Vintage May Inspiration

I've always loved the Vintage May series.  A lot of my sewing is vintage inspired, so the series speaks to me.  I enjoy seeing what everyone comes up with each time the series comes around.  This year, I decided to take the inspiration and sew a little something of my own.

I made a voile top with a sweet vintage-like floral print and a pair of high waisted, German inspired, shorts with suspenders circa the late 40's.  Depending on how it's worn, the two pieces give a very different look.

Queen Holden Paper Doll

Here is the vintage pattern I sewed up this fall for the Project Run and Play sew along.  It came straight from a vintage 40's pattern.  I loved the suspenders on both pieces but since I'd already done a look like this, I decided to do it a little different this time.  

I was also influenced by the high waisted shorts of the 50's and the flowing tops of the 70's.  So, my look isn't straight up vintage, but definitely inspired and merging several aspects.

 Greatly inspired by my 40's pattern and it's versatility - extra thick hems, removable straps, several pieces- and it's ability to grow with a child, I knew I wanted separates that could be worn many ways.

The top is made from voile and is light and airy.  It has buttons halfway down the back which leaves the back partly open.  It can be worn tucked in or loose (Miss wore it buttoned in the front today which is actually pretty cute).

The shorts are faux suede with a high waist and a sweetheart waist band.  They can be worn with the suspenders or they can be worn with the waist folded down and the top untucked.

This outfit will be fun for warm summer days and I think the shorts will also be great over tights this winter.  Versatility!

In the meantime, she will enjoy lazing in the sun and welcoming the summer breeze.

• Patterns: Brownie Goose Lazy Susan and Brownie Goose Sailor Shorts both modified
• Fabric: voile from fashionfabricsclub.com and faux leather from Joanne's

Project Run and Play Sew Along: Mad for Plaid

Click on the photos to view them larger.

Well, I did it. I cut into the beautiful plaid wool. Thanks to everyone for the encouragement on the last post.  It was so wonderful to sew with! It seems I'm mildly allergic to wool; my arms have a little rash on them. It's completely worth it, though.

Instagram photos are full size.

This week's Project Run and Play theme is Mad for Plaid.  I happened to have some lovely wool yardage calling my name.  Serendipitous?  I think so.  This week, I went all out and made a four piece outfit.  There is a jacket, a shirt, a skirt with suspenders and a matching cap.  I also got a crash course in working with vintage patterns.  I'm also going to add that I made most of this on the weekend.  Why?  Probably because I'm a sucker for punishment.

Unlike the previous vintage pattern I sewed, this pattern had very minimal instructions.  The pattern was also much more detailed.  Between the lack or directions and the odd shaped pattern pieces, I had a lot of fiddling to do.  The pattern pieces had holes in them for markings (all different sizes) which I had to mark and then match up later.  Once I figured out which hole was for what part, it all made sense but it was a long process.  My muslin had many strangely placed darts and I might have dulled my seam ripper.

Everything you need to know about installing a lining.

A text message conversation with my wonderful aunt and, suddenly, everything fell into place.  The other pieces had fewer holes and starting with those helped me understand what all of this meant.  There are 4 holes to indicate darts, 4 holes for pocket placement, holes for seam allowance, collar placement AND where to cut for the lining (this was the one that really had me stumped).  If you break it down, it's really not as scary as it looks.

Through this process, I made my first lined jacket and my first darts.  In my opinion, the darts look perfect, but I think the wool's forgiveness has a lot to do with that.   I also learned a few things about construction that I plan to use later in pattern drafting, like the clever way they made the lapel.

The skirt is interesting.  It has snaps to hold closed the opening on the side and it called for a hook and eye closure but I chose to use a larger snap for ease of getting off and on.  The directions merely said "face opening and sew on snaps" with a drawing so I pretty much had to wing it and, as it turns out, I sewed my facing on backward but I'm just gonna go with it.  Before I realized what I'd done, the seam allowance had already been trimmed and I was pretty much out of fabric.

One thing I love about vintage patterns is how they are made to grow with children.  This pattern has suspenders to hold the skirt up and the waist is just a bit too big.  The suspenders hold the skirt up high so that it the silhouette is right.  As my daughter grows, I can remove the suspenders and have her wear the skirt as is.  It will fit at her natural waist and hit right about the knee.  The jacket is on the short side but will probably last her two seasons since the arms are long.

With suspenders, it fits much shorter.

It's longer without the suspenders and barely stays on right now!

Detail shot of the waistband.

One of my favorite things is that this pattern calls for gathers at the elbow.  It's subtle but darling. 

 It add just a touch of extra fullness to the sleeve and makes it easier to move in.  It just really tickles me for some reason, probably because it's something that would have never occurred to me.  I managed to miss taking a photo of it somehow.

The shirt is not a vintage pattern, it's a shirt from Lily Bird Studio which I've had for ages and only just got around to sewing up.  I lengthened the sleeve for more coverage and lengthened the hem as well so that she could wear it for two years along with the skirt.  I like the little ruffle detail at the neck but I flipped it and sewed it downward instead of leaving it up as shown in the instructions.  It's a simple silhouette but has just enough little details to make it special.  I didn't want something that would overwhelm the suit or the plaid so I stuck with a solid color and a simple shape.

