Sew your own 1950's t-shirt

So, you've made your pattern, now you can start cutting and sewing. 

You can basically use any kind of knit fabric for this pattern although I wouldn't recommend really flimsy, very stretchy kinds of jersey. Because this pattern actually has ease, you can use those odd knits which hardly stretch at all (you can sometimes find those on the bargain table of your fabric store...). When I use a fabric like that, I cut the top a bit wider by adding 1 cm between the fold of the fabric and center back/front.

When cutting, center back and center front should obviously be placed on the fold. The straight grain line on the sleeve is that vertical help line you drew. And I don't think I have to tell anyone that you can fold your fabric differently than just in half if that makes cutting more economical... Just make sure the folds are straight, preserving the straight grain (which is not really the right term in a knit, but you know what I mean.

Now, the sewing starts. I usually use the serger straight away on a knit fabric but you could also use a stretch stitch on your sewing machine.

The first thing to sew is that neckline.

I've made this top with and without fusible interfacing in the neckline and my choice in the matter depends on the fabric. If it is likely to roll, interface. If not, you can do without. The interfacing gives the neckline a more defined edge, without is a bit softer. Both work well.

If you use interfacing, use quite a thin variety which is suitable for knits (this will still reduce the stretch by quite a bit so if you want to use it, make sure your neckline is big enough to let your head pass through without relying on stretch).

Finish the edges of the neckline facings.

Press the facings to the wrong sides of the bodice pieces.

Pin the shoulder lines, with the front facing in place. 

Fold the back facing over the front facing and pin through all layers. Make sure to remove any pins under the facing.

Sew the shoulder seams, including those facings.

Turn right side out and press on the inside. Now you have shoulder seams and a neatly finished neckline.

Insert sleeves. Pay attention when pinning, there is a difference between front and back of the sleeve.

Sew side seams and arm seams in one go.

Hem bottom edge en sleeves.

Finished!

Make your own 1950's style t-shirt!

Do you like 1950's style cardigans, sweaters and the occasional t-shirt (those were not commonly used in ladies' wear yet)? Designs like this one?

Well, I do. Unfortunately, this is one of those styles which seems hard to translate to the present day. I have tried some original knitting patterns but the result was always disappointing. They are often a bit too short for me but what is worse, even if they're not, they won't sit well. The part from the waist down is usually knitted as a straight bit of rib knit. This means that although it will stretch over the high hip, it just creeps up. 
And it seems like such a nice day-to-day style, you know, to be worn without all the period accurate shape wear...

So, I did what I usually do. I tried to make a pattern to get the result I wanted. I took a bit of experimentation but I ended up with something I really like (the dummy doesn't do them justice...). The first two were made in winter, I used a fairly warm knit and gave them a nice high turtle neck. When the weather got warmer, I tried thinner fabrics and a different neckline (and different sleeve length, of course). And that neckline became my absolute favorite. 

If you have a tried-and-tested t-shirt pattern, making this pattern won't be difficult. However, it may require a bit of to get it exactly right for you. After all body proportions vary, as does posture and then we haven't even mentioned preferences.
I'll give you the pattern instructions in this post and I'll come back tomorrow with some extra information about fabric and construction.
Oh, and one more thing: my pattern pictures are not to scale. Proportions can be a bit off, in this case, they are on the sleeve. And unless I write otherwise, they are without seam or hem allowance.

All right. You should start with your tried-and-tested pattern. Preferably one with a marked waistline which is right for you and no darts. If yours has very straight bodice pieces, you may want to try your t-shirt on and check the fit at the waist, you might want to take the pattern in at the waistline to get a shape a bit like this. 

Now, if you are trying on the t-shirt anyway, have a careful look at the neckline. Does it sit perfectly or does it pull back it bit? Slightly gaping at the back neck while it sits high against your throat? It that is the case, you will need to make an alteration or my high, straight neckline will quite uncomfortable.

Put the pieces together at the shoulder line and draw a new shoulder line, mine was 1.5 cm to the front. Move center front and back as well and draw the new neckline (don't worry about getting it perfect, it won't be used in the end result).

