Verity Vintage Studio

Classic Staples: 1940s Print Blouse

This blouse has been on my to-do list for years. Long time readers may remember me mentioning it several years ago on an upcoming project post. Well, it has finally become reality!

 

It took a while though even once I got started! I actually cut it out while still pregnant, because it has no waist darts or shaping, so my idea was to wear it untucked while pregnant, and tuck it in to shape it afterwards. Well, it never got done before the baby, and I did zero garment sewing for the first month or so.

But I finally was motivated to get it done since I have an outfit planned for an upcoming wedding, which meant I had a deadline. But I wanted to clear the decks first since this was already cut out, so I took a few hours and put together this fun blouse.

 

The print is a quilting cotton I got on clearance at JoAnn years ago. I'm not quite sure how vintage-y it is...my eye wasn't trained as well back then. But it's still cute, and close enough to work I think.

Since it is predominately orange - NOT my color - I hoped to make it work by accenting the navy blue, and putting the blue next to my face. I'm pretty pleased with how that ruse worked. At any rate, it adds a splash of unusual color to my wardrobe, and is certainly suitable for early autumn!

 

It was really quite simple. The only detail is the shoulder tucks, which are a fun touch though they mostly get lost in the print, but they are cute if you notice them - and handle the bust fullness nicely. Tucks, then side and shoulder seams, and it was already ready for the collar and sleeves.

 

I had a bit of trouble with the collar, and I'm not 100% happy with how it turned out in the end, but it's good enough for an everyday blouse.

I broke up the busy print and tied in the navy by topstitching narrow bands on the sleeves, which I really like!

 

I happen to have a terrible lack of navy blue buttons, I discovered. These were literally the only ones in my vast stash that would work, but they work quite well. 

 

Minimal hand work and machine buttonholes meant that even with 2 small children in the house, I finished it easily in 2 days, thanks to some nice long nap times and a little late night sewing when I was energetic. It goes so perfectly with this asymmetrical 1940s blue skirt - in fact, it coordinates so well it could be intended to go together! Though of course I will likely wear them with other separates also.

 

The blouse was made too late to be worn for hot weather, but it's likely to be a summer staple next year, worn with a belt, or tucked in like with this outfit. I do prefer blouses with waist shaping normally, but since this was intended to be also maternity friendly, I decided to leave it a tuck-in style to keep the versatility. At some point, if I want to change that, waist darts are relatively easy to add.

 

My Remix wedges would probably have gone better with this outfit, but I was dying to give my new Rocket Originals an outing! Such a lovely, period correct, casual style for fall. The dark brown tooled leather is scrumptious, and exactly like some extant pairs I've seen photos of.

 

While I still prefer any excuse to wear heels, this style of shoe is ideal for shopping trips, or other times when doing a lot of walking but wanting to maintain a vintage aesthetic. 

 

I'm really happy to get my sewing motivation back, and have some exciting new projects coming up which I can't wait to share...once I get them finished of course. Which will hopefully be in a timely manner, now that I am in a sewing mood once more.

 

Meanwhile, I'm glad to have this loooooong-time project off my queue and in my closet. Classic 1940s separates in my wardrobe are something that get a lot of rotation and actual everyday wear (instead of once or twice a year), and never go out of style.

1940s Heirloom Blouse

This was a super fun project, and unusual for me. I made it toward the end of my pregnancy, so couldn't get proper photos until recently, but now I can share it with you.

 

After watching some online classes on heirloom sewing, which I told you about earlier, I was dying to try some of the techniques I learned about, so I decided to make an heirloom sewing sampler blouse and practice some of what I'd learned.

I had a thrifted piece of vintage fabric in my stash, lighter weight than quilting cotton. It was just enough for a blouse, so it was the perfect match, and a very nice fabric to work with.

 

The original 1940s pattern I chose did call for fine tucks in the shoulder, but instead of doing it the way they said, I used my pin tuck foot and double needle, drawing a slanted line with a washable marker where the tucks were supposed to end on the pattern.

 

I had a lot of trouble with my thread breaking, so it was quite a long, painstaking process to get all those pin tucks done, but I really like how it looks. I think my Rocketeer will do a better job with the twin needle, but it's having issues right now so I am still stuck with a modern machine for the time being.

 

The front panel was supposed to be sewn in place, but I made it snap on one side to allow for nursing access, and that worked out quite well. I like how I can still nurse in it without having a button-down style. The front edge was finished and then the finished panel tacked in place. I made my own baby piping (also using the pin tuck foot) to trim the front.

 

For the front panel I used the Cathedral Window technique, with inserted lace. It turned out really pretty and not terribly time consuming, though of course it took a lot more time than a plain panel would have. Heirloom sewing is definitely done for the enjoyment of it, and the finished project - not for instant gratification!

 

For the sleeves I did two new techniques - joining lace to rickrack, and inserting lace. It would have been a lot more delicate if I'd used actual heirloom lace, which is very fine and cobwebby cotton lace, but I wanted to practice with something less expensive so I used stuff from my stash. 

It still turned out very pretty, I think! 

 

The pattern gave me all the main pieces to work with, but I made enough changes to it that I only vaguely followed the instructions. Because I couldn't fit it to me, I had to guess at the size. It turned out too big at the waist (funny how that works when you are pregnant and think, "I never was that small! :-), so now I have to decide if I should alter it, or leave it as is since it needs to be worn tucked in anyway.

 

I didn't have too many skirts in my closet that it would go with, so I pulled out my white 1930s skirt from last year to give it one quick wearing this summer. Navy accessories pick up the blue of the blouse, though the decades are a bit mixed up.

 

I definitely have plans to incorporate more heirloom sewing in future projects, and have all sort of ideas of how to add it in to some of my planned upcoming queue - especially pin tucking! But I have not had time for much sewing since the new baby, so it may be a while before I can experiment some more. 

I really like how the little details take it up a notch from my standard me-made garments. It was fun to take a little more time and effort, yet still have a relatively quick project to keep me from procrastinating. Some of these techniques really are timeless, and a great addition to a seamstress's arsenal!