vintage sewing

a bit of circular sewing

[ my Monday, post-housecleaning outfit! ]

Sunday morning I woke up and decided I had to sew a circle skirt. It’d been on my to-sew list for some time, as one of those easy but fun little projects to do. I have several needlecraft booklets from the 50s that have instructions on how to make circle skirts, so all I had to do was pick one and some fabric, and get to it! I think circle skirts are probably one of the easiest styles one can make–besides perhaps the basic gathered skirt. It took me no time at all to whip this up (which is exactly what I was looking for in a spur-of-the-moment weekend project!), until I decided that I wanted to hand hem the entire thing. Bad idea–that took forever! lol.

[ added a couple useful pockets. ]

The fabric I used is a lovely denim-weight cotton print I picked up at Ikea last year (yes, it’s a home decor fabric. No, I don’t mind using home fabrics in apparel applications as long as the weight is appropriate!). I had originally bought it to make a pencil skirt with, but it works a lot better with this style. I also added two patch pockets (because what skirt is really useful without them?!), trimmed with some mini bobble-trim that I had in my stash. I really adore this trim; I had originally bought it to use on a blouse, which I think I may still use the last bit for! The only problem with the final skirt is that I need a petticoat with a bit more body! I got rid of my fullest net petticoat before I moved down here, and layering two of my less-than-full ones underneath just isn’t cutting it. lol.

[ booklet and pretty straw clutch I'm borrowing! ]

I think perhaps this project helped break me out of my sewing funk that I’ve been in. It’s really frustrating to have projects piling up, the siren call of sewing for an upcoming season, and not feel like sewing. As much as I wanted to sew, I think I mentally needed a break from it! Now I just need to get myself in gear and finish up that swimsuit!

[ definitely need a fuller petticoat! ]

Oh, and see that gorgeous little straw envelope clutch in the photos? It’s not actually mine, but something I’ve been loaned to use for a bit! I’m utterly in love with it right now and am stalking Ebay and Etsy for a suitable version to acquire for my own closet. But, that’s part of an exciting little project that a fellow blogger and I have been doing, which I’ll post about tomorrow!!!

Hope you’re having a lovely Tuesday!

August 17, 2010 · 36 lovely thoughts
posted in sewing · tags: 2010 sewing, outfits, sewing, vintage sewing

the magic of vintage sewing tools

[ trying out a "new" vintage sewing tool! ]

Coming across vintage sewing tools can cause one of two reactions: the head-scratching “what the heck is this?!” moment, or the complete epiphany as to the genius of earlier generations of sewing tool manufacturers. (And subsequent wondering why they don’t make such handy tools any more!) I recently have come across a couple sewing tools of the vintage variety that I thought I’d share one with you!

A recent acquisition: the “Tack-It”! A friend of mine mentioned this odd-looking tool, but I realized it’s genius when I thought of all the times I could have used an easier method to mark fabric than my usual pin or tailors tacks (which, I have a nasty habit of accidentally pulling out halfway through the project, voiding all my hard work). I found one on Ebay recently for quite a deal and have had fun playing with it and trying it out since.

[ preparing to mark the fabric. ]

It’s easy to use, although I think I need to replace the transfer paper it came with in it’s original packaging, as it’s a bit old. But basically you cut out the pattern piece leaving most of it still pinned to the fabric, and slip the transfer sheet between the pattern and top layer of fabric, and under the bottom layer (creating a “sandwich” of the fabric in the middle, transfer paper around, and pattern on top) if you’re cutting out two layers. Slip the Tack-It over top a marking, and press down firmly–and it’s marked! No more worrying about loosing my thread tacks anymore… lol.

[ final marks. the dots were a bit hard to capture--so be sure to enlarge the image a bit! ]

Lately, sewing has been a bit touch and go for me. I think I’m just hitting the end-of-summer-blues and needing a bit of a breather after the amount of sewing I’ve done this year. I’ve been getting a huge amount of knitting done and the millinery supplies I ordered from Judith M arrived yesterday–so something fun to start playing with! Though I did cut out the bra top portion of my 40s swimsuit over the weekend (the shorts are still giving me some fitting issues and I ran out of muslin, so they’re on hold until I procure more!), so hopefully I’ll actually sew instead of talking about it and posting vintage sewing tools… lol!