Separate the pieces again mark a point 2 cm outside the under arm point (the point on the bodice where the armscye meets the side seam. If your pattern has quite narrow sleeves which pull into the armpits a bit, you may also want to drop this point by 1 or 2 cm.
Also mark a point 1 cm above and 1.5 cm out from the shoulder point. Draw the new shoulder lines like the blue ones in the picture.

Draw a new armscye. It should not cross the old one.

Now, slash both pattern pieces at the waistline and open up by 3 cm. Draw your new side seam from the under arm point to the lower waistline. 
Draw the bottom edge of the shirt. Mine is usually about 10 cm below the waistline but this is based on your preference. I also keep the bottom edge as straight as possible because I love to use fabrics with stripes for this design.

You can use the pattern like this if you prefer your usual neckline To get my favorite neckline, there is one more step:

Mark a point about half way on the shoulder line and draw a straight line from that point to center front and back. You want this line to be the same length on both front and back.

This neckline should be made with a cut-on facing. You make this by mirroring 4 cm over the line you just drew.

And now, you still need a sleeve pattern. The upper bodice is fairly loose fitting and so is the sleeve. This means you can get away with drafting a very easy pattern:

Draw a vertical line about as long as you want your sleeve to be. Square across at 9 cm below the top. 

Measure the front and back armscye are draw diagonal lines from the top of the vertical line to the horizontal one with those measurements.

Draw in the sleeve head. At the front, it should cross the help line at about 1/3, at the back at about 1/2. Measure the sleeve head and remove any excess length at the edges.

Draw the side seams, you'll want these to be fairly tapered.

Your pattern is now finished. Add seam and hem allowances to your preference.

The last dress of summer...

It seems like I do this every time: I tend to sew for the weather it is, not for what's just around the corner. So, when the seasons change, I often end up making one last garment which ends up being stashed away until the next year.
This may be one of those.

I drafted the pattern and started sewing before I went on holiday but only finished it last week.
And as usual, I'm not very worried about it. This is the kind of dress I've liked for a while and I think I'll continue to like it. It's a 1950's look with short kimono sleeves and slim skirt with a wide bit at the back. The sleeves have underarm gussets. The skirt has small pleats and slant pockets at the front. At center back seam, I cut it to flare out and to have gathers between the usual positions of the back darts. The front has a small overlap (with a snap to prevent gaping) and sashes which are inserted into the side seams and wrap around to tie in a bow at the back. 

I made it from a fabric I've had in my stash for a while. It's black cotton with white dots woven in. The material is nice but a bit tricky to work with. At the wrong side, there are long lines of loose white thread between those dots. It's very easy to get something like a ring caught in these. Which, of course, could cause trouble...

I managed to make it work though. Then, I wasn't quite so sure about the look. I usually sew with plain fabrics. Or with stripes or plaid. And sometimes with bold, graphic prints. I was wondering if these dots might just be a bit twee. 
In the end, I think it's OK. It was one of my reasons for this combination. A slim 1950's silhouette doesn't end up looking cute quite so easily. 

At the moment, it's still warm enough for a dress like this, so I think I can still wear it at least once this year.

So many ideas, so little time

Today definitely feels like late summer but it has now become impossible to deny that it will be autumn soon... Whatever else that may mean, I'm actually never sorry to start thinking about autumn sewing. There's a lot about it which I really like. Many of my favorite fabrics are most suitable for autumn and winter sewing. Wool fabrics especially but also heavier cotton ones like flannel and corduroy. And I like designs with a certain sculptural quality which never really works in light summer clothes...

Of course, there are loads of things I would like to make. I think some more sporty things may be up first. And maybe a pair of denim culottes/three quarter length trousers. I still have more Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge related plans too, 1970's certainly and maybe something from between 1940 and 1947 or another go at 1920's... And practical needs may show themselves over the course of the season and they will have to be dealt with too. 

However, today I would like to share some of the inspiration pictures I've stored on Pinterest, all of them dresses I have thought about for a while. For some, I should even have starts of patterns already. For all of them, I have thought about the pattern and I have fabric in my stash... The only real question is if I have the time and the justification (in expected wear) to make them all...

