Verity Vintage Studio

My 1950s Christmas Suit

This year for Christmas instead of being tempted by some of that gorgeous holiday fabric which can only be worn once a year, I decided to make something else long on my to-do list - something I could get wear out of in other seasons. Enter the 1950s navy blue suit.

 

I've wanted a tailored suit for some time; also I could use a solid blue skirt in my wardrobe. So this outfit, which can be worn together or as separates, fit the bill perfectly. And, unlike some other parts of the US which had a balmy Christmas, we had a picture-perfect hoarfrost Christmas morning which made fairy filigree of every single needle on the evergreens and every other surface.

 

Incidentally, these pictures were taken when the temperature was 16 degrees, so I can't help it if my face is red. :-)

 

This was one of the few times I combined different patterns instead of making a pictured model, with perhaps a few changes. I used the skirt from the dress pattern, the jacket from the Advance pattern, but since both of those were a little more late 1940s, I did the sleeves from the Butterick pattern because I wanted 3/4 sleeves with wing cuffs for that classic 1950s flair.

 

There were some other firsts for this sewing project. It was the first time I've used wool crepe - and I love it! It was slightly more challenging to work with than cotton, but doesn't compare to the difficulty of more slippery fabrics. It has lots of give, which makes it forgiving to fit and ease, and drapes and pressed so beautifully! I only wish I had more of it in different colors for fall and winter sewing.

 

This outfit also holds the distinction of being one of the 2 tops I've ever made where I managed to get the sleeves eased in smoothly, without gathers or pleats at the top. Usually I don't even attempt it because I just can't get them smooth. But this time, for whatever reason, it worked perfectly!

 

I opted for covered buttons to finish out the suit look, and to add a bit of holiday glitz, I used the white linen with silver roses I used for my concert blouse, for the contrasting collar. 

 

I have never tried millinery before, but after a successful trial of this beret pattern (photos coming soon), I went ahead and made a matching one out of the wool crepe, with a stiff interlining. I can use a navy blue beret anyway, and was pleased with how this one turned out.

 

I just love the generous width of the fabric - I cut out all my suit pieces and still had almost a yard left! Even after I cut out the beret, there is plenty left to use as significant contrast in another outfit. I had only gotten three yards in the first place, so that was a real winner.

 

 

I have to tell you about my corsage, too. After searching in vain for a vintage silver corsage, I found this lovely Etsy shop -Southcastle Creations - which has handmade vintage style corsages, and the wonderful owner custom made in just a few days this silver corsage for me, complete with the big roses and berries you'll see in real vintage corsages. I just love it! And it helps make the suit festive.

 

Paired with my navy vintage pumps, simple pearls, and gloves, I also had to take a few pictures with my so-soft vintage rabbit cape - the perfect holiday accessory.

 

Details. I just love the skirt pleats in the back! I shortened them a good bit, and of course added a waistband and hand pricked side zipper since it was originally a dress pattern, but otherwise didn't change a thing.

 

The jacket, with princess seams, went together fast and was easy to adjust for a good fit.

 

I anticipate getting a lot of wear out of this outfit together or as separates while the chilly weather lasts. And in Idaho just now it is quite, quite chilly! It's nice to cross it off my list, add it to my wardrobe, and still have a special Christmas outfit to wear Christmas Day.

Item of the Week - Retro Button Necklace

This retro necklace with a vintage button is Item of the Week in my Etsy shop, half price for one week only - slashed from $7.

 

Also, take advantage of the last few days of my December sale, and get 15% off everything with coupon DECEMBERTIME.

Christmas Preparations...

...are finally accomplished and the big day arrives!

I love everything about Christmas...candlelight and inches of snow (for us at least), music and more music, Advent calendars and readings, family and fellowship, the smells of the cookies we only make this time of year, lights on the houses we pass, holiday bustle and parties and also the quiet evenings at home, Christmas movies, singing carols and little secrets tucked away in the closet.

 

The cookies (so many of them!) are put away, the slabs of chocolate melted for candy...

 

Presents are wrapped, new festive clothes made and pressed, the house has been decorated...

 

And it was all for today. Because God was made man and redeemed us. Now that is worth celebrating!

 

Merry Christmas!

Why I Like Thrift Stores...1950s Cocktail Dress

Imagine how thrilled I was to find a beautiful dress-up vintage dress in a local thrift store, for only $4! And even more thrilled when it actually fit me!

 

It needed a good cleaning and a little mending in the underarm seams, so I did that and then put it away to save it for our church's Christmas party, when I would actually have a chance to wear a semi-formal outfit.

