Tuesday, September 27, 2011

1940s Dress...the end

Well folks...here it is!  The 1940s dress got done just in time for the Saturday Lobster Dinner.  And by just in time, I really do mean it.  I was doing hems, sewing buttons, and finishing zippers Friday night.  But, it all worked out and I think it turned out rather well.


The one part I ended up having a little trouble with was the one part I had not practiced on the muslin.  The buttons at the collar go through bounded button holes.  Now, bounded button holes are actually fairly simple to make, the difficulty came when I made them on the wrong side.  So, I had to do a bit of hand work to make it all work out because it was a little late when I realized what I had done and it was no longer a simple fix with a seam ripper.


To make sure that the dress looked a little more modern vintage and a little less costume, we decided to nix the self-fabric belt for the time being.  It got jazzed up with a skinny black belt and some black sandals.  It looked pretty good!

 

Did you finish any good projects over the weekend?

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

1940s dress...the beginning

Back in June I posted about some awesome vintage patterns I purchased, along with some wonderful red, white, and blue fabric from Moda.  Well, I finally started on the dress!  First thing was first, though...I had never sewn with a vintage pattern before, so I wanted to make sure I really knew what I was doing and everything would fit well before I cut into my fashion fabric. 


I was both pleasantly surprised, and super intimidated, when I opened the pattern envelope.  Surprised because, since you buy exactly the size you need, there is no pattern cutting...YAY!  That has always been one of my least favorite parts, because I inevitably tear the delicate paper of the pattern pieces.  The part that intimidated me was the single sheet of instructions...not only that, but it was only one side of the sheet!  They were relying on the fact that most women knew something about sewing clothing in the 1940s.

I decided that since I was just doing a dry run of the pattern, I would not waste fabric doing more than necessary.  I only cut out one sleeve and only cut the skirt pieces down about 12 inches from the waist, enough to do the waistline, while just checking the length with the paper pieces.


This is what I ended up with...and am I ever glad I decided to do it!  No part of the pattern was difficult, but some parts were a little confusing the way they were worded in the directions (or lack-there-of).  Now I feel much more confident to cut it out of the fashion fabric.


You will get to see the finished product soon.  Currently it is still in pieces on my ironing board, but since it must be finished for the Annual Lobster Dinner at the Litchfield Museum on Saturday, I better get to sewing!


Have you finally tackled a project you've put off all summer?

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Mmmmm....Tastease!

Well, the last month of summer came and went in a whirlwind of vacations, work, and projects.  We did a little bit of apartment cleaning...which our very helpful baby cat Annie thought she would help out with...


Isn't she such a helpful cat when it comes to flipping the mattress???? 

The other thing that has kept me occupied this summer...discovering the hidden treasures in the city we call home!  One of them, Tastease, is this amazing mini-donut shop with dozens of different varieties of mini donuts.  And, since it is difficult to make mini donuts with filling, they just pipe the filling right on top.  They are super tasty. 


See...YUM!!!!!


Well, enjoy the beginning of your week!  I'll be back a little later with some great pictures from the season's last Brimfield Antiques Show, and some of those great projects I've spent the last month working on....first, I have to upload the pictures...

See you all again soon!


How did you spend your last lazy days of summer?