Verity Vintage Studio

Pastel Christmas: 1950s Novelty Print Skirt

I have a few Christmas makes to show you this year - here's the first one!

I've owned this skirt pattern for quite a few years, and always loved the sketched version with alternating prints. Never got around to making one until I took a closer look at this novelty Christmas bike print when I was looking for something else in my Christmas fabric bin, and suddenly wanted to make a skirt out of it. 

 

At first I wanted the alternating gores to be either mint green or dark green, but I didn't have suitable fabric, and also wanted it to coordinate with my aqua 1950s sweater (scratch the mint green idea). While I was waiting to go to the fabric store for a dark green, I suddenly wanted to make it in time to wear to a Christmas event in 2 days. Scratch the fabric store idea! I looked through my solids and found a pink that was the perfect match, and exactly the right yardage. 

 

So I changed plans and went all sugar-plum pastel-ish instead! And yes, I cut it out one day and whipped it together the next day, just in time to wear to the event. 

 

I had to cut some corners to do so, of course. There is an incredible amount of hem, so there was no way I would have hand-hemmed it and gotten it done in time. Instead I top stitched lace hem tape to the edges, turned it over, and machine stitched it.

 

I wore it again on Christmas Eve, when we dress up to do a formal dinner as a family, which is when these photos were taken. 

 

The pattern calls this an "umbrella skirt" - and it's an appropriate name since it's very much like sewing an umbrella shape together. 16 gores make So. Many. Seams. 

 

There is just tons of fabric in this thing. Almost 4 yards, which is more than enough for a dress normally! I like how the contrasting gores play as the skirt moves, though I need to get a bigger crinoline to do them justice. 

 

Of course my red vintage style heels from American Duchess were the perfect accessory and the perfect era for this holiday outfit. 

 

So there's my impulse sew for this year! Impulse from start to finish, but I really love how it turned out.

Happy 3rd Day of Christmas!

1950s Purple Print House Dress

I will have several Christmas sewing projects to show you, but first I'm still trying to catch up with my fall projects. I made this a while ago, put buttons on it more recently, and now finally got it photographed so I had to jump on here to document it before I start the holiday garments.

 

When I got this lovely yardage from the Bee Vintage line by Riley Blake Designs, it was such a pretty vintage repro print that I really wanted something that would allow it to shine and also be a steady rotation in my closet since I like it so much.

You may remember that my oldest daughter (who loves purple right now) picked this same print for her birthday dress, and she wears that one constantly, so it was time to finally get my version finished so we could match at least for a while before she wears hers out!

 

I had just enough of the contrast fabric I used for hers, to make the collar on mine as well. I was so bummed though that I forgot to add the rickrack trim to match hers until long after this dress was finished! Ah, well. They still match - I guess I need to get photos together one of these days.

 

This is the 4th time I've made this 1950s dress pattern, so it's definitely a tried-and-true everyday dress pattern for me. As a result, making it was quite uneventful, took just a few days, and I hardly had to even glance at the instructions. 

 

Sometimes a dress fit is hit or miss - I usually slap a belt on it and call it good, rarely taking time with alterations or tweaking if it's not quite right - partly because my size fluctuates enough these days that it's not worth the bother since it is likely to only fit well anyway for a few months or so. This time I happened to get the fit right on, and it's a pleasure to wear. 

 

I've mentioned before that the liking of purple has grown on me lately, and this is definitely an example. It's such pretty fabric! And works well in any season, including here paired with my Christmas brooch and Christmas decor background. 

 

Renovations for my new sewing room went well into Advent, so now I am simultaneously delighting in the new space and also scrambling to fit in at least a few of my Christmas crafting ideas and gifts. Thankfully we celebrate Christmas for 12 days, so I have another two weeks to do some of the Christmassy things that I didn't get done beforehand!

 

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Advent thus far...can you believe it's only 2 days until Christmas Day?!? Wrapping gifts is on my list for later today, as well as cleaning the house in preparation for hosting Christmas Eve tomorrow. Might as do it in style in a pretty new house dress! :-) 

1950s Girl's Fall Floral Dress

Still trying to catch up with documenting my fall sewing before I start the holiday things... This week I want to show you the fall-floral dress I made for my oldest daughter for Thanksgiving! 

 

I had these two Riley Blake Designs fabrics from last year paired together for a dress for her for ages. Finally I made it happen, since right now she is growing out of all her clothes and needed new Sunday dresses anyway. 

 

I found a vintage dress pattern from my stash that would work well with adding contrast, and I love how it turned out. It has super fun inset dolman sleeves (no setting sleeves!) gathered into a sleeve band - sure wish I had an adult pattern with sleeves like this! Doing them in contrast helps emphasize the cute details of the pattern. 

 

It is loose and slips over the head, fitting at the waist with a sash, so it's very adjustable. I made it extra long too so she can wear it for a while. 

 

As you can see from the dimples, she was very pleased with it!

 

I have a hard time getting perfect corners when I do an L shaped inset seam like this, so I covered the front corners with little buttons. Decorative and practical too. 

 

I really enjoyed this pattern. It was unique, quick to make, and has lots of fabric combination options with the way the pattern pieces are done. Meanwhile she loves wearing it, and I am glad to see it finally take shape!