Verity Vintage Studio

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!

1930s Satin Slip Trial

Hi all!

I have a few more outfits photographed, but this week I'm interrupting my original plans in order to show you my most recent project - my very first fancy slip in all my years of sewing garments.

 

I've done a few simple cotton ones for everyday in the past, but they don't open down the front. I have a favorite (newer) vintage one with elastic shoulder straps that I wear all the time, and often wish I had more than one. So when I was shopping an Instagram sale and saw this lovely slip pattern, I had to add it to my purchase. 

I immediately made plans for it, and actually was so exciting to start that I cut out the slip the very next day after the pattern arrived in the mail all the way from the UK. 

 

The first problem of course was suitable fabric. I don't usually keep lingerie-appropriate fabric on hand, and I don't like polyester next to my skin, but needed something limp and slippery. And of course it has to be a pale shade so it doesn't show through. I really wanted a pale pink slip, but then I remembered this length of light sage green rayon satin that I had listed on eBay a while ago, after coming to a realization that it wasn't a good color for me and I was never going to make a formal gown with it. Well, it would be perfect for slips! Thankfully it hadn't sold. 

 

The pattern is a few inches too small for me, and I couldn't size it up the usual way without injuring the pattern lines, so I added a few inches onto the side seams instead when I cut it out. This was a trial version.

work in progress photo 

 

It was really fast and easy, even though the instructions were so vague that even with all my experience I still had a hard time figuring out what they were telling me to do. I ended up winging it a lot. The hardest part was getting the top V nice and pointy while leaving a seam allowance out on the top pieces. I ended up doing a better job on the back, so I added a little bow to cover the less perfect front. 

 

I just serged all the seams, and covered the top ones with top stitched lace. For fun, I added insertion lace on the skirt.

 

One feature I like so much about this slip is all the options possible with those cute inserted panels on the bottom skirt. You could just sew them on and still give it some bias V detail front and back, or use a contrast fabric, or stitch trim to outline the V...or try insertion lace like I did. I used some thicker cotton lace I had on hand, so it actually doesn't hang as well as it should - the stiffer lace and all that stitching makes it stand out a bit even with the drapey fabric. If I used insertion lace again I'll want to choose heirloom lace, or something more delicate. 

 

Since it was already so long, I just turned up the hem and top stitched it with a decorative stitch on my machine. As you can see, the V doesn't meet at the hem, so next time I think I can be more precise. But it's still pretty.

 

I thought the pattern was 1940s from the illustrations, but it's pretty long even when hemmed, and very fitted through the hips, so I'm going to revise that to 1930s. It's ok - I can sometimes use a longer slip. Next time I will shorten it by folding the pattern piece below the bust, which should give me more room at the hips as well as shorten it. I prefer it to hit just below the knee.

 

The elastic lace for straps give me nursing access, without keeping it from regular wear. I had picked up the elastic lace for a few cents at the thrift store not long before the pattern arrived, which was serendipitous. 

 

So there's my first fancy slip! It's far from perfect, but certainly a wearable trial. I have enough fabric left for another one, and hope to make that one a better fit and fix some of the bobbles now that I know what I'm doing. If it turns out nicely I'll dress it up with embroidery, like the sketch!

 

 

Sunny Floral 1950s House Dress

Today I'm happy to share one of my favorite new makes from my sewing spree this spring...a cheerful floral 1950s dress. The pattern was a mail order one that I think I purchased with a pattern lot and decided it was cute enough to keep, though nothing too special. Meanwhile I've been watching The Donna Reed Show and admiring all of her lovely house dresses - most have full skirts, but some are more slender. When planning some new sewing projects, I decided to try out this pattern since it has a narrower skirt and isn't a silhouette I have much of.

 

I paired it with a lovely floral bed sheet I thrifted last fall, along with some others that you'll see soon. I love sewing with sheets when possible. They are sturdy, tightly woven, and usually don't wrinkle much with wear or in the laundry - unlike quilting cotton. No ironing everyday dresses is a win! Usually a poly/cotton blend, you can also sometimes find 100% cotton ones. You do have to check for stains, worn spots, and fading (and also I try to make sure it has a print that doesn't look too obviously like I'm wearing a sheet.) 

 

The other benefit is that they are SO WIDE that it makes cutting out garments a breeze. No trying to squeeze pattern pieces on a width when you use a sheet! The only issue is trying to get enough of it on the table that it doesn't slide off. This one was a queen size, so I have a lot of leftovers.

 

It's the prettiest, sunshiny color combo. I don't tend to wear yellow, but this was definitely an exception. The fact that it was paired with a sky blue made the decision easier. I also love the touches of rose-coral and green, and the soft, watercolor style of the print.

 

I accented the blue with the contrasting collar...the collar fabric actually came from a thrifted tablecloth that had some holes in it, so you can call this a very made-do-and-reuse sort of garment, and cost very little.

 

I was very happy with the pretty fabric, the nice fit, and also with the pattern choice - I'm so glad I kept it! It can be hard to find a well-fitting slender dress that isn't too tight or restrictive, and this one was a good balance with lots of different possibilities for different looks depending on fabric and sleeve choice. It has little pockets in the skirt, which are kind of useless since you can't put anything in them anyway, and they are kind of lost in this busy print...but I think they would add some nice detail in a different fabric. (I like it so well that I have a 2nd version planned soon so we'll see if the pockets look better in that one.)

