In progress

My black dress is for about 80% finished. It still needs a hem, the ends of the sleeves need finishing and I haven't applied the pockets yet. And there are always little bits of hand-sewing for the very last step.
For now, it's on a hanger to wait and see if that skirt will sag. It is a half circle in wool crepe so it may but I cut it in gores so the seams may hold it in check.
In the end, I used ordinary black lining for the skirt. I wanted to use blue stuff but, as it turned out, there wasn't enough of it. I might have checked that before agonizing over it....

Anyway, I had time to sew and the dress was on time-out, so I kind of had to start on something else. I had found this nice (but mystery-fibre. Not much polyester though because it doesn't cling nor melt to the iron) tweed-like knit at the market recently for only 1 euro a meter (there's plenty more of it, for those of you who are local). I was warned that there were bad parts in it, so I bought 4 meters. As far as I can tell, the bad bits are only on the wrong side. The reverse of this stuff is black but not nice enough to use as a contrast. It's very thin so the other side shines through and the knit there is kind of irregular. And occasionally, there are small holes but those don't lead to further unraveling and you can't see them from the right side of the fabric. So, considering the price, I'm not bothered. 
Now, I just have to find out whether or not this stuff is nice to wear. In which case I might just have to get more of it. 

Interestingly, this is a material which I could also use to make something for E, who is kind of overdue for some attention of the garment-making kind. 
So, he gets to be the first guinea pig for this stuff.

I'm making him a simple, zippered cardigan. With kangaroo pockets. 
After some consideration, I decided to use black rib knit for the collar, cuffs, bottom band and pocket edges.
I thought I could finish it today but the zipper I have isn't long enough...

So, coming to this blog this weekend: Actual, finished clothes!

What's your decade?

I hope I'm not chasing away any readers who don't have a specific interest in vintage fashion but I thought I would share some more thoughts about the upcoming 2015 Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge.

If you look at sewing blogs in general, or at the 'Projects' page of Burdastyle or even at last year's Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge Pinterest board, the term 'vintage' most often seems to refer to 1950's styles. By which I actually mean clothes which were designed between 1947 and (roughly) 1965. 

Of course it's easy to understand the appeal: These looks are quintessentially feminine, they are referenced in modern fashion often enough to keep them from looking too costume-y, the patterns are not too hard to find and these dresses and separates work for a large group of women who are not served very well by a lot of today's fashion: Ladies with curves. 

Still, this one decade doesn't suit everyone and there is so much more to explore.

Because a lot of my sewing is 1950's inspired I will, once again, aim to use the pledge as an inspiration to explore other decades.

You sometimes see fashion history broken down by body type. In that case, 1950's is ideal for the hourglass figure, 1920's is for rulers and 1930's for the inverted triangle. There is a lot to that because the ideals of physical beauty and even of the 'average body' moved with the time and fashion.

But who wants to dress purely for her body type? I don't believe in that in present-day fashion and I don't think it has to be true for vintage either. Certainly not if you make it yourself so you can be in charge of the fit.

When I use vintage patterns, I still want to make garments which will work in my every-day wardrobe. I've seen some great purely period outfits on other blogs and I have a couple of hats which I may wear occasionally (and for photoshoots for this blog) but I'm never really going for a historically accurate look. I could say I don't want to look costume-y but I realize that my definition of that may be some distance removed from most other people's.

There are very simple tricks to make unusual vintage styles work for. 

Fitting is one of them, of course. Obvious but potentially tricky. You want your new garment to fit you properly but you don't want to end up completely removing the period character. This is one of the reasons why, despite making so many of my own patterns, I like to collect and sew vintage patterns: Learning about the fit and the pattern making styles which belonged to each decade.

Another, much simpler trick is fabric choice. I usually operate with the motto: "When in doubt, make it in black". No matter how unusual the design of your choice, a neutral, unobtrusive colour will partially neutralize that and keep you from looking like you are in fancy dress. 

On the other hand, plain fabrics will show off the style lines and the fit. If you have reason to doubt those, a small, eretic print like a ditzy floral can work wonders to obscure that. And if you keep the colours a bit muted, the whole thing can still seem kind of neutral.

