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Stash Slasher: Simplicity 1913 “Think Pink!”

July 16, 2013 by rosie

You know those projects that look innocently painless on paper, but end up being far more trouble than they should? Simplicity 1913 was one of those for me.

For something as basic as a princess line bodice and straight skirt, this dress occupied a lot more time and energy than I anticipated. This was mainly due to the fabric I chose, and some silly oversights and lack of preparation by me.

I had some lolly-pink wool in the stash that I’d been saving for ages – I had envisaged a straight 1960’s frock in it when I purchased the fabric. When I saw Simplicity1913, I thought it was a match made in heaven. I decided to do things ‘properly’ and so I splurged on some leopard print silk (it was on sale) for the lining – such a decadent choice for a lining! I was convinced this was going to be a glamour frock.

I deviated from the pattern’s original construction instructions a little. As well as lining the skirt (which the pattern doesn’t call for – I can’t believe that!) I also interlined the back of the skirt with silk organza (I need to find out where I can get this stuff at a cheaper price). I decided to do this as I had been re-reading Gertie’s New Book For Better Sewing, and also another book on couture techniques, both of which extol the virtues of silk organza as a stabilizer. Given that this was a very loosely woven fabric, I felt the back of the skirt might sag, and could do with some extra reinforcement. I also reinforced the zipper with silk organza. I haven’t done either of these before, so I’ll be interested to see how the dress wears.

This dress is designed to sit above the natural waistline (something I failed to notice until I had cut out the fabric). After making this dress, I don’t think I’m a fan of higher-than-usual waist lines for fitted things. If I made it again, I would be lengthening the waistline. As it is, I did a .5cm seam allowance on the join to try and add in a bit more length.

In my haste to start the sewing, I COMPLETELY forgot to cut out the lengthened hemline (I always make the hems longer than the pattern does, due to most of my height coming from my legs). I am still berating myself for this – such a stupid mistake!!! I did the tiniest hem possible (bias binding), and I think it’s only just passable. Personally, I feel the dress looks silly this short. If you are on the tallish side, I highly recommend lengthening this dress.

The other thing that totally didn’t work for me was the gathered waist in the skirt. Maybe it was the bulkier fabric choice, but this just looked terrible on me – far too much bulk and extremely unflattering. I improvised by putting two tucks in the front to get rid of the excess fabric, and by fashioning two darts in the back. I guess the result doesn’t look too bad.

One thing that really annoyed me about the pattern/construction was the collar. This is stitched onto the bodice after the lining has been attached. However, the instructions just tell you to leave the edges of the collar raw and exposed. I was shocked!!!! How ugly – and on the outside of the dress! Even though, in theory, this seam allowance is covered by the collar, I still feel that this is scandalous. Once I realised, I had to do something. I didn’t have any binding in an appropriate colour, and it was late at night, so I improvised by sewing this grosgrain ribbon (which was actually a decoration on a wrapped present I was given at Christmas) to neaten up the raw edges. This isn’t ideal – too bulky and springy to do neatly – but still, it’s better than nothing.

I ended up not lining the sleeves – partly because I tend to get hot in the office during winter, and partly because I loved the lining fabric so much that I decided to make a matching neck bow to place at the collar with the remaining fabric.(Note, I was in such a hurry to wear the dress that I didn’t have time to stitch on the tie for the photos – I wore it to work all day with only two sewing pins holding it on! I think I will make it detachable by putting two little buttons underneath the collar to which the tie can attach).

By the time I was ready to sew on buttons, I was fed up with the entire dress. I felt I had spent too much money on an outfit that didn’t come up to scratch, and which hadn’t fulfilled my vision – I wasn’t going to spend any more on it! All the buttons I loved were metallic and beyond the ‘budget’ for this dress ($2.50 per button adds up when you have to purchase 8 or so!). I went for some cheap and nasty plastic ones instead. The shop only had 6 left, so I had to be stingy with how many I could use (I had to be quite strategic and careful about where to space the buttons for the bust, to avoid unfortunate placings!). It turns out, these buttons annoy me in their plastic tackiness, so I’ll keep an eye out for some metallic ones in second hand shops and see if I can upgrade down the track.

