First 40s Dress

I have a crazy love of vintage patterns, and I desperately wanted to try something from the 40s. I stumbled across this pattern at a vintage shop in St. Louis, and dug through my stash to find the perfect fabric! The front center seam was just begging for a chevron design, but this presented quite an issue during cutting. As you can see, it turned out pretty darn good! The dress is a bit thin, so I had get to wear a slip with it.

This dress is a typical 40s silhouette with a snug neckline and broad shoulders. The top is a bit loose because there aren't any darts--just the pleats in the neckline and in the back. The pattern calls for shoulder pads, and at the risk of looking like a linebacker, I just might put some in.

In all, the dress took about 7 hours to complete (this includes the difficult cutting and redoing the neckline--twice). But hey, I'm still learning!

An added bonus--I went to the Springfield Antiques Expo this month, and found the perfect Bakelite jewelry to go with the dress! I was hoping for red, but the orange matched nicely (and was a bit less pricey).


















I would like to make this dress again with longer sleeves and I might try wool or gabardine to make it a bit dressier. I also did not do any top-stitching,but I will next time I crank out one of these beauties.

Sew on,
Christina

Easter Dress

Pattern: Simplicity 4070, 2011

Fabric: Drapery fabric from FM (it has been in my stash for about a year or two)

Notions: Thread, invisible zipper

Time to complete: Not sure, but I would guess about 7-8 hours

Total cost: Probably around $10

First worn: Easter 2012

Wear again? Yes! It may be a bit fancy for work, but I wore it today, anyway. 

When I was young, my mother would often buy me a new dress for Easter. Now that I'm grown, I have somewhat continued the tradition. After all, what girl doesn't like to buy a new dress? Last year I made this Easter dress, so I decided to make one again this year. I also continued the tradition of staying up until the wee hours of the morning to finish the dress. Hopefully next year I will only stay up until midnight instead of 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning.

Sew Happy,
Christina

Oldie but Goody

Hi there! So, I dropped the ball this month, and did not do a March creation. Too busy. However, I thought I would dig into my recent past and pull out this lovely.

I made this dress about three years ago when I finally got back into sewing. There are a few things I would like to change (like the size...it's a wee bit big), but overall I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Pattern: Simplicity 2591, 2009, I think
Fabric: Laura Ashley from FM, about $6.00 per yard (about 2.5 yards)
Notions: Invisible zipper, hook and eye
Time to complete: About 8 hours
Total cost: About $15.00
First worn: Hm...can't remember
Wear again? Of course...I wear this one a lot. 


When I make this again, I will size it down some (this one is a 10 and I could probably wear an 8 or even 6), and I would like to add piping to the pockets and neckline. I may also do a version with a Peter Pan collar because I think Peter Pan collars make the world a prettier place.

What are some additions that you like to make to patterns?


Sew Happy,
Christina 

Horse Dress

I'm posting a bit late, but I finished my February project on February 29th. Thankfully this was a leap year, right?

Fabric: Quilting fabric from FM, about $4 a yard

Pattern: Simplicity 4447

Year: Not entirely sure, but I'm guessing late 50s

Notions: 5 buttons

Time to complete: About 8 hours including cutting

First worn: March 1, 2012

Wear again? Definitely! I've already worn it twice!

This dress has been lovingly dubbed by my husband as "The Horse Dress" since it has a western theme. Once I saw it at FM, I fell in love with the vintage-inspired print and knew I had to make something out of it.

This was also my first foray into piping. I think it turned out rather nicely, no?

The hardest part by far was gathering the skirt. This sucker is FULL. Also, I would add an invisible zipper because right now, there is an opening beneath the last button and I am always paranoid that it is going to fly open and show everyone my undies. Other than that, I think this dress turned out fabulous!

On another note, my husband and I had some fun with this shoot!

Sew happy,

Christina

This Dress is Apples!

I know it has been a VERY long time since my last post. Since I started a full time job, I have come to the realization that I need to learn to budget my time better in order to continue to do the things I love to do. Which brings me to my New Year's resolution - a few weeks late, I know - to complete two sewing projects a month. My inspiration is The Sew Weekly. In 2011, Mena Trott and four other contributors completed sewing projects based on weekly themes. If you are a seamstress, you must follow this blog.

