Verity Vintage Studio

Special Matching Outfits with Pink 1950s Cotton

This was a very fun impromptu project! My grandma is visiting from across the country, and she brought with her almost 6 yards of this cute pink 1950s fabric for me. I promptly decided to quickly make up matching outfits for us.

I had enough fabric to make a dress for me, a sundress and a skirt for my girls, and still have a little left to put with my quilting stash. I was surprised, since it is only 36" wide.

 

My oldest girl has gotten into wearing skirts and blouses recently, so I made her a skirt. It was super quick and easy - just a straight piece of fabric with elastic at the top.

I trimmed the bottom with jumbo white rick rack for a cute touch. It was a very quick make.

 

For girl #2, I made a 1950s sundress. The pattern was missing the skirt pieces, so I just made the top and then gathered a straight length of fabric into it for the skirt. 

 

The pattern was also missing the instructions, so I was on my own with figuring out how to face the bodice and sleeves. I sized it down a little, but it's still too big for my petite 3-year-old! Oh well, that just means it will fit her still next summer. 

 

They loved having matching outfits!

 

For myself, I tried a pattern I've been wanting to experiment with for a while - a 1950s adjustable dress. It's actually a jr pattern and in quite a small size, so I sized it up a good bit. 

 

It's nice to have a dress that can fit me both now and later as I still labor to lose some baby weight. The belt makes it fit most waist sizes.

 

The pattern had a mandarin collar, but I opted instead to use a vintage crocheted collar from my stash. The cute buttons down the front are from The Timely Tailor, and are a nice classic closure with still a little cute detail. I had to sew 20 buttonholes, between the two dresses! 

 

It was quite a quick and easy dress to make, and quite comfy for summer, so I plan to make a few more soon. 

 

My vintage 1950s sandals were a good pairing. It's so nice to be back in sandal season!

 

I had not planned to make us matching outfits in May, but I'm so pleased with this spur-of-the-moment project! I don't think I've ever made matching outfits for all of us, so this was a fun first.

 

I'm also glad to have another summer dress I can wear at the moment. 

Easter Blouse & Patchwork Quilt with Elise by Poppie Cotton

My favorite style of Americana fabric collections is one that includes some nontypical colors like aqua or pink. This newly released collection by Poppie Cotton ticks all those boxes, but has a great red, white, and blue selection too if you prefer just the traditional colors. I've been looking forward to sewing with it, and today is my turn to show you what I made!

 

I doubled up on my projects this year, since I was planning to make a blouse for me out of this lovely sky blue and pink rose fabric. I got it done in time to wear for Easter!

 

I still don't fit into most of my clothes, so I was debating if I should sew anything for me, or just wait until I have lost some baby weight. I ended up deciding to try a more adjustable version, so this was a fun experimental trial for me.

 

I used a post-war 1940s blouse pattern, but instead of making it fitted with tucks in the back, I left the back plain and instead inserted a tie belt in each side seam. Hopefully this will make it more adaptable to wear with different body sizes.

 

The fabric is so lovely! I outlined the yoke with rickrack points, and was intending to wear it with a vintage collar from my collection, but ended up leaving the neck plain for this outfit. However I could totally wear a collar with it next time and change the look up a bit!

 

 

I also made the skirt, but I'm saving that for a future blog post, so no details today!

 

I like how the flip up cuffs add just a little classic detail to the sleeves.

I needed a low-key practical Easter outfit this year, since we had a super busy day ahead at church, egg hunt, and then hosting a celebration at our house with the family. I do love going all-out for Easter, but this year, this simpler outfit was a much better choice.

 

There are so many pretty prints, however, that I also wanted to make something quilty so I could play with more than one. I had seen a photo of a simple 9 patch quilt online, so this is my own version. 

 

It's a baby or wall size, and I think I'll put it up in July this year as a sort of shabby chic patriotic decoration. 

 

It was a good opportunity to practice my custom free motion quilting skills. I still have a long way to go, but I also can see a big improvement from my first quilts, which is encouraging.

