1929!

Once upon a time, Easter was considered the perfect moment to wear one's new spring suit, hat or dress. And it makes sense too. A holiday which coincides so perfectly with the beginning of spring (in the northern hemisphere, that is. I don't know if there was a similar tradition about new clothes for autumn in, say, Australia...)

I have never really made anything especially for Easter but it just so happened that today, I did finally finish my new 1929 dress (I also made a dress from a pattern from 1929 back in 2014 but that was a different one, from a different issue of the same magazine).
This new dress was the first thing I started on in January of this year. A first entry for the Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge before the new pledge had even been announced. 
Although I have a fairly considerable collection of 1920's Gracieuse magazines, no dress seemed quite so right as this one, if it weren't a wedding dress...

However, work on it slowed down almost as soon as it had started. I had thought I had a suitable fabric for it but started second-guessing myself. I made a toile which showed the familiar 1920's sack shape. Maybe period-accurate but really a bit too sack-shaped for my taste. I played around with it but ultimately moved on to other projects. 
In the mean time, I kept thinking about a fabric for this dress. And then, a few weeks ago, I found something. This flame-coloured (possibly) viscose/rayon. It seemed to have the right kind of hand for a dress like this and colour which might work for me and it was on sale. I bought it and decided the dress would have to be made now. For a while, I kept looking for some kind of trim to use with it but in the end I just went ahead.

Before I cut the dress pieces from the new fabric, I went back to the muslin and tried to take some decisions about the fit. Initially, I had thought about making a pleat on the horizontal seam to make it sit on my hips. Now, trying it on again, I thought it would be better to just narrow the all the pieces at that point. And then there was the neckline. The cowl-neck had been one of my reasons to choose this pattern but just didn't work. It was drafted like no other cowl-neck I have ever seen (except some in other 1920's and 30's designs from Gracieuse magazine): Basically just a scoop neckline with a lot of extra room in the entire front bodice. It also made the armscyes sit in a rather awkward way. If I pulled those in the right position, the neckline looked sort of like a cowl-neck. 
I toyed with the idea of retro-fitting a more fitted inner bodice layer but I finally came to a much simpler solution: I took out about 10 cm at center front. This meant sacrificing the cowl-neck but fixing the armscye and overall ease issues in one go. The original front bodice was so wide that even with all that width taken out, it is still a bit wider than the back bodice. I narrowed the front skirt pieces by 5 and 7.5 cm (they overlap at the front anyway so that was not really a fitting issue).

Sewing the dress wasn't difficult. I did sin against period accuracy by using my serger, not just to finish the seam allowances but even to make tiny rolled hems on those flouncy skirt pieces and on the decorative sash on the skirt. The very short instructions for this pattern also suggest narrowly hemming the neckline and sleeves but I made facings instead. 

It is finished now and I love it so much more than I had expected! (which is exactly what happened last time...). The alterations I made actually make it fit much more like the illustration suggests. The dress has a fairly loose fit but certainly not so loose that you cannot even see that there is a body in it. 

In fact, at some angles, I think I can really see what this 1920's fashion ideal is all about: Long, elegant, vertical lines...

This feels like a proper start to this year's Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge, even though it technically is my second finished item. After this, I'll start on a casual 1950's capri suit. The pattern has been tested out, it will work with fabric in my stash so it is all ready to go. 

Still thinking about the dress...

The 1929 dress, that is. Do you even remember it? It was the very first thing I was sewing this year but I didn't get very far with it.

Yes of course the dress had a, probably perfectly period accurate, too loose shape but I think I can deal with that. The real problem is still fabric. I always struggle to find good (and affordable) fabrics for styles from the 1920's and 30's. It just seems like all those dresses were designed for the finest of silks and wools. Even if I could still find those fabrics, they would be out of my budget. Even rayon/viscose is often hard to find. 

In this case, I was very surprised by how much I liked the colour I used for the toile. I didn't think about it when I cut into that stuff but that pale grass green really looked good on me. Just a pity that the fabric is a bit too transparent and I've used almost all of it.

