Say Hello to Summer, 50's style

I'll bet you didn't know that "interesting things are happening to the scoop-necked blouse." But apparently Butterick thinks there are.



Unless they've changed their position some time in the last 50 or so years. Judging by the expression on the model's face, she quite agrees. Just check out that flair, that tiny wasit, that perfectly flipped hair!



Unfortunately, I have neither a tiny waist nor perfectly flipped hair. But I do have the blouse! I recently made up (read, "finished sometime late last night") Butterick 8614, a vintage 50's blouse pattern.



I love the concept of including the sleeve in the bodice, thereby foregoing the often arduous task of setting in sleeves. The pattern illustration gives the appearance of bias tape around the collar -- in actuality, it's topstitching that creates the look. Since I was using a patterned material, I decided to modify the pattern to include the bias tape.



I'd love to try it again in a solid at some point -- the bias tape worked fine, but changing the facing involved some significant alteration. One thing I loved about this pattern was the darts; normally I loathe darts, and do everything in my power to avoid them. But these were the easy-to-match-up, no-finagling-necessary kind of darts. I decided to add a simple sash belt, to create the illusion of a waistline. *wink*



I think this blouse has a bit of an "Anthopologie-esque" look to it, which I like. But best of all, it's light and airy. And in Florida, that's not something to be taken for granted! I'm now officially inspired to delve into my collection of vintage patterns to spruce up my summer wardrobe.

Vintage Heaven

I frequently hear of seamstresses who are laden with vintage patterns and notions by generous benefactors, and I must admit that I have sighed longingly over those stories! When, I wondered, would such a windfall come to me? Well, on Christmas day it happened! We shared Christmas day with some friends, and at the end of our visit our hostess asked if we would be interested in a box of vintage patterns that had been given to her. Can you imagine how my sister and I responded?

Above are just a few of my favorites, selected from over fifty almost-pristine vintage patterns -- most from the forties and fifties. I'm pretty picky about the vintage patterns that I like. Sometimes I'll scroll through pages of pattern websites without finding a pattern that I really like. But amazingly, I liked almost every single pattern in that box. And, also amazingly, most of them are just a size too small -- easy to size up for my dimensions!

Oh, the contrasting yoke!

Oh, the ruffles!


Oh, the ric-rac!

Oh, the peasant blouses!


Oh, the ruched bodice!



Oh, the quirky jerkin!



Oh, the pockets!



I have a feeling that last one will be appearing in my shop -- notice the detachable bodice? That's pure 50's delightfulness!

Vintage Inspired

This doesn't exactly classify as a "recent project," but it's one that I've meant to share for some time! I try not to do too much impulse buying, but this was one time that I decided to give in.

 

Several years ago, I came across a pair of hounds tooth vintage-looking heels on clearance at a local department store. Even on clearance they were $15, and I couldn't justify purchasing them when I had nothing to wear them with! That same day, I found some rayon-ish hounds tooth fabric in the JoAnn's clearance section. That settled it! I purchased enough fabric for a skirt, and commissioned my mother to purchase the shoes next time she was in town.

The pattern I used for the skirt was McCall's 5192 (now out of print). I was very pleased with this pattern, although it is a bit shorter than I typically like. I think it has a bit of 30's influence -- I wish the picture showed the flare at the bottom a bit better!

The fuschia blouse was a project I finished about a year ago, and decided to pair it with the skirt. I used Simplicity 4499 and drafted a "tuxedo" front. The sleeves I designed using instructions in a copy of "Sew Beautiful" magazine -- the sleeve edge is placed on the fold, and is tucked at the bottom instead of gathered.

I love this outfit, even if I'm not used to wearing high heels! These are the only shoes I have that my male friends comment on -- one called them "Broadway dancing shoes," and I think his description is pretty accurate! Let's just say I hope this is the only time I ever base an outfit off a pair of shoes...

Memories

About five years ago, my parents traveled up to Baltimore to help my paternal grandmother empty her town house. She was making the dreaded transition from a home of her own to a small apartment in retirement community. But at nearly ninety years old, it was time. Her basement yielded many treasures, not least of which was her collection of vintage patterns from many years of sewing to supplement her family's income. But another treasure that parents brought home was a stack of old snapshots from the early 1930's.

My grandmother came to live with us three years ago. It was the perfect opportunity to ask her about the snapshots, and, armed with a pencil and a sheet of paper, I asked. Almost without exception, she could remember the names of the people in the photographs -- people who had been no more than faces to me, but people who were real to her. I learned the stories of some of the curious photographs that had always puzzled and delighted me. But that was nothing to watching my grandmother's face brighten at the happy memories that came flooding back to her through those brief, captured images of a time long past. There was sadness, too; she was the only one in the pictures who was still living. And a less than a year later, she too was gone.



