Royal Copenhagen

This quilting cotton was neglected for many, many years.  It was originally slated to be a pair of pajamas, but seeing as I don't really wear pajama sets, it seemed like a waste of lovely fabric.

And I really do love a toile de jouy print, so it was just a matter of finding the right project.

Eventually I settled on Simplicity 9040.  Now, I am really not much of a fan of an elastic waist, but I figured that the fabric belt would be enough to mask that issue.  And while getting any kind of pattern match was going to leave slim pickings of my yardage, I was determined to make it work and the bodice center front.

Somewhere along the line I decided that adding Rick Rack to the pockets was an absolute necessity, so I had to wait for that to arrive (because it's inevitable that the stash of vintage Rick Rack that I have on hand wasn't quite right for the job).

I don't have any complaints, really, except that the neckline is really, really wide.  But a length of ribbon and a couple of snaps used to make two lingerie guards solved that problem.

This dress is easy to wear, comfortable, and I love the print.

And it only took me two years to post the photos on the blog.  But sometimes that's just the way it goes.  With this warm weather, I should probably wear it before the seasons change.  Or is it just too gauche to wear anything with white after Labor Day?! 

Dress:  Made by me, Simplicity 9040
Shoes: Born
Earrings:  Gift
Necklace:  Etsy

Strawberry Picking

The main reason that this project got pushed to the front of the queue was that the yardage was taking up space on my sewing table after having been laundered.  I had quite a bit of it to iron, and while that task didn't seem especially interesting, it sat there long enough for me to remember that I was waiting for a nice pair of complimentary fabrics in order to test out Burda 6965.  And, perhaps more importantly, I wanted the space on the table back.

As far as cutting on the cross grain due to the 44" wide fabric not being wide enough for the pattern as drafted, it does not appear to have caused any major issues.  So that gamble paid off.

What I will say about the draft is that this skirt is LONG.  I am wearing my 1940s repro platforms, and even with the significant heel height, this garment almost brushes the ground.

The pattern says it is drafted for someone who is 5'6" tall, which just so happens to be my height.  And yes, I am more long waisted than long limbed, but this skirt is still extremely long.  Because of the scalloped hemline, and the fact that you might not want to lose that detail, it is something to keep in mind.  

There are no lengthen/shorten markings, but I might take out about an inch of length somewhere in the middle of those strangely shaped pattern pieces if I make this again.

But since I am quite intrigued about the more circular shaped pieces of the actual vintage pattern from Simplicity that I have in my stash, it is likely that I would make that version instead.

The matching top works well with the skirt, so I am happy with that.  Honestly, the only reason that I made it up was the fact that I wanted to wear the skirt, and with this weather we have been having, a black sweater just wasn't something I was interesting in wearing any time soon.  Turns out, it's a great pattern.  And I would definitely be interested in making up the coordinating skirt at some point in the future.

These 1970s designs are growing on me.  And I recognize that the call back to the 1940s certainly has a lot to do with that.

I am actually thinking that my next project will be a vintage 1940s frock.  I certainly have a length of rayon stashed away (or ten) so I should be able to find something appropriate.

But I did find an old Donna Karan pattern that would work really well with these very strawberry prints, and I think that I have enough yardage left to do just that.  Or is it ridiculous to make two garments back to back with the same fabric?!

Whatever I decide, I am very pleased with this outfit and the fact that I have another reason to wear my silly strawberry earrings!

Blouse:  Made by me, McCalls 8431
Skirt:  Mae by me, Burda 6965
Earrings:  Etsy
Shoes:  Remix "Miranda"

A Bowl Full of Berries

Since I had plenty of fabric available, I decided to make a matching top for my 1970s style swirl skirt.

McCalls 8431 is a recent reproduction of a vintage pattern, and the illustration was an obvious use of coordinating fabric, making it an easy choice to match the multi patterned skirt.  I wasn't entirely sold on the elastic finish on the sleeve hemline, but I decided to go with it.

I did take a wedge out of the bodice back piece (a common adjustment for me), and I also decided to line the bodice front and back with some black cotton voile that I had stashed away for a clean finish.

I added 5/8" to the midriff pieces, ensuring that the back bodice would sit at my waistline, and not slightly above it.  I probably could have added an extra 1/4-1/2", but this is definitely better for my long torso than as originally drafted.

I think it pairs quite nicely with the skirt.  And with no zipper or buttonholes to contend with, this project went together in no time.  Honestly, the most difficult choice was where to place each print.

I really like the way these coordinates came out, and while both patterns are most definitely 1970s inspired, I think the silhouette has a very 1940s flavor.  Which isn't too surprising, I suppose, considering that a large portion of 1970s designs were inspired by a 1940s silhouette!

