Fifties fair frock and a leopard

This weekend I made my fifties fair frock. It's next weekend, so I decided to go for a pattern I'd made before - I think this might be the fourth time I've made this.

And I just realised I made this one for last year's fair too!


This time I made it with the collar

It's a nice cotton sateen with lycra - this means no need for a zip, which made it a super quick sew. As this was a woven rather than a knit, I added 2cm to each seam (including the CF and CB folds) which seems just right. I used the a-line skirt from New Look 6557.

I do like it with that collar.

I also made a wrap dress with some monochrome leopard knit I bought last weekend, at the same time as the sateen above.

I used Butterick 5101 - I've made this as a top before, which I didn't post because it was black and therefore hard to see. It has a nice slight raised collar at the back. I was a little worried that it might gape, but I road tested it today and it seems fine - I usually wear a slip anyway so that should be fine.

Sewing, buying, stapling

It will take me a bit longer to know for sure, but I think having a dedicated sewing room has slowed my sewing down. I used to be motivated to finish a frock in a day, or at least a weekend, because I had to clear everything off the dining table. Now I can leave everything in the sewing room for weeks.

It could also be winter slowing me down, because it's cold in the sewing room, and I have resisted Mr M's offers to set up a portable heater in there as too indulgent and expensive. As much as Betty is a useful dressform, I still need to try things on myself to be sure of length and fit, and I really don't enjoy doing that in the chilly house. I admit it! I sew in my undies in summer. So much easier for multiple try-ons.

I just finished another Stepfrock, this time in a blue doubleknit. This fabric is softer and has more drape than the doubleknit I used for the black one, and the result isn't as crisp, but I like it nonetheless.

I scored three boxes of vintage patterns at an auction place recently, in two auctions over two weeks. I'd say 95% are my size, so what could I do? I had to bid. There would be perhaps 140 patterns in total, and I counted 29 duds, but most are from the 40s, 50s and 60s. Yay! I haven't had much time to sit and study each one, but Moggy is coming up again for the Fifties fair in a couple of weeks, so I'll save that for an evening activity for us.

I also bought about 4.5 metres of Sanderson's 'Dandelion Clocks' fabric on eBay at a bargain price. Here it is stapled onto a canvas on my bedroom wall. I still have heaps left to make cushions.

I don't have to try on cushions, so they have a chance of being made before summer.

Only a little bit of sewing...

In last year's makeover post I mentioned wanting to get hold of a Queen Anne style bedroom suite. I finally did a few weeks ago - two bedside tables, a mirrored dressing table, and a bed. (I reckon from the 70s, going by the maker and what I could find out about them - they're made by The Prestige Furniture Co, Reservoir).

It's brown shiny veneer, so I knew I had to paint it - I thought either white, black, or pink. I decided on the black, with pink handles. I found some great repro medium pink glass handles on eBay - sent from the USA, with great quick (and cheap!) shipping, and really well packed... (Rousso's Reproductions - NAYY but highly recommended).

I didn't want to have to do all sorts of sanding and so on, so I went to the paint shop and got a recommendation for Zinsser 1-2-3 Bullseye (what a name!) which you can paint straight over varnish - and so it did. I painted 3 coats of gloss black over the top (all water based, much easier than oil).
So, here's the first part of the suite:


As you can see, I also whipped up a doily for it - some leftover pink linen from another project, some crochet lace from the shop up the road, and Wednesday's days of the week kitty from Embroidery Library (embroidery machine, I have been neglecting you!)

Now to paint the rest of the suite, which also involves fixing the busted leg on the bed... that will be interesting. I'm not sure if I'm going to upholster the bed - I'll paint it first, then see how I like it.

Vintage Fabric Heidi

It's been a long time between posts; I've been sewing, just not fast enough to blog about it.

I finished the final iteration of Heidi today.

She fought me all the way.
I've been working on this frock for weeks! The fabric was slippery and recalcitrant, and it just wasn't fun. I got through the ordeal by working on her in short bursts, giving up and closing the door of the sewing room when I felt ready to throw the whole thing in the bin.

