue patterns

November 19, 2013 · 6:21 pm

Date Night

For a number of years now, Thursday evening has been “date night” for my husband and me. That’s what we call it, but it really just means that we always go out for drinks and dinner. It is always one of my favorite nights of the week. Part of the fun of it is the “standing reservation” we have at a favorite local “drinkery/eatery”, where we are always met by friendly staff and a “kitchen” that knows our favorite choices. Because we so often go to this same place, I like to mix up what I wear. I doubt anybody actually notices, but it is just one of those things which is important to me! Anyway, my new blouse is going to be a colorful, welcome addition to my Thursday night wardrobe.

Made from pink silk which I purchased in the 1980s.

As I stated in my last post (distanced from this one by a sojourn to California, from which I did not return empty-fabric-handed…!), I based this blouse on a RTW one I have worn for years. I always remember the good advice given on page 86 in 101 Things I learned in Fashion School (by Alfedo Cabrera with Matthew Frederick. Copyright 2010, Grand Central Publishing, New York, New York): “When in doubt, look in your closet. When unsure about how a garment you’ve designed should be constructed, look at your own wardrobe: We all have at least one pair of fly-front pants and a garment that buttons down the front. It doesn’t take much time or effort to pull it out and replicate or adapt what one sees.”

A little book filled with great information

Of course, I wanted to start with a basic blouse pattern, which I could tweak to recreate my old favorite one. At this point, you might ask, “How difficult can it be to find a basic, long-sleeved, banded collar blouse pattern?” A lengthy search through my patterns produced exactly one with some of the lines I wanted. Just looking at it kind of made me cringe. But then I realized that, with certain changes, it would probably be just about perfect. Copyright 1972, this Simplicity pattern looks about as dated as it is, but its “bones” are still good!

Among the details I needed to change:

1) The collar band was much too wide, so I narrowed it by about 50%.

2) The collar was too big and too pointed, so I redrafted it to match the collar on my green blouse.

Changes to the collar band and the collar.

3) I eliminated the back yoke.

4) I made the front and back pieces a little straighter at the side seams, and then added two darts to the back to take in some of the fullness and make the blouse curve over the hips a little more flatteringly.

5) I loved the “sportshirt” sleeve plackets on my green blouse, so I went to my 1972 Vogue Sewing Book to find out how to add them to this blouse. I narrowed the cuffs, too.

I practiced on muslin first!

I am fairly happy with how these plackets turned out. I can’t ever remember making this type of placket before, so I guess it was a first for me!

6) I eliminated the front button band.

7) I added side slits and narrow topstitching to all the edges, just like on my green blouse.

This shows the sleeve heading, which I narrowly topstitched. Click on the photo for a better look.

Here is the topstitching on the front edge.

Oh, there is more, but you get the idea. I made a permanent record of all these changes with a whole new set of pattern pieces.

When it came to choosing buttons, I hoped to find some vintage ones to compliment the bright pink. I found this gray pearl set (picked up somewhere for 50 cents), and the iridescence in them shimmered a bit of pink.

The holes on two of the buttons were a little off center, but fortunately, I only needed 8 of them!

The process of making this blouse was fun and low-stress: I interfaced the collar and cuffs with silk organza, of course, but other than that, there were no underlinings, no linings, no bound buttonholes to worry about!

With a cashmere blend scarf, for a dressier look.

A vintage scarf to go with this vintage fabric!

I’m looking forward to wearing this blouse often, but especially for date night, which just so happens to make “date day” also fun and low stress: no dinner to plan and cook – which means more time in the sewing room!

15 Comments

Filed under Blouses, Buttons - choosing the right ones, Scarves, sewing in silk, Uncategorized, vintage buttons, vintage Vogue patterns from the 1970s

Tagged as Blouses, Choosing buttons, fashion sewing, scarves, silk

October 31, 2013 · 9:35 pm

Looking at Blouses

In my quest to make a couple of “simple” pieces before I start another “Chanel-inspired” jacket, I decided to make a blouse. I am very partial to the color of deep pink – and the remains of a length of silk, which I have already used in two projects (here and here), kept surfacing whenever I went through my fabric collection. The weight is perfect for a blouse – so my plans starting taking shape, based on this fabric.

First I went through my pattern collection to see what I could find. Two blouse patterns from 1957 and one from 1959 are lovely but did not seem quite right for my fabric.

