You may have seen me mentioning various spots ‘round the web that I was working on a red linen version of the 50s sundress I made last month. I finally finished it late last week and was able to get some pictures to share with you!
I’m really pleased with how this turned out. Instead of the full, gathered skirt of the gingham version, I opted to use a straight pencil-style skirt I drafted last year. This was partly due to yardage limitations (the red linen was a piece I picked up on clearance last year, so I only had so much!), and also because I wanted something that had a slightly “50s bombshell” vibe to it. You may notice the length is a lot longer than I normally hem my dresses; I was envisioning the sort of piece that looks like I just grabbed it off a rack of genuine 50s dresses, so I wanted a length that read “vintage”. I also scooped the back neckline a bit (I think I’d lower it more next time—but I didn’t want to run into the problem of not being able to wear a strapless bra) and added a vent at the skirt hem to allow for easy walking. The entire dress is lined in a lightweight cotton so I don’t have to wear a slip (it’s too hot right now!), but it breathes and helps keep the linen from wrinkling too much.
The only criticism I have is that after looking at these photos, I think I’d taper the skirt a bit more towards the hem. Because I went with a longer length I think it could easily slip into “boxy” territory if I’m not careful. I might go back and rework those side seams eventually. But for now, I really love how it turned out—I’ve worn it several times already!
Is it possible to be too in love with a dress style?! I think this bodice has become a go-to for this summer!
Pattern: self-drafted bodice and skirt (see the tutorial here on how to draft your own bodice).
Fabric/Notions: red linen, cotton lining, white bias binding, zipper (both the binding and zipper were thrifted—yay!).
Alterations: added a fitted skirt pattern. I also modified the issue I had with the first dress bodice around the armholes.
Techniques: lapped zipper insertion, adding a short length of chain to weight the back vent.
Make Again? Um… Do I really need to make another version of this dress?! lol. But if I could, I would… So yes!
Outfit: shoes: Remix Vintage “Rita” heels | purse: vintage telephone cord handbag | earrings: Getty Museum | belt: thrifted
July 19, 2011 ·
58 lovely thoughts
posted in sewing
· tags: 2011 sewing, sewing
Tasia and I have been plotting this giveaway for well over a month now, and I am so excited that the time has finally come to post about it! Tasia is the talented lady behind the up-and-coming company Sewaholic Patterns. (Her Pendrell pattern is the one I used as the base for the two scalloped collar blouses I made.) She recently released a new design: the gorgeous Lonsdale Dress, which you can enter to win a copy of! The dress is the perfect blend of classic style and sweet details (check out the ways you can tie the neckline here)–I just ordered my own copy of the pattern and can’t wait to sew it up! I chatted with Tasia a bit about what inspires her, the design process and what is in store for Sewaholic in the near future. (Be sure to read through to the end for information on how to win a copy of the Lonsdale pattern.)
EM: What inspired the design of the Lonsdale dress?
Tasia: I was inspired by summer and the ambitious idea to create the perfect sundress! When the temperature heats up, the best dresses are fitted but not too tight, revealing without being uncomfortable. This is the dress I’d wear for long walks on the beach, summer barbeques and date night on a patio.
I started with the neckline detail and the rest came together. I love the silhouette of halter necklines, and wrapped the knotted neck ties around the back to create adjustable straps. The skirt has just the right amount of flare to flow away from the body, and pockets are so wonderful in light summer dresses! You can easily slip a credit card and a lip gloss in the pocket, leaving the heavy purse at home. Most importantly, I wanted it to be easy to sew! This is a quick pattern to make, so there’s time to make a few versions before summer’s over!
EM: Take us through a little overview of how you design your patterns. How long does the process take?
