Antique-Retro Threads: Plum-Purple Pocket Dress - Mid Twentieth Century

   

 I have  been thinking about adding embellishments to basic patterns lately, as I've been working on creating a rather

challenging embellishment on the straight skirt I've been sewing, using a pattern I created from my sloper. I haven't blogged about that project yet, other than a posting describing how I created the pattern.  

My own embellishment work got me thinking about this plum-purple frock,  that caught my eye at  the exhibit From Rationing to Rationing at the Museum of Vancouver. I saw it on our visit to Vancouver Canada in the fall of 2014. Yup, that's the visit, for which, I created my audio show  Embellishment Via Vancouver B.C.

 ~ ~ ~ 

Pensamientos/Thoughts for this plum-purple pocket dress...

Fashion doesn't necessarily move as fast in real life as it does on the pages of a magazine. I recall dresses from my own childhood, in the 1960's, that harked back to many of the design elements in this dress, which is probably an end-of-the war, or just post-war creation.
* The fitted bodice is very mid-twentieth century
* Dainty collars added a popular innocent look
* No-button buttons were a simple embellishment many home sewers added. Buttons were often recycled from worn-out garments, so sewists had them around
* Short puffed sleeves stayed in style for several decades, certainly through the seventies
* Yokes also stayed popular through the late seventies
* Lots of pretty edging and trims like these, served up on plain fabric backgrounds,  are really reminiscent of the mid-century, before the mid-sixties, when dresses got much shorter and styles became all about crazy prints. Sewing up prints was in vogue, because printed fabrics were suddenly much more affordable and available.

And what about that pocket!

I created a similar pocket on my favorite black velvet bath robe, a few years back, by angling out the sides of a rounded pocket pattern. This one looks even more full. I must try fooling around with a pocket pattern to get a similar effect.

The pocket also  dips down in a heart shape in the center. And what about that beautiful embroidered velvet trim! It really tops off the pocket nicely.

* Lots of detail on the yoke was again very popular. It works because of the plain-colored background, even this peach colored lace can be over-embellished. I think that trim worked with ribbon is called insertion.
* Dark colored velvet bows at the neckline have a very mid-twentieth-century look as well. Doris Day often wore bows like this in her movies, especially black ones. Velvet bows were also popular as hair adornments. That was a signature style for Rosemarie in the Dick Van Dyke show, of course. Well into the sixties we could buy velvet bows on hair clips at the 5 and 10 cent store. I guess that would be the 5 and 10 dollar store now!

Reflecting on styles that affected fashions from my childhood, and considering embellishment elements that still work today - That's the kind of thing that keeps me ...

Enchanted By Sewing!

Technicos: Strip Strap Sewing With Ease (Spaghetti Straps - No Tube Turner Tool)

I have made spaghetti straps or fabric tubes using a standard tube turner tool. But I much prefer this technique. I may have learned about it originally, in a reader letter in Threads magazine, but I'm not sure. I just know I've made a lot of fabric tubes this way with very little fuss. However I don't hear about other sewists making them this way. 

Maybe you'll like doing them this way like I do. And you will never have to figure out where you last put your tube turner again:-)

Resources

Fabric - A strip somewhat longer than you actually need. It should be more than twice as wide as the tube/spaghetti strap you want. In fact, if X is the width of the desired strap and S is the amount of seam allowance you are going to use it should be 2X+S wide. 

For example - If I want a tube 1/2 and inch wide and I plan to sew a 5/8 inch seam allowance, then my fabric strip should be 1 and 5/8 inches wide, because (2 x 1/2) + 5/8 = 1 5/8

If I need a total of oh say, 72 inches of tubing, I would probably add another 5 inches just to be on the safe side. (That's very conservative). Because I will be cutting away some of the end of my tube. 

String or an old piece of bias tape, or cord or other stringy thing that won't break apart easily . I keep a roll of packaging string around, but even jute string works. Just make sure the string/cord doesn't get sewn over as you sew along the long edge.

Cut your string/cord longer than your fabric piece. Add five inches total to be really safe.

1) With RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER- Press the length of fabric  you are making into a tube or spaghetti strap, in half down the middle, going the long way.

2) Lay the string/cord down the middle, right up
against the fold and away from the raw edge.
Leave a tail of string/cord sticking out
on both ends
of your fabric.

3) Sew back and forth over one end of the folded piece
securing the string/cord really well. You are going to be
cutting away this end later on, so you don't care
what it looks like. Just make sure the cord can't come out down here.
Also, make sure you leave a little tail end of the cord
hanging out beyond this stitching line to be
absolutely sure the string/cord doesn't pull away.

4) Now, keeping the string/cord on the fold side,
 sew along the long end of your tube.
Don't catch the cord in your stitches!

Leave the second short end open when you finish this long line of stitching.

Make sure you have another tail end sticking out of the open end of your tube! That's the second short end, the one opposite the one you secured so well back in step 3.

5) Trim along in the seam allowance, close to your stitching line.
You don't want fabric in the way of next step.

6) Start pulling on the end of the string/cord tail that's sticking out of your open end.
As you pull the fabric will ruffle up.
That's good!

Push those ruffles back toward the secured end as you keep pulling. Just work them along. They'll be a little hesitant, but you be the boss!

At a certain point you will be able to push the first bit of ruffled up fabric
up and over the original
short end you secured.

7) Oh look what's coming through!
There is the nice little fabric tube you've been looking for.
The seam allowance is on the inside!!!!
Keep pulling until it's all out.

When you're done you'll have a long piece of string
hanging off the secured end. Cut that secured end off now.
You might be able to reuse the string/cord for another tube,
if that tube is a little shorter than this one :-)

Vintage Threads: Myrna Loy Made the Clothes

Some women identify with Mariyn Monroe, others with Judy Garland. My favorite vintage film star is Myrna Loy, and my favorite images of Miss Loy are as Nora Charles in The Thin Man.

Wouldn't this be your favorite go-to outfit if you were Mrs. Charles? No woman has every looked as pulled together as Nora in this plaid bias-cut skirt, feather-endowed beret and bow combination.  And the shapely black companion jacket pulls it all together. I'd hazard a guess that the plaid is a mixture  of black and red threads on a white background. 

A modern sewist could pull off  the creation of a very similar  ensemble (she might want to ditch the bow tie and feather, to avoid looking a bit too precious) but she could never really put it together like Nora Charles did.

Some folks say that clothes make the woman, but in the case of this great lady, Myrna Loy made the clothes.

Vintage Threads: Retro Cow Gal Denim is Thoroughly Up to Date

63 years after filming, these gals duds are still in style

With some fashions we have to wait for a return to retro. But when it comes to denim duds, their style vibe just keeps on working.

Irene Dunn's jean-jacket and Ann Doran's vest and shirt combination are as classic today as they were back in 1950 when Never a Dull Moment was filmed. The topstitching on Miss Dunn's jacket is particularly inspirational for modern sewists. You can see it up close when you click on the illustration.

Just add some pumped up pouty lips, loose flowing hair,
and a come-hither expression.
Then... as soon as our waistbands move back up from their currently
below the waist position - likely to happen any day-
these nicely fitted jeans, with belt and classic plaid shirt will put
this picture right back in style.