Verity Vintage Studio

1930s Easy Summer Dress

Time to catch up with another past project!

 

This was my favorite print from the Blue Stitch collection by Riley Blake Designs, so of course I had to make a dress. Quilting cotton is so perfect for summer clothes, and a confetti-like geometric dot print in my favorite color is ideal for vintage sewing. It could have worked for various eras and styles, but I settled on a new to me 1930s pattern for a princess style dress. 

 

It was one of those that is only 3 pieces plus the facing, so while it was challenging to fit on my yardage, it was fast to cut out and easy to put together. It does have some fun details though - trust the 1930s for that! The princess seam has a yoke in the front, cap sleeves cut all in one with the main pieces, and the shaping is formed by gathers and long darts - one in the back and 3 in the front. 

 

This makes it very easy to adjust for size or waist length, as I can just deepen the darts or make them more shallow. 

 

It was supposed to have a side zipper, as the buttons go just to the waist, but I made it loose enough that I could slip it over my head and just belt the extra in. Another time I will cut the button overlap a little longer so it reaches to the hips, and make it a better fit at the waist. 

 

I wanted an easy to wear, cool summer dress that would work for a house dress or could be dressed up a bit. I had to tweak the fit of this one a bit after initially trying it on, but in the end I was happy with it. And I just adore the color and print of this quilting cotton! It is also available in a few others color ways as well. 

 

The bodice was intended to button all the way up, but just was too close to my throat for comfort, so I unbuttoned the top button and folded it down to make a little collar. Another time I will do this again, or just cut the square neck a little larger if I want a square neck.

And of course I loved the chance to use these large round vintage buttons from my stash. On such a simple dress, they really add a design punch.

 

But I also like that the dress pattern is not your usual princess dress pattern. I have plans for another version sometime in the future. 

 

Meanwhile during this sustained record-high heat wave here, I am grateful for cool cotton dresses like this one.

Christmas in June: Reversible Placemats with Poppie Cotton

When I got the chance to play with a little of Poppie Cotton's upcoming Christmas line, Snuggle Up Buttercup, of course I jumped at the chance. I mean - little retro pink pickups! How can you not??

 

I have been so busy this month and juggling so many deadlines, that I had to figure out something relatively quick and easy to make for my blog feature when it came my turn for the Snuggle Up Buttercup tour. A reversible placemat set was the answer!

 

I use a lot of placemats for everyday use, on their own or on top of a table cloth where the children sit. It is so much easier to toss a placemat in the wash than change a tablecloth due to one spill. And I have a lot of lovely floral ones, but as I discovered last Christmas, nothing suitable for the holidays. I was happy to change that.

 

I picked out 4 my favorite prints from the fabric line and used them for the solid side, then divided the measurement in 3rds, added a half inch for seam allowance, and cut out 3 strips to piece together for the remaining side. I used exactly 8 fat quarters, since the leftovers after cutting the strips were just enough for binding.

 

To finish it, I used some smaller pieces of leftover batting and did some big stitch quilting using size 10 crochet cotton in several coordinating colors. Big stitch quilting both quilts and adds a decorative element - plus it looks great on both sides so it works well for a reversible project like this.

 

Instantly I have all these different looks for my table. I made 4 placemats, but I actually have 8 options here. I can use all the pieced side...

 

...all the solid side, or alternate them! Each one gives a different look to a table setting, yet they all coordinate.

 

The exact same placemat on one side...

 

...and on the other. 

 

I like how simple these are and quick to make - truly beginner friendly. And the large strips mean that the fabric really shines, rather than being cut up into small blocks. So it's ideal for showcasing your favorite prints!

 

Of course, the binding still has a "right side" and a "wrong side", but I make sure to hand stitch the binding invisibly using tiny stitches, so it's as unobtrusive as possible. 

 

So that's it for my fun holiday project right as summer is ramping up its heat! Make sure to check out the other lovely creations during the project tour for this adorable fabric line.

 

Friday, June 18	http://neverlandstitches.blogspot.com/
Monday, June 21	http://www.linenbouquet.com
Wednesday, June 23	https://verityvintagestudio.typepad.com/my-blog/
Friday, June 25	https://thisandthatpatterns.typepad.com/
Monday, June 28	http://prettybyhand.com/
Wednesday, June 30	http://happylittlecottage.blogspot.com/
Friday, July 2	https://www.nannygoatquilts.com/

 

 

1950s Spring Sunday Dress

I'm still playing catchup with past projects. Here is one I made a little while ago - another long-hoarded 1950s pattern that finally sees the light of day!

 

I had originally hoped to make an entire dress out of the aqua sprig print from the lovely Faith Hope & Love line by Riley Blake Designs (the same line I got my Easter dress fabric from), but there wasn't enough of it. Instead of just switching to make a blouse with the limited yardage, I decided to combine two prints and make a dress.

 

My default would have been to use the lighter fabric for the blouse and the darker for the skirt, but I decided that to avoid being boring, I'd step out of my default and switch things around. And I love it! It looks just like a blouse and skirt, but you don't have to worry about the blouse getting untucked.

 

Plus this means both that the aqua is next to my face (a better color for me) and also I don't need to wear layers on the top. I wore two half slips since the skirt was so light, but that's quite doable for spring. 

 

Originally I cut the bodice waist insert piece out of the skirt fabric, but once I tried it on, that did not look good at all. So I unpicked some seams and cut a new piece out of the aqua fabric. Much better! 

 

This pattern has some lovely details, especially on the bodice and around the collar. The pattern showed a few buttons to close the front, but after I tried it on, I decided they were unnecessary. The way the front overlaps it stays shut well enough with a brooch - plus that mean I didn't have to make buttonholes, which was a win!

 

The skirt is still very elegant, without either the slender silhouette or the typical 1950s super full skirt that I sometimes find oppressive to wear. I like how the pleats look, but I don't like how they add a few pounds depending on the angle. Perhaps another time I will substitute a different skirt with the bodice pattern. We'll see.

 

I'm so glad I could finally find a perfect match for this pattern that has long been on my list to make, as well as using up two smaller pieces of fabric that were not enough on their own to make a dress. I think they end up looking better together than they would have separately anyway.