I’ve decided to consolidate the fabric and stabilizers post into one, as well as move the start date for the muslin up a bit to allow for those that have ordered their paper patterns to get them. If you’d like to take a look at the new schedule, I’ve edited the original post here.
One of the biggest features of any garment you sew is fabric selection. This can be especially tricky with vintage patterns (most up until the 50s don’t include any suggestions!), but happily Jennie has included several suggestions that can serve both as literal and “clues” to the type of fabric this dress is most suited for! Even if we can’t choose from the array of (drool-worthy!) rayon fabrics that designs like these were whipped up in back in the day, there are still plenty of options for the modern seamstress. The pattern recommends:
Crepe, heavy rayon, rayon/poly blends, silk charmuese, lightweight wool.
Now, if you were planning on using any of these sorts of fabrics, you’re in luck! But what if you had something else in mind? Now is time for doing a little “fabric sleuthing” and figuring out some other options. Looking at the list of fabrics above, we can deduce that all are light to medium-weight material that has drape. Meaning it’s not stiff or bulky. You want something that is supple and fluid. Other options that I think would work as well:
Cotton voile or lawn, georgette in silk or blends, a very lightweight and soft linen, sueded rayon or silk, soft eyelet.
Notice all these fabrics are soft or the sort that have good drape, and are lightweight. If you’re unfamiliar with any of these fabrics, I highly recommend Claire Schaeffer’s Fabric Guide or this online textile dictionary for a description of the fabric you’re considering. Let me also say here that I strongly do not recommend quilt-weight cottons. Generally these fabrics are stiffer than what is suited for most (not all) garment designs, including this one. Stick with a fabric that is a garment weight, and you should be good. I know it can be hard with all the adorable reproduction prints available in the quilting department, but trust me: I’ve made that mistake in the past and it can make or break how the finished garment looks.
As I mentioned in the supplies post, you certainly don’t have to stick with a fabric that reads as “1940s”. This dress looks equally stunning in a classic solid or modern print. You could even go with a 70s print for a different look! Your imagination and aesthetic preferences should lead the way on picking color or pattern–have fun! I do want to mention that because of the pattern pieces in the skirt, lining up plaids, stripes or other directional prints that need to be matched may be tricky. I won’t be able to cover that from start to finish in this particular sew-along, but if you choose to go with one of those I’m sure I can dig up some references for you!
Don’t have a good fabric store in your town? No need to fret–there are a lot of apparel fabric retailers online. Here are just a few of the better-known ones: Gorgeous Fabrics, Denver Fabrics, Mood Fabrics, Fabric.com, Vogue Fabrics, Apple Annie Fabrics, Michael’s Fabrics and Emma One Sock. There are a variety of price points on each, from budget-friendly to couture quality, so be sure to do a bit of snooping to find something that fits your budget. Threads Magazine also published a great list of online fabric shops last year that is a good starting place. Don’t forget to check Etsy and Ebay either; especially if you’re looking for a vintage rayon to make your dress up in!
Now let’s talk a bit about stabilizer–also known as interfacing. Firstly, I do not claim to be an expert on this subject and am only offering my personal opinions/preferences and what I’ve discovered. Though the pattern does not call for it (as it is with most 40s-era patterns), I have found that adding interfacing to the midriff really helps how the dress lays over the stomach and adds some stability to a curved join that otherwise has a tendency to stretch or pull around. If you’re opting for an lightweight fabric (such as a rayon challis, for instance), I usually go with a very lightweight interfacing–one of my favorites is a fusible knit interfacing. I know it seems counter-intuitive to use a knit interfacing, but it does give a little bit of stability to the area but usually does not affect the weight of the garment fabric. For slightly heavier fabrics I got with a light-medium weight interfacing. If you’re using a semi-sheer or sheer material, you will have to experiment a bit to determine what would be the best option for stabilizing. I do not recommend using a fusible in this instance–sew-in is the way to go. Some options could be: self fabric, silk organza or cotton voile in a similar hue. Further reading: Thread’s interfacing brands chart and SewBox guide to interfacing.
