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1940's Style Knit Wrap Dress

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Ever since I am sewing reproduction vintage clothing, I was wondering if all those astonishing designs could also be made with lightweight knit fabrics, such as jersey. Especially many of the 1940's patterns are suitable for woven rayon fabrics (or even require them), which today are not often available, and if, usually not in the colours or print we would like. Some patterns require also silk or woolen knits which in my country are even more difficult to obtain. Why not replace them by cotton (or even rayon) knits, I was wondering. I never was afraid of sewing knits, as I use the very often for my kids' clothing, and I even have an old, but handy serger machine.

Seit ich Repro Kleider nähe frage ich mich, ob nicht all diese wunderbaren Designs nicht auch mit Jersey genäht werden könnten. Vor allem jene Schnitte, die für gewobene Viskosestoffe  geeignet sind oder diese sogar ausdrücklich verlangen. Leider ist dieses Material hierzulande ja nicht in dem Mass verfügbar, das ich mir wünsche. Einige Schnittmuster verlangen ja sogar ausdrücklich nach Wollt- oder Seidenjersey, was, wenn überhaupt erhältlich, nur mit dem Verkauf einer Niere finanzierbar ist. Und Angst vor dem Nähen mit Jersey hatte ich noch nie - ich nähe für meine Kinder fast alles aus Jersey, und ich besitze auch eine alte Overlockmaschine, die mir vorzügliche Dienste leistet. 

When - slightly more than a year ago - I came across a fabulous post by Laura of American Duchesse about "transforming" vintage patterns to knits, I felt  confirmed and was determined to give it a try too. However, despite having a huge amount of cotton knit materials, I felt it should be something that has more "grip" and offers more warmth than t-shirt quality. Ponte de roma, a double knit fabric that is a bit heavier and warmer, is usually a poly-rayon blend with lots of stretch. Being suspicious about poly fabrics, I bought a forest green material on sale and thought if it would go wrong, I wouldn't lose much.

Als ich deshalb vor etwas mehr als einem Jahr den erleuchtenden Post von Laura von American Duchess fand, fühlte ich mich mehr als nur bestätigt. Obwohl ich viele Jerseys habe, wollte ich aber etwas mit mehr Griff und Wärme als nur mal T-Shirt-Qualität. Romanit ist eine Art doppelter Strick, schwerer und wärmer, sehr dehnbar, in unterschiedlicher Mischqualität aus Polyester und Viskose. Da ich mit vielen Polyestern wegen meiner Hauptprobleme nicht so klarkomme, war ich skeptisch und kaufte deshalb einen reduzierten Stoff. Viel hatte ich also nicht zu verlieren.

This winter is quite cold compared to others we have had in the recent years. A knit dress would certainly be useful, and yes, wrap dresses are always great to have! I had found this lovely pattern (yes, it's actually a robe) on eBay, it maybe is the only British pattern and certainly the only from this company in my collection. Envelope tattered, it was still fabric-folded. I added only bit width, as I didn't want to stretch out the material too much (all too easily you look like a sausage).

Dieser Winter ist, im Vergleich zu denen der vergangenen Jahre, sehr kalt. Ein Strickkleid würde also sicher nützlich sein, und erst noch eins zum Wickeln! Ich hatte dieses hübsche Muster (eigentlich ein Hauskleid oder Morgenmantel) auf eBay gefunden, es ist ein britisches und vermutlich das einzige dieser Kompanie in meiner Sammlung. Entgegen des zerfetzten Umschlags war das Muster noch original gefaltet. Ich fügte etwas  Weite hinzu, weil es ja nur eine 14 ist, weil ich trotz des dehnbaren Materials nicht wie eine Wurst aussehen möchte.

I announced this project in a see peak already in a previous post!

Being not the only one to use knit fabric for a vintage dress pattern, you can find more examples of vintage reproduction dresses, here and here, and this is certainly proof that sewing with knits is not as difficult as many think. I didn't even use my serger, not did I buy the special thread Lauren is recommending.
The only material-related problem was the length of the bodice. I added one inch on the pattern, as it was a bit too short on me, and had to cut off one inch on the finished bodice. Why? Punta de roma is quite heavy, and the weight of the skirt pulled down the waistline. So if you ever sew a dress like that, don't be surprised, but keep in mind that not all knits have the same weight and stretch (some have lots of across, but not lengthwise). This also caused some troubles with the sleeves, they certainly should be more puffed, but the weight of the fabric pulls the sleeve head a bit down. I maybe should add a sleeve head moustache.

Offenbar bin ich nicht die Einzige, zu einem Vintage-Kleid aus Jersey inspiriert war, denn es gibt noch mehr Beispiele für solche Kleider, hier und hier. Das zeigt, das Nähen mit Jersey nicht so schwer ist wie viele denken. Ich benutzte für dieses Kleid weder meine Overlockmaschine noch das von Lauren empfohlene Garn. 
Das einzige materialbedingte Problem war letztlich die Länge des Oberteils. Auf dem Schnittmuster hatte ich ein Zoll zugegeben (etwa 2.5 cm), weil es etwas zu kurz war, und zuletzt musste ich dann am fertigen Oberteil wieder ein Zoll am Stoff wegschneiden. Was war passiert? Romantik ist etwas schwerer und sehr dehnbar, und das Gewicht des Rockteils zog die Tiefenlinien etwas nach unten. Wenn man also das auch ausprobieren möchte, muss  man nicht überrascht sein, wenn das passiert, aber es kommt natürlich sehr auf die Art des Materials an. Einige Jerseys dehnen sich ja vorwiegend in der Breite, weniger in der Länge. Das hat letztlich auch die Form des Ärmels beeinflusst. Die sollten gewiss mehr gepufft sein, aber die Ärmelkugel wird etwas nach unten gezogen. Eventuell müsste man noch einen "Schnurrbart" einfügen. Ich find leider kein deutsches Wort dafür, aber ich denke, mit dem verlinkten Artikel ist es klar, was es bedeutet.



I was not sure about the gathered details at the waist and shoulder seams. I have never done something like this before, and the instruction was, as usual, not very detailed. So I marked the rows where I wanted to make the gathered lines, hoping the finished gathers would look regular and neat. They did, and I like the detail that is characteristic for so many 1940's patterns.

The neckline is a bit low, no wonder as the pattern is for a robe that was intended to be worn over a nightgown, therefore I added two press studs for decency. Oh, and I changed the shape of the bishop sleeves a bit and added cuffs so I can wear bangles.

