1965(ish) Shift Dress

I finished this dress last week but just haven't worn it until today.

The fabric is a little 'louder' than the clothes I normally wear so about half way through making it, I was still undecided as to whether I would like the finished product.

It was quite a hot day today and I felt really 'summery' wearing it and received some lovely compliments, so I guess I'll give it the 'thumbs up' then.

The pattern is Butterick 4127 and I think it's circa 1965.
I made View B but without the back neck ties because I decided to make a tie belt to bring it in at the waste for more shape (kinda defeats the purpose of a shift dress, hey!).
I didn't want dangly bits on the front and the back:)

The only adjustment I made was to put in an invisible zipper instead of a lapped version.

And eek! The fabric is so totally polyester! I don't know what I was thinking at the time but the fabric design just grabbed me when I saw it.....Thank goodness for air-conditioning!

I will probably make this again, but have a few other things I want to make first.

Have a great week!

1976 JUMPSUIT

I was recently invited to a 40th birthday party with a 70's theme.

I was very excited about this...

champagne cocktails, chocolate fondue, nibblies of the era, platforms, jucke box, flares, blue eyeshadow!

I typically left it for the last minute to start making an outfit, and so rummaged through my stash of patterns to see if I had something reeking of the 70's that I could whip up and found this little treasure!

It's from 1976 and I knew it was to be the moment I saw it. I first had a vision of light blue satin with some white ABBA boots, but after some serious re-thinking, decided to do a denim number with tan boots

(I had to buy some new boots anyway... muahahahah, no, really, I did need some)

I may actually wear the denim again and thought I'd only wear it in satin the once.

I gathered some groovy jewellery together and tried, oh so tried, to do the Farah Fawcett Flicks and gave up after about 30 minutes of trying to burn my scalp with the curling wand and popped a headscarf on instead!

I practised my disco dancing all week so that I could get my groove thing happening on the night.

My kids just don't get that!

Anyhoo, here's the finished product. It was really easy and didn't have to make any alterations at all, which was just as well as I finished it the afternoon of the party!

And a little top stitching never goes astray!

And here was my favourite sound track of the night, which just happened to be released the same year as my jumpsuit pattern.

Enjoy!

1957 meets 1970 meets Multicultural Day!

So my children's school hosted their annual Multicultural Day on Friday and I put my hand up as a parent helper....again!

Although I've helped out most years, it's always been last minute and I've never bothered to do the costume thing myself - usually because I'm too busy costuming the kids!

Alas, this year, Tom just wanted to go as an English Soccer player (how lame I thought, but seized the opportunity to deck myself out instead).

So last week, I was in Textile Traders with my Mum and spotted this glorious craft fabric and knew immediately that I had to make a Novelty Dress with it.

The bodice is from Vogue 9071 (circa 1957) View A and the skirt is from Simplicity 9065 (circa 1970) the longer view skirt. I didn't want the full skirted version of the Vogue - just a 'no frills' skirt with minimal fabric requirements.

I eliminated all unnecessary seams (centre front and back) so that the print wouldn't be compromised and I also needed a very plain design so that it wouldn't take the eyes away from the fabric print also. I inserted an invisible side zipper so I could eliminate the centre back seam.

A very easy dress to make, I lined the skirt as it was a wee bit see through.

The dress and I had a wonderful time on Multicultural Day, and caused quite a few compliments... and laughs...and prods!

"Oh, Mrs P, I'm dressed up like that person there, and my friend is this one!"

I'm thinking now that I'd like to make up the Vogue dress again with the full skirt for work, maybe in a plaid?

A BELT AND MUST SEW #6

I have been so very uninspired to do some sewing lately, but I got a bit of a prod from someone the other day......which made me get off my bot-bot and finish a long awaited project - actually two projects!

I made this self covered belt to go with my Easter Dress that I sewed over a month ago (I know, I know, way too long between drinks!)