The final change I made to the original pattern was the addition of a structured belt. Because of the dodgy .5cm seam allowance, the waistline isn’t sewn very neatly – it’s a bit uneven, and it needs hiding. It’s also still higher than I’d like, so a wide belt helps the ‘allusion’ of a longer bodice. It also helps to cinch in the waist a bit – I feel this dress isn’t very flattering, and has the opposite of a slimming effect (again, I think the bulky fabric is partly to blame).

With the amount of re-picking and altering and silly mistakes, I had to spend some time away from the dress in order to recompose myself and not end up completely hating it. Revisiting it now, and after a very positive debut at the office, perhaps it isn’t too disastrous? I do love the pink and gold combination. In fact, I feel like I could step into the “Think Pink” scene from the timeless Audrey Hepburn classic ‘Funny Face’. And that can only be a good thing, so perhaps this dress will grow on me after all….

Category Finished Project, Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing, Pattern Alteration, Stash Slasher, Uncategorized, Winter Outfits | Tags: | 9 Comments
Pattern Purchasing Frenzy!

July 2, 2013 by rosie

My goodness! It’s July already, and I’ve only written a handful of posts. I make one very pathetic blogger.

Having said that, my absence can be explained, in part, by my getting married. I am now a Mrs! While this happened at the end of April, let me tell you, despite my best efforts to remain calm and not delve into Brideszilla territory, the lead up to and preparations for the wedding still sucked up A LOT of my time. (Handy hint – if you plan on getting married, plan on not having any spare time to devote to other ‘projects’…like sewing, or socializing, or cleaning.)

A month-long honeymoon in the northern hemisphere’s late springtime weather, followed by post-wedding/return- to-work blues, the obligatory bout of winter illness and a lot of post-wedding-follow ups means that my sewing room has been abandoned for months.

Now that I’m feeling back on track, my sewing libido has well and truly returned with a vengeance. This has been encouraged by two other factors:
1) I went the ‘big chop’ and got all my hair cut off. I’ve never done this before, but I am now sporting a Mia Farrow-esque ‘do’. While I love it, it has been the catalyst for a bit of a wardrobe crisis. I used to channel Betty Draper’s hair and outfits – now all of a sudden, I’m looking at things that are a bit more ‘modern’, and half of my go-to ensembles simply don’t go with my new look.
2) There have been a lot of stocktake sales going on. And while I have been very good and promised my husband that I will endeavour to make a dent in my enormous fabric stash before purchasing more fabric, I calmly and rationally stated my case and justified my need to obtain new sewing patterns that would contribute towards solving the problem outlined in reason 1.
So here are some of the patterns I snapped up:

Clockwise from top left:

Butterick 5608:OK, so the illustration makes this look super daggy. And there’s the chance that it will be. But I thought that the two on the right might be a good staple for when summer comes along. So often I’ll make a skirt and realise I have nothing that matches with it. I also have a few lengths of fabric that aren’t long enough to do much with, but I might be able to squeeze out a few of these tops from them. I’ll probably file this pattern away and wait until the sun is a little warmer for the time being.

Simplicity 3833: Another haircut-friendly ‘mod’ 1960’s look. I like the two tone potential (a good way of using up remnants!). Although it’s pictured on the pattern cover as a summer frock, I want to try and make it into a
sleeveless pinafore to wear now during the winter months. I’m not sure if I’ll need to do any alterations (maybe lower the arm holes a little?)

Burda 7114: How could I resist? I think the short hair will work with this! It looks easy and quick and isn’t particularly special, but it looks comfy and something that will get me back into the swing of things. And it has pockets!! I like the winter and the summer version, but my priority will be the ones with sleeves to wear with bright tights and my new boots (purchased in Florence during our honeymoon!). There are a few potential fabric candidates in my stash for this one – I’ll have to double check the lengths and thickness of some of them to see what will work best.

Simplicity 1913: I’m really liking the few Project Runway patterns that I have, particularly how they come with lots of options and bits and pieces to play with. I like both the slim skirt and the flared version, and will probably end up making both. Right now I have some lolly pink wool in my stash that I want to make the ¾ sleeve version with collar and slim skirt.