 

The top of the dress is a black crepe with a lot of stretch; the skirt is ever so wide and made of crisp, tiny-pleated taffeta. A band of the taffeta is at the neckline, but otherwise it is unadorned. I love the very feel of the fabric. A perfect 1950s cocktail dress that has a lot of accessorizing possibilities.

 

And it's handmade, too! I like to think of the seamstress who made it, and all the care she put into it, and wonder what event she made it for. Was it a happy dress?

 

The waistline wasn't quite at the right place, but that I fixed by wearing a wide belt.

 

For the party, I paired the dress with a chunky 1950s necklace and earrings, velvet-cuffed gloves, heels from the late '40s-early '50s, and to take it from just a formal dress to a Christmas party dress, a vintage holiday corsage that has seen better days but is still pretty and festive. It's probably from the 1940s and quite fragile.

 

Also a vintage pagoda umbrella gleaned at Burning Bridges antique mall before we moved to Idaho.

 

I dressed early to take these pictures, and since we had just had a fresh fall of snow, found the pine trees a perfect backdrop! As long as I had a path shoveled, that is. 10 inches of snow and vintage heels don't go together too well. :-)

 

It's a little shorter skirt than I usually wear, but since it is so wide, when I sit down it comes down over my knees quite a bit. The non-vintage black crinoline I wore under it was just the right length and poof. 

 

It closes with two metal zippers, and because of the wide skirt and stretchy bodice, is probably one of the easiest vintage garments or reproductions I've tried to actually get over my head and shoulders.

 

I have so few actual vintage garments that I was just tickled to find this one.  That's why I keep going to thrift stores! You never know what you'll find, and sometimes it's very much worth finding.

 

I hope to show you next week the outfit I made to wear Christmas Day, but I also just love having the work already done for me with a treasure like this dress. I got a lot of compliments on it at the party. I only wish I had an excuse to dress up more often!

Vintage Finds

Christmas shopping time! While these are not gifts, I wanted to share with you some of the goodies I brought back from a recent shopping trip that was ostensibly to look for presents, but ended up...well...mostly adding to my own collection!

One antique store, though overall expensive, yielded up these delicate earrings and a 1930s hat to add to my very limited collection of 1930s hats.

 

The details even on a simple felt hat are just one reason why I love vintage millinery!

 

Also a whole stack of vintage patterns, for $1 and $2 each! This is the biggest find of vintage patterns I've found in person, and I got a bunch of them. Some I'll keep, and some I'm passing on via Ebay.

 

This one I'm keeping! I'm not sure about sleeping in a fitted nightgown, but I'll bet if I made a shorter version in the right fabric I could wear it as a dress and no one would know!

 

I rarely collect patterns later than the 1950s, but I loved this jacket pattern so much that I'm going to keep this one too.

 

Then at another store, at flea market prices, I scored some sewing notions (not pictured), and a few pieces of vintage jewelry for a few dollars each. I'm not good at dating vintage jewelry, but I'm going to use the rhinestone pin for 1940s and 1950s wear, and the wreath is perfect for holiday wear and had a unique color scheme. It seems to be quite old plastic - the kind that doesn't feel cheap! - so my guess is it's from no later than the 1940s. 

 

This balloon pin I don't think is vintage, though it's in the 1950s novelty brooch style, but it was too cute to let!

 

I hope to convert these gorgeous 1950s clip-ons to pierced earrings and wear them this holiday season! Not specifically Christmas as such, but the right color scheme. I hooooope they don't turn out too heavy as pierced, since they're too painful to wear as clip-ons and I really want to wear them!

 

Also I picked up there a pair of 1950s heels in my size, for $2.50! It can't get much better than that. I'd initially thought of selling them, since they are not my favorite style of shoe, but reconsidered since I'd like to have them to wear with my later 1950s costumes. Period correctness is important!

 

Altogether, it was a profitable shopping trip and I was tired but very happy afterwards!

Blue 1950s Housedress

Progress on my Christmas outfit is slow, but I finally have pictures of the blue 1950s housedress I made weeks ago. I made it right before we moved, and obviously moving and unpacking doesn't leave much time for pictures. Then when I started getting caught up on the work, the weather didn't cooperate and I don't have a good place to take indoor pictures (we'll see how that goes this winter...) But at any rate, here it finally is!

 

I used some nice cotton shirting, in a practical shade and pattern for everyday wear, and this pattern.

 

I've found it to be quite easy care (the cotton blend looks only a tad wrinkly so I usually don't bother ironing it) and comfortable to wear for everyday. It's a dark print, so it can be worn in just about every season; since it's a thin cotton even with the 3/4 sleeves I can wear it in summer, or add a white sweater and wear it just as comfortably in colder weather.

 

It was very easy to make, and I kept it simple. I love the way the skirt is done, with the front fullness that is still nice and trim at the waist due to the inside tucks. This is also the dress that I first used my vintage hem ruler on.

