Verity Vintage Studio

Talking About Quilting Cotton

Since it's spring, Easter is approaching, and floral fabric is calling, let's chat for a bit about quilter's cotton, which is both loved and hated by seamstresses!

 

Granted, it's not suitable for a lot of apparel. And yes, it would be wonderful if even a small percentage of those tempting prints were offered in a lighter weight more suitable for apparel...like shirting, or seersucker, or a cotton sateen. But on the other hand, there are some patterns that work very well in this weight of cotton. I've made some cotton dresses that did not end up turning out too well, while others work just fine and are super comfortable.

This early make of mine from the 1950s was not the best choice for cotton. It needed a drapier fabric for those front pleats, which ballooned when I sat down. Not flattering. 

 

On the other hand, these dresses worked very well in cotton. 2 of these fabrics came from JoAnn, the others were snagged on eBay, of well-known quilter's fabric brands.

1950s Atomic print dress

1930s fireworks dress

early '40s striped dress

Christmas poppy dress

1930s green floral dress

 

As a general rule of thumb, I won't use this type of cotton for dresses with narrow skirts, draping or detail ruching. Ruffles and gathers and bias skirts can also be tricky, which rules out quite a few 1930s patterns. Skirts with pressed pleats often work with cotton. Skirts with narrow gores usually need something limper. A lot of 1940s patterns call for rayon for a reason. But house dresses, now, with their A line skirts, crisp collars, patch pockets, and simple structured tops and sleeves are ideal for cotton. Even quilter's cotton.

Look for a second at these 2 images. The first one has a narrow skirt and fine gathers. It just begs to be made in something limp like rayon. The second one is ideal for cotton. Not incidentally, it is obviously a house dress. 

 

However, some patterns like this one can be made using very different types of fabric, and would have been, back in the day - in cotton with short sleeves for around the house, and again in a pricer fabric like wool crepe, with different sleeve and trim choices, for a classier outfit for wearing in town.

 

Can I swoon for a moment over the fabulous prints available? Especially 1930s reproduction prints (which cater to quilters who make 1930s style quilts but are also amazing for house dresses!) This is probably the number one reason that keeps us buying yards and yards of quilter's cotton. Also, of course, cotton is so easy to cut out and sew with. No slipperiness, minimal fraying...I love working with it. Cool and comfy to wear. A cheerful cotton print will make it to the top of my sewing queue every time, even if I really would use a plain or dark and simple dress more. Every spring I look forward to switching to sewing with fabrics like these:

Some repro cotton prints in my stash waiting their turn...

 

A Penny Saved?

However, I've been finding out more and more that all quilter's cottons are not created equal. I don't like to pay much per yard for my fabric, but on the other hand, I've discovered that higher quality cotton just might be worth changing my budget ideas over. For instance, if I pay $3.50 a yard for some cheap cotton on sale, I might get 4 yards for a vintage dress. That's $14 for the dress. In contrast, paying even $5-$6 a yard sounds expensive. I mean, that's enough for a dress plus half of another dress!

But quantity doesn't equal quality. If the cheap cotton shrinks and warps when you wash it, fades after a few washings and wearings in the sun, and is so wrinkly you always have to press it before wearing (as a result it stays crammed in your closet most of the time) - is the savings really worth it, compared to a dress you will really wear, in a cotton that stays true to size and color, has a smooth sheen and dense weave, and doesn't wrinkle very much?

Here's a little example. In this photo, both fabrics were washed. The lavender one came out very wrinkly, stiff, and warped. The green one has just a little bit of wrinkle to it and is still smooth and supple. You get what you pay for.

 

What Price Worth?

Sewing used to be the thrifty way to clothe yourself, and it still is if you buy brand name or new clothing. I mean, a basic A-line skirt can cost $35-$70! Vintage reproduction dresses often start at $70 and run up from there. When you look at those prices, buying a few yards for $15-$20 and making your own is totally a savings. But for folks like me who shop at thrift stores where you pay max $8 for a dress, there's no way you can spend $15 on new fabric and make it cheaper yourself most of the time. On the other hand, at thrift stores you often don't get the colors and styles you really want, that really fit you - and you have those options when you make your own.

Then again, vintage skews things up a bit more, since I would pay more for a vintage dress than a modern one. With those considerations, making a vintage reproduction (again, that really fits and is washable and non-fragile) for $20 does make more sense than purchasing something similar in true vintage for double the price or more. Worth really is in the eye of the beholder so often.