Another important thing to realize is that in any era, there were women who didn't really have the bodies to follow the heights of fashion. And there have always been clothes to suit them. The completely unshaped flapper dresses of the 1920's only really worked for the young and slender. There were styles with more flared skirts or defined waistbands (well below the natural waist) as well. And not all 1930's dresses have bias cut skirts and huge shoulders and sleeves, not all 1950's dresses have huge skirts from tiny waists. 

And there is no real reason why that nightgown pattern can't be used for a party dress or why the evening gown design won't work as a great little summer frock.

If the style of a certain decade appeals to you, you can usually find a design which is at least more suitable to your body type than the 'main' look of that time.

This is what I tried with my 1930's pick from EvaDress. I know I don't really have the body type for this period, way too much of a waist-to-hip ratio. This design is belted and has several seams in that area which should allow for easier fitting. And it doesn't have the huge shoulder line which I don't really like.

I hope I will receive the patterns next week, so we'll see how that works out. 

Oh, and then, of course, there is cheating. This is easier the more experienced you are at sewing for yourself. Because that will help to recognize what may or may not work for you and you'll know how to alter the pattern.

Making a neckline higher or lower is usually fairly simple and it can have a huge impact on how a bodice works on your body. For example: High, round necklines are really common in the 1940's and 1950's but they can make your torso look like a block (especially when you are fairly small-chested). Making it a bit deeper, or turning it into a little V can give a much better look (make sure to test the fit first though, you may need to make a gape dart). 

Converting tucks to darts, or the other way round, is no rocket science either.

In the end, you want to have fun with vintage patterns and make clothes in which you look and feel good. 

Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge 2015

During 2015, I, Lauriana, will sew up at least five of my vintage sewing patterns.

Oh yes, the Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge is back and promises to be even bigger and better than last year!
I really enjoyed it last year so of course, I'm joining again. And with this Pledge, you can set your own challenge so you can tailor it to your own sewing needs and style. Marie has really thought this through and made some excellent suggestions about it. If you feel like playing along, THIS is the link to her blog post announcing the new Pledge, in which you can sign up.

Like last year, I was to use the pledge to explore decades of fashion which are new to me and I want to use different sources for vintage patterns. 
Since I made things from 1920's Gracieuse, 1960's Frohne and 1950's Libelle and Marion last year, that puts 1930's 40's and 70's on the list. And the sources I really want to use now are: the Lutterloh pattern system, for which I have patterns from the late 1940's and 1950's (I was already considering those at the end of last year but put it off till spring), an unprinted pattern (the 1930's ones are all mystery sized, so I'm not so sure about those but I also have a few from the late 40's/early 50's and two from the early 60's) and, last but certainly not least, the spoils from last years pledge: Vintage reproduction patterns from EvaDress!

I've picked out these beauties, from the 1930's and 40's, so perfectly in line with my goal for this year. These are exciting in a whole different way: This will be the first time I get to sew with vintage patterns which come with instructions (not counting V2787 by which I was rather underwhelmed) and the first time to work with a pattern which other people can also go out and buy. The first time since I started this blog that it's likely I can 'compare notes' about something I'm making (Ok, I think there have been some modern Burda makes along the line, but still...). I'm looking forward to these so I hope they'll ship quickly.

Oh, and I also really want to make one or two 1920's things. That 1929 dress was so lovely and I'd like something in that style that isn't so clearly a party dress.

If I manage to do all of this, I will use way more than five patterns but I know myself: I usually don't join SewAlongs because the moment I officially commit to making something, the fun somehow goes out of it. So it's better not to pile on the pressure. I would love to make all the things I've listed but there are so many more things on my mental 'to sew' list that I really can't make any promises. None other than sewing up at least five vintage patterns this year, that is ;)

Choices, choices...

Yesterday, I cut the fabric for my dress. For the outside, that is. Such beautiful, soft luscious wool... 
Early this morning, I cut the bodice lining: A thin smooth black cotton which I also used as an inner layer on the bodice of my plaid dress. I think I will prefer this to using lining fabric. That is usually fine for skirts and coat and jackets but I really don't like its worn directly on my skin. Cotton may not slide as easily over other fabrics as lining material or silk but it won't have to in the bodice. And in the other dress, I never have issues with this cotton sticking to my bra. 