This is the amazing suit I almost started on in spring. Back then, I realized that my spring-suit-appropriate fabric wouldn't work for a design like this and I made this suit instead. It was the right decision but I still want this one too. And I have a fabric in stash which might be suitable (although I worry about the bulk and weight of that drape). Made from jersey (the original inspiration suit as well as the version I'm planning) it should be easier to wear than your average 1950's suit.
Although it is also tempting to first make that lingerie corset I've been thinking for years and have this thing fit snugly over it....

Then, there is this beauty...
It was one of the inspirations for my flounce dress but, in the end, not the main one. The disadvantage of this design (by Nina Ricci) is simple: There is no way I can get a similar look and secretly introduce more room for movement in that narrow skirt. 
The fabric I have in mind for this one is a cotton flannel in a small blue and grey houndstooth. It's a direct relative of that white-on-black check I used for the flounce dress so I know this stuff will be good to sew with and wear and wash well.
Because of its disadvantages (and also because I already have a flounce dress), I also have another candidate for that fabric. 

This dress. Nice skirt with width at the back, interesting sleeves integrated with with the yoke and that pocket might work... A bit more normal maybe but also more practical and it looks like it was made from a fabric like this in the first place. And I have already drafted that bodice (as one of the options for my black wool crepe. It seemed to casual/sporty for that fabric but would work well for the flannel).

Oh, and this picture comes from a different magazine, from just over a year later. Could this possibly be the front of the same dress? 

And there's this dress. Lots of pockets and kind of ugly and glorious at the same time. I'm thinking about making it in brown corduroy. 

And I have been talking about gather a lot but I have really sewn a lot of gathered designs. This is a fairly recent pin and not one which comes from a vintage magazine I own. It is fabulous and I could make it, draping jersey over a smooth fitted under-layer. Although I would probably need that girdle/lingerie corset to get such a great silhouette. 
I have a fabric which would be great for a dress like this but I'm not so sure I have enough of it.

I also feel I should definitely sew up the wonderful tartan I bought last year in Scotland. It was expensive so I didn't buy much but it should be enough for a sleek and simple dress. Something a bit like this.

Some of these dresses (and suit) will certainly 'come to life' this coming autumn and winter but it is more than likely that many will stay on my long, long to-sew list for just a bit longer... So many ideas, so little time and closet-space.

1953!

Today, I have one more project for my Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge. A simple blouse from Marion magazine. 

From July 1953, to be precise. It's a basic 1950's blouse: Short kimono sleeves, convertible collar, French darts at the front, half darts at the back (darts from the bottom to the waistline, open from the waist up. that would make the blouse smooth to tuck in while giving it a nice bit of blousing above the waist).

I had wanted to use a different fabric, an off-cut I got for free at the fabric stall, but it was too small. Then I remembered this stuff, a fine cotton blend, a millefleurs print in brown and purple with a stripe-and-flowers border print. It's not a print I would usually pick. I bought it on one of the rare occasions I was shopping for fabric with a friend. She mentioned that the colours of this print would suit me and I agreed, so I bought a meter of it. 
It has taken me two years but now I've finally sewn something from it. I used that border print along the front edges. 

Unfortunately, this blouse proved difficult to photograph. Maybe there were just too similar colours together, with me posing in front of the purple-ish wall. 

Nevertheless, this is item number nine, or six if you don't count the reproduction patterns. It is also the third garment sewn from a pattern by Marion magazine in a row. And that has taught me something: In Marions from the 1950's and 60's, size 38 just fits me. No issues with the position of bust darts or shoulder width or back length, it just fits. Ok, I may need a tiny bit of extra space at the hip (2 cm in total, which is half a size in most sizing systems) and I guess I should still try a fitted 1950's dress to see how the waistline fits (which might have a bit too much room, based on the sizing chart) but that's still pretty amazing. I don't think I've ever had such a good fit without alterations from any modern pattern...

Marion magazine was first published at the end of 1949 (it's a monthly magazine and my oldest one, from February 1953, is nr. 55) so I think it's safe to assume they started with the same basic fit they were still using in July 1953.   The sizing chart didn't change until well into the 1970's and that may just have been a vanity sizing operation. 