Ich war nicht so sicher, was die gerafften Patient an Schulter und Taille betrifft. Ich habe noch nie welche in der Art gemacht, und die Anleitung war, wie üblich, sehr spartanisch gehalten. Also habe ich die Rehen auf der Rückseite markiert und gehofft, dass sie dann auch schön regelmässig ausfallen würden. Was sie auch taten, und ich bin ganz angetane von diesem für viele 1940er Kleider typischen Detail.

Da es ja eigentlich ein Morgenmantel ist, das man über ein Nachthemd trägt, habe ich am Abschnitt zwei Druckknöpfe hinzugefügt, um nicht zu tiefe Einblicke zu gewähren. Und ja, ich habe die weiten Ärmel etwas geändert und Bündchen gemacht, so dass ich besser Armreifen tragen kann.

Taking pics with my husband usually is not very funny...

...but this time there was something we had to lough about.

This is an amazingly comfy dress for cold days! The material drapes in a lovely way, if offers warmth and  coziness and is quite flattering at the same time.
I made this dress already in late January as my first project for #sewwhatyougot, and I have worn it a couple of times since then. We had almost summery weather the last few weeks, but on Easter winter had a chilly comeback and I was happy I could wear this dress once more.

Selbst für kältere Tage ist dieses Kleid wunderbar behaglich. Das Material fällt schön, es hält warm ohne aufzutragen und man ist gut angezogen damit. Wenn sich der Stoff auch bei der Wäsche und mehrmaligem Trän bewährt, werde ich mir ganz bestimmt noch mehr aus Romanit nähen.
Dieses Kleid habe ich bereits Ende Januar als erstes #sewwhatyougot Projekt genäht, und es ist seither öfters getragen worden. Die vergangenen Wochen waren teilweise schon fast frühsommerlich, doch an Ostern kam der Winter nochmals zurück und ich war froh um dieses Teil, mit dem man doch gut angezogen ist bei diesem Wetter.


The apple tree in bloom was deceiving. It's cold, and 2 days later we have snowfalls!


Pattern: Style Pattern, 1940's bought from eBay
Material: Ponte de roma, from my stash, bought on sale
Shoes: tue vintage 1940s loafers, NOS, bought on FB
Jewellery: various bakelite jewellery, bought from different places


1940's Style Wrap Dress

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I have a purchased wrap dress by a repro brand, and I love it a lot. For a long time I tried to find a similar pattern, but wrap dress patterns from the 40s are not easy to find. So I tried to make something like a copy of that dress. Which was not easy, as the slinky rayon crepe of the template dress changed shape whenever it was moved.

Ich habe ein Repro Kleid, das ich über alles liebe. Da ich keinen ähnlichen Schnitt finden konnte, habe ich versucht, das Kleid zu kopieren. Da das Material ein sehr rutschiger Viskose-Krepp ist, war das schier unmöglich.

I should have made a muslin, well, yes, you always should. But I seldom do, and I went right ahead with a gorgeous piece of 1940s fabric. I had to struggle a bit to have enough fabric for all the pieces. Luckily, it turned out quite well. There's only little that should be improved on a next version, and even though the skirt looks slightly too bulky when worn (thanks to my weight gain during the last months), I am really happy how it turned out.

Natürlich hätte ich noch ein Testkleid nähen sollen, sollte man ja immer, aber ich mache das kaum je. Stattdessen nähte ich gleich drauflos mit einem Stück originalem Stoff aus den 1940ern. Mit etwas Glück schaffte ich es, aus dem sehr knappen Material alle Teile zu schneiden. Und zum Glück ist das Kleid auch recht gut gelungen. Nur zwei, drei Kleinigkeiten müssten an dem Schnitt verbessert werden, und der Rock dürfte weniger klobig sein, was aber auch am Stoff liegt (und an meiner derzeitigen Figur).

I had to peace the back bodice and yoke.

I think the fabric is one of the loveliest I have ever seen, as the colour range is so 1940s! I guess it's cotton or some kind of cotton and rayon blend. Then there's a slight structure to the material similar to grosgrain ribbon. It's marvelous to wear and so soft, although there should be a bit more drape to it for this particular cut.

Der Stoff ist einer der hübschesten, den ich je gesehen habe, die Farbpalette ist so richtig zeittypisch. Ich denke es ist Baumwolle oder ein Baumwolle-Viskose-Gewebe, mit einer leicht gerippten Struktur wie Rips. Es ist sehr angenehm und weich, dürfte aber für diesen Schnitt etwas mehr Fall haben.

The dress was finished already in autumn, but because of my medication I put on a bit weight (others may call it fat...), but now that spring is here, it fits better, and I hopefully get back my previous shape.

Fertig ist das Kleid schon im Herbst geworden, doch wegen meiner Medikamente habe ich etwas zugenommen. Winterspeck wohl auch. Nun da der Frühling da ist, passt es aber schon besser. 





I wore it yesterday for a trip with my family. Tomorrow, they have to go back to school after their spring holiday, and it was a splendidly sunny day after a week of rain and cold. So we drove to Stein am Rhein, an ancient, tiny town near the Rhine (and near the Rhine falls). It was a bit crowded, apparently many people had the desire to spend this lovely day in a beautiful place. I didn't expect my husband to take that many pictures, I was rather surprised I didn't have to beg him...

Ich habe das Kleid bei unserm gestrigen Ausflug zum ersten Mal richtig ausgeführt. Morgen müssen die Kinder nach den Ferien wieder in die Schule, und weil es nach einer kalt-regnerischen Woche endlich mal wieder sonnig war, fuhren wir ins malerische Stein am Rhein in der Nähe des Rheinfalls. Es hatte etwas viel Volk unterwegs, offenbar hatten noch andere Menschen das Bedürfnis, den Tag an einem so schönen Ort zu verbringen. Ich war auch sehr überrascht, dass mein GöGa aus freien Stücken so viele Bilder machte...





We also visited the nearby tiny island Werd that can be accessed only by foot or boat. Having no boat, we had to cross a small wooden bridge, which was quite challenging for me. As soon as I don't have terra firma beneath my feet, I feel totally dizzy. (It get's worse with age...)

Zuletzt besuchten wir noch die winzige Insel Werd gleich nebenan. Diese ist nur zu Fuss oder mit dem Boot erreichbar. Da wir kein Boot haben, nahmen wir den schmalen Steg, was für mich ein wenig eine Herausforderung war. Sobald ich keinen festen Boden unter den Füssen habe, wird mir schwindlig.

View of Stein am Rhein from the island


This place was just amazing. It has an ancient house and the chapel of St. Otmar. The beautiful labyrinth, a copy of the one in the Chartres cathedral, intrigued my kids a lot.

