Verity Vintage Studio

1940s Pink Princess Dress

I squeezed in another warm-weather sewing project in October before the weather suddenly turned cold. We are currently buried under early snow, so these pictures look quite outdated at the moment!

 

I had a 1940s mail order pattern for a princess style dress that I hoped to use for a special project, but I wanted to try it out first. This was the trial.

 

I'm glad I tried it, since it definitely needed a lot of tweaking for the fit. This one is still not perfect, but I have a better idea of what to do if I make it again. Thankfully wearing a belt helps a lot with making it still look good.

 

And I just love the fabric! It's a 1930s repro feedsack print, and so perfect for a house dress. (If you like it too, you can find some for sale in my newly opened vintage sewing supply shop The Timely Tailor!)

 

I wanted originally to use dark red buttons, but had nothing that would work, so ended up picking out the gray instead to emphasize. I do like how gray and pink looks, and also how it tones down the otherwise sugary-pink color.

 

The yoke/ruffle detail is pretty cute. Otherwise it's just a basic button-down-the-front princess style dress, which is very handy for trying on as you go and making fit adjustments. I can see why it's a perennial style.

Sunshine & Camomile Blog Tour: Polka Dot Blouse & Ruffly Dress

 

I got the opportunity to play with a few prints from the new Sunshine & Camomile fabric line by Poppie Cotton. As usual, I gravitated toward garments. First I made myself a classic blouse from a 1950s pattern. 

 

Polka dots are very classic, and the one vintage-appropriate print that is usually pretty easy to find - but not often found in a larger, more scattered dot like this one is. It's a great scale for a garment!

 

The blouse pattern I used has a cute tie sewn into the shoulders. Next time I will make it double sided so I don't have to be so careful how I tie it.

 

The combo of pink and navy blue is a good one, but not one I often use. I really like it though!

 

For my second project, I chose a cute little 1950s girl's dress pattern that was given to me by an older lady at church. I've wanted to make it for a while before my oldest daughter grows out of this size. I made it roomy enough that she should be able to wear it for the next year or so.

 

I don't know if I'll make it again, because it was pretty tedious. I finally cheated on the ruffle and just did freeform pleats instead.  Gathering two layers of hemmed fabric was just not working. But anyway, it sure turned out adorable!

 

This fabric isn't particularly vintage in style, but it was so cute that I decided I wanted to sew something with it, and this is it. The contrast honeycomb in navy is perfect for the collar and under-ruffle, emphasizing the navy in the print. The darker colors makes it a bit more suitable for fall and winter too, rather than if I had gone for one of the lighter colors in the print. 

 

I did a lot of changing things around to do what made the most sense to me, rather than following the pattern, which wasn't super clear. But as long as it doesn't look like it's patched together, I'm happy!

 

The back closes with a button band. I used navy buttons too, and sewed them on with my favorite method for four-hole buttons. It can look like little flowers, if you use different colors of thread!

 

The skirt took forever to hem since each of the 2 ruffles had two edges to hem, and they are so much wider than the skirt width. But I love the effect!

 

My sweet 3 year old is very pleased with her new dress, which is what counts the most!

 

Check out the other lovely projects on this blog tour! It's always so inspiring to see the different projects creative people come up with, using the same fabrics. 

Wednesday, November 2	Website: http://blueribbondesigns.com
Friday, November 4	https://verityvintagestudio.typepad.com/my-blog/
Monday, November 7	http://happylittlecottage.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, November 9	http://prettybyhand.com/
Friday, November 11	http://neverlandstitches.blogspot.com/
Monday, November 14	theredfeedsack.blogspot.com
Wednesday, November 16	https://www.nannygoatquilts.com/
Friday November 18	https://thisandthatpatterns.typepad.com/
Monday, November 21	https://www.lambfarmdesigns.com/

 

A New Business Venture...Vintage Sewing Style!

It seems I always have something going on...and it's time to let you in on the latest project!

I've been working on setting up a new Etsy shop.

The Timely Tailor will feature curated fabric, kits & notions for the vintage seamstress!

 

We will offer carefully selected vintage-appropriate fabric by the yard with an emphasis on providing authentic prints suitable especially for dressmaking.

