posts tagged ‘tutorial’
make your own 50s circle skirt!
As requested, here are the instructions from the 1954 booklet I used to make my circle skirt a couple weeks ago. What I really like about this particular set of instructions, besides the construction details being quite polished and result in a lovely finished piece, is that the waist opening differs from most circle skirts. The cut-out for the waist isn’t a perfect circle–more like an oval, resulting in the skirt hanging from the waist a bit differently (and in my opinion, somewhat more flattering). I hope you all will enjoy this set of instructions and ideas–circle skirts are super easy and great for the beginner sewist to tackle! I could see these being perfect for the upcoming autumn too in a a cozy corduroy or wool flannel… Plus the embellishment possibilities are endless! (Be sure to scroll to the end of this post for a smattering of ideas.) Enjoy!
[ click any of the images for a larger view. ]
Below is some inspiration for embellishing circle skirts. In addition to these, I’ve see everything from hand painted motifs like bows and florals, to appliqued felt sea creatures (really!). So as you can see, the sky is the limit!
[ images courtesy My Vintage Vogue ]
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Posted to: tutorial, vintage sewing. | 15 lovely thoughts
vintage sewing techniques: shoulder pads
[ a simple shoulder pad improves the line of the left shoulder and sleeve drape. ]
Admittedly, shoulder pads still conjure up images of bad 80s linebacker fashion for most people; self included for a long time. But if you spend any length of time sewing vintage patterns, you probably will start to notice that a large number of patterns from the 1930s through 50s include shoulder pads on their list of supplies needed. This is especially so for the 40s, my favorite era, as the silhouette at that time leaned towards broad shoulders enhanced with padding. While some of it got a bit too wide for my 21st century tastes, many styles from earlier decades do benefit from a bit of help in the shoulder structure. A good illustration is the image above: note that the left shoulder seems a bit more crisp and finished with a shoulder pad underneath, while the right sleeve and shoulder fabric hangs oddly. Even a moderate-sized pad can add just that little bit of “umph” a shoulder line needs, while still keeping within our modern tastes. I’m going to show you how to make your own shoulder pads–which means you can customize them completely–based on vintage methods.
The supplies you need are:
- cotton or wool quilt batting (I don’t recommend polyester for this)
- muslin/plain cotton
- paper
- paper scissors, ruler, pencil
- fabric scissors, needle, thread, pins
- sewing machine or serger (opt.)
Begin by drawing a 7″x7″ square on the paper. Mark the straight grainline parallel to one edge. Make a dashed, diagonal line from one corner to another.
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Posted to: tutorial, vintage sewing. | 14 lovely thoughts
tracing vintage patterns
If you like to sew with vintage patterns, you know they can be quite fragile in their original state. Or maybe the pattern you have in mind is not quite the right size and you need to grade it up or down and need it in a form that you can cut up. I thought I’d show you the method I use for tracing my vintage patterns. This tutorial shows was done with an unprinted pattern, but I’ve added comments when needed to adjust for those with printing (rather than perforations of unprinted).
You will need a few supplies: paper (you can use inexpensive banner paper from the office supply store, exam table paper, blank newsprint, or Swedish interfacing), ruler and/or yardstick, pencil, fine tip marker, paper scissors, pattern weights (I use large metal washers from the hardware store), pins (for printed patterns only), and a flat surface (in this case, a cutting mat).
Begin by ironing all the pieces on the lowest heat setting for your iron, without steam. If in doubt, test on a piece of paper first to make sure your iron won’t scorch the paper. You need to iron out any wrinkles or deep folds in the pattern pieces so they’ll lie flat. Just be careful not to tear the pieces.
Lay the paper on a flat surface. Arrange the pattern pieces on top with pattern weights atop to help straighten the pattern and keep it flat. If the piece has a straight edge (such as the one pictured with the center-front edge to be placed on folded fabric), you can lay that alongside the straight edge of the paper to reduce one more edge to trace.
Begin tracing around the edges of the pattern with the pencil. I tend to sketch around curves and uneven edges, and make dash marks every 8″-12″ along straight edges that I can fill in with a ruler after the pattern is removed.
