Verity Vintage Studio

Item of the Week - Corsage Infinity Scarf Pattern

Item of the Week in my Etsy shop is this crochet pattern PDF download for a versatile infinity scarf, at half price for one week only - slashed from $3 per download.

Modeled: 1950s Polka Dot Ensemble

Last month I posted about the blue polka dot skirt I refashioned, and the 1950s blouse I made to match using the trimmings of the skirt for contrast. The process photos were just mannequin photos, but I since have had a chance to get proper modeled photos, so here they are!

 

I did wear the ensemble a little differently than shown on the mannequin. I omitted the crinoline since it made me look like a balloon (I am not the size of the mannequin anymore, currently!), and wore the blouse out overtop in a much more pregnancy friendly fashion. This is not quite so period correct, but all 2 piece maternity outfits did have the blouse worn out over the skirt, so that isn't so unusual.

 

I have a box full of navy blue hats, most of them 1950s, but this one is the one I find myself wearing the most often - I love the little daisies and the way the contrasting brim turns up in the front. 

 

There isn't too much to tell about the outfit since I already blogged about it, so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

 

But I do have to say - I've now joined a lot of other vintage dressers and bloggers and jumped on the Royal Vintage Shoes bandwagon. I did a shoe purge a while ago and saved up for some reproductions. Among them and the first on the blog, the Marilyn in red, which I have already worn quite a bit - they go with everything! I love the shape and color (just the right shade of red). 

 

While I still love and collect true vintage shoes, it's nice to have some that I don't have to worry about dancing in or wearing out of doors. Also to have shoes that fit perfectly, have modern comfort elements like padding, and come in different sizes! The customer service there is awesome, they have rewards and pre-order sales for their new styles, and I so appreciate their commitment to accuracy - so many "repro" brands really just have vintage styling elements and are not truly historically accurate. These I think are closest to late-'40s/1950s shoe styles and are so elegant, classic, and feminine!

(If you are sighing over Royal Vintage shoes but find the price tag prohibitive, I will tip you off that Unique Vintage also carries their shoes - and they often have 20% off sales around the holidays!)

 

I look forward to wearing the outfit with a crinoline and the blouse tucked in once my waist is restored, but for now, I'm still quite satisfied with the refashion.

Item of the Week - Crochet Lace Scarf Pattern Download

For one week only, download the Diamond Strike Lace Scarf pattern at half price - it's Item of the Week in my Etsy shop! Slashed from $3.

Summer Gray Seersucker Dress

This project is not an unqualified success. And the pictures didn't turn out so good either, so I hesitated in putting it up on the blog at all. But after all, sewing is a journey and we can learn from even the projects that are failures or just don't live up to our expectations. Even the best seamstress (which I certainly am not) is going to have a disappointment once in a while, and it would be creating a false impression to only post the perfect projects.

 

Anyway, this dress started out when I wanted to use the rest of the gray seersucker I used for my 1950s blouse to make a dress comfortable to wear this summer. It is very rare in that it is one of my only projects - if not the only one - not made from a vintage or reproduction pattern from the 1950s or earlier *gasp!*. Technically I suppose it is still vintage, but it's "modern" compared to my usual style. But I liked some aspects about the design, it looked super easy, and I figured that the waistless make would mean it would work for maternity without looking maternity.

 

I lengthened the skirt, made the yoke to open all the way down to the waist, and used a different sleeve pattern from a 1930s pattern, hoping that it would end up looking at least 1930s style - in that I was disappointed. It was pretty easy to put together as anticipated, and the yoke (the only fiddly part of the basic design) didn't give me any trouble.

 

In fact, because of it being a non-fitted pattern, I didn't bother trying it on during the process. Big mistake! Even non-fitted patterns can be too small, as I learned. Because when I had it all finished and the yoke lined nice and tidy, I tried it on...and it was way too tight. Not "a little too small and I can let out the side seams"  but really too tight. All over.

Not wanting to take it apart or give it away after spending that time on it, I got creative and instead cut the back seam open all the way up. Then to the center back I lapped and top stitched a 4 inch wide band cut crosswise, hoping it wouldn't look obviously patched. In the end, I actually liked the way it added stripe interest. And it worked, giving me enough room that it's wearable, though still not really a good fit. 

 

The new technique I learned on this dress was how to do self button loops, which I have always avoided. As usual, I discovered I actually enjoyed doing them so that's one less bugbear in the future.

 

The dress does work for maternity and is comfortable to wear in the July heat, not needing ironed or extra layers, so I still wear it for everyday though it is not my favorite or most flattering finished project by any means!

 

On another subject, I had been experimenting a lot with my hair recently after a long series of bad hair days when I just couldn't get it to look nice. Many times I would resort to my trusty hairnet, which definitely saved the day and controlled the mess, but it got frustrating when day after day my brush-out was a disappointment. I tried various things from different kinds of shampoo, water versus setting lotion, to getting a professional trim to make sure it wasn't a layering problem.

My first day hair just kept coming out frizzy and unmanageable, though the second day hair was often much better. My first day hairstyle efforts kept looking like a homemade job instead of the smooth and elegant result shown in vintage photos and captured by Lily and other vintage bloggers.

 

I tried just doing a pin curl set instead of the foam rollers, which would result in a looser curl, but while that looked great right at first, the curl didn't last all day and the pin curls were a lot harder for me to do and keep in place than the rollers.  