View B is my favorite – and how current is this look?

I have already used this pattern once, but I think I took some of the fullness out of the sleeves.

This blouse pattern is part of a suit.

Just for fun, I thought I would look at some of my early Vogue Pattern Book Magazines to see what else was being featured for blouses. In February/March of 1955, this tucked shirtwaist is the very picture of elegance:

The tucks make this blouse very ladylike.

In the same issue, this “bloused jacket” gives the appearance of a classic shirtwaist blouse:

And look at this “wrap” blouse, also from 1955:

Three years later, in October/November of 1958, “A Change of Tops” was suggested. “For variety’s sake, make a wardrobe of extra blouses and jackets to change the look of your skirts…” That sounds like a good idea to me, especially with the pretty styles that are featured:

Another beautiful wrap blouse among the suggestions!

By 1972, collars were beginning to be a bit on the large side for my taste, but these three blouses are still “smashing” even 40 years later!

Made up in a plaid taffeta.

This is the same pattern as the blouse above, but with a ruffled collar.

The diagonal print is very effective in this style.

I was particularly drawn to the diagram for the blouse shown above, as it is just a classic shirtwaist style:

Seeing this blouse reminded me of how much I like an old (very old) RTW David Brooks blouse that I have been wearing for years.

It still looks stylish, and I really enjoy wearing it. So – why not make a “copy” in my pink silk? Could I possibly find another pattern in my collection that could be suitably altered to achieve this look and style?

Well, I did. My blouse is currently “under construction” – but the pattern (to be revealed in my next post) is so funny looking that one may truly ask “Why did you ever save that one?” Hopefully I’ll have a really good, bright pink answer to that soon!

2 Comments

Filed under Blouse patterns from the 1950's, Uncategorized, vintage Vogue patterns from the 1950s, vintage Vogue patterns from the 1970s, Wrap blouses

Tagged as Blouses, fashion sewing, silk, vintage Vogue patterns

October 22, 2013 · 1:51 pm

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod

“. . . and the wooden ship that sailed the skies is a wee one’s trundle bed.”

Do you ever see a fabric and feel captivated by its charm, its design, its ambience? That is what happened to me when I saw this fabric on the website of Britex Fabrics:

It is a moderately heavy-weight wool blend, made in Italy (the source of so many beautiful and exquisite fabrics), and its friendly jacquard-woven deer, set amongst the bold pink checks, with that subtle gold woolen thread traversing its expanse, seemed to be a blend of Tyrolean style, buffalo checks, and frontier whimsy! I loved it, but I could not quite imagine it made up into anything wearable – at least for me.

So I decided not to buy it.

But then I did.

What can I say? I had to have it. Of course, by the time I reversed my decision, I had determined it was the perfect fabric from which to make a small blanket – just the right size for a “wee one’s trundle bed.” The small trundle bed, which we purchased years ago, has been patiently waiting to be used by a wee one – and although our little granddaughter is still in a crib, it won’t be long until this little bed will be the perfect place for her to snuggle and sleep and dream when she is with us. So of course – a warm, whimsical blanket was in order. Since it is almost impossible to find linens to fit such specific little beds, making one was very much on my agenda.

The first thing I did was go to JoAnn’s Fabrics to see if I could get blanket binding. I could not believe my eyes when I found this bright pink color.

Then it was just a matter of measuring, deciding where in the plaid of the fabric to place the binding, and sew! One thing that made the application of the satin blanket binding much easier was using a walking foot. Nice and easy and fun.

Cut and ready to be bound.

The binding sewn on, blanket finished!

I mitered the corners and used a fell stitch to hand-finish them.

One of the corners.

It fits well . . .

. . . and is nice and warm.

I had ordered a bit more fabric than I thought I might need – enough to make a doll blanket – and maybe a jacket for a teddy bear one day. Who knows – we’ll wait and see what our wee one asks me to sew.

I fringed the edges of the doll blanket and added rick rack for fun!

Too pretty to go completely out of sight – and easier to pull out for” wee ones”.

10 Comments

Filed under Blankets and doll blankets, Uncategorized, woolens

Tagged as blankets, Britex Fabrics, doll blankets, sewing, trundle beds, woolens

October 6, 2013 · 11:44 am

“P” is for Pearl — and — Perseverance

Among timeless fashion statements, pearls and wrap dresses both make my top-ten list. The opportunity to combine the two was just too good to pass by, especially after being inspired by a silk charmeuse perfectly suited for just such a pairing.

