Verity Vintage Studio

Girl's 1950s Jumper Dress

Today is my slot on the blog tour for Sweet Tooth, a new retro fabric line by Poppie Cotton. It is a Halloween fabric line, and though I don't celebrate Halloween at all, I thought this little kitty print was adorable and instantly knew it would make a perfect novelty print 1950s dress for one of my girls. 

 

It was hard to choose which pattern to pair with it and I debated over 3 different ones...but I finally settled on this adorable jumper dress that I'd copied from my sister-in-law years ago.

 

It turned out to be super fast and easy! I put the whole thing together in an hour or two. It was lovely to have no buttonholes or sleeves to set. :-)

 

You cut double the amount of top pieces and use them as facing, so the bodice inside is nice and tidy, and the V front has no troublesome facing pieces. 

 

I lengthened the skirt as much as I could fit on the width of my fabric, and it still ends up just below the knee - but for an everyday dress for an active girl, that works fine!

 

It's a circle skirt, so I opted to turn up and top stitch a narrow hem.

 

I definitely hope to make this pattern again. Think how cute it would be in wool plaid for the winter! But meanwhile this adorable kitty print is perfect for summer and fall...and since this girl needed some everyday clothes, it was quite a timely sew for me despite the fall fabric! 

She loves it a lot and calls it her "ginger dress". :-) 

1950s Teal Floral House Dress

I'm finally catching up with my burst of spring sewing! This time it's a classic 1950s house dress.

 

I used a dreamy teal floral repro quilting cotton from The Timely Tailor, and this vintage pattern I got from the UK years ago. Turns out it had extremely little instructions and no diagrams, so I was basically on my own. Thankfully I'd made some dresses in a similar style before.

 

Even still, I don't think I did the inserted pockets right, because they don't lay correctly. After these photos I ended up sewing another button on the pockets to keep them in place (they wouldn't hold much anyway!)

 

The skirt has a nice flare even though I took some width out of it to fit on my fabric.

 

I used an off-white contrast for the collar and cuffs, and decided to add a little embroidery just for fun. it makes a nice finishing touch, but it definitely added some time to an otherwise quick project. 

 

The buttons are the larger size vintage white glass ones also from The Timely Tailor, from the era that the pattern is. It's fun to match things that belong together. :-) 

 

I really like the raglan sleeves. Sometimes I don't like how they look on me, but these look fine and are definitely more comfortable than set-in sleeves, besides the assembly short cut.

 

Since I've made it, it has already gotten a lot of regular wear. I hope this inspires you to do some fun house dresses for spring!

 

1950s Blue Spring Suit

Often little prints don't catch my attention, since usually they are the wrong scale for garments - or adult garments at least. But for some reason I just really liked this little ditsy print from last fall's Lori Holt collection called Home Town, for Riley Blake Designs. I stashed some away and a few months later decided what I wanted to do with it...here is the result. 

 

Back when I first started sewing with vintage patterns, I made an outfit using this 1950s pattern and some vintage drapes I had picked up at a yard sale (wish I had them now!). It was a stretch for my skill level for the time, and I remember it as being one of the times that began to open my eyes to the reward of taking pains with my sewing. As a result it turned out very nice, instead of my usual early sloppy jobs. 

 

When I lost weight I had to pass it on, but revisited the top pattern years later as the base for my wedding dress jacket. Now it was time to make it again, this time a simpler version in quilting cotton as a spring suit. 

 

I really had to squeeze to get everything on, and the skirt is less full than it ought to be. There are a lot of pieces here, and I remembered again why I gravitate towards simple dresses that have less pieces! 

 

Thankfully it wasn't that challenging since I had made it twice before; just more time consuming. 

 

The V back is a fun feature, but you really have to keep your skirt straight because it will be noticeable if that back seam drifts to one side or the other!

 

I also love the scallop detail on the 3/4 sleeves. 

 

It has a very unique neck. I'm not sure I've ever done another pattern like this, where you face it and then fold and pleat and top stitch it in place to make that detail. 

 

I was happy to finally find a good fit for this card of 5 vintage butterscotch colored buttons that was in my stash for years!