Be sure to mark all the circles, notches and diamonds! When transferring a dart marking, I indicate those with small dots and connect them later with a ruler for a complete dart shape. If you’re tracing a printed pattern, I tend to pierce through the pattern and paper beneath with a pin to indicate a pattern marking. After the pattern is removed, I go back and add the mark with the pencil or marker.
Remove the pattern piece and fill in any spots with the ruler/yardstick. I also indicate all darts and grainlines at this point too.
Finally fill in the pattern information: company, number, size, piece and quantity to be cut with marker (if this is a final piece; if you’re using it to grade the pattern, you don’t need all the information). I also like to include notes on seam allowances, darts, hem depth, etc. on the pattern piece. Now you can cut the pattern out and start on the important thing: sewing!
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Posted to: tutorial, vintage sewing. | 29 lovely thoughts
guide to sewing: the tools
(Otherwise titled: It Doesn’t Have to Be Expensive or Complicated)
I admit: I am most definitely not a notions junkie. Although I love the idea of tons of notions and tools to make my sewing easier, both budgetary constraints and storage issues tend to win out! I’m more of the mind that fancy stuff can be acquired over time and you can still produce beautiful projects with just the basics. I often get emails about what sort of tools are necessary for starting to sew, or what sewing machine I own. Surprisingly, I do not have a super-duper new machine; all of my sewing machines (with the exception of my serger) are hand-me-downs. I have a 1950s cabinet model Singer that was my grandmothers, my mom’s late 80/early 90s mechanical Singer (my “primary” machine) and my mother-in-law’s 1990s Kenmore. Since I don’t quilt or do machine embroidery, I find the older machines work just as well for me. Granted, I don’t have things like fancy automatic bobbin winding and my machines may be a bit loud compared to newer models, but they still work!
If you’re just starting to sew and on a budget, I’d highly recommend looking into getting an older machine, rather than a newer “budget friendly” model. Many of those lower end machines will not take as much of a beating as more expensive ones that have higher quality parts. Vintage machines, many of which are still in perfect working order, are usually quite reasonable and were made to last. I’ve seen ones at thrift stores–complete with their cases, attachments, and manuals–for under $40. (Check your city’s Craigslist, flea markets, yard sales, Ebay, or even just put out the call among friends and see if anyone has an old machine sitting in their garage you can have!) You will want to make sure that the machine is in working order (it may just need a tune up; check you local sewing shops for names of service shops that repair sewing machines), that the power cords are still in good condition, and that if it’s missing any attachments or the manual, you can locate those online (Ebay is great for attachments, while Google is fantastic for locating old sewing manuals that have been digitized). Also take into account the functions you will need (or think you will need if this is your first foray into sewing). Check to make sure the machine does the stitches you require (some older ones only do a straight stitch!), but also does it do buttonholes (or have a separate attachment for those)? How fast/slow does it go? Can you do blind hems on it? Will it be able to handle varying weights of fabric?
Aside from a sewing machine, there are a myriad of other tools that are out there for sewing. Some are more necessary than others, and a lot of these are based on personal preference. Here is my list of tools that I can’t live without, followed by an “optional” list:
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Posted to: guide to sewing, sewing, tutorial. | 27 lovely thoughts
guide to sewing: my background
I’m so excited to finally being posting this series; it’s something I’ve been knocking around in my head for awhile and resulted in writing countless draft versions, but never being quite sure how I wanted to organize it! I get at least a couple emails every week asking for advice or help with sewing. So many gals are curious about learning to sew, what my background on sewing is, and how to get started; I knew this was the perfect topic to blog about! Every week for the next three weeks, I’ll be posting an installment of this series. I’ll be going over resources, tools, favorite books, inspiration and my sewing background. Whether you’re itching to start sewing for the first time or someone more experienced and just enjoy reading anything about sewing (that would be me!), I hope you enjoy these posts…
[ some past projects (l to r): costume based on J.W. Waterhouse's painting of "Ophelia", black voile summer dress, 1830s style day gown. ]
Sewing Memories, Philosophy & Inspiration
I’ve been sewing (or wanting to sew!) for as long as I can remember; as a child I used to raid Mom’s scrap bag to sew garments for my Barbies (all of a very Victorian nature; I continually check a book from the library on drafting Victorian style clothes for dolls…). She used to sew quite a bit herself, and made many cute outfits for my sister and I! It wasn’t until I was older, around 10, that she allowed me to use her sewing machine and showed me the basics using a little book on sewing for kids. I made a few, small projects, and then moved onto clothes–my real interest in the sewing world.