Dieser Ort ist sehr beeindruckend mit dem kleinen Kloster und der St. Otmar Kapelle, und das Labyrinth hat selbst meine Kinder sehr beeindruckt. Es ist übrigens eine Nachbildung des Labyrinthes der Kathedrale von Chartres.



Pattern: self-drafted after a reproduction 1940s dress
Fabric: vintage 1940s from Etsy
Shoes: Moheda toffeln from Sweden
Purse: vintage crochet purse with faux tortoise shell frame, Etsy
Earrings: vintage early plastic screw-backs, don't remember where from
Bangles:The Pink Bungaloo (the wide carved one), small ones are vintage bakelite from various sellers
Cardigan: H&M



Frida's Garden - My Birthday Skirt

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It is quite normal for me that I get behind my schedule and planned things remain UFOs for quite some time. And sometimes I am so surprised to finish projects in time, that I forget to blog about them, even though I announced them boastfully.

And today - tadaaa - voilà, my finished "Happy Belated Birthday To Myself" skirt. It's basically so belated, that it was finished one month after my birthday - 3 years ago. Frida Kahlo, the Mexican painter and her artwork, are pictured in this fabric. She lived from 1907 to 1954, and her birthday was, what a coincidence, on July 6th - exactly the day when my skirt was finished and worn for the first time out. But as tomorrow is my birthday, this is, once again, a birthday skirt.

For once I didn't want to make a simple pleated skirt, even though it would have been suitable for a folk art inspired fabric. But I didn't want a too bulk skirt, and then I found this pattern in my stash and thought it would look nice. It's a 1949 Simplicity pattern, 3033, it was still in fabric folds (exciting!) and it was quite easy to realise.



On my husband's advice I skipped the pockets. Today I wouldn't ask him, but back then I was still unsure weather it's yes or no to big pockets. Somehow I miss them, as I find myself all too often fiddling with the side seams in search of - obviously non-existing - pockets. Only trouble was - the construction of the waistband respectively the front pleats was somehow wrong. It was not possible at all to make it as described in the instruction sheet. I was wondering if I was too stupid to understand, if my English was not as good as I thought, if I just had misinterpreted something, but then I just realised that there certainly ARE patterns with errors or badly drawed, mismatching pieces. In the end, I just moved the front pleat folds and it worked.


There is also the pattern for the blouse included. I think the version with the huge collar would look nice made from a lightweight, white cotton fabric to be paired with the skirt.

I really love to wear this skirt, the colours are fantastic and great to add various solid tops. On these pictures I'm wearing a self made knit top. The pics are taken by my daughter.


Skirt pattern: Simplicity 3033 from 1949
Skirt fabric: Frida's Garden by Alexander Henry
Peasant top: self drafted, made from a cotton-spandex knit
Shoes: Moheda Toffeln from Sweden
Earrings: Splendette


Smooth Sailing Garden Girl Bluse

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I realise I haven't been around here since months. It was a personally very busy and straining time, and my sewing motivation suffered a lot. Now spring is here and also my mood for sewing is back again.

As much as I was cursing during my last attempt to make a "Smooth Sailing" blouse, as much was I tempted to give this great pattern another try. After printing out the pattern again and sewing up the fabric pieces and ending up with a badly fitting blouse that had to be taken apart entirely, I finally managed to transfer my adjustments to the pattern. I should have dome this before, but that's what you get for being lazy. The major fitting issues were the much too wide yoke parts (I took away about an inch on each side at the shoulders) plus the width of the bottom sleeves and cuffs (these tend to be a bit narrow on most). I realized I could go with a bust 32", but should add some width below the waistline to be still able to make nice tucks. This sounds a bit confusing, but I'm not very busty, but have a well endowed backside.

Ich hab hier eine ganze Weile nicht mehr gepostet. Es lief persönlich einfach zu viel, zu viel Unschönes, und die Näh-Motivation litt erheblich. Nun ist der Frühling halbwegs da, und mit der Natur erwacht auch meine Freude am Nähen wieder.

So sehr ich während meines letzten Versuches mit der Smooth Sailing Bluse geflucht habe, so sehr hat es mich immer wieder gereizt, dem Schnitt nochmals eine Chance zu geben. Also nochmals ausdrucken, zuschneiden, nähen und mit einer schlecht sitzenden Bluse enden, die komplett auseinander genommen werden muss. Aber - endlich habe ich nun alle nötigen Änderung auf dem Schnitt entsprechend übertragen. Klar hätte ich das schon längst tun können, aber ich war einfach zu bequem dazu. Hauptsächlich war es die viel zu breite Schulterpasse, die ich auf jeder Seite sicher um etwa 2 Zentimeter verschmälert habe, plus die untere Ärmelweite und die Blenden, die bei den meisten Näherinnen ohnehin etwas knapp sitzen. Ich hatte auch festgestellt, dass eine 32 Zoll Brustweite ausreichend gross ist, mit etwas Zugabe unterhalb der Teile für den Erhalt der Abnäher und somit der gesamten From.

Yes, I'm currently pruning my more than 100 roses - therefore my slightly muddled hair.


You may ask why I love this pattern if it has to be changed that much to fit right. Well, if you sew your own garments, you have to make adjustments anyway to have a good fit - that's the advantage when you can sew. Then, this blouse is a basic staple for any vintage wardrobe in a later 30s or 40s style. Separates are a huge plus factor when you can't wear one-piece dresses on a daily basis like me, as a family woman, housewife, gardener, whatever... You can't have enough of them, they look great with simple skirts, denims or slacks, you can make them from fabulous prints or plain solids. And - this pattern offers a variety of possible fabric combinations. Colourful prints with a white or solid collar and cuffs, contrasting yoke parts, piping... I have so many lovely cotton fabrics that maybe are just not enough for an entire garment, but combined with a matching material they would make a gorgeous blouse. "Make do and mend" - and use materials from your stash without buying new fabrics.

Vielleicht fragt man sich, warum ein Schnitt, der solcher Änderungen bedarf, so beliebt ist. Aber wenn man selbst näht, muss man für eine gute Passform sowieso oft etwas anpassen - das ist ja der grosse Vorteil vom Selbernähen. Dann ist diese Bluse vom Stil her eine tolle Sache in jedem Kleiderschrank. Separate bequeme Oberteile sind für mich ein absolutes Muss, da ich als Mutter und Hausfrau Kleider nur selten tragen kann. So ein Kleidungsstück wertet jede Jeans ungemein auf, passt aber auch zum einfachen Rock. Und nicht zuletzt bietet gerade dieser Schnitt eine Vielzahl an Möglichkeiten, selbst kleine Stoffstücke hübsch zu verarbeiten, sei es für Kragen, Aufschläge oder die Schulterpasse. Dies auch ganz im Sinne der Rationierung während des Krieges, als viele Nähanleitungen spezifisch auf die Materialknappheit oder -wiederverwertung ausgerichtet waren. Und ich habe einfach zu viele Stoffe, die ich endlich vernähen muss!