I've been on the look-out for a fabric for this dress for the past month and my choices seem to be limited. One thing which appeals to me is a very drapey viscose velvet but there are only a few colours on offer right now (there will be more choice again in autumn...): Bright purple, deep dark aubergine, dark green, dark blue, very bright blue and yellow. 
I can't wear yellow, the bright blue really is too electrically bright, the bright purple just seems wrong for the period, the dark green is too christmas-y and the dark blue would be too severe. I kind of like the aubergine but doubt how flattering this colour would be on me. And whether or not any of these offerings would be anywhere near period accurate. I am not looking for a perfect match here, just for something which would not have been completely out of place back in the day.

So, I didn't buy any fabric but I did do a quick search on Pinterest for colour pictures of 1920's dresses. Of course, such a search mostly yields gorgeous examples which were made by the era's great designers and now live in museum collections. It does give some idea of possible colours though. 

My vague idea that pale colours were popular at the time proved kind of true. Especially part wear often came in pale hues but it was not all white.

There were really three kinds of colours I really liked. Three which I saw a couple of times: Pale greens (like that green I used before), mid blues/turquoise and burnt orange. 
Fabrics, it seems were often velvets and light silks (often not in shiny varieties). 

These are shades which could look good with my colouration and I can imagine this dress design in them. So, I guess I will have to look for some nice, drapey fabric in a colour like this. That velvet in the right colour would be really good... I can find stretch velvet in at least that blue but I really worry about how that would behave.
And I think I should consider some trim after all...

Testing...

Just a word of warning: These are not my usual kind-of pretty pictures. These are what you get if I manage to squeeze in the sewing of a toile in a rather busy weekend and then run downstairs and demand from E that he take a few pictures right there and then. Scruffy hair, no shoes and a photographer who is looking down at the model...

Of course, I started to second-guess myself about that 1920's dress. The fabric I had in mind might have been cheap, it was also kind of earmarked for a very different dress. One which, in my mind's eye, actually looks a lot better in it. 
So, I decided to make a muslin after all, using this pale green fabric. It came from my stash and was as cheap as the other fabric but I didn't really know what to make of this stuff. And it seemed to have the right hand for this design.

Ehm... What can I say. It's a genuine 1920's dress. The size and proportions look right for the period but not exactly flattering.

To be honest, I was almost ready to just add this one to "interesting experience" and leave it there. Even if I found the perfect fabric for this dress, would I wear such a sack-shaped thing?

Then I went upstairs again to take it off. And I looked in the mirror and played with it a bit... And I came to a very similar conclusion as before: It wouldn't look quite so sack-like and unwearable if I made a tuck on that waist seam. On the front in this case. That would also draw in the front bodice enough to make the armscyes sit properly (the front bodice is extra wide. In theory, this should provide the neckline drape but in practice, unless it is pulled in at some point, that extra width just spreads out and puts the armscye in an annoying low position).

So, I guess I will be looking for the right fabric after all. I know I do not have anything suitable in my stash (the vast majority of my fabrics has a lot less drape and is more suitable to post-1947 looks). And it looks like a nice colour would help with this dress. No black this time...

Embarrassment of riches

First of all: Thank you for all the nice comments on my new dress!

I've been sewing these past days and I will show you some of the results later (there is another pattern-experiment and I'm finally making some slips) but I'm also thinking about the next project. 
When I recently discussed the three dresses at the top of my list, all the commenters agreed, and rightly so, that the wool crepe dress should be first. After all, if I make that now, I can still wear it this year. The other two, being cotton will very likely be fine to wear well into spring. 

So, I agree. And I was looking at my 1920's magazines this week anyway (to answer a question on the new WeSewRetro Sew & Tell group on Facebook but I found so many great pictures that I've also started a 1920's Pinterest board) so I had the perfect opportunity to dig out the pattern.