 

I did find 2 points of difficulty in the dress making. One was the front opening; the other was the collar. I was busy sewing and hardly looked at the instructions because I thought I knew how it was constructed...until I realized I'd done the collar differently than the picture showed. Not really an issue, because it still looks nice and no one would know how it was supposed to look, but next time I'll follow instructions more closely.

I outlined the collar with a bit of embroidery floss, just for fun. 

 

The front opening I am still confused about how to make properly. There was one spot I was supposed to slash, and I did it wrong and had to mend it. Next time I think I'll lay it out since I know how it's supposed to be pleated, and just wing it.

 

I really love how the opening extends down into the skirt, but I'm not sure about how I like the rest of the faux opening. Even with pressing, the pleat doesn't lay flat. Yet if I tack it down, I'll have quite a few less inches in the skirt width, which may make it too tight. 

 

I was happy to use some vintage buttons long in my stash...If I remember right, they were part of a prize package I won years ago from a vintage photo contest. They were the absolute perfect shade of light blue!

 

Despite the few hiccups in the process, it was fast and fun to make, and presents very well. I love wearing it for everyday when I want to dress up a bit more, or for shopping. It makes me feel elegant and put together, but not too fancy for house chores and keeping up with the children. 

 

Since it is usually worn as a house dress, I kept accessories simple. My ubiquitous favorite white elastic belt, and some jewelry in the right colors - my toddler broke my vintage long, bead necklace and when I went to repair it, I realized that I never wear it because it's too long and heavy, but the painted beads are so pretty I couldn't get rid of it. So I restrung it as a shorter necklace, and also made a second necklace and 3 pairs of earrings out of the leftovers. Win!

 

Usually I am barefoot, or if shopping I wear vintage style wedges, but for these photos I was going for more of a Donna Reed house dress look, hence the necklace and heels. I've been searching for a pair of white classic dress heels for so many years...I have one pair from Miss L Fire, but they are too strictly 1940s style to go with this dress, so I opted for these modern ones I thrifted as a teen. They are a half size too big for me, but are so pretty I use inserts to tighten them up, and make them work. The more slender heel, tiny peep toe, and embroidery keep them close enough to vintage style for my taste even though they aren't 100% accurate. 

 

I have been busy with deadlines and other projects recently, but am starting to feel my dress-sewing motivation coming back. I'm almost caught up blogging about my earlier projects from this spring (still have a few at the hand finishing stage), so I look forward to working on my sewing queue again, and making this pattern once more in the near future. Maybe this time I'll fix those trouble spots! But meantime, this cheery dress is a favorite, Donna-Reed-flavored addition to my daily rotation. 

Easy Floral 1940s Blouse Trial

Earlier this year I got a new vintage blouse pattern. This spring when the weather heated up (before it cooled back down again...*ahem*...), I realized I was constantly rotating through a few favorite house dresses and skirt/blouse combos that didn't need extra layers beneath. And I have very few blouses that both match that criteria and fit me!

 

So when I was in a sewing mood this spring, I took out my new blouse pattern and a piece of vintage bark cloth, and decided to whip up a summer blouse.

 

The fabric has a giant one way print, and had a stain in the center, and I didn't have much of it. Thankfully I could just so fit the front piece above the stain, and the back piece below it, and squeeze out the arm hole facings. I was able to manage even with the very limited wiggle room to place the front pieces so the print looked nice. Gotta watch where those large roses land.

 

I did not make shoulder pads for this one, so the silhouette is not as dramatic as in the illustrations. If I made a dressier version I might do it, but for this quick, everyday version (and my shoulders are already pretty wide) I just skipped it.

 

 

I didn't have enough fabric for a front facing, so I went with a contrast - and like it better with this busy print, anyway. 

 

I love how many colors can be worn with the blouse. Gray, rose, white, burgundy, black...and it's probably the only thing in the whole closet with chartreuse in it. I accented it with black fabric and vintage buttons, often wear it with this gray skirt for everyday, but I'm wearing it here with the dark green skirt from my recent 1930s 3 piece set. 

 

I think this will be my go-to summer blouse pattern, and it would work so well for both everyday or dressy wear. It is as cool as a sleeveless blouse, but with more shoulder coverage. 

 

And it is just so quick and easy! A few darts on each side (I like those slanted ones), sew side and shoulder seams, add facings, work hems and buttonholes. That's it!

 

The arm hole facings were the only part that was at all even slightly tricky, and they weren't that bad. Oh, and the pattern was missing the back facing, so I had to wing that. Thankfully that is the best piece to be missing!

I added extra to the back when cutting it out, since this is the trial, but I ended up taking it in enough that next time I think I'll cut out the pattern without any extra fabric. So the fit is not perfect on this one, but certainly good enough for a comfortable, easy to wear everyday blouse. 

 

The giant floral pattern certainly adds a splash of more unusual colors to my wardrobe. And I was delighted to find a good use for this lonely piece of heavy duty vintage cloth languishing for years in my drawer. Actually, since this blouse takes so little fabric, it really is ideal for those smaller or narrower pieces in my stash! I have several more versions planned for the future, so you'll certainly see this pattern again.