Finally after reading several vintage bloggers' tutorials on how they do their hairstyles, I decided my problem was that I was rolling my hair too tight on the foam rollers. Even though I was using large rollers, I was squeezing them down enough that I still ended up with "poodle curls" which made the wild frizz.

Doing a looser set on the foam rollers I normally use ended up with bigger but still long lasting curls, manageable and smooth, which makes me so much happier with the first day brush outs. 

 

So at least I was happy with my hair in these pictures! Ah well...we learn from failures, mistakes, and disappointments just as much if not more than successes. True for life, and true for sewing too!

Item of the Week - Coral Pink Flower Pendant

Item of the Week in my Etsy shop this week is this delicate coral pink flower pendant, half price for one week only - slashed from $6.

Late 1930s 4th of July Maternity Dress

This year a 4th of July dress just happened when I already wanted to do a trial of a late '30s/early '40s maternity dress pattern, and had some blue and white gingham cotton with tiny red flowers already in my stash. It turned out quite cheery and patriotic, comfortable for summer.

 

This dress I definitely like better than the 1940s pink linen maternity dress I made earlier, since in this dress the fullness is in the back, controlled by a wrap-around belt. I find it more flattering then the dress with fullness in the front.

 

It has some cute front detail, like all late '30s dresses, and the pattern comes with several views so I can change it up if I do it again. So far this is the pattern I am most likely to make again, of the ones I have tried, but I have less than 3 months to wear maternity now so I'm not sure how much more maternity sewing I will do - and I have at least one more outfit to try.

 

There was definitely some queerness going on with the fit, however. This was a copy of a pattern from my sister-in-law, and I don't know if when I was copying it I marked some of the perforations in the wrong place or made mistakes while cutting it, or if there was a problem with the original pattern, but it definitely will need some adjusting next time.

The side seams are too far back, for one thing, and the sleeves were wonky, which meant the arm holes feel like they don't fit right. That I can easily fix by substituting another sleeve pattern, and trimming a bit off the sides when I cut it out.

 

I totally forgot to do my usual torso-shortening when cutting it out. Thankfully the waist only ended up a teeny bit long, and that's pretty well disguised by the belt. Next time I will remember to take a half inch out of it, though!

 

In the back, the stitched down faux pleats are meant to lie smoothly and straight overtop of the fullness to give the illusion that the fullness isn't there - especially while the wearer is still small. Mine didn't lay that way for some reason. However, it is a nifty way to get the belt in the center of the back pieces instead of in a side seam, which means the sides are nice and trim compared to just pulling in the fullness all along the back. I like the slimmer silhouette.

(Please don't pay attention to the wrinkly back - I had worn it all day and in a long car ride!)

 

The belt piece I was missing, so I cut my own and made it over-long, but it works. It crosses in the back, crosses in the front, and ties in the back. Of course this allows for plenty of adjustment depending on your waist size at the moment.

Mine is definitely growing! :-)

 

It also had plenty of length. I did a 2 1/2 inch hem and it's still nice and long. If I need to save fabric another time, I can shorten the skirt piece and just turn up the hem, which is nice to know. 

 

I cheated and top stitched the sleeve edge for ease, since there was other top stitching on the bodice.

 

Cute detail!

 

I had a lot of fun playing around with the buttons before settling on this combination, which is a little out of the ordinary for me. I'm normally pretty unadventurous when it comes to buttons. This time I had these vintage ones in my stash for years, waiting for the perfect project. I had exactly this amount and wanted to use them all together, so this is what I came up with. 

 

This version could be a house dress, or dressed up a bit as a picnic dress worn with white hat and gloves. The same pattern could also be dressier in a solid rayon with 3/4 sleeves, which might show the details a bit better. I can see it definitely being a staple in my vintage maternity wardrobe.

 

I know in the 1930s hairstyles were shorter and more tightly curled, but this was 2nd day hair for me and by the end of the day it was starting to droop a bit. Oh, well!

 

I liked my unsophisticated but all-American background of corral fences and western hills! Somehow it seemed appropriate for a 4th of July dress.

 

Another maternity pattern is off my list, and I'm happy about a comfortable new summer dress in my wardrobe. Especially now that a whole bunch of the dresses that had fit me all these months suddenly are too tight!

Illuminations

This post was originally written for July 4, 2015, but since this year I didn't have time to put an Independence Day blog post together I thought this one was worth sharing again.  

 

Ever wonder why it is an American tradition to stay up late on the 4th of July, lying out on the lawn and swatting mosquitos, and exclaim over all those transient colored lights and smoke and hear the reverberating bang of fireworks? Why fireworks? Why on this holiday in particular?

 

It's because of this...

The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not.

- John Adams, July 3, 1776

 

So while we all love a holiday for its freedom from our common work routine, its family memories made over barbecues or picnic lunches, or whatever we do to celebrate - let's not forget it's more than just another day to enjoy the pleasure of leisure or be with folks we love.

There's a reason for it.

 

Happy Independence Day!

Item of the Week - Furry 1950s Vintage Hat

Item of the Week in my Etsy shop is this cute brown faux fur hat with chocolate brown velvet accents from the late 1950s. Half price for one week only - slashed from $14.