Verity Vintage Studio

Tinsel Tree Christmas Ornament: Free Cross Stitch Pattern

Happy 10th Day of Christmas! We are still enjoying the last of the Christmas season over here this week.

As usual, I got the cross stitching bug during the holidays. One of the things I made, inspired by my own little silver tinsel tree that I keep full of vintage ornaments, was this little retro hoop picture. 

 

I decided to share the pattern with everyone for free. After all, it is Christmas! (Scroll to the bottom of this post for the download link.)

The silver metallic thread is exactly the same color as my tinsel tree.

 

The pattern didn't have the same brand I used, since it's a new kind, so what is listed will work, but is not what I used for the sample. I used Cosmo Nishikiito Metallic Embroidery Floss in 33 silver, and found it quite soft and easy to stitch with (especially for metallic thread, which is notoriously difficult). If you use this kind, do not separate the threads but use the entire strand. I highly recommend!

 

The pattern also requires 18-20 small buttons. When stitching is complete, sew the buttons randomly with your silver floss, following cover photo for placement.

 

Don't like French knots? Skip them and use white or pearl seed beads instead. It's a simple pattern; if you omit the knots it's easily beginner friendly.

 

I used Touch of Pink Aida cloth for the sample. In 14 count fabric it finishes a bit too large for an ornament, but works very well on a shelf or a wall. If you want it sized down a little for an actual hanging ornament, choose 16 count Aida instead.

 

To finish it, I pressed lightweight fusible interfacing on the back to keep all the thread ends tidy, and then centered the design in the hoop. Trim the fabric to about 3/4" all the way around, and wrap the raw edge around the back of the hoop, gluing it down with a hot glue gun to the inside hoop. All done!

It's a super quick make, and also a fun way to use up some random tiny buttons! I love how retro it looks - just like my real tree.

Find the pattern at the link below. Merry Christmas, and happy stitching!

Download Tinsel Tree Ornament Chart

1940s Christmas House Dress

I went very bright and bold for Christmas this year with a length of vintage novelty fabric that I scored on Facebook Marketplace earlier this year. I quickly decided what I would do with it, and laid it away until December.

 

I wanted something comfortable for Christmas Day this year, and also needed a simple pattern since the fabric is so very splashy.  A housedress was the perfect solution. So I tried an interesting new vintage dress pattern I recently acquired that has one fitted side and one loose one, with the fullness gathered in by a sash.

 

I cut the shoulder yoke sideways so the stripes would go different directions, and added a front zip so it would be nursing friendly.

 

I first tried it with a contrast waist tie, but after trying it on the first time, I decided it needed a self tie instead. So that set me back a little bit, but it was still a very quick make.

 

I made it in a few days before Christmas, without any stress or feeling rushed.

 

I do love sewing with the modern repro fabrics, but I have to admit there's something special about sewing with vintage fabric. And it really does add a level of authenticity to the finished product too.

 

I've never done sleeves like this before. The dress has cap sleeves to start with, and I've never put sleeves in a cap sleeve opening, but I really like how it looks, especially with the gathered top. 

 

The next time I may just cut the cap sleeves a couple inches longer and leave it, but this was an interesting sleeve variation. It was actually more like a shaped sleeve band, and the seam was on the top instead of the underarm.

 

It was very comfortable to wear all day - whether for lots of eating, picking up gift wrap litter, chasing 3 littles, or curling up for Shop Around the Corner in the evening. I felt very festive all day!

I hope everyone has a happy Christmas season! We celebrate it for 12 days, so we are still deep in festivities at our house.

 

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.

Quick & Easy Pullover to Cardigan Makeover for Christmas

Due to a crazy fall – deadlines, house renovation and moving, and a family loss – I have not sewn anything since the first week of October. This means I haven't even started on my Fall/Winter sewing list, and the winter is half over. But on the other hand, it also means I have enjoyed getting more wear out of previous makes. And also did more small projects, like turning this pullover into a cardigan.

 

This sweater is a duplicate in ladies' size of one my brother got last Christmas. I liked it so much I tracked down one for me, but when it arrived I wasn't sure if I wanted to try to shorten it to a more flattering length, or turn it into a cardigan.