 

In the back, it only has a few darts, and the skirt is fairly narrow.

 

This was one project I didn't need to debate over finding the perfect buttons. These cute nautical thrifted buttons I paired with the fabric almost immediately and was so pleased with how it turned out!

 

The dress may be a tad more constraining than a modern spandex-cotton blouse or sweater, but I've found it certainly comfortable enough to work in without inconvenience.

 

Apart from the buttons, the only trim is a little bias band around each sleeve, and of course the wing collar and shoulder gathers.

 

Keeping it simple for the housedress-style outfit, I only paired it with my Two Old Beans vintage pumps and pearl earrings for these photos. And of course a thrifted belt that I hadn't gotten much wear out of previous to wearing it with this dress, which it matches perfectly.

 

As a little aside...I've also been experimenting with my hair, trying to soften it up so it still will retain the curls and yet not look so frizzy after a hair wash and new curl set. I keep striving for that perfect smoothly rippled look you see in vintage photos, where the hair is well brushed (not ring-letty) yet still well shaped. I tried a slightly different curler size arrangement, and added more conditioner to my hair washings, and think I've succeeded since this day's hairstyle looks softer and better controlled than the 1930s gold blouse photos, which was also a fresh set. Also it's easier to brush.

 

But at any rate, I do definitely enjoy my new housedress (it certainly has been a nice addition to my everyday wardrobe) and feel very 1950s when I put it on. In case you didn't know, daily chores around the house are much more pleasant to do when you're wearing a vintage dress and maybe a cheerful apron, and have your hair styled! If you don't believe me, try it and see. :-)

Item of the Week - Cheery Crochet Earrings

This set of 2 coordinating oval crocheted earrings are Item of the Week in my Etsy shop, half price for one week only - slashed from $10. Also check out my month long sale - 15% off everything with coupon code DECEMBERTIME.

December Tutorial - Crochet a 1940s Style Star Ornament

This month I designed a little crochet star ornament especially for my blog readers, inspired by pictures of 1940s aluminum star ornaments. It's the perfect way to add some vintage homemade specialness to your decorations this year.

 

For these ornaments I used Knit Picks' Curio, size 10 cotton thread. I can't say enough nice things about this thread. It comes in a gorgeous color palette (though limited), it's so soft to work with, and it comes in enormous yardage of 721 yards per ball. That's a huge amount of thread for your money!

 The pattern is written out below in standard American terms. But first, here are a few step-by-step photos to guide you through the process.

 

At first it looks nothing like a star!

 

Tightening the slip ring gives you 5 loops, like a flower.

 

After the first few rounds, it's starting to look like a star.

 

You could stop after Rnd 5. Nothing wrong with that. 

 

 

But like the icing on the cake, do one more round to emphasize the points and add a bit of trim.

Then the large star is done. You could easily add a chain loop for hanging before you fasten off. I prefer to use the less noticeable ornament hanger inserted through one tip, so omit a chain loop.

You could use this little fella all by himself, but there's more, just to add a little more with color fun.

 

 

 In another color, make this teeny tiny 2 round star, leaving a long end for sewing, and stack him on top of the large star.

 

 

Once he's in position, whipstitch him in place, all around the edge so his points won't curl. Weave in all the rest of the loose ends, and it's done!

 

You could starch the star if you want it super stiff, but if like me your stitches are tight, the star will hold his shape without starching. To get a perfect shape, mist it with water and pin it to your ironing board to dry, stretching out the points. 

 

So...without further ado, here's the pattern: 

 

1940s Christmas Star Ornament

Materials:

Knit Picks Curio size 10 100% cotton thread (721yds/100g per ball)

-a small amount of both Bluebell - 26273; and White - 26255

size 7/1.65mm steel crochet hook, or size needed to obtain gauge

tapestry needle

 

Skill Level:

low intermediate

 

Gauge:

Not important - use a hook size small enough to get nice tight stitches with your thread.

 

Abbreviations:

ch=chain

dc=double crochet

hdc=half double crochet

lp(s)=loop(s)

sc=single crochet

sl st=slip stitch

st(s)=stitch(es)

yo=yarn over

 

Finished Size:

2 1/4 in. at widest point

  

Special Stitches:

dc3tog (double crochet three together)=yo, insert hook in same st as ch 2, draw up lp, draw new lp through 2 lps on hook, (yo, insert hook in next st, draw up lp, draw new lp through 2 lps on hook) twice, draw new lp through all 4 lps on hook

 

Large Star:

Rnd 1: With your main color, make a slip ring, (ch 7, sl st in ring) 5 times. Pull loose end of slip ring to close tightly. 5 lps

 