Tasia: From start to finish, the design process takes about three months. It all starts with an idea – maybe a detail or a silhouette – and then I start sketching, working through the specifics of the style. I’ll figure out where the zipper should be, whether it should be lined or not, and then start experimenting with patterns and samples. Sometimes a style will be just right on the first try! Most often, there are quite a few rounds of changes before a design is ready to go. I’ll even ‘wear-test’ the samples, to see how they feel on the body. If I don’t like wearing something all day, then chances are you won’t either! Then I’ll start writing up instructions, drawing the diagrams, and figuring out the fabric requirements. Once all of the information is ready, I’ll sit down with my graphic designer and put it together in a pretty package, send it off to the printers and start getting ready to sell!
EM: What would a “dream fabric” for this dress be in your opinion?
Tasia: The two fabrics I dream about for the Lonsdale Dress are silk dupioni and cotton lawn. Silk dupioni has a beautiful sheen and texture, and the knot detail would show off the two-tone look of the fabric wonderfully! Using a silk fabric takes this dress from beachy sundress to formal and elegant. A jewel-tone teal or emerald green would be gorgeous for a holiday party dress too! For summer picnics and family gatherings, cotton lawn is crisp, cool and lightweight. Liberty cottons would be heavenly, but there are many affordable cotton lawn fabrics available as well.
EM: Could you give us a peek at what is next for Sewaholic Patterns?
Tasia: I’m really excited about the next pattern, I won’t give too much away! It’s a Fall piece that’s both practical and pretty, scheduled for September/October 2011.
Entries are now CLOSED. Thanks so much everyone!
Be sure to stop by Sewaholic to take a peek at the pattern line as well as Tasia’s informative blog (she’s planning on hosting a Lonsdale sew-along in the near future too!). She also has a great mailing list if you’d like to keep up with the latest pattern offerings (including some great pre-order deals on upcoming patterns!).
Best of luck!!! (Can’t wait to read all your entries too!)
July 18, 2011 ·
404 lovely thoughts
posted in misc
·
Welcome to the first day of the Cherished Collections Blog Tour! Today I’m starting the collection tour, but be sure to come back each evening this week (starting tomorrow) for a look at what others participating in the blog tour have posted about.
I had the worst time picking out what to share with you; I have a lot of little collections so choosing which to include today proved to be a bit challenging. In the end the three I picked I hope you’ll enjoy seeing!
the little yard sale find that started it all.
First up is my growing collection of vintage sweetheart and nautical-themed jewelry. I unwittingly purchased my first piece at a yard sale years ago (ironically the day SH and I went on our first date–fate perhaps?!). I didn’t really know about Navy sweetheart jewelry until much more recently, and have been picking up pieces here and there—although most have been lovely gifts from friends and family who know I collect it! Of course nautical pieces have also made their way into the collection as well. The trio of anchors is one that SH picked up for me earlier this year. I’ve always loved just about anything with a nautical theme, but I’m especially fond of it now because of SH and how proud I am of him and Navy heritage.
a 1964 pattern book that I was given years ago by one of my aunts. I think it belonged to my paternal grandmother at one point.
paging through for inspiration.
the sometimes mad-cap fashions of the late 40s. more images here.
You’ve seen snippets of my vintage pattern books and booklet collection over the years, but I wanted to show it collected up together! These are just the sewing pattern booklets; I have another (smaller) collection of knitting and needlework ones as well. A handful of the 40s booklets I bought as a teenager (some of my first Ebay purchases!), and they hold a very special spot in my collection. When I bought these I was just becoming interested in sewing vintage fashions and integrating it more into my everyday wardrobe. I’ve referred to all of these many times over the years for inspiration and ideas; they never fail to provide on that point!
Lastly is my very tiny stash of antique tintypes. (Wikipedia has a good history of the tintype photograph here.) These I mostly picked up some years back from my grandfather who ran an antiques business. But I’ve added in a couple since then as well! I still look for interesting images when I go to antique stores; I especially like group photos as you can see. I particularly love ones from the 1870s; the clothes of the decade are particularly beautiful in a Victorian way, and the piled-high hairstyles have always fascinated me. There is something haunting about old photographs that have found their way into antique stores and flea markets; and I think that appeals to me. I was always one of those children who would sit and stare at pictures in history books for hours, studying the faces of the people in the image and wondering what they were like. Though none of these are terribly remarkable or dynamic photographs, it’s an appeal of old images that still draws me in to this day.