Pearls and ribbons and clusters, fabric purchased from Mendel Goldberg Fabrics in NYC.

As luck would have it, shortly after I purchased the silk for this dress, an entire article in the Style & Fashion section of The Weekend Wall Street Journal of August 24 – 25 (2013) was devoted to “the old-fashioned allure of pearls…” It seems that pearls are “showing up on everything from shoes to wallpaper to chairs” – and to fabric, as evidenced by my Italian silk charmeuse. I am just “old-fashioned” enough to think that pearls are never not in style, but I must admit that even I was smitten with the unusual and modern approach of this fabric design.

Pearls are showing up everywhere, it seems.

So – how would this modern fabric look, made up in a mid-1970s’ wrap dress pattern? I thought it would work quite well. But getting there turned out to be challenge. Although I was lacking the classic Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress pattern that I envisioned for this dress (blogged about here), I thought I could piece together a 1976 Simplicity version and a new Vogue wrap dress pattern to achieve my goal.

This is the dress I wanted to recreate…

The Simplicity “version” of the Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress.

Vogue 8784 diagrams

Here’s what I did:

1) I decided to use the princess-seamed bodice back from the new Vogue pattern.

2) I re-cut the collar and the cuffs from the Simplicity pattern so that the points on them would not so extreme.

3) Because the ties on the Simplicity pattern were not attached to the dress (the tie was just like a very long separate sash) I used the ties from this DvF pattern, and attached them to the side seams.

4) The missing sleeve pattern piece in the Simplicity pattern meant that I had to use the sleeve from the new Vogue pattern and basically redraft it, with an elbow dart, and with cuffs. I also used Simon Henry’s book The Little Black Dress: How to make the perfect one for you as a reference.

This is the wrap LBD dress featured in the book.

5) I ended up making two complete muslins and re-stitching one of those muslins, before I had a workable pattern. All of this seemed to take forever!

When I finally cut out the black silk organza underlining, I was ready for a celebration, but of course, that would have been premature. Although the design in the fashion fabric really could not be “matched”, I still had to respect the placement of the “clusters” as they would relate to the bodice. (I did not want “clusters” at the apex of the bust darts, for example.) And I felt like the “clusters” should be placed at equal distances from each other over the expanse of the dress, if possible. After determining all this and cutting out the fashion fabric, I finally got to sewing, which included lots of basting, catch-stitching all the seams to the underlining, understitching the collar by hand (which worked beautifully, for which I was very grateful!), setting in the sleeves, making the lining, etc., etc.

Here is the final placement of the fabric design on the front of the bodice . . .

. . . and here is the bodice back.

Understitching the collar created a slight under-curve which helps the collar lay flat.

This boring view just shows the lining that was so tedious to attach!

I made the mistake of making the cuffs before a final fitting of the sleeves. (I thought I was being smart and getting “prep” work done, but I just made more work for myself). I ended up shortening the sleeves and enlargening the openings so that I would be able to push them up on my arms if I wanted to. The cuffs I had made were not long enough to accommodate these adjustments, so back I went to cut and make new cuffs. Fortunately I had just enough fabric to squeeze these out!

For buttons for the cuffs, I went to my button box and came up with this card:

The original price of these buttons was 10 cents. I picked them up for 50 cents at some point. It almost seemed a shame to cut them off of the card!

Because I had reduced the points on the cuffs, I needed “not-too-big” buttons and these proved to be perfect, I thought, and in keeping with the “pearl” theme.

Here is one of the cuffs with buttons attached.

Working on the black fashion and lining fabrics was tedious. And it seemed the more I worked on this dress, the more there was to do on it! Kind of like eating a big bowl of pasta – the work seemed to multiply before my eyes. Fast, easy, and jiffy this was not! It’s times like this that being of a stubborn nature serves me well. I persevered and got it done! And even better, I am really happy with the results.

I will replace this photo with one of me in the dress as soon as I can!

Here is the dress on my new dress form . . .

. . . and here it is on ME!

Now – two more “P” words. I have “P”romised myself that my next “P”roject will be simple. Maybe a blouse – or even a blanket?