Rnd 2: sl st in next 2 chs of first ch 7 lp, ch 1, (sc, hdc, dc, hdc, sc, ch 1) in each ch 7 lp around; join with sl st in first sc. 10 sc, 10 hdc, 5 dc

Rnd 3: ch 1, [hdc in next 2 hdc, (hdc, dc, hdc) in next dc, hdc in next 2 hdc, ch 1] around; join with sl st in first hdc. 30 hdc, 5 dc

Rnd 4: ch 1, (hdc in next 3 hdc, (hdc, dc, hdc) in next dc, hdc in next 3 hdc, ch 1] around; join with sl st in first hdc. 40 hdc, 5 dc

Rnd 5: sc in each st around, working (hdc, dc, hdc) in each of the 5 dc; join with sl st in first sc. 45 sc

Rnd 6: sk first st with sl st in it, * sc in next 3 sts, sk next st, in dc work (dc, ch 2, sl st, ch 2, dc, ch 2, sl st, ch 2, dc) sk next st, sc in next 3 sts, sl st in each of next 3 sts; rep from * around; join with last sl st in first sl st. Fasten off.

 

Small Star:

Rnd 1: Make a slip ring, ch 2, (3 dc, ch 1) 5 times in slip ring, join with sl st to first dc. 15 dc, 5 ch sps

Rnd 2: [ch 2, work dc3tog (see Special Stitches), ch 2, sl st in top of dc3tog, ch 2, sl st in same st as last dc of dc3tog, sl st in ch sp, sl st in next dc] around; join with sl st in first ch; fasten off, leaving a long sewing end. 5 points

 

Finishing:

Weave in all ends except long sewing end. With needle threaded on long sewing end, sew small star to center of large star. Block or starch if necessary.

 

I chose blue and white for these ornaments, but you could use endless combinations of red, gold, green, silver, ivory, rose, white...anything that takes your fancy or matches your decor. You could even do random bright colors and use up your odds and ends of thread. You can hang them alone or in coordinating pairs scattered over the tree, or go wild and make a whole bunch and thread them together to make a garland. 

So find your crochet hook, turn up some big band Christmas music, and get in the 1940s Christmas mood!

 

Happy crocheting!

Till next time,

~Kristen - Verity Vintage Studio

 

Look for my new tutorials posted sometime during the first full week of every month. Hairstyles, crafts, repurposing, project journals, do-it-yourself vintage or alterations, etc.

 

 

1950s Christmas Skirt

During the Advent season I try to give as many as possible of my holiday outfits an outing. Of course, I can't fit them all in just four weeks, especially since I make several new things every year, but I try. Last year, I had made this 1950s circle skirt as part of a two piece outfit worn for Christmas. It can only be worn once a year because of the Christmas print (3 yards were bought as a splurge from JoAnn), and this year I switched it up for Advent by pairing something different with the skirt.

 

(You'll have to forgive the sodden fall background for these non-Christmassy photos. It was so wet I didn't want to try any place off the path for photos!)

 

I paired the skirt with a 1950s style cotton/angora off white sweater. It's a modern sweater, but the shape, short length, and beading are all classic elements for a correct look.

 

The only problem with wearing the sweater with this skirt is it covers up some of the waist detail.

 

I wore the vintage black suede pumps I bought from Two Old Beans in Linden this fall. Also a thrifted red plush purse, just for fun.

 

The skirt is...immense. The essence of poofy. Soooo wide! Even my new wider crinoline doesn't do it justice.

 

My hat was a rescued vintage velvet hat ring with a ribbon loop embellishment, which I trimmed out by winding some tattered black veiling around it, and pinning a poseable vintage berry spray that matched the blue in the skirt.

 

It's one of my few hat trimming attempts I am pleased with.

 

It's always lots of fun to break out the holiday wear once a year!

The Package

Today when the poor laden mail lady delivered all our packages, I received a lovely big envelope...from Chronically Vintage! My 2nd prize package from winning the photo contest held by Emily's Vintage Visions (see the 1st prize package from Wearing History, here). It had taken a while to arrive, since it was shipped from Canada, and then forwarded from our old address - I was a little surprised to see it turn up. And when I opened it, out came all these delicious little packages.

 

Everything was individually wrapped with the prettiest little ribbons and and mini white boxes and pink tissue paper. They were so pretty I hated to mess them up by unwrapping them! It was like Christmas-before-Christmas! I just left them piled on the table and started right in.

When everything was unwrapped, here's what I found:

 

Soooo many vintage goodies! Including these gloves, brand new and still with the old tags. The green bead necklace is another favorite, and the triangle mesh hairnet will definitely come in handy this winter!

 

I had so much fun exploring everything in the package, and will get a lot of use out of my favorite pieces. Thank you so much, Jessica!