So, back to my adventure with this pattern. I cut and sew version no. 3 - and here you have version no. 4. The previous attempt is still not quite finished (as I had to undo and re-stitch it), but this one is. It's certainly not the best item that jumped off my sewing machine, but I was - haha, surprise - in hurry to finish it for the visitors day at my children's school. I hate those events, as I feel totally odd amongst all those super everything moms. I usually feel like a very sad flamingo in a flock of pigeons. My social phobia doesn't help either. So wearing something newly made or very special gives me strength to stomach all that. A lovely new blouse is certainly never wrong, and therefore I needed to finish this one.

Zurück zu meinem Abenteuer mit dem besagten Schnitt. Ich hatte also Blusenversion 3 genäht - und hier ist Version 4. Der vorherige Versuch ist noch nicht ganz fertig (da ich ihn komplett auseinandernehmen und neu nähen musste). Es ist sicher nicht das perfekteste Nähprojekt, aber ich war einmal mehr - Überraschung! - etwas unter Zeitdruck, da ich die Bluse zum Besuchstag der Schule unbedingt fertig haben wollte. Ich hasse diese Anlässe, weil ich mir jedesmal total "unpassend" vorkomme. Meine Phobie vor Menschenansammlungen hilft da auch nicht wirklich. Wenn ich aber etwas Besonderes, Selbstgenähtes anziehen kann, hilft mir das, mich besser zu fühlen. Und eine neue nette Bluse ist ja nie verkehrt.


I loved the fabric the moment I saw it and had to have it (luckily it was on sale), because it's totally me. Little girls doing garden work - could it get any cuter? I'm not sure if it's a "retro style" print or a true reproduction of a vintage fabric, but it really looks like a vintage feedback print. The colour palette allowed me to use some navy blue piping (I made this one myself with ready-made bias binding) and matching vintage celluloid buttons. I finished the blouse on 2 a.m., as I lost a lot time on the design and construction of the pocket. I took some inspiration from Bex'tutorial on her blog Subversive Femme, but changed the shape a bit and added some piping for a different look. (Bex' blog btw is very inspiring - have a look!) From the remaining fabric I also made a matching headscarf.

Now that I sorted out the fitting issues of that versatile pattern, I'm confident this will probably be one of my favourites whenever I need a reliable pattern to knock up a blouse without hassle.




Der Stoff ist mir gleich ins Auge gestochen und ich musste ihn einfach haben (wie gut dass er reduziert war) - kleine Mädchen bei der Gartenarbeit! Völlig passend, und so niedlich! Ob es ein Retro-Design ist oder eine echte Reproduktion eines Vintage-Stoffes, kann ich nicht sagen, aber das Motiv sieht doch ziemlich genau wie einer der vielen fabelhaften Feedsack-Prints aus. Passend zur Farbpalette gab es dunkelblaue Paspeln (aus Schrägband selbst gemacht), und dazu echte alte Zelluloid-Knöpfe. Die Bluse wurde erst um 2 Uhr morgens fertig, weil ich Zeit mit dem Entwurf  und der Ausführung der Tasche verloren habe, zu der ich die Anleitung von Bex auf ihrem Blog Subversive Femme als Inspiration nahm. (Das ist übrigens ein toller Blog voller Ideen, schöner Sachen und hübscher Gratis-Anleitungen!) Aus dem Rest des Stoffes gab es ein praktisches Kopftuch.

Jetzt wo ich hoffentlich alle Passform-Probleme der "Smooth Sailing" behoben habe, bin ich zuversichtlich, dass es eines meiner Lieblingsmodelle sein wird, vor allem, wenn man auf die Schnelle einen verlässlichen Schnitt braucht, wenn man in letzter Minute eine neue Bluse aus dem Ärmel schütteln muss. 

Pattern: Smooth Saling by Wearing History
Fabric: Back Porch Prints by Kaye England (Wilmington Prints), bought from fabric.com
Buttons: vintage celluloid buttons
Glasses: cheap ones, I guess from H&M
Lipstick: Unlimited Stylo by KIKO Milano, No. 18 - best lipstick ever, holds an entire day and stays on even when you have a meal!

The Victory Rag

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You are right. I did write "rag". It was supposed to be blouse, but it's rather a rag. It's not the pattern or my sewing skills. It's the fabric. I was drooling over this gorgeous design on Spoonflower since many months. When I finally got the fabric, I was bit sad the colours didn't look as bright and intense as on the original items pictures. I could live with this, as maybe it was due to my monitor. Whatever. I later washed my fabric as I planned to make a blouse of it (I always prewash them). When I was cutting the garment pieces in the evening, I suddenly realized there were stripes all over the fabric were the print was faded. Like wrinkles. I was so gutted - imagine, I was truly shocked. I can assure I DO have experience with all kinds of fabrics, and also with laundry, and never before, not even with vintage materials, have I been so disappointed. Of course, I have seen this before on very cheap materials, especially on my kids clothes, but then, these never last long, and they're not vintage, and they are not meant to be special wardrobe staples for the upcoming years. So no loss. But Spoonflower is certainly not the cheapest supplier, compared for example with all those wonderful US quilting cotton manufactures that offer lovely quality fabrics in good printing quality. I was really upset. Best I could do, as I already had cut into the fabric and return shipping would certainly would have been too expensive and too troublesome (I wonder if they do accept return at all and do give refunds?), was to take pictures of the ruined material and write a complain. I was crestfallen, of course, but I deeply hope they do read my complain and do really something about the quality. For other customers' happiness sake.