 

Our specialty will be taking some of that fabric and offering limited edition dressmaking kits which will include a vintage sewing pattern from Wearing History, with enough fabric and notions to make it! We take the pain out of ordering online. No buying fabric only to find you have no matching buttons. Or that you think you ordered the right color of thread and it turns out to be the wrong shade. 

We also will stock some thread and lovely little sewing notions. Some of them will be combined into various styles of hand sewing kits, so there will be something for everyone.

 

All of this is still in the pre-launch phase, but we are getting so close and I'm super excited! If you are interested in being the first to find out when we open, along with other shop news and updates, sign up for our email list here.

Songbird Serenade Project Tour – Patchwork Dress & Applique Runner

 

This sweet new fabric collection called Songbird Serenade from Poppie Cotton has the loveliest soft colors and prints. Of course my three-year-old was entranced by the “birdie” fabric, so I decided this would be a good time to try an idea I had in mind. An idea for a challenge. Could I make a dress out of a fat quarter bundle?

 

I picked the light peach color way, set aside two FQ for the skirt, and cut the bodice front and back out of two different FQ. I used the same pattern as I did for her sailor dress for the bodice, but with different sleeves.

 

The skirt I didn't use a pattern for, just gathered the width I had into the waist. The collar I cut from a 5^th FQ for a bit of contrast.

 

When assembled, I think it was a success! Using the same color palette keeps it from being too crazy, but the patchwork element is still there, and super cute for a little girl. It's fun to get a garment of this size out of the smaller quilting cuts, just as a fun little challenge.

 

As you can see from her face, she quite likes her new dress.

 

Showing mommy the birdies.

 

But there are so many other pretty prints and colors in this collection, I had to showcase more of them, so I also made a table runner.

 

I've seen vintage quilts with applique petal fans and always think they are so cute, so that was my inspiration. I cut out my own chunky orange peel shaped template, and attached them to background blocks with a dense zigzag on the raw edges. Super easy and fast.

 

The diamond shape was appliqued by hand.

 

I hand quilted it, which went pretty fast. I wanted to quilt it as larger blocks of 4 instead of individual blocks, so after going around the petals and doing the decorative corner bracket, I added a few rows around the exterior.

 

It's a generously sized runner, with 8” blocks. I just love the soft pastels.

 

It was a great pleasure to make these two ideas come to life in such pretty fabric. 

 

Check out the other lovely stops on this blog tour – and make sure to ask your quilt shop about this beautiful fabric collection!

 

Monday, October 10	http://prettybyhand.com/	Kirstyne
Wednesday, October 12	https://verityvintagestudio.typepad.com/my-blog/	Kristen Clay
Friday, October 14	https://thisandthatpatterns.typepad.com/	Sherri Falls
Monday, October 17	https://www.nannygoatquilts.com/	Lisa Garlick
Wednesday, October 19	http://neverlandstitches.blogspot.com/	Lisa Jo
Friday, October 21	Website: http://blueribbondesigns.com	Belinda
Monday, October 24	http://www.happyquiltingmelissa.com/	Melissa Corry

 

1950s Amethyst Daisy Dress

I have to say this is one of my favorite things I've made this summer. It turned out exactly how I had envisioned. 

 

I had wanted to use this 1950s pattern for a while, and when I got a length of lavender daisy quilting cotton from the new line Forgotten Memories by Riley Blake Designs, it was the perfect match. 

 

This fabric has a fall flavor to me, but it could be worn in other seasons just as suitably. The all-over daisy print has a pleasantly vintage style, and the busy print makes it a great match for a simple, classy pattern with few details. 

 

It also turns out I have been sewing with purplish for the entire month of September! Definitely unusual for me since I rarely can make more than a couple garments without gravitating towards something blue. But it just felt like the right color for this time of year, so it got bumped to the top of the list.

 

My first try-on proved that I had cut out the dress a bit too big, so I took the bodice back off the skirt, trimmed the side seams, and reassembled it. A much better fit this time!

 

I had a little bobble with the collar assembly (always a challenge for me), but it turned out well enough. Otherwise it was a pretty basic and straightforward pattern. And some long-hoarded vintage plum colored buttons were a great match.

 

I love the soft folds under the collar line. Very flattering and feminine. 

 

 

It's still summery enough here that I wanted to squeeze in another wearing of my favorite ivory 1950s heels, but for later this fall, it would pair well with brown. 

 

This dress was a great pleasure to make and wear!

