Tag Archives: sewing

January 29, 2013 · 10:02 pm

New Life from an Old Dress

I’m sure I never would have entertained the thought of remaking/repurposing this dress –

I made this maternity dress in the Fall of 1980 while pregnant with our first child. The fabric is US-made Pendleton wool.

– had Emerald Green not emerged as THE color of 2013. As it was, it seemed silly not to take advantage of this opportunity to make a skirt in a color I love, from a dress that would not be worn again, and which already carried sentimental memories. So I told myself repeatedly, “Do this.” And so I did it, but not without much mental anguish.

Before I did any ripping of seams or cutting of fabric, I needed to decide what kind of a skirt I could make, knowing that, even with a maternity tent-style dress, the usable expanse of fabric was limited. It seemed fairly obvious that a pencil or A-line skirt was about the extent of the possibilities. But I wanted some kind of a focal point on it, too. I kept thinking about the fringed Pendleton wool skirt that I had remade, thinking that fringe on this green one would be quite nice as well. I did a little testing on an inside seam of the dress and determined the wool was so tightly woven, that any “fringing” would have to be somewhat minimal. It also seemed to be easier to unravel the threads working up and down rather than across. I figured if I could wiggle out enough fabric to add one overlap (or pleat) at the side front, I could fringe that edge and get the focal point I wanted.

With this plan in mind, I now had to face cutting apart – and into – this dress, which I so clearly remembered making and wearing over 31 years ago. Honestly, for a couple of days I really couldn’t face this. My practical side finally triumphed when I decided I would first separate just the side seams on the dress. If I chickened out at that point, I could always sew it back together, right? Right! And so I snipped and snipped and pretty soon I had two usable sections of wool.

The dress with the side seams separated.

Then – somehow, miraculously, I was suddenly okay with the thought of cutting into this dress. The back part of the skirt pattern fit perfectly on the back section of the dress – it was even already seamed for me.

My muslin pattern positioned on the back of the dress.

The front part of the dress gave me enough room to make a new two-piece front, with a pleat on the left side. I cut out the pieces and set about to fringing. Re-runs of Downton Abbey helped tremendously with this – I pulled and picked and created fluffy little towers of green threads while totally absorbed in another time and place.

Then it was back to the sewing room to sew this baby (pardon the bad pun) together. There was not enough fabric to fashion a waistband on the straight of grain, so I opted to make an inside pieced-together facing instead.

The facing at the waistline. I attached the 31-year-old Pendleton label in place after all these years!

Then I made a button tab out of bias tape which I just happened to have on hand in emerald green. What I could not find was a 7” zipper in emerald, nor lining fabric in emerald. Guess the manufacturers of such items did not get the memo from Pantone about the color of the year! So I ended up with a black zipper and dark gray Bemberg lining fabric.

The black zipper and gray lining are okay, I think…

I went round and round with a decision about buttons to hold the top part of the pleat in place. I found several single buttons in my button box, which I really liked, but I really needed two or three. A trip to Joann’s yielded some pale gray pearl buttons which would have been lovely, except that one broke after I got home when I was taking it off the card! So I still have to resolve the button issue – as right now I have exactly one button on the skirt, although I do like its diamond shape quite well…

The fringe detail on the pleat – and the single button. Sure wish I had another one of these!

It’s finished (except for the button issue, of course!).

The back view.

Thinking back on this project, I believe the signs were there, telling me to make this skirt. Consider that I found these Stubbs and Wootton shoes – green and black Buffalo Check to go with my Pendleton wool:

How I love these comfy flats!

And among my collection of silk scarves was this scarf, purchased in the 1980’s from the Museum of American Folk Art, featuring one of their quilts in predominant colors of pink and – yes, Emerald Green.

The green in this scarf could not be more perfect.

A detail of the scarf on top of the skirt.

So – where do I envision wearing this skirt? How about to a baby shower for my daughter, now expecting her own little one? After all, she herself was once sheltered by these warm woolen threads of green – and love.

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Filed under 1980's dress patterns, Buttons - choosing the right ones, hand-sewn zippers, Scarves, Uncategorized, woolens

Tagged as Choosing buttons, fashion sewing, Pantone, Pendleton wool, scarves, sewing

January 17, 2013 · 10:12 pm

Sewing SMART for 2013

The word “smart” has lots of different meanings. My desktop Webster’s lists 21 different connotations of this short, very effective word. I particularly like two of the ways this word was used when I was growing up in the ‘50s and ‘60s: those would be meanings #5: “neat or trim in appearance, as a person or garment”, and #6: “socially elegant; sophisticated or fashionable: the smart crowd”. With these definitions in mind, I looked for and quickly found some very pertinent examples of these meanings in two Vogue Pattern Book Magazines from 1953 and 1954:

The February/March issue of Vogue Pattern Book Magazine 1954 gives the reader ideas for a “smart look all through the day, now and through spring.”

The VPB magazine from October/November 1953 featured “10 smart, new high fashion Vogue Couturier Designs.”

I love this caption from the same issue: fashions with ” a minimum number of pieces to sew and fit … maximum smartness.”

