A new season, a new shape

Spring has made a quite convincing start here in the Netherlands. For the past couple of weeks, we've enjoyed sunny and dry weather, unusually warm for this time of the year.

For that reason, sewing black wool trousers to match my jacket didn't seem so relevant anymore. I'm already dreaming about a whole new line-up of summer frocks...

However, it is important to consider more practical wardrobe requirements. Not all skirts and dresses would work for either of my jobs (teaching and fitting wedding dresses). So, despite my students' appreciation for my black wrap dress, I think I should control the number of big-skirted 50's inspired dresses I make. And put

some thought into trouser-based outfits.

The point is, in colder weather I've been perfectly happy wearing trousers with simple top covered by interesting cardigans or jackets. Now that it's warm enough to loose the cardigan or jacket, my selection of tops is looking a bit drab and boring to me. Too much black and not enough nice shapes. In fact, it seems like all my basic tops are fitted t-shirts (apart from last year's free form experiment tops, which I still like).

It was time to try something new. The matter needed some thought. You see, I always think (and am usually proven right) that a lot of popular shapes won't work for me. Cup-size A is something to keep in mind when picking tops...

This is a very easy top. Literally a T-shape, with cut-on sleeves. I wanted to try colour-blocking and I love the coral red which works surprisingly well with my skin tone/hair colour. Because I was making a sort of yoke for the colour blocking, I wanted to eliminate the shoulder seam. To do that, I made a V-shape on one side of the upper piece. One side, not front or back. I did the, for me, most unusual thing with this top. Both sides of it are completely flat. No shaping at all, no difference between front and back, making it reversible.

I like the look of the top when it's worn tucked in a high waisted pencil skirt, like in these pictures.

Although I think I can also wear it hanging loose, and paired with trousers. I wanted to make a hip-band at the bottom, but didn't because I thought that would show when the top was tucked in. I may do that on another version though.

I think the V-neck at the front makes the whole thing look rather sporty. Maybe a little too much so to be worn with trousers. Fortunately, these are not your average football-jersey colours...

All in all, I'm fairly happy with this top. It's so easy to make and offers so many options for combining colours that I may have to be careful not to overflow my wardrobe with this relaxed new shape...

Marion, September 1972

Today, I will show you some of the pages from the issue of Marion magazine for September 1972, published 11 years after the one I showed last week and the most recent of the magazines my aunt gave me.

Like all the issues from the 1970's the cover is sort of a 'fashion drawing' (showing a face, the way fashion magazines do, but sewing magazines usually don't)

The set-up of the magazine hasn't changed much in those 11 years. The size slightly bigger, there is definately another illustrator at work and almost everything is in colour now. But, on the other hand, there is still only one pattern in each size included in the magazine with the rest available by mail order and designs are shown in photographs or in drawings. Oh, and size inflation has struck: the old size 36 is now 34 and so on.

Although some of the 70's magazines have maxi-dresses, that doesn't seem to have been the 'in' look for September 1972.

There is an almost enless parade of colourful mini-dresses.

And these suits and coats, which I like best from all the designs in the entire magazine.

Of course, there are still clothes for children as well, although I'd be spooked by these crazy-eyed illustrations.

And there's something I don't think I've mentioned before: there are plus-size designs. Apperently, they took this seriously because every magazine has a fairly wide selection of these. And it looks to me like they have taken a bit of care in finding styles to flatter a fuller body (although it is obvious that they believe larger sizes are for older women...).

Oh, and there's a pattern in my size. By the early 70's Marion must have been acutely aware of the existance of a teenage target audience because they've done away with the sharp divide between women's and children's wear. The new size 34 is considered the same as the largest size for girls, but there is a section with patterns, meant for young women, available in sizes of about 34 to 40. The dress on the left is included in my size.

Although I love all these old magazines, I'm less infatuated with the 70's ones than I am with the 60's versions. Which makes sense, because when I do 'retro' designs myself, the look is most often 50's or 60's and never really 70's (although I kept wearing boot-cut jeans well into the skinny jeans era. In fact, I've never owned real skinny jeans). Still, the very fact that there's a cute pattern there, in (sort of) my size, which was published before I was born, is motivation in itself to try and make that dress...

P.S. My appologies to those of you who asked me questions through the comments lately, and to those whose blogs I read and wanted to comment to. Blogger has been giving me trouble for the past two weeks. It doesn't stop me from blogging myself but whenever I try to leave a comment, I can type something but when I try to post the comment, the connection is lost. This has happened before but usually it's a one-day thing. Of course I may have been unlucky with picking times for blog-reading...

Anyway, you'll hear from me in comments again as soon as blogger lets me.

You can't go wrong with the dress...

This is one of my favorite dresses. It pre-dates this blog by more than a year (in fact, it's Burdastyle page is from 31 August 2008. Which may be when it was uploaded or when they changed the site...).

It's a wrap dress made from simple woven black cotton. It has a bodice with a notched collar and kimono sleeves with underarm gussets and a big full circle skirt. I remember wrap dresses were a huge trend that summer but most were collar-less jersey things which were famous for working 'for every body shape' but absolutely didn't work for my flat-chested frame. So, I set out to make a wrap dress which would work for me. And have a bit of a retro touch. And include a technical and design detail I hadn't tried before (those sleeves).

I loved it when I finished it and I still do. I have had to repair the sleeve gusset once (because I didn't reinforce the fabric before setting those gussets in. hey, it was my first try at something like this) but I've worn it a lot and I have used the pattern again as a starting point for last summer's turquoise dress.

Normally, I don't think about 'day to evening wardrobe options' but amoung my clothes, this dress would be just that.