15 Comments

Filed under Buttons - choosing the right ones, couture construction, Little Black Dress, sewing in silk, Uncategorized, vintage buttons, vintage Vogue Designer patterns, vintage Vogue patterns from the 1970s, Wrap dresses

Tagged as Choosing buttons, Diane von Furstenberg, fashion sewing, Mendel Goldberg Fabrics, silk, vintage fashion, vintage Vogue patterns, Wall Street Journal Fashion coverage, wrap dresses

September 20, 2013 · 6:12 pm

Cookie Cutter Fashion

One thing that might get me out of the sewing room and into the kitchen is the thought of making “fashionable” cookies. It must be the thought of producing numerous Little Black Dresses in one day, or of attaching sugary flounces onto the skirts of many ball gowns, or dreaming of more shoes than I could possibly wear, that makes this activity so enticing. Add the ambience of Paris to that – and suddenly baking is almost as much fun as sewing.

What suddenly took my thoughts away from sewing – and to flour, sugar, butter and rolling pins? An image of the newest cookie cutters from Ann Clark recently arrived in my Inbox – and among the offerings is this lovely ballgown:

I can’t wait to add it to my small collection of other fashionable cutters, shown here:

The Little Black Dress is a must for any dressmaker’s wardrobe – and kitchen:

The tags which come with the cutters are as charming as the cutters themselves! (All images copyright by Ann Clark Ltd.)

Think of the possibilities for the High Heel Shoe: polka dots, sparkles, stripes, plain and simple or fancy evening slipper:

And what fashionable kitchen is complete with out the Eiffel Tower for stylish ambience?

Recipes are included with each cutter, although I always use a tried and true shortbread concoction that never fails me. The decorating is the fun part – probably because it is creative, like sewing. (I am hoping that a “Kelly” handbag cookie cutter might be the next addition to Ann Clark’s selection!)

Now, to be a little more serious about fashion sewing . . . I’ve added another “page” to my blog – Favorite Products and Resources (see up top). This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and I’ll add to it as I discover more treasures to share.

But – back to baking. Should anyone be hosting a “Fashionable Feast,” I’ll bring dessert. Cookies, of course!

6 Comments

Filed under Little Black Dress, Uncategorized

Tagged as fashion sewing, love of sewing

September 9, 2013 · 3:51 pm

Feathers for Fancy, Feathers Forever

I really had no intention of writing a new post today. I have been away from home quite a bit, and the few days I have had at home, I have been working on “perfecting” (hopefully) a muslin for my wrap dress. But – I was inspired yesterday when I read the fashion section of the Weekend Wall Street Journal. Meenal Mistry devoted her front-page article to Fall’s “feathered looks” which range from casual to office to evening attire. This was the only excuse I needed to join the feather frenzy.

But, first, here is an example of what is being offered this Fall “for the office:

The dress on the left features feathers at the hem. I’m not sure I’d wear feathers to an office (if I went to an office!), but I love the dress.

Included with the article is “A brief guide to the season’s most popular plumage”:

This is a handy little chart to the season’s most popular fashion feathers.

Quoted and featured in the article is Nadine Dufat, who is the managing director of Lemarie, the Parisian feather atelier which does haute couture work for the houses of Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Dior: “I think designers like feathers because there are so many different possibilities with them.” Commenting on Lemarie, the author muses, “Certainly the 133-year-old plumassier can make magic happen when it comes to all things avian, but no matter who’s doing your feather work, there’s something about plumes that’s fascinating and otherworldly and therein lies the allure – eternal for some, fleeting for others.”

“Eternal” is certainly more than 40 years, but a Vogue pattern from about 1973 proves the point about the elegance and staying power of feathered fashions. I immediately thought of this pattern while reading the article, and went directly to my pattern file to retrieve it. This pattern, a Paris Original by none other than Hubert de Givenchy, is one of my all-time favorite Vogue Designer patterns:

This evening coat makes my heart skip a beat!

Princess seaming and the use of few darts insure that the long fluid lines of the low-backed dress and the evening coat are unencumbered with excess fabric. The ostrich feather trim is attached to the coat in three evenly spaced rows at both the neck and hem.

For those wanting more of a “cocktail” version of dress and coat, shorter views offer variety and versatility:

The knee-length coat could certainly sport feathers at least at the hem line, don’t you think?