Well, in thinking about some of my sewing goals and aspirations for 2013, I kept coming back to this word – SMART – and decided it would be very useful to use as a guideline, with each letter of the word reminding me of some of what I hope to accomplish. SO …

S is for SKILLS. This year I am concentrating on learning new ones, practicing and perfecting ones that I have and taking advantage of at least two classes to help me develop my skills as a dressmaker. So far, I am enrolled in Craftsy’s “Sewing with Silks: The Liberty Blouse” on-line course (not started yet), and I will be spending a week in Baltimore with Susan Khalje for The Classic French Jacket Class. Perhaps other classes will wiggle their way into the year as well!

M is for MARKING AND MEASURING my progress and accomplishments, my mistakes (hopefully not too many!), and my plans and intentions. This is, of course, where “Fifty Dresses” comes in. Writing this blog helps me focus more on the process than I would normally – and that’s both instructive and rewarding. So thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you who follow along, make comments, give me encouragement, and share your sewing insights and ideas through your own blogs or other online presence. Thinking, reading and writing about sewing is almost as much fun as sewing itself.

A is for ART. Sewing is so much more than a “hobby” or a way to build a wardrobe (albeit slowly!). It really is an art form, and the more I sew, the more I realize and appreciate this fact. Some of my creations will no doubt be like simple sketches – quick and easy to make and even easier to throw on for a trip to the grocery store – while one or two others perhaps will rise closer to “masterpiece” level (I can dream) – made with finest fabrics and specialized techniques, intended for special occasions. Good art should be taken seriously and seriously enjoyed, don’t you think?

R is for REALISTIC, as in having realistic goals of what I can and cannot accomplish in a set amount of time. This is the part I have trouble with. I always think I can sew faster than I can. Although I am sure I will always plan more than I can possibly accomplish, I am going to try to set more realistic goals (keeping a separate, working list of intended projects to help me focus) in the context of what I know will be a busy year in other aspects of my life.

T is for TIMELESS. This may be my favorite part of the acronym. Timeless is the look that I am always striving for in the clothing I make. Using vintage patterns for the most part allows me to choose styles that really have stood the test of time – and which often have a restrained classicism to them that suits my sensibility.

Sketches in Vogue Pattern Book Magazine from October/November 1956 show styles which look very au courant, from the clothing to the hair to the shoes and accessories. I’d like to be that lady in red!

How stylish are these looks from the same magazine?

And a box-jacket suit is always in vogue.

It’s fun to see current color and style trends, which harken back to 40, 50, or 60 years ago. Then to make them, using vintage patterns, with newfound construction knowledge, in some of the beautiful fabrics available today, is the best of many worlds. Not only SMART, but lucky, too, in 2013!

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Filed under The Conde Nast Publications, Uncategorized, vintage Vogue Designer patterns, vintage Vogue patterns from the 1950s, Vogue patterns

Tagged as 1950's Vogue patterns, fashion sewing, love of sewing, sewing, vintage fashion, vintage Vogue patterns, women's dress suits

January 11, 2013 · 1:15 pm

Chance of Flurries

I am two weeks (maybe closer to three weeks) behind schedule, but I am undaunted. The last two weeks of 2012 were chock-a-block full of Family, Fun, and Feasting – and then the plague hit our house. Yes, another F-word – the FLU – which apparently was not the type we got the immunizations for…

But this week has found me back in my sewing room, finishing up what was to be my final project for 2012. Flexibility, I have learned, is a great asset to cultivate, so I am trying to be flexible in my plans and take it all in stride. Indeed, I am hoping that I will be striding pretty in newly-sewn pants, which have now joined my wardrobe.

I think I must like pants made out of figured fabric. As soon as I saw this snowflake wool on the website of Waechter’s Fabrics, I knew I wanted to make it up in winter slacks.

This is a jacquard woven wool, but very light-weight and soft.

It was not even a decision to use the same 1960s’ pattern I used for my “very stylish” linen pants last Spring – pants’ patterns that fit are worth using again and again.

I made quite a few alterations to the pattern so that these slacks actually fit me!

I did decide, however, to make these using couture techniques. I underlined them with a very light-weight rayon voile which I have used successfully before. I did not want to add much stiffness to this very soft and flexible wool, so the rayon seemed a better match than silk organza in this instance. I catch-stitched all the seams, and inserted a hand-picked zipper.

The underlined pants, with catch-stitched seams.

Hand-picked zipper.

As luck would have it, the newest issue of Threads Magazine arrived right as I was getting started on this project – and Susan Khalje’s article “Build a Better Waistband” (page 44 – 49) immediately caught my attention. I had already purchased several yards of Petersham ribbon in anticipation of waistbands yet to come, so I was all set. I carefully followed all her detailed instructions and photos:

The newsest issue of Threads Magazine

The Petersham ribbon basted onto the waistline.

I even decided to make a “faced” waistband. I knew that this would help reduce bulk in the waistband, but also it would insure that any “itching” around the waist sometimes caused by wool fabric would be eliminated.

I made the facing out of the lining fabric.

