Verity Vintage Studio

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!

1960s Girl's Dress & Zipper Bags with Calico Cowgirls

Today I get to share the projects I made recently with some selections from the Calico Cowgirls fabric line, new from Poppie Cotton. It has lots of bright colors and bold prints, so I just picked out my favorites to work with. 

 

My very favorite print was the coneflower, in all the colors! I had some yardage of the green coneflower to make a girl's dress, so I settled on using a special pattern my grandma gave to me. It belonged to her mother-in-law, my great-grandmother. Her name (mis-spelled) is still on the original envelope!

 

It's a simple 1960s shift dress, which is a good style for an everyday dress for my 5-year-old. 

Of course I had to make the scalloped collar version, even though it's not as noticeable in this print. 

 

My only adjustment was to cut the neck opening wider. It was extremely tight and close. 

 

Other than the collar, it's quite simple. Just a bit of topstitching is the only other trim. But it also was super quick to put together.

 

This child is hard on clothes, and is growing fast, so I made it a little extra big so she can be sure to wear it for a year. 

 

It's a good color combo for fall, and also cool enough for summer.

 

Because I also like to play with some of the other options in a fabric line, I picked out a few other prints to make some zipper bags. They were inspired by this lovely pattern by Charise Creates.

 

I love how they turned out, and the rounded corners. 

 

The gathered pockets are my favorite detail though!

 

I always have so many projects going, I can always use more project bags! I already have one of these in use for a new crochet design. :-) 

 

As always, it's a delight to work with Poppie Cotton, and to be part of the blog tour. It's so fun to see the variety of projects that everyone comes up with, and how different they can look with the same fabric. 

All the Kitchen Things - Painted Blossoms Fabric Tour

It's time to share the projects I made recently with a brand new fall fabric line called Painted Blossoms, by Poppie Cotton. It has a lovely color palette, and lots of pretty floral prints. My favorites are the butterflies!

Here is the selection I chose to use from my fat quarter bundle. The colors are so perfect for this time of year! 

 

I felt a little burnt out after making two quilts on a close deadline with the last blog tour, so I wanted something smaller and easier this time.

 

I had a little yardage of two of the butterfly prints, so after some debating on what to use them for, I settled on making a fun little coordinating set of little girl size coverall aprons from a 1960s pattern.

They were super cute and easy to make! Just one piece to cut out, sew the shoulder seams, and bind all the edges. 

 

For the larger size apron, I used a contrast floral from Painted Blossoms to bind the edges. I think it turned out so cute in this pink color!

 

Of course there are roomy patch pockets. 

 

It slips on easily, is loose fitting, and snaps at the back of the neck - a great size-versatile way to protect the clothes underneath. 

 

I scaled down the pattern quite a bit to make the 2-year-old size, and bound it with a gingham basic.

 

I could make the whole thing in an hour or less, so these were very easy and quick projects. My girls were thrilled with them! I have a feeling these will get a lot of use during the upcoming holiday baking season.

 

But as usual, when I only use a few prints from a collection, I like to also play with the rest of it in something smaller. This time it was a selection of kitcheny things!

 

I badly needed a hotpad refresh in my kitchen, so I could get rid of the sadly stained and greasy ones I've been using.

 

I made 4 quilt-as-you-go hotpads in different styles and sizes. 

My last item was a non-quilted cloth for my folding bed table that I use as a tea tray almost every afternoon on the sofa. I used some prints that will hopefully hide any tea stains, and added some vintage lace for the perfect trim.

 

It's completely reversible, so I got two different looks in one. It's hard to decide which side I like better!

 

All of these were fun to make, and as usual if you check out the other makes on this blog tour you can see a wide variety of lovely and creative projects which are sure to give you inspiration!

Vintage Style Quilts with Poppie Cotton's Market Day

I've been eagerly anticipating when the time would arrive to sew with my sample yardage of Poppie Cotton's new fabric line Market Day, and it finally happened!

 

I love this line so much...definitely another top favorite of mine. So many sweet designs, pretty colors, little berries and florals and wreaths, buntings and dolls!

 

I couldn't stop with one quilt, so I made two! First I noticed that the fabric was a good match to the colors I had used to embroider these Sunbonnet Sue blocks I started as a teen and finished up the first year I was married (before I had taken up quilting, so I just stored them until later).