You will need to experiment a bit with picking out an interfacing to suit your fabric if you’re unfamiliar with them. If I’m not sure how an interfacing–especially a fusible one–will affect the drape and weight of a garment fabric, I always do a test swatch first (usually an 8″-10″ square suffices so I can see how the drape looks). Sometimes the adhesive makes the fabric too stiff and I have to try something lighter or switch to a sew-in. Generally, the rule of thumb for this particular project will be: when selecting and apply a stabilizer, you do not want to dramatically affect the “hand” or drape of the material. Meaning you don’t want to make it as stiff as a board or dramatically heavier or bulkier than it is without the stabilizer. Not only does this make the interfaced area drape differently than the rest of the garment, but can make for bulky seams!
I think that covers it–now you’re ready to go out and buy your fabric! Do feel free to let me know if you have any questions and I’ll answer them in the comments. We’ll be taking the next week “off” to allow everyone to receive their patterns and have time to shop for fabric and supplies. I’ll be back with the next post a week from now and we’ll get started on the muslin stage! So tell me: what fabric are you dreaming of to make this dress in?
Oh, and this is totally off-topic, but this post marks the 900th post on Elegant Musings! Hooray!
Oh I wish I had a sewing machine, this sounds fun! I recently bought a little hand-held one in Bangkok, but it’s not up to this kind of task… really just for fixing hems and things…
Congratulations on your 900th post! Wow, that’s a lot of writing! It’s just so amazing how you keep up the inspiration and creativity.
Fabric-wise; I’m using a light weight wool-blend in pale olive green, from the stash. As exiting it would be with a daring print, this dress will be office-friendly and therefore in a solid colour. The plan is to make it longsleeved and lined, to fill the gap in my closet where there should be winter-dresses =)
I was not sure if I had the time or energy to take on another sewing project, but seeing that this dress would work in a lightweight wool… we got 18 inches of snow here in New England yesterday, and I’m thinking a nice wool dress would brighten up the winter considerably!
Thanks for the sew-along, I can’t wait to go fabric shopping!
Thanks for sharing about the cotton reproduction prints, I was considering one, but won’t do that now. Are those cottons good for dresses at all or are they in your opinion just too light to make a good dress? Just wondering.
Gina,
Glad that was helpful! The only cottons I think that would be good for this dress are the ones I listed: voile or lawn (and maybe a light sateen). Both are light and have good drape. Otherwise, most other cottons are a bit too heavy to suit this design’s lines.
♥ Casey
Thanks! Love the pictures for inspiration. Hopefully I can find something and keep myself out of the quilting section. I might have to check out some of those online stores.
My budget has had about all the fabric shopping it can handle lately! Provided the snow stops falling, I’m going to try to get to an estate sale on Saturday that has advertised tons of bolts of fabric and hope there is something worthy of a swing dress!
Congratulations on your 900th post! I have few daily must-reads, but yours is one of them!
I was wondering the same thing about light cotton fabric being good for dress making at all. Heather Bailey fabrics describe their fabrics as being good for appreal. Is it certain cut of dresses that make the lightweight cotton a bad choice?
Woo! Happy 900th post
).
For my fabric I reckon I’ll be really off-track & try this in a cotton-blend knit I have knocking around at home (there’s tonnes of it & it’s soft ‘n’ drapey
Yay Casey! BIG congrats on your 900th post! You are a very busy gal
. From the fabric examples that you showed at the top, I love numbers 35, 53 and 56-so gorgeous ( I love blue in case you hadn’t guessed 
lol). Big congrats again, and big cheers for many more awesome posts from the gorgeous Casey! Big hugs! 
Congrats on your milestone! Good post, I was waiting for it before I made any fabric decisions. Can I ask what fabric you used for your red version of the dress? I’m thinking about using the Radiance cotton/silk from fabric.com, it is lightweight and has drape…but is not as drapey as say a georgette or rayon challis. I feel like it has a similar weight/drape to your red version of this dress
Thank you!
I honestly can’t believe it’s been 900 posts already… Maybe I’ll hit 1000 by the summer! 
The fabric I used for that version was a medium weight rayon crepe that I got from denverfabrics.com. It was on the upper end of what is an acceptable weight for this design, but worked beautifully!
♥ Casey
Congrats on 900! I’m not sure what type fabric I’ll use.
I do want a cute floral print I think.
