Halloween is quickly approaching...

The decision for this year's Halloween costume was difficult for a long time - I still wanted to look fabulously vintage, but the only thing I could really think of was Judy Garland (while swilling liquor and downing placebos) - other thoughts came in and went out, but nothing really called to me.

Then, just a couple of weeks ago, I watched The Forbidden Planet and I saw it:



Anne Francis' gold dress! I wish I could get someone to be my Robby the Robot, but I think that's asking a bit much at this stage. I'll probably end up with a slightly longer dress (that one could end up a bit.. immodest, to put it kindly), but I can't wait to construct and wear this iconic sci-fi dress. (I'm such a sci-fi nerd, which you probably can't tell by the rest of the posts to this blog, so I can't wait to tell people about how I live on a different planet where monsters from your Id may come to kill you. If you haven't seen The Forbidden Planet, you probably definitely should!)

I'm a little slow on the uptake, so I'm going to go out and get my pattern today (just my luck, there's also a Vogue pattern sale going on this weekend, starting today!) and start cutting out a muslin to play with the construction. I'm using Vogue 8508, which was the only pattern I saw with the large, oval, stand-up collar the dress has (and I couldn't contemplate drafting), but I will have to do some major alterations to the body of the dress, as it's not a wide A-line style.

I can't wait to break out the sewing machine again! It's been far too long!

Vogue 2609, or How To Halloween

What is the best fabric to make a muslin out of? Just plan muslin? Some old fabric laying around? Or could it be $2-a-yard purple satin?

I went with the last option for this year's Halloween cosutme: Vogue 2609. A 1934 design, I wanted to look my best for the party. Now, I didn't plan this costume out well in advance. Oh, no. I barely knew what I was doing a week before and had no idea what I would be that night. When I found out it was an Edward Gorey-themed party (hosted by the lovely Dances of Vice), this pattern immediately jumped out from my memory. Maybe not so turn-of-the-century as Gorey, but certainly in a fabulous and macabre feeling, if made in the proper way.

Awkwardly brushing out the edges of the caplet featured in this pattern

I've never sewn this pattern before, but I was confident in my sewing skills, so I cut out all of the pieces (including two of the godet pieces the same way - so in the final product you may or may not notice that one of the back pieces is ... not as shiny as the rest of the dress, because it's sewn in backwards) and set to work on sewing it all together.

The open-back design! (That tie at the bottom is supposed to be tacked down - pshaw, it's fine!)

What I noticed, looking at the pattern back (which I did not have the convenience of doing while I was at the fabric store, the pattern being out of print) was that it didn't have a zipper. I had bought one anyway because I figured it needed to be closed somehow. Well, this being 1934, they didn't exactly have zippers. They had snaps. And I wasn't going to put in a whole long set of snaps, because I like simple solutions. So, I ignored that part of the directions and did it my way, putting in my zipper. I felt happy to have bested the patterns of the past with the technology of the future.

The next part that unsettled me, in reading the directions, was the fact that the godet (the skirt part at the very bottom) was supposed to be appliqued on. Again, I was not doing this and decided to do it my own way, which I saw as the correct way. I just sewed the godet to the dress, as one would do - right sides together, make sure to get it all pinned down, sew together, turn right side out. (I was kind of nervous that the applique-style attatchment might not work as well, for some reason, and so I just felt more comfortable putting the skirt in the way I did.)

The last surprise of this dress was the contrast fabric. When I was getting it cut, they told me the price, which was far more than the dress fabric. I thought it was right-side out on the bolt, because it was satiny, and just said "Whatever" and went with it. Well, after I cut the pieces for the dress and went to get them ready to attatch, the two halves of the fabric didn't want to come apart. I took a pin and separated some of the remnants from my cuttings and learned - a bit to my horror - that this was no satin at all. This was some kind of terrible, weird Latex-coated fabric. There was no turning back, though, as this was probably a day or two before and I didn't want to get anything else. I would deal with it and triumph over it, as I had with the rest of this dress.