And then I started to doubt... First of all: This colour is rather new to me and although I think I can wear it, I don't know what kind of look it will give me. It's a useless consideration, I know, but it has become a natural reflex because I used to wear lots of black. Once I "know" a colour I'm over it.
But more to the point: Is this the best (non-party) 1920's dress pattern for me and this fabric? 
It was in my original selection when I was looking for 1920's patterns for last year's Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge and I still think it's the best candidate from those.

Although I also still like this one (but I don't have a nice contrast fabric).

However, yesterday, I was going through the pages of those Gracieuse magazines again. And I guess I've become a bit more used to the 1920's aesthetic. And I found more options although they may not all be possible because of the limited amount of fabric available.

The one here in the middle: Slim skirt with single drape at center front, bloused top with nice button details.

Again the one in the middle, it sort of looks like a dress and an unstructured jacket but it's all in one. Although this one might look very frumpy, very easily.

Here, it's the middle one,

and the one on the right. Interestingly, these are presented as designs for middle aged ladies. 

And then, there are these... If the pattern for the dress in the middle were included, I wouldn't be writing this. I love the look of that dress! When I get to grips with the late 1920's shape and fit, I'll draft a pattern for something like it myself. 
Right now, I am still looking for a pattern and the dresses at left and right are candidates.

The way I've shown the dresses here, they are also in chronological order. I think they are all from 1927 and 1928 but you can see the start of a subtle shift towards more skirt and a natural position for the waistline. 

I've also come up with another option: I could make the design I picked originally but change the decoration of the belt piece: Instead of the pin-tucks (which would be rather fiddly in wool crepe and for which the calculation on the pattern is overly complicated) I could make a draped piece, maybe with a twist instead of the buckle. Somehow, that feels a bit more 'me'...

Well, I'm still thinking about it and I'm open to suggestions.

1929!

 My 1920's dress is finished and I'm really happy with it. As it turns out, this is not just a look I 'had to do' for my Vintage Pattern Pledge. I love this dress. It absolutely feels like something you'd wear to dance the night away in some glamorous place...

As you may remember, I used this design from Gracieuse magazine from 1929. I used the pattern as provided because, as far as I could tell from their rather limited sizing table, my measurements should be about spot-on for size 45 (the sizes are by half bust measurement and the only vertical measurement provided is 'front length' without any explanation. I figured that with a loose fitting garment like this, it might not cause trouble). 

The fabric I used is black viscose crepe, the same stuff I used for my little jumpsuit and for my bias cut experiments, just a different colour.

Contrary to the instructions, I cut the neck band as separate piece and lined it with the same fabric, the neck edge stabilized with a light fusible interfacing. I decided against interfacing the band as a whole because I didn't want to compromise the flow-y nature of the garment. In the front bodice, there's a fairly shallow bust dart between the neck band and the main bodice piece which you were supposed to hide in the narrow pin-tuck which should simulate a neck band. In my construction, the dart had simply been converted to differently shaped edges at the front seam. 

For the skirt, the instructions were useful. From the picture, you can't tell whether the back 'tail' is applied over the skirt or forms a part of it. On this, the instructions were clear: Narrowly hem the flounces, apply them to the skirt as indicated and them sew the 'tail' between the skirt pieces. So, I did.

Then, the top and skirt fit together easily.

And then it looked like this...

Which looks like a period silhouette but is just a bit... blah. And if this is the intended fit, then why does the drawing show a skirt which is snug at the high hip and has the bodice blousing over it? Like this, the dress is an ever-so-slight A-line with a lot of extra room at the hips so I don't think it's all down to my measurements. 

I played around with it in front of the mirror and found a solution:

When folding a pleat at the back, to the width of the 'tail', the dress got that fit at the hip I was looking for. And started looking really good.

So, I sewed that pleat. I don't know if this is just me cheating immensely or if this might be something you were supposed to do. The silhouette looks like the drawing now... 

Two of my great-grandmothers, from whose time this pattern comes, were professional seamstresses, I wonder what they would have made of this. Of course, they might have had a better idea of what a dress like this should really look like.