So, one question remains: What about the skirt? 
I first thought about using some blue/black silk-like fabric from my stash but that is actually really nice and when I held it in my hands I started dreaming about making a nice, flowing late 1920's or early 1930's dress from it... I might have just enough for that but certainly not after I've cut a lining for this skirt.
Then, I looked in the lining drawer. There is not enough regular black lining (acetate) left but I could buy some tomorrow. There is this stuff though:

Thin silk satin in a very bright blue/turquoise colour (the colour in the picture is surprisingly accurate this time). It's so bright and so shiny that I'm not sure I would feel comfortable wearing, say, a top made from this stuff. And bright contrast linings were sometimes used for black dresses. 
In which case I would just have to decide how to use it: In a wide skirt like this, I would normally let the lining hang loose so it wouldn't hinder the drape of the skirt. But this fabric doesn't look particularly nice on the wrong side, so how should I put it in? Just for the record: I'm not going to leave it so long that it will stick out from under skirt. Oh, and I'm not sure how well the wrong side will perform at keeping the skirt away from my stockings. 
Of course, I could buy new black lining tomorrow. It's just always difficult to get something which is not too nasty and not too expensive (I know there are great lining fabrics out there. I would love to Bremsilk for coats and Venezia for everything else but those cost as much as any nice fashion fabric and are simply not in my budget at the moment).
And the vintage option would be not to line the skirt and to wear a slip or a petticoat. Which might be made from that blue stuff. Or from something black. 
Any advice or opinions?

So many toiles...

The last time I talked about work in progress here, I told you I was going on with the vintage patterns. I told about making a muslin for this dress:

A real beauty from a winter 1950 issue of Bella magazine. 
I did just that:

And wasn't pleased with the result. This is a common problem when you fall in love with a design you've only seen in an illustration. Fashion photography may often lie, with drawings really are just a fiction of a garment. 

For obvious reasons, I'm not modeling these muslins but even on the dummy, you can see some of the issues. I'm not even talking about the fit here. There are some issues with that but nothing I can't deal with. 

My real problem worry is with the design elements I originally fell in love with. That pocket/pleat thing looks too wide when I wear this dress. The pleat from the shoulder (I always love that feature) which looks really prominent in the drawing, is actually quite small and not very noticeable. And that sassy pencil skirt is more of a modest A-line.
It's not an ugly dress but just not as great as I hoped it would be.

The fabric I was planning to use is a black wool crepe which has been in my stash for a while. It's a high quality material which I was able to buy fairly cheap. As such, it has suffered the fate of so many nice fabrics which are not bought with a specific project in mind: It has become a 'Holy Grail' fabric. It's so nice and I could never replace it without paying quite a lot more than I did for this stuff. As a result, I've become afraid to use it. 
Of course, that is ridiculous so I have decided to use it now. But I still really want to be sure I will use it to make something I will love.

So, I decided forget about the Bella dress and try something else. After some sketching, I went with an odd skirt shape I've had an eye on for a while.

This picture comes from Dutch ladies' magazine Beatrijs from 1951, from an article about fashion from the US. The skirt is pencil skirt at one side and circle skirt at the other. This lady looks very glamorous in it.
From the moment I saw this picture, I wondered if that would work in real life.

And I don't think it does. As I had expected, the width spreads across the skirt a bit and the weight of the wider side makes the bodice sag. It would be possible to compensate for the sagging but the whole thing just looks a bit weird.
I quite like this bodice though. I'm just not so sure I like it for the black crepe. I'm very sure I like it for another dress I want to make before the weather warms up again.

So, it was back to the drawing board again. This time, I decided to stop trying to be clever. Often a good call when you're feeling a bit lost design-wise.
How about making a simple beautiful dress? With some nice pattern details, of course. 

Kimono sleeves, a V-neck, half circle skirt. A good start but I wanted to try a different and new-to-me construction for that bodice and an interesting detail.

This bodice has side panels which extend into the underarm gussets. And I've added large patch pockets which stand away from the skirt at the top. It still requires some tweaks but I think I like it.

So, now I have to start thinking about the real dress: Full lining? Just a bodice lining? No lining? How about fitting the bodice closely and putting some boning in to keep the shape? And if I'm going to line the dress, what material should I use? And with the side panels, I will have no choice but to put the zipper at center back but shall I use an invisible zipper or some more vintage solution or go for something more edgy and use a metal zipper and put the teeth on display? And maybe I could use piping along the neckline and those pocket edges...

