Verity Vintage Studio

Forget-Me-Not Dress

Yet another versatile basic...pin dots! Poppie Cotton has a lovely quilting cotton basic called Country Confetti, and with some new Bright colors coming in, I had the opportunity to make a dress with one of them. Of course I had to pick the forget-me-not color... a lovely light periwinkle sprinkled with tiny pastel dots. Perfect to make a dress with some details!

 

I have a long love for this pattern. In my early sewing days, it was one of the first more complicated patterns I tried, and also one that I actually took more pains with... and appreciated the result. It made me begin to realize that taking more pains with the process was actually worth it, and more than that: even could be fun!

 

I don't have that first dress any more, and I did make it again with vintage semi-sheer fabric years later, with lovely results. BUT the pattern doesn't have a  front opening, so I haven't been able to wear it for a long time. So with this remake, I altered it to have a front opening.

 

My very first version was made from a thrifted periwinkle sheet, with an embroidered border that I made into a belt. I re-channeled that same look with this periwinkle version, by making a floral belt that I embellished with 2 strands of floral lace overlapped and sewn down with seed beads. 

 

Instead of using the roll back collar on the pattern, I recut the front bodice to not only open in the front, but also trimmed off the collar part and made it a V neck so I could use some of my vintage collars. 

 

 

It is indeed a late '40s or early '50s pattern, but doesn't it have a Titanic or teens era feel?

 

It's quite a unique construction, since the front skirt (in two horizontally pleated pieces) wraps around to the back darts, so there are no side seams in the skirt. And I just love the back details!

 

I also skipped the cuffs on this make, because I wanted a light summer feel. AND since I'm using a vintage collar, I can swap it out for different looks if I want.

 

This fabric is perfect for this application, since to the eye it reads like a solid, but it is more interesting with all the tiny dots than a plain solid fabric. I have used it before for a background fabric on a quilt, and also a backing. It just works well for everything!

backing on my puff quilt

background for my 2 stars a day quilt

 

 

I'm super pleased with how it turned out! It's one of my favorite makes this year so far.

Versatile Basics - Gingham 1950s Summer Suit

I thought it would be fun this summer to do a hit-and-miss mini blog series featuring quilting cotton basics. Every fabric company has their own version of basics - including a solid, some other classic prints, and perhaps a few novelty prints that are company-specific - that they keep in stock constantly. I wanted to show how some of these could be utilized for garments as well as quilting and other projects, since basics are often easier to source and less expensive than some of the fancier prints. 

Starting off this series with one of my favorites - gingham!

 

Gingham is surely one of the most versatile prints, and never goes out of style. Red and white gingham will always be a kitchen accessory classic, and the fun pattern shows up perennially everywhere in clothing and home dec. It can be ultra girly, like pink gingham baby dresses, or more sophisticated - suitable for holidays or year round.

Generally, though it may come in different sizes of pattern, the 1/8" gingham is most popular for quilting because of its small scale - but fortunately that's also a good scale to use for clothing too!

 

For my outfit featuring this print, I was inspired by this vintage image from Pinterest and decided to do my own spin on recreating this lovely ensemble. 

 

I chose black and white gingham from Riley Blake Designs, and picked out from my vintage pattern stash three patterns - a narrow skirt, wide skirt, and jacket - to make a 3 piece mix-and-match outfit. 

 

It was so fun to sew and style! The jacket has so many cute details, especially the little petal inserts which I decided to cut on the bias. 

 

I also added white piping to the collar and cuffs, to bring it a little closer to the inspiration image, and had the perfect tiny white buttons in my stash - again, to match the photo. The piping added some nice structure to the collar shape.

 

It went together remarkably fast, and I really love the jacket pattern. Another time I'll tweak the fit a bit, but it's definitely a good go-to 1950s dressy jacket pattern!

 

The wide skirt is a simple 6-gored 1950s skirt. I am wearing a vintage crinoline over it, and it has a nice amount of swoosh.

 

For this styling, I went a bit more formal so I paired it with black satin heels by American Duchess, and black accessories and a corsage from my vintage collection. 

 

For the other wearing option I wanted to feature, for a slightly different silhouette, the narrow skirt has a pleat in the back to add fullness when walking.