Strawberry Fields

After finding two coordinating strawberry themed quilting cottons, I decided that it was only fitting that both of the prints end up in a single garment.  My first thought was to make this Burda Style pattern that I've had for a few years.  It's a 1970s reproduction, and that swirl design caught my eye some years back, and I made a mental note that should the right fabric pairing ever come along, I would try it out.

Of course, it wasn't until I took a closer look at the pattern that I realized that it requires 55" wide fabric, which wasn't going to work with my quilting cotton.  Not to be deterred, I decided to throw caution to the wind and cut the pieces on the cross grain.  I did go up one size just in case the cross grain was going to cause issues through the hips.

This particular pattern contains two pattern pieces that appear to be exactly the same except for the number assigned to each piece, which seems like an odd choice.  They are also missing any sort of notches (other than two circle notations to match the bottom hemline at the proper point).  Seeing as these pieces are partially on the bias, and they are quite long, this is an odd omission.

After trimming down the seam allowance, I finished those curving seamlines with rayon seam binding.  For the zipper opening (which is just the upper portion of one of those seamlines), I clipped into one side of the seam allowance to allow for the seams to open flat.

Archie was very excited to be involved with this project.

He just doesn't quite understand that I have to keep getting up to press things; he would much rather have me stay seated at the machine so he has an available lap.

After I finished my skirt, I was looking through a bunch of patterns in the sewing room and happened upon Simplicity 6312, which looks very similar to my Burda pattern.  After posting on Instagram, someone was kind enough to send me photos of the vintage Burda pattern.   

Turns out, the vintage Burda pattern piece is shaped in a similar fashion to the vintage Simplicity pattern.  It's much more of a semi-circle and not as elongated as the contemporary Burda pattern.  Looking at the fabric widths on the vintage version, there is a narrow and wide width option, which makes sense considering that most vintage yardage tends to be less wide than today's dressmaking fabrics that are often at least 55" wide.  And I suspect that the shape of the Simplicity pattern and the vintage Burda has a lot to do with making those twisted pieces fit on 35" wide fabric as suggested by the diagram below.  I can easily imagine a creative seamstress using some vintage feedbacks to make a gorgeous version of this skirt in the 1970s.  

So the question is, why the heck did Burda reissue a pattern and drastically alter the shape of the pattern pieces?  I suppose one could argue that the Big4 do the same thing to their vintage reproductions.  But these shapes seem excessively different.

I am now rather curious if one would be more flattering on the body than the other.  Of course, that would require me finding two more coordinating prints.  And since I have at least ten other summer appropriate projects in my head at the current moment, this experiment will have to wait . . . but perhaps one day I will make that Simplicity pattern up and see how it goes together!

Turquoise Cherries

This red piqué skirt is one of my favorite summer circle skirts, so it only seemed fitting to make another coordinating blouse to match.

And, of course, using up leftover yardage to make said blouse earns bonus points, in my opinion.

I have made this top a couple of times already, so there were no real surprises with Butterick 4985.

The other versions are made of cotton, so this one wears slightly different with the drapey rayon.  And I can't really decide which I prefer. 

I suppose they both have their place.

And I do have plenty of both fabric options stashed away to make myself more should I feel the need to add another to my closet.

And while I have never had my colors "done" or whatever they call that these days, it would seem that shades of turquoise are most definitely in my preferred season. 

I can say that I am not an Autumn with certainty, but I'm not going to let that stop me if I want to wear orange or brown.  That being said, I get compliments from strangers on the street when I wear shades of turquoise, and it happens frequently enough to have become a trend.  I guess I should count myself lucky that turquoise and I are part of a mutual admiration society, since the color seems to like me back.

Which has me wondering if I have any more turquoise rayon in my stash . . .

Blouse:  Made by me, Butterick 4985
Skirt:  Made by me, Stanwyck Skirt
Shoes:  Born
Ring:  Vintage
Earrings:  Vintage

Leftover Cherries

This is an older project, but it is always nice to be able to make a second garment out of fabric leftovers.

I made a lovely dress out of this rayon challis years ago, and had small scraps that were too large to throw away, but there wasn't much left.  I held on to the remnants anyway, hoping that they would come in handy at a later date - enter Butterick 4985.  Because the design is made up of a bunch of smaller pieces, instead of one or two larger bodice front and back sections, it's the perfect design for remnant fabric.

I have used this pattern a couple of times before, and I continually reach for them during the summer as easy-to-wear separates.

Rayon challis presents a fun challenge to wrangle a rather thin and quite drapey fabric, but it's always worth the extra effort.

I do wish that I could find some slightly heavier rayon prints, but for now, the challis will do.

It does take a french seam quite nicely, and it's a pleasure to hand stitch.

And although I had to get a bit creative with fabric piecing to get my ties cut out of the leftover bits of yardage, it all turned out for the best.

In fact, this is a reminder that I should pull out some of my rayon prints to make another summer weight blouse, or perhaps even a dress.