 

It stayed on my mending/alteration rack for a whole year.

Just before Christmas when I was thinking about what to wear Christmas Day, I remembered this sweater. After some debate, I decided that I would get a lot more wear out of it as a cardigan, so here's how I altered it.

1. I matched the side seams (you can also measure & mark the center) and cut it down the center.

Next, I fused a 1” strip of fusible interfacing to the underside of each cut. I've tried making pullovers into cardigans before, but this is the first time I used fusible interfacing – and it makes a huge difference! It keeps the edges from fraying while you work, and keeps them from stretching out of shape.

 

At this point you could just fold over the front edge and hem it, but this sweater was already a bit small for me and I didn't want to take any extra fabric. So I sewed single fold bias tape to each raw edge, unfolding it all the way out and stitching along the fold line.

 

Next all I had to do was fold it in, tuck down the top and bottom edges, and hand stitch it. Catching just the underside of the knit makes an invisible seam.

 

All done! I could have added buttons and buttonholes at this point, but as I said the sweater was already tight for me, so an open front cardigan was best. I definitely would try the buttonholes for another project though to make it a true button-down cardigan.

 

There are lots of other ways to make pullovers into cardigans, including totally unpicking the seams and cutting it down if it's too large, or adding decorative stitches or trims to the front to hide your seams. This is just the way I did it for this one.

 

And as I anticipated, it gets a lot more wear as a cardigan. Already it's my go-to winter sweater.

 

I just love the vintage styling of the decorative yoke, while at the same time it looks festive for Christmas but not so Christmassy that I can't wear it for the rest of the winter.

 

So there's a quick and easy sweater refashion for the colder months! Next time when thrifting if you see a pretty pullover but you're a cardigan girl, you can go ahead and get it, having the confidence that you can turn it into a winter closet staple.

 

I may have a few other sweaters that need this treatment now that I know how fast and effective it is!

 

Free Pattern: Quilty Retro Ornament Potholder

It's been a long time since I've done a free pattern during the holidays! This year I have been so busy that my Christmas celebrating was started late, but I was eager to do at least one Christmas craft once I had the chance - so I stitched up this design idea just in time for the holidays.

 

I love vintage ornaments, fabric, and English Paper Piecing appliqué - so I combined all of those with this fun fast potholder that is so easy to adapt and customize. 

 

I'll walk you through the steps for how I made mine. 

I started with a rough 10" square of fabric for the top, fabric for the backing, and 2 slightly larger pieces of cotton quilt batting (I didn't think one was thick enough). It's a great way to use up quilt batting leftovers, by the way. 

 

Layer the pieces of fabric on each side of the quilt batting to make a sandwich.

 

Now it needs quilted. I think it would look fun in diamonds, or you could go super basic and do straight lines. But I decided to do snowflakes on a string, since it's a holiday design.

You could do this with a free motion foot, but if that's not your thing, you can do it with a walking foot too. You can totally measure it and mark where you want each line and each snowflake. I decided to just eyeball it, since I was fine with some differences and irregularities. Not being a perfectionist. 

 

Starting off the edge, stitch a straight line an inch or so into the fabric, then stop. 

 

Turn the fabric a few degrees and reverse your walking foot. Stitch a few stitches (you can count them if you want perfectly uniform snowflakes, or just go with different sizes - kind of like real snowflakes).

Stitch forward over those few stitches and several more on the other side, to make the first arm of an X. 

 

Stitch back into the center so your needle is back on the original line; turn again to make the second arm of the X and repeat the forward and back stitches. 

 

Now turn your fabric and stitch at right angles to the original line, ending in the center.

 

Rotate the fabric back to the original position and stitch the string again. You can make these snowflakes as far apart or as close as you wish.

 

When you start the next line, stagger the snowflakes so the ones on this line alternate between the ones of the previous line. I made my lines about 1 inch apart.

Repeat until the fabric is all quilted. 

 

Then trim it down to size. I trimmed mine to 7 1/2 inches.