 

There are plenty of flaws from my less-experienced needlework days, but I still think the blocks are super cute. In order to turn the embroidered blocks into a crib size quilt, I alternated them with a print block.

 

I settled on deconstructed hourglass blocks, since those are fun to make. I had to do some tests first to come up with the correct size to pair with the embroidered blocks.

 

After sewing them together, I only had a few weeks left to quilt it, so I was hand quilting every spare moment in order to meet my deadline - and I finished it up by sewing the binding the very same day I had to take and send in the photos!

 

I custom quilted around each of the Sue blocks (the one with the parasol is my 2-year-old's favorite!), adding fun little details in some of them, and did all the star blocks alike. It was quite a bit of hand quilting in a short time, so now I'm ready to take a break before I start the next project!

 

This was also my first attempt at a scalloped border. I've wanted to make one for some time, and finally decided to just tackle it. It actually was fairly easy, thanks to online tutorials like this one, and now that I've done it once, I expect it will be even easier next time.

 

The scallops finish the edge perfectly, making it such a fun little girly quilt! I had to hang it up in my living room so I can enjoy it for a while.

 

But I also had a second idea I wanted to make, if I could squeeze it in. Teapot wall hanging!

 

For this one I used Lori Holt's Granny's Teapot pattern, making 4 teapot blocks, and adding my own border to make the size a good one for my space (and to add in more of the cute prints). 

 

I actually made this one from start to finish (except for one teapot block) in one day, so it went pretty quickly. 

 

I love how the large size of the teapots show off some favorite prints! Now if I could just find some REAL teapots with chintz prints like this...

 

I machine quilted it all over with a double line diamond grid, and really love how it looks. I think I'll use this for a larger quilt when I have one I want to machine quilt.

 

So many pictures in this post, but I was so pleased with both these projects that it's hard to narrow it down!

 

There have been so many adorable projects using this new fabric line, in this blog tour. I hope you check them out, and ask your local quilt shop about the availability of Market Day! It's honestly the cutest.

Monday, August 19	@elliebugmakes	Ellie Bug
Tuesday, August 20	theredfeedsack.blogspot.com	Dori Troutman
Wednesday, August 21	http://prettybyhand.com/	Kristyne
Thursday, August 22	https://charismascorner.com/category/blog/	Charisma
Friday, August 23	https://www.nannygoatquilts.com/	Lisa Garlic
Monday, August 26	https://verityvintagestudio.typepad.com/my-blog/	Kristen Clay
Tuesday, August 27	creamcraftgoods	Karen
Wednesday, August 28	Website: http://blueribbondesigns.com	Belinda Karls-Nace
Thursday, August 29	https://www.mollyandmama.com.au/blog/	Lauren Wright
Friday, August 30	charisecreates.blogspot.com	Charise Creates

 

1930s Aqua Print Blouse

I had made this blouse pattern a long, long time ago when I was just starting to branch out into more complicated vintage patterns. It was a sloppy job, and I since got rid of it. When I got 1 1/2 yards of this super cute repro print recently, I decided to pull it out again.

 

I really like the fitted peplum around the hips, and all the feminine gathers on the bodice - but that does mean it's rather a pain to iron!

 

I didn't get the fit perfect. Another time I would do a few things differently. But it still turned out cute, with or without a belt. 

 

It's definitely not a quick-and-easy pattern, though I did remember a lot of the construction from last time. There are so many gathers and details, and the sleeves are not put in the traditional way. But the result is quite pleasing.

 

I paired it with a recently thrifted 1970s-does-1930s skirt that I picked up for $2 because I couldn't resist the polka dots, despite the polyester. 

 

Since it is stretchy polyester, it is comfortable to wear, though I don't prefer the feel...and the ruffles are just too fun! 

 

It goes with this blouse quite well, I thought. I'm glad I got it, though it IS quite a loud color!

 

The hat is sadly too small for me, so I intend to list it on Etsy, but I had to get one set of photos with it first. The details and bakelite buckle are just too cute!

 

We had quite a smoky stretch of summer this year, so that's what the haze is in the distance.

 

The purse is actually 1950s, but it was cute and navy and I wanted an excuse to carry it, so here it is! Also this was a perfect time to wear my most flamboyant art deco gauntlets and favorite 1930s repro shoes from Remix.

 

Summer is coming to an end, so I don't know how many more summer sewing projects I'll get done. But I'm glad I fit this one in so I could use up this fun fabric instead of storing it on my shelf!