Everything was going along swimmingly until I went to set in the lining for the pants, which I made out of Bemberg rayon. Somehow, the rise from the crotch to the waist was a little short. I don’t know how this happened, but it did, and so I was faced with figuring out how to remedy this situation short of making an entire new lining. Well, I decided to attach the waistband just to the underlined wool, not including the lining. Then I used some careful and tightly-spaced catch-stitching to attach the top of the lining to that waistband seam. (I forgot to take a photo of this, as I was totally absorbed in this “make-do” process.) This worked beautifully, much to my delight. The only further fix I knew I needed to do was finish the inside of the waistband. The waistband facing needed to be a little longer to hide my mistake, so I bound the raw edge with seam binding and used the fell stitch to finish it off. I’m happy with the way it looks:

The seam binding helps to make a clean finish and hides my mistake!

I don’t think anyone would suspect my mistake – except for all of you, of course!

After final stitches to secure the lining to each of the legs, and then lots of steaming and pressing , my snowflake pants were finished!

Here they are, all finished!

A back view.

Kind of a side view.

And a little closer up… I’m happy with the way I was able to align the snowflake “medallions”.

We seem to be in a January thaw right now, so the only forecast for flurries must be – in my control?? Well, I happily guarantee that sightings of snowflakes will definitely happen this Winter!

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Filed under couture construction, hand-sewn zippers, Uncategorized, underlinings, vintage Vogue patterns from the 1960s, Vogue patterns, woolens

Tagged as fashion sewing, sewing, vintage Vogue patterns, waistband construction, woolen pants

December 19, 2012 · 10:47 pm

A Newly Defined ‘50s’ Frock

I have finished making a new dress from an old pattern, which isn’t anything too unusual for me. What is unusual is the spell which this pattern cast over me from the time I first saw it last January, and then purchased it from an Etsy shop.

The back of the envelope, showing the back yoke detail. Don’t you love the handbags that the artist included?

1) Kimono sleeves in three-quarter length. Cut in one with the bodice, kimono sleeves were common in the ‘50s, and now seem to be making a comeback. Three quarter length is extremely flattering for most women, and was popular then and now.

2) Side zipper. This dress goes over the head and needs that side zipper to accommodate the wiggle room needed to accomplish this method of dressing. A back zipper would completely ruin the effect of the four-buttoned back yoke.

3) No pockets. While pockets are lovely inventions, this dress would lose some of its slim and flattering line should pockets bulge out from the side seams.

4) Mid-calf length. This length looks great in the pattern illustration, but not so much on me. One of the beauties of these vintage patterns is adapting them for current wear – so I opted for knee-length instead.

5) Bound buttonholes. Although this pattern is called “easy to make” on the back of the envelope, it still calls for bound buttonholes. And, oh, they add such a nice detail.

Now to the specifics. I found this black and white herringbone alpaca wool (made in the USA) on Britex Fabrics’ website, and purchased it on sale a few months ago, specifically for use with this pattern.

This is the swatch I ordered from Britex sometime over the Summer.

I wanted to make the dress using couture techniques (learned in the online Craftsy course The Couture Dress taught by Susan Khalje.) This meant that I would 1) make a muslin for fitting and pattern tracing; 2) underline the entire dress with silk organza; 3) eliminate the separate neck facing; 4) finish all the interior seams by catch-stitching them to the underlining; and 5) line the entire dress, which I did using Bemberg instead of china silk (more on that in a bit).

There were a number of decisions/problems/successes involved in making this dress. First, the nature of the fabric is that there are slight imperfections in the weave, and it is quite loosely woven, making it quite susceptible to raveling. When I laid it out to cut it, I wanted to avoid any obvious imperfections front and center. Patterns with kimono sleeves demand large expanses of fabric and thus do not allow a lot of jiggling of their placement. I can honestly say that I had JUST enough fabric and not an inch more than I needed!

One of the first problems I realized I was going to have concerned the buttonholes. I quickly discovered that the loose weave of the fabric meant that I was not going to be able to make bound buttonholes using self-fabric for the “strips”. I considered using a plain black wool for these strips, but I thought that would be too much of a contrast. Well, now I know why I save all kinds of scraps from previous projects – you never know when one of those random pieces of fabric will come in handy. I spied a scrap in my fabric closet and quickly decided that one part of the weave would be perfect to delineate those buttonholes:

I used the “gray” portion of this windowpane check for the buttonhole “strips”. Click on the photo to see this up close.

An inside look at the buttonholes in progress

And an outside look…

When it came to deciding on buttons, I could not find any I liked. But I remembered some buttons I had sewn onto a RTW jacket several years ago (to replace the ones that came on it.) They have a “herringbone” look to them – it’s very subtle, but effective. The jacket is one I haven’t worn in a couple of years, so I just robbed the cuffs of their buttons and used them on my dress. (Now I guess I know for sure I won’t be wearing that jacket again!) But – the buttons are perfect for this dress.

My buttons of choice!

Choosing to use couture techniques was a “dress-saver”. The larger seam allowances took away the panic I might have felt, once I realized the fabric frayed so easily. And finishing off each interior seam with catch-stitching controlled the fraying and helped the seams to lay perfectly flat.

Eliminating the separate neck facing was also a bonus to ease construction. First of all, I wanted to widen the neckline, which I worked out in my muslin. Using the seam allowance and hand-applied, under-stitched lining for the neck facing made it lay flat, and of course, it’s not itchy either!

The “couture-constructed” neckline, before the lining is attached.

