Verity Vintage Studio

A New Type of Finished Sewing Project

I used to hate sewing. Once I finally learned to like it, I hated being precise. Then, I gradually found enjoyment in being (at least mostly) precise, but said for sure I would never take up quilting! shudder

Ahem. Well, you can see how that turned out...

 

I have jumped headlong into quilting and quilt designing during the past few months. There is so much to learn - it's quite different than garment sewing - and even with my practicing and class watching I have barely scratched the surface.

But I did want to share my first finished bed quilt! 

 

It all started with picking up an interest in English paper piecing and using it for appliqué on smaller projects, but who am I kidding? I knew it was only a matter of time before I would be doing full sized quilts. So I decided I wanted to make a quilt from start to finish to learn some of the basics, so I found an ePattern I liked, downloaded it, and got started. It was made with 5" squares, so I saved some time by getting some precuts, but also cut some of my own, and all the white squares. It has pieced blocks around the edge, so I would get some practice doing smaller piecing without committing to a lot of it.

 

I'd already found that choosing coordinating fabrics is harder than it looks, so I compromised by getting a few packs of a 1930s collection where all that work was already done, then filling in with other 1930s repro prints and one vintage piece. 

There are quite a few dresses represented in this quilt, so you may recognize some of the prints!

 

I took out most of the red prints, however, to go with a mainly green and pink theme. One super fun thing about quilting is that now I can play with some colors I can't wear. I had some vintage hot pink polka dot cotton that I loved, but never would make into a dress because it's not my color. It was perfect for the border and binding for this project.

 

The assembly was interesting, since you went from one corner to the opposite one. Your rows get longer and longer, than get shorter and shorter. That also made it unique to figure out layout, since the rows you laid out would not be the visual rows once the quilt was completed. But I think I got it fairly balanced.

 

I made the queen size layout, but it's easily king sized. It's enormous. It's big enough that if I want to, I can turn it the other way - it will still fit top to bottom, and hit the ground on both sides of my queen sized bed. It was quite a lot of fabric to wrangle, I can tell you. I even set up my machine on the floor at one point, so I didn't have to lift it to sew.

 

It's far from perfect. I learned a lot while making it, which was the point. One was it's worth taking time to recut a piece if you got your measurement off. Another was that it's not actually that hard to match points precisely if you have an accurate seam allowance, which is nice. Also, it's very necessary (and takes more thinking-through than you might think) to stay organized. I used the seam ripper more than once because I didn't double-check before I sewed a seam. Another lesson was...cheap sewing machines need constant checking to make sure the needle position doesn't change, or your 1/4" seams will be off - creating major issues down the road. 

(Hopefully that one will be obsolete once I can use my Rocketeer again.)

 

One corner doesn't lay quite flat, it's not quite square, and especially along the edge, a lot of points don't hit the right spot. But that's ok. It's still bright and cheery, and good enough for now. The point was not to get it perfect, but to just get some experience, ending up with something I can still use and enjoy.

 

I found some pretty ticking fabric on clearance, so that made the perfect backing. I did have to piece it on each side to make it wide enough. Again, you can tell how the quilt is not completely straight and square if you look at the back, thanks to the stripes - but it's good enough for me, and who's going to see the back anyway?

 

 

I did not want to quilt this one, but tie it instead for a quick finish. Since I was tying it, I used an extra thick batting so it would end up more like a comforter. It took quite a bit of floor space to lay it all out and start tying. I used some size 10 crochet thread and tied at each corner of each block. With my sister's help, we did enough tying in one afternoon that it would stay together, then I took it home and finished over the next few days. At least it was the right time of year to be snuggled under a pile of quilt (and baby, as the photo shows...:-)

I actually quite enjoyed putting the binding on. Hand stitching down the binding on the back went faster than expected and it makes such a neat finish, I don't think I'll bother trying to find other ways to do it. 