I hadn't made a belt like this before but am now thinking I'd like a few more - they really finish an outfit off nicely. I probably could have put in a couple more eyelets, but I thought 'Hey, I'll quit while I'm ahead before I muck it up!'

Rather pleased with myself!!

Then there's the matching jacket. I think it took me so long to finish because half way through it I wasn't sure that I actually liked the darn thing and it just sat there staring at me from my sewing table for about 4 weeks, but having finished it and worn it to work,

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!!

And don't you just adore the nifty back view of the collar?

I was a bit puzzled how to put it all together at first, but it kinda fell together quite nicely in the end.

And it won't be so long for the next post.....promise!!!!

EASTER DRESS

I finished my latest project in time for Easter...just!

It was really easy to put together, although I had to take in the waist about 4cm, which was unusual because I don't normally have to make any alterations to the actual fit of the garment. (I'll probably have to let it out again though, considering the ridiculous amount of chocolate I have consumed in the last 24 hours!)

Loving the design. I was a little perplexed at first when constructing the pockets. I was thinking that I had the incorrect pattern pieces as they didn't seem to sit flat on each other, but soon realised that they were designed to sit out from the actual garment.

It's a cute feature, and was probably a good idea in the 50's so that the fashionable woman could fit in her hanky and cat's eyes sunglasses without causing ugly bulk in her pockets!

At first I wasn't too keen on this design element, and almost re cut the whole pocket again so that it would lay flat on the dress, but decided to keep with the original idea.

I'm SO glad I did! I found an even better reason to have these pockets!

Now I have to admit to avoiding hand stitching like the plague! I hated doing it, and was never satisfied with my hand hemming etc.

That has all changed!

I had lunch with a couple of friends a while back, and one of my girlfriends wore a fabulous dress that she had whipped up. Yes, she had hand hemmed the darn thing! And did a fine job of it.

Bearing this in mind, I decided to give it one more go. I got a bit 'OCD' over it and brought out this trusty little gadget and measured every stitch along the way. Very please with the result too, I might add.

Thanks Tracy, I'm a convert!

Hope everyone had a lovely Easter!

We are off to Kalbarri for a few days, so the jacket will have to wait until then...

MUST SEW #6 AND A VINTAGE DRESS

My next project is this circa 1954 Simplicity 4651 which I bought from this lovely Etsy Seller

Bec and I spent some Mummy Daughter Time together on Saturday fabric shopping, and I found this lovely (craft) fabric in Textile Traders .

I'm thinking that the dress pattern would look really nice made up in the Polka Dots....

Love Polka Dots!

It's 100% cotton, and now I'm busy making chocolate coloured bias binding for the pockets and neckline. I bought enough chocolate fabric to make the matching jacket for my Must Sew #6!

Bec found some groovy fabric to make some pj's....she thinks I'm making them...

Muahahahah!

THE DRESS THAT ALMOST WASN'T

Well, that's several hours of my life I will never get back!!

I thought I'd whip up a simple shift dress, and it turned out bigger than

Ben Hur!

Love the sketch on the pattern cover, and it could have been a simple pattern, but for the life of me, I couldn't work out how they did the neckline and facing! My Mum told me that I need to think like someone from 1966 (funny!)

I tried to do it how the instructions stated, but I just couldn't get the thing to work out. In the end, and several days later (and more than enough unpicked facings later...), I put the instructions back in its packet, and just made the whole thing up as I went along!

Its McCall's 8565 (circa: 1966) and I've made it up in a cool wool suiting in the teeniest of hounds tooth pattern. The fabric feels really nice to wear and this is the first time that I have made up a pattern that called for underlining.

Because I didn't want the pockets (no need to make my hips look any bigger), I made a self covered button for the front just to add a bit of interest (to match the buttons on the back belt).

It's not my favourite dress,

it will be OK for work though, and I'm sure it will grow on me over time.

Not sure if I'd ever make this up again.

WALK AWAY DRESS

This is my version of the 'Walk Away Dress'.

I've used a really nice embroidered gingham from Spotlight with the re-issued pattern from Butterick 4790.



