Grandmother Ruby's Dance Dress

What inspired you to sew this dance dress back in 1940, Grandmother Ruby?

Where did you get the fabric? Could it have been silk taffeta? Was this before fabric rationing?

How long did it take you to fit and sew the pattern?

Did anybody in the family help you to make up the beautiful blue dress?

Who did you dance with when you wore it?

Did you wear the dress many times after this? Did anybody else in the family wear it?

Did you ever make the dress over into another garment?

What's the story, Grandmother Ruby?

Romance of Vintage Threads - Lace Dress Inspiration

Do you love pinterest like I do? I have numerous boards related to sewing, fashion and history out there. I pinned this vintage lace dress on my Sewing Inspiration pinterest board. 

When I saw this vintage dress on another pinners board, I was hooked. I immediately posted it to Facebook and started imagining where i might wear it, once I make it:-)

- To a wedding - I'd feel like the mother of the bride in this beautiful frock

- To dine at San Francisco's Cliff House on my next significant wedding anniversary. We've got one divisible by 10 in 2018. I think I could get this gorgeous girl done by then!

- Out dancing with my husband. OK, so we don't actually know how to dance like that. Don't you think such a romantic garment ought to be enough of an inspiration that we'll learn, just to honor it?

- Theater, ballet and opera. Those are obvious right?

When I get a dress done along these lines, I'm going to find places to wear it. I know I"m going to love it.

Sewing Resources 

B6095

I'm thinking of trying out Butterick 6095. It's a top pattern, and that's what I'll make first. I'll be playing around with fit on this top. I want it really, really fitted. I'm not wild about the peplum on this top. Since it's not part of the dress I'm working towards, I"m going to eliminate it. Maybe I'll extend the hem and change to fish eye darts. Once I move onto the dress I'll work out where the hem is shortened.

I'd probably make the first test version of the bodice in a simple woven and just wear it for a while, to see what I think of the fit. I'll stick with the sleeveless version and not fuss with sleeves, since I don't want them in the lace dress and I'm not super interested in them.

After I'm happy with fit, I'll move onto a bodice/top in double edged lace. That will give me a chance to get comfortable with my lace sewing and styling techniques. I want to make sure that the scallop edge embellishes the armhole just so.... Black lace maybe? It will be fun to pick out a fabric that goes with jeans as well as a simple skirt.

I'll also need to make some decisions about what sort of lining is going to backup the lace. Do I want to just wear a camisole and slip underneath  or do I line or underline the garment? It's a possibility but I'm more likely to build the lining in - silk or Bemberg rayon? I'll probably use the rayon for the first pass on the bodice/top.

Once I get the lace bodice perfected I can move onto the skirt. I think I'll drape a skirt that's mostly straight, or even somewhat pegged, on the bottom and cut the original fabric wider on the top (like a reverse triangle - with one point cut off) so I have the fabric for the big pleats. I'll be playing around on my dress form to get that skirt shaped right. I might even start by draping a dolls dress to get the shape right.

The belt will be fun. I keep my eyes peeled for just the right glitzy slider piece. I might try covering elastic with lining-backed lace.

Ench By Sew-024: Shirtdressing and Fall Fun

Hey! 

The latest Enchanted by Sewing Podcast has been published!

Listening Option I) You can listen to the show right on the web by clicking on this link

(http://traffic.libsyn.com/enchantedbysewing/castFINALSHIRTDRESSINGSept2014.mp3 )

~ OR ~

Listening Option II)  Click on this link to iTunes  to download this and other Enchanted by Sewing shows to your mobile device (iPhone, Android, etc.) free from iTunes 
( https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/enchanted-by-sewing/id566370325)

Please note that the Fantasy Fall Sewing Questionnaire from the show, is at the end. Please post any and all answers below, or email your thoughts to EnchantedBySewing@gmail.com

I've recently started a Shirtdress Sewing Board on Pinterest :-) http://www.pinterest.com/lrshimer/shirtdressing-sewing/

Here are the two dresses I created in September, and talked about in the show

Hey I just realized I'm holding the tapestry cap I focused on
in last month's podcast!