But I think, in the end, it turned out quite spectacularly in the end. I was happy to tell people that I'd made my dress, and though I personally don't have any photos of myself at the event, I did find one from someone else where I'm in the background:

Photo by Gabi Porter for MetroMix New York
(more photos here)

Yep, right there. On the right, with my lovely open back and my friend who came with me to the most magnificent Halloween party I'll probably ever attend. I hope to go more of their events sometime, just to see all the people who get so done-up! (You should search for more images and just look at all the gorgeous things people wore. Really. I was amazed.)

Advance 2709

Sorry I haven't been sewing! There's been lots of work going on at home, hence why I have only just finished hemming and photographing my newest creation, Advance 2709.

I love this pattern! Its set-in, diagonal pockets. Its six-gored skirt. The fact that it has a provision for just a shirt-waist dress as well as the full shirt dress. (I only had four buttons, so I went for the shirt-waist. Also, I hate making button holes but love shirt-waists, so... that's also a reason.)

From The Year 2050

The back of this dress has a nice yoke and gather detail and the sleeves came out quite puffy as well, which gives the dress almost a '40's style feel to the dress that looks far more '60s on the envelope. Perhaps this is also because of my height and the length that the dress ended up being. But I think this came out splendidly. I found this fabric, with its great pattern, on sale and I think this will end up being my go-to dress next summer. The fabric is really a quite thin cotton, but the fit is wonderful - it comes in close at the waist but it isn't uncomfortable.

Ah! I just can't get enough of it. I can see myself sewing this pattern again and again, but I'll probably take some length off if I make it in a solid.

Here are some more photos in a sort of natural-ish light, showing front and back.

From The Year 2050

Simplicity 3085

I decided to make a dress from one of the two patterns I won back in June, Simplicity 3085. I found an old plaid that I'd bought a while ago and thought that it would go really well with the general design of this dress.

From The Year 2050

It ended up being a bit big on me, as the pattern was for a bust 35, but it's kind of like having a comfortable house dress instead of a totally fashionable day dress. It still has a really interesting look and is nice to wear around.

From The Year 2050

The only real problem I had in this dress - besides almost not having enough fabric and having to cut the collar in two pieces instead of on a fold - was the bottom part of the button detail. It's supposed to mirror the top where it just juts out slightly for the buttons, but the details were awkward and now it just kind of bunches up there. I couldn't get it to point like the top does, no matter how I tried. If I remake this, I'll try to figure out my own way of doing it instead of reading the directions exactly, as they were really quite confusing anyhow.

I also ran out of enough fabric to make the pockets, so I made it out of some leftover orange polka dot you might recognize. I like them, though. They make me feel kind of like I have the pockets of an old timey hobo. (I also originally put those in the waist seam backwards so that my hands would have to go backwards to sit in them. That was an easy fix.)

From The Year 2050

Through this project I've also become a more confident buttonhole-er and that's a very exciting possibility! I really like the fabric of this dress and I'll probably wear it out anyhow, just putting a belt around the waist to tighten it up. It was generally an enjoyable and simple dress to sew, except for that one teeny detail. There's pleating above and below the waist and I think it's generally a very pretty pattern.

Butterick 5032

Home from my recent vacation and I was itching to get sewing again. I had already cut the fabric for everything but the facings before I left, but we took the machine in for servicing so I couldn't start sewing.

I was excited to see how this wiggle-style dress would turn out - I thought it might be nice to have a slimmer dress in my wardrobe and I thought that it was one of the few patterns that the "running eighths" style fabric would work with.

From The Year 2050

Knowing the danger of modern patterns (this is one of the modern reprints of older Butterick patterns) I checked the measurements on the tissue and, lo-and-behold, I had to cut it a size smaller. I probably could've gone down another size on the top of the pattern - it does gap a bit around the top, tending to be more on the back.

From The Year 2050

I only noticed it as I was sewing the top and bottom together, but I had cut the whole top on the same four patterns of the running eighths and the bottom on all eight. Therefore, the whole front matches, but the back doesn't. I still think it makes a nice effect and I matched the lines dividing the patterns almost perfectly, so the effect isn't as bad as it might've been. (Also, I need to iron it.)