 

Now figure out what EPP shapes you want to use for your ornaments, and how to place them. I originally planned to use all round ones, but I realized some of my other papers would also work for ornaments, so I ended up using 2 1" circles, 1 2" orange peel, and 1 1" square. And picked some of my favorite fabrics from my favorite new Christmas line by Riley Blake, Santa Claus Lane.

 

You can use the traditional card method, if you're familiar with English Paper Piecing. I like to use fusible leave-in papers from Hugs 'n' Kisses (also very beginner friendly), so that's what I'm using here.

To use these, you fuse them to the wrong side of the fabric. I did some careful placement to make sure I had a tree and the Santa centered. 

 

Cut out the shapes, leaving about a 1/4" edge. 

 

Then turn the edge under and glue them. I used just a regular craft washable glue stick. 

 

To do the circles, you want to do a small portion of the edge at a time, and press the edges straight in to avoid puckering.

 

Once all the shapes are glued, they are ready to appliqué. Arrange them how you want the finished product to be, and secure with a few drops of fabric glue.

 

You can appliqué by hand or machine. I did mine with the blind hem foot on my machine. You want to make your stitches small, and use thread that matches your background fabric - not the appliqué. 

 

You also want to make sure to catch all the corners and tips with a left swing of the needle. 

 

After all the shapes are appliquéd, embroider the strings. I wanted to use gold metallic embroidery floss and didn't have any, so I ended up using some vintage rayon embroidery floss that had some sheen to it. 

 

I only embroidered through the top layer so the back looks tidier. I also added a few lazy daisy stitches at the top of each ornament - this could easily be omitted if preferred. 

 

Now you can finish the edge with your preferred method. I chose to use regular double fold binding out of my sewing stash. If you choose to do this, unfold it completely and align the raw edges, then stitch in the crease line. 

 

Instead of hand stitching the binding down invisibly, I used green embroidery floss to do big stitch quilting to secure the binding and help tie in the colors. 

 

You could call it done now - I wanted to use mine for display rather than a pot holder, so I added a bow and loop at the top for a decorative hanger. 

 

All finished! A quick Christmas craft that would be a perfect addition to your kitchen, or a gift. It's fun to make, too.

 

I love the pops of pink and aqua that gives the fabric a more retro feel. 

 

The striped orange peel ornament is hands down my favorite!

 

(Incidentally let us take a moment to appreciate some of my favorite vintage glass ornaments which inspired this craft!)

 

The appliqué ornaments would also be fun to decorate before stitching in place - maybe put a strand of tiny rickrack across one of the round ones, or embroider something. 

I hope if you try making one you enjoy it, and share the finished project. It's so fun to see all the creative different varieties people come up with!

 

Now I'm off to hang it in my retro kitchen and cross another Christmas cookie off my baking list!

Christmas Party Dress - 1950s Cocktail

This was a somewhat last minute project, mostly because I procrastinated in buying the vibrant taffeta for the skirt. We were planning to attend a Christmas part mid-December, and I had nothing formal to wear that I could also nurse in. 

 

But this was one of those dresses that turn out quite a bit different than the original idea. I wanted to do a combination of the bodice of this pattern with a simple flared skirt with as few seams as possible. My idea was to do the bodice in black and outline the darts with black beads - something simple but with some handwork to make it special.

 

Well, the black crepe back satin I purchased online was not nearly the quality of what I had used for my bridesmaids dresses a while ago - it was thin and limp and gauzy. I knew it wouldn't work well as a stand-alone fabric, but I had no time to get anything else. So after looking through my stash and finding I had no other formal fabric to pair with the steel blue taffeta I had bought for the skirt, I decided to alter my original idea and simply do a 2 layer bodice to give it more body. The gold and black lace worked perfectly to hide the cheap satin, and I was even able to use the decorative edge for the sleeves. However, the busy lace really hides the radiating darts, especially in the photos, which is a bummer. It's a fun bodice - all the shaping is made around the neck.

 

This is one of the few times I've overlined a bodice and it worked out just fine, after I had hand basted the pieces together so I could sew them as one - they were super slippery and hand basting kept the layers together until after they were sewn.

