Verity Vintage Studio

New Sewing Horizons

No fashion post today...I'm too close to my due date to make any more maternity clothes, and the few clothes I've made for afterwards of course can't be photographed yet! I am happy to report that most of my non-maternity maternity makes this year still fit and have been getting a lot of wear.

That doesn't mean I haven't been busy making things, however. I'm between crochet deadlines right now, so while I'm waiting for the materials to arrive for my next designs, I have been doing some little stitchery things. It's been years since I've done any ribbon embroidery or cross stitch, but I really enjoyed both again. Definitely a good idea to do something different once in a while!

 

But my sewing has been far from standing still just because I have no garments to show you at the moment. A little while ago, I wanted to order some fabric from mybluprint.com (formerly Craftsy) and because I could get a better deal by taking out a subscription for a month, I did that. I didn't really expect to do much class watching, but thought since I could do it for the next month I might as well see if anything caught my eye.

The first thing that did was Susan Stewart's heirloom sewing technique classes, which I ended up watching at least part of several times. They are so well done, and just amazing! I never thought I would be interested in heirloom sewing - and I guess I still am not in the sense of making those intricate little girl's dresses so popular in the '90s - but I sure can see multiple ways to incorporate some of those same techniques in my own sewing and vintage style! It looks so very difficult, but really, most of it is super easy when broken down into steps, and can be done on the machine. I highly recommend those classes. As a result, I promptly looked for some twin needles and a slant shank pin tuck foot for my machine, so I can sew pin tucks and tiny piping. Also I bought some water soluble stabilizer for the first time, which is a fun little thing to work with. 

 

I experimented with these new tools by practicing several of Susan's techniques on a 1940s blouse (shown in progress below), which I can't wait to wear and show you after I'm normally sized again. And I have to say I'm hooked. I'm so excited to have the know-how for various types of lace insertion, pin tucks, mini piping, and other fun stuff I normally would never have attempted. Plus it's actually pretty easy.

 

Then I also watched a class on pattern drafting from an existing garment. The teacher actually used a New Look era jacket style blouse as an example. I don't know how much I will do this, but I'm glad to have a basic idea of how to, if I need to. A perfect way to copy a vintage garment into a less fragile fabric, or another color, for example. As a result of that class, I ordered some dressmaking rulers in case I ever need them, and some quilting rulers too since they are so versatile.

 

I watched a class on neckline and seam finishes, and ended up trying out fusible interfacing for the first time. That may seam like a no-brainer to most of you, but you have to remember that I learned sewing from my mother, who only used very basic tools. She did not enjoy sewing, though she is quite good at it and can make multiple looks from one base pattern - something I don't even want to attempt! I only started using any sort of interfacing more recently, and since I knew nothing about the confusing bolts in the store with so many options, weights, and names, I stuck with using muslin for interfacings. Well, now that I've discovered I can interface collars and things without it sliding around - I'm never looking back!

 

But the real revolution happened with another type of sewing altogether.

Lauren of Wearing History, whom I follow on Instagram, posted about how much she has enjoyed the slow process and precise work of English Paper Piecing since being recently introduced to it. I had heard of EPP before, but knew nothing about it. What she wrote interested me enough that I looked it up, and while I was intrigued, there was a level of tedium in all the card cutting and basting and removing basting thread and cards that I thought I probably wouldn't enjoy. But I went ahead and watched a class on EPP, since I could.

Well, the class was taught by Helen Stubbings, an Australian designer who had invented an alternative to the traditional paper cards, by using fusible paper templates that were half water-soluble and half stabilizer, so they didn't need to be removed after the project. That sounded like a perfect happy medium for me! The templates are fused on, keep the little shapes precise (something I could never do on my own because I am not a perfectionist), yet you can just glue the fabric around them, sew the little shapes together, and move right on to your appliqué or quilting. The perfect blend of slow work and quick work for me, though I can definitely see how the traditional method would appeal to some. While I don't think I would tackle a whole quilt (mostly because I really dislike the finish work of binding and quilting), I could think of a lot of ways to play with appliqués made from these shapes. You will likely see some in the very near future - though don't expect this to turn into a quilting blog!

 

Of course I jumped in, ordered some of her paper templates, and as soon as the first ones arrived I made a little project to wet my feet. It was super fun! The hexagons are actually not my favorite shape out there, and I'm picky about what patterns I like since I'm not a fan of the really scrappy look, but I am super excited for the rest of the shapes to arrive so I can play with them. I have quite a few ideas already. I certainly shouldn't have to buy fabric except for special projects, so the templates will be my only expense. Only now I can't even throw away the smaller scraps when I'm cutting out a dress, so I really will be inundated with leftovers!

 

This potholder I made with her 1" hexagon templates assembled by hand, appliquéd by machine using the blind-hem stitch (super easy and quick), and then the background fabric cut out in a circle. I fused interfacing to the back (see how I like to play with my new tools!) and edged it with rickrack before putting the back on. It took maybe a couple of hours to make, and is so cute and cheery! 

 

So as you can see, my horizons have really expanded this month to include all sorts of new techniques. It was definitely worth the $8 I paid for a month's access, especially since I also got a major discount for signing up, and their membership price discounts through the month of July to get fabric with. Now I have to decide if there are enough other classes that interest me enough to pay for another month or not, but as it is, I should have plenty to keep me busy going forward!

