Verity Vintage Studio

Daisy 1950s Easter Dress

My Easter dress this year was the 3rd and fanciest version of Butterick 6869 I've made. After making my red gingham version recently, I wanted to do one more that was dressier. I actually made this a while ago, and just saved it for Easter Sunday.

 

I used some vintage cotton I got from an Instagram seller. It's slightly thinner and lighter weight than quilting cotton, but doesn't wrinkle very much, which was a pleasant surprise. 

 

The larger green and off-white floral print is so lovely and springlike! It's super pretty in person. I accented it with a dark green pique collar, and dark green buttons - I happened to have 4 of them, so it was perfect.

 

I chose to highlight the daisy motif with some embroidery on the collar, which I think turned out fairly well. It's not perfect, but close enough for this non-perfectionist. :-) I really like how that with 3 different fabrics and collar treatments, this pattern can be  so versatile!

 

As you can see, though it is not a maternity dress, it is still pretty flattering. I am hoping to be able to wear it a few times this spring yet before I grow too big for it. 

Later on in the day I took off my belt, and actually really like how it looks without a belt as well.

 

Since I pretty much made this dress twice in a row, you can imagine that I had the pattern just about memorized. This time I was able to get the fit better than with my gingham version, and everything went together rapidly and without a hitch. I used a wide hem bias facing for the hem so it would have a nice deep hem without making the skirt too short. 

 

I flat lined the bodice so it wouldn't be see-through, and even with that extra step and the collar embroidery, the whole thing was finished in just a few days. Quick and easy, but interesting enough to save it from too much simplicity.

 

We had a gorgeous sunny Easter, but it was very windy (following a rainy Saturday), and quite impossible to take pictures out-of-doors. I considered just waiting until later in the week and dressing up again, but I was having a really good hair day for once - a rare occasion lately, especially when I have an event or am planning to take pictures! - so I decided to take advantage of it and just do indoor photos, despite the less desirable backdrop.

 

My accessories are all vintage 1950s, except for the belt, and the pearl necklace and bracelet which I made. (Find out how to make your own with my tutorial here.)

 

The 1950s seems to be my favorite era for Easter! With the exception of a 1940s dress two years ago, I think every Easter dress I've made since I started sewing has been from the 1950s. I suppose it's just something about the more extravagant styles that fits with the special occasion, pastel colors, and spring hats.

 

I tend to stash special or favorite fabrics, but this one got new life relatively quickly. I don't know precisely what era it is from, but I am so happy to see it turned into something beautiful and useful - and perhaps close to what someone may have envisioned for it originally - after all these years. 

 

Late 1930s Pink Gingham Adjustable Dress

Yay for spring! Since our last batch of spring rains seems to finally be over, I can take pictures out-of-doors again. I am so enjoying the lovely sunshine, budding flowers, green hills, and hanging my laundry out once more!

I so enjoyed making and wearing my green late '30s dress last fall, that I wanted to make another one. Only, of course, I wouldn't fit in a regular version for very long, and the pattern lent itself to alterations for maternity very well.

 

The original pattern features a back with extra fabric gathered in to the skirt at the fitted waist. My idea was simply to not gather it, but rather cut the skirt to fit the width of the un-gathered waist of the bodice piece. This would make a wider panel all the way across the back, yet hopefully still look nice and trim when cinched in to a normal waist size. 

 

As I've mentioned before, the maternity dresses I like the best are ones that are not obviously maternity, and can be worn afterwards too. I was hoping this would turn out to be such a dress.

 

I used some pink gingham cotton twill from my stash for the trial. As you can see, it holds wrinkles pretty easily and has to be pressed before wearing. But I wanted a fabric I didn't care too much about, in case the trial failed. 

 

When cutting it out, I simply measured the bottom of the back bodice, and added that much extra to the center back seam of the skirt pieces. Otherwise, I followed the normal cutting and sewing directions except that I added waist ties (from this Butterick pattern) on each side seam, and skipped the decorative belt loops.

PLUS I could omit the side zipper, since the waist is now plenty wide enough to slip on over the head. Win!

 

I did cut the neckline differently and omit the collar, for a different look from the green dress. The collarless version is more comfortable for everyday, I think.

 

Basically the only difference between how this version and the original looks (other than the ties) is that the skirt has some extra gathers in the back, instead of being smoothly fitted gores. I like the gored version better, but this one is quite nice enough to suit me. I am large enough now at 23 weeks that my regular dresses are starting to be uncomfortable around the waist, and I can tell an instant improvement with this one's adjustable waist. Just slip it on, button it up, and tie the sash as snugly as desired. 

Crossing the ties in the back first means that the side seams stay where they belong, and keeps all the gathers in the back so they won't shift around to the sides where they would add bulk. Also I think it makes the waist look more trim.

 

I really like how the tucks on the back bodice control the extra fabric at the shoulders. These are always fun to sew.

 

There is plenty of room left in the dress at the back, so we will see if I will be able to wear it for the rest of the pregnancy. I think it's likely.

I have great hopes that it will look enough like a normal dress, and not a maternity one, to wear for non-maternity as well. The adjustable waist will certainly always be comfortable, even without a baby bump. What do you think? Does it look obviously maternity?

 

I was able to use these long-stashed vintage drop shaped buttons for the bodice. I had exactly the right amount, and they were the right color of off-white to go with the fabric. The dress was simple enough that I liked a bit more "statement" in the buttons.