I love the ruffle neckline and the gathered sleeves.

Sweet, gathered back yoke.

I took some photos indoors because it looked like it was going to rain, but I managed to get out and go to the park when the rain let up.  I much prefer outdoor photos.

A little 40's shoulder pad love

Vintage Dress Adventures

I worked with my first vintage pattern last weekend.  It was actually a pretty simple affair, but I did notice the instructions were very minimal.  It basically told me to sew it together and what order to do it in.  Luckily, I was familiar with basic construction so it wasn't a big deal.  It could have been worse, though.  I have another pattern that has no markings on it except for different sized holes.  I assume those are for marking darts and other things, but I'm still researching before I tackle it.

The dress I made is a size 2 toddler dress from what I believe is the mid 50's.  It's a very cute dress and I used vintage print for it as well.  The fabric is a reprint feedsack from Windham Fabrics.  I'd had the fabric in my stash for over a year.  It was so hard to cut into it, but I'm glad I did.

When I tried the finished dress on, my husband said he didn't like the collar.  I wasn't sure how I felt about it, so I pulled it off, bound the neck and the collar separately and added a couple snaps to the dress.  Now the collar is detachable!

The more I see it with the collar, the more I like it.  It helps balance the wide set puffy sleeves.  It's very cute without the collar too, though.

Here is a progress shot of the pattern and the layout on my beautiful, beautiful fabric.  I still can't believe I cut into it!  Butterick 8846

This dress really needs a petticoat.  The dress hangs like a wide sack without it.  Unfortunately, the petticoat I made for the Alice costume was much much too short at this point.  So, I cut off the top and sewed on an elastic band so she could continue wearing it.  The dress would benefit from a full crinoline, though.

Because working with a vintage pattern wasn't enough of a challenge for me *HA* I decided to make things even harder on myself and add piping.  I've never sewn with piping before...ever.  I didn't have any red piping so I decided to make some.  I also had no cording, but I remember reading online somewhere that ladies used to use yarn, so I raided my stash and found some nice kitchen cotton to use.  See, I told you I like to make things hard on myself!

The piping making process was really straightforward.  I cut strips of fabric on the bias, folded it over my yarn and used my zipper foot to sew right up next to the yarn.  Then you sandwich your piping in between your two pieces of fabric and sew them together, again using your piping foot.

I love the way the whole thing turned out.  I now want to pipe everything under the sun.  Piping on pillows?  Yes please!  Piping on skirts?  Of course!  Piping on t shirts?  Why not?  Piping is awesome!

So, since I loved the dress and the piping and the sun was gorgeous, Miss and I took a photo walk last night.  Here is her vintage dress...and her pig tails.

Clicking on the photos will take you to my flickr photostream.  There are more photos from the shoot there.

Princess and the Pea

Here is another flashback for you.  These were taken almost 2 years ago.  I was inspired by a lot of fairy tale themed shoots.  I can't remember if there was a particular photo that made me thing to do Princess and the Pea or not.  It was quite some time ago that I got the idea in my head.  I think the true turning point was a photo posted by a friend of mine.  She took some fabulous photos of her daughter dressed as Snow White.

I also had a vintage dress I had to photograph before it became too short.  I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone and do a fairy tale shoot and a vintage dress shoot.

I had to wait for a day with decent light and a convenient time.  I think I waited a month before I was able to get my shots in.  I found a vintage dress in the closet so that I could kill two birds with one stone: vintage dress photos and fairy tale photos.

She insisted on having Emma with her.  She and Emma were quite inseparable.  She is still very attached, but mostly at bed time.  Emma is rarely carted around anymore.

She was a very unhappy and sleepy princess.  Just like the real thing.

A Little Vintage

We had a fun time with our photo shoot today.  She is wearing a vintage dress with a home made petticoat.  I love vintage dresses.










I did a little vintage processing on them because photos are more fun when processed all vintage-like, right?

A Little Vintage

I found this dress on etsy and instantly fell in love.  It was listed as vintage and I'm pretty sure it's home made.  There are no tags and the seams definitely looks like they weren't professionally finished. I love the tiny bits of embroidery, the tiny pearl buttons, and the delicate lace detailing.  I also love that if I let down the hem she can keep wearing this beauty for two years.  More modern dresses need to have thick hems.  My daughter (and my boys) always outgrew things length wise long before they outgrew them in width.

She is also wearing a vintage crinoline which she has, sadly, outgrown.  I'm on the lookout for another one because I love the way dresses hang over crinolines.  The little toddler legs sticking out of a poofy dress is one of the cutest things.




I really wish I hadn't chopped the balloons in this one.  It's one of those things I need to pay more attention to.







I have a couple other vintage dresses as well, but one of them somehow escaped a photo shoot!  I don't know how that happened but I'm sure it's too short now and the hem had already been let down.