I have no idea what kind of fabric I’m going to use…I usually shop at Hobby Lobby, but they’re very limited on apparel fabrics. I might have to make a trip to Joanns, because I’m wary of buying fabric online. Especially because I mostly only work with printed cotton and don’t know much about other fabrics.
~Kristin
Blimey, 900?! Thanks for such a thorough post. I’m hoping to assemble my epattern tomorrow. Depending on how I get on I may or may not blog about it!!
How many people are on board for this sewalong, out of interest?
Portia
xxx
I have no idea how many people are planning on doing this–maybe we’ll do a count-post next week just for fun!
Good luck with assembling your pattern–should be a piece of cake!
♥ Casey
Why do you think people cannot use rayon now? There are masses of suitable drapey rayon prints on the market – they are just called viscose now!
What I was saying is that rayon was intensely popular in the 40s and there just isn’t quite the demand on the garment fabric market like there was 60-70 years ago. Thus, the variety of prints offered is not quite as plentiful. That’s all!
♥ Casey
The last set of jersey rayons are gorgeous! Visually overwhelming, but that’s how I like ‘em!
Good luck with your project.
Congrats on reaching 900! posts. Yay! Not sure what fabric I’m going to use yet. Am going to look through my stash and hope I have the right length of fabric in a suitable fabric. I have so much (ahem) fabric I can’t really justify buying any more. Lol!
Congrats on your 900th post!
I’m planning on using Rayon Challis. I have about 3 yards of it in black. But I’m thinking of matching that with a print if I can find something I like. Would it be best to use the printed fabric for the bodice, and the black for the skirt….or would you recommend it the other way around? I’m afraid having the printed fabric on top will make my already wide shoulders even wider…
Jenni,
I’d say use whichever you’d prefer on the top! Generally in the 40s those sorts of dresses had the solid on the bottom to create both the look of a suit with a jacket over top and also visually create a slimmer line over the hips (since svelte hips were part of the 40s look). Remember too in the 40s that the wider the shoulders, the better!
♥ Casey
Great advice! Isn’t it sad about not being able to use quilting cottons? I found some amazing vintage-inspired fabric similar to 1930 feedbag prints. I used some and it was a disaster, I spent so much time altering it before I realized it was the fabric, not the pattern. I’m so bummed not being able to do any sew-along (they seem plentiful this month!) but I’ll be right along reading for the time I’ll get to this pattern. I adored Jenny’s Edwardian Apron, I made it in every color in High School.
It doesn’t appear that this dress calls for a lining. Would you include how to add one in your sew-along, or is it best to choose something that wouldn’t require a lining? Thanks!
Ann,
You’re right that the dress is unlined; this is fairly typical for the majority of 40s dresses I’ve sewn. Generally if a dress was on the sheer side, a matching full slip could be made to cover up undergarments. You see this a lot in the late 30s and early 40s. If you’re concerned about see-through, I’d say go with something that is opaque. Of the three dresses I’ve made from this pattern only one requires I really be careful about wearing a slip underneath because of sheerness!
Unfortunately, due to my own time constraints, I won’t be able to cover lining the entire dress, though I will be touching on lining the midriff piece.
♥ Casey
Dream fabric: silk/rayon velvet
But I’ll probably attempt a few iterations in a less demanding & expensive fabric first…
Congrats on reaching 900!!!
I’m deciding between two fabric’s a red and white polka dot or a black with a creamy & pink asian inspired floral print. I’m toward the black even though I adore polka dots!
On the quilted cotton’s, I’ve never used them for my clothing, but use them for their stiffer body in little girls girly dresses with tons of ruffles. I’ve never stached a garmet so that will have to do
I wonder though if cutting on the bias would help a great deal on the quilting cotton? Maybe I’ll make 2 dress one of them quilting cotton cut on the bias as an experiment, hmm. Those gorgeous reproduction prints are tempting!
Athena,
That is an interesting idea cutting it on the bias, but do keep in mind that this requires a whole other sort of pattern tweaking to allow for the way bias hangs. I remember seeing an article in a very old issue of Threads, but can’t remember what number it was (sadly, my massive Threads magazine collection is still at my parent’s house!).