 

I changed up a few accessories to show some of the versatility of this type of outfit, which really can be suitable for many different occasions! This is just a tiny sample of the different looks I could create.

 

So this quilting cotton is perfectly suitable for adult clothing - and it goes without saying that it's extremely common for baby and toddler clothes as well. 

 

What about other uses? Here is just a small sampling. Gingham in a baby quilt I made recently...

 

...and as an embroidered curtain for the nursery.

 

One of my favorite uses is not just an all-over main pattern, but as an accent. See how cute this vintage apron is with the gingham used as a contrast rather than the main apron?

 

But honestly, this just scratches the surface of the possibilities for this fun print. The shortest web search will give you more ideas than you can possibly need. Use it as an accent or a main theme, for clothing or anything else! Gingham quilt binding or quilt backing works just as well as gingham in the blocks, or for smaller sewing projects like pencil cases or bags. I'm sure I'll never run out of ideas for it!

4th of July Vintage Toddler Dress Makeover

Some time ago, I got this vintage toddler dress from a seller on Instagram. It was priced low because the skirt was badly rust-stained, but I knew I could do something with it so I kept it until my oldest daughter grew into this size.

 

The thin cotton had leaked the rust stains through, so it was stained both front and back, and the buttons had disintegrated. But all the stains were on the lower 2/3rds of the skirt, so the bodice (which is where all the cute detail was) was untouched.

 

It was a simple matter to trim off the skirt a few inches down, and using that to measure, cut a length of contrast fabric to replace it with.

 

Of course the shoulder button replacement was super easy - so here it is with a fresh life, just in time for the 4th of July festivities!

 

She calls it her "parade dress", and loves it - though I couldn't get her to smile for these pictures. :-) 

 

I like it also as an example of how versatile a basic pattern is, as a background canvas for creative trimming. 

 

Here's an actual smile!

 

We are having a low-key 4th today, but the children got to jump in a bouncy house and gathered up their long-awaited buckets of candy from the parade, so they are happy. 

Happy Independence Day!

 

"They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot?

...There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave."

-Patrick Henry, 1775

1950s does 1930s Green & Pink Dress

My latest sewing project was a mail order pattern that I'm sure from the graphics is from the 1950s, but it looked very 1930s to me with its asymmetrical button closure and details, so I decided to pair it with a 1930s repro print from a cute vintage style new Riley Blake Designs quilting cotton line called Basin Feedsacks. 

 

The pattern is too big for me, so I knew it would need some adjusting. I took a big pinch out of the back when I cut it out, in hopes that would take care of it, and forged ahead.

The skirt came together easily and was quickly tweaked to fit me, though it took me a minute to realize that it actually doesn't open from the buttons on the skirt - it has a side zipper just like most vintage patterns, and the faux opening is all for show. 

 

I hit a snag with the bodice. I'm not sure if this particular pattern or style just wasn't a good fit for me, or if they left out a piece of the instructions, but I had to play around with the front fit for a long time - and even now you can see it's not a perfect fit, but was the best I could come up with. 

 

I substituted sleeves from a 1930s pattern, so they would have a bit more of that decade's detail. 

 

I do like the idea of adding slanted trim like this to the neckline - it was super easy (just a folded rectangle) and could be attached to a lot of other patterns, if I wish. 

 

I maybe should have called this First Draft, because I'm pretty sure I will end up reworking the bodice. I had very little fabric leftover, so I would have to recut it from what I have here, but with the overlap it shouldn't be too hard to have enough fabric for a Second Draft. I'm thinking all I would have to do is take out the sleeves and recut the front as a regular shirt front with shoulder yokes, leaving the back and skirt intact.

Or at the very least, revamp it to make a stand-alone skirt, since I am pleased with that part of it.

 

So it's still a work in progress, instead of a finished item crossed off my list - but it's good to remember that not everything I try or envision comes perfectly to fruition the first time around! (But does that inspire me to make a muslin first? No, it does not. :-) I'm put in mind of my pink dotted dress makeover that was so much more successful as its new version.

 

And anyway, this springish floral repro fabric is too good to leave as an unsatisfactory dress that won't get worn!