I don't think I've made my last Marion dress this year either. There's a very nice little dress from 1970 too. And yet, I think it's enough for now. One of my goals for the Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge is to use different kinds of vintage patterns. So far this year, I've used three repro patterns (two EvaDress, one Vogue), two from Gracieuse, one Lutterloh and now these three from Marion. There were two hats, one robe, five dresses and a blouse. Of course, that means I have more than met my goal for this year's pledge. It doesn't mean I have to stop though. There is still a 1970's Frohne suit I would like to make for winter and I think I should try out an original 1940's pattern too. And maybe another 20's one...

That 1950's suit...

Finally! My suit is finished, I've had a haircut, it has stopped raining and E is at home and willing to take pictures: It's time to reveal my new suit.

I've talked about it here before. I drafted my own jacket pattern based on this image, from an issue of Libelle magazine from 1956 and added a half circle skirt which seemed to suit the look. 

Then, I decided to add a hat and after some experimentation with view C, I went with the pillbox which is view D and E from this pattern, V8008.

The jacket isn't heavily tailored. I used a very lightweight fusible (a very thin knit interfacing) throughout, just to give this odd fabric a bit of stability. Making it more rigid would have helped to get that perfect period look but would have seriously compromised wearability. The way it is now, it may crumple when I make big movements but I will be able to make those which means it can work as a real garment, not just an occasional costume.
And because I would like to wear it like some of these vintage suits or two piece dresses were, with not a lot under it, I lined it with thin, smooth cotton rather than with normal lining material. 

The fabric is a bit of an oddity. It looks like tweed, a herringbone weave in black and grey. But it's linen. For that reason, it has some odd properties. Linen, thickish but loosely woven. It's stiff and limp at the same time. In combination with my favorite fusible, it behaves very well. Without it, it's a different matter.  
I'm less than pleased with the way it worked for the skirt. It sort of folds in at the sides, even after hemming. It's wearable but not what I planned. In retrospect, I think I should have cut the skirt in four or even six gores, each with the straight grain along the centers. 

For the hat, I used the same fabric but interfaced it with a mid-weight fusible cotton (although for the bow at the back, I used the same stuff I used in the jacket). I lined it with thin synthetic felt. And to keep it on my head, I used two hairpins put through thread loops at the front sides and one on the back.

All in all, I am quite happy with my suit. And if some element of it ends up annoying me after all, I have enough fabric left to replace it ;)

Jacket sleeves

If you follow this blog on Facebook, you may have seen this picture already: 

There has been quite a bit of progress on my new jacket! 
Since then, I've made a lining and now I just have to attach that, make buttonholes and do all those little bits of finishing which always take way more time than you'd expect. And I think it is looking good! The skirt should be quite simple: A half circle should do the trick. I'll just have to give it some serious time to hang out before hemming. This fabric is shifty on its own (which is why I block-fused the entire jacket using a very thin knit interfacing)...

This time, I thought I'd be clever and have a bit of a chat about the pattern before showing off the finished garment (because that often leads to questions about the pattern). 

As mentioned before, my inspiration was this picture. 
The darted lower bodice is pretty standard. You will find a shape like that in many patterns and, when drafting your own, you take it straight from the sloper. The notched collar is hardly unique either. I did a full-on jacket collar draft because I like that but you could probably get a result like in the drawing with a simple convertible collar as well. 
The stand-out feature of this design is the yoke. With the sleeves and pocket flaps grown on. I love unusual takes on fairly standard shapes, which is exactly what this is. 

At first, I thought it would be easy to draft this using my kimono sleeved block (I've made that based on the normal sloper, to speed up the drafting process for dresses with kimono sleeves. It's for a fairly fitted kimono sleeve with an underarm gusset). As soon as I got started, though, I found a problem. Proportions.
In the drawing, the lower bodice is long and lean and it is 'crowned' with that nice yoke and pocket flap arrangement. The pocket flaps look like they are right at the apex of the bust and the yoke seam is a straight line. On the kimono sleeved block, that isn't possible. A straight line at or just above bust level would end up in the sleeve. And I thought a curve would be rather noticeable.