Late '30s Purple House Dress with Basin Feedsacks

My darker cotton house dresses were in constant rotation this summer, so I wanted to make a few more. I had this length of 1930s repro cotton from Riley Blake Design's recent line Basin Feedsacks, so after a little debate, I settled on doing a second version of one of my most loved everyday dresses. I wear the blue one so constantly it is faded by now and probably going to wear out in the near future.

 

I left off the little collar this time, since it never lays flat and is a source of irritation on the blue dress. I like the plain V much better!

 

The purple fabric is more of a subtle print, so I hoped the cute little triple-dart shoulder details would show up better here than they do on the blue floral. I think that was successful. Narrow white cotton lace outlines the V yoke.

 

I also tweaked the neck fit by adding a couple of small darts in the back to pull it in, so it's definitely a better fit than the blue one.

 

Just for fun, and since this is a house dress, I decided to take the extra step of adding pockets. I echoed the white V on the shoulders with a white V on the pocket flap, and am really glad I took the extra time.

 

I have really been loving purple lately. It's the perfect September-y transitional color from summer to fall, and always makes me think of the wild asters that bloom lavender this time of year. In her books, some of L. M. Montgomery's characters called wild asters “farewell-summers”, and I just love that old-fashioned, perfectly-descriptive name.

 

The sun was bright today, so the shaded hay barn made a good backdrop. I like the contrast of gold and purple.

 

I'm really happy with this dress – the pattern and fabric combination, the fit, the color. It will be a fun splash of color in my everyday wardrobe, and no doubt will be kept as busy as the blue one.

1940s Brown Floral 2 Piece

Fallish fabrics are finding their way to the top of my sewing queue these days. Such was the case with this pretty floral, another color way of my favorite Lori Holt print from her recent Cook Book fabric line (you may still be able to track some down online). I used the aqua print for my Memorial Day dress, so this one I also wanted to sew something 1940s, but with a fairly different style.

 

I chose a 2 piece pattern, so that I could mix and match. Think how cute the jacket would be if worn with a red skirt. Or a brown blouse with this skirt.

 

Summer suits were very popular in the 1940s, so I have a few different pattern options. But I settled on a new version of the vintage Simplicity 4736 pattern I made a few years ago in blue for Easter.

 

This time I was a bit more adventurous and opted for the larger square collar. Then I wanted to jazz it up a bit. A wide collar gives quite a bit of opportunity for all sorts of decoration. I thought of embroidery, but ended up trying something I never did before – open work.

 

To do this, you just trace a simple shape on the fabric, cover it with a very narrow, dense zig-zag stitch, and then cut out the center. It was an interesting variation to my usual decorative attempts, and I think makes it look less homemade.

 

I had to redo one side of the jacket ruching to make it even, but otherwise the assembly was pretty basic and quick.

 

I was happy to have a use for some of my large collection of red buttons. White buttons tend to be my default.

 

Summer cotton suits are a very nice style, especially when nursing. A flattering fit, mix and match ability, a bit more formal style for church - but easy nursing access and quite cool & comfortable for hot weather.

 

For these photos I had to give my giant 1940s hat an outing.

 

And how perfectly do these gloves match the suit fabric??

 

Altogether, I was very pleased with this sewing project. I will have to squeeze in a few more wearings while it is still warm!

 

 

1940s Brown Print Dress with Lori Holt Fabric

While vacationing back east this spring, I got a cute 1940s pattern at an antique mall. Luckily it was complete. I ended up pairing it with my second favorite of the new Lori Holt prints (fabric is from Cook Book line by Riley Blake Designs).

 

It's quite a rare color for me, but I ended up really liking it - perhaps because it's a cool-toned brown. The print is spot on for vintage fabric reproduction, and has a large enough scale to look good as a garment - which is usually the challenge when sewing dresses with quilting cotton. I only wish it came in more color-ways!

 

Because it's a busier print, I knew the yoke details would get lost, so I outlined them with white ric-rac points. 

 

I omitted the ruffle on the front, but I think I will try it, if I make this pattern again. 

 

It had unique construction, and I had to apply my mind to the pattern instructions in order to figure it out, since the front piece is both bodice, band, and facing. But I was successful in the end, and I really love how it turned out! It's fun to still run across a challenge in a simple dress pattern, even after years of experience.