Many of you may prefer colour, but black dresses are very versitile. A minor change in accesoiries really can allow me to take this dress almost anywhere.

I'm thinking about all this because it's warm enough now to wear it again. And I did so on Monday, when I was teaching my sewing class.

I am teaching that class at a local highschool (which is not a normal highschool but one which teaches students who are new in this country the Dutch language and some other skills which will allow them to participate in the regular education system after one or two years) and my students come from all over the world. They are very enthousiastic about learning how to make their own clothes and they know I often make mine. Not a single one normally wears a silhouet like this but within a minute of me entering the room, I was surrounded students who wanted to know about the fabric, the bow or the dress in general.

I've always had the theory that girls like 50's style dresses because those have the quintessential 'dress' shape. I just thought that instinctive liking ended when 'fashion-consciousness started... Apperently not.

In fact, I will make a dress like this again. I promised my sister to make her a dress for her classical singing performances, and the design we both liked best was this:

So, at heart the same dress, but different in almost every detail. When I make it, I may just try and grade it as well. After all, out of all my creations on Burdastyle, none has received more requests for the pattern than the black wrap dress... It would be a lot of work and I'm very busy, but it would be nice.

Marion, September 1961

Today, I will show you some pictures from the (in my humble opinion) best of the 'Marion' magazines my aunt found for me: the issue for September of 1961. (the upper right corner of the cover is the only part of the magazine that's damaged/missing, so that's why she's giving you such a weird look)

This really is 'Mad men'-era stuff, people. Lots of adorable dresses which I'd wear in a heartbeat.

They are shown both in photographs,

and in drawings.

And then, there are suits

and coats.

And not just for women, there are also children's patterns.

Now, of course this little magazine doesn't contain the patterns for all of these gorgeous clothes. Most of the pictures merely advertise patterns you could order but they've included the patterns for a selection of clothes. One in each size on their sizing table. Other sizes were avaible by mail order as well (I think this explains why, in most of these magazines, the pattern sheet was still stapled in).

After some searching, I found the sizing table, and then the pattern included in my size.

It's this one.

It seems that according to Marion anno 1961, I'm a size 36, but that size is listed as being for 'girls between 14 and 16 years of age'...

I don't think I believe that people used to be smaller/thinner anymore.

Of course, despite the fact that it's shown on a pre-teen looking model, this is an adorable dress, and I may just try and make it anyway.

Show and tell: new fabric

If I stop for minute and think of it, most sewing bloggers will show you their fabric, their patterns and the garments created from those.

Now, I don't often show you my patterns for obvious reasons. I make my own, so getting the same thing is impossible. And I only do how-to's if I think it's pattern which can be made by someone without serious drafting skills.

It will be clear to anyone that I am showing you the garments I make. It's sort of hard to miss because those make up most of my posts. And sometimes, usually with more involved projects like the jacket, I even remember to blog about the work in progress.

But why don't I show you my fabric?

I don't really know. I could say it's because I don't always buy fabric with a specific project in mind and I often buy out of season, but that doesn't quite make sense. After all, lots of other bloggers show what they buy for their stashes...

So, I'm not going to spend more of your and my time fretting about reasons. I'm going to show you the fabric I bought last week.

Firstly, I went to the market on Saturday and came across a stall which was selling various cotton fabrics at 2 euros a meter or 3 meters for 5 euros...

I bought 3 meters of this madras check with the interesting seersucker-style puckering in the weave. I think it's a good quality fabric but the obvious projects to make with it would be rather preppy looking. I will have to come up with a very different way of using it to make it work for me. I'm think about a slim shape with the fabric gathered or draped on.

I also bought 3 meters of this rambling floral with its almost nautical colour scheme. This cotton is very soft and drapy and I think it might work very well for me in different kinds of garments.

And in the upper left corner, there's a fun little detail... No idea whether or not it's the real thing.

Then, on Wednesday, I went with M and the two girls who are doing work experience with her, to a local fabric store which will go out of bussiness by the end of next month. We are planning to go back there early next month, so I did practice restraint and didn't even look at my usual 'target', nice woolen fabrics. But, at 10 euros a meter I did buy these:

1.5 meter of raw silk in a changant colour of gold and bright green and 2 meters of silk charmeuse in coral red (the colours are much more vibrant in reality than in the picture). I plan to make a fitted, shift-like dress from the green and something nicely draped from the red fabric, but I'm still pondering the details.

As usual when fabric shopping, I wondered about what else I might have and maybe should have bought the moment I walked out the door. But my stash is big enough. And at least I did get some silk, which is not a standard fabric for me. And we'll go again before the shop closes.

What can I say? I guess I'm always greedy for good fabric...

A 'new' bag

I made a 'new' leather bag. In fact, the bag is new enough but I made it from about half of an old leather motorcycling jacket. I already used the other half for a bag for my father. I just added a sturdy zipper, rivets, D-rings and a lining.

I used the welt pocket from the jacket's front for the front of the bag...

and unpicked the elastic at the back in order to have enough material for the new back.

And I made the lining out of some yellow cotton.

The shape of this bag is really easy, you only have to consider the order in which you put it together. Including a zipper and a lining means you have to plan ahead. However, this leather is really thick and quite stiff. I couldn't have done it with a lesser sewing machine...

It's quite a tough looking bag so it will be interesting to see how well it works with my usual 'look'. Although I usually pick my bags for practical purposes rather than for style.

And the winners are...

For MyImage magazine: Jessica H

and for Stitch & Sew: the Hillbilly Banjo Queen

I've emailed both to lucky ladies, so as soon as they send me their snail mail adresses, both magazines will be off to new and welcoming homes!

Of course, I secretly hope to see what they make from these magazines at their blogs some day in the near or not-so-near future...