1940s Aqua Floral House Dress with Lori Holt Fabric

Sometimes when fabric companies do their 1930s style fabric lines, it feels more "inspired" than authentic to me. But here's a print that's a real winner! Probably my favorite Lori Holt print ever, I really got excited over this one. It's from the Riley Blake Designs recently available Cook Book fabric line (which has several other garment-appropriate, authentic prints too), and I just love it. It looks like it stepped out of a real vintage feedsack, and has a large enough floral to work well for garments.

 

Of course I wanted to sew something with it that I also would love - something that would get lots of wear, without too many details to get lost in the print, and that wouldn't take a lot of tweaking to fit me. A favorite fabric will still get pushed to the back of the closet if it's a dress that doesn't fit well or feels too fussy for everyday wear.

I remembered a simple 1940s dress pattern I'd made twice, years ago - neither of them versions I own anymore -  and pulled it out again.

 

Because I had made it before, I had the bodice pattern pieces shortened already, so the bodice didn't take any more tweaking to make an instant good fit. Also - I love shoulder dart tucks!

 

The only other detail is the asymmetrical pleat in the skirt. This meant it takes slightly more fabric, and I had a few extra pieces to cut out, but even still it was still a super quick sew.

 

I got it finished for Memorial Day, since it's close enough to red, white, and blue to have a patriotic flair. 

 

I made two belts - one in a coordinating blue solid from Riley Blake, and one in the same aqua floral. I like the blue best, but I also enjoy versatility.

 

Because of the basic design and the wide bodice overlap, it was the perfect choice for some large buttons. I quickly settled on some big white plastic toggle buttons, probably intended for a coat, but they add a little extra character and quirkiness to the dress.

 

It's so trim and comfortable to wear and forget about. Reminds me again how much I love WWII era house dresses!

 

I was so pleased, I was inspired to break out of my usual brush-out and try something a little more creative with my hair this time.

 

I'm super delighted with the happy combination of pattern & fabric, and the way it turned out. I'm sure I'll wear it a lot...and I still had some fabric leftovers to save for a quilt, so that's a win-win!

Blog Tour of House & Home Fabric: Wall Quilt with Poppie Cotton

 

I've been working on something special with some new Poppie Cotton fabric, and get to show it off today as I kick off the blog tour for House and Home!

 

This has to be one of my top loved of their collections so far. It has a wide color range, so it can have many different looks. I chose to use only the pastels and picked my top favorite 5 prints to use for a softly shaded wall quilt in some of my very favorite colors.

 

I used Gigi's Thimble free pattern for her 2 Stars a Day quilt; though I couldn't participate on the quilt along she hosted, I loved her idea & mockup, and made a smaller version for myself with 2 stars in each fabric for a total of 20 stars, divided with 10 on each background color.

 

This was my first time making flying geese units, believe it or not... Her tip to press the seams open was very helpful, though I quickly gave up on matching the star points. (I'm definitely going to invest in a quarter inch machine foot so I can be more precise in the future - but luckily I'm not a perfectionist.)

 

It was fun from start to finish. I've found I really love making smaller quilts. You still get to play with a variety of fabrics and blocks, but without so many you get tired of making them. They are so much easier to wrangle when piecing the top, pressing, and quilting. And allover a much faster finish, which suits my instant-gratification urge very well!

Mine finished out at 34 x 42 inches, so it's a good size for a wall hanging, but could totally be used as a baby quilt too. 

Star blocks ready to sew together.

The finished quilt top!

 

I have a spot on my kitchen wall where a window was taken out and badly patched...too big for a picture to cover well, so a quilted wall hanging is the perfect option. I have one that's been up year-round, but have been wanting to make one for every season (probably will end up with one per month! :-)  - so this was the ideal project to quickly finish and hang up to enjoy while it's still spring! 

I love getting to look at it every day. 

 

I just adore the periwinkle floral and all the little toile and sprig prints. I had enough of the pink toile to use as a background, and I have to say I love the alternating block background colors in Amber's pattern. I will definitely utilize this feature again! The only change I made to her pattern was to add the sashing to the outside edge to finish the pattern, instead of the solid border she sketched.

A small quilt in a big world.

 

The 6" stars are small enough to be dainty, but large enough to show off a lot of the fabric. 