Simplicity 1717: I know I could probably sit down and draft something similar to this if I tried, but it would take so much time and space and patience, and this was half price and already done! It’s a very basic pattern, but I do love an A line skirt. And it has pockets (OK, so they are just basic patch pockets you could easily make up, but I’ll ignore that.) I’m curious about the longer length skirt, too. l I always thought that this was a bit of a ‘naff’ length, but lately I’m curious. It would be nice and warm and swishy in winter, and maybe when paired with my new boots, it wouldn’t look so daggy? My priority though is to whip up a winter version of the skirt pictured on the cover with some left over wool pieces.

Vogue1340: Ok, this had nothing to do with my hair, or my remnant stash. I just liked the crisp lines and the subtle bodice detail with the pleats. Very sharp and elegant

Burda 7125: Nothing particularly mind-blowing about this pattern, but I like how it’s got potential for contrasting fabrics (great for stash slashing!) in the yoke/sleeves vs the main body of the shirt. I’m also attracted to the way it’s a bit loose and billowy. I’m hoping this will be a quick and easy project to run up (especially view A – no buttons!)

Simplicity 2154: I’ve had my eye on this pattern for ages and couldn’t resist. What isn’t there to love? A librarian pencil skirt and matching jacket. And that bow! I just love that bow! I know this is a bit more old
fashioned, and less ‘mod’, but I think I can make it work with the hair. And again, I should be able to find some remnants in my stash for this project.

Vogue 1338: This is a little more modern day, but the pattern intrigues me. I’m not very good at working with knit fabrics, and I love the way the construction is all drapey and triangle-y. I have some wool knit somewhere in
my stash that I inteded for this, but once I read the back of the pattern I realized it’s cut on the bias, so I’m not sure if I’ll actually have enough. I may have to make some fabric purchases after all. If I can successfully make it, I think this would be a very comfy, cosy and office-friendly dress to wear. I’m a little scared of it though – my previous attempts at sewing with knits left me questioning my sewing ability.

So there you go! Now that I’ve posted this online, I’m going to have stick to my word and make at least a few of these projects, so watch this space!

I have to admit, it was VERY difficult for me not to go out and buy the usual suspects – the 1940’s reproduction patterns with the beautiful curves, drapes, pleats and details, or the Betty Draper-esque 1950’s frocks with full skirts and demure bodices and bows and collars. Luckily my long-suffering and super patient husband accompanied and supervised my purchases to make sure I stuck to my self-imposed requirements.

Now I had better get cracking and start sewing!

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Bound for Glory! (almost) – in pursuit of the perfect bound buttonhole.

February 11, 2013 by rosie

After what feels like an eternity and a thousand set-backs, I have finally completed my AHJ Frock No. 7641 from September 1, 1950. Yes, remember that dress I started ages ago, with the overly ambitious small bust adjustment? That SBA was stressful. But, it did end up working – sort of – with a lot of wrangling and ‘ad lib’.

The reason I chose this dress in the first place was because I wanted to overcome my fear of bound buttonholes. With 13 of the suckers, I figured this dress was sure to put me on track. Plus, I was also attracted to the ridiculously huge pockets.

I consulted the Readers Digest in addition to Gertie’s new Book for Better sewing. The instructions and diagrams in this are great, and I highly recommend it. Warning though: Bound buttonholes are just as time consuming as you’d think!!!

I must admit though, my bound buttonholes still aren’t as perfect as I hoped. I think they did improve as I went along. I did the window facing with silk organza for the facing as well – I had to do these entirely by hand for the two buttonholes in the corner of the collar, as the angle was too acute for me to use the sewing machine by the time I had attached the facing to the collar. I suppose I shouldn’t aim or expect perfection for the my first time, and overall, I’m fairly happy with the dress.

The fitting did cause some issues – I had to use 6 cm seam allowances rather than the normal 1.5, and I ended up fitting the front and back darts by ‘eye’ retrospectively (well, mum did the fitting when I went home to visit one weekend.) There’s one bit in the front (the bottom of the button hole facing bit) that doesn’t sit particularly well, and I’ll have to go back and hand sew it down a bit, but I think I can pull it off, overall.

A bit crumpled from being at work all day, but you get the idea. The SBA didn’t turn out too shabby after all!

The original pattern

bound buttonholes are everywhere – collars, sleeves, opening and pockets!