 

I discovered I don't have any suitable matching pillowcases or shams to go with my new quilt, so I used some mismatched vintage ones with embroidery for now. I think coordinating pillowcases or shams will need to be a future project, to finish the look.

 

Now with some lessons learned, and some experience under my belt, I can move on to growing my piecing skills, and learning free-motion quilting once my Rocketeer comes back from a sojourn at the sewing machine shop. 

I guess all of this is to say...never say never! Who would have thought I'd take up another time-consuming hobby/business on top of everything else; much less quilting, which I always hated?? But the bug has certainly bit me...I'm a hopeless case now. Also a sponge, alert to soaking up anything quilting, and slightly envious of those quilters with so much knowledge and experience. Thankfully I live in a community with lots of friendly quilters, and even have access to a long-arm machine, which I am so excited to learn how to use. 

 

We will wait and see what the future holds - meanwhile, I'm enjoying seeing this pretty spread on my bed every time I walk past the bedroom door. So much yet to learn and practice...but it's a good start. 

 

Now back to working on my Thanksgiving Day dress, which hopefully I will be able to share next week. An early Happy Thanksgiving to all my USA readers!

O give thanks unto the Lord;

for He is good:

for His mercy endures forever.

-Ps 107:1

1950s Three-Piece Suit, Two Ways

This outfit I made back in September to wear to my brother's wedding, and only recently finally got pictures of it. I found the mallard blue cotton online at a cheap price per yard, and loved the color and drape of it so much I got enough for three different outfits - this is the first.

 

It is cotton, but it drapes and hangs more like rayon, which poses a bit of a problem for a more structured outfit like the jacket. Fusible interfacing was my friend.

 

I used elements from three different patterns. The jacket I've made before - I wanted something with a pointed collar, 3/4 sleeves, and not too many details which would get lost in the fabric and dark color.

 

This one has princess lines which made it easy to adjust, and triple graduated darts in the front are pretty much the only detail.

However, I had major problems with the fit. I thought since I'd done it before I wouldn't need a trial, but I should have. I kept altering it when I should have just recut it, so I'm not completely pleased with it even yet - and it looks kind of messy on the inside.

 

I decided to do self buttons, because that is often what I see on vintage suits and is one reason they look so upscale. I didn't have the right size, so I quickly ordered some covered buttons online - and didn't order the tools to make them with, because I was sure I'd have some extras.

Well, I didn't. So I had to kind of cobble the buttons together without the right size tools. It didn't work too well, and they keep coming apart, so while they lasted long enough for the wedding, I'm going to need to take them off, redo them, and put them back on before I can get a lot of wash and wear out of the jacket.

 

I do love the overall style lines, though!

 

I used a different skirt pattern to make a wider, flared skirt - I was going for more of a 1950s cocktail suit outfit for the wedding, and this outfit is very similar to the one I wore then. I think an indoor background, with light and shadow and a pillar or two, would do it more justice and make it look more Dior - but I really wear my vintage styles at real events, not to get the perfect staged shot, so a cheerful autumn outdoors backdrop is more similar to real life and will have to do. :-)

 

Incidentally, my Royal Vintage Zella shoes are so comfy and classy, perfect for dancing or being on your feet. The satin and lovely strap detail make them the ideal shoe for a dressier outfit like this, and they work for 1940s or 1950s.

 

I paired it with black accessories and touches of silver and rhinestones, for an evening cocktail style

But I also made a second skirt, this one more of a traditional suit skirt with a narrower width. That way I can swap them out depending on my preference, and get two different looks.

 

I did find a pattern (this one was taken from a dress pattern) that had some cute button detail on the front, and some pretty lines in the back. Because why make something plain when you can make it pretty???

 

To show its versatility, I paired this combo with mostly chocolate brown accessories instead, suitable for street wear rather than fancy dress. Because of doing self buttons, I am able to use any color to accent without feeling held to whatever color the buttons are. 