Even though I did not have “plaids” to match, I needed to pay close attention to the rows in the herringbone weave, so that none of them were crooked. This is where Clover two-pronged pins (recommended by Susan Khalje in The Couture Dress class) came in handy and helped me keep those rows lined up evenly.

Clover “fork” pins

Finally, I decided to use Bemberg lining fabric instead of China silk because I thought it might be a bit more substantial for this somewhat heavy weight wool. When I was deciding what color to make the lining, I considered ivory, black, and even a bright color, such as red. But I settled on deep gray, and it seems just right.

In fact, everything about this dress seems just right. It is delightfully rewarding when a pattern does not disappoint – and when it turns out to be a complete winner, well, that is reason to make it again (which I will)!

I can wear this dress as a sheath, unbelted, but I love it with this Coach black belt.

With a touch of emerald green for the holiday season.

With green gloves for a ’50s’ look!

And another back view. Alpaca is a very warm wool – so this dress is very cozy.

For now, however, my sewing room is “gift-wrap central”. The colorful ribbons, paper and tags are cheerful tokens of a season of blessings and family and home. To all of you celebrating the season, may it be a time of great peace and love for you and yours. And, as I take a couple of weeks “off”, I send a heartfelt Merry Christmas from me to you…

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Filed under bound buttonholes, Buttons - choosing the right ones, couture construction, kimono sleeves, side-placed zippers, Uncategorized, underlinings, vintage Vogue patterns from the 1950s, woolens

Tagged as 1950's Vogue patterns, Britex Fabrics, Choosing buttons, Etsy vintage patterns, fashion sewing, Kimono sleeves, sewing, side-placed zippers, vintage fashion, vintage Vogue patterns

December 1, 2012 · 3:24 pm

Season for Shopping and Sewing

Well, every season is the season for sewing, and shopping, too, for that matter, especially for fabric. But somehow, the holiday season seems to take both activities to a new level for the year. Somehow, knowing how to sew makes one very susceptible to feeling like at least one or two of your planned gifts to family or friends be hand-sewn by YOU. I, of course, am one of these people.

Remembering some of the gifts I have made over the years came into sharp focus this week. I went into a storage box (acid-free, of course) where I have some family textile heirlooms in safe-keeping. I was in search of a Christmas item, but what caught my eye were two aprons which I made the first Christmas my husband and I were married. It was 1973. I wanted to do something special for my new mother-in-law and my husband’s aunt, and since they were both “apron-wearers” I thought they might like hand-made aprons. I designed a simple pattern, which had two pockets and rick-rack trim. Gingham was widely available, so I chose colors I knew they each liked. Most of the sewing on them was by hand, and I still remember furiously working on them to get them finished on time. I also remember the true delight that both ladies showed upon opening them. I obviously had made just the right thing!

This was the apron I made for my mother-in-law.

This is the apron I made for my mother-in-law.

And this apron was for my husband’s aunt. If I made this apron for myself, I would add a “bib” to it.

I added a label with my name on it!

Twenty years earlier, in 1953, Vogue Pattern Book magazine had a multi-page feature on “Merry Christmas Gifts and Fashions.” I must say those 1950s’ home-sewers must have been very ambitious, as this is only part of what was suggested as gift projects:

1) Lots of sequin-embellished ornaments and decorations.

There were sevben apages of projects like this in the December/January 1953-54 issue of Vogue Pattern Book magazine.

There were seven pages of projects like this in the December/January 1953-54 issue of Vogue Pattern Book magazine, c1953, The Conde Nast Publications, Inc.

2) Doesn’t everyone make ties, shirts, jackets, and pajamas for husbands and grown sons? “The tailoring is not hard with Vogue’s step-by-step, clear sewing directions.”

This is one of two pages of things to make for men.

3) Of course you’ll sew for your little ones (which I did a lot of when my own children were young….)

Everything from petticoats to overcoats were featured for children. Lacking from all these suggestions in this feature were dolls’ clothes, surprisingly. Maybe Vogue Patterns had not yet started making patterns for doll clothes.

4) Now we’re getting into my favorite ideas – “something special for the girl who loves pretty, unusual things…”

The two tops shown on this page would be very stylish today. And the grouping of accessories just happens to from a pattern which i own.

The two tops shown on this page would be very stylish today. And the grouping of accessories just happens to be from a pattern which I own.

Here is the pattern, which includes patterns for other accessories, as well:

The curved belt (not the one with the spikes!) attracted me to this pattern even though it is an unprinted one.

And here are more suggestions for stylish women:

I can do without the jacket with the ball fringe, but I love that wrap blouse featured in the red triangle on the right!

5) It seems appropriate that the section ended with a feature on aprons and clothes to wear at home.

“At home clothes for serious work or lazy-lounging.” I doubt too many home sewers are doing lazy lounging this time of year – or ever!

So – am I making/sewing any gifts this year? I have just one very simple thing planned (still in my head). But – along with the Christmas decorating, the shopping, the wrapping, the cookie-making, the cards, the parties and all the other wonders of the season – I am hoping to finish my current work-in-progress (a wool dress for me) and start and finish (?) a pair of wool pants – also for me. Yes, for me. Should I feel guilty about this??