This is the happiest I've ever been with the job I did on a sewing project
:-)

Check out the beautiful Fran Leibowitz photo of Amy Adams that inspired me to finally get cracking on my own shirtdress http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2014/08/inspired-by-amy-adams-creating-perfect.html

Della Street often advised Perry Mason in his work, by asking leading questions.
She also wore a lot of shirt dresses!

You often see only the bodice of Miss Streets shirt dresses,
But I can see just enough of the skirt fabric here to see that it's the same as the bodice.
I bet the costume designer altered the same pattern repeatedly for the actress :-)

Della Street, Perry Mason's "confidential secretary" often wore shirtdresses. They gave her a professional and ladylike image.

Look to television shows from the late 50's and early 60's for examples of retro shirtwaists that still look up to date. Below is an example in what appears to be white satin (!) alo from Perry Mason. I love those wide, rounded shawl-collar lapels too. Shawl collars were again popular in the 1980's.

One of Perry Mason's clients wears a shirtdress
in white satin
Love that sheen, and such an unexpected fabric choice!

It's a very full skirted shirtdress
And the bodice has a lot of fabric too - very blousey

I love the wide shawl collar too

OK, the pattern I used is not a current pattern (though I found it for sale in a couple of places on the web). It is however a classic shirtwaist style and you can find many similar dress patterns currently in print. I don't think there's every been a big four pattern company season, when there wasn't at least one shirtdress in every catalog.

I made the version shown here in the front row in blue.

I journaled about the shirtwaist (Peaches and Cream) I created, in my blog, Me Encanta Coser, over the course of September and early on 

Fantasy Fall Sewing Questionnaire

Please post any and all answers below :-)

1)  Roughly where do you live in the world – you don’t need to get too specific.  

2)  What’s the climate like where you live in the fall?  

3) Is there a big change between what you wear/sew in fall versus summer?

4) Which is your favorite fall celebration ? Do you have Halloween or Thanksgiving where you live?  

5)  Do you have special or different foods that says fall to you?  

6). What is your favorite fall fabric – whether or not you’d sew it up in your climate/region?  If different - What is your favorite fall fabric that DOES work well where you live?  

7) What is your favorite fall color – this year?  

8)    Do you have  a specially favorite fall fabric pattern (like a printed design or a pattern woven into fabric)?  

9)  Do you have a fave classic fall garment you’d like to sew or have sewn? Is it for yourself or for someone else?   

10)    Do you hope to sew one or more practical garments for fall, and if so what?  

11)      If different than the previous garment -  Do you hope to sew one or more special  garments for fall? What?

12)  If you could wave a magic wand, and create anygarment that feels like fall what would it be?  

13)  Would that magic wand garment garment play a regular part in your wardrobe, or would you just like to have it and wear it on special occasion(s)?  

Did I miss any links mentioned in the show? If so, please post those links below and share them with everybody

Email- EnchantedBySewing@gmail.com

~ ~ ~

Vintage Threads: 70's Leotard Can Be Modern Active Wear

From the style, and the wardrobe styling hints on the envelope, I would guess this is a mid-seventies pattern. My mother sewed several of this style of garment for me when I was in high school. I wore them with my hip-hugger pants and mini-wrap skirts that buttoned up the front.  They made my very short skirts a little more modest :-) BTW The body suits snapped at the crotch, to make dressing and undressing easy.

I'm thinking this would be a great pattern to try out for some modern active-wear. I'd like to experiment with fabrics I haven't tried before, and a simple leotard (would work well with simple shorts for the gym) would be a great pattern with which to try out that type of material. 

But, as I wrote in my last imaginary bathing suit journal entry..... no new projects until this bustier is done!

Resources

Enchanted By Sewing Podcast Show Notes (and iTunes link) http://enchantedbysewing.blogspot.com

Sewing My Bustier : http://www.meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2014/02/bustiers-excuse-me-arent-those-your.html

Vintage Threads: 60's Bathing Suit Plans, Don't Keep Me From Sticking to my Bustier Project

No reason a bathing suit like the one on the left
couldn't work as well today as in the early 60's!
Very flattering for many figure types too.