This dress is one of my favorites:

Hips don't lie...

I decided on two projects a month because sewing a new item every week seemed a bit daunting to me - I have a full time job (and a full closet!) and friends and family that I like to see on a regular basis. So, every two weeks seemed to me to be the magic number. And, I've already made three items for the month of January!

So, since I celebrated my 32nd birthday this month, I decided to make myself a dress...a fun and vintage inspired dress.

Fabric: Quilting fabric from Hancock Fabrics, $7.00 per yard (about 2.5 yds)

Pattern: Simplicity 4447

Year: Not entirely sure, but I'm guessing late 1950s

Notions: 5 vintage buttons, invisible zipper

Time to complete: About 7 hours, including cutting

First worn: January 29, 2012

Wear again? Definitely! I've already worn it twice!

First of all, I love this print! I went fabric shopping with my mother-in-law, and she kindly purchased this for me. I kept waiting to make something because I knew I had just enough to make a dress...I just wasn't sure which one. Well, I went to Kansas City for my mother's 50th birthday party, and I snagged 26 vintage patterns from one of the local thrift shops, including the one I used for this dress.

Now, I did not make a muslin before starting with my precious 2 and 1/2 yards of fabric, but thankfully it all worked out. I added about an inch in the hips, and when I make this dress again, I will probably take in the top just a bit and lower the darts. You can't really tell, but the darts are about an inch and a half too high. Over all, I couldn't be happier with how this turned out!

Sew happy,

Christina

Outfit details:

Dress: Handmade by me from a vintage pattern

Shoes: MIA, thrifted for $1.50

Stockings: Vintage, thrifted for .50 cents.

Spring Bridesmaids

In March, my lovely friends Dana Nairn and Phil Bridges were married.

Dana and I both share a love of sewing and crafting, so when she asked if I would make her bridesmaid dresses, I graciously accepted the task.

Her colors were bright, spring colors, and after multiple trips to the fabric store, we decided on a lovely green taffeta with green lace.


I absolutely love these dresses! The green is so lovely, and it is a color that works on many people. I also loved Dana's idea of making the contrast band out of lace. We decided to make the dress with three different necklines--cross-body v-neck, square neck, and a scalloped neckline--for the three bridesmaids (myself included!)


The wedding was very whimsical with a lot of DIY decorations, and I was so happy to be a part of it!


Sew Happy,
Christina

Tuxedo Dress

My third item for Red Velvet Art is done!

I call this the Tuxedo Dress because the cream color and velvet bow tie reminds me of a woman's version of a tuxedo.

This is a lace A-line dress with a black velvet collar and bow tie detail.


It also has a scalloped hem and is fully lined. Again, I might have to make one of these for my very own...is it okay to wear cream to a wedding?

Sew happy,
Christina

Sunday Best Dress

My second item for my Red Velvet Art line is complete!

I just had to have one for myself, so I stayed up late Saturday night making an extra for me to wear on Easter Sunday. It was such a fun dress to wear with gray tights and oxfords, and the fabric is super soft, so it was comfy as well.

This dress has pleats in front and back, an ascot tie collar, and a side zipper. With the higher waist and A-line skirt, this dress would be flattering on just about anyone and perfect to wear when you are putting on your "Sunday best."

Sew happy,

Christina

Twilight Stroll

I finished my blouse for Red Velvet this morning!

It is a sheer blue polyester blouse with lace detail and a little pink button back. I love this and kind of wish I could keep it for myself. I suppose that is a good sign because other ladies will love it, too!

The polyester was a bit difficult to work with at times, and I wish that I had a serger to make the seams a little more clean. I did finish the seams, but serging would have been a bit easier. I really liked how the cap sleeves and lace neckline turned out! I also like the versatility of this blouse--it could be casual with a pair of jeans or dressy tucked in with a high waisted pencil skirt.

Once all of the items are done, I would like to do a "look book" to show ways to wear the items, so be on the look out for that once I'm done!

On to the the next thing...

Sew happy,

Christina