But of course, sewing clothes for a thrift-store-shopper-only is more about the enjoyment and process of it, and the wonderful creative satisfaction of the finished product matching that pattern illustration or image in your head, than it is about saving money. 

 

That being said, it is still possible to find nice fabric at super sales that really does make it comparable even to the aforementioned thrift store prices. So sometimes it's worth not buying that tempting cheap cotton print and waiting until you can find high quality cotton on eBay or maybe close-out sales from higher end fabric companies that bring it into your price range. 

While this tip doesn't work online, the squeeze rule is often a good indicator when shopping. Here we have 3 cottons of varying quality and price ranges. The striped one from Walmart (back when I didn't know any better...) is super stiff, and when a corner is gathered up and squeezed, it retains a ton of wrinkles. The blue floral was a mid-range from JoAnn. It's smoother to the touch and retains less wrinkles when squeezed but still is fairly wrinkly. The green floral (higher end, bought on eBay) hardly wrinkles at all. The smoother and less wrinkly a cotton is, the better it will wear and look as a dress.

 

That said, I have enjoyed JoAnn's repro prints in the past and will continue to collect them, especially when they are marked down and I have a coupon. :-) I will add that I have found a big difference in quality (you can feel the difference just by fingering the bolts) between their $5-$6 a yard fabric and their $8-$10 a yard fabric; which if you can get on sale and with a coupon, $10 a yard can shrink to more like $4 anyway. That makes it totally worth waiting for the big sales and snagging some of the higher quality stuff, in my opinion, rather than pinching pennies and buying the cheaper stuff so you can get a few extra yards for the same amount.

Because all cottons are not created equal. 

Navy Plaid 1950s Dress

February was not very productive for me. I started on this dress but didn't get it finished - not even a 1 project month! So far March has been much better; besides finishing this one, I've completed another, and have 2 more cut out - one of them my Easter dress. Hooray for floral fabric again!

 

Though I love sewing with pretty cotton prints, this more "boring" fabric is actually a more practical choice for everyday. It doesn't show stains, and doesn't need layers underneath, which I try to avoid in hot weather. I actually like it quite a bit. Navy is always a flattering color for me, and this one has a subtle plaid with pewter gray, and tiny bright blue or turquoise threads running through it. A rayon/poly mix, it can be machine washed along with my other dark hanger clothes and doesn't need pressed, while it has a nice drape to it. Also it feels nice - much more a rayon feel than a polyester - which is a plus. I would have bought more if I had known how nice it would be (I may be able to eke a blouse out of the remains). But with buying fabric online where you can't feel it, you never know.

 

With only 5 pattern pieces to cut out, this project came together very quickly when I actually worked on it. It's a basic button-blouse dress, with fullness pleated in the center back for interest. Because it's an everyday dress and the plaid is so subtle, I didn't try to match the lines anywhere except the front.

 

The pattern illustrations show only high, close collar options and I don't prefer those on myself. Also I decided it was time to have another square neck dress.

 

I just eyeballed it and cut it square. Well, when I tried it on, the neck did not lay right at all, curling up at the back and shoulders, and looked too wide. Thankfully it was a quick fix with some pretty pointed eyelet lace which lay very nicely around the sides and back of the neck for a narrow stand-up ruffle. I like the dress much better with the touch of white, so a potential problem was turned into a win/win situation.

 

I used vintage buttons from the stash and top stitched the front to keep the facing in place. When I added the lace later, I top stitched that too. Super easy.

 

I like the simple lines. This will likely be another much-worn dress year round, layered with a sweater in the winter, simply because it takes little fuss to wear. Just button up, add a belt, and go.

 

It would be easy to accessorize in various ways. For these pictures I paired it with a purchased belt, and vintage navy suede 1950s heels. I always try to coordinate metal tones, so imagine how disgusted I was with myself when I realized after the pictures that my belt buckle was gold and the jewelry was pewter colored! Ah, well...

 

And with our early spring rains/slush/gray days upon us, outdoor photos were out of the question so you'll have to make do with these. :-) 

 

While I appreciate the practicality and the needed addition to my everyday outfit rotation, I am really looking forward to switching away from dark fabric and making up some pretty cotton prints during my next segment of sewing!

1940s Tropical Print House Dress

Finally, I can share pictures of one of the few makes from last fall that didn't get a proper write up!