Richtig, da steht "rag" was soviel wie Fetzen, Lumpen bedeutet. Eigentlich als Bluse konzipiert. Es lag absolut nicht am Schnitt, noch an meinen Nähkünsten. Ich hatte dieses Design schon lange immer bewundert bei Spoonflower. Als ich es endlich den Stoff erhielt, war ich zuerst schon etwas resigniert, dass die Farben weitaus weniger intensiv als auf den Beispielbildern war. Was ich akzeptierte, es konnte ja auch monitorbedingt sein. Als ich dann aber den Stoff am Abend nach dem Vorwaschen zuschnitt, stellte ich plötzlich fest, dass er von zahlreichen Linien überzogen war, an denen die Farbe ausgebleicht war. Wie Knitter. Ich war total geknickt, fast geschockt. Der Stoff ruiniert. Nun habe ich mit meinen 40+ Jahren schon etliche Erfahrung mit Wäsche, was auch das Waschen von delikateren Materialien wie zB Vintage Stoffen und Kleidern einschliesst. Natürlich habe ich solche Waschspuren schon bei recht billigen Kleidern, v.a. der Kinder, erleben müssen, aber dort hat es mich weniger gestört, da diese Stücke ja auch meist nicht lange halten und oft zerschlissen sind, bevor sie zu klein werden. Doch Spoonflower ist ja nicht gerade der billigste Anbieter von Stoffen, verglichen zB mit all den wunderbaren Baumwollstoffen die sonst in den USA produziert werden. Ich war masslos enttäuscht. Ich konnte nur noch den "Schaden" fotografieren und eine Beschwerde an Spoonflower schreiben, da der Stoff schon angeschnitten war. Ich frage mich überhaupt, ob Retouren möglich sind, aber die Kosten und der Aufwand hätten sich vermutlich auch kaum gelohnt. Ich wollte das aber nicht einfach so hinnehmen, schon allein um anderer Kunden Zufriedenheit Willen. 




There might be some designs that work out well also in cottons, maybe it depends from the colours and nuances of certain designs. However, with all the knowledge of the 21st century they should be able to get better results also on cotton fabrics. When I think of all my true 1940s and 1950s materials that look like new, there's no fading, no bleeding. The design is awesome, like so many others on Spoonflower, but in the end it was totally ruined. But maybe I'm too picky and it's totally ok that fabrics look like this after washing... Upon my complaint I was told that very saturated, dark colours don't get good results on cottons, but synthetic materials are not for me. At least their customer service is good, and I could order a similar design in less dark colors as a substitute.

Vielleicht fällt ja das Resultat bei gewissen Designs ganz gut aus, möglicherweise kommt es auf die Farben und Nuancen an. Trotzdem, mit dem Know-How des 21. Jahrhunderts sollte es doch wirklich möglich sein, dass auch diese Firma bessere Ergebnisse liefern kann. Andere können es auch, und wenn ich denke, wie farbintensiv meine alten Stoffe aus den 1940ern und 50 gern sind, kein Verbleichen, kein Ausbluten, nichts. Das Design ist ganz fantastisch ist, wird aber total ruiniert. Vielleicht bin ich ja auch nur zu heikel und es ist völlig ok so? Auf meine Beschwerde hin sagte man mir, dunkle satte Farben würden auf Baumwolle weniger gut ausfallen als auf Kunstfasern, aber diese trage ich nicht. Wenigstens konnte ich als Ersatz einen ähnlichen Stoff in einer besseren Qualität bestellen, der dann doch etwas besser ausfällt. 




Long story short told, and to get back to the subject of this post: I made another Smooth sailing blouse of it (yes, once more, sorry if I seem boring, but due to my life circumstances I need more blouses currently), adding self-made red piping. The vintage buttons were a gift from lovely Italian lady. Ah well... The blouse might not be a winner, but underneath a cardigan it won't look too bad.

Der langen Rede kurzer Sinn, oder: um auf das eigentliche Thema dieses Posts zurückzukommen: ich hab eine Smooth Sailing Bluse daraus gemacht. Ja, ich weiss, schon wieder. Ich kann auch anderes nähen, keine Sorge, aber im Moment brauche ich einfach aufgrund meiner Lebensumstände viele Blusen und dieser Schnitt passt für mich prima, er bietet genug Raum über meine breiten Schulterblätter und sieht adrett und feminin aus. Die Vintage-Knöpfe waren ein Geschenk von einer netten Dame aus Italien. Naja... Die Bluse mag kein Gewinner sein, wird es aber im Alltag durchaus tun.



Fabric: Spoonflower (Basic Cotton not recommendable), design by eloise varin (highly recommendable)
Pattern: Smooth Sailing by Wearing History
Piping: selfmade
Buttons: true 1vintage, gifted
Brooch: WW2 Victory brooch, I guess from Ebay ages ago
Bakelite Hoops: vintage




A 1940s Hawaiian Wrap Dress For My Wedding Anniversary

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When I found this stunning heliconia flower viscose (or rayon) fabric in a Hawaiian shop I didn't know yet what I was going to make. I just had to have it, and - it was on sale! I loved it even more in person, even though I usually try to avoid white and natural backgrounds for large scale prints. (I think the make me look bigger.) I could imagine also some beach pajamas. But, despite global warming and the hottest and driest summer I have ever seen in my life so far, we have no beach, and we don't throw that many parties with occasions for dressing up. So a dress it should be, a flowing, light garment for hot days.


Looking through my pattern collection, I was torn between a true wrap dress pattern (quite rare back then it seems) and a robe, both made before. However, I remembered that piecing elaborated designs with several seams in combination with slippery challis viscose fabric was a nightmare, even though that said dress turned out well and is still a favourite of mine. But I wanted to be reasonable, also, I didn't want to cut the fabulous large scale print unnecessarily, so I picked the much simpler British housedress pattern Style 4673, also because of the circle skirt bottom. I own a viscose circle skirt, it wrinkles terribly, but is fabulous for high temperatures.
This should be an easy project, as I said, last year I made a cozy long-sleeved version with a ponte de roma fabric and knew more or less what I had to adjust back then.


The dress pieces went together easily, however, I realized I couldn't make the tiny rows of gathers with this kind of material. I cut the fron bodice pieces on the bias for a better drape and I just was not able to make those gathered rows, that were not on the grain, in addition with the slinkiness of the fabric, look decent enough. So I changed them to release tucks, which was a good idea as I think it goes well with the draping fabric type. However, I think that cutting on the bias probably was not necessary.





The only trouble was the collar extension in the back neck, the fabric kept shifting and wrinkling and drove me almost insane. I also changed the sleeves and took the slightly butterfly-y ones from Simplicity 1778 which promised to be more breezy than the original short sleeve. And it turned out to be a good decision.


My dress closes with pressing buttons, but I added a belt with an exchangeable buckle instead of a sash. Depending on my accessories, I can switch between different colours. I only ned to find a butterscotch-eggyolk coloured buckle in the right size - there wasn't any in my entire (huge) collection of buckles!


We celebrated our 10th anniversary this week! I sometimes cannot believe how fast the years went by. But I was very happy I finished the dress on time for this special occasion. I wore it to a British car meeting, so the cars in the pictures unfortunately are not mine. I wish they were! It was a sunny, but very windy day, and my dress was so comfortable, but a bit tricky, as it kept ballooning, and I once almost had that "Marilyn moment". But it will be a great staple for hot days!