I finished the dress with that pleat in place. All the narrow hemming was done on the serger. Not period accurate but much easier and nicer in a fabric like this. Of course, I didn't go for the kind of close stitching and high tension that gives a lettuce hem... That would have been so wrong for this dress.

I had to do a bit of a search to find the right ornaments to decorate the dress. The instructions mention 'agarves', a word I can't translate because I don't even know what it means in Dutch. They are decorations for center front and back. Finally, I bought a cheap, black-and-bling necklace at the market and cut pieces to fit the dress. I will have to take these bits off for laundry but I think they work for the look.

And, as I said before, this dress is way out of my comfort zone but I love it. Loose and flowing, it makes me feel free, feminine and happy.

I should really try and make more 1920's dresses (even if only to find out what the silhouette really should be).

The 1920's dress - 1

After looking at the options for a few days, I've decided to make this dress:

 I just love that back. To be honest, I'm a lot less sure about the front but I'm willing to take that risk.
Even when I started to trace the pattern, I almost got distracted by the robes de stile on the same sheet. That shape is a bit more familiar to me, and I can imagine it being more flattering. However, I had good reason deciding against those: I want more of a quintessential 1920's silhouette.

So, I traced. I think I've shown you the Gracieuse patterns sheets before, but this is what they look like. No fun. That said, this one seemed a little bit less confusing than the 1930's sheet I've tried before. Probably because although the amount of patterns featured in each issue is about the same, the patterns from the 1930's tend to be more complicated and consist of more pieces than the 1920's ones. 

Tomorrow, I'll cut the fabric. There is no picture of the pattern lay-out and no text explaining how many times to cut what.

This is all the instruction which is given. For the pattern, cutting and sewing. It was helpful though. I had expected those curves strips at the hip to be bands which should be made double and probably interfaced but the instructions tell to narrowly hem them at the bottom and then apply them. So they are more like small flounces. In fact, according to the instructions, not a single piece should be made double or get any kind of stabilizing. Narrow hems even at the neckline. The lines which look like a neck band are actually decorative stitching. And that for a pattern designed for crepe satin...
I plan on using my crepe and that is a fabric which really likes to grow so I'm not so sure. Maybe I'll separate those neck edges and make an interfaced band after all...

The roaring twenties

Did you hear about the Vintage Pattern Pledge? And do you remember that I took that pledge back in February?

Although I'm usually pretty bad at anything sew-along-like, I thought I should be able to live up to my promise to sew up five vintage patterns this year...

So far, I've done nothing of the sort. I feel like I can kind of blame the work-trouble but that's not really an excuse. I plan to make amends though.

I thought I could start with an era I've never sewn from, which is way out of my comfort zone and which might not work for my body type: The 1920's.

My only source of patterns for this decade are my wonderful Gracieuse magazines. So, that will mean tracing the pattern from a very complicated pattern sheet and sewing barely-there instructions.

The magazines I own are not evenly distributed across the decade. Gracieuse was published two times per month and I have most issues between nr. 14 from 1920 and nr. 15 from 1923, then nothing until nr. 2 from 1926 and then every issue between 1 from 1927 and 24 from 1929. As a result of that, I think I miss a few steps in the development of look of the decade.

Oh, and there's only a selection of patterns from the magazine on each pattern sheet, with only one size per design. I have focussed on designs which are my size, or the one above or below. And I didn't pick anything with impossible details like plissee.

Without further ado, I'll show you my picks from the roaring twenties, in chronological order:

In the early twenties, garment shapes are very loose and rather similar in shape. They are often fabulously decorated though. 

1. I thought I could make the middle dress: It has a decoration which I could make (unlike the many embroidered examples) and with that collar, there is more definition to the bodice than in a lot of the dresses from these years.

It is a pattern for a teenage girl but with a shape as roomy as this, I think that wouldn't be a problem.

2. The blouse on the left. Pretty much the standard shape for the years 1918 to 1922 but with the added flavour of that draped sash bit at the bottom. Embroidery design is included with the pattern. 

It might just work in a very non-period-accurate way when worn with trousers.

