1950s Raspberry Dress

Last summer I saw an image of this lovely low-volume quilting print from an out of print line by Riley Blake (I think), and had to have some. I tracked down some yardage, and now this summer I made it up!

 

I used a new to me 1950s pattern. It has dolman sleeves, cute yoke detail on the skirt, and a fairly slender silhouette but with plenty of walking room thanks to the pleats on the front of the skirt.

 

I cut it easily out of the 3 yards of quilting cotton, and really enjoyed making it. It was overall a simple make, with just enough fiddly pieces when putting the skirt front together to keep me challenged.

 

I chose not to use an accent fabric for the collar because there are so many colors in the print, I wanted flexibility in choosing which one to accent with accessories. 

 

I just love the adorable raspberries scattered across, in all their different shades of coral, pink, and white. I'm not sure exactly what the background color is - it looks blue, but beside blue it looks gray. I call it steel blue. But whatever it is, it's a flattering color for me. 

 

Other than the skirt yoke, the rest was quite straightforward and maybe took me 2 days to finish. I was very pleased with the finished fit of the bodice, and the skirt is close enough, though still a bit big at the waist. 

 

Not having to set in sleeves was a big plus. Also this kind of sleeve is so comfortable to wear!

 

I settled on some pink glass buttons in my stash, after comparing various pink and white ones. I had six but only needed five. Thankfully I had one extra, because one of them fell off the first day I wore it, and I lost it. I don't know why glass buttons don't stay on for me! I have to resew them more than any other...no matter how strong the thread they still end up breaking the thread eventually. Maybe because glass is heavier??

 

My hair didn't turn out very 1950s this day because I was experimenting with using a different kind of rollers and needed to use a smaller size. But I did my best, put on a vintage hat, and called it good enough. 

 

It's a very nice summer Sunday dress, since the fabric is dark enough that I don't need a slip, and it's so easy to wear.

 

I'm really pleased to have this fabric off my shelf and in my closet! Hooray for modern quilting prints that are more scattered, and work for vintage even though they aren't reproduction prints!

Comments

[Margaret]

With time, use and washing the holes in a glass button can become rough and cut the threads they are sewn on with. A small file can smooth them again. I can't tell from the resolution in your pictures of your buttons have holes or a shank. If shank, check to be sure it is fully closed so the button can't slip off the stitching. Also check that the shank is firmly glued on, especially if vintage, older glues fail over time. Hopefully this helps. I enjoy your blog and admire your work.

[thrift shop in Panama City Beach, FL]

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