Pansies bloomed all night

I bought this hat pattern in one of Vogue's online sales. It's a reproduction of a pattern from around 1950. The pattern envelope is styled  hideously. I don't know why they do this. It's like there's some sort of conspiracy to make people not want to buy their patterns. I mean, the hats don't even look remotely 50s. They look more 1980s. Anyway, I thought Hat A and B had potential if you looked past the pattern envelope.

The frame is made with bias covered wire and piping cord. This took me quite a while because I couldn't understand the instructions. I just ended up making it up as I went along.

 I then covered the frame in fabric. At this point I was pretty sure it was going to turn out horrible.

I didn't want to make flowers from ribbon or organza like the pattern instructed so I bought these fake flowers. After pinning them to the frame I decided they were too big.

Because I'm some kind of masochist, I pulled apart the flowers and made new ones out of the petals. This took me many episodes of BSG to complete.

Side view

I then hand sewed all the flowers to the hat frame. Pretty much the whole hat is hand sewn except for the bias that covers the wire which was sewn by machine.

I tried to take photos with my tripod but you couldn't really see the hat so mirror shots it is.

You can wear it either way around. Hat A and B on the pattern envelope are the same foundation but Hat B is worn the other way around and has different flowers. I think I like it the way around it is in the first photo.

Even though it took me ages to do and was kind of frustrating, I really love this hat. I'm proud of all the hand sewing too. It's not that neat but this is probably the most hand sewing I've ever done on a project.

Also, thanks for your comments about my hair in the last post. I've decided I like it now. I think it just takes a while to get used to a haircut.

Not like Dame Edna

 

When Miss Cavendish posted about these fabulous Elsa Schiaparelli glasses from the 50s, and then did her own DIY version, I knew I had to have a pair of outrageous floral sunglasses too.

I got some cats eye sunglasses. It was surprisingly hard to find ones that had thick enough frames to glue flowers on to. I could only put them on the corners.  
 

I bought these resin flowers off trademe.   

I used hot glue to attach them.

 People have already said, "Like Dame Edna, right?". No, not like Dame Edna.  

A Marguerite Gown

Remember when I did that post about the New Zealand labels on some of my vintage clothing? Well, this is one of the dresses that was made/sold in the city where I live.  

I've only worn this dress once before because the hem had come down, and I needed to mend it. It took me about 5 minutes to do, but I left it sitting in my mending pile for months. For some reason it's hard for me to get motivated to do mending. I would rather sew a whole new dress than mend one. It's ridiculous because once I actually make myself do it, it usually takes no time at all.

I love the pleating detail down the front. I also love that the stitching isn't straight. As someone who sews it's nice to see non-handmade vintage clothes with wonky stitching. It makes me feel a bit better about my sewing when it isn't perfect. I know how hard it is to get topstitching straight so I sympathise with whoever made this dress.

The Snowdrops Blouse

The snow last week provided me with a couple of days off uni and some time to sew up McCall's 3776. I probably should have spent the time off studying but after a snowball fight, I couldn't muster up the energy to hit the books.

This is sort of my test version. The fabric is a merino wool knit which has two way stretch. It was relatively easy to make. I used my overlocker for most of the construction. I wasn't sure how much ease the pattern had so I erred on the side of caution and only cut it one size smaller than my measurements. It ended up a bit too big but I don't really mind. It means I can fit a thermal underneath it.

It err..doesn't look like the pattern envelope very much. The neckline is quite a bit lower and the pleats aren't as visible. It has some cute details though, like three darts at each of the elbow and a little dart at the shoulder seam in the back. Strange dart placements get me every time.



Here is a not very good shot of the elbow darts. Those aren't marks on the fabric. It's from my camera (I don't think it liked playing in the snow as much as I did).

The buttons down the back are only decorative. I put snaps underneath them because I have no idea how to do buttonholes on a knit. In fact, I pretty much know nothing about sewing knits but I blunder along anyway.

It's really warm and comfy. I will definitely be making a few more of these in an array of colours. Next time though, I'll sew the pleats in the front down and take it in more.

Miss Mod

I finally finished my Summer Coat. Only problem is that it's now too cold to wear it. I guess I will have to wait for Spring.

I tried some of the suggestions you guys left me about how to get the dye stains out and they worked. Thanks so much to everyone who left comments. If it hadn't been for you, this would still be sitting in the unfinished pile in my sewing room.

The pattern is one I've made before, Simplicity 1411. It's actually a 50s pattern but I think it looks more Mod than New Look.

I think I need to put a little snap just behind the last button to keep it from gaping open.

This is my ridiculous 60s model pose. Can you tell I'm trying not to laugh?

The lining is tiny pink and white stripes because I sure do love pretty linings (and it was only $1 a metre).