Utility Style: 1940s Pinafore Dress

This is not a very exciting project. A lot of my house dresses are nice enough that I don't want to wear them for really dirty work, but sometimes you just need something that you don't really care about, that didn't use expensive or pretty fabric or take a lot of time and effort. Something you can wear for canning, or gardening, or other dirty work. This pinafore dress was exactly that.

 

It's made from a 1940s pattern that seems to be ubiquitous in that it specifies that it can be maternity, but doesn't have to be. It's the sort of dress any woman in the 1940s, pregnant or not, might have slipped on and worn over a nicer dress, or during the dog days of summer, or for absolute freedom of motion in working. Very simple, very easy, and with a comfortable adjustable waist that would fit a variety of sizes and body changes.

 

A long, long time ago when I was just getting into sewing, I found some cotton at Walmart on clearance. Of course I only looked at the price, and not the quality back then. I got a bunch of it. Not as stiff as duck, it's definitely a heavier, cheap cotton, and after years on my shelf had a fade on the fold line. It's not the sort of fabric I would use for a pattern I really liked, but perfect for a utility dress like this - especially since it's so dark I wouldn't need a slip under it. No layers in summer during the last months of pregnancy sounded like a good idea!

 

But that meant there was a fade line running right down the center front and center back. The back I didn't care about so much (this is the sort of dress I would expect to get faded and stained, etc), and despite intending this to be very basic, a good answer for the front was to use rick rack. I ended up doing a triple row to make it look like it was intended to be there, and like how just that simple bit of trim does make it look nicer. Plus it's very make-do-and-mend in true WWII style.

 

I used the dress version of the pattern, and the sweetheart neckline. It slips on over the head, so no closures - and the princess seams make it a super quick project with a minimum of finishing if you top stitch the hems.

 

The slip on feature meant the neck was lower than I preferred, however, so my fix to that was a strip of wide white lace on each side of the bottom scallop, which I tacked on by hand. I can fit it over my head just as easily, but the neckline is higher by an inch or so, which makes all the difference. 

 

It's the sort of project that only takes a couple hours from start to finish. Not particularly interesting, but a needed addition to the wardrobe, and since it turned out looking pretty nice, it's still satisfactory. Utilitarian and practical does not have to mean ugly or sloppy!

One Last Maternity Dress: Red, White, and Blue 1930s Dress

While I am not wearing this on the 4th of July, I still happen to have a red, white, and blue dress to show you this week!

I might still do an unfitted blouse or two, but this is likely my final adjustable, maternity-friendly dress. Funny how I never actually got around this time to making a dress from an official "maternity" pattern, but found lots of suitable adjustable dresses that I liked better!

 

This is the 2nd version of the pattern I used for my pink and white gingham dress, which was a trial of a non-maternity pattern with some alterations to make it maternity friendly. 

As you can see, with only 6 weeks to go, even though this is a new dress, the fit is not the greatest. It's already pretty much at the limit of its capacity, and has little bulges here and there in the bodice and back skirt since the waist is pushed up higher than it should be. This pattern with the alterations can work for a while, it seems, but during the final stretch more room is needed. Ah well, I still have it documented. :-)

 

I used some 1930s reproduction quilting cotton which I got on clearance from Hancock's several years ago. I also have the blue color way, which I like even better. It's a busy print, so some of the details may get lost. For instance, you can't really see the gore detail in the front skirt.

 

The tucks in the back, however, are still somewhat visible.

My hair was not behaving for its usual brushout today, so I tried a back roll. It worked fairly well. I'm sure towards the end of the day it will be harder to keep neat. But it is very cool! I realize why it was so popular as an updo during the 1930s and 1940s.

 

I used sleeves from a different 1930s pattern, to change up the look, and also cut a V neck, which I really like. It's very comfortable.

 

The buttons I've been hoarding for a while, and they were the perfect shade of blue to match the blue dots in the fabric. I had 9 of them, so sets of 3 seemed to be in order.

As you can see though, by now my belly is big enough that it distorts the way the bodice should lay. It's comfortable, just not quite fitting right. This dress will show much more to advantage once I have a waist again. I hope to photograph it again later on to show if my original experiment (will this look too maternity afterwards???) worked or not!

 

I was getting tired of doing tie belts on my dresses, so I opted for a totally detachable top stitched tie belt this time. I hope to wear the dress with a purchased belt once I can, but for now the adjustable belt makes a lot more sense.

 

This dress went quickly at first, then stalled as I concentrated on other things. I eventually got it done, but it probably would have fit me better if I'd finished it when I started! I recall no difficulties, other than a little trial and error as I was figuring out how to face the V shaped sleeves. 

 

This is the first trial of some new reproduction sandals I got from a seller on Instagram. I really like the way they look, with a few minor quibbles, but I noticed on these pictures that they look too large for my feet. So we shall see if I end up keeping them or passing them on.

 

Overall, it's a simple, cheery summer housedress with a few details to keep it interesting, and I look forward to wearing it more in the future as a button-up-and-go sort of outfit. Might have to wait until after Baby Two comes, though!