 

And teal blue like this can go so well with either black or brown.

 

I had wanted this to be perfectly made, with leisure to spend on making the construction beautiful. It ended up a little more slap-dash due to time constraints - but that's my fault for not starting it early enough! At least no one need see the inside, except me. :-)

 

I do really love the concept of mixing and matching - especially with an outfit like this. I can wear the jacket with other skirts, and pair other blouses with either of the skirts. That gives it a lot more versatility, and I can get multiple outfits out of one sewing project.

Three-piece ensembles are a lot of fun, and I always am glad to add more to my closet.

Project Journal: Thrifted Sweater Coat Made 1930s

Something a little different this week! As the weather has turned chilly again, I've rediscovered how much I like sweater coats. They are less formal than jackets, longer and more versatile than regular sweaters, and especially nice for long car rides since they provide warmth for going in and out of the car, without the excessive heat and bulk of a long wool coat during the ride. 

I already own one and was happy to pick up two new ones recently. One was this lovely cream colored one, with quite a bit of cute detail. I especially liked the thin cotton yarn used (not a fan of acrylic if I can get cotton!) and the nubby texture, while the neutral color will go with anything!

 

I definitely saw possibilities in it, but it had some modern elements I didn't like so much - especially those huge, decorative shiny plastic buttons, and a random modern buckle on the neck.

 

I did some research, looking at 1930s swagger coats for inspiration of ways I could make this more me - more suitable for a vintage style wardrobe. After deciding on the route I wanted to take, I got started.

 

First off, those shiny plastic buttons and the buckle were removed.

 

Under each one was a small hole, probably put there by the factory to mark the button placement. I could have covered it by replacing with a vintage button, but I had a different idea. So each hole got a quick darn to close it. Thanks to the nubby texture of the knit, it camouflaged the darn pretty well.

 

Next, I tightened the back belt by folding a pinch of it and inserting through a vintage belt buckle. A common 1930s fashion element was a buckle in the back - and besides, it was a great way to tighten the belt without having to take out the side seams and cut the belt shorter. Instead of sewing it in place, I did use a safety pin to allow for versatility. This way I can swap out buckles when I want to. 

 

The sleeves got a quick hem since they had been too long when I tried it on. Just an inch turn-up made the fit much better.

 

I just love the slanted lines on the front - another perfect fit for the 1930s look I'm going for.

 

I had put some thought into the neck. Because the 1930s were big on collars and sleeves, often swagger coats had some sort of fancy element there. Since I was working with an existing sweater, I tried to think of a way to dress up the neck/shoulder area. I got inspiration from a photo, and purchased a Pashmina scarf for a few dollars online.

It was supposed to be ivory, but it is still much whiter than the sweater. Oh well, that way it will just coordinate with more colors. It's still all neutral.

 

I cut the scarf in half across the center of the width, and pleated it closely together, fastening the cut end of each half on the shoulder where it would be covered with the decorative tab already there.

 

The last step was to replace a button back on each tab - only a pretty vintage one this time!

 

While the finished sweater coat may not look completely 1930s, it's much closer than the more modern one it was originally. Therefore much more my style, and goes with my wardrobe better.

 

The scarf coming from each shoulder creates some versatility with ways to wear it, too. 

 

 

I paired it with a 1930s dress I made a long time ago that has issues, but is still a favorite, especially of my early projects. Also true vintage accessories in chocolate brown and burgundy.

 

(I hope these lovely autumn leaves last long enough for me to get a few more outfit photo shoots done! I love this time of year, yet I think we will get an early winter this year...so fall is not lasting very long, sadly.)

 

It only took a half hour to make this into a version I like - so much faster than making a new one! Just another reason to keep your eye open when thrifting for those classic styles (or vintage style elements) that give you something to work with. Think creatively, and it opens a lot of possibilities.

 

After all...you can't beat a 99 cent, half-hour swagger coat added to your fall wardrobe!