The collar does sit properly at the back. I just forgot to check it before I took the photo.

I'm so happy with the way it turned out. I love it. Now, if only we had some fine weather so I could wear it.

On Location

At the moment I'm on holiday at my parents place in the middle of nowhere. It's great because I can do lots of sewing and try and get some schoolwork done (it's also nice having someone to do my washing).

Yesterday, I finished Simplicity 1411, a short-sleeved jacket pattern from the 50s. Embarrassingly enough, I started this at the beginning of May but I abandoned it because it reminded me of doctor's scrubs. I'm glad I picked it up again because I'm actually quite pleased with the way it looks.
I made it using some sea foam green poplin and purple vintage buttons. The colour's actually greener than in the photo and the buttons are brighter. I didn't do the version with the detachable cuffs and collar so mine looks more like a blouse/jacket hybrid.

I'm also wearing my unfinished version of Burdastyle's Jenny skirt. It's still without a waistband and the suspender straps but I didn't bring any clothes with me that I could wear with the jacket. I will do another post on it when it's done.

Simplicity 1192

When I first contemplated sewing Simplicity 1192 I thought it looked fairly straightforward and fun...how wrong I was. The bodice went together perfectly until it came time to attach the ties for the bows. When I tried it on the bateau neckline was so high up my neck it looked like a skivvy* gone wrong. Since I (mostly) followed the instructions I'm going to tell myself that women in the 1950s had ridiculously swan-like necks and that is why the neckline came up to my chin. After a few small tantrums and a lot of unpicking I decided to remove the ties. I was determined to still use them somehow because they were bias cut and it had used up about a metre of fabric making them. I tried various methods of attaching them at the shoulder seams and sewing them to the facings but none looked quite right.

I finished the rest of the dress, including my first lapped zipper (which was easy compared to fixing the neckline). I decided that it would be easier if the ties were removable so I could wear a cardigan over the dress. In the photo above I've just tied them around the shoulder seams and then into bows. They look really uneven but that's mostly because I was in a hurry and couldn't be bothered playing with them until they were the same. Sorry about the wonky photo, that's what happens when you try and take a self-timer photo using a sloping bookcase as a makeshift tripod.

*Turtleneck if you're not a New Zealander

Butterick 5032 (another Stash Buster)

This is the first vintage re-issue pattern that I have ever sewn. I think the re-issue patterns have been graded up for modern sizing. Based on my measurements, my hips, bust and waist were three different sizes (8, 10 and 12) so I cut a size 12 to be on the safe side.

This fabric has been sittting in my stash for over a year because I wasn't sure what to use it for. I bought 2 metres so this was the only pattern I have that would fit the fabric. It was relatively simple to put together. I changed the position of the front darts and the length of the skirt. I also added a bow to the front because it was a bit plain for my taste.

(Please excuse the wrinkles, I wore it to uni today).

In which I make things complicated for myself

I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I was in the middle of sewing something complicated. I finally finished it. Butterick 8459 itself is probably not that difficult but the one I have is missing the instructions and the pattern piece for the collar has half of it ripped off. This meant I had to re-draft the collar piece before even beginning. I am usually terrible at following instructions but the diagrams are always handy. It took me awhile to figure everything out but I got there in the end.

For my version I used the bodice of View A and the skirt of View B because I wanted sleeves. I also cheated a bit. The buttons on the front are purely decorative. The bodice closes with four snaps.

I'm pretty pleased with the result, although I don't really like the drape of the fabric.

(Please excuse the wonky seams on my stockings).

Things are not always as they seem

I have a habit of buying beautiful things that are completely unwearable. I feel like I am saving pieces of history that would otherwise be thrown away. I have vintage 1940s shoes that are too small and 1950s shoes that are too big. The dress I am wearing above is a 50s party dress. Unfortunately, there is a huge rip in the back where the fabric has weakened, numerous rust spots, a large sun damaged strip and a few other problems. It is basically unfixable, yet I can't bear to get rid of it. What makes it worse is that it fits like it was made for me. I'm going to hang it up in my sewing room so at least I can admire its beauty, even if I can't wear it.

I also have a lovely new banner thanks to Katrina of Pugly Pixel, who very generously made me two banners from which I choose my new one. She made my previous banner as well. Thanks Katrina.

50s Style Full Skirt

Sometimes when I'm in the middle of sewing something complicated or time consuming I need a quick sewing fix. Something fast and easy to get that sense of achievement from finishing a garment.

This skirt is one such project. I sewed it in a few hours over a couple of days. It's a simple gathered skirt on a waistband with a zip. The fabric is a lovely vintage cotton. I got it with a whole pile of other stuff in a vintage suitcase for $5.



Now I've got my quick fix I can continue on with my more daunting sewing projects (and yes sewing is my drug of choice).