Category 1950's, Australian Home Journal, Buttonholes, Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing, Pattern Alteration, Summer Outfits, Uncategorized | Tags: | No Comments
A complete pattern bust-up….or down

January 14, 2013 by rosie

The inevitable return to work (sigh), other domestic duties and a shoulder injury have temporarily prevented me from any recent sewing pursuits. However, my mind has been busy with plenty of visions which are probably far too ambitious and will remain far more brilliant and glamorous in my head than they ever will in reality. This is probably owed, in part, to me looking more like one of those chic women on the front of retro pattern envelopes, with the impossible waist and charming allure and poise, than the real me. I have set these visions aside, however, for a more practical challenge, which started off concentrating on one thing (bound buttonholes) and has landed up in the territory of another equally scary topic.

My love for collecting the Australian Home Journal is largely due to the fact that each monthly issue came with free patterns – you can still find them with patterns intact. Some of the illustrations are just to die for, and I now have quite a substantial stash of potential projects, all cocooned in the wonderful historical Australian housewife context that is the magazine. But, because of one factor, they are all too tantalizing close, yet oh so beyond my reach: They aren’t my size.

Until the late 50’s or early 60’s the AHJ only issued these free patterns in one size, each month – the “average 36 inch figure”. I don’t know if it’s just me, but there doesn’t seem to be anything average about this figure! 36inch bust is, I think, quite substantial (particularly when viewed from my vantage point!), but when you combine this with the accompanying waist and hip measurements – which I might add were not written down anywhere (I had to consult a 1952 edition) – whoa! Was this really the way women were shaped back then? Or are these measurements factoring in some sort of corset/torture device that got them to the desired size? Either way, it seems I am not far off the almost the average 36inch bust figure, except for the crucial bust bit, which is severely lacking. Sigh.

The construction instructions for these AHJ patterns are, generally, quite hilarious in their vague-ness and lack of diagrams, but when it comes to their advice on sizing, it’s particularly laughable. Their suggestion is to add or subtract, using strips of paper, to the side seams until the desired size is reached. Well, its’ going to take a hell of a lot more than that to get it fitting me. I’m still not sure whether it’s even possible.

All the advice in blogs, tutorials and books tell me I shouldn’t even be attempting to reduce a bust line by 6inches. You’re probably screaming something similar to me right as you read this. Logically, I agree. But emotionally, I feel like there MUST be a way I can get these patterns to fit me, dammit!

Enter AHJ pattern No. 7641 from, September 1, 1950. My original reasons for choosing this pattern were because of the numerous buttonholes – I need to practice making bound buttonholes (I have chronic bound-buttonhole-a-phobia). Also, it looked like a relatively comfortable ‘everyday’ summer dress that was practical; sun smart with its sleeves and collar, and useful with its big pockets. Plus, I have so much summer cotton fabric in my stash.

SBA Hell

But Frock no. 7641 has now turned into my first SBA adjustment guinea pig. It hasn’t been a very enjoyable process, and in retrospect, was probably a bit of a dumb design to start off with. I HATE doing toiles, even though I know that the benefits of getting it right far outweigh the hassle. Even so, it’s still a tiresome, tedious, frustrating exercise, and even now, after all the sweat blood and tears (literally), it’s not a perfect fit. It’s probably just as well that I don’t totally and completely love the design of this dress – if I had been lusting after it too much I think I would have found the process too traumatic and the results too disappointing.

I read lots of blogs and tutorials and looked up some books to see how the whole SBA thing works, including the following:

https://blog.megannielsen.com/2012/04/how-to-do-a-small-bust-adjustment-sba/

https://www.coletterie.com/tutorials-tips-tricks/flat-pattern-small-bust-adjustment-for-the-parfait

https://www.blogforbettersewing.com/2010/12/helpful-links-for-bust-alterations.html

https://hungryzombiecouture.blogspot.com.au/2007/03/my-cup-does-not-runneth-over.html

I managed to confuse myself a little, as each blog/article/chapter I read was slightly different to the previous one. But I do think I understand the concept a little better now. I drew my lines and cut up them, and then overlapped things around 1.5 inches. The problem is, that reduced the length of the bodice pattern A LOT (I’ve had to add length back on). But the biggest thing was getting those damn kimono sleeves right. I don’t know whether they were just super huge to begin with (they don’t look THAT long and baggy in the line drawing), but there was just SO MUCH excess fabric in those sleeves. And while I know that the design is intended for shoulder pads, I still don’t think that accounts for it all. I have basically re-drawn in the kimono style sleeve, taking out HEAPS of excess fabric, and making the curve of the armpit higher. I’m worried now that I’ve completely ruined the line and design of the dress.