Those are my three collections! I hope you enjoyed these, and be sure to stop by again tomorrow evening to see some of the collections others are sharing!
July 18, 2011 ·
27 lovely thoughts
posted in inspiration,vintage inspiration
· tags: cherished-collections, vintage inspiration
weekly visual moodboard be sure to click on the image to view the lovely sources!
Hello, friends! I hope you are having a lovely weekend full of relaxation and perhaps a little creativity. I wanted to make a quick note that I have a new feature debuting next week based around all the sewing questions I recieved a couple weeks ago. There were so many great topics that I’d like to discuss here and think they would be a great way to pull in a bit more mini sewing tutorials. (Hopefully I’ll pick up some great tips from you too in the process!) So stay tuned for that about mid-week!
Now, on to links! Have I got a large list for you… there were so many great posts popping up in my feed reader this week; it was rather hard to choose what to share. So in the end I just included everything I had flagged! Hope you enjoy.
- Nabby shares how she ingeniously took an thrift 80s sweater and transformed it into a 30s-esque beauty!
- Because you can never have enough vintage swimwear inspiration, a roundup of models from 1945.
- I’m sure most have already seen it, but Gertie wrote an excellent post on the seeming muslin making backlash–the comments are worth reading through!
- I just added this lovely blog to my feed reader this week!
- Patty does a fantastic job at going over how to decode a pattern cover–both the front and back.
- This lovely 1937 sportwear is so cute!
- Chie wrote a tutorial on how to create a heart cut-outback–darling!
- Ever wonder what a 1920s “step-in” undergarment was? Lauren of Dear Golden explains and included some gorgeous vintage examples.
- Caitlin at Colette Patterns shared an eyecatching cord embellishment technique called rouleau.
I have two great posts for you tomorrow; the first is the kick-off of the Cherished Collections Blog Tour and then a surprise I’m really excited about. TTFN!
July 17, 2011 ·
6 lovely thoughts
posted in links
· tags: weekly inspiration
Random photo! Sneak peek of the red linen dress I finished. (More to come!)
Maybe I’m just the perpetually curious and nosey sort when it comes to my blogging, but lately I have been wondering: What would you like to see me post more of (or less of)? I know tutorials and freshly finished sewing projects are perpetually popular, but what else would you like to see? Am I in danger of posting too many tutorials of late? (Is that even possible? hehe!)
Here is a little list I compiled of post topics, and would love to hear your ideas as well as thoughts on what I already post that you’d like to see more of.
- “Every day” outfit post (more often… I know I do this sporadically!)
- Wardrobe remixing posts (one piece worn several ways. See this post.)
- Sewing/craft tutorials (beginning level? More advanced? Perhaps some pattern drafting?)
- Sew-along (have gotten several requests for this, and am tentatively planning on for the end of summer; look for an announcement next month.)
- Vintage inspiration
- What I have sewn/knit/crafted/in my sketchbook (generally creative stuff)
- Decorating/cooking/homemaking
- Thrifting finds and tips
- How to refashion thrifted/older clothes
- Video tutorials (usually of the hair or beauty sort)
Out of all these, which do you find most interesting? Anything not on the list you’d maybe like to see me cover? I feel in a bit of a rut lately; I’ve been blogging since 2004 and have started to get the impression that I’m just posting the same things over and over. So ideas and input would be appreciated! After all, this blog isn’t just for me: it’s for you too! I love the little community we’ve created here where we can chat through the comments, offer ideas, find some new links and generally have a good time. I just want to make it better and focus more on things that will resonate! Thanks bunches (in advance!) for your ideas and thoughts!
July 15, 2011 ·
87 lovely thoughts
posted in misc
· tags: musings