The original pattern was Butterick 6015.

OK. This was a super easy pattern....no facings at all and it just needed bias around the neckline, armholes etc.

This was actually going to be my Christmas outfit and was going along just fine (on Christmas Eve) when I realised that the centre front was only held together by 3 press studs.....

Yeah, Right!

I stopped sewing straight away. The thought of my 3 tiny snaps "popping" after downing the Christmas turkey left me in a cold sweat! I didn't even entertain the idea - I had read a few pattern reviews on this particular pattern, and a lot of sewists suggested making a size smaller than needed, so I had, and it was nice and firm around the waist (the full circle skirt makes it rather heavy, making it drag a little at the behind), so any added pressure would have been disastrous!

So instead of the press studs/snaps, I used a 'hook and eye tape' and it holds nice and firm. And the 'self cover' buttons on the front just hide the sewing nicely.

I love this dress! Perhaps it's my New Years Eve Dress instead...

My Secretary Dress! YAY I finished!!

There's nothing like a hint of warmer spring weather to make me want to finish a dress suited to winter! I thought that I may not be able to wear this until next year if I leave this any longer. I hope there will be one or two more cooler days before the spring sets in!

The pattern is c.1959 and went together really easily. I used a lovely soft charcoal suiting (which has a slight blue coloured fleck through it), and didn't have to make any alterations at all. The only thing that I changed was to put an invisible zipper instead of a lapped zipper. And no, I didn't lengthen the skirt, and no I'm not short.....the illustration leads you to believe that it's around knee length. And I won this from Oztion the other day...I thought it would look really nice at the neckline where the split starts. It's a vintage (c 1959 ish) marcasite brooch. I haven't received it yet but can't wait!

WHOA!

What a busy, busy time it has been for me, and I'm wondering where on earth the last 3 weeks went!

*Bec really enjoyed her music camp, and wants to go next year (phew) - and she even made some new friends in upper school.

*My German Shepherd is due to have puppies any day now....I have mixed emotions about that one. The kiddies are of course excited, I have no idea what to do, and the first mistake I did was to Google German Shepherd birthing - apparently anything and everything can go wrong, and they like to have them in the middle of the night - nice - but of course I can always take her temperature each day (and guess where I have to stick the thermometre) and when her temp. drops, it'll happen. No. Way. Will. I. Do. That!!

Wish me luck...I'll post photos when they come.

*And I now have a job as a secretary..WOOHOO. I am really loving it, but feel a bit overwhelmed at the moment - I didn't realise how rusty my typing skills had become. So I have been madly trying to do the Mummy, Secretary, Wifey, House Worky thingy lately and am feeling a bit pooped! (Hence the lack of Blogging)

Anyhoo, now that I am working I have to have some new work clothes...I'm starting to run out. Here's a McCall's 5205 (c. 1959) that I bought a while ago from this lovely seller on ebay.

I have some lovely soft suiting in a black (surprise, surprise) with a faint, light blue slub in it. I'll pop a crisp white shirt underneath and voila! I think I'll look very 'secretary-like' in it, and I'll show you the pictures when I've finished it.

Catch you later...

MUST SEW #1

Remember my first disastrous attempt at the Butterick 4699 (mid 1960's) for my Must Sew #1? I wasn't going to let this pattern get the better of me!


This is my second attempt....






I kind of butchered the pattern a little. Although I made the original dress according to my measurements, it was too big and sack like. So I took it in about 2cm in all off the width, lowered the neckline a little (about 1.5cm), so it didn't feel like it was choking me so much, and shortened the dress by 8cm (I felt the length was a little dowdy).

I thought when deciding what fabric to use, I could go for a cross between a coat and a dress. So I chose a pinwhale cord in black and faced hems and sleeves etc. with bias binding. Because it was cord, I had to make a side seam so that I could cut the pattern with the nap, instead of on the crosswise fold.

I have to say that this isn't my fondest adventure with vintage patterns. I will wear it though, and am on the lookout for a hot pink skivvy and matching tights to brighten up the black!