Pattern: Style 4673, 1940s, probably WW2 (war restriction disclaimer on envelope), sleeves from Simplicity 1778
Fabric: heliconia flower viscose (rayon) from Aloha Outlet, Honolulu
Earrings: Vintage bakelite clip-on screws from FB
Necklace: Vintage bakelite from FB
Bangles: Vintage bakelite from various sources
Buckles: Vintage early plastic ones from various sources
Shoes: Moheda Toffeln from Sweden
Bag: Vintage bamboo from FB
Lipstick:  Kiko Cosmetics



Dia de los Muertos Halloween Costumes

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Halloween is not a traditional holiday in my country, however, I love it for various reasons. The roots are Celtic, and the Celts lived in my native country before the Romans came. Also, I am fascinated how a pagan holiday blended in Christian religion, resulting in folkloristic traditions that probably most people around the world don't know anymore, because today's Halloween has become quite a commercialized event with not much left in common with the ancient believes. Plus, my kids love to dress up, and I love to make costumes, and it's a good opportunity for all of us to shorten the time until Christmas and put some colour and excitement in the dark evenings of autumn.

Source
 When my husband came up with the idea for new costumes I was hooked. He knows my love for Mexican culture, and the Day of the Dead is certainly something that fascinates people all over the world. This holiday developed from the catholic holiday that is celebrated on the day after All Saints' Day (or Allhallows in older English, therefore Halloween, for Allhallows' evening), on November 2nd. Because of the beautifully spooky costumes and the painted skull decorations that are distinctive for those celebrations and because of the proximity of this holiday to Halloween, the Mexican costumes and specific facial paintings have become popular even in Europe. No wonder I was excited to make some costumes for my kids inspired by the Dia de los Muertos.

As a sewer and a huge admirer of authentic folkloristic crafts, one of the most beautiful things I have ever come across are the various and extraordinarily beautiful traditional costumes of the regions of Mexico. The rich and colourful embroidery is thrilling, and I could spend hours rolling over pictures of those garments that have their origins in Azetc traditions that were mixed with Spanish motives. Of course it would be convenient to have an embroidery machine, but still, trying to produce garments that would look authentic would still be a huge challenge and very time-consuming.


To keep it simple, I made a Charro style jacket for my son from a pattern for a short collarless jacket I found in my 1950s Lutterloh book. It was by the way the first time I made a two-piece sleeve. It didn't turn out too well because the fabric was a rather cheap synthetic material, but it was certainly a good experience. I also made a red scarf and sash. Luckily I found a cheap felt sombrero from an online shop, and some black trousers completed the outfit. (He first refused to wear it as he wanted to be a ghost or a spider or a transformer. I insisted, as he should match his big sister and it's probably the last time mommy can put him into a costume like that...)


My daughter's costume was far more time-consuming. The skirt should recreate the look of embroideries on a bottom ruffle. I spent much time studying pictures of amazing traditional Mexican garments. I sketched some flowers and leaves and made my own stencils, and in some of my many sleepless nights I printed them on the fabric. The material is a rather slinky viscose (rayon) javanaise, similar to a challis, but with a hint of a shine. Maybe not the best choice, but I had it in my stash, and plenty of it, and the skirt would certainly be very flowing a good for twirling. Hand printing viscose was a new experience for me, and I was happy I made some tests before starting with the pieces I planned to use for the ruffle. It's quite different from cotton! There are various flowers, and I used as many colours as possible.


I certainly don't claim this IS a Mexican skirt, but I tried to be as close to the embroidered costumes as possible. And even though my printed version doesn't justice to the beauty of the originals, it's certainly a garment that shows my deep admiration for the traditional outfits.



When it came to making the floral crown, I took to it like a duck to water. I love Frida Kahlo's look and especially her hairstyles, and my daughter does too. There was no doubt it would be the template to follow by for the updo. Felt is a wonderful material for making flowers.



As an avid gardener I absolutely wanted to make flowers that had something to do with Mexico, so I made some researches. To my utter surprise, many of our annual garden flowers originally are native to Mexico, as marigold, cosmea, zinnia and dahlia. I added lilies, calla lilies and some roses, as these are popular in Mexican culture like Mexican folk songs, embroideries etc. Finding a way how to fix and arrange all the flowers on a headband was rather tricky. I couldn't find a tutorial that would meet my needs, as my flowers are a bit heavier than ready-made synthetic faux ones. So I had to find my own solution. But I think it was totally worth all the hours I spent on it, and also stitching almost all the flowers to the headband by hand instead of using the glue gun.





My daughter's costume is completed by a true Mexcian embroidered blouse I found incredibly cheap for a couple of bucks on Ebay, plus a pashmina shawl from my wardrobe. I must admit I am no very skilled at painting my kids' faces on such occasions, but I was quite pleased with the result, keeping it rather simple.

Even if I didn't have as much time as I would have liked, and despite working mainly in the night (oh black fabric really IS a pain in the back in poor light!), everything looked much better than I had hoped. I am well aware that most people are happy with off-the-rack costumes that are available for little money and that can be thrown away after some wear. Yes, I am a bit crazy for all the effort I put in the kids' costumes.

At least a carved ghost for my son's pumpkin...

...and a Mexican skull on my daughter's. I might need some practice.


This gap-toothed little señor completely stole my heart...


Charro costume:
Jacket: self-made after Lutterloh "Der Goldene Schnitt" (The Golden Rule), book edition 6-1949, mod. 139, p. 80
Felt Sombrero: costume online shop on Ebay
Sash: handwoven from Mexico

Frida costume:
Skirt: hand-printed and self-made dirndl skirt with hand-printed ruffle (no pattern required)
Blouse: true Mexican embroidered blouse, Ebay
Flower crown: self-made felt flowers on head band

1940s Cable Knit Twinset Instructions


About espadrilles...

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Today  bought a pair of espadrilles. You certainly know the mostly cheap flat fabric shoes with kind of raffia soles? They used to be quite fashionable in the 80s, and I used to wear them a lot as a teen. I mean, you couldn't wear them long, as soon as they got wet they had to be thrown away.

Heute habe ich Espadrilles im Ausverkauf erstanden. Kennt Ihr sicher, diese billigen, flachen Stofflatschen mit geflochtenen Sohlen aus einem hanfähnlichen Material? Die waren ja total in während den 80ern, und ich trug die sehr oft als Teenager. Wenn man sie auch nie lange tragen konnte, denn bei Regen zerfielen sie oft in Sekundenschnelle.

I learned some time ago that espadrilles were en vogue already during the 40s and 50s. I didn't know this before as for me they were so typical 80s.

Ich habe kürzlich herausgefunden, dass Espadrilles bereits in den 40ern und 50ern angesagt waren. Zuvor war ich der Ansicht, die wären eine Erfindung der 80er gewesen.