 

I like how season-transitional it is, perfect for early spring. It's a pain to iron, but enjoyable to wear!

 

1950s Romantic Roses Blouse

I had intended this project for Valentine's Day, but didn't get it finished in time. Still, isn't the fabric perfect for that? It's the prettiest tossed vintage-style rose print on a creamy background. (Find the yardage I used available here.)

 

I was delighted to use a new to me 1950s blouse pattern with lovely radiating darts - always a favorite design feature! 

 

You can see the circular pattern better with the in process blouse. The print hides it a bit, but not too bad. Still, I'd like to make it again with a solid fabric so you can really see the details. 

 

Actually I thought the collar was a mistake and does disguise the darts too much. If I made it again I'll figure out something different for the neck. I wish this pattern had several neck finishing options, like so many of the vintage patterns do!

 

I accented the red in the roses by choosing red buttons. These small vintage Art Deco glass ones from The Timely Tailor were the perfect match!

 

Overall it went together quickly, with the only fiddly bits being the neck darts, where I had to be precise. Despite the lovely fabric, I feel like this is a wearable muslin, and hope that I can make it again and tweak it at some point in the future. 

 

Meanwhile, since I didn't get to wear it for Valentine's Day, it will also be perfect for spring - or even Christmas, depending on how it is accessorized! 

1950s Mint Rose Dress

Believe it or not, I've finally caught up with my 2023 sewing! This last piece was a dress I made in November, but as I was working on it, I realized it could work for Christmas if I added some dark green and red accessories, so I saved it to wear Christmas Day (didn't get photos that day though).  

 

I used a large mint green rose print from the same fall fabric line that my Thanksgiving dress was made from. It's such a pretty floral! 

 

Because it is so bold, I chose a simple shirtdress pattern to pair with it. I really should have had more fabric, especially since this is a 1-way print, so I couldn't squeeze out the 3/4 sleeves I wanted.

 

I paired it with dark green accessories here. It would also be cute with white for summer, or amber for autumn. 

 

I had made this pattern before, so it was a pretty simple process, with no hiccups. I'm still sorry I didn't get a longer sleeve length, but short sleeves makes it more suitable for most of the year, so I suppose it's no real loss!

 

Isn't this basket purse cute? It's modern (found at a thrift store long ago), but works perfectly well for vintage. I love finding these cross-over styles that stand the test of time. 

 

I don't have a lot that works with this hat, but it's a unique shape and color so I was glad to give it an outing.

 

It was nice to have my Christmas dress done well ahead of time this year, and also to have it generic enough that I can wear it other times of the year! I am always drawn to holiday novelty prints, but get very little actual wear out of them since the season is only a few months. This time I was a little more practical. :-) 

 

That's a wrap on my 2023 sewing, now that we are 1 1/2 months into 2024! I'm excited to start sharing my backlog of January sewing now. 

 

Pastel Christmas: 1950s Novelty Print Skirt

I have a few Christmas makes to show you this year - here's the first one!

I've owned this skirt pattern for quite a few years, and always loved the sketched version with alternating prints. Never got around to making one until I took a closer look at this novelty Christmas bike print when I was looking for something else in my Christmas fabric bin, and suddenly wanted to make a skirt out of it. 

 

At first I wanted the alternating gores to be either mint green or dark green, but I didn't have suitable fabric, and also wanted it to coordinate with my aqua 1950s sweater (scratch the mint green idea). While I was waiting to go to the fabric store for a dark green, I suddenly wanted to make it in time to wear to a Christmas event in 2 days. Scratch the fabric store idea! I looked through my solids and found a pink that was the perfect match, and exactly the right yardage. 

 

So I changed plans and went all sugar-plum pastel-ish instead! And yes, I cut it out one day and whipped it together the next day, just in time to wear to the event. 

 

I had to cut some corners to do so, of course. There is an incredible amount of hem, so there was no way I would have hand-hemmed it and gotten it done in time. Instead I top stitched lace hem tape to the edges, turned it over, and machine stitched it.