Instead, I went for a different option, constructing the yoke-and-sleeve more or less like a raglan sleeve. So, I took the upper bodice pieces from the standard sloper and grafted those only the normal sleeve. To keep that rather soft, flat shoulder line, I put them on a bit under the sleeve head (never recommended in  pattern making instructions but I know my slopers and the result I want). 
With this drafting choice, several practical considerations came together: To make a sleeve like this properly, you need to preserve the lower part of the armscye. To achieve that and get the bust seam at the right height, I lowered the armscye by 2 or 3 centimeters. That should also help to get the looser look around the upper arms and improve the room for movement when combined with a small alteration on the sleeve. That particular sleeve treatment is something I explained in this post.
With the yoke-and-sleeve done, I studied the picture carefully for the placement of the pocket flap. To keep it from making the sewing more difficult, I just used a 1 cm seam allowance for the flap (the flap curled up when I took the picture).

I've tried the jacket on and the sleeves actually still look pretty slim but I can move properly. The proportions on the body look fine so I guess I should put the difference in the sleeve shape down to the inevitable issues you get when converting a drawing into an actual garment. 

Putting the ease for movement in the sleeves was not uncommon in 1950's suits though. These images come from the French Elle magazine, the collection special for autumn/winter 1953. 

These suits are quite different in style from the one I'm making but both have very fitted bodices and fairly full sleeves. It's a very clever feature really. Not only does it set off that super-slim bodice, it also means the wearer can still use her arms. I won't look quite so wasp waisted in my suit (not without a corset... although these model might be wearing some rather hard-core underpinnings themselves) but that is kind of the effect I am going for myself.

A spring suit

After last week's post about my to-sew list for spring, I really wanted to get started on that suit. I've thought about making a 1950's style spring suit for two years, it's about time!
However, I was second-guessing my choice. I absolutely adore this suit but I'm afraid it won't work with the fabric I had in mind.

The original was made from jersey. As I mentioned before, I suspect that 1950's jersey is not really like the modern kind. For one, I guess there wouldn't be lycra or a similar elastic fiber in it. It probably didn't stretch lengthwise and may not have had great recovery either. The way it is often sewn up, with darts and zippers, suggests that it wasn't very stretchy at all. If you know more about it, please tell me in the comments. I'd really like to have a bit more of a clue about this. 
Anyway, even with that in mind, jersey is always a knit fabric. So, it would have some stretch and a certain kind of drape. Things which are used in this design.
I may have a fabric in my stash which could work for it (although I'm a bit worried about how thick it is and how that would work with that big drape).

The fabric I used for this dress. It's a not-very-stretchy knit, it might be a bit too stiff but, on the other hand, the design seems to ask for a bit of bulk. However, this stuff is warm. The picture was published in October, the suit was part of a winter collection. This choice of fabric would definitely make it a winter outfit too. I still love this idea and I will make it, but not now, not when the weather is clearly getting warmer.

So, there's been a change of plan (I did mention I'm not one to meticulously plan my sewing, didn't I?). The fabric I wanted to use for my spring suit is the one I used before for this dress:

I know it's a bit dark and doesn't seem like a great choice for spring or summer but this is basically linen tweed. It isn't thin but because of the material, it's quite cool to wear. In fact, I haven't been able to wear that yet for that reason.
Being thick linen, this fabric has a peculiar hand, kind of limp and stiff at the same time. And it creases like any linen. Those qualities make it extremely unsuitable for my first choice of suit but very appropriate for the coming season.

So, I went back to looking for suit inspiration and soon settled on this one (which is also on my Pinterest board for vintage suits):

This drawing was published in Libelle magazine in 1956, as an illustration of an article about the proportions of the new fashion (that's why it has the dotted lines which indicate the length of the peplum). A full skirt like this would work well with my fabric and the short jacket works really well with it. I also really like the shape, with the sleeves and pocket flaps cut in one with the yoke. 

I drafted the jacket pattern yesterday. Because this was a sale fabric and I have a lot of it, I decided not to make a muslin. I've cut it out and I'm really curious to see how it will turn out.