1940s Pink Striped Dress

One of my new favorite projects turned out to be my first try at matching stripes!

 

I had this piece of striped fabric in my stash for a while now, but never felt confident enough to tackle matching stripes - and I do like a nicely made striped dress. Until the striped illustration on this pattern from 1940 caught my eye.

 

It was surprisingly easy! Cutting the skirt on the bias (it also has a straight option) means there's plenty of stretch in the fabric which means I could tug it just a bit if needed to make the side and center seams match up.

 

I'm very proud of those matching seams! Everything ended up matching except the underarm seams and part of the shoulder seams. Not too bad for a first attempt!

 

There is lots of fun detail besides, in the top-stitched belt and pleats on both bodice and skirt.

 

There are lots of things to like about this dress. It is comfortable to wear since the skirt is fitted at the hips but has some extra width thanks to the pleats. With the tie in front, no belt is needed - rare in vintage dresses.

 

And the top is slightly blousy, but not too much for my taste. No restriction on movement, which again makes it comfortable to work and play in.

 

Another new thing for me with this project was the contrast I used. I always have a hard time mixing prints. Some people can do it and the projects turn out lovely, but I always err on the side of caution and rarely use a print as a contrast with a print. This time, though, I wanted to highlight the olive-gold circles in the fabric, and we had nothing that matched, so I went down the road to our local tiny fabric store. Everything there was either too green or too yellow, until I spotted a reproduction fabric that was exactly the color I needed...and it had a tiny circle print. I decided it was a perfect match anyway and actually like the way the contrast mirrors the fabric print.

(The buttons were two different brands, on two different cards, bought at different times! They so nearly matched that I used them together anyway, alternating one from each card.)

 

This dress was a bit of an adventure, but it turned out so well that I felt definitely encouraged. Some projects are boring, some are frustrating and take will power to finish, and some go together without a hitch or tedious moment. This dress was one of those.

 

So another house dress is added to my spring wardrobe, and my sewing skills (and confidence) are expanded. Now if I could just find a way to also expand my closet space...

Comments

[Lisa]

Lovely! I'm chicken about matching stripes. You did it beautifully!

[Gina White]

You get the matchy-matchy award of the day my dear! I love your new dress, the print and the buttons! You did a tremendous job on matching and aligning your stripes up! Brava to you!!
Blessings!
Gina

[Elizabeth]

I have not attempted pattern matching yet because it intimidates me. :p You do it so well, even if it's your first time! Cutting on the bias is a good tip. I would have never noticed those were two different brands of buttons, they look exactly the same to me! Beautiful dress!

[Kristen Stoltzfus Clay]

Thanks, ladies!

Elizabeth - Yes, cutting the skirt on the bias is very helpful. Not only does it make it easy to match up the stripes on the side and center seams, but that way you don't have to worry about matching the stripes at the waist seam. And it adds interest, with the difference in stripe direction.

[Sarah A.]

Hi Kristen! Lovely job on this dress (and all your recent ones, I am woefully behind in commenting!). I have done a handful of stripe matching before but am not good at it. I recently visited a dear friend, Esther (she writes the DollyCreates blog) and her mom is a maestro with stripes and pattern-matching! Wow. :) I benefitted from her expertise as we sewed up an 1860's dress for me (Esther's and her mom's were already done). But my own stories aside, this is a nice, classic style of dress that looks very comfortable besides. And cool for the summer ahead! I LOVE the contrast, by the way. You should do that more often, it turned out so nicely. I very much like the fit of this on you, and that little belt is the cutest addition. I also thoroughly enjoyed the scenery in these pictures. :) :) Hope all is well in Idaho!

[Kristen Stoltzfus Clay]

Thank you, Sarah!

I saw on Esther's blog that she had been sewing with a friend, Sarah, and I wondered if it was you! Sounds like so much fun.

Thanks for all the kind and encouraging words! I'm glad you like our front yard...one of these days I'll have to do a photo shoot where there is REAL scenery. :-)

[Sarah A.]

Isn't it funny when you recognize names on the internet and think you have an idea of who it is?! I've done that before, and it is quite fun to find out that I was right. :) Do keep an eye on Esther's blog, for she is going to write up stories about our Civil War dresses! She and her mom had perfectly lovely gowns, and, of course, I dearly like mine. Will be fun to see how she writes it up! Oh, and for "real" scenery....good night, your newsletter photos are always AMAZING!!! Methinks I need to visit Idaho someday. :) Along with Colorado again, and Montana too for the first time.

[Esther]

I was looking back again at your recent posts, and had quite a bit of fun reading these here comments!! ;) We did indeed have a lot of fun, and it was so wonderful spending time (and sewing!!) with dear Sarah. And even though I might be slightly biased, I must agree with her; my mom IS quite the pattern-matching maestro. :)

This dress is so gorgeous, and you did a beautiful job matching up the stripes!! As with all of your garments, this dress flatters and suits you so well. Beautiful, gorgeous job!!

[Kristen Stoltzfus Clay]

Thank you, Esther! Encouragement is always lovely.