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Filed under aprons, Blouse patterns from the 1950's, The Conde Nast Publications, Uncategorized, Unprinted patterns from the 1950s, vintage Vogue patterns from the 1950s, Vogue patterns

Tagged as 1950's Vogue patterns, sewing, Sewing for Christmas, Unprinted patterns from the 1950s, vintage fashion, vintage Vogue patterns

November 2, 2012 · 10:19 pm

A Timely Arrival

Last week, as I was putting in some final hours on a suit I have been sewing, I was thinking about some of the “creative” solutions I had to come up with to make the jacket turn out successfully. I had, unbeknownst to me, made a “bad” decision about the fabric. Even though I (still) love the color and design of the black and pink hounds-tooth wool blend, it turned out to be a very heavy, bulky fabric to sew. Well, my newest Threads magazine arrived in the mail last Friday – and right there on page 56 is an article entitled “Better Sewing Habits”. Number 4, by Claire Shaeffer, is: Choose fabrics appropriate to the garment design. Printed in bold is this line: “Select a fabric that is recommended for the pattern”.

This issue of Threads is packed with all kinds of great advice and ideas!

Sure enough, when I went back to the pattern envelope, there in plain English for the recommended fabrics is: “Lightweight wool.” I really felt that sinking feeling, but I tried to console myself by reminding myself that I had made some changes to the pattern and to the construction to accommodate the heavy fabric. I was trying to feel grateful that I actually have some skills which allow me to make changes and try different approaches to solve sewing problems. And, actually, now that the jacket is finished, I am happy with it.

This is the pattern I used – from Vogue’s Designer series, Jo Mattli, circa early 1970s.

The completed outfit – wool blend jacket and silk skirt.

Here is what went well:

1) I was able to match the design quite well across seam lines, shoulders, and sleeves.

2) I think I nailed the fit! Of course, I made a muslin first, so it’s not like that just happened.

3) I reduced the spread of the collar, which actually turned out to be a good decision, when I realized how difficult double layers of the fabric were to work with.

Here is what either did not go well or needed to be “creatively” approached:

1) I really wanted to make bound buttonholes, but the loosely woven, heavy fabric gave me pause. So I decided to make them out of the silk skirt fabric. I backed the buttonhole strips with silk organza by fusing them together. This made the silk stiff enough to stand up to that heavy wool.

The strips attached for the bound buttonholes.

I made the topmost buttonhole a “blind” one as I determined that I would not be buttoning that top button anyway. I knew I could never finish the back of the two remaining buttonholes by the normal method, so I “patched” behind them on the interfacing with a lightweight black wool.

Here is a close-up of the bound buttonholes – and the happily matched front! Click on the photo for a closer-up view.

Before I sewed the front facing, I attached these “patches” to back up to the buttonholes. Then I cut away the heavy fabric underneath, so that I could finish the underneath of the buttonholes somewhat successfully. Click on the photo to see this up close.

2) The neck facing was going to be too heavy using the pink/black wool. So I used that same lightweight black wool for it instead.

Using a lightweight black wool for the facing made the neckline much more manageable.

3) The back vents were not going to lay flat if I turned in the raw edges as the pattern instructions indicated. So I bound them with black bias tape instead.

Instead of turning back the facing edge to finish it, I attached this bias binding.

4) Setting in the sleeves was an exercise in sewing terror! I was sure they would never look good, but somehow they came out unpuckered and pretty well matched. I only used a sleeve heading to round out the shoulder, even though the pattern called for shoulder pads.

5) I have steamed and steamed, but still feel like the front edge could use some further attention. I might take the jacket to the dry cleaners and have it professionally steamed….

I actually really liked the engineering of the pattern: with the correct weight fabric, the jacket would go together quite well and the skirt pattern is a winner, with its shaped waistband.

This view of the back waistband shows how it is shaped.

And, of course, I inserted the zipper by hand.

Another look at the finished suit.

And one more…

Interestingly enough, in the same issue of Threads, the winners of the “Make it with Wool” contest were featured. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that the Senior Winner of the Mohair Council of America, Marisa Linton, of Mount Olive, North Carolina, had used either the same fabric or one very close to “my” fabric to make the coat for her entry (which is stunning, I might add!). She had used a very original and successful technique for her buttonholes, which are part of the details which make her outfit so noteworthy.

Do you think this is the same fabric? (Threads, January 2013, page 52)

So – it seems the past 7 days have been a time of many arrivals, including a huge and destructive East Coast storm – and the first day of November. May the next 7 days bring the final arrival of power and comfort to so many who lost so much in the storm, and make us all grateful for resilience, whether it be in life – or in sewing .

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Filed under bound buttonholes, hand-sewn zippers, sewing in silk, Shoulder shapes (shoulder pads), Uncategorized, vintage Vogue Designer patterns, vintage Vogue patterns from the 1970s, woolens

Tagged as fashion sewing, Jo Mattli Vogue pattern, sewing, silk, Threads magazine, vintage Vogue patterns, women's dress suits

October 25, 2012 · 5:20 pm

A Blouse by Any Other Name Would Be the Same

I usually work on only one project at a time, but for the past three weeks I’ve had two going strong. I’m furiously working on a “dressy” suit – which needs to be completed this week! However, last winter I made a mental note to myself to use up the fabric remaining from another suit, to make a matching overblouse. I knew the pattern I was going to use, and with my newfound techniques from Craftsy’s The Couture Dress online course, I knew this “small” project would be a great way to practice those skills. So, I thought, “Oh, I’ll just throw this together in no time at all.” Why do I ever think such things? I must be either an eternal optimist or totally divorced from reality.

