My Rainbrella Dress

I don't know how long I had this late 1940s pattern, but it was one I got years ago soon after I started sewing. It just never made it to the top of my list. Then one day several years ago when I was looking for nice basic patterns that would be a good match for busy print fabric, I noticed how cute the double collar was. That restored my interest in this pattern, and I paired it with some cotton...but it just didn't feel the the right match and never got made, though it at least was on my radar now.

 

Well, fast forward to last summer when I was pregnant. I stumbled accidentally on this adorable umbrella print that was part of an out-of-print quilting line by Art Gallery Fabrics. I spent a whole morning tracking down a shop that had enough yardage for a dress and wasn't too expensive. But I wasn't about to sew a maternity dress with it, so on the shelf it went. 

 

Until this past spring, when I was planning ideas for summer sewing. Then I realized that it would be the perfect fabric for this understated dress pattern! After all that time, it finally has a chance to shine.

 

And shine it does. It is one of those happy blends of fabric and pattern. Plus the dress fits well, but has very basic except for the double collar - which was actually quite easy and fun to do!

 

I did a bit of pin tucking on the sleeves just to add a touch of trim without introducing a contrast color, and made a self belt for the same reason. I just thought it would be easier to accessorize, and more fitting for the classy look I was going for.

 

The fabric was sold as a quilting cotton, but it feels and drapes more like a poplin - which was a nice surprise and certainly fine with me!

 

It's a one way print, so I got 3 1/2 yards of it, but still used only about 3 yards...though perhaps I cheated since I took a lot of fullness out of the skirt pieces in order to make them fit on the width. 

 

I didn't cut them out right, so I had to do some seam adjusting when sewing it together, but it hangs correctly now - and still has plenty of fullness.

Post war era, this dress has the longer length and more graceful lines of after-fabric-rationing, but still with some of the classic 1940s styling. It's a nice bridge between WWII style and the 1950s.

 

Other than the collar, it was very basic and went together quickly. I was very pleased with the fit when I was finished. I used a card of 4 vintage dark blue buttons from my stash, used the belt buckle from this 1950s floral dress (I just safety pin the belt ends underneath so I can easily swap out belts), and put the zipper in by hand.

 

Initially I thought the umbrellas were navy blue, then at a closer look I thought them black. But when placed next to black they look more blue again - so I'm not quite sure what they are! But I wore them with my bachelor's button hat which has both blue and black on it, and it's a nice match - both in color and in style, since it's from the same era as the pattern is.

 

I love how it's a cute novelty print without being too spectacularly unusual, loud, or eye-catching. The steel-blue/turquoise background color is a favorite of mine and a good color for me.

 

So altogether, as you can probably tell, I was very happy with this dress from start to finish. Fun to make - easy and quick yet with some uniqueness and a bit of a learning curve - and certainly fun to wear!

It just goes to show that procrastinating is not always a bad thing...so if it just doesn't feel like a perfect match, just put it on the shelf and mull over it for a while!

Comments

[Carla]

Darling dress, and yes, it's your color!

[Jill Tetsworth]

Hi Kristen,
I’ve just found you!
I love this umbrella fabric and it suits this dress perfectly.
Hopefully, you can help me with a small “hat” dilemma. I too, wear lots of vintage hats (mostly to church). We recently moved and I unearthed my 37 year old wedding hat. I want to refashion it so I can wear it, but am at a total loss as to what to do. The brim is much too big, it’s covered in a white lace, and has WEDDING written all over it. I took off the veil and the trim around the top and am left with a lacy wedding hat with a wide brim. Any ideas how to make this wearable again?
Thanks so much,
Jill

ps - I can sew rather well.

[Lynne A Johnson]

A great choice of fabric. I love the little umbrellas and slashes of rain. The double collar certainly adds interest to the garment. I can see that collar in two fabrics adding a nice detail to a dress. I'm going to look for a similar pattern. I enjoy dropping by and checking out your sewing projects.