I even made a self-fabric cummerbund too. I think you can tell by my posture in the cummerbund pic that I'm not thrilled with it! I think this version of the frock looks better without a belt:
The cummerbund took ages too, because of the naughty fabric. Sigh.

I lined her in bright pink cotton poplin, inspired by the little bit of pink in the fabric:

I'm pleased with the final result, but she shall sit in the wardrobe until I'm over the ordeal of making her. Also until it warms up enough to wear her. I might even warm to the cummerbund with time, but I'm not counting on it.

In the chilly weather, my thoughts turn to knitting. I love sitting on the couch with a nice warm knit!

This is what I've made:
Big Bad Baby Blanket: from Stitch n Bitch, in an acrylic from Spotlight:

Sludgy green ribbed lace bolero, for Ms Mog, who says she loves it and wore it already so maybe she doesn't lie:


Yarn is "Classic" 100% merino (colour Guava) from Bendigo Woollen Mills.

I'm knitting another, more complicated baby blanket now. More on that one later.

Bloody Bengaline

I got some blood red stretch bengaline on Saturday. I was umming and ahhing but then decided to buy 5m of the stuff.

I do love a bit of bengaline. Did you know that Lizzie Borden was wearing a bengaline dress when she* axe murdered her parents? The things you learn on Wikipedia!. Hers was silk though, mine isn't so murdery...

I decided to make Butterick 5281 - a retro reprint from 1946. Now I look at the Butterick website I see they've made a version in a similar red - fancy that!

Unfortunately I think it has turned out a bit mumsy (not sure of the translation of that term for our North American friends...). I'm hoping a brooch -as opposed to the fetching pin that is there now - and a belt will help. I also didn't put the shoulder pads in - I will have a think about it on my test drive tomorrow.**


It was actually a pretty straightforward sew. I didn't line the bodice, just made a facing which seems to have worked fine.

_______________________________________
*Allegedly murdered (thanks anonymous)

** Test drove frock today - garnered compliments. Easy Jane, why do you frumpify# my frocks?

#Thanks Cathie, that is the word I was looking for!

Deery me

Here's the other frock I was making while Heidi-ing.

It's made of the Joel Dewberry Deer Valley fabric featured in an earlier post. It's delightful! Made from old faithfull vintage Butterick 8149 with some wide straps trimmed with the same bias binding as I put on the top of the bodice. Skirt is good old New Look 6699 as the large scale fabric seemed to demand a-line skirt.




Hooray!

Duelling Heidis

Moggy and I were making Heidis at the same time on the weekend, and had a virtual sew-along over the innernets. Fun! We used similar prints too, which I didn't know until she had finished her muslin.

This is my Heidi number 2, which I made out of a stash fabric to test the size 34 bodice. It's a much better fit than the 36, but I think I'll need to take a smidge out of the width of the neckline on the final version as it still gaps when I move. Although it may be the open pleats causing the billowing I guess. A small bust adjustment wouldn't hurt; I think Burdas are drafted for a C cup, aren't they? I'm no C.

The fabric is from the stash, a quilting cotton from a couple of years ago called 'Touched by the Sun' by RJR. (I can't find it online anywhere now.) It really didn't need lining, but I lined it for extra practise before doing the vintage fabric version. With the thick cotton lining it feels substantial, like a vintage frock. I'm enjoying that.
I am debating whether to do this skirt on the final version. There are 7 pieces (including the pockets) which make up just the front of this skirt, yikes! I do love the pockets, but a simpler skirt (like on Moggy's version yesterday) would look fine too, since the details are lost on these busy prints. I could always put in side seam pockets. What do you think?

I am Heidi (and so can you!)*

I finally got back into sewing this weekend - it felt fab.

Why did it take me so long to get onto the Heidi bandwagon? She's a good quick sew, and just plain lovely! I shoulda know when such stylish and tasteful sewing ladies such as Livebird, Erin Dressaday and my sewing compadre kitty have made such nice frocks.

Here's my (very) wearable muslin:

Changes:
7cm length added to bodice (it's rather a highwaisted pattern, and I'm longwaisted at the best of times) - thanks to Livebird for this one!