I did a lot of “pattern dreaming” during the decade of the 1970s. I apparently never had an occasion to make this dress and coat, as I never purchased it when it was available in the pattern catalogs. But I did, indeed, dream about it – many times. When I found it again – in my size, in factory folds, with label intact – in an Etsy store a while ago, I indulged that dream – and I bought it. Will I ever make it? The dress, probably “no” unless I alter it to show a little less skin! But the coat – if the occasion is special and worthy of this level of simple elegance – then “yes”. And – I’ll definitely be using feathers.

6 Comments

Filed under Coats, Uncategorized, vintage Vogue Designer patterns, vintage Vogue patterns from the 1970s

Tagged as coats, Etsy vintage patterns, fashion sewing, Hubert de Givenchy - Vogue patterns, vintage fashion, vintage Vogue patterns

August 28, 2013 · 12:41 pm

Wrapping My Mind Around a New Dress for Fall

I am not sure why, but I have been obsessed with wrap dresses lately. I think it began in May when I wore the dress I made last summer from a mid-‘70s Vogue Diane von Furstenberg pattern. It seemed to make a hit whenever I had it on – and there is nothing like a compliment to make one try for a repeat! I just needed to find the perfect fabric – and another perfect pattern.

I made the sleeveless version of this dress in a red and white print.

The perfect fabric turned out to be the easy part of the equation. One of my classmates in Susan Khalje’s Classic French Jacket Class chose this silk charmeuse for her jacket lining:

I loved the design so much that I asked for a swatch of it while I was at Mendel Goldberg Fabrics in NYC with my classmates. Well, you can guess the end of this part of the story. A few weeks after arriving home, I called up Alice at Mendel Goldberg and ordered some yardage. I could picture this fabric as a wrap dress with ¾ or bracelet-length sleeves. However, it is a woven fabric (of course), and even though it does have a slight stretch to it, those vintage Diane von Furstenberg patterns require “stretchable knits”, even including a stretch gauge on the pattern envelopes to ensure success.

Out of curiosity I went through my collection of vintage patterns to see what other “wrap” dresses I could find, and although none of these three were quite the look I wanted, I was struck by the variety of wrap dress patterns available, obviously some long before Diane von Furstenberg made them so popular.

This pattern is copyright 1960. "slightly gathered skirt back of the sleeveless, easy-does-it dress wraps around plain front to fasten at waist-line with tied belt."

A thumbnail diagram on the back of the pattern envelope. “Dress opens flat for ironing.”

Here is a slightly more elegant wrap dress, also from the early ’60s:

Actually, just the skirt is a wrap on this dress, which has so many different looks, all of them quite stunning.

Finally this Pucci design, which is another elegant wrap dress:

"Slim, high fitted dress in evening r street length has wrapped back closing, soft side back folds."

“Slim, high fitted dress in evening or street length has wrapped back closing, soft side back folds.”

It was about this time that the September issue of Threads magazine arrived in my mailbox. Now my obsession was in full force, as the main feature article was on Wrap Dresses: Easy to Fit and Sew.

I liked the dress featured on the cover – which happens to be a new Vogue pattern (V8784). I also liked the fact that it does not require a knit fabric, and that it is to be lined (I could make it using couture techniques). I did not like the sleeves, however – too baggy and shapeless.

I could not get around the idea that the look I thought I wanted was this D v F dress, featured on the front cover of Vogue Patterns for September/October 1976:

This presented two major problems, however, First, I do not own this vintage pattern (yet), which commands high prices when it comes on the market. And second, even if I did own it, my woven silk fabric would not be appropriate to use for it.

Well, this second part of the equation was beginning to be a problem. Then, quite by luck, I stumbled on a Simplicity pattern from 1976 in an Etsy store. The pattern is obviously a knock-off of the classic Diane von Furstenberg dress I like so much. However, it is for woven fabrics! It was in my size, which I took as a “sign” that I was supposed to buy it – which I did. I thought my search was over. With a few minor adjustments to the “extreme” points on the collar and the cuffs, I felt sure this pattern would work.

I really don’t think there is anything “JIffy” about this pattern . . .

A few weeks passed as life took me in other directions and with other projects. Then, finally, I eagerly started on the muslin for this dress. I was eager, that is, until I realized that the pattern piece for the sleeve is missing – and the pattern is going to require many more alterations than I usually have.

