Hello again and a free pattern

It's been a while, but I finally have my google profile worked out so I can post again.

Many months ago a reader asked for a crocheted collar pattern, and finally I have one! I was listing this 1960s Pins and Needle magazine today (see my Etsy store)....

When I found this pattern....

I still can't seem to be able to change the size of photos so let me know if you'd like it emailed, or just grab the original mag from Etsy!

Vintage Fashion and Patterns - 1950s French Style

I just love the 1950s silhouette - the nipped in waists, the straight and slim below knee length skirts, and the loose flowing jackets.  These illustrations are  of Paris fashion of July 1952.  I would love that blue suit...

 

...and here is a super easy little blouse to sew (from The Australian Women's Weekly, July 1952) that would be perfect under one of those lovely suits.

It's on my list to do....

Fresh Ginghams for Summer Days

I love ginghams. Not only do they always look fresh, they can be smart and relaxed at the same time, hide the dirt a bit, and if you make your own, cotton gingham fabric is cheap to buy. I have used it for covering chairs, for curtains and tablecloths as well as clothes. Maybe I love it because my first school uniform was gingham - a bit like this one but blue and white checks -

1950s ad

And how cute are these three?!

Detail from Uncle toby's ad, 1955

This fashion spread from the Australian Women's Weekly in the 50s shows how glamorous gingham can be.

I just love those cigarette pants too. Red and white gingham is very versatile. My favourite skirt as a teenager was a short, straight skirt with an elastic waist, in red and white gingham - I think it was the first thing I ever sewed......ah memories!

What have you made with gingham?

deb xx

A sewing room and a retro dress

This week I have finally sewn something!

First I rearranged my spare room so I can sew in it. I found a little desk at the op shop for $10 (it's missing a drawer but I don't mind) which is perfect to sew at. And right in front of the window for fresh air and a view, and the air-con for when it's crazy hot.

I use the dining table to cut out, but at least I have somewhere to leave work in progress (and to collapse and read a book if I need too). While I was at the op shop I found a remnant of fabric from the 1960s (it still had the original price tag on it in shillings) and a 1970s pattern for a girls pinafore - at a cost of $1 and 20 cents.

 

The pattern was missing the instructions, but I made them up as I went.  The buttoned straps I sewed in place, and the back zip became buttons. (This is Miss Eight's 'just out of the pool' hair by the way).

 

 

Not bad for $1.20, don't you think! 

I had a similar dress in about 1975 - bright green with white ric-rac.  Mum made it and I thought it was 'the bees knees' at the time.  Went beautifully with my white clog sandals.  Ahh the 70s.....it's probably because I lived through them that I prefer the earlier decades now!

Deb xx

Fashion and Figure Problems Solved, 1953

Today some fashion advice for different figures, from 1953.  Basically if you are large or plump, don't wear full-skirted dresses, and if you're slender, do.

From the Australian Women's Weekly, December 1953

So as a tall, large woman I should wear deep Vs and simple cuts - which I usually do, although I love the occasional full skirted dress.

I love the neckline of the black dress in the first page, and the skirt of the blue floral dress on page two.
I recently bought this pattern, which has a similar style skirt, and an interesting neckline (not V-neck though!)

You may notice the scan code in the corner - it connects to an institutional video, which you can find here.  It is very detailed, and includes how to choose your size and work out how much fabric you need. If I can find a nice crepe or damask I might give it a go.  Firstly this weekend I am going to rearrange things so I have a place to sew with air-con, as my fan-less dining room is just too hot.  Then I will defiantly have no excuses not to sew!

Have you got any sewing projects on the go?

Deb xx

Striped Dresses and a Birthday

I have been obsessing over 1950's dresses, again.  And seeing it's my birthday, I thought I'd treat myself and spend an hour or two going through my vintage 50s mags for some more inspiration.  I love these simple striped dresses...

1952

1950s Evening Dress Inspiration & win a pattern

I went to spotlight Fabrics yesterday to try and get some more of the fabric I am covering my lounge room chairs in.  Of course they have sold out, but I did find the most beautiful iridescent pale blue/mauve/brown shot taffeta instead.  A bit like this.

I oohhed and aahhhed and thought and dreamed......and then didn't get it.

But now I am going to go back and get it, because I have found the perfect pattern!

It's 50s style, but isn't full skirted so won't use ten metres of fabric.  And it's in my size - or any size really.

And it's a PDF so I can get it instantly. 

Australian Home Journal Spring 1942

Today in history a look at some of the fashions and articles from the Australian Home journal from October 1942 - Spring in Australia. My copy is a little ratty, especially the cover, but it is still very readable and has the original free patterns.

1942 was about the middle of WWII, and America had been in the war for almost a year. ' Sew and Save' and 'Make do and Mend' were popular catch cries. This article shows how to pick apart old clothes to make new ones - an evening dress into a night gown, a coat into a skirt and Mother's dress into a child's dress.

There were also instructions for making a summer hat out of left over dress fabric, and and making short socks, using only one clothing coupon instead of 4 for a pair of stockings! 

I am currently listing this and other vintage mags on Etsy, if you're interested.

Deb xx

A brief history of Feedsack fabric

Day laborers picking cotton near Clarksdale, Miss. Delta, 1939

By 1900 the cotton industry in America was booming (thanks to all those slaves) and the bulky,expensive wooden barrels that used to hold dry goods like grain, sugar, salt and seed were replaced with fabric bags or “feedsacks.” At first, these sacks were sewn out of unprinted, unbleached muslin (as they are now), and really not much to look at, but as the depression took hold, many hard-up housewives started using the fabric from the sacks to sew everything from girls' dresses to boys' shirts and even underpants, as well as aprons and other necessities.

