Estate Sale Pattern Finds

For so many years I avoided most 1970s styles.  But since I have been searching for a "perfect" blouse for at least a decade, when I found this pattern at an estate sale, I decided that I needed to give it a try.

Now, to be fair, I don't think that a fairly stable woven cotton is exactly what this design calls for.  On the other hand, it's easy to work with, I thought that the floral design would look nice with the style lines, and I had enough stashed away to give the pattern a try.  Which was good enough for me!

Now is it my dream blouse?  Probably not . . . I'm beginning to think that one doesn't actually exist.

But a high neck silhouette has been growing on me over the last few years.  And I do like the yoke, even if it's difficult to see the style lines with this busy print.

The sleeve is pulled in with elastic for this design.  And while I absolutely prefer a buttoned cuff, it's nice to change things up a bit every once in a while.

I don't believe that my wrists are particularly small, but it was almost impossible to get that elastic small enough - perhaps something to do with the fabric choice being slightly thicker than called for?

I am thinking about making this up in a rayon challis . . . if I don't get distracted by something else in the meantime.

As for my cotton version, it's very comfortable to wear.  I had some misgivings about a center back zipper on a blouse, but it all worked out.  But I might not be as happy about that with a drapey rayon challis . . . something to think about.

I suspect that there is enough excess fabric that a zipper would get lost in the folds of fabric, but I would probably use a regular zip instead of an invisible one just to maintain as much of the drape in the rayon as possible.

And now I've decided that I need to dig around in the stash and find a suitable rayon.

And the project queue continues to grow . . .

Blouse:  Made by me, Vogue 9345
Skirt:  Made by me, Simplicity 8458
Earrings:  Etsy
Shoes:  Sam Edelman

Dark Florals

About a month ago, I found this vintage pattern at an estate sale.  I don't often find myself drawn to 1970s designs, but for whatever reason, I liked this one, and it followed me home.

When I opened up the envelope, I discovered that something had attacked the sleeve tissue.  I did my best to carefully iron things flat, and traced the destroyed piece onto a piece of Pellon.

But it wasn't the sleeve that I was most excited about.  What made me take a second look at this pattern was the yoke.  Generally, I prefer v-necks and angular lines so I don't look any more rounded, but I thought this might look really nice tucked into a full skirt.

Of course, the pattern also comes with a belt.  This may not be the way I choose to wear the blouse, but since I had enough of this cotton fabric, I decided that having more options is always nice, and cut out the belt.

Gathers are definitely not my favorite part of the sewing process, but I was hoping that the added aggravation would be worth it in the end.

And I wanted to see how that yoke was going to work for me.

Because the neckline is fairly fitted, this blouse has a zipper at center back.

I contemplated using a pick stitch for the zipper, however, as there was going to be a bit of topstitching along the yoke if I followed the pattern instructions, so I decided that it might look slightly odd not to use a machine stitch for the zipper insertion.

And with some hand basting to keep everything in place, it went well.

After a bit of trimming and clipping, the neckline facing was ready to stitch into place.

I did hand stitch that facing into place, even with the top-stitching - it just works better - and the instructions agree!

Along with gathering, I often avoid projects that require elastic.  But these sudo-bishop sleeves seemed worth a small amount of elastic.

The directions call for use of a purchased bias tape, but I prefer to make my own.  And it will always be a perfect match!

Stitching the two ends of elastic together in such a small circumference was a real pain, but in the end, I wrangled those silly stretchy bits.

And raw edges were finished with seam binding, of course.

I also decided to hand stitch the hem in place, even with the top-stitched details; I just prefer the soft finish that it gives.

The finished blouse is a bit shapeless through the body, but the tie cinches things in nicely, as will a skirt waistband.

I rather like the way this blouse turned out.

So exploring this particular 1970s pattern was well worth it (shredded pattern tissue, and all!).

A Novelty Shirtwaist Dress

I actually managed to wear this dress before the calendar date made wearing a predominately white cotton dress just too out of season!

I don't necessarily subscribe to the "rules" of fashion, no white after Labor Day and all of that, but this is definitely a summer dress in my book.

There certainly are a massive number of shirt dress patterns out there, and I can say without reservation that this is a good one.

There were no real surprises in the construction; everything was very straightforward.  This is also one of those "Custom Fit" patterns that include multi-cup sizes, so if you wish to avoid small or full bust adjustments, this might just be the right shirt dress pattern for you.

And as I mentioned in my post about the construction of this garment, the only real thing to complain about is the amount of yardage required by the pattern.  But who doesn't want to wear a really full skirt, right?  And that is the price we have to pay.

All told, this was a very pleasant project.

And now it's on to sewing more seasonally appropriate garments.  Although I can't promise that there won't be one or two more summery garments that get posted to this blog.  I really am trying to catch up, but as I continue to spend time sewing, that may never happen!

Dress:  Made by me, Vogue 9345
Shoes:  Royal Vintage "Ginger"

Umbrella Season

I spotted this fabric at JoAnn Fabrics last year.  I love the print, but the white background was rather sheer so I put the bolt back.  But after it made it to the clearance section and remained there for some time, I decided to grab it.  It's not the best quality cotton, but I though it would come in handy for some future project.

Vogue 9345 was my pick for a vintage cut of cotton gingham that I found at an estate sale.  However, the major issue with this particular design is that it is a total fabric hog if you want the full skirt version (which I did!).  So the vintage textile was out.

Then I spotted this yardage in my sewing room, and thought I might as well try the pattern out and see how I like it.

Of course, that's no reason not to go all out with bound buttonholes, especially when you don't trust the machined version!

I did my best to line up the front bodice pieces with the pattern repeat.

And with all of my stashed buttons, these were the only red ones in my collection.  They aren't my absolute favorite, but they work.

The hemline didn't drop that much, but I did trim a little from the bias portions of the skirt.

And with the button placement, I though it was a good idea to add a hook & bar at the waistline.

I also added a snap between the two buttons on the bodice.  The top button is placed at the fullest part of the bust as it should be, but I think that a snap placed between two buttons keeps the bodice opening closed a little better.

Here is the finished look.  It's no longer seasonally appropriate, but I did manage to wear it once during the Summer months.  I suspect I will be using the pattern again in the future.  It's classic, it has a nice fit, and I do love a good shirt dress!