70's DENIM DRESS

I have wanted a denim dress for such a long time, but have never seen one that I liked...until now! I was afraid that I would look like a biker chick in a denim dress (not that there's anything wrong with that!!!).

Anyhoo, I bought this pattern a few months ago from this seller on OZtion. This is a really good site for vintage patterns, similar to Ebay, and they are usually quite cheap, not quite the same selection, but you could be lucky like I was!

I chose a black denim from Spotlight (to match my black boots that I HAD to buy for my 40th, which was a few years ago now). The fabric has a slight stretch, and a bit of a slub through it, so it doesn't make the dress too plain. View 2 (far left) was the one I made and I'm really loving it. I may just make the pant suit too!

I didn't have to make any sizing alterations to this pattern which is wonderful, and because the denim was on the "stiff" side, I made the facings with black poplin to reduce the bulk, and used bias binding around the armholes.

And in case you think my right leg looks kooky, it is. I had the 'big C' about 15 years ago and lost my knee joint in the recovery process! Those close to me know I usually wear pants or dresses/skirts below the knee, but I liked this pattern so much I didn't care. Quite liberating, really!

Anyway, this was my first 70's pattern, and it certainly won't be my last!

And I almost forgot, I tried a new method for backstitching seams which I discovered on this great blog. It really works a treat, and I really wanted to try this method to reduce the bulk with the denim. Give it a go!

Enjoy your day.

VINTAGE DRESS

I went to pop this on the other day when I realised I hadn't posted about this dress. It's Simplicity 3446, a 1950's pattern I made last year from some lovely cotton fabric I bought from Spotlight. I had the pattern (I can't remember which site I bought it from...I think ebay), and as soon as I saw this fabric - it screamed 1950's to me, I knew it was the one. I didn't have to make any fitting adjustments at all on the pattern, which is always a bonus! All I changed was I inserted an invisible zipper instead of a lapped one.

I really love the neckline (tie). I will make this dress up again, in the slenderette version though, but it will have to wait for now....I have so many other patterns to sew!

MY AUTUMN DRESS IS FINALLY FINISHED!

Well, I'm really happy with this dress......it took way too long to finish, "life" just got in the way of my sewing this past week, but I'm ready to start another project!

I must admit that while tackling the bodice, I remembered why I don't like making shawl collars...it was like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, you know that corner section where the top part of the shoulder seam is a right angle, and the actual collar is rounded - I tweeked, said a few "foofy" words, threw it on the floor for a day (or two), tweeked some more and finally "nailed it"! I made some 'self covered' buttons (which are sooo easy to make, and look really great!)

I love the sleeves, though I think they are a bit too 'full' for popping under a 3/4 sleeve cardigan. The picture on the pattern cover makes it look like the sleeves are slim fitting. I suppose that is the problem with sketches of designs, it is the artist's impression of how they think the garment should look, not how it actually is. The short sleeve version would be best suited I think for under a cardi.

Anyhoo, I will go through my latest vintage purchases tonight and decide what is next.

MY AUTUMN DRESS PATTERN

Well my pattern arrived this week from The Hemline and I was soooo excited! I rushed out to purchase this fun polka-dot print from Spotlight and am ready to go! I will be doing View 1 with the longer sleeves. Wouldn't this look great with a red 3/4 sleeve cardi and matching shoes?

I have been doing a little (ie: a lot) of vintage shopping this week, so I will reveal in another post. Bec has been fabric and pattern shopping as well, so I guess we'll be fighting for sewing space!

MUST SEW #1

Well, I can certainly tick off #1 from my Must Sew List.

Do I like it? No, not on me anyway.

Will I ever wear it? Not likely.

Why don't I like it? It just looks like a sack on me! I really think that if I was a stick insect, this dress would look fabulous, but because my frame is on the curvy side (ie: I have boobies and a bottom), it did nothing for me. I didn't even put it on for the photo. It made me look and feel like I'd gained a couple of kilos! The lack of bust darts and basic shaping really should have rung a few alarm bells with me. Although I did use the correct size according to my bust measurements, the dress felt too big around my top half, I may resize it and make it smaller because I really do like the style.