I have always loved sleeveless overblouses – also known as “shells” and sheath tops. They were particularly popular in the late 1950s and 1960s with or without sleeves (during which time I also knew them as “jerkins” or “weskits” – which are really synonyms for vests). Fairchild’s Dictionary of Fashion describes an overblouse as “ Any blouse or top worn over the skirt or pants rather than tucked inside.” And here’s what they say about a “shell”:

From: The Fairchild Dictionary of Fashion, 3rd Edition, New York, New York, 2010, page 37

A number of my ‘60s patterns show overblouses paired with suits or as part of two-piece dresses.

This v-neck overblouse is a great pairing with this sporty suit.

The description on the back of the envelope says this overblouse “may be tucked in”.

This design by Gres shows a boxy overblouse and skirt combination.

I particularly liked this pattern, with its Dior darts, the slits at the front hem, and its back zipper. (I was able to pick up a refined separating zipper when I was at Britex in September – many are suitable for outerwear only and too clunky for something like this.)

View D is my choice.

Here is another example of an overblouse with Dior darts, which forms part of a two-piece dress. Note that the zipper is on the side:

This design was featured in the August/September 1957 Vogue Pattern Book magazine.

I dutifully made up my muslin, to which I made a number of adjustments (lowering the bust line/darts, shortening the darts in the back, lowering and widening the neckline a bit, adding a little more girth to the hipline so it would slip over my matching skirt without buckling, and adding about two inches to the overall length of the blouse. Hm-m-m, is that all?) I underlined it with silk organza, matched the plaid everywhere I could, keeping in mind how the windowpane check would line up with the skirt. I secured all the seam allowances with catch-stitching, and then I hand-picked the separating zipper. About this time I quietly panicked when I realized how much time I had already put into this blouse! I put it aside and started working on my suit, with a promise to myself to put in a bit more time on the overblouse whenever I had just 30 or 40 minutes “extra”, whatever that means.

Somehow I have managed to complete it, and I think I’m on track to finish my suit in a day or two, as well. Whew! Here are some of the details:

Here is a front view . . .

. . . and here is the back view.

A peek inside the blouse . . .

. . . and a look at the hand-picked zipper. This was the first separating zipper I think I have ever put in – and I am happy with the results!

And here is the finished blouse/overblouse/shell/sheath top, shown with the skirt:

An impersonal view, for which I apologize – no tangling with the tripod and camera timer today!

Just as I appreciate the preciseness which couture sewing makes possible when sewing something as “simple” as this shell, so do I also appreciate the many variant words to describe this type of blouse. My personal favorite name for this blouse?

Finished!

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Filed under Blouse patterns from the 1950's, couture construction, Dior darts, hand-sewn zippers, Uncategorized, vintage Vogue patterns from the 1960s, Vogue patterns, woolens

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

October 14, 2012 · 1:44 pm

Who is Mrs. Exeter?

And the more important question is – Can she sew? Yes, she can – and she does! But first, let me tell you who she is – or actually who she was. She was a fictional character – a “woman of a certain age” – who started appearing in The Conde Nast Publications’ Vogue magazine in 1949 (as best as I can determine). She was the focus of a regular style column, which was meant to appeal to older fashionable women – with the emphasis most definitely on fashionable. She must have proved to be an appealing figure to readers, because in 1954, the front cover of the October/November issue of Vogue Pattern Book magazine announced: Introducing Mrs. Exeter patterns.

Top billing for the new feature!

Suddenly Mrs. Exeter had discovered the joy of sewing beautiful, classic fashions for herself. Obviously, Vogue patterns, which already had its own Couturier line of patterns, and its very popular Designer pattern series, knew that its audience included these “older” women who had the time, the talent, and the inclination to sew beautiful fashionable clothes for themselves. The copy accompanying the sketches and photos clearly played into the idea that Mrs. Exeter was very sure of her fashion sense:

Here we learn about Mrs. Exeter’s “experienced way of knowing the ‘right’ neither-too-young, nor too old fashions for herself…”

She also had color sense, knowing how to play up her features, and showing she was not afraid to branch out from neutrals and basic black.

Yes, red can definitely enhance silver hair!

She sounds like she was a fun grandmother, too, as this sketch attests:

The caption reads: “Mrs. Exeter takes her grandchildren to town for a Saturday movie treat.”

The Mrs. Exeter feature appeared sporadically throughout the year in the issues of Vogue Pattern Book magazine, continuing through the decade of the 1950s. The October/November 1957 issue had this feature:

The reader was instructed to “sew jet buttons on the short, fitted jacket and flap pockets” of the gray suit on the right.

That same issue used a real model for the Mrs. Exeter section:

It seems Mrs. Exeter favored white gloves and classic handbags.

And another real model appeared in the February/March 1958 issue:

I think this Mrs. Exeter looks a bit insipid!

By the fall of 1958, Mrs. Exeter must have been very popular, as this was the cover of the magazine:

10 pages for Mrs. Exeter patterns!

The Mrs. Exeter appearing here suddenly looked a little less grandmotherly:

Now this is a lovely woman!