 

When it came to the skirt, I decided at the last minute to use the skirt from this pattern, thinking that the darts would mirror the ones in the bodice. So far, so good. But I forgot to take into account that I've gone up a dress size since the pregnancy, and with all the darts in place, the skirt was way too small! So I only ended up with only 2 darts on each side of the front. 

 

The funny thing is that I had sewn the front darts before I realized I wouldn't fit in it with all the darts in place, and I didn't want to take them all out since taffeta really shows stitch lines. I studied my problem for a while before realizing that the front and back gores were exactly the same shape, so I switched the front to the back and used the back gores for the front, only doing 2 of the 4 darts pictured. Saved!

 

The sash was just a piece of the lace cut crosswise so I had a decorative edge on the ends. I pinned it and added a small cluster of vintage millinery flowers.

 

The dress opens with a front zipper, so I wore a brooch to cover the zipper tab. 

 

There was plenty of poofy skirt since the taffeta stands out on its own, and I wore it over a crinoline. 

 

The whole thing was done in just a few days since I had waited until the last minute to make it. There were plenty of shortcuts taken, I'm afraid. The only hand work was tacking down the facing and stitching the hem.

I paired it with some repro heels from Miss L Fire, and a 1950s hat I decorated with millinery flowers to match my sash.

 

But though it turned out different than my mind's picture and isn't quite as special-handwork-decorated as I had wanted, I am fairly satisfied. It's holiday appropriate with the black, teal, and gold sparkle, but I can wear it for other occasions as well. And probably the quickest-sewn formal dress anywhere around!

And it's Christmas!

Poppy Print Christmas Dress

Ooooh, but it felt so good to get back to sewing! My last sewing project months ago was my wedding dress. Since then I've been far too busy after the wedding with moving and settling in to do any sewing. I was afraid this year I wouldn't get a new Christmas dress, but it all came together a few days before Christmas. :-)

 

At JoAnn's during a big sale, I was tempted as always by their rack of Christmas prints. But the problem with a specifically Christmas print is that I can only wear it during one short season in the whole year. Last year I made a 1950s suit, which of course is suitable for fall and winter wear. I couldn't justify spending a chunk of money on fabric that I can only wear once or twice a year. This year I managed to be both Christmassy and practical when I found this gorgeous big poppy print instead.

 

It's in the Christmas colors, but since it's not a specifically Christmas print, I think I can get more wear out of it. Obviously when worn with a red belt, green velvet hat, and gold accessories, it will look holiday-ish, but I think when paired with a pair of straw & red heels I have and a shady straw hat, it will be fine for summer as well! The cool cotton and cap sleeves lend themselves to warmer weather.

 

I bought 5 yards, since the print was one way and just shouted "1950s" at me, and took it home. The next thing was deciding which pattern to use. I had some specifics in mind, which made it harder to narrow down to a suitable pattern. I wanted something simple, so the print could shine, with the front bodice cut in one piece, so I didn't have to match the print in the front, and either wide gores or no gores for the skirt. I haven't done much sewing with large prints, so I did some Pinterest searching for 1950s dresses for ideas. I debated over several of my patterns in my collection, but wasn't completely satisfied with any of them and went with a different one altogether when I took a closer look and realized it met all my criteria.

I'm glad I did, because this dress pattern was quite enjoyable to make. I had to cut it down quite a bit, and adjust the neck height, which necessitated a muslin and some fiddling with the front darts. But otherwise, I made it exactly as called for, even to the skirt length and hem depth - something I rarely do, since vintage patterns are often too short for my preference. 

 

It was a breeze. Just enough detail in the shoulder and neck to make it interesting, but nothing difficult. I really had no problems at all, the cotton was wonderful to work with, and it went together so nicely in just a short time. 

 

The back and sleeves are cut in one piece. The sleeve is gathered into a top-stitched, pointed front piece. I double top stitched it, just for fun, and to help it lay right.

 

The print I had made sure was centered on the bodice and each skirt gore. Too late I realized that the back hadn't made the matchy goal, but it's not too bad. 

