Verity Vintage Studio

1930s Adjustable House Dress

My fourth time making this negligee pattern was for another maternity friendly house dress. It was not one of those perfect projects, but was a near fail that I managed to rescue - thankfully!

 

Tie front dresses are very useful for maternity, but they were also a common fashion element for just regular wear in the late '30s and early '40s, so my intention was to make a dress that would work for both. I also wanted to pair this fabric with a white yoke, and the only pattern I had that combined those elements was the negligee pattern I've made before. So out it came again.

 

All went well until the first wearing. Despite the fact that I've made this pattern dress length instead of floor length twice before, somehow I managed to cut it too short when cutting it out this time!

 

My tropical print version I wore quite a bit after my last pregnancy, but the front panels have too much fabric in them and gather too bunchily around the waist for my taste (especially in a stiffer cotton), so I decided to take a few inches out of the front panels of this one. 

Well, I didn't realize that while it does cut down on extra fabric at the waist, it also cuts down on the skirt width. So the first time I wore it, I realized there were issues. The skirt pulled and gaped badly between the buttons when I sat down, and it was definitely too short. 

But I loved this fabric too much to call it a failure! The button gaping problem was easily fixed by top stitching the opening together from the waist down, but my only option to lengthen it was to add a piece of fabric at the bottom. How to do that without making it look obviously patched together?

 

The answer was a strip of narrow white lace sandwiched between the layers, which I top stitched together. I was very relieved to find that the lace makes it look like it was intended to be there, and actually ties in the white yoke and buttons very well! Definitely a close call, but with those problems fixed I can wear it happily now. The only fit issue that remains is that the yoke won't lay flat in the front - ah, well. 

 

Because this is a fun fabric and a house dress, I decided to play around a bit more with decoration than I normally do. This was a perfect way to use up some random cute tiny vintage buttons that I otherwise probably wouldn't have a use for, only having a few of them. I really liked how it turned out, along with the interlaced tiny red rickrack.

 

The yoke took a bit of extra time as a result, but the rest of the pattern is super easy and went together very quickly. I hardly needed to look at the instructions since I've made it so often and it's simple anyway.

I used sleeves from another pattern from the era, just to change things up a bit. I like the ones that puff at the top and are dart fitted around the arm. It's a nice change from the straight sleeves the pattern calls for.

 

Can we all take a moment to cry about the fact that JoAnn discontinued their 1930s print collection?? How cute is this fabric? Though to be honest, I probably wouldn't have gotten any if it hadn't been marked down so far on clearance. I just wish I'd gotten more! I love how cheery it is.

I have plenty of room in the front, no matter how large I get, and I'm reasonably certain that when my waist comes back, I can cinch it in with the tie belt (handy for fluctuating sizes afterwards too) and the dress will fit well without looking maternity. At any rate, it makes a cheerful, comfortable house dress, and I'm sure will get a lot of wear this summer.

 

This project was a good reminder that even after years of experience, sewing projects can still throw you a curve ball once in a while. For it to be such a simple one, instead of a complex pattern, is all the more reason to keep humble. :-)

1940s Nautical Adjustable Dress

My maternity-friendly dress adventures continue...

I don't usually wear denim, but when I found a length of denim with flocked nautical emblems on it for just a few dollars at the thrift store, it was too cute to leave behind. I almost made a modern pattern out of it, but the fabric was pretty narrow and I didn't have enough. So I decided for a trial of a simple 1940s dress I've been wanting to make.

 

I found very few photos of denim vintage wear online. Even things like jackets and slacks were usually made from fabrics like corduroy or gabardine. So I'm not sure how accurate it is - but that's ok! I'm glad to have a summer dress that I don't have to be careful of because it's a favorite reproduction print, or something similar. This one can take some wear and tear.

 

This pattern is not intended to be a maternity dress - in fact, it looks like more of a Junior style to me - but it certainly is maternity friendly. It is made of princess seams and pulls on over the head. No zippers or buttons needed, which was nice. The waist is wide even with the shaping darts, and since it ties to fit, it's nicely adjustable.

 

A super simple pattern, I faced the ties instead of hemming them and used a contrast just for fun. I also shortened the neck band and gathered the neck a bit more, to make it higher. The cap sleeves turned out too short and wide-holed, so I added a bias band around them as well, but even with those minor alterations it was quite a quick and easy pattern.

 

I think it may be one of my more successful patterns that I can wear for maternity, but that won't look maternity when I'm not pregnant. It doesn't open down the front, so I won't be able to wear it for a while after the baby is born, but I will put it away in my closet and pull it out later. It's very cool and comfortable for summer.

 

Perhaps because of the more modern fabric I used, though probably more because it's a simple, classic style - despite using a vintage 1940s pattern, I think this dress could easily be worn as a modern style, especially depending on accessory choices.

 

Perhaps this is as close to a modern dress as I'll ever get around to making!

1940s Novelty "Sparrow Dress"

I was calling this dress my sparrow dress for a while before I looked closely at the print, and realized those birds are probably some species a lot fancier than a sparrow! But by then the habit was made, so here it is - the Sparrow Dress.

