One of my earlier sewing projects was a full-skirted 1950s sundress. While it had the usual issues of my early makes - bad fit and poor structure - I still love the fabric and the dress was kind of cute even with the flaws. But I couldn't nurse in it, and because of its issues, it wasn't worth saving until I could wear it again, so the answer was obviously a remake into something I can actually wear now!
Thanks to the more-than-circle skirt, I had plenty of fabric to work with. I used half of the skirt, plus a small piece cut off the other half, to make my new skirt, which has a back zipper and a narrow front gore. The sash I cut down for the waistband. It's still plenty wide, though it's only slightly more than half the width it was before. Goes to show you how wide a circle skirt really is!
For the other part of the outfit, I chose an early 1960s blouse pattern, and managed to squeeze all the major pieces onto the remaining piece of my circle skirt. It took some careful planning, but it worked!
I have to say, I love the construction method used for the front vents. I'm very likely to make the pattern again, next time with the bow as shown.
As it is, the plain neckline is a perfect backdrop for my vintage and handmade lace collars, which rarely get an outing. That's a shame, because they are so pretty, and it's fun to be able to change up the outfit by using different collars for different looks.
The buttons are vintage plastic ones from the 1950s I've had for ages, and I had exactly enough. The whole outfit was a major stash buster!
These gloves are probably 1930s, but were exactly the right color and a nice spring-like style.
And I'm happy to report that my splurge for Rocket Originals sandals were worth it. As I expected, the straps fit my feet better with a little wear, and the sandals are comfortable as well as cute, making it perfect for wearing when I will be on my feet for a while. Also the light cream color goes with almost everything - probably my most worn vintage style shoes this summer so far! (Since they were 1950s sandals reproductions, I had to pair them with this outfit instead of heels this time.)
If I thought I would wear the color, I'd be tempted to get the green version too. If only they were blue...But in the mean time I'm saving up for Royal Vintage's fall line when it's released, and still want a pair of true white wedge sandals as well as heels, so I guess another pair of these are not at the top of my priority list...
Of course the benefit of a 2 piece dress is that I can wear the pieces separately as well. The skirt goes with a lot of other blouses and sweaters in my closet, and the blouse looks very nice with gray, green, and other solid color skirts.
It's an eminently more wearable outfit than the earlier dress, and I enjoy seeing it in my closet instead of on the too-large pile of clothes to mend or alter.
It's almost like getting a brand new dress, but with less work than starting from scratch. I would call it a very successful little project sandwiched between the new to-make dresses on my sewing list.
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