My best guess is that this vintage bathing suit pattern is early - mid sixties era, because you don't see this waistline much after that on a suit. The 25 cent price tag is another clue. By the late sixties, most patterns were, at least, 35 - 50 cents. The model's hairband is another clue. Those wide bands say 1963 and before to me!

As you can perhaps tell, from perusing this sewing journal, I'm hard at work on a class project sewing a bustier. It's a big project for me, and I really wanted to divert myself several times to some fun sample sewing. Before Valentine's Day hit I was sorely tempted to stop and experiment with a simple example of reverse appliqué. Wouldn't an appliquéd heart coming through a pocket square be perfect? I justified this mini-project by thinking that I could devote my February Enchanted by Sewing Audio Podcast (which I typically publish just before the end of each month) to talking about appliqué in general and then describe the reverse appliqué techniques that I would have slipped off to practice.

But I kept myself on track and continued steadily on with my bustier. I still have quite a lot of work to put into it. Stick-to-itness is one of those skills I've resolved to work on this year, whether it's sewing or regular work projects. I'm proud of myself for sticking to this and other projects.

I'm also proud of myself for not purchasing any of the potentially swim-able fabric I might use to create a similar combination for myself. Yes, I do have a fabric inventory. But adding to it when I'm in the middle of my currently challenging project wouldn't give me the confidence I need to keep at it.

That doesn't mean I can't do a little blue-sky sewing!

Blue-skying means.... I can journal about creating an imaginary bathing suit, as I'm doing now. I can imagine whether or not I would try to find a print or plain colored fabric. And question what kind of material would work best. I can also think about how best to create the pattern. The overskirt is a flared skirt. I know how to drape those now, and I have Conchita, my foam core dress form to help me. The tanks, as the bathing-suit bottoms liner is referred to on the pattern back, could be created from an underwear pattern I've previously created that I know fits well. I'd probably work on draping the bodice on my duct tape dummy, not my Uniquely You foam-core dress form, because the duct tape model is a more exact replica of my torso. I can simply have the fun of imaginary sewing, and the eventual project will be that much better.

BTW, I've also began work on my February Enchanted by Sewing podcast. That show will reflect the pleasures of a little imaginary fabric shopping without actually adding to my fabric inventory. I hope you come along for the trip :-) You can subscribe to the show notes if you want to be notified when podcast episodes are added.

Blue-Skying is just one more activity that keeps me.... 

Enchanted by Sewing!

~ ~ ~

Resources

Enchanted By Sewing Podcast Show Notes (and iTunes link) http://enchantedbysewing.blogspot.com

Sewing My Bustier : http://www.meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2014/02/bustiers-excuse-me-arent-those-your.html

Bustiers: Excuse Me Aren't Those Your Underpinnings?

Though I turned under the neckline to envision the end result,
Lynda still felt it was too high when I put it on.
The new neckline is less round and lower.

Yes, as pretty as my vintage Tanna Lawn fabric is on this bustier....

It's really the lining.

This garment is inside-out.

The great thing is that I'll always see this Liberty print when I put this garment on!

And I'm really happy with the way it's fitting.

After this photo teacher Lynda Maynard decreased the round in the neckline some more and had me work on the hem, which will be much higher on the sides and in the back. To make sure it's not too long, I sat down with my back very straight. The goal is not to have spiral steel boning jabbing me in the groin. Which is a pretty durn good idea. Also the goal is to have a flattering hem.

I have two full pages of checklist I created to get to the point where I begin to work on the outside layer - the actual layer people will see. What you are seeing here is lining fabric applied to a sturdy layer of cutil. That cutil is where all the support of boning channels and bones will be happening. And that's what I'll be working on over the next two weeks.

~ ~ ~

Resources

http://www.pinterest.com/lrshimer/sewingbustiersinspiration/

http://www.meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2014/01/bustier-class-pattern.html
http://www.meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2014/01/bustiers-not-corset-plus-free-printable.html
http://www.meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2014/01/bustiers-made-to-measure-altering.html
http://www.meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2014/01/bustier-help-pattern-fairies-have-ahold.html
http://www.meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2014/02/bustier-classic-underpinnings-silk.html

Vintage Threads - Katherine Hepburn Mid-Rise Waistlines

Hepburn often sported a mid-rise
waistline - a very 30's look

I've been exploring waistlines off and on since early last month. I started with thoughts on no waistlines, then moved into under-bust waistlines. I've also included some elements of fashion history. 