So tell me: what’s your favorite sewing tool? Or what creative things have been filling your imagination so far this month?

August 10, 2010 · 13 lovely thoughts
posted in sewing · tags: vintage sewing

late summer dress fix

[ click for a larger view. ]

This is the project that distracted me over the weekend from getting much work done on the swimsuit muslin! I tend to do this a lot: cut out two projects at once and end up favoring the one that is quick and easy. lol. (Though now that this dress is safely out of the way, I have no reason not to get back to the swimsuit! I think I’ll get excited about it again once I get past the muslin making/fitting stage…) I partly blame this diversion on Lauren; she emailed me with a link to this vintage pattern she had found on a dealer’s website, saying that it looked a lot like something I’d make and wear. It certainly was! I ended up finding a good price on the pattern at Stitches & Loops and ordering it from there (which was a lovely experience–super fast shipping!).

[ back view of the pattern envelope here. ]

As soon as the pattern arrived I knew which fabric in my stash it was destined for: a pretty, floral rayon that I picked up on clearance at JoAnn’s back in June. I wasn’t sure about it the first time I saw it, and even waited a few weeks to get it, but I rather like the rich colors on the black background–it’s a nice transition print for late summer/early fall. The jacket is made up in a linen-look blend that is lined with the dress material (yes, I can make it reversible if I wish!). This project was also an opportunity for me to break out the buckram belting I had purchased recently to make a self-fabric belt; I love crisp, matching belts on dresses so much! Having the proper foundation material helped the final product quite a bit.

[ click for a larger view. ]

The pattern itself is a fairly basic design, but the bows and jacket are what make it special! Why? Those little bows at the base of the shoulder straps pass through slits on the jacket to secure it in place! Isn’t that genius? Little details like that are what keep me coming back to vintage patterns again and again–you never know what new little novelty details you’ll encounter! I really love how this dress turned out–I’ve already worn it a few days in a row! lol. Sans jacket, of course; it’s been way too hot to even think about wearing more layers than necessary. But I think once the days start to cool down a bit (whenever that will be!), this entire outfit will be getting a lot of use…

[ more pictures here. ]

August 3, 2010 · 54 lovely thoughts
posted in sewing · tags: 2010 sewing, sewing, vintage sewing

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.

{ click here to continue reading this post }

July 21, 2010 · 15 lovely thoughts
posted in tutorials · tags: tutorial, vintage sewing

the secret to perfect patch pockets

[ click for a larger view. ]

Because I haven’t rambled on enough about sewing this week, I present you with a sewing related tutorial! lol. A couple weeks ago, when I was making a dress I figured out the way to make perfect patch pockets. Now, if you sew, you probably know that patch pockets are made by cutting separate pieces of material in the shape of a pocket, turning the edges under, and stitching to the garment. While this is not difficult if you’re working with a pocket that has straight edges, it can be a bit tricky to get a perfectly smooth edge if the pocket is curved (or is intentionally irregular in any way).

Tired of wrestling to get perfectly turned-under curved edges, I found a tip in one of my old sewing books to make “perfect” patch pockets! It’s simple–I’m whacking my forehead that I didn’t think of this sooner! The basic idea is that you cut a template the size/shape of your pocket, minus the seam allowances (and top hem edge), and use that to iron around, creating a smooth edge. Being a visual gal myself, I photographed the process step-by-step to show you how to do this!

[ click for a larger view. ]

Begin by cutting a template the shape of your patch pocket, minus the seam allowances and the top hem amount. Cardboard of any sort should be suitable for this; I just used a bit of an old cereal box for mine. Turn down the top hem of your pocket and sew as your instructions indicate, and finish the seam allowance around the other edges (I serged mine, but zig-zag stitching or pinking the edges would work too!).

[ click for a larger view. ]

Place the pocket wrong side up, and the template in the center; the top hem being flush with the top of the template and an even space around the other edges.

[ click for a larger view. ]

Begin folding up the seam allowances of the pocket over the template, pressing as you go. Note: if your cardboard has printing on it, make sure before you begin that the heat/steam will not cause the ink to transfer onto your fabric!

[ click for a larger view. ]

Once you have done this all around, remove the template and give it a good press from the right side to make sure the edges are securely pressed under. Voila! Expertly turned edges. Now they’re ready for stitching to the garment and admiring your perfect patch pockets!