 

It was super easy and quick to make - a real palette cleanser from more complicated piecing or larger projects. I bound it with scrappy navy blues cut from the FQ bundle, because I have another plan for my leftover yardage - didn't get to it in time for this blog feature, but hopefully this summer! (Follow me on Instagram @verityvintagestudio if you want to see all my many juggled projects which don't make it to the blog.)

 

If you're on the lookout for a sweet floral summer fabric collection to sew with, I hope you will check this one out! 

Girly Easter Dress & Strawberry Ruffled Placemats

I'm so happy to be able to show you my projects I've been working on in the cute fabric line Stolen Moments by Poppie Cotton. It's a fun French themed fabric collection with saturated blues and pinks and some pretty low volumes. 

 

I made two separate projects with this collection - first a 1950s girls' dress for my 5-year-old, using a vintage size 5 pattern from my stash.

 

I was planning to make it anyway, but it turned out to be just in time for her to wear it for Easter, so that made double use of my sewing time, which was perfect!

 

Instead of all one fabric, I made the bodice and skirt contrasting and chose a square neckline.

 

I altered it to open all the way down the back, since that wears a lot better for an active small girl than trying to set a small opening in the skirt.

 

The buttons are from The Timely Tailor and are the perfect classic flat button with a little cute detail.

 

The pattern showed top stitched bands on the front, so I took that idea and used it with a little fussy cutting from a pink striped FQ for trim on the bodice and sleeves. 

 

I could NOT squeeze the original puff sleeves out of the fabric I had, so I ended up finding a cap sleeve pattern to substitute instead. 

 

A little white cotton lace trims it, and it hopefully will fit her for a while, making a comfortable summer Sunday dress.

 

The second project (which was actually 6 separate projects) was a placemat set. I've been wanting to make placemats with this strawberry block from My Sew Quilty Life ever since she released it. 

 

I stitched the block, omitting the outer border, choosing one each of the brightest pinks for the berries and using the low volumes for the background.

 

Then I added a piece on the left to make it rectangular, and a utensil pocket trimmed with cute little ruffles (fussy cut of course).

 

To quilt it, I had to hold up the pocket and quilt on both sides of it, then laid it back down against the outer edges to bind it, which also secured the other two sides.

I quilted 3 of them with a free motion flower meander, but I'm just not a big fan of most meanders, so I ended up switching over to a FMQ flower chain instead for the last 3, and liked that much better!

 

The backs are just as pretty as the front, in case you wanted to flip them over and use them without pockets!

 

Don't they set a pretty table? These would be perfect for a spring or summer luncheon party. 

 

I like how they all coordinate but are all unique. 

 

If you like pinks and blues, you will like this fabric line! Swans and flowers, French script and bows...it's definitely fun to sew with.

Blog Stop for Wildwood Dwellings: Girl's Dress and Patchwork Pillow

It's my day on the Wildwood Dwellings blog tour! This lovely, whimsical collection by Poppie Cotton has the cutest woodland creatures (especially the California quail which are my favorite!) and various floral prints.

I made two projects with my fabric selections. First, a 1950s dress for my little girl. She is growing out of everything, so I made it extra long so it will fit her for a while, and altered it to open down the back as far as the contrast band at the bottom.

 

I used one of the cute woodland animal prints, and accented it with the blue print. It was a pretty basic pattern, with the cap sleeves as a unique feature. 

 

I love how they are edged with the contrast! I may have been a bit confused by the instructions at this stage, so I just winged it...turned out pretty good anyway, thankfully! I also skipped the collar and facing, just finishing the neck edge with a contrasting bias band.

 

She loves the deer on the dress, and is super excited to wear it this summer. 

 

Then I used a larger variety of prints from my fat quarters to make a pillow cover. I saw one made from this pattern on Instagram, and knew instantly what I wanted to do with the roll of Chenille-It I had in my drawer. 

 

It's a free pattern, which you can find here. I did a little fussy cutting for the diamonds, and made an envelope back cut out of two different fat quarters. 