 

Large brown buttons from my stash were a good choice, and are very easy to button and unbutton with one hand while I'm nursing. 

 

I will wear it as a house dress, but I styled it a bit more formally for these photos with one of my favorite vintage hats, and my top favorite treasured vintage heels. A good print dress can be dressed up or down, as the fashion plates of the era often demonstrate so well.

 

I'm getting lots of sewing done these days, in between house work and canning, and am delighted to make the switch from a folded length of fabric on a stack, to a wearable, cute dress in the closet! There's always something magical about that transformation.

It's perfect for these busy late summer days, and I know will get a lot of wear.

1940s Novelty Blouse

Sometimes 1940s and 1950s novelty prints can be a bit wild and over the top for my taste, but depending on the design, I think they can be fun. So when I saw this whimsical cloud & wind & blowing face quilting cotton, I decided to make it into a 1940s blouse.

 

It's a subtle novelty print, but still a novelty print nonetheless. 

 

I've made this pattern a while ago as a two piece, but this time I just did the blouse. It was a pretty straightforward project, other than careful cutting since it is a directional print.

 

When taking these pictures I realized I really need a new blue 1940s skirt! This is an old make and not quite the right style. But as usual I end up making the fun new things instead of the staples I especially need to pair with things like this.

 

Also I had to seize the opportunity to wear my new vintage sandals! They were an eBay find. I rarely buy vintage shoes anymore, but sometimes the size and price are right. That toe detail is too amazing!

 

The hat is one that I retrimmed. The cherries are just pinned on, so they can easily be removed if I want to change it up.

 

I really like jacket style blouses since they are more flattering, and also much more nursing-conducive, than tucked in ones. So this one is a nice addition to my summer wardrobe.

1940s Pinafore Duo with Poppie Cotton

 

I'm a sucker for strawberry prints, so when I got the chance to work with this new fabric from Poppie Cotton, of course I chose to sew with the strawberries to make a 1940s style coordinating pinafore set with my little girl.

(Isn't Betsy's Sewing Kit the cutest name??)

 

For her I first considered making an apron, but since she's growing out of all her 2T clothes, I decided to make an apron-style dress instead so she can wear it for everyday this summer and next year too.

 

I used a vintage DuBarry 5643 pattern from my stash, and did a little color blocking with a coordinating print, which both stretches the fabric and accents the design elements of the dress pattern.

 

I usually would opt for white or red accents with a fabric like this, but this time I stepped out of my comfort zone a little and used some yellow vintage rick-rac from my stash.

 

Red heart buttons were the perfect closure in the back. She's such a great little kitchen helper already!

For my coordinating pinafore, I did an apron pattern long on my list. It was reissued by Simplicity a while ago. It is definitely the most elaborate apron pattern I've ever done! It took almost as long as a dress, and took some concentration to figure out since the pieces are not as intuitive as a dress.

 

It had facings, top stitching, and darts in the back section. But I love how it turned out! I used a coordinating blue to color block for this one also, to stretch the strawberry print, and I think it even accents the scallops more to do it this way.

 

It has a full front, half sides like a regular apron that wrap almost the whole way around, adjustable waist fit with a sash, and a T back to keep it in place on the shoulders.

 

I love the scalloped hem especially, and the amount of dress coverage it gives.

 

It was certainly the right time of year to be sewing with strawberry fabric, and I enjoyed working with these lovely summery prints. The dress is a new favorite for my little girl, and the apron is finished just in time for canning season.

 

It reminds me why I love the fashions of this era so much - practical, yet always unique, feminine and flattering. And made in a high quality quilting cotton like this, I can wash and wear it, without bothering to press it, many times!

 

There are lots of other pretty prints included in this fabric line. Check out the other makers on this project tour! It's always so fun to see the variety that different people can come up with, out of the same lovely fabrics.

Monday, August 15	Instagram: @emmas_crafternoons
Wednesday, August 17	https://verityvintagestudio.typepad.com/my-blog/
Friday, August 19	http://happylittlecottage.blogspot.com/
Monday, August 22	theredfeedsack.blogspot.com
Wednesday, August 24	www.freshdewdrops.com
Friday, August 26	https://www.nannygoatquilts.com/
Monday, August 29	http://prettybyhand.com/
Wednesday, August 31	http://neverlandstitches.blogspot.com/
Friday, September 2	@elliebugmakes