A new/old friend

I'm getting to that pattern I've had half-cut-out for several months, I promise. New sewing will appear on this blog soon, I declare! (I also feel the need for some new summer skirts, so those will most definitely be featured.)

The title of this post, however, refers to a purchase I recently made. An old sewing machine from a semi-local Goodwill which I believe dates back to at least the 1940s. It's a Free-Westinghouse ALC, and though it doesn't have a bobbin (yet!) it does have an electric foot-pedal.

From The Year 2050

Look at that gorgeous golden shine! It's a pretty exciting thing to me, a simple machine that I can learn all about (I even found a free manual on the internet, so I can know how not to fiddle around with things!) and has the vintage aesthetic that I love. It just looks so pretty.

Though I can't sew with it yet, as it has no bobbin, I'm quite excited with the prospect of doing so. It probably will never become my primary machine, but I think that sewing a proper vintage project on a proper vintage machine is something quite fascinating.

From The Year 2050

On the final page of the manual is advice for every machine of every era, though is still quite amusing to me:

Use Good Oil!
Use Good Needles!
Use Good Thread!

(The descriptions of these things, however, just boil down to "don't be cheap.")

PS - I just joined up at My Sewing Circle - a kind of Ravelry for sewers. I'm starting to push in the vintage patterns and all my projects. I'm looking forward to it kind of shaping up and coming together (it's still pretty beta at this point) and having a site that I can manage all of my sewing on, like I do with my knitting on Ravelry. Feel free to join up if it interests you, but feel free not to if you want to wait until it's more of a finished project.

Simplicity 5030, or The Dino Blouse

I have finished it, photographed it and - despite having computer troubles for a couple of weeks that I won't bother to get into - gotten the photos to finally present to you: The Dinosaur Blouse. Appropriate for many occasions, especially job interviews and other places one needs to be fancy. Fancy with dinosaurs.

From The Year 2050

This blouse started as fabric my mother bought me when I was away at college. It wasn't much - a little over a yard - and so I constantly wrestled with what I would make out of it. A pencil skirt, maybe? Maybe... something else? Then, it hit me: a blouse! It would be just enough to make a blouse and it would be fun.

So I used the pattern I've used before, with the Peter Pan collar, because it had a nice fit (and it may have been the only vintage shirt pattern I really had at the time), and whipped it together relatively quickly. (I only noticed the pattern was upside down after cutting the first piece.. but you can't really tell because half of the patterning is sideways anyhow. Oh, well!) Unfortunately, I didn't have any buttons. And I needed buttons.. dinosaur buttons.

From The Year 2050

I was sure they had them, that they existed, but it probably took me a month or so of intermittent trips until I finally found some La Mode stegosaurus buttons. Not quite what I'd remembered, but the only dinosaur buttons I'd found or probably would find.

I anxiously stitched them on and made the buttonholes (which I think I've gotten much better at - maybe I can make a button-all-the-way-down dress now!) and put it on. At first I was going to match the dinosaurs so that the pattern would run evenly, but the fronts aren't quite straight, so they are what they are.

Check out those stego-buttons! From The Year 2050

I love it and I'm so glad I found something wearable to make out of this. The sleeves need to be shortened, but I guess this is a trend I'll have to deal with when making vintage patterns. The shirt makes me feel hip and nerdy and vintage and it's perfect. Ah, it feels good to have a dino blouse!

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.)

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.

Vogue 2962

Another of my older dresses, Vogue 2962, is one of my favorites. A challenge that definitely paid off.

From The Year 2050

I originally saw the skirt fabric at Jo-Ann's and fell in love. I remembered this pattern, having just recently bought it, and decided it would make a great skirt. I did eventually have to go back for more (this pattern doesn't think you'll be using a border print - which this is) for the giant 5+ yards in the skirt. The top is a heavier cotton than the skirt.

