Verity Vintage Studio

Poppy Print Christmas Dress

Ooooh, but it felt so good to get back to sewing! My last sewing project months ago was my wedding dress. Since then I've been far too busy after the wedding with moving and settling in to do any sewing. I was afraid this year I wouldn't get a new Christmas dress, but it all came together a few days before Christmas. :-)

 

At JoAnn's during a big sale, I was tempted as always by their rack of Christmas prints. But the problem with a specifically Christmas print is that I can only wear it during one short season in the whole year. Last year I made a 1950s suit, which of course is suitable for fall and winter wear. I couldn't justify spending a chunk of money on fabric that I can only wear once or twice a year. This year I managed to be both Christmassy and practical when I found this gorgeous big poppy print instead.

 

It's in the Christmas colors, but since it's not a specifically Christmas print, I think I can get more wear out of it. Obviously when worn with a red belt, green velvet hat, and gold accessories, it will look holiday-ish, but I think when paired with a pair of straw & red heels I have and a shady straw hat, it will be fine for summer as well! The cool cotton and cap sleeves lend themselves to warmer weather.

 

I bought 5 yards, since the print was one way and just shouted "1950s" at me, and took it home. The next thing was deciding which pattern to use. I had some specifics in mind, which made it harder to narrow down to a suitable pattern. I wanted something simple, so the print could shine, with the front bodice cut in one piece, so I didn't have to match the print in the front, and either wide gores or no gores for the skirt. I haven't done much sewing with large prints, so I did some Pinterest searching for 1950s dresses for ideas. I debated over several of my patterns in my collection, but wasn't completely satisfied with any of them and went with a different one altogether when I took a closer look and realized it met all my criteria.

I'm glad I did, because this dress pattern was quite enjoyable to make. I had to cut it down quite a bit, and adjust the neck height, which necessitated a muslin and some fiddling with the front darts. But otherwise, I made it exactly as called for, even to the skirt length and hem depth - something I rarely do, since vintage patterns are often too short for my preference. 

 

It was a breeze. Just enough detail in the shoulder and neck to make it interesting, but nothing difficult. I really had no problems at all, the cotton was wonderful to work with, and it went together so nicely in just a short time. 

 

The back and sleeves are cut in one piece. The sleeve is gathered into a top-stitched, pointed front piece. I double top stitched it, just for fun, and to help it lay right.

 

The print I had made sure was centered on the bodice and each skirt gore. Too late I realized that the back hadn't made the matchy goal, but it's not too bad. 

 

My gold clutch adds some holiday sparkle. I can also see this dress paired with black velvet accessories.

 

This 1950s style is not my favorite silhouette on myself, but this dress is helping improve it in my regard. I wore this dress with my biggest crinoline, and it had plenty of poof, though it wasn't a circle skirt. 

 

I like the fact that the red print has two shades of red, so I can accent with either a dark or a cherry red and it will still coordinate.

 

So now my sewing queue is up and running again, though my sewing room is still not quite set up. I've found a great lack of winter dresses and blouses in my closet, so while winter remains, I'm hoping to fix that problem in the coming year. It's wonderful to be back at the sewing machine, and to have such an enjoyable first project in my new home.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and will start out with a happy New Year!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

Merry Christmas to everyone,

from Verity Vintage Studio!

1940s Inspired Up-do

Some days you just don't have time to set your hair. Or you do set it, and the layers don't lay right, no matter how much you brush. When I don't have time to curl my hair (other than a few pin curls at the top), I find this twist on a 1940s up-do is my go to hairstyle.

 

It definitely has a 1940s flair to it, though it's a far cry from the elegant beauty-salon-created up-dos movie stars of that era wore. It was mainly invented in an effort to contain my layered ends in a way that just pulling it back can't do, and also keep the face-framing style I definitely prefer.

 

It can be tricky to get the rolls even, and to stay put, but practice has helped me become quicker. Plus, the rolls make a perfect base for hair flowers or other hair accessories!

 

Besides hair flowers, I can also vary the arrangement by what I do with my curled front hair and by using various hair clips and bows. I have yet to find a hat that fits this hairstyle, but then that makes it a perfect style for formal evenings - like during the holidays!

 

In the back, I can put a barrette at the top instead of the bottom as is here shown, or if I'm not going for a super Period look, just use hair grip clips for a more secure hold. (Tight, long bobby pins are a must for this hairstyle to be successful.)