I didn't use the Heidi skirt -as I've said before, Burda do seem to put fussy (in my opinion) details on their patterns that seem to make things fiddly to make. Also, you wouldn't have been able to see the centre panel etc it in the busy pattern. I used the plain pencil skirt from New Look 6699, and made the darts into pleats.

I made it in a stretch woven I got for $2.50/m at Spotlight - if (when!) I make this in a non-stretch I'll need to add a couple of centimetres. I might change the back bodice pleats into darts, but I'll see how I feel when I've testdriven the frock tomorrow.

I think I'll make it out of the rose on the right here. I've made a frock in the deer print on the left, but that isn't quite finished yet... and now I wish it was a Heidi.


* with apologies to Stephen Colbert.

Frock in a Jiffy

I was going to make another Heidi today, but as we head into winter next week, I fancied making something I can wear in the next two or three months!

I found some wool interlock (I think) in the stash, and used Simplicity 4429. I wanted more of a cap sleeve, so I added a few centimetres at the shoulders, and added a little depth to the underarm.

It really, really needs to be belted though. It's basically a slim sack. Not pretty. But pretty with a belt, yay! I love this frock!

It is a great background for brooches. I've been going a bit mad for vintage brooches on ebay
lately; in fact I bought two just last night, inspired by Tom and Lorenzo's Joan Holloway post. If you haven't yet discovered their Mad Style posts, you are in for a treat.

Heidi Ho

I have some vintage fabric and I couldn't decide on a pattern for it. I think it's rayon, it's got that crispy acetate hand, and it's quite thin. I pulled out all my vintage patterns, but I had a feeling I could easily end up in the 'matronly' arena with this particular print.

I took out my modern patterns, but turns out my tastes run more to the vintagey looks in modern patterns too.

So I downloaded Burda 6016, the very popular Heidi dress. There are some sweet frocks on those links.

I haven't done a download-and-tape-together-pattern before. It's not difficult, but it is time consuming. It took me over an hour to fold and tape. Then I traced the 36, which was closest to my measurements. I haven't made many Burda patterns, and I'd heard they have less ease than other commercial patterns. I knew I had to make a muslin before cutting into the 'good' fabric.

I'm glad I traced, because I will need to trace the smaller bodice next time.

I used the rest of the 70s sheet I used to underline the silk shift and because I will be lining the vintage fabric version, I also fully lined it, in white calico, for a practise run. I didn't follow the instructions to the letter for the lining, because they instruct you to handsew the lining to the zipper tape. Ha! No chance! I put the skirt lining in before doing the zip, basted the outer fabric and lining together at the side opening, and then put the zip in. In the right side of the dress as it happens; I got my left and rights mixed up. It's an invisible zip so it doesn't matter.

Why are side zips always on the left anyway, anybody know?

Here she is, with the hem very roughly pinned up. I haven't decided on the length yet. I want to ruminate on it.

Here she is with a belt. Looks better with a belt. I didn't make the belt which came with the pattern, it would have got lost in this print anyway. And, it's a muslin. Too much effort, way too much laziness.

Love those pockets!

It does look like it fits in the photos, but the bodice is too big. It's fine when I stand still with my shoulders back, but if I move the shoulders slip down and the neckline billows out like a spinnaker. Maybe I should do some pintucks, like this one.

This is the fabric I want to use, maybe with a matching cummerbund, for extra fanciness. What do you think?

Tell the bride the wedding can go ahead!

Thank you interweb friends, for your sympathy and your suggestions on how to fix this frock.

I bit the bullet and took Lsaspacey's advice (special 'mwah' to you!), and released the front darts, even though this meant undoing the overlocked and hand-stitched hem and pulling off the interlining. Ugh.

But it's worth it to have a wearable dress! I can move! (and eat, and laugh, and sit...)

Salvage operation

Yesterday's frock again.

I took out the zip, and clawed back about a centimetre of ease by sewing it back in on a smaller seam allowance. Of course the zip was one of the best I'd ever done, and *sob* it's not as neat and even now. (no one else will notice, but still, annoyment).

It feels a bit better, but doesn't look too different. I might make a stand-by frock from the rest of this fabric (because, Carol-of-the-comments, I do want to eat at the wedding...why else does one go to a wedding if not for a free feed?)

I shall shop the pattern stash.