Again, the accompanying text was very flattering to the expertise of the older woman:

“Mrs. Exeter knows what she likes… how to look right on all occasions.”

And the texts made frequent reference to Mrs. Exeter’s civic and social obligations and interests. One two-page spread showing suits, declared: “For Mrs. Exeter’s busy calendar of civic and social events, a suit wardrobe is almost a necessity. Her choices, admirably combining chic, distinction, and flattery – with perhaps a shade more emphasis on flattery.”

She also apparently wore shirtwaist dresses with great aplomb, being careful “to avoid thickness at the waist.”

“For all day, every day, the shirtwaist dress is indispensable…” which could be true for 2012 as well!

The Mrs. Exeter feature continued into the early 1960s, but then succumbed to the burgeoning emphasis on youth, disappearing from the magazine by the mid-‘60s. Indeed, in 1970, Vogue Pattern Book magazine introduced a new feature, this one called “Miss Vogue” in an obvious appeal to the younger generation. The description of Miss Vogue? Well, she must have been raised by Mrs. Exeter:

“She’s the girl with the fabulously fresh smile. She loves life. She has fun. She is active and her versatility knows no bounds. …She is a sewing expert… She loves a good challenge. She’s got talent. She’s got finesse… She’s a winner!”

Although Mrs. Exeter might have been “replaced” by Miss Vogue, there were still plenty of 1970s’-era fashions and patterns, which certainly appealed to “the older woman” as well as a stylish younger one. One of those patterns is the one I am currently using :

From Vogue’s Designer series, ca 1970.

I have completed the skirt, which incidentally is, to my thinking the perfect “pencil” skirt – as it is narrow, but very comfortable – and it has a shaped, two-part waistband. (I’m an unabashed fan of waistbands!) I think Mrs. Exeter would approve. I’ll show you in a future post…

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Filed under The Conde Nast Publications, Uncategorized, Unprinted patterns from the 1950s, vintage Vogue Designer patterns, vintage Vogue patterns from the 1950s, vintage Vogue patterns from the 1960s, vintage Vogue patterns from the 1970s, Vogue patterns

Tagged as 1950's Vogue patterns, fashion sewing, Mrs. Exeter (Vogue), sewing, vintage fashion, vintage Vogue patterns, women's dress suits

October 1, 2012 · 10:05 pm

What Do a Chanel Jacket and a Chicken Have in Common?

Not much – unless you were in my sewing room last week.

When we were out in California very recently, my son’s girlfriend, Rachel, showed me a Chanel jacket she had found at a store which sells vintage clothing. Sadly, she had never been able to wear it because it had very prominent shoulder pads, which screamed 1980s. Otherwise it was a very wearable cropped jacket with petite convertible collar, in a creamy white wool with just a hint of a sparkly windowpane weave. Rachel asked me what I thought could be done with it.

Hm-m-m-m, I looked inside it, felt around those shoulder pads hidden inside the lining, and guessed that I could easily remove them and replace them with a much more reasonable sleeve header. Of course, I’d need to bring the jacket home with me, so in the suitcase it went, landing in my sewing room.

I carefully removed the stitching from the lining at the right shoulder and took a peek. The shoulder pad had been attached with hand stitches, easily snipped. Out it came. I cut a piece of French sleeve heading tape, called Cigarette, which I had purchased from Susan Khalje’s website. (I had used this in my Craftsy course The Couture Dress.)

The shoulder pad is in plain view in this photo.

The jacket has top-center seams on the sleeves, so with that extra fabric bulk, I determined that the simple sleeve heading would be enough shaping. Here is the jacket with just the side on the left fixed:

Can you see how bulky the shoulder on the right is?

Here I have placed the shoulder pad on top to show some perspective on its bulk.

And here is the jacket with both shoulders complete and all sewn up inside (with itty-bitty stitches):

The padded hanger helps to simulate the shoulder line.

Of course, I had to guess a little on the final fit as I did not have Rachel here to try it on. But I am sure, once it completes its return trip to California, that it has a better chance of being worn now than before!

It was interesting for me to be able to see inside a Chanel jacket – I discovered some details I thought I might find – such as 1) the wool fabric was totally underlined in what looks like silk organza; and 2) hand-sewing was evident in quite a few areas. However, the seams were not catch-stitched to the underlining, which I thought they might be. The most amazing thing was actually seeing those shoulder pads – as their construction was almost exactly like view C of Vogue 7503, my vintage pattern from 1953. How cool is that?

Two authentic Chanel shoulder pads!

View C is right in the middle.

So that was Chanel. But what about the chicken? Another project I wanted to finish last week was an auction item for my garden club’s annual fundraiser. As I am the only one in my club who has a backyard flock of chickens (yes – can you believe it?), I like to put together what I call a “Little Red Hen” basket to add to our auction selection every year or so. Besides the main attraction of a couple dozen of our farm-fresh eggs, I add other items with a chicken theme. Some examples are egg poachers, an egg timer, cocktail napkins with chickens on them – things like that. Of course, as one who sews, it is impossible for me to do a project like this without adding something handmade. So this year, I made a tea cozy with a matching chicken potholder. I had already completed the tea cozy a couple of weeks ago, but the potholder – well, it had to take its place behind Chanel. It did not take long for me to fashion this little hen (in red, of course) to match the cozy. Here she is, ready to perch on the handle of any hot pan:

She is interlined with several layers of heavy cotton flannel.