 

This dress was not on my sewing queue at all, until after Davy was born. I had so many rough nights that often I wasn't able to get dressed until late in the morning. That is not me at all! I have never been a pajama-all-day sort of person. So I had the idea to whip up something super quickly that I could just step in and go without taking the time to add all the right accessories and undergarments, yet would not feel like pajamas.

 

My late '30s/early '40s dressing gown pattern made years ago - and now starting to wear out - came to mind as something that would potentially be perfect, if it was made in a dress length (and a full front closure added). 

 

I had a twin size flat sheet on my shelf that I've had for probably 4 or 5 years. I originally intended it for a 1940s dress, but it never quite made it to the top of the queue. I saw it in the fabric stash and decided that for a wearable muslin sort of informal dress/robe I didn't want to use a nicer cotton, so I grabbed the sheet. I couldn't fit sleeves onto the sheet when cutting it out, so I patched them out of a contrast color - again, not really putting much thought into it or caring what the final product looked like. I just wanted something to wear!

Then when I tried it on, I had placed the ties inches too low. It looked terrible. Back onto the mending/alteration pile it went. Finally months later I took the time to rip out and move up the ties, tried the dress on again - and loved it!

 

I really was pleasantly surprised by how well it turned out. Like I intended, it's super quick to put on, retaining the comfort of a robe but with a more formal appearance and doesn't feel like pajamas at all.

 

Because it was so quick and simple, and I didn't care how it looked, I added a few trial elements like top stitched decorative bands on the sleeve cuffs and rickrack edging to define the back yoke. I really liked how both of those ended up, so I intend to use them on more project to come.

 

The fabric is comfortable and cheerful, just the thing for a spring-ish house dress to brighten up winter, or wear in warm weather. It's a different color pattern than I usually choose, so it adds a nice dimension to my weekly rotation. It doesn't need ironed after washing, which is a huge plus.

 

Even though I intended to wear this as an in-between-pajamas-and-properly-getting-dressed-for-the-day outfit, I actually find myself using it as a house dress and wearing it all day. Definitely one of those sewing projects that finished out better than I initially expected it too!

 

And the princess seams and adjustable waist ties makes it a perfect fit no matter my current size. I filed away the idea of making this pattern again as a dress I can wear during and after pregnancy, yet it doesn't look "maternity". 

 

I know the background is futuristic, since the stove wouldn't have been made until over 10 years after this dress was in style, yet when you're photographing a house dress on a gray day, it still makes a good setting.

 

So, quite accidentally, this project was definitely a success! And since I'm in the mood for floral cottons after sewing with darker, heavier fabrics all winter, it will get a lot of wear. 

Styling Some New Crochet Patterns

Three new crochet patterns were added to my Etsy shop this week. There was the Pin-up Neckwarmer, which is a scarf and 2 kinds of pins and can be worn multiple ways.

 

The Heather Bloom Neckwarmer is simple, but more than just a scarf - you can also wear this one multiple ways.

 

 

Then my Garnet Cardi, which is a 1950s inspired sweater-blouse. I had fun wearing it on Sunday along with 1950s accessories.

 

It was an absolutely beautiful day, but all the sunshine and the snow made it way too bright for photos. These are the best I could do!

 

I paired the cardigan with a tiered skirt over a crinoline, a turtleneck sleeveless top, and vintage hat, gloves, and heels from the 1950s.

 

I love the deep textured border.

 

While it is perfect for 1950s costumes or themed outfits, as I wear it here, it has classic lines and also can be paired with more modern pieces. The pattern has easy shaping and is written for sizes S-XL.

 

So that's what I've been up to this week. Next week we will get back to sewing posts - I promise! :-)

A Conglomeration Outfit and a New Hat

Recently when I went through my hats, I found some I'd forgotten about. One of those was this lovely smoky blue 1950s flowered hat, which I found at an antique store years ago, brought home, and never wore as far as I can remember.

 

I promptly remedied that oversight! It's such a pretty color and in great shape.

 

The outfit I wore it with is a rare conglomeration - I usually like to keep things pretty decade specific. The blouse is modern, the skirt is a long ago make from a 1950s pattern, and the shoes are 1940s reproductions (Peggy from Royal Vintage Shoes), which I mostly wore with this outfit because I wanted an excuse to wear them. 

 

The blouse is exactly the same color as the blue netting on the hat, so even though they are separated by sixty years or so, I had to pair them. 

 

I guess the moral of such an outfit is that even when I wear one of the inexorably modern garments in my wardrobe, it's apt to come out looking as vintage as possible. Must be an Irresistible Urge or something built into my genes. :-)