From The Year 2050

Not shown here, but the top button is actually a small rose, to correspond to those in the skirt. These buttons and loops were the worst part of the dress - I kept sewing the loops in the wrong place or some of them were stitched down really awkwardly or too tight and I had to redo them probably 4 or 5 times. (Sometimes I can be really bad at spacial things, like where closures go and the logistics of them.) I knew that these were the buttons I wanted - shank buttons that were glossy and shiny and white.

The only alteration I made - besides the length (which, with Vogue, must be for models as I always seem to take like 9" for my being 5'1") was tightening of the bodice panel. It fits more like the pattern image now and feels better all around.

I may end up making this again, but probably not for a long while, and not until a fabric calls out to me again like this one did.

The only qualm I have about it is that it's pretty hard to wear a bra with as the back of the bodice is a bit low and shows the whole back of a bra. It's a lined bodice, but still, sometimes it can be a bit awkward. But the adjusted fit around the middle, the huge skirt and the halter top are so great and Seven-Year-Itch-y! I just love it. (I didn't wear it on the Fourth of July, but I do like to refer to it as my America dress as it's red, white and blue.)

Simplicity 1325

The other day I finally finished my most recent project: Simplicity 1325.

I was really excited to get this pattern when I did - it was on sale on eBay for only $1! I made the view with long pants and I was hoping for long sleeves, but I laid the pieces out wrong and ended up with only enough fabric for short ones. I'm alright with that, though, and I think they still look great. It's probably more comfortable this way, anyhow, with the lightness of the broadcloth I made them in.

From The Year 2050

The pants come up to the waist and have a button closure on the left - a very vintage detail. The waistband is slim itself and the closure end has a point to it, which I find to be a really nice touch.

From The Year 2050

Though the short sleeved top didn't have the bias tape detail on the collar or sleeves, I really like the look of it so I added it anyway. The collar is a bit of a mess - I haven't made one like this before, where you cover the edge where the collar joins the body with the top part of the collar. It didn't turn out too well

From The Year 2050

As you can see in this photo, the pockets and bias detail are actually straight when one's hands aren't in them. The pants came out at a really complementary length and the pleating is really nice. I used white thread throughout the project (though I strangely don't have much and kept almost running out) so there's that slight repeat to the contrast of the white of the bias tape against the green. I also altered the position of the buttons because the collar didn't come out quite right and I wanted to make sure I could unbutton the top button or two (well, where they would've been) to breathe and it wouldn't look lewd.

Once I figure out how better to sew these kind of collars, I'd be happy to make this again. I just love the retro styling and the bias detail. It's so kitschy and you just can't find it nowadays! I'd give it a 8.5/10.

Simplicty 5030

Last night, I finished yet another project (I'm just whippin' 'em out, I know) - Simplicity 5030.

I made view 3, with the Peter Pan collar and short sleeves. I just ordered the pattern online last week and was anxious to make my very first blouse, so I bought the fabric in the meantime. It came together so quickly, probably partially because it's very similar to the shirtdress I just finished.

I shortened the sleeves the way I was instructed to (as I have just finished doing on my yellow shirt dress) and they look really nice. I'm calling it my "grandma shirt" because of the floral print and the older cut. I think I'll probably remake this pattern several times in more neutral or hip patterns to avoid the "grandma" thing.

I'm looking at my next adventure in sewing - it may be a matching shirt/skirt or perhaps some pajamas or even another shirtdress. Only time will tell!

Simplicity 3486

This is the dress I finished last night:

I used Simplicity 3486, a vintage pattern from the late 50's/early 60's. It came together easily, even with the box pleats and pocket (I'd never made a pocket before.) I messed up on some of the pleats in front, and there's one missing on the right side, where I'm going to add a larger pocket to correspond to the breast pocket. I haven't decided yet how or if I'm going to hem or roll the sleeves, as they're meant to be much shorter.
The waist is tight, the button placement is good and I'm really pleased with the overall result. The broadcloth I used is a little thin, but I really enjoy the color. It only took me two days from start to finish and I'm really excited to wear it around. I found some great vintage-looking buttons which really completed the look for me.

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.]