 

My gold clutch adds some holiday sparkle. I can also see this dress paired with black velvet accessories.

 

This 1950s style is not my favorite silhouette on myself, but this dress is helping improve it in my regard. I wore this dress with my biggest crinoline, and it had plenty of poof, though it wasn't a circle skirt. 

 

I like the fact that the red print has two shades of red, so I can accent with either a dark or a cherry red and it will still coordinate.

 

So now my sewing queue is up and running again, though my sewing room is still not quite set up. I've found a great lack of winter dresses and blouses in my closet, so while winter remains, I'm hoping to fix that problem in the coming year. It's wonderful to be back at the sewing machine, and to have such an enjoyable first project in my new home.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and will start out with a happy New Year!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

Merry Christmas to everyone,

from Verity Vintage Studio!

My 1950s Christmas Suit

This year for Christmas instead of being tempted by some of that gorgeous holiday fabric which can only be worn once a year, I decided to make something else long on my to-do list - something I could get wear out of in other seasons. Enter the 1950s navy blue suit.

 

I've wanted a tailored suit for some time; also I could use a solid blue skirt in my wardrobe. So this outfit, which can be worn together or as separates, fit the bill perfectly. And, unlike some other parts of the US which had a balmy Christmas, we had a picture-perfect hoarfrost Christmas morning which made fairy filigree of every single needle on the evergreens and every other surface.

 

Incidentally, these pictures were taken when the temperature was 16 degrees, so I can't help it if my face is red. :-)

 

This was one of the few times I combined different patterns instead of making a pictured model, with perhaps a few changes. I used the skirt from the dress pattern, the jacket from the Advance pattern, but since both of those were a little more late 1940s, I did the sleeves from the Butterick pattern because I wanted 3/4 sleeves with wing cuffs for that classic 1950s flair.

 

There were some other firsts for this sewing project. It was the first time I've used wool crepe - and I love it! It was slightly more challenging to work with than cotton, but doesn't compare to the difficulty of more slippery fabrics. It has lots of give, which makes it forgiving to fit and ease, and drapes and pressed so beautifully! I only wish I had more of it in different colors for fall and winter sewing.

 

This outfit also holds the distinction of being one of the 2 tops I've ever made where I managed to get the sleeves eased in smoothly, without gathers or pleats at the top. Usually I don't even attempt it because I just can't get them smooth. But this time, for whatever reason, it worked perfectly!

 

I opted for covered buttons to finish out the suit look, and to add a bit of holiday glitz, I used the white linen with silver roses I used for my concert blouse, for the contrasting collar. 

 

I have never tried millinery before, but after a successful trial of this beret pattern (photos coming soon), I went ahead and made a matching one out of the wool crepe, with a stiff interlining. I can use a navy blue beret anyway, and was pleased with how this one turned out.

 

I just love the generous width of the fabric - I cut out all my suit pieces and still had almost a yard left! Even after I cut out the beret, there is plenty left to use as significant contrast in another outfit. I had only gotten three yards in the first place, so that was a real winner.

 

 

I have to tell you about my corsage, too. After searching in vain for a vintage silver corsage, I found this lovely Etsy shop -Southcastle Creations - which has handmade vintage style corsages, and the wonderful owner custom made in just a few days this silver corsage for me, complete with the big roses and berries you'll see in real vintage corsages. I just love it! And it helps make the suit festive.

 

Paired with my navy vintage pumps, simple pearls, and gloves, I also had to take a few pictures with my so-soft vintage rabbit cape - the perfect holiday accessory.

 

Details. I just love the skirt pleats in the back! I shortened them a good bit, and of course added a waistband and hand pricked side zipper since it was originally a dress pattern, but otherwise didn't change a thing.

 

The jacket, with princess seams, went together fast and was easy to adjust for a good fit.

 

I anticipate getting a lot of wear out of this outfit together or as separates while the chilly weather lasts. And in Idaho just now it is quite, quite chilly! It's nice to cross it off my list, add it to my wardrobe, and still have a special Christmas outfit to wear Christmas Day.