♥ Casey
Yup! I think I know which one you mean, I can’t remember the name of the designer that had passed know for his bias creations. Does it ring a bell or was it a different one you read? I thought a polka dot print would be a good print to work with this. I have a bolt of white with red polka dots. If I do it I wont use the other red with white polka dots I mentioned and name the black print the winner!
Pardon me, I was just reading the beginning of the KAL and stumbled upon your comment. There’s a great article on bias in the Feb/Mar 2008 Thread’s issue with Charles Kleibacker. Perhaps that’s the one you are thinking of?
How cruel to tantalize us with vintage fabric swatches that can never be ours!
Just kidding… they are lovely to dream over. I especially love #36 fabric on the first image. I found a rayon challis fabric I loved at Denver Fabrics a few weeks ago, but I foolishly didn’t buy it since I wasn’t sure of the yardage I’d need. When I called back to order, they were out!! I’ve been kicking myself ever since, and looking everywhere for a rayon with a print that I like, but so far no luck.
If this is helpful to anyone else who shops at Jo-Ann Fabrics, I have never seen a dedicated area for rayon fabric, but when I was last in the store I saw five or six bolts of 100% rayon “chaille” (whatever that is; it was much like challis though) in the Red Tag clearance area. And this was at a fairly small store… I didn’t see any prints that appealed to me but I’m going to stop at the mega-store in the big city this weekend and see if they have more variety there.
Laura,
I know–isn’t it awful of me?! lol. I’ve been snatching up some of those rayon prints as I’ve seen them popping up at JoAnns in designs I like. That’s what I used for my most recent version of this pattern actually!
♥ Casey
I’m so glad you specifically mentioned rayon challis and knit interfacing! Must get some. I actually bought my fabric and the pattern before Christmas but decided to hold off starting when the Swing Dress was one of your choices for a SAL.
I’ll have to check out our fabric stores…we’re lucky enough to have some indy ones with incredible selections. I’ll probably just wander and check drape until something “sings” to me. I’ve had good luck using quilting cotton for skirts…I made one with box pleats in a quilting cotton that came out perfect, so I think they can work for something like that that doesn’t require a lot of drape but has to be more structured.
Is it odd that I just splurged on some Gingher dressmaker shears and now the most exciting step is cutting out fabric? They’re amazing.
Congrats on your 900th post, Casey! I love visiting your blog.
Hi Casey-
Not that I can afford it, but would Liberty of London Tana Lawn Classics fabric work? Even if I could afford it, I’m not sure I could actually pick a pattern – I love them all! Thanks for your sew along!!! I’m really looking forward to this.
Kate
Kate,
Most Liberty of London law fabrics I’ve seen would work–they are soft enough to allow for some drape. What you basically want to avoid is the stiffer, medium weight cottons that the majority of fabric shops sell in their quilting departments.
I so wish I could afford a few yards of LoL lawn too! A total dream-fabric!
♥ Casey
Hi, Casey! Thanks for hosting this sew-along… I’ve never done one before, but I couldn’t resist this adorable dress… I might not be able to stay on schedule, but I would love to have this dress in my wardrobe for Spring… I’m looking forward to sewing along with everyone:)))
I had three selections of rayon in my stash to pick from so no problem for me finding the right type material.
They say my pattern is in the mail so I’m looking forward to that.
I’ll have to go shopping and see what fabrics I can find. I have an idea if my head but won’t say anything until I see the end result in case it doesn’t turn out the way I’m imagining it.
Thank you for pushing the start date back abit Casey. Pattern’s been shipped and is jetting towards me as I type hahaha.
Congrats on 900 posts as well!
I have some mystery navy fabric (maybe rayon?) my sister brought home from Japan that I might try. I also have some silk that is languishing in my stash. I will have to look through and see what else might work in my mountain of fabric. Regardless of choice, I am getting very excited! And congrats Casey on your 900th post! Keep up the good work
Being a cloth doll maker all my fabrics are in one yard pieces or less, so shopping it will be! Today I printed my epattern (45 pages, egads!) and bought my muslin. I think I will wait to see how my skills hold up to the muslin before I buy anything else
Hm … it appears lots of ladies are using rayon-type fabrics. (Is that a hint? LOL) Due to my budget at the moment, I am sadly not able to go with the current pattern of choice for this sew-along, but I have a 1949 Anne Adams pattern that I have decided to make for this sew-along. You can view it on my blog — http://livinginthe1940s.blogspot.com/2011/01/vintage-dress-making.html — It will be my first vintage sewing attempt, however, I believe the instructions are quite simple and nothing major is required. I have sewn before but that was a few years ago, and with help.