[ drafting a skirt sloper back in 2006. ]
I also dabbled a lot with pattern drafting, even as a child. We would make weekly trips to the public library, and I would raid their sewing books, many of which were books from the 1970s hippie, diy movement. They had such a carefree, you-can-make-this! attitude that engaged my young imagination and I started figuring out how to draft patterns from my dolls and myself. I continued just dabbling in sewing and drafting until I was a teenager. Around that time I stumbled on Jennie Chancey’s Sense and Sensibilty pattern line, and was enchanted that there were other women interested in old-fashioned styles and actually making and wearing them. I became quite active on the forums and made friends with many of the historic costumers (including my dear friend Jenny Rose). I learned a lot from these ladies, and started doing my own costumes and learning the value of researching your projects.
During my last “semester” of high school (I was schooled at home, so we didn’t really follow the normal school year or grade system), I had the opportunity to intern with Jennie Chancey for a month. I went to stay with her, and helped around the house and with the children in exchange for her teaching me some of the tricks of the trade. I learned quite a bit about drafting, sewing and designing clothes from Jennie; we spent many, many hours talking about fashion and the resurgence of the retro look (this was in 2003, right around the time the “vintage” resurgence were starting to make a big splash on the runways again). Jennie shared with me many of her antique and vintage sewing books, as well as her incredible vintage pattern collection! (I credit her with really starting the “pattern collector” bug in me!) She was one of the first people outside of my family to encourage me to start a sewing business. A dream that I have kept close to my heart over the years (and am working towards finally making a reality)!
[ my sewing space, March 2007. ]
Since then, I have continued to work on my skills, take a few classes at a local sewing store (mostly on seam finishes and inserting zippers!), and read a lot. I’ve read books on everything from overviews of fashion history, to sewing manuals (yes, I have read The Vogue Book of Sewing cover to cover; no joke), to dry textbooks on drafting and pattern manipulation. In that respect, I am very much self taught and my sewing skills have developed in a very organic manner over time. The books I remember reading on sewing during my childhood really encouraged the idea of “just doing it” if you had a true passion for the craft. In my eyes, there is no right or wrong way, and every project has the potential to teach you something!
My sewing has varied over the years. I started out making clothes for myself, veered off into historic costumes for most of my teen years, and then back to the various facets of sewing “every day” clothes for myself. I have definitely taken a turn back towards the costume side of things with my interest in vintage patterns and styles of the 1930s through 1950s. For me, sewing offers not only a pleasant hobby, the ability to get the style and fit I want, but also allows me to cater to my more theatrical sensibilities in dress. Looking back on my experiences at sewing, I often wonder where it will take me next!
[ a page from my inspiration notebook, March 2008. ]
I believe encouraging everyone who expresses an interest in sewing to jump in with both feet; total immersion learning if you will! Even if you take a sewing class, make sure you branch out as you feel ready. Want to try making something more complicated than a pillow case or tote bag at first? Surround yourself with lots of resources (and maybe a helping hand!) and just go! Sewing is not brain surgery and I firmly believe should not be treated as such. Although I have a deep respect for the tradition of sewing and time-honored techniques, nothing delights me more than to see a curious person strike out on their own to try an idea or technique that excites them. There is no one way to learn how to sew, and even many sewing techniques have multiple ways of achieving the same end, so finding a way that makes the best sense to you is easy.
[ technical sketches and a draft-in-progress; july 2008. ]
Keeping my inspiration banks filled is a huge part of my sewing as well; even though most of the time it’s a rather passive activity that involves books or my computer. Being inspired by past eras, fashion designers, and photos helps give me new ideas and new techniques to try! I keep a notebook handy, and give myself downtime in the evenings if I want to just browse my massive “inspiration” folder on my computer. You never know where your next sewing idea will come from! One of my favorite sources is inspiration from other bloggers; the rich and varied things that come through Google Reader never fail to make me sit up and look at something in a new light!
If you sew, how did you start out? What are your favorite sources of inspiration for sewing projects? I’ll share some of mine in the later installments… Next week: my list of recommended sewing tools.
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Posted to: guide to sewing, sewing, tutorial. | 43 lovely thoughts
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