 

I hand quilted it - an easy project that went pleasantly fast - and added a couple of hanging loops to the top under the binding.

 

 

To bind it, I cut two strips each from 4 of the green color way fat quarters and stitched them end to end. This makes a subtly scrappy binding - a great option for someone who doesn't have enough of one coordinating fabric for binding, or who doesn't like a more obvious scrappy binding.

 

It was such a fun project, each step of the way. Thanks to Amber for a great pattern, and to Poppie Cotton for giving me the opportunity to create with such dreamy fabric! I hope this inspires you to sew your own version.

 

Check out the other makers on this blog tour:

Monday, May 23	https://verityvintagestudio.typepad.com/my-blog/
Wednesday, May 25	Lisagarlick@gmail.com
Friday, May 27	http://happylittlecottage.blogspot.com/
Monday, May 30	http://neverlandstitches.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, June 1	pandsf@frontiernet.net
Friday, June 3	Instagram: @emmas_crafternoons
Monday, June 6	http://prettybyhand.com/
Wednesday, June 8	amerooniedesigns@outlook.com
Friday, June 10th	http://www.linenbouquet.com
Monday, June 13th	https://www.goodvibesquiltshop.com/blog
Wednesday, June 15th	www.freshdewdrops.com

 

 

1950s Gray Floral Blouse

I splurged on this lovely piece of vintage cotton from https://makethislook.com during the launch of their new website. It was just a perfect length for a blouse, and I loved the larger scattered print and the unusual combo of gray & yellow colors together.

 

 

Instead of stashing it on my shelf when it arrived, I cut into it right away.

 

I wanted something simple to let the print have center stage, so I chose a 1950s blouse overblouse pattern that had a wide wing collar and raglan cap sleeves.

 

It had a front seam, though, so I did a simple alteration to make it open down the front instead. 

 

I made it in one day; definitely nice to have a quick and easy pattern like this. I had to alter it somewhat after the initial try on, and tweaked it again after taking these photos. But I just love the fabric!

 

It's a cool and comfortable summer blouse that can work well for casual too. Here I paired it with a navy pencil skirt from a 1950s pattern, and a new to me 1950s hat I got recently. 

 

Isn't that polka dot veil the cutest?

 

I can't splurge on vintage fabric very often, but I'm glad I got this one - and also enjoy supporting a new small business.

1950s Teal House Dress

I have been on a sewing spree lately, cranking out lots of quilts and garments, with multiple projects on the go at once, and a couple dozen clamoring to be next on the list. My latest finish was this dress made from a mail order 1950s pattern.

 

It was a bit more of an adventure than usual because when I went to cut it out, I found that the front bodice piece was missing. I ended up using the back piece as the front piece too, but had to rip it apart after the first trial and redo some things before it fit reasonably well.

 

This pattern reminded me of my yellow dress made a few years back, but without such a slim skirt - definitely more flattering for right now post baby 3. I really like it, but don't know if I'll ever cobble it together again since I know now the bodice piece is missing.

 

I think a gathered yoke is so flattering!

 

I top stitched it with a narrow zigzag to add a little extra interest. (Well, to be completely honest, I topstitched it with a narrow zigzag because I didn't want to change my thread color, so decided it was easier to look like a design choice instead of laziness. :-)

 

The fabric is a quilting cotton basic in a pattern now discontinued from Riley Blake Designs. But there are a lot of this type of print as a quilting basic by various fabric companies, and it really is a good fit for vintage sewing. The random scattered lines are very reminiscent of some vintage fabric I've seen. Another example of how, if you train your eye, you can find possibilities in modern fabric.

 

I also knew it would look nice with white cuffs, but the wing cuffs on the pattern are not my favorite to make, and certainly not practical for a wash-and-wear dress, often with sleeves crammed into a sweater. So I opted for a simple white band, so I still had my white sleeve trim. 

 

The raglan sleeves are very comfortable and not restricting at all.

 

The neck turned out too low, and also sitting a bit wide. Rather than tear it all apart, I tried something new - adding a tab detail at the neck, to help pull it together a little, while adding more coverage. It's sewn to the dress on one side, and snapped on the other. I think it works reasonably well. 

