Verity Vintage Studio

Turquoise 1950s Vintage Dress Find

I may have a closet full of vintage style clothes, but I hardly own any true vintage clothes. A few suits and jackets, coats, and one or two dresses is about the extent of it. It's just hard to find something that fits me and is in my price range, and is also sturdy enough that I feel comfortable wearing and washing it. As a busy mom, I can't have a lot of high maintenance clothes, which is why I usually prefer to make my own.

 

But when you're visiting a new local shop that has some antiques, and spot this beauty, realize it probably would fit, and check the price tag - and it's only $35 - what else can you do??

 

I believe it was hand made, and can appreciate the skill of the seamstress for sure. Often I don't want to spend money on something I can make myself, but this was inexpensive enough and not necessarily something I would have wanted to tackle making. 

 

I think it's linen, or a linen blend. So it wrinkles after I've been sitting on it, but has a lovely drape and weave. 

 

The neck detail and those adorable pockets are the special factor. Actually, I think the neck could be fairly easy to do if you cut and faced a square neck with a scallop and then underlaid it with a band of contrasting fabric - but scallops are not my strong point, so I'm delighted someone else did them. And who would have thought of using machine stitched buttonholes as decoration??

 

Aside from my usual trouble with the back being a trifle long waisted, it fit me very well. It has a careful darn under one arm - clearly has been well loved.

 

After wearing it for a day I need to reinforce a few seams, but otherwise it stood normal wear very well. I washed it in cold water on a delicate cycle, and dried it flat, which seemed to work just fine. 

Of course I had to pair it with ivory accessories, including a new to me 1950s hat and my favorite vintage summer heels.

 

 

So my small vintage clothing collection has expanded a little, and I'm very pleased. Oh, and I have to include a quick photo with the children since we all happened to coordinate for church.

 

I hope everyone is having a happy summer!

 

Photos by Elsie's Adventuring

Winterland 1940s Dress

It must be time for Christmas in July! Riley Blake Designs has some new holiday fabric collections out, and I knew I wanted to be part of the Winterland fabric tour even if it meant sewing with wintry fabric in the middle of summer.

 

It is not your traditional red, white, and green collection, which makes it even more fun. I love those tiny scattered snowflake dot prints. And who can resist tiny cardinals in birch trees?? There are so many pretty prints in this one, and since I also have a fat quarter bundle to play with, I'm sure more quilty projects will be forthcoming. But meanwhile I had to choose my favorite print to make a dress out of. 

Flatly photo courtesy of Riley Blake Designs.

It's been a while since I made a 1940s dress. This year I've been camped out in the 1930s and 1950s apparently. But I recently got a "new" (actually old and very tattered) pattern for a late 1940s robe, and decided to make it in dress form. 

 

The main design feature was a very large cape-like collar option, which I decided to go for since it was unusual. I second-guessed myself several times during the process of sewing and fitting, but in the end I like how it looks after all. 

 

I shortened it quite a bit to make it as a dress, aiming for more of a mid-1940s style, and even still ended up just barely squeezing the pattern pieces on the fabric I had. Those front skirt panels are HUGE. I took quite a bit of width out of them to fit them on the fabric.

 

Other than the collar, it's a pretty typical easy button-front dress. I always appreciate how easy it is to get in and out of button-front dresses rather than the typical "pretzel" method of removing vintage style dresses.

 

I do enjoy a pattern that controls a full skirt with darts at the waist. So flattering. It's one of the details I look for in patterns. 

 

After trying out several options, I went with red and white buttons, and a red belt, to pick out the tiny red dots in the print. But navy, brown, pine green, or of course white would have worked equally well.

 

I love that the print is not so Christmassy that I couldn't wear it in the fall and winter as well. I think the delicate pine branches and tiny scattered snowflakes are just so sweet.

 

I enjoy having this already in my closet, ready for when the first whispery snowfall comes.