 

I wore it again on Christmas Eve, when we dress up to do a formal dinner as a family, which is when these photos were taken. 

 

The pattern calls this an "umbrella skirt" - and it's an appropriate name since it's very much like sewing an umbrella shape together. 16 gores make So. Many. Seams. 

 

There is just tons of fabric in this thing. Almost 4 yards, which is more than enough for a dress normally! I like how the contrasting gores play as the skirt moves, though I need to get a bigger crinoline to do them justice. 

 

Of course my red vintage style heels from American Duchess were the perfect accessory and the perfect era for this holiday outfit. 

 

So there's my impulse sew for this year! Impulse from start to finish, but I really love how it turned out.

Happy 3rd Day of Christmas!

1950s Purple Print House Dress

I will have several Christmas sewing projects to show you, but first I'm still trying to catch up with my fall projects. I made this a while ago, put buttons on it more recently, and now finally got it photographed so I had to jump on here to document it before I start the holiday garments.

 

When I got this lovely yardage from the Bee Vintage line by Riley Blake Designs, it was such a pretty vintage repro print that I really wanted something that would allow it to shine and also be a steady rotation in my closet since I like it so much.

You may remember that my oldest daughter (who loves purple right now) picked this same print for her birthday dress, and she wears that one constantly, so it was time to finally get my version finished so we could match at least for a while before she wears hers out!

 

I had just enough of the contrast fabric I used for hers, to make the collar on mine as well. I was so bummed though that I forgot to add the rickrack trim to match hers until long after this dress was finished! Ah, well. They still match - I guess I need to get photos together one of these days.

 

This is the 4th time I've made this 1950s dress pattern, so it's definitely a tried-and-true everyday dress pattern for me. As a result, making it was quite uneventful, took just a few days, and I hardly had to even glance at the instructions. 

 

Sometimes a dress fit is hit or miss - I usually slap a belt on it and call it good, rarely taking time with alterations or tweaking if it's not quite right - partly because my size fluctuates enough these days that it's not worth the bother since it is likely to only fit well anyway for a few months or so. This time I happened to get the fit right on, and it's a pleasure to wear. 

 

I've mentioned before that the liking of purple has grown on me lately, and this is definitely an example. It's such pretty fabric! And works well in any season, including here paired with my Christmas brooch and Christmas decor background. 

 

Renovations for my new sewing room went well into Advent, so now I am simultaneously delighting in the new space and also scrambling to fit in at least a few of my Christmas crafting ideas and gifts. Thankfully we celebrate Christmas for 12 days, so I have another two weeks to do some of the Christmassy things that I didn't get done beforehand!

 

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Advent thus far...can you believe it's only 2 days until Christmas Day?!? Wrapping gifts is on my list for later today, as well as cleaning the house in preparation for hosting Christmas Eve tomorrow. Might as do it in style in a pretty new house dress! :-) 

1950s Girl's Fall Floral Dress

Still trying to catch up with documenting my fall sewing before I start the holiday things... This week I want to show you the fall-floral dress I made for my oldest daughter for Thanksgiving! 

 

I had these two Riley Blake Designs fabrics from last year paired together for a dress for her for ages. Finally I made it happen, since right now she is growing out of all her clothes and needed new Sunday dresses anyway. 

 

I found a vintage dress pattern from my stash that would work well with adding contrast, and I love how it turned out. It has super fun inset dolman sleeves (no setting sleeves!) gathered into a sleeve band - sure wish I had an adult pattern with sleeves like this! Doing them in contrast helps emphasize the cute details of the pattern. 

 

It is loose and slips over the head, fitting at the waist with a sash, so it's very adjustable. I made it extra long too so she can wear it for a while. 

 

As you can see from the dimples, she was very pleased with it!

 

I have a hard time getting perfect corners when I do an L shaped inset seam like this, so I covered the front corners with little buttons. Decorative and practical too. 

 

I really enjoyed this pattern. It was unique, quick to make, and has lots of fabric combination options with the way the pattern pieces are done. Meanwhile she loves wearing it, and I am glad to see it finally take shape!