 

I may have to figure out an up-do that I like, that is less fiddly and time consuming, but until then, I'm glad I've found a way to keep that aspect of vintage style in my daily dress, for the times a proper vintage curl set can't happen!

Item of the Week - Purple Sparkly Lace Vest

Just in time for the holidays! This festive, elegant purple vest is Item of the Week in my Etsy shop, half price for one week only - slashed from $25.

The Verity Vintage Wedding Dress, Part Two - The Creation

In Part One I talked about the search for the perfect fabric for my wedding dress, and the evolution of pattern ideas until a final direction was decided on. 

With all the pieces together, it was time to take a deep breath and...start cutting. 

 

I took my muslin pieces for the bodice and arranged them on the lace. Since it was expensive, I wanted to waste as little fabric as possible.

 

The sleeve I took extra care with, wanting the sleeve edge to be on the decorative edge of the fabric - and so that the finished French seam would end on a long point.

 

Those lace pieces then got cut out of the satin, for an underlining, and basted together by hand. Incidentally, using pink thread for the hand basting was not such a great idea, especially because it could get caught between the layers but still seen through the lace. I spent a lot of time picking tiny hot pink threads out of the lace. Next time white would be best! :-)

However, hand basting those layers together so that they could be sewn as one layer was mandatory!

 

The skirt was a headache to cut out...it was so huge. Neither the skirt pattern piece, or the fabric, would fit on the table, so I had to do it in sections. I opened the satin and cut it flat, which added to the hassle. I spent a long time cutting out those two pieces, but finally had it done.

All that remained was to cut a skirt band, and the lining pieces for the bodice. I only lined the front and back, and used some white cotton from the stash to cut those pieces.

With everything together and the bodice basted, I could start sewing and pretend it was just another dress, to calm my nerves! Darts, side and shoulder seams, press the seam allowance open and carefully tack them to the underlining...

A seamstress friend had suggested I might need to use boning to keep the points laying smoothly, but the lace was stiff enough, and the seams hefty enough, that I didn't have a problem with it. The darts were quite rigid as it was.

The bodice put together, pre lining and sleeves.

 

I had a few bumps here and there. The sleeves were too wide, so I ended up taking them in, but you could see the bigger seam through the lace. I ended up trimming it with the scissors, and binding it by hand with thread to finish the edge, up to where it joined the original French seam. Not terribly professional, but it wasn't noticeable, so I call it a success. 

 

The arm openings were too big as well. They looked like they were trying to be dolman sleeves. Don't know how that happened. So I cut a circle of the underlining satin, folded it in half, and tacked it to the underside of the arm opening. It actually could come in handy as a sweat guard since it is easily replaceable. 

 

And...I remembered why I don't like lining things. After fiddling with the lining, and including the elastic loops in the front seam, I still had to take a tuck in it horizontally in order to keep it from bagging or showing around the bottom edge. Maybe sometime I'll learn how to line things properly. Again...it worked, and that was the important thing.

I covered small buttons with satin scraps for the front bodice opening, but they ended up too big, so I had to purchase a smaller, pre-covered size and replace the buttons. I also made a rectangle of satin fabric and tacked it to the inside of the lining on one side, as a modesty panel under the button loops.

 

The skirt was a simple matter of two seams, an interfaced waistband, and a short invisible zipper. Of course I didn't get the zipper quite even, so I had to hide that with the overlapping waistband. I also accidentally made it a bit too tight - but by the wedding I must have lost a few more pounds because it fit just fine! :-)

I left it hang to make sure the seams didn't pull, then had a long trimming job making it even. Thankfully I had some help. My mother used pins and my vintage hem ruler, and I spent a long time standing and slowly rotating on the piano bench while she marked the skirt.

 

I had to put some thought into hemming a circle skirt in the least noticeable way possible. I ended up going with bias tape, which once it was pressed, laid smoothly all the way around. I tacked it down by hand using only one strand of thread and catching only two threads of the satin per stitch. It took forever to go around that skirt hem!

 

So now the major pieces were finished, it was time for the fun part - playing with the embellishments! But I'll save that for the next and final installment.

Item of the Week - Sparkly Black Cowl

Snag a deal for Christmas! This soft and sparkly black cowl is Item of the Week in my Etsy shop, at half price for one week only - slashed from $9.

 

Also, a quick announcement:

use the coupon code DECEMBERTIME for 15% off everything

except crochet patterns in the Etsy shop all month long!