Overall, I really like the outcome of the pattern. It turned out a bit long on me (maybe I just have a taste for shorter skirts, but down to mid-calf is not very appealing on the petite figure) so the kick pleat in the back is a bit useless, but I think it's quite a flattering pattern. The front pleats on the skirt section are new to me, but I kind of like them. When holding the partially-finished top to myself, I thought the neckline was a bit high, but it's actually not too bad. I am a fan of the square neckline and I find the neckline on the back to be very flattering, probably on many people. I'd probably sew this again if I need another wiggle-style dress!

Vogue 2267

Vogue 2267 or, "Why yes I do have five dresses made from the same pattern."


(And a cat.) Count 'em and weep. The top one was actually my very first sewing project not done in middle school. I, for some reason, like to get very ahead of myself so I decided to make a dress with princess seams, a zipper and two pockets (one of which is actually on the zipper). It actually came out really well and I still like and and wear it. I put the inside belt on this one, so it's not very good for eating in, but it does look and feel good otherwise.

The other four have a more interesting story. Last summer, I took a service learning trip to Ghana in West Africa. They told us that the culture there was very strict and girls were expected to wear skirts or dresses everyday. So, I remembered this great pattern (as I'd had a lot of trouble finding modest dresses that would hide my bust in mainstream stores) and how good it looked and its pockets. I'd made several dresses between my first and these and was able to whip them all up in about a week and a half. Made of quilter's cottons, I made them in four different colors so I'd have some versatility and wouldn't get bored. They all have very small patterns and I still wear those, too.

(On the teal one, you might notice that it's discolored - that's because I got into a mudfight with it on and didn't wash it out right away. I don't know how much better it would've come out if I did. Oh well.)

Here they are, the parade of champions. (The first two are the same dress - the first one I made.)

From The Year 2050

From The Year 2050

From The Year 2050

This is a pattern I'd suggest to pretty much anyone. It's probably better for more advanced sewers, but with careful instruction reading and learning what those weird terms are, even beginning sewers can be proud of this dress. The square front and back necklines I find really pretty and the pockets are always a welcome edition to a dress in my book. Though I'm sure it would look much better with a thin crinoline, it still looks great without one. It's comfortable (especially without that inner belt - unless you're really really true to measurements) and flattering.

I'd give it a 10 out of 10 every time.

Butterick 4790 aka "The Walk-Away Dress"

Today, I'm showcasing my version of Butterick 4790, the "walk-away dress". I used the reprint of the 1952 pattern. I think I may have cut it a size or two smaller than my size shown, based on the measurements listed on the pattern. It's a little tight around the waist, but that's okay.

I bought the space alien fabric a while ago and had decided I wanted to make it some kind of lining, with the outside being fabric that resembled space. I found one that was flecked with glitter, but the simple black taffeta looks better with it, I think. Even though you're only supposed to edge part of it in bias tape, I did the whole thing with alien-green bias tape (which took somewhere from 3 to 5 packages, I don't quite remember) and I think it adds a nice touch.

This was my first time working with taffeta, and I really love the way that it holds its shape so well. Even without a crinoline, you still get that full effect in the skirt. I think that the final product is out-of-this-world, if you'll pardon the pun.

Vogue 2903

Today, I decided to get a little fancy, so I did my hair up and put on one of my Vintage Vogue reprint creations, V2903.



This dress came out pretty well, but wearing it I realize that the sizing of it seems to be a bit more "vanity sized" than other Vogue patterns I've made, which can be painfully true-to-size. The shoulders are large and it is generally big on me, despite that I made it in the size that should fit my measurements. (The shoulders are especially difficult as the neckine is very open and they keep slipping off of me.)

I really do like the dress, it has a nice retro look to it - especially with all the accessories. Though I was intimidated by it (and its huge amount of fabric) at first, it wasn't that complex and I found it a fairly easy sewing job. The back zipper is somewhat oddly set in the middle of the back rather than opening all the way at the top of the back seam and I forgot to put pockets into this one.

Overall, I enjoy it and would probably rate it an 8/10. I'll have to remake it a size smaller and see how much I like it then.



[I pincurled my hair overnight and am wearing jade earrings, a vintage pearl two-strand necklace and a braided brown belt to cinch the waist.]