 

It's intended to be a shortcut pattern, since it looks like patchwork but starts with laying out the diamonds on a fabric background, stitching them down, and then covering the edges with the Chenille-It. Another time I will just do a regular patchwork though, because it was hard to keep the diamonds straight when stitching - and some of their edges still show. 

 

But the Chenille-It really does add a fun textured touch to the pillow! I popped it on a living room pillow that needed a refresh, and really like how it looks. I don't know if I would use it on a big projects, but I would certainly use it as accent on totes and smaller projects like this pillow. 

 

The prints are more autumnal, but the soft colors work well for spring. It was fun to sew with this collection - thanks Poppie Cotton!

1960s Seersucker Maternity Dress

I made this a little while ago, to help me get through the last stages of pregnancy with something that would fit. I didn't get around to photographing it until recently, but here it is - my last maternity make for baby #5. 

 

It was a trial version of a new pattern, so I picked a fabric that I didn't mind making a trial with - and also one that wouldn't need ironed. Seersucker is nice for that, and comfy to wear, but definitely has more stretch when sewing. I was glad that this pattern was not a precise or detailed one. 

 

It consists of a front piece, two back pieces, and two side panels, besides ties and sleeves. So it was pretty fast to put together.

When I tried it on, though, I was not impressed with how much it looked like a smock. There is a limit to how 1960s I wanted to go. :-) So I added a bit of elastic to give some detail to the front.

 

As you can see, even with my tummy at its 40-week largest and the ties at their tightest, there is still plenty of room. I think if I wear it again, I'll put another strand of elastic in the back to help pull in some of that fullness, like I did in the front. 

 

I really like how the neckline turned out - though it was an accident! I didn't want to fuss with a collar, so I was just going to bind the top as an easier alternative than facing, but when I pulled out the card of red buttons for a photo prop below, I realized how well they went with the fabric so I tried to come up with a way to incorporate them. Tab trim was the answer, and I like the detail it adds.

 

Next time I will cut the sleeve openings larger, as they are a bit too tight, but otherwise I'm quite pleased with it as a simple, basic, comfortable addition to my late-term maternity wear. Plus it was entirely stash busting, which is always a win!

Quilted Doll Baskets with Serenity Blooms

Serenity Blooms is a fresh new modern quilting cotton collection by Poppie Cotton. After some consideration, I settled on making something that has been on my list for a long time - quilted doll baskets or bassinets for my little girls. 

 

After doing some online researching for how to make them, I was able to simplify my original idea by using (or adapting) this tutorial, which has the sides cut in one with the bottom.

 

I ended up making 2 sizes, with different bedding to go with them. The smaller one I could make out of a FQ piece, and it fits perfectly the favorite 12" doll. 

 

The fabric ends up in an I shape, which I then quilted to a layer of cotton quilt batting, before assembling. 

 

I added in a tip from another doll basket tutorial, which was to use plastic canvas on the bottom for stability. It works so perfectly! It's flexible but keeps the shape super well, and won't crease or bend with use like cardboard or some other stabilizers will.

 

For the 18" doll size I had to use yardage. It doesn't keep its shape quite as well - so keep in mind that larger sizes should have extra stability. But it still works quite well!

 

I finished the tops with contrasting binding, and did two different styles of handles, just for fun. 

The quilted bottom layer makes a nice doll mattress already, so I just had to make matching pillows and quilts. 

 

For the larger one I did a double layer of poly quilt batting to make a puffy reversible comforter. Incidentally, this sort of project is a great way to use up smaller batting scraps!

 

For the smaller one, I pieced a quilt as you go panel of 1 1/4" strings cut from the FQ bundle. It's a fun way to use up scraps, feature more fabrics, and have a quick and easy mini "quilt" for the doll bed.

 

The pillows were just folded over, sewn on 2 sides, stuffed with batting scraps, and stitched shut. Of course I had to use the striped fabric since it was reminiscent of pillow ticking. 