This is not fun.

There – I feel better now that I have said that! So my quest for the perfect pattern has been a challenge, but it’s not Fall yet. By hook or by crook, I’ll be wearing a new silk wrap dress before the trees gently release their leaves into the cool, crisp autumn air.

15 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized, vintage Vogue Designer patterns, vintage Vogue patterns from the 1960s, vintage Vogue patterns from the 1970s, Vogue patterns

Tagged as American designers, Diane von Furstenberg, Etsy vintage patterns, fashion sewing, Mendel Goldberg Fabrics, sewing, silk, vintage fashion, vintage Vogue patterns, wrap dresses

August 19, 2013 · 4:50 pm

A Simple Sheath?

One of the most enduring dress styles in the last 60 years is undoubtably the classic sheath. According to the definition in Fairchild’s Dictionary of Fashion, a sheath can be one of two constructions: without a set-in waist or with a set-in waist. In either case, the silhouette is straight, narrow, and fitted, “shaped to body with vertical darts”, with ease of movement facilitated by a slash at back or an inverted pleat. “Both styles were popular in 1950s and early 1960s. Revived periodically.”

Fairchild's illustration of a sheath dress. copyright 2003, The Fairchild Dictionary of Fashion 3rd Edition, Fairchild Publications, Inc., New York.

It doesn’t take very long looking at current fashion magazines and websites to see that the sheath dress is enjoying one of those revivals right now. And why not? It is an infinitely versatile style, going from casual to dressy just by choice of fabric. Earlier in the Summer when I was shopping at Mendel Goldberg Fabrics in NYC with Susan Khalje’s “Classic French Jacket” class, I succumbed to purchasing 1½ yards extra of my lining fabric, with the express intention of making a sheath dress out of it. The fabric is definitely a demonstrative print, so I thought the simpler the style of dress, the better.

My lining and dress fabric, still on the bolt.

I have to admit I had a few moments when I wondered if that fabric, which I loved as the lining in my jacket, might not be a bit too much for a dress. Well, too late for any misgivings – this dress was going to happen! Then suddenly I started seeing photos of more and more sheath dresses, many of them made out of very bold and colorful fabrics. Two fashion websites I often visit for inspiration and ogling each featured such dresses:

This dress can be found on the Lee Anderson Couture website.

This dress is from Oscar De la Renta’s Ready-to-wear line.

Encouraged with this affirmation of my idea, I chose my pattern, ordered china silk for the lining (I already had black organza underlining), purchased the zipper and proceeded to plan my dress.

I decided to adapt this simple pattern, using the third view without the neck and hem bands.

I decided to adapt this simple pattern, using view A (on the right) without the neck and hem bands.

First, of course, I once again sewed up the muslin I had already made for this pattern earlier in the summer. Here are the changes I made:

1) I sewed the neckband onto the body of the dress and treated it all as one.

2) I eliminated the facings, as I was making this dress with couture techniques.

3) I tweaked the fit a little more, to make it more fitted than my earlier dress (which was belted and needed a little more ease).

4) I adjusted the shoulder to be cut a little higher on the arm.

5) I dipped the neckline a little bit, to match the neckline on my jacket.

6) I added a slit in the back seam for ease of movement.

While I love the look, sheen and feel of silk charmeuse, I don’t think it is the easiest fabric to work with. I thought I could make my job easier if, when laying out the fabric for pattern (muslin) placement and cutting, I was able to control the slipperiness of it somehow. I decided to use half of my dining room table, covered with heavy drapery flannel (which is what I use under tablecloths for cushioning). The flannel “anchored” it beautifully.

Then I was faced with a design element quandary. Before I cut out my jacket lining in Susan Khalje’s class, she and I had looked at the fabric with my dress in mind –and had determined that one of the gold “cross” lines in the design should hit at about my breastbone. However, once I had the fabric remaining from my jacket laid out, I realized that was not going to work. I tried every which way, and, with the fabric I had available to me, I simply could not match up the pattern in the fabric across the front and two side backs of the pattern and still “cross” my breastbone. It took a couple of hours, but I finally was able to come up with a new plan – this one to have one of the “cross” details at my waist. This allowed me to have a shoulder detail I really liked, a black field (with cherries) at my neckline, and the slimming effect of a “cinched” waist, effected entirely by the design in the fabric!