Any rate, I wonder if anyone else is using a different pattern? Can we still post our photos to flickr? :p Everyone, have a joyful time choosing your fabric, pattern(s), notions, and rummaging through creation ideas for this Vintage Swing Sew-along!….
Tisha,
I love that pattern that you’re using! Please feel free to post your pictures to the Flickr pool, even though it’s not the same pattern I’m using to teach the sew-along. I’d love to see it!!!
♥ Casey
I actually found a dressing gown at a thrift store a long time ago that was made out of something that looks identical to #44!
Casey,
I can’t wait to wear my new dress, espeically as I’m ‘long waisted’ like you and don’t find dressses to fit in the shops. Will you be showing how to adjust the pattern for us ‘non-standards’? Thank you! Lorna
I just bought the pattern and I’m looking forward to sewing along! I have my eye on some kelly green cotton lawn, but I’m thinking it might require a lining. Think a lining would ruin the drape?
I missed the beginning of this sew-along, but I might try and join in with one of my (growing) collection of 40s patterns!
Thanks for the fabric store links, I’ll have a look at those – I’ve been searching all over for light/medium weight rayon crepe fabrics, it seems they’re really difficult to get hold of in the UK (especially without polyester, which I’m trying to avoid in the name of authenticity).
xx Charlotte
Tuppence Ha’penny Vintage
Definitely going for vintage rayon print here, and possibly a solid slinky from the stash. Congrats on 900 posts!
This isn’t really on the sew-along, but about quilt weight cottons. You’re right–they don’t work well for most garments, but I have found that those cute reproduction patters work wonderfully for aprons (without things like tight ruffles or knife-pleats). Not hostess or fancier aprons, but just good old, working kitchen aprons. Coming from someone who has to cook with an apron to save myself constant stain-removal on my clothes, I love to spice up the hard-working kitchen apron with those retro-reprint quilt weight cottons. The fabric is tough and can soak up a lot of moisture without necessarily letting it soak through onto one’s clothes!
Hey, I had just gotten this pattern and I have to ask.
Is velvet a bad choice?
I don’t know if it is too heavy or will drape bad or what not…
Thank you!
~Lindsey <3
I got my pattern last Saturday! Today I did a bit of shopping at JoAnn. Since I make costumes for our history homeschool presentations, I am adapting the pattern for USO show gowns for my teenage daughter and myself. We can be the Andrew Sisters!
I got some crepe fabric in the Casa Collection (bridal section) at JoAnn. The crepe is actually polyester but has a beautiful drape. My daughter chose raspberry and I chose periwrinkle blue. I got the actual crepe for the bodice and underskirt. Within the same color family I got a thicker sparkly fabric for the cumberbund. Then I got the matching color sheer that has a lovely drape for the overskirt. I’m sure I’ll have to play with that a bit, since I’ve never done that before. it will be a bit of a challenge but I think a lot of fun! We need to start looking for the brooches!
Laurie
Casey, I need help. I recently bought this pattern from Wearing History
http://www.etsy.com/listing/65041936/vintage-30s-stunning-victorian-revival I’m still trying to decide whether to make this dress along with you guys, or to start with the swing dress to ease my way back into sewing. (I have a degree in fashion design, but it’s sadly been 10 years since I have sewn a whole garment.)
Still, fabric choices have me gun-shy. I’ve never seen Percale in person, do you know if it would be suitable for a dress? I found a gorgeous print with four available yards on Etsy. I just don’t know what kind of drape it has. I read it was used for bedding, but places also say it can be used to make dresses. What do you think?
http://www.etsy.com/listing/58166016/50s-pretty-petals-vintage-cotton-fabric
Alternatively do you thing I would be able to piece the swing dress together from vintage kimono fabric? I plan to alter the bust so that it doesn’t overlap, but comes together in a seam in front.
Thanks for any advice!