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!

Comments

[Lynne johnson]

It may be a dress for messy work projects, but it looks nice and the rick rack takes it up a notch. Perfectly presentable for those days in the summer when there's a lot to be done! Thanks for sharing.

[Carla]

Indeed it does not have to look ugly or sloppy. This is a dress you could readily wear "to town" grocery shopping or whatever, especially since you took it up a notch by doing hair, makeup, and nice shoes. Yet when you're doing that housework you don't feel grungy when you look into a mirror. Love the dress! It's going to be perfect for those months right after baby is born, too, since it will gradually go down with you. Good choice!