Traditionally worn by Spanish fishermen, they soon became a popular staple for casual summer outfits, for many summer activities. (As a teen, I always though they were a Chinese invention as they usually were made in China. And very cheap, bad quality.)

Ursprünglich wurden sie von spanischen Fischern getragen, wurden aber später populär als Bestandteil von sommerlichen Outfits. Als Teenager dachte ich, die seien eine chinesische Erfindung, da die meisten damals in China produziert wurden und auch wirklich entsprechend billig gemacht waren...

Gardening...

Biking...

Flirting...
I thought it would be fun to show you a few pictures from the past with famous and non-famous people wearing espadrilles.

Ich habe hier ein paar Bilder von berühmten und "weniger berühmten" Menschen, die in jener Zeit Espadrilles trugen.








In my youth they were worn by girls only. At least in Switzerland. My Italian husband told me he wore them too. So it was maybe a cultural issue.
But then, look at the pics. Celebrities like Gary Cooper, John Wayne, and Humphrey Bogart, some of Hollywood's most famous actors, wore them in their holidays. They rock!

Zu meiner Zeit (ja, das klingt nach "alt") trugen nur Mädchen diese Schuhe. Zumindest in der Schweiz. Mein Mann sagte mir einmal, er hätte die in seiner Kindheit in Italien ebenfalls oft angehabt. Das sind wohl kulturelle Unterschiede, die aber vermutlich eher in meiner Jugend entstanden sind. Denn in früheren Jahrzehnten trugen Hollywood-Grössen wie Gary Cooper, Ohne Wayne und Humphrey Bogart ganz selbstverständlich Espadrilles in ihren Ferien. Wie toll ist das denn!





 Spanish painter Salvador Dalí kind of had to wear this traditional Spanish footwear.

Der spanische Maler Salvador Dalí war fast verpflichtet, die typisch spanischen Schuhe zu tragen.



Of course, there always existed varieties of shapes and designs. Espadrille wedges seemed to be a favorite of the ladies back then, and still are today.

Natürlich waren Espadrilles bald auch ein modisch variierender Artikel, der in einer Vielzahl von Designs daherkam. Damals wie heute beliebt sind Espadrille Wedges.


 Hope you had fun. I don't know how you feel, but after I had learned that those rather "cheap" shoes had a certain place in fashion history, I will never look at them the same way.

Hoffentlich hattet Ihr Spass. Ich weiss nicht wie es Euch geht, aber wenn man sieht, welche Füsse dieser doch eher bescheidene Schuh in seiner Geschichte schon zierte, dann sieht man diese "billigen" Latschen ganz plötzlich mit etwas anderen Augen.


Edit: My wonderful vintage sewing friend Couturette wrote a great tutorial about making your own lined espadrilles with a ready-made sole. Check it out! (Aug 6th 2015)

My Flashy Pendleton 49er Style Jacket

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It has been an extremely busy year so far. Some things were rather unpleasant and demoralizing, I feel a bit worn down (and think I also look like it), but at least I tried to find enough time to make lots of things to wear. Sewing mends the soul they say. A denim skirt, trousers, breezy feedsack blouses for the hot summer and stuff for the kids, and a dress for my daughter for her First Communion... I'm quite pleased with what I achieved. (I will try to catch up with some posts!) And I deeply hope our family life will slow down in autumn and winter, and of course there are many more sewing projects.

Only a few remaing scraps...

Talking of autumn, in late August the unusual hot weather ended suddenly and I became well aware (read: I was panicking) that I have too little casual stuff to wear for the cold season.

I love boxy plaid jackets. I know, many people don't like paids, as they're bold, eye-catching, often a bit too colorful, but I have a soft spot for them. Nothing for the faint-hearted. Some of you may remember the winter plaid jacket I made 3 years ago. Now I needed something less heavy for the transitional season.


Ever since I have been drooling over vintage pictures of ladies in Pendelton style plaid jackets. Paired with wide-legged trousers they are the epitome of vintage casual style for me. Not very flattering, but so comfortable! So I looked for a pattern, and found the McCall's pattern 3242 that seems to be pretty much like the Pendleton 49er jacket. The 49er was, as its name suggests, launched in 1949, and it was - and still is - a huge success. They still produce a modernised version, and vintage ones are quite sought after.
Women surely had worn they're husbands' or brothers' jackets and shirts before, especially for work during WW2, but it was after the war that women's leisure wear included more and more sporty garments like trousers and comfortable jackets. The pattern is from 1955, and it has it all - shoulder pleat, cuffed sleeves, back yoke with gathers, notched collar and - big patch pockets!



 I admit, I couldn't keep my resolution and got weak during our summer holidays, when I found several wool fabrics in a fabulously crammed fabric shop in Northern Italy. The plaid fabric I bought was lightweight and seemed to be perfect, and I fell in love with the green and teal the moment I saw it. The weave was not very dense, and I had to be careful not to stretch the material too much. I was glad for decades of experience with plaid matching. The pattern placement was challenging, as I had a bit too little material. But I was able to cut all the pieces and the pockets even on the bias (which requires more fabric).

The remaining scraps...

My pattern is a vintage size M (14-16), and as usual I didn't bother to make a muslin. The finished jacket is a tad lose because I added some width to be on the safe side (which was not necessary), but I like it that way. I had a bigger scrap of chartreuse green silk I used for the yoke lining and for the shoulder pads I made. I have very square shoulders and ready-made pads often are too massive and stiff. The shoulder pleats caused some trouble and I didn't like the first "true to the pattern" version. That's why it took several weeks to finish the jacket, I got a but frustrated before I decided to change the darts slightly.
I will definitely make another one. As I said, I bought more fabric down in Italy, and there's even more in my stash, but maybe I will add half an inch to the sleeve length and the cuff width. Otherwise I will skip the additional width.








Choosing buttons is always part of the fun when sewing. The original 49er jacket had mother-of-pearl buttons, but I wanted something less striking. These Spanish vintage buttons were sold as bakelite, but they're galalith (a similar material based on milk, mainly produced in France and other European countries). They're not exactly the same chartreuse color, but they blend in well, and they're big and heavy, just as I like them.
The best feature are the pockets. They' re essential for me, they carry my phone, keys, bus tickets, my son's cars and stones, and other stuff.


I can wear all kind of stuff underneath it. Like blouses, thin sweaters or cool, funny t-shirts. The one pictured was created by the lovely Susi of "The Pink Bungaloo"–  this one it "Willy the Weener" quoting one of Hank Willaims' songs! She has an Etsy shop, so if you want this special t-shirt too, please buy from her and support an independent small business. (But hurry, some designs are available for a limited time only.) And no, I don't receive a commission nor do I get paid to mention her – I just love her creations.

