Verity Vintage Studio

2021 Vintage Sewing Recap

Time for a quick look back at my past year of sewing vintage fashion! I always like to see all my makes for a year in one place. This year held a few months of no outfit sewing at all, and other months that were quite prolific. I started collaborating with Riley Blake Designs early in the year, and later on with Poppie Cotton, so all but one of these were sewn with new fabric rather than out of my stash.

My first make of the year, which was also my first blog post featuring Riley Blake Designs fabric.

 

I didn't get a lot of new patterns this year, but this was one of them, and it promptly got made up instead of sitting for years in my stash.

 

But a lot of my projects this year used patterns that I have had for YEARS, and I am so excited they finally saw the light of day!

   

1950s two color dress; 1930s Easter dress

 

I had a few repeats this year... Here's another pattern that I have owned for a very long time, and when I made the first one I liked it so much I immediately made a second one! I can't imagine why it languished in the drawer for so long.

   

1930s floral dress; black geometric version

 

I made a lot of baby clothes this year too! It was a bit of a learning curve, so some were more successful than others, but I learned to like making the smaller dresses.

     

1950s baby dress, sailor dress

 

1930s smock dress

 

I couldn't believe the comparison of how much my baby girl grew in one year!

   

1930s baby dress, 1950s princess dress

1950s goose dress

 

This was the only thing I made all year that did not use quilting cotton! It was also my only "modern" pattern - actually a reprint of a 1930s pattern. It was one of my more difficult projects this year, and the rayon challis I used was quite lovely.

1930s rayon blouse

 

Part of the reason I didn't sew with other fabric types was that during the fall, when I usually break out the wool and suiting, I was big pregnant and only made two maternity-friendly projects from July-December.

 

1940s-does-1930s adjustable dress; 1950s adjustable pleated dress

 

I also used what probably is the oldest pattern in my collection for this baby dress. She has already outgrown it, but it's one of my favorite baby makes this year. 

 

Another one of my long-owned patterns that was a remake from a very early version in my sewing career, was this 1930s blouse pattern.

 

This 1950s apron pattern was another double make this summer. I love the scallops!

   

1950s pink apron; green version

 

As always there is plenty of blue represented! Though overall I am pleased with the color variety.

 

1950s slender sailboat dress; 1930s princess dress

 

While I may not have had much variety with fabric fiber this year, I did have a fair representation of different silhouettes. 

aqua 1950s slender dress

 

I also did some fun experimenting with dress details, which is a great way to jazz up quilting cotton. From appliqué to decorative top stitching and different kinds of trims, I like adding the special touches.

 

 

 

Of course this is only my garment sewing for the year. I also did a lot of craft sewing, including tutorials on this blog not shown in this post, and a lot of quilt designs. My sewing machine got quite a workout!

1950s pastel blouse

 

My count for 2021 is:

    8 1930s adult garments

    1 1940s    

    7 1950s

and 7 baby dresses

 

I have a lot of ideas and a long to-do list for 2022, but I also know that flexibility is key since I now have three small children and a very busy design schedule. A lot of my personal sewing I have to fit in around deadlines - but I have some exciting projects I want to get to, and it's amazing how that motivational that can be!

Hope you all are having a lovely January.

~Kristen 

 

 

 

 

1950s Striped Blouse for Christmas

I usually do a recap post of the last year before I post the next year's projects, but I'm making an exception with this one since while it was indeed my first project of 2022, it also was my Christmas 2021 sewing project!

 

I was not going to sew anything for Christmas this year, mostly because I was very pregnant and super busy leading up to the holidays. However, after having my baby girl a week before Christmas, I realized that I would be able to do a small holiday project after all during the 12 Days of Christmas, which totally counts as Christmas sewing even if it's after Christmas Day!

I already had some green striped cotton from Riley Blake Designs in my stash waiting to be used, and had chosen a pattern for it, so I had the perfect quick and small project ready and waiting. 

 

The fun thing about a classic like this is that it can totally look Christmassy, depending on how it's styled, but of course it can be worn year round. 

 

I got the fun 1950s blouse pattern a while ago specifically for the striped version with the shoulder yoke, and this fabric was ideal. I love how the stripes are actually tiny diamonds. This fabric is from the Poppie & Posey line, and a good example of how there is often a vintage-suitable print in the more modern quilting lines. 

 

The pattern only consisted of 5 pieces, so I got it done easily in a couple days the first week of January - mostly during nap times when all 3 children kindly slept for 3 or 4 hours, and was able to wear it on the very last day of Christmas when I had a tea party with my sisters to celebrate.

 

The shoulder yokes lined up perfectly, which made me happy! 

 

It's a lovely shade of green that will go with everything. I'm sure this will get a lot of wear!

 

It sure was nice to be able to wear regular clothes again, and to get back to sewing at least a little. I'm excited to have this staple in my closet year round.