I also had to do a similar thing to the back (probably a totally unorthodox thing to do). With the back, instead of making up where the armscye would be and chopping off the kimono part, I ended up extended the line all the way up the kimono sleeve, to eliminate more fabric. This seemed to work OK-ish.

After massive amounts of chopping, sticky taping, toiling and pinning and guessing, I think I’m almost ready to cut into real fabric. I’m still apprehensive. Will I even like the dress? Will the not-so-perfect fit always bug me? Will it look distorted and stupid and obviously home made in the worst sense? Am I simply nothing more than a well-meaning but totally self-deluded butcher of vintage patterns?

Only time will tell.

Category Uncategorized | Tags: 1950's,AHJ,SBA,sizing | No Comments
Summertime Playsuit!

January 8, 2013 by rosie

The final product!

I’ve secretly been attracted to the notion of the “playsuit” for a while now – so frivolous and carefree, and a little bit silly! To me, they just scream fun and summer and ice-creams and sunshine.

I decided I was overdue for one, and what better time than during New Year’s summer celebrations? It was meant to be when this this cotton watermelon fabric that I had been eyeing off for a while came on sale at Spotlight. At just over $3 per meter, how could I resist?

Of course, I didn’t actually have a pattern, but I did have a vision. The resulting garment is a hybrid, using the bottom half of a “sportsuit” from a 1956 Australian Home Journal for the shorts (and yes, I feel there is a slight difference between a play suit and a sports suit) and the Sweetheart Sundress bodice from Gertie’s New Book for Better Sewing.

“Sport Suit” pattern, Australian Home Journal, 1956

All along I knew I wanted shirring in the back – added comfort with lots of ease combined with a snug fit to maximise the ‘play’ factor. Serendipitously, Gertie’s bodice even had instructions on how to adapt her back bodice for this very purpose. Moving the zip to the side for both the shorts and the bodice was the only major change.

Full of virtuous intentions fuelled by the extremely new year, I was diligent and prepared a calico toile for the bodice. A few minor adjustments were required, mainly in the bust area to compensate for my lack of bustiness. This was simply a bit of pinching in the side seams and centre front seam. I had made the shorts before, so I knew that the side seams would need taking in, as the pattern isn’t my size. As the fabric isn’t of high quality, I lined the front of the bodice with a plain white cotton to give it a bit more body and structure.

I was worried that this bodice style wouldn’t suit me. I am not very busty, and this bodice sort of calls for it. I was concerned that it would all look a little pathetic. However, I think the gathered detail on the front creates the illusion of more, and I was pleasantly surprised!

This should have been a relatively simple and quick project, but for some reason I just made lots of stupid mistakes which required a lot of unpicking. Probably the fact that I was combining two different patterns didn’t help the situation – I sewed the shorts on three times before I felt the fit was OK. I also have a sneaking suspicion that the back bodice piece might be upside down. I’m not going to undo all that shirring to find out though! I gave the whole thing a bit of a lift by using some old white bias binding I had lying around as contrast around the bodice band, shorts hem and shoulder straps. These were all finished by hand, so that was also quite time consuming. It was a super hot day when I made this – over 40 degrees – sweaty hands do not make for easy hand stitching!

Overall, I’m pretty happy with the final product. I’m not sure how many playsuits I actually need, but if I did make it again, I would make the crotch a little longer (I had to do a very narrow seam to try and get a bit more length), but it’s OK. I would definitely recommend this bodice pattern – I think I’ll be using it down the track for a dress or two!

Holidays are over and I’m now back at work, so I’m not entirely sure when/where I’ll have the opportunity to wear it, but hopefully there will be some nice weekend weather before summer ends. The only problem is, I’m so fair, that I don’t usually expose this much skin, as I tend to burn to a crisp!

Category Uncategorized | Tags: 1950's,playsuit,shirring,summer | No Comments