 

Even with figuring out the process, I made each one in an hour or two. My girls love them! And I enjoyed sewing with the pretty springy colors and prints after my Christmas sewing - that butterfly is my favorite in all the colorways.

 

 

 

1930s Christmas Maternity Dress

Happy 3rd Day of Christmas! Today I want to share my Christmas Day outfit.

 

It's been a while since I did some sewing for myself, but for this pregnancy several of my older maternity dresses no longer fit me, so I knew it was time to remake my favorite 1930s maternity dress pattern, and if I could do it in time for Christmas, so much the better!

 

I didn't want too Christmassy of a fabric, though, so that I can wear it any time. This super cute purple dotty repro fabric was perfect. It looks like little ornaments - but it's not too holidayish. It's a Lori Holt Bee Dots print that I got through The Timely Tailor. 

 

I made my first version of this pattern when I was expecting my first child, so it's been 7 years since I made this pattern. It has some fun details on the front, and the rest is pretty simple and straightforward. 

 

At this stage, with 2 months to go, nothing looks flattering. But this is better than some, for sure! The nice thing is that it is one of the few maternity patterns I've tried that I actually like how it looks as a regular dress.

 

I did run into some difficulties with the sleeve fit. Not sure if I copied the sleeve pattern piece wrong, or what - but it was super wonky and didn't fit AT ALL. I ripped them out twice and finally figured a way to make them work, but I will make a note on the pattern to use a different sleeve pattern piece next time!

 

The carved shell buttons I've had in my stash for ages, and they were perfect for this one! Technically only the top few would have needed to open, since the waist is adjustable, but since I might wear it later too I wanted the buttons to be functional for nursing. 

 

I probably won't sew any more dresses for myself for the next few months at least, but I'm glad I got this one finished up. The spur of having it done by Christmas was a good way to make sure it happened. I finished it all up with a whole day to spare. :-)

 

I've loved this fabric for a while, so I'm happy to have a house dress with it in my closet!

 

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas Day and is still enjoying the holiday season! I'm trying to cram as many Christmas crafts and books as I can, in the remaining 9 days, and soak in all the glow.

Quilting and Sewing with Poppie Cotton Home Sweet Home

Blog tour time!

There have been a few fabric collections I've been privileged to preview that have been so lovely I can hardly wait to sew with them, as they sit on my shelf for months waiting their turn. This was one of them! Home Sweet Home by Elea Lutz for Poppie Cotton is just the cutest 1930s style collection (obviously just my style then!) and I enjoyed sewing with it so much that I made 3 projects - a large, medium, and small - and still was sorry to put it away!

It has vintage-style sketch toiles, florals, birds, samplers, strawberries, cottages...just ALL the cuteness! 

First I made the Petal Patches quilt pattern by My Sew Quilty Life. I've wanted to make it for a while, and this was the perfect collection to use it. 

 

It was a very enjoyable pattern and I'd definitely do it again! I like that it calls for 10" squares. I didn't use them, but it's nice to have a good layer cake pattern around. 

 

I wish in retrospect I'd gone with the blues instead of the yellows, for the alternate flowers, but I still think this is super cute!

 

The sweetest low volume berry print made a perfect border. 

 

I didn't have enough greens to choose from, so I used the collection greens as the darker color, and chose a basic for the lighter green in all the leaves. 

 

It was a quick make and is a good throw size. It would be very easy to make larger - this would be so cute for a girl's twin bed. 

 

I quilted it myself with a free motion meander with daisies. I haven't tried FMQ for a while since my last effort was so discouraging with constant thread breakage no matter what I tried. This time I used more expensive thread and it went SO much better! Hooray! It will be worth buying Aurifil to use just for FMQ if that's what works. 

 

My second project was an everyday dress for my 5-year-old. She had chosen the yellow birdie fabric as her favorite, so I got a yard of it to use for her and pieced it out with a basic. 

 

Naturally I didn't realize until much too late that I had cut the yoke upside down on the print. *facepalm moment*

Oh well!

 

I used a thrifted vintage 1970s pattern that was super quick and easy. 