With all my seamstress experience, I still have not figured out the right way to do this type of skirt closure. This one is kind of cobbled together. Someday I want to learn how to do it properly from someone who knows how!

 

But regardless of all the adjustments and tweaks, I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, and love the color & print! I'm happy to cross this one off my list, and head on toward the next one, which I had cut out before this one was done.

 

Easter Dresses 2022

I had a number of options on my to-do list that were good possibilities for Easter, but since we went on an extended family trip and got home just a week before Easter (plus dealing with sickness that week) I opted for the easiest, more low-key option. One that I had a better chance of actually completing before Easter.

 

I had already cut out and started on this dress before we left on our trip, so it was a relatively quick finish. I used the same 1950s pattern used for the gray cherry dress, but left out the collar option this time.

(Yes, the sun was bright, but the hills are GREEN again and I'm so excited to take outside photos again!)

 

I made a few tweaks, including doing a wide sleeve facing so that the wrong side of the fabric isn't visible when I lift my arms, since the sleeve is wide. 

 

I also added a few neck darts to make the neck a better fit in the back. 

 

Otherwise it was quite simple and straightforward. The large floral is from a lovely new quilting line called On the Wind, and I thought this print had a definite 1950s vibe, but also needed a simple pattern. This was a good match, especially since I realized while working on it, that both the fabric and the kimono-type sleeves conspired to give it a slight Oriental influence, which was fun. 

 

Yellow is not my usual color, so I was happy to have such a cheerful addition to my wardrobe. I was surprised how much the coral belt picked up the scattered coral flowers. Again, not my color, but as a touch of accent it works well and gives me more variety.

 

It will be a quick zip-and-go comfy dress for this summer. I brought back a number of fun vintage finds from my vacation, including this lovely midcentury white purse, so of course I had to use it right away.

 

For the girls, I had already saved the 1950s floral dress I made earlier for the oldest's Easter dress. For the baby, I used the same print in another color way (from a fabric line appropriately called Easter Parade), and used my single baby pattern that is smaller than 1 year old. It turned out pretty cute!

 

I had made this one before for my oldest daughter, but this time I added the bow and love it. 

 

To close it, I stitched snaps on and added the buttons just for show, and to cover up where I had sewn the snaps. 

 

They were so cute in their coordinating dresses. We were blessed to have a sunny Easter, since the previous day (and several other days that week) we had awakened to inches of snow. But Sunday was a beautiful day!

 

Now home and mostly caught up from our long vacation, I'm looking forward to getting back to my sewing list. I have some fun things planned.

 

But meanwhile - Happy Easter!

The resurrection completes the inauguration of God’s kingdom. . . .

It is the decisive event demonstrating that God’s kingdom really has been launched on earth as it is in heaven.

The message of Easter is that God’s new world has been unveiled in Jesus Christ and that you’re now invited to belong to it. ―N. T. Wright

 

 

Gray Cherry 1950s House Dress

I got a fun 1950s pattern from someone on Instagram, and knew it would be perfect with some giant floral fabric on my to-use list. But I wanted to test the pattern's fit first, so I pulled a less special fabric out of my stash to make a trial dress.

 

The pattern was super simple, so I decided to challenge myself to make it entirely in one day. I started cutting it out at 10:00 a.m., and finished the last hand stitch on the hem at 3:00 p.m. It was fun!

 

The pattern is very basic - only 5 pieces, other than the collar (which can be omitted) - but it has a fun style element with the wide raglan sleeves. 

 

I had to do a brief fitting tweak after my initial try-on, but otherwise it all went smoothly and fits very well! I also altered it to zip down the front instead of the back, for nursing access. I didn't have an invisible zipper foot, so I used my regular presser foot and made use of the handy needle position lever, and it worked out quite well!

 

It's super comfortable and easy to wear - quintessential 1950s style. As usual, though I am drawn to the fancier patterns, I often find the more simple patterns (besides pairing well with more fabric prints) are the ones I actually wear. 

 

I love raglan sleeves, both because they are comfy to wear and have a better range of motion, and because it's fun to make a dress without needing to set sleeves!

 

It's a good fit and perfect for a busy cotton print. I'm definitely ready to cut into my fancier fabric, so stay tuned for another version soon!