3. Towards the end of 1923, the silhouette starts to slim down. I was rather happy to see that. The second dress from the right is in my size. However, I've found so many nicer patterns in the magazines that came after this one...

4. And then there is that single issue from 1926... 2 is always a good one with lots of designs for late New Year's and upcoming Carnival's parties and this one has some wonderful flapper dresses. The fabulousness of this single issue makes me sorry to miss out on 1924 and 5. It would have been nice to see more of the transition to this year.

The dresses in the first picture are both on the pattern sheet in close enough sizes. The dresses in the second picture are wonderful and I wish I had the patterns for those.

5. The narrower fit continues for the rest of the decade, with variations in hem length and height of the waistline (although it always remains below the natural waist). These designs are both in my size, but the it's that casual coat which I think is worth considering.

6. The dress on the left. A chic day dress with an interesting front drape.

7. Hats! That iconic hat shape of the 1920: The cloche. The two on the right are on the pattern sheet. Actual cut-and-sew patterns for the hats themselves, not just for the decoration.

8. The dress in the middle, with the cute capelet. This style is known in Dutch as "stijljapon" which translates to English as "style dress". It's the name given to dresses with a full skirt gathered to a short-ish (for the era) bodice. As an alternative to the usual sleek look at the time, it was popular in summer and party dresses for slender (and probably young) women.

9. The dress on the left. Another cute caplet, now on a dress with the slim silhouette you would expect from the 1920's  I also like the diagonal waistline and the flounce at the side.

10. Another hat! And that scarf is connected to it at the back.

11. The dress on the left. I'm not completely convinced but I kind of like that flouncy decoration on the bodice.

12. Both of these party dresses are in my size and they are both nice (the one on the right is another "stijljapon")

13. The classy day dress on the left is the one I'm thinking about here. And yes, I seem to like the skirts with asymmetrical and/or different length flounces.

14. The one on the left and the one on the right. Yes, those flounces again.

15. I could actually make all of these: The two dresses on the left are the same one, in front and back view. It's a simple dress with a cape-bit at the back and just one size too large. The style dress is in my size but maybe a bit too sweet. The third dress (fourth picture) displays a great use of different materials and the last one has such clean lines that it might still look edgy and modern today.

Oh, just an intermezzo. These are period photographs of ladies wearing suck party frocks.

16. More party wear! There is no pattern for second dress but it's the third one I like the best anyway.

17. And more. Here, there is no pattern for the second dress from right and it's the one on the left I really like.

18. And more yet. Here the ones on the left and the right come with patterns. The one on the right is an interesting variation on the style dress.

19. Tired of party dresses yet? I hadn't realized they were all so close together. The three on the left have patterns in or near my size. And it's the first one I prefer. Quirky and glamorous.

20. Oh, and what about this very stylish coat with cape?

21. And more party dresses. The very frilly one on the right is in my size, the chic sleek black one unfortunately not. However, that pretty thing on the left is only one size too big...

22. These dresses were intended for wedding guests. The second one is for a mother of the bride and comes in a large size. The others are options. I really like that first one.

23. Bridal dresses... Both are possible but I think the second one is really classy. 1920's wedding dresses are not as different in shape from 'normal' formal wear as those of today, so I could use a pattern like this.

24. Back to daydresses. The middle one, in the business-like check fabric and with the jaunty flounce.

25. And these sporty numbers. Mostly the one in the middle. Those interesting shapes are largely just stitched-on decoration.

26. And another bride... But isn't that a great dress? The guest's dress on the right is another option.

27. And some daywear to finish: two great dresses with flouncy details.

28. The suit (yes, according to the text, that's a suit) on the left and the coat on the right.

To be honest, I want to start with a something I could wear in this time of year and make from the materials I have in my stash. So, that counts out the coats and suits. I am quite keen on trying a hat though. 

For dresses, I think my 'short-list' now consists of: 9, 13, 15 (all of them), 16, 19, 21 and 22 (the ones I pointed out above)...

What do you think? Any favorites?