This jacket is really a useful and fun garment, perfect for the cold season, great to combine with various colours from the plaid. Hello autumn!


Fabric: pure lightweight wool plaid fabric from Italy
Pattern: McCall's 3242, size M
Buttons: vintage galalith buttons bought in France
Trousers: self-made after a heavily modified Eva Dress Pattern (1940 Wide Leg/Simplicity 3322), I added the front pockets, because I need pockets
T-Shirt: "Willy the Weener" by The Pink Bungaloo
Glasses: no idea...
Poppy Felt Brooch: self-made
Earrings: vintage bakelite hoops


The 1940s Shamrock Dress

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It's been a while since I posted something here on my blog. My family life kept me busy, and then the pandemic swept all over the world, things happened that we never ever would have imagined. Still, we have our own small lives, our troubles, our joys. I made some stuff, but I lost a bit my sewing motivation and was glad to discover knitting again. Health issues made me gain some weight, however I'm convinced I will get back to normal, just as life as such.

To say I was a bit late with my sewing for my son's First Communion would be a huge understatement. I was hoping too long the event would be postponed due to the pandemic. Then, as usual, I had to hurry. A lot. Two weeks for two outfits was a bit tight... Especially when you have two kids and a challenging teenage dog! Picking a project for myself usually is not a problem. Tons of patterns, tons of fabrics. But as my daughter is a little miss now, she needed something nice to wear too. But as she is not a small girl anymore and not yet a proper miss, it's not easy to find the right thing. Luckily she is growing a lot, also character-wise. (She's half a head shorter than me, and she's 12.) 


So this time no pink, no dress. Instead she was very excited when I showed  her the 1930s Wearing History Beach Pajama pattern - a pattern I adore myself as well! She picked a viscose (rayon) javanaise, and then it was a rather short knock-off. I have done a lot of shirring on baby and toddler clothing, no issue there, I only had to down-size the pattern. She also loves the Gertie wrap tops I made in various versions from Butterick 6285 for myself, and this too was a quick job after the down-grading was done. I usually don't double the top, but make it from a single layer only, which makes it less bulky for the summery versions and saves a considerable amount of fabric. Even though the both patterns represent two different eras, I think they make a lovely combination for a young girl not (yet) into vintage properly, but certainly outside the average frame. And I had one very happy girl. 


Having a soft spot for all things Irish (my son's name is Irish), I have been looking a long time for a lovely clover or  shamrock themed fabric that is not too childish. Shortly after Christmas until St Patrick's Day in March you find a lot of rather cheap, colourful or clumsy shamrock prints, but I wanted something more decent and "grown-up". A couple of weeks ago I found an online seller in my country I had not heard of before. Browsing through their site I came a cross this extraordinary viscose fabric with a clover print, Swiss made, and significantly reduced. It was just meant to be! (So far to my decision to reduce my stash.) I originally bought it with another project in mind, but when I had to chose the material for my dress, my husband suggested this would be perfect.

First I thought I would make the 1942 two-piece dress from Eva Dress Patterns, originally Du Barry 5510. But I know all too well that I probably would never wear the skirt separately with a different top, so I rather spontaneously turned the wrap blouse into the bodice of a wrap dress, combining it with the skirt part of Simplicity 1710 from 1946. I have gained a lot of weight during the last couple of months, due to the pandemic and the hormones, and wrap dresses are so forgiving and comfortable. No matter what size or shape you are! I always wanted to make this pattern, but I don't like bust darts that start at the waist line. I also took the fluttery sleeves from the Simplicity dress and changed the gathered skirt inset into a pleated one to match thew pleats on the shoulders. I will probably have to add a pressure stud on the skirt, as I almost had a Marilyn moment. In front of the church certainly not funny.


The fabric, as any other viscose javanaise or challis, was very challenging, certainly not for beginners, a nightmare to cut and sew, but is a dream to wear. And to my utter surprise, it doesn't wrinkle half as much as all my other viscose or rayon fabrics do! Yay to a domestic product in an outstanding quality at an unbeatable price! It has the soft and almost peachy touch of certain silks and a wonderful drape. Sadly the weather wasn't improving as I had hoped - this is probably the coldest April I can remember. Obviously I needed something to cover my bare arms. I looked at many of my patterns, and this Du Barry 5908 from 1944 was the most simple 40s jacket I could find. (Size 12 only - anybody else hates upgrading vintage patterns?) I wished I had a green fabric at hand, but the only matching material was a beige and rather bland noil silk* I had bought about 20 years ago in a fabric shop in Zurich that has closed down long ago. I think it was a colour I love back then. And I realised once again how much of a fabric hoarder I am. 



This unlined little number came together easily, but I should have shortened it by about one inch to end just at the waist line. Maybe later. The entire project had a lot of hand stitching (and some night-sifts) involved, all the hems on both garments are done manually. Luckily my husband was very helpful, and he knows now very well how to handle our laundry-machine. Instead of wrapping bands I added presser studs to the bodice, and I made a belt with a perfectly matching vintage bakelite belt buckle. The buckle was still on its original card, and it matches the focal bead on the bakelite necklace I was wearing, even though the other beads look bit darker. I'm happy I made some shoulder pads for the dress. I have rather square shoulders, and most garments fit quite nicely without them, but the the pads just add that tiny bit for a better fit.


The mid-century shamrock brooch is probably a bit too much, but I so wanted to wear it on that special day, honouring my son on this occasion. 






* Silk noil (sometimes also called bourette silk) is a fabric made from scraps and short threads left from the silk cocoon that are too short and uneven to be used on finer silk fabric. As it contains still a certain amount of the cocoon glue, it has sometimes a specific smell to it that doesn't wash out easily. Due to it's anti-inflammatory properties it was used for diapers and nursing pads for a long time only, considered to be too "crude" for the garment industry. It has a feel like cotton or linen, with a slightly nubby texture, but is extremely lovely to wear. Often it is mistakenly called "wild silk". A couple of years ago, it became available also in western countries, even though in India sarges have been made from this material for ages.

Beach Pajamas pattern: Wearing History
Fabric: Viscose javanaise from Buttinette
Wrap Top pattern: Butterick B 6285 by Gertie
Fabric: Viscose knit

Shamrock Dress pattern: Eva Dress 1942 Two Piece Dress (wrap blouse), Simplicity 1710, © 1946 (skirt, sleeves)
Dress fabric: Viscose fabric from Stoffwald
Jacket pattern: Du Barry 5908 © 1944
Jacket fabric: Silk noil from my stash, about 20 years old...
Bakelite belt buckle: Etsy
Bakelite necklace: Facebook
Shamrock Brooch: Facebook







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