But before she died (at the age of 91), I made an album of the pictures. It was partly for her -- she was delighted when she opened the cover and saw the photos laid out with the names beneath each one -- but it was also for me, for my family, and for my own children one day. Because those memories are the only glimpse we have into the lives of some of the people who were dearest to us.

There was a whole page of photographs of my grandmother, Anne.



I love this photo of her sitting on the running board of a car. She was 17 years old at the time. What I wouldn't do to own that car!



This young man had just had his appendix removed:



I think this snapshot is so sweet and whimsical:



The gentleman hiding under the hat in this photo has his tongue extended!



I would love to know how this photo was taken, and why on earth those two young men were playing around on beams:



While many things in this photo appeal to me -- vintage fashion, weddings -- I think I like this photo primarily because of the (short) priest with the wild white hair, peeking over the shoulders of the happy couple:



This is one of the few photographs I have of my paternal grandfather, Frank (he's on the far right). I never met him because he died when my father was only eighteen years old. Because of that, he has always been something of an enigma to me. I can see in his face traces of my father and my uncles. I don't think I've ever seen a picture of him without a smile on his face.



Now as I look back through the album, I find the photographs just as tantalizing as they were before, even though I can put names with most of the faces. Baseball games, picnics, weddings -- I wonder what was said, and what the people were thinking.



And, of course, I enjoy the vintage fashions!

Vintage Inspiration

Check out these fabulous vintage fashion books:

Fashionable Clothing From the Sears Catalogs

My mom found the Mid-1930's volume at the library yesterday -- One hundred fifty-nine pages of glossy illustrations of everything from women's clothes and shoes to little boys' ties. The 1930's is, hands down, my favorite fashion decade of the 20th century. So I'm gloating over this book and dreading having to send it back to the library. Let's just say that I'll be making several sketches before I let it go!

I also learned something new: wrap-style house dresses in the 1930's were also called "Hooverettes!" And you could get two of them for 95 cents. I won't even start on the shoes... *sigh*

So if you like vintage fashion, see if your library has any of these books or try interlibrary loan. They're well worth the $27 they're selling for on Amazon, but at that price I think I'll have to add them to my collection gradually!

Seeing Double

I may have mentioned before that I sew on my grandmother's 1957 Singer 401A, affectionately known as the "Slant-'O-Matic." Crafted from solid metal, this machine has the endurance of a tank and the purr of a kitten.



While I don't think it's going to wear out any time soon, I have often feared what will happen when it does -- parts aren't exactly cheap or easy to find. Once again, my mom's forays on Craigslist have proven to be very useful. She found another Slant-O-Matic for sale in its original cherry cabinet. We bargained it down to $170, and what a bargain it was! I replaced the machine with my grandmother's, purely for sentimental reasons.



One of my favorite features is the knee lever that operates the foot pedal:



Flanked by two rows of drawers, this cabinet is any sewing room organizer's dream. One is even specially made for patterns.



The chair that come with it even has its original laminate seat. So vintage! It's not exactly comfortable, so I'm seeing an excuse for a chair cover coming up...



So now I have two machines, two manuals, and two of every accessory that comes with this machine. Just in case.



I'm finding out that seeing double can be a good thing -- especially in the sewing room.

Bygone Days of Glamor

If there is one thing I love, it is a vintage car! From the earliest Model T's to the sleek rocket lines of the 50's, antique cars were not just a means of transportation -- they were works of art. Perhaps seventy years from now my great-grandchildren will be raving over the Mazda Miata or the Toyota Corolla, but somehow I doubt it. For one thing, none of the cars on the road today are likely to even exist seventy years from now!

Our tiny little town had a vintage car show this summer. There were several nice antique vehicles on display, including a lovely burgundy Buick from the 30's. Just one look at the grille of this vehicle says it all: detail, beauty, and glamor all rolled into one sleek shell of metal, glass, and chrome.



I'm finding that my grandmother was right, after all. They just don't make things like they used to!

"You're the Cream in my Coffee" Dress

The glamor of the 1930's is one of my favorite fashion time periods. Consequently, I took the opportunity of purchasing Vintage Vogue #2671 from 1933 a few years ago. When I found an adorable button at JoAnn's, I immediately headed for the cotton calicos and found a matching color and desgin.

The vintage buckle came from my grandmother's sewing stash:

For some reason the song "You're the Cream in My Coffee" kept running through my mind as I worked on the dress, so that is what I have officially dubbed this dress. If you want to hear the song for yourself, go to This Website and scroll down to the bottom (the songs are in alphabetical order).