 

I got this novelty print rayon from JoAnn last fall because it was a really good sale price and I've been wanting to make a novelty 1940s dress. I saved it till spring, then made it up using a vintage Butterick pattern that needed a nice limp fabric like rayon.

 

I have to admit - after the fiasco I had with my Christmas dress (also using rayon from JoAnn) I was nervous about this one. Their quilting cotton I am used to - not their apparel fabric so much. But it's a denser weave, or higher quality, or something...it is of course a little more slippery and limp than cotton, but really wasn't that hard to manage and sew. Much to my relief!

 

The VERY colorful and busy print called for a basic pattern, so this one has pretty much only the ruching on the bodice for detail. There are also a few small shaping darts on the skirt, and of course the small rolled collar. A one-way print like this one always makes cutting it out more of a challenge, but thankfully this war era pattern was very economical and I didn't end up having to squeeze to fit everything on my yardage.

 

It was interesting to put the bodice together since it was ruched both at the front darts and the side seams. Putting a side zipper in also meant I had to sew that side of the front bodice to some seam binding first to stabilize it, then treat it like a regular side seam. But it seems to work fine.

 

Because I made it earlier and waited so long to model it, I don't quite feel like I did it justice, since my baby bump is now distorting the waistline. Maybe I can get pictures of it later this summer when I am more normal proportions so you can really see how it's supposed to look. But at least it's documented for now.

 

Because the rayon has a little give, it's actually pretty comfy, even with the waist seam. I had worn it with a belt originally, but didn't like how that looks on me now, so I cut another strip of the fabric and did a quick tie belt. You can't really see it because the print's so busy!

 

Because of the jumble of colors, I kept accessories basic. Pearls, white gloves, spectators, and hair flowers. I added a giant vintage hat too, just for some over-the-top fun, since often I see this style of hat paired with a 1940s novelty print dress in old photos.

 

I had extra time the morning these were taken so I did my hairstyle more elaborately than usual too, and was pleased with how it turned out.  

 

Using brown as a coordinate helps to tone down the ensemble, but this dress also goes well with cobalt blue or green or any of the other colors picked out in shoes and accessories too.

 

I really like the fabric - it's so cheerful and colorful, with a nice drape and cool feel. I'm glad I went ahead and purchased some while it was on sale, though internet fabric buys are always a little risky. It's a fun, simple, button-up-and-go dress that I'm sure I will wear a lot once I can fit into it properly!

 

Plus I feel very WWII-era-lady while wearing it, which is always fun. :-)

1940s Floral Color Block Dress

This has to be one of my favorite projects this year so far. It was so much fun! The giant floral reproduction print my sweet husband bought (along with a few other prints) from our friends at The Singer Featherweight Shop as an early birthday gift for me, and even though I knew I wouldn't fit in this dress long, I had to go ahead and make something with it!

 

But because it was so busy and colorful, I wanted to pair it with some solids to tone it down. I quickly settled on a vintage Butterick color block dress pattern, which I've had for 3 or 4 years and never got around to making before. The next step was choosing which colors to accent!

 

I didn't want to choose the navy and red, for fear of it looking too patriotic themed, and wanted something more interesting than white, so that left me with the coral pink, leaf green, and French blue in the print. Now, a lot of 1940s color block dresses used VERY interesting color combinations - certainly ones I wouldn't necessary think of putting together! I wanted this dress to look nice, but also Period, with perhaps a color combination that would be a bit of a stretch for me...something I wouldn't normally do.

 

I had some French blue leftovers in my stash that were the perfect match, and since blue is a good color for me, I chose that as the main accent. I had nothing for the second color, so I went to the local quilt shop and matched the pink. Thankfully they had one solid shade that was the right color, and it was even on the clearance rack. I only needed 1/8 yard, so ended up paying just $.63 for it - definitely affordable! :-)

 

With the colors chosen, I cut out the dress and started work on it. The yoke was the trickiest bit of sewing I've done for a while. At first it looked like nothing that would resemble part of a bodice. I had to carefully match each step to the instructions, and may have used the seam ripper once or twice... I've done similar collar construction, but not with little pieces to put together correctly first, and various seemingly random gaps since parts of the yoke were also the facing and would be folded back! Thankfully my concentration paid off, and it came together without too much hassle.

 

The rest of it was easy, with a basic 2 piece skirt and button front. I flat-lined the floral part of the bodice, and made the back tucks into darts so it wouldn't bag out too much at my shoulder blades. I was intending to use white buttons at first, but ended up settling on these blue ones instead. Might as well keep with the colorful theme!

 

I am super happy with the result. It looks interesting (and unique for me) yet put together, and really pretty and spring-like! I was very careful with the construction (matching & finishing seams and such like) so I hope this may be a good candidate for our county fair later this summer.

 

Now that I have the complicated yoke part figured out, it should be easier to do a second time - and I love the look of this dress well enough to have a second version planned already, this time with all solid colors for a perfect polished 1940s style combination. That version will have to wait until after the baby comes, however.

 

Because the dress is so colorful, I paired it with mostly white accessories. Maybe eventually I will get more adventurous!

 

I may only get to wear this once or twice before I have to put it away for later, but it makes me very happy nonetheless! It's one of my projects that I really think looks like it could have stepped out of the era, which delights my history-loving soul. :-)