 

Since this trial was a success, I've had some ideas for similar alterations for other patterns, so I may have more trials to show you in the future. Since I have to wear a slip with this dress, I have at least one more version planned, suitable for the hot weather this summer when I will be large enough to need to wear maternity clothes every day, so you will likely see this altered version again in the coming months.

Meanwhile, this is a comfortable, cheerful version for spring, and I'm very pleased with how well my idea translated to real life. 

1950s "Sprinkle" House Dress

I call this fun dress my sprinkle dress, because the cheerful fabric looks exactly like the colorful candy sprinkles children love to put on ice cream! It's quilting cotton from Hancock's of Paducah, and while it is a 1930s print, I have seen ones similar enough used for 1950s clothes that I chose to use it for that era instead. While the cotton does wrinkle a little after a day of wearing (especially curled up on the sofa with a small boy asleep in your lap...), it is smooth and high quality!

 

I've had this pattern for years, and it just never got pushed to the top of my list until I saw pictures of Dolly Creates' Christmas version on Instagram. That made me want to make my own, so I dug it out.

 

Actually, I ended up very nearly not being able to make it after all since I could not find the pattern when I went to collect my cutting materials. Any seamstress can tell you how frustrating it can be to be all ready and eager for a particular project and then have to stop short, and maybe move on to another one!

 

I looked and re-looked through my pattern drawers to make sure I hadn't missed it, and asked various relatives if they had borrowed it. Thankfully, just as I was running out of options, I remembered this had happened to me once before - and that time the pattern had slid to the bottom of my pattern drawer under the other patterns (which were standing on their sides). I pulled out my plastic drawer, holding my breath...and sure enough there was a pattern flat under the others. THE one! Such a relief. :-)

 

After all that drama, making the dress was a breeze. It took a bit more time to cut out since the right and left bodice and facing had to each be cut out separately, but the fiddly bit (the front bodice with its inset strips) was actually much easier than I expected. It went quite quickly and I really like how it looks. The facing was quite unusual, with the construction, but I didn't have any issues with it after I figured it out.

 

The V tabs in the front are supposed to hold buttons, but somehow I got them off center enough that I wasn't sure buttons would look right, so I decided to let them be extra asymmetrical and closed them with snaps instead. I enjoyed being adventurous and pairing 3 prints together for this dress, choosing to accent the yellow since I don't have much yellow in my closet.

 

I've been having issues with my hair lately...not sure if it's the haircut or the shampoo I'm using. A hair net is usually my best friend. But today I brushed it more pageboy style with the curl turned under, and am very pleased with how 1950s it turned out.

 

The rest of the dress is pretty basic and easy. I finished the whole dress in just a few days. I may have to take it in at the waist once I am back to normal proportions, but right now it is comfortable and easy to wear.

 

While I like the fun and unusual combination of cotton prints, I think this pattern would really be well-suited for a classy fall or winter dress with dark or jewel tone solids in a wool crepe or something similar. Now that I made it once and discovered how much I enjoyed it, it is likely I will try another version another time!

 

I have one more "normal" dress project on my list to squeeze in quickly before I have to switch over to maternity patterns, so while dresses like this may not be worn much this spring, I will enjoy them in the late summer and fall when I have less time to sew!

1950s Navy Dot & Floral House Dress

The past few weeks have held a lot of sewing for me - mostly house dresses, which I am motivated to make now while they will still fit me, and then saved for the end of summer when I can fit into them again.

 

This one was made from a pattern I got more recently, and used a pretty print from JoAnn which I've been saving for a while. I like it so much I wish I had gotten enough for two dresses! It has tiny white polka dots scattered, and peach flowers, so it combines two favorite prints - polka dots and florals!

 

I used the white dot motif for the collar, which has white embroidered dots on it. I like how the collar comes down more square in the front, although it comes down farther than I expected. As a result, I only had room for two buttons, and have to pin it at the top.

 

The pockets on the original pattern were pretty cute and I want to do them sometime, but I didn't have enough fabric for them so I improvised, cutting out shaped pockets from the piece I had left. I didn't realize until after I had put the skirt together that the pockets totally blended in to the skirt fabric and were invisible. Too late to put white trim on it - unless I crocheted trim the right length, so that both ends were finished already.

 

So that's what I did, and tacked each piece of lace down on the inside of the pocket with the points peeking out. I based the lace from a vintage pattern from 1937. They make the pockets much more visible, and add a touch of white to tie in the collar.

 

I may have had enough fabric after all if I'd shortened the skirt pieces when cutting them out. The pattern said no hem allowance had been made, but I trimmed it and hemmed it 2 1/2 inches and it still is quite long!

(My shoes are the right style for this dress, but I definitely need to add a stark white pair to coordinate with dresses like this!)

 

It was a very speedy project. I cut it out one day and put the skirt together, the next day did the bodice and final fitting, and on the 3rd day all I had to do was the zipper and hand stitch the hems. 

 

I have some minor fit issues which I would correct on another version, but otherwise have no complaints. It is a perfect summer dress addition to my wardrobe, since it's cheerily floral, yet dark enough that I don't have to layer underneath. A pity I won't fit into it during the hottest months, but it will still be plenty warm here in the High Desert after the baby is born, too.