She’s pretty underneath it all, too!

Here is the little red hen in front of the tea cozy.

Tthe bottom of the tea cozy can be folded out to fit a higher pot.

So what was more fun – and what did really come first– Chanel or the chicken? Now there are two questions for the ages!

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Filed under Chanel-type jackets, couture construction, Shoulder shapes (shoulder pads), Uncategorized, underlinings, Unprinted patterns from the 1950s, vintage Vogue patterns from the 1950s, Vogue pattern 7503 for shoulder shapes, woolens

Tagged as 1950's Vogue patterns, sewing, Unprinted patterns from the 1950s, vintage fashion, Vogue pattern 7503

September 24, 2012 · 3:54 pm

Missing in Action – or – Doesn’t everyone shop for fabric on vacation?

You may have noticed that I’ve not posted anything for almost two weeks. Mr. Fifty Dresses and I have been away on the West Coast, enjoying some time with our grown son, and seeing some of the majestic scenery in the states of California and Oregon. Of course, one of the best places to enjoy colorful scenery is always in Britex Fabrics on Geary Street in San Francisco. My husband and son know by now that no trip to California is complete without fabric shopping!

I am all smiles with my newly-made purchase! I am wearing “my very styish pants” and was delighted to get complimented on them in the store.

You may recall that I have been looking for a skirt-weight fabric to coordinate with this wool:

This fabric will be a jacket, and I want to make a pink skirt to make it into a “dressy suit”.

That pink is a tricky color, I’ve discovered. I’ve ordered many swatches, thinking one of them will be “it” and it never was. So I tucked that pink and black houndstooth- checked wool sample into my carry-on bag so that I could enlist the experts at Britex to assist me. The bolted wools and silks and designer fabrics are on the first floor, and it did not take long for me to accept Douglas’ kind offer of help. We looked first at the wools, one beautiful bolt after another, but none that totally complimented the pink. Next we moved to the silks – and there we struck gold – or perhaps I should say pink gold. As soon as Douglas pulled out this silk shantung, we knew the color was right.

Just what I was looking for!

We carefully checked the color inside and then took it outside on the steps to check it in sunlight. Perfect, both places. Being shantung, it has the correct heft to accompany the wool, but it is light enough to be used for attached trim if I choose to add it around the collar, down the front, and at the bottom of the sleeves.

I am probably going to use this 1970s’ pattern for this outfit.

Next we selected a lining fabric, enough for a narrow skirt and the jacket. Those of you who know Britex, know that the store is on 4 levels, so to accommodate the need to move between floors, I was provided this card with swatches of my newly selected fabrics attached.

The lining is the lighter-colored fabric.

Off I went to the third floor to find buttons. Oh, the choices! That little bit of sparkle in the wool – and the sheen in the silk shantung – seem custom made for buttons with a bit of sparkle, too. I kind of felt like Goldilocks looking at the buttons which the savvy “button lady” pulled out for me. Some were too frou-frou for me, some were too round (and fought with the angles in the weave), some were too sparkly… but these were perfect!

When I actually sew these buttons onto the jacket, I promise I’ll have them on straight!

With my tasks accomplished, I decided to check out the remnants on the fourth floor, and took a quick look at the cottons on the second floor, but then I headed back down to the first floor to look at the woolens again. Britex has a very large selection of wools suitable for “Chanel-type” jackets, including some actual Chanel fabrics. I am trying to buy only what I can’t live without (which isn’t as limiting as it should be, unfortunately), so I carefully considered all the selections in front of me. You can probably guess by now that I did indeed find one I deemed necessary for continued life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I can just imagine this wool in a jacket trimmed in an orangey-red something – all yet to be determined, which is, of course, part of the creative intrigue of sewing.

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

So – what about the rest of the trip? Lots of driving those great distances out West, lots of laughs, fun, and brews with husband and son, wonderful days at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, hiking without a fabric store in sight. When one is in such a place as Crater Lake, the great expanse and passage of time is ever in one’s presence. However, I couldn’t help but think about another passage of time, this one personal: the last time I was at Crater Lake was in 1962 when I was twelve years old. It just so happens that Britex Fabrics celebrated their tenth anniversary that very same year. Happy 60th Birthday, Britex!

One more smile before closing hour!

15 Comments

Filed under Buttons - choosing the right ones, Chanel-type jackets, sewing in silk, Uncategorized, vintage Vogue Designer patterns, vintage Vogue patterns from the 1970s, woolens

Tagged as Britex Fabrics, Choosing buttons, fashion sewing, love of sewing, sewing, silk, vintage fashion, vintage Vogue patterns, women's dress suits

Tag Archives: sewing

New Life from an Old Dress

Sewing SMART for 2013

Chance of Flurries

A Newly Defined ‘50s’ Frock

Season for Shopping and Sewing

A Timely Arrival

A Blouse by Any Other Name Would Be the Same

Who is Mrs. Exeter?

What Do a Chanel Jacket and a Chicken Have in Common?

Missing in Action – or – Doesn’t everyone shop for fabric on vacation?

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