 

1950s Maple Leaf Thanksgiving Dress

I have been in quite a sewing mood lately, and have been whizzing through my pile of fall projects quickly before it's time to sew for Christmas. My Thanksgiving dress was my latest fall finish - and though delayed by my whole family getting sick with a nasty flu right before Thanksgiving, I did get it finished in time to wear that Sunday, which is when we ended up having our family celebration. 

 

I loved the soft aquas in the fabric line Shades of Autumn by Riley Blake Designs, and knew it would be a good novelty print for fall - plus be a good color for me, which is hard to find with fall fabrics!

 

I knew I wanted a 1950s dress in it, with some contrast in the plaid fabric. After sorting through my patterns I settled on this one from the late '50s or possibly early '60s. It was just what I wanted and even had a good contrast detail so I didn't have to draft my own. 

 

The construction was quite interesting. I actually had to follow the pattern for this one! They had me construct the entire front and entire back, then sew it together on the side seams. I'm not exactly sure why they did it that way, but I figured I might learn something new and followed it as written. 

 

I do prefer adding collar and facings while flat, but thankfully it worked out pretty well. This is the only time I've done a stand-up circle collar quite like this, and it was unusual to stitch, but I really like how it looks. 

 

The skirt band and bow I did in the plaid, drafting my own bow since I didn't have enough fabric to use the bow pattern piece. I don't usually go for metallic threads in my quilting cotton, but I liked the plaid a lot. A little shimmer makes it more holiday-ish.

 

I also added a little plaid piping on the sleeves to trim them. 

 

I knew I wanted to emphasize the gold threads in the plaid, and luckily found the perfect buttons in my gold button stash - and had exactly the right amount for the space on the dress. 

 

I had to sew the buttonholes with my regular foot, and while it's more complicated than using a buttonhole foot, it works quite well!

 

This is perhaps the first time I have successfully done a partial-lapped front opening like this, so I was very happy with that accomplishment! Usually it looks ok on the outside but is butchered on the inside. :-) 

I styled it with a 1950s hat, my gold Aerosoles heels, modern elastic belt (since my post baby waist still prefers such things...) and added midcentury gloves and suitcase for these photos.

 

I just love the soft cream and aqua colors, and the large maple leaf print. This is definitely one of my favorite fall dresses, and my only regret is that I made it late enough in the season that I likely won't wear it again this year. 

1950s Ditsy House Dress

I'm trying to catch up with my finished projects, so you get 2 blog posts this week! This time it's a house dress I made for myself with some 1930s repro quilting cotton and a 1950s pattern.

 

I haven't sewed for myself in a while, so it was fun to be back at the familiar tasks of sewing darts and matching skirt seams.

 

The print is small and busy, so I wanted something fairly simple and pulled from my stash a pattern I haven't made before. 

This straight-skirted 1950s pattern features inset pockets and a collar band. The cutaway pocket detail (which was pretty much the only pattern detail) got completely lost in the print, so after some thought I added a bit of trim.

 

The trim also pulls out the navy blue dots in the print, which I wanted to accentuate since the yellow-green flowers are not a good color for me. 

 

I hoped the trim wouldn't make it look too apron-like, but after it was finished I decided that it was the right call. 

 

I always enjoy making a pattern with sleeves cut with the bodice, since it's quicker and I don't have to set sleeves. They are also more comfortable to wear since they allow more range of motion - but I also don't like how they look as much, so it's kind of a love-hate relationship. :-) 

 

I know the buttons are spaced pretty close together for this style of dress, but when I do a button-front dress I'm always afraid of it gaping in spots, so this was my solution. 

 

Also I have to document that this is the very first time I've made buttonholes with just a regular foot on the machine, and it is very freeing to know it's possible, if slightly more complicated!

 

For some reason the print reminds me of my great-grandmother who lived with us for a time when I was a girl. I'm glad to have it off my shelf and in my closet.

 

Even if I don't make this pattern again, it was a fun sew to break through the long drought of no dressmaking and getting bored with the options that fit me in my closet, so I will enjoy pairing it with a cardigan this fall.