I should be able to finish the pattern on Tuesday so I hope I can start making this dress for real pretty soon.

That was 2014...

In fact, I'm not sure but I don't think I've ever written a round-up-of-the-year post... But today I thought: "Why not?"

Of course, there are things everyone's "year in sewing" will have in common. 

Hits:

  

In my case, I think my jumpsuit and racerback bra deserve special mention. 

And the simple, cozy dress which really seemed to strike a chord with other sewing bloggers.

And misses:

This gathered monstrosity was all my fault, which is why it is more interesting to include here than the mystery-sized 1930's dress.

And then, there were some experiments: This is the year I re-made my slopers...

And tried my most fitted trouser style yet, to celebrate.

I also experimented with the bias cut. I'm not quite done with that, I think...

I also discovered the brilliant Studio Faro/Well suited blog and experimented with a couple of the designs explained there.

And then, there was the Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge... 

Probably the biggest experiment of all for me. I was really slow to get started, only making my first item in August. However, I managed to complete my goal: Five items made from vintage patterns in 2014. I didn't quite manage the side goal to sew from each decade from the 1920's to the 1970's but I did explore some new-to-me eras in fashion. 

And the other side goal was to sew using all the different sources at my disposal. Again, I mostly used pattern magazines and didn't even try Lutterloh, but I did make my first Frohne garment and used the instructions from a ladies magazine.

I'm proud of these five:

My 1929 party dress,

1965 party dress (and no, I don't have enough parties to justify these, I just loved them),

1922 but looks just like 1918 blouse,

and last but not least my 1950's outfit: 1957 skirt and belt (belt tutorial is here) and 1955 blouse.

Now, all I have left to do is to wish you all a very happy New Year!

Sewing Bella?

Hi! I hope everyone had a good time over the holidays. 
I didn't plan a Christmas break from blogging, but it just sort of happened... I didn't really do much sewing either so it's only natural. Today, I thought it was just time to fit in one more normal blog post for 2014.

The thing is, that last minute rush to reach my target for the Vintage Pattern Pledge meant I've spent an entire month sewing only from vintage patterns. Which in turn meant it finally started to feel kind of normal to do so... And I didn't jump to "I could draft that" at every nice vintage dress picture I saw. That was now replaced by "Is the pattern there and is it anywhere near my size?"
Basically, I might be hooked.

When I was looking for a blouse pattern for my 1957 outfit, I started looking in my Bella magazines (because I had sewn from Marion before and not from Bella). Like Marion, Bella was a Dutch sewing magazine which was published for decades (it's actually older than Marion, starting somewhere in the early 1930's as Het nieuwe modeblad but it seems to have met its end earlier. Marion was still around in the 1980's). Unlike 1950's Marion, 1950's Bella was published with all the designs from the magazine included on the pattern sheet. Still only in one size with the others available by mail order, but still.

So, when I was looking for a blouse pattern, I couldn't help but notice some fabulous dresses. Even quite a few in sort of my size (Bella sizes according to bust measurement. At 90 cm, I think all patterns between 88 and 92 cm are close enough to consider them 'sort of my size'). 
And I was planning to make something from some luscious wool fabrics in my stash so some of these look pretty ideal:

The dress on the left. Asymmetry, a pocket, a slim skirt with cleverly inserted room to move. What's not to love?

Always great to have a photograph instead of a drawing. This is a dress from two different materials, not a top and skirt. Very lovely but maybe not so practical with the short sleeves.

A bloused back and trailing sashes at the back! 1950/51 high fashion details which didn't often make it to the humble world of Dutch sewing patterns. And you even get the hat pattern. Unfortunately the front is very plain.

And this one... Raglan sleeves which from the collar, wrap-around effect which ends in a big skirt flounce at the back. Swoon.

A more sporty style (the picture was unfortunately in the middle of the spread so it's a bit misshapen and there's a rusty tack in her head). Normal slim skirted shirtwaist from the front, pleats from a yoke-included-in-raglan-sleeves at the back.

And this beauty on the left. Like the first one, it's asymmetrical and and has extra room added to the narrow skirt using a nice design feature but it's such a different dress.

To be honest, I have already decided to try out the first design. It took some time to trace the pattern and I'm working on the muslin now.