First I have to say that this was such an easy pattern to sew. It took less than 2 hours to complete. Instead of using bias around the edges, I just lined the whole thing and "bagged it out" and sealed it up,so if I wanted to, it could be reversible. I love the fabric I found at Spotlight, and will probably restyle it somehow or cut it up and make something completely different. I will show you when that gets done.

I think I'm more disappointed in the fact that I didn't get to wear a new dress to the bbq, than losing 2 hours out of my life that I will never get back! So, I will put that disaster behind me, and move forward!

WE'RE BAAAACK...

We're back and refreshed from our beautiful holiday at Busselton. This was the view from the beach one evening. Lots of fishing and fun was had that night! It was so hot down there, but it only took us a minute to walk to the beach......bliss!




Anyhoo, an exciting package was waiting for me when we arrived home. It was this vintage pattern I ordered from http://www.oldpatterns.com/.

I'm thinking that I might sew this up in either a white or black broderie anglaise or linen, or even a Pucci print. I feel the need to go fabric shopping real soon! We have a bbq to go to on Saturday, and I would love to wear this. Oh dear, so many outings and not enough frocks!

I've made a list of 10 Must Sew items. If I publish them, then I have to sew them or I'll look like a right git! So here they are....

1. Abovementioned dress.


2. A Funky shirt for Glen.


3. Animal print shift dress (to go with the fabulous bag I bought in Busselton. It was on special.....really it was).


4. A funky shirt for Tom (or anything else he desires!).


5. An apron for myself (I'm sick of wearing my daggy old one!) Oh, I have to make one for Linda at http://texmorg.blogspot.com/ (she liked the cup cake one).


6. A jacket or coat.


7. A couple of tops to replace the many Tshirts I get around in.


8. An outfit for Bec (although she could probably make it herself! maybe I'll just help her make one instead)


9. A skirt.


10. A pair of pants or jeans.

11. Make God Daughter a ball gown

Yeah, I know there's only supposed to be 10, but I forgot the Ball Gown and was swiftly reminded by my God Daughter's mother, so I added this a couple of days later!

There! I said it and now I have to do it!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Hoping the first day of your 2009 was as relaxing as ours. Swimming in Mum's pool and generally "pigging out" on my family! I only made one resolution for 2009, and that is to sew a lot more for me and my family...a LOT more!

Anyhoo, I ordered this pattern the other day from http://oldpatterns.com/ and am looking forward to it arriving in my letterbox. It's a Butterick 4699 from c. 1967. A groovy wrap-around dress, and with the hot weather that's been around lately, I'm looking forward to making this up and wearing it EVERYWHERE! Maybe a navy with lime green trim? Any suggestions? Hmmm...... let me think on this for a while.

Bye for now.

MY LITTLE GIRL IS GROWING UP

Today I want to show you Rebecca's graduation dress from a few weeks ago. It was a vintage Simplicity pattern 2543 from 1958. As soon as Bec saw it she knew that was the one!

We bought it from http://www.oldpatterns.com/ . I get excited about how vintage patterns just smell old, and there is writing on the envelope from way back in 1958, the previous owner jotted down the colours and fabrics she would have used.

It was quite easy to make, I lined the dress to give it more body though, and added some tulle at the hem of the lining to make it stand out a little.

We chose vintage because girls really knew how to 'frock-up' back then, and Bec didn't really like any of the modern patterns. They were either too young with lots of bows and frills, or too teenage! The fabric was two-tone - celery and pink, and it turned out fantastic! Bec was thrilled and she looked like a princess wearing her tiara hair slide. AND.....she won the Year 6 Citizenship award, which means basically that she's a darn great gal! We were all so proud of her.

The year 6's really enjoyed the after party which followed the formal ceremony. I'm not so sure that I'm ready to hand her over to the Middle School though....