 

I wanted to lengthen it so it will fit her next summer too, but due to only having 1 yard to work with I didn't have enough fabric. So I went with a contrast ruffle and that worked well. 

 

She likes her new dress quite a bit, and I'm always glad to have another staple in her closet since she is growing so fast it's hard for me to keep up with her clothes!

 

My 3rd and final project for now was a little needle book (no pattern). I always love the adorable makes by Pico Crafts, so this was inspired by those. I wanted to feature something with blues, since I didn't use as much of them in the quilt as I would have liked.

 

The front is pieced, the rest is not. I probably made the whole thing in an hour or so and it was very fun. 

 

I used my new scalloped pinking shears to cut out the felt and decorative stamps for the inside, and love how it looks! The scallops are so much cuter than the traditional zigzag pinking shears. 

 

I always have multiple projects on the go, and since Christmas is coming I know I'll need to pull out a project bag for Christmas cross stitching, so another needle book is going to come in handy. I use my last one a lot!

 

I hope this inspires you to find some of this fabric to sew with, now that it is shipping to quilt stores at last! There are SO many cute things being made on the blog tour, and it's just scratching the surface of possibilities with this adorable fabric line. Truly one of my Poppie Cotton favorites ever!

1960s Autumn Leaf Adjustable Blouse

I've done very little fall garment sewing for myself this year, but I did want to squeeze something in using this adorable leaf print fabric by Lori Holt from her Mercantile line for Riley Blake Designs. It's hard to find autumn prints that are also cool tones, and this is definitely a cute one!

 

I settled on trying a loose pull-on blouse style from a 1960s pattern, but with the addition of a placket down the front, which doubles as decoration and opening to make it nursing friendly.

 

It really should be more roomy for maternity, so I won't fit in it for long - but it will be very comfy and size-inclusive for postpartum, etc. It was still fun to try out yet another non-maternity-but-maternity-friendly possibility from my pattern collection. 

 

It was really super easy, even with the placket addition - my first try at this, but I had seen an Instagram reel showing how to insert one, and it was quite simple. I'm delighted to have that skill figured out.

 

I like the roll collar version best, but couldn't figure out how to work that with the placket, so opted for a simple neck band finish instead - super nice to not have to fuss with facings. I had to add a few neck darts in the back to pull it in a little, and that helped a lot with a good fit.

 

Of course I had to snatch some photos in the golden leaves before they are gone, and the sun came out just in time to highlight the gold. 

Thankfully my hair behaved comparatively well for once and I even got it to look comparatively 1960s - not my favorite era. 

 

I'm wrapping up my fall sewing projects now as fast as I can, to clear the decks for Christmas sewing and crafting. (I may already have way too long of a list!) Next week I will show you my last Poppie Cotton project for the year, but at least I managed to get one autumn garment done for myself before I turn my attention toward Advent. 

 

 

 

1940s Aqua Adjustable Dress

I absolutely loved this repro fabric by Riley Blake Designs from the recent Lori Holt fabric line called Mercantile. It took me a while to decide on a pattern and sew a dress with it, but it's just the cutest!

 

If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen that we are expecting a baby this spring, so it's back to maternity friendly sewing for the time being!

 

This one I've made before once, and it's not really maternity. It's fitted on one side, with a looser side that is gathered by the sash. It's already about maxed out, as you can see in these photos, since the center seam is already distorted. But it sure will be a comfy postpartum dress!

 

I chose to accent the pink with my contrast colors. Last time I made it all one fabric; this time I did the belt in contrast and I like how it turned out. 

 

Naturally I had to borrow my sister's vintage pink bike to take photos with!

 

It's quite a simple pattern, though I made it a bit more complicated by adding a front zipper to make it nursing friendly.

 

As before, the sleeves are quite unusual, and the seam goes on the top instead of the underarm - felt so backwards sewing it in! After seeing these photos though I think I will tack down the bows a bit more. 

 

It's a fun casual house dress pattern that was easy to sew and easy to wear!