White feed sack dresses c.1930

In America marketers and advertisers took note of this trend, and in the 1930’s began making feedsacks out of attractive, colourful calico to get women to buy their bags. The bag labels were either printed on in ink that washed out, or were made of paper and stuck on so they could be easily removed. One unfolded bag equalled 1 yard (almost 1m) of fabric, and getting a pretty print – and enough of it to make an adult sized dress – became a cut throat  competition. I can imagine that lots of bulk buying went on to ensure women got enough of the fabric they wanted!   Smaller pieces and off-cuts were also used to make colourful quilts.

1920s Feedsack Quilt

Jack Whinery and his family, homesteaders, Pie Town, New Mexico, 1940

Of course after the depression came the war and its associated fabric shortages, and printed feedsacks continued   The recycling of bags became a necessity, encouraged by the government -"A Yard Saved Is a Yard Gained for Victory." Women often sold their surplus bags to others as a way of picking up cash to aid in running the home.  Once a dress or other garment was worn out, parts could still be salvaged and turned into smaller items or used for quilting.

At the Vermont State Fair 1941

Front and back covers of a WWII booklet issued by the National Cotton Council of America 

After the war, the bags were not only a sign of domestic thrift; they also gave rural women a sense of fashion. National sewing contests were organized as a way for women to show off their skills, and manufacturers to show off their designs, and women would meet for sack-and-snack-club fabric swaps.  

 

Feedsack fabric continued into the 1950s and 60s.  Many of the dress pattern companies took advantage of the feedsack fabric, designing patterns where the pattern pieces would fit the dimensions of the bags. Most dresses designed for feedsacks had waist seams.

   
Reproduction feedsack fabric is available today. The thread count is too high to really capture the basic feel of the real deal, but the patterns are glorious. The best indicator of real feedsack fabric is a line of holes from the chain stitching that once held the sack together - and not always in a straight line. You can find original feedsack fabric on Etsy and Ebay, but usually only in small quantities - perfect for quilting.  A blouse would be nice though, maybe with a different fabric for each part.  Very 'make do and mend'!

I wish my flour and chicken feed came in colourful fabric sacks -I don't think I'd ever buy fabric again!

What would you make with feedsack?

Planning a (Plus Size) Vintage Wardrobe

It's obvious from this blog that I adore history and vintage. I have been wanting a vintage inspired  wardrobe for years now, but with five young children there have always been other priorities.  As the children have been getting older I have dabbled with patterns from the 40s and 50s, and made a few dresses, but I have decided the late 20s and 1930s is the direction I really want to head in. I love everything about 30s design - some of it was just so modern, but with an edge that just screams Style.  Movies from the 30s are among my favourites, along with movies or shows set then, like Poirot and Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.

Looking for bodies at the beach in Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, c. 1928

I have been looking at colour schemes and lots of fashion from the era in recent posts, and as an interior design student I researched the 1930s extensively.  I think that I have a good understanding and feel of the era, although I am still finding out new things each day, which is exciting.

30s Interior design sketch by Ernst Kauffman

The other night I went to a cocktail party with what I thought was a 30s inspired long silky jersey evening dress, vintage 30s diamante jewellery, basic 30s make-up with arched brows and my hair done in loose 1930s waves (I used rollers).  When I mentioned to one gentleman that I loved the 30s, to explain me having Ella Fitzgerald and the Nat King Cole trio on my I-phone, he asked me if I ever dressed in 30s style.  And here I was trying not to be too obviously 'vintage costume' looking.   I actually replied that I was planning on it once I had lost some weight, and he replied - you know that Marilyn Monroe was a size 14 to 16?  As I am an 18 I took that as a compliment!  It also made me think 'What am I waiting for?"

Imported French fabrics, E. Meyer & Co., Paris; fall, 1930-1931

The way my weight loss is going I am going to actually go up a size soon, so I may as well just start sewing!  Trying to find 1930s clothes in a 44 inch bust is quite trying - I have tried, believe me.  Although I have found a few vintage styled items that I like at the thrift store,  I will have to sew most of what I want.  Even if I lose weight  my fist few outfits will probably not be perfect anyway (it's been a while since I have sewed anything more than a hem) so I wouldn't mind taking them in or making new ones.  I'll start with cheap fabrics, those remnants at the store or from the thrift shop.  And now that we are getting into cooler weather I will be able to set up the sewing machine on the deck and lots of room to spread out.

Plus Size (or any size) Vintage 1934 Dress Pattern - PDF - Pattern No 90 Eugenia

I have found some great reproduced and vintage inspired patterns on Etsy that are size adjustable, so I may start with those.  I would like a few dresses as well as skirts, blouses and wide legged pants.  I have some blouses that could pass as vintage if I tucked them into a 30s style skirt, so I think I will start with a skirt.  I have found a free 30s style skirt tutorial - I may give that a go if it
s not too tricky.

3-skirt tutorial

Living in the tropics I don't need many jackets or knit wear, or a winter coat.  Although I am planning a trip to Melbourne in Winter so maybe one of each would come in handy. I also want to start knitting and crocheting again, so I could make some accessories such as hats, bags and scarves.

Vintage pin wheel bag Pattern 

The big pattern companies, like Vogue and Simplicity, also have some original 30's patterns that they have reprinted in the last few years.  I have found a few on Ebay.

Vogue 1938 preproduction pattern

There are also lots of free patterns to be found on the net.  As I find these I shall add them to my 'Free 1930s patterns' page.  As my 1930's magazine collection grows I will also hopefully be able to share some other patterns.

So, I have lots more research to do, but I can't wait to get sewing.  I'll keep you updated with my vintage wardrobe progress, with either what I am making, buying or finding. Please feel free to let me know of any great resources you know of, too.

Deb xx