Now I'm moving on down to think about mid-rise waistlines, those that occur between the under-bust (like Empire style dresses) and the natural waistline (like those on "New Look" bouffant skirts).  

You see the mid-rise waistline at several times in history. Some of my favorite are those sported by Katherine Hepburn. The timeless striped dress she wore in "Bringing up Baby" had a mid-rise waistline. I journaled about that dress back in a discussion of vintage godets - the Bringing Up Baby post

Of course Hepburn wore this waistline frequently because it was what was in style, however I also think it flattered her slim-hipped figure. For women who don't go out much in the hip area, this look lengthens the body. It also shows off the leg line. Hepburn had a very active style about her. Indeed she was quite active, and liked to get a lot of exercise. Her mid-rise waistlines make the most of her quick style of movement.

I don't have Katherine Hepburn's slender figure, but I do share one trait with her. I don't curve out much in the hip area. I noticed when I worked on fitting my first pair of jeans, that a high-rise waistband is flattering for me. As I'm working on my first complete (and final) garment assignment for draping class, I'm paying very close attention to where I'm defining the waistline. I've marked both a traditional and a mid-rise waistline on my custom dress form, and I keep experimenting with where to define the dress waistline.

No matter where I draw the waist's line, considering and placing it to best suit my own figure is the kind of project that keeps me...

Enchanted by Sewing!

~ ~ ~

Resources

Vintage Threads - Bringing Up Baby - Katherine Hepburn's striped dress with godets http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2013/11/vintage-threads-katherine-hepburn-in.html


Enchanted By Sewing Audio Podcast - Creating my own Dress Forms http://www.meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2013/09/ench-by-sew-12-creating-dress-forms.html

My first pair of jeans, created as the final project for my pants drafting class,  have a mid-rise waistline http://www.meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2013/10/jean-sewing-my-first-jeans-are.html

Vintage Threads: Katherine Hepburn in Stripes, Godets and Timeless Style (Movie - Bringing up Baby)

Hipline godets added to the side, and princess seams
 flattered Hepburn's slim hips.
The contrasting horizontal stripes on the sleeves really make the dress.

Though the glorious satin evening frock that Katherine Hepburn or "Susan" wears in the madcap bar room scene is by far the most famous fashion in one of my all-time favorite, classic movies, "Bringing Up Baby", its this striped daytime frock that wins hands down for me, when it comes to sewing inspiration.

As you may well know, this vintage black-and-white film tells the  humorous story of a series of non-stop adventures and romance between mild-mannered paleontologist "David" (Cary Grant) and a rich (yet not at all snooty about it) girl "Susan", a female who's both a little nutty, and also very sure of herself. 

And did I mention that along the way Susan adopts a leopard (named"Baby")? Don't worry, nothing bad happens to the kitty. There are also some great goofy scenes with a terrier named George to appeal to those of us who love everything about dogs.

The humor is both spot-on slapstick and verbal. The interchange between Grant and Hepburn has both chemistry and focus. It's one I keep in my collection and watch if I'm feeling blue or just need a pick-me-up.

I'd love to recreate this Howard Greer dress. It's a black and white striped beauty, fitting slim over the hips,and with artfully placed godets, falling from the hips at the side seams, and princess seams in front and back. Of course the contrasting horizontal stripes on the sleeves add to the overall effect as well. The bodice front is ornamented by only a simple mandarin collar, that keeps your eye on the swing of the skirt, as the madcap heiress rushes back and forth between Baby-the-leopard and Cary Grant. 

Hepburn's other outfits in "Bringing Up Baby" are fun and luxurious. They speak to the era.  But it's this classic dress that says timeless fashion. It's one I'd love to recreate it for a modern times, perhaps altering a few details to better flatter my own figure type.

Maybe I'll think about that some more, as I pop my dvd back in and watch it just one more time.

The ability to imagine and create timeless fashion based on vintage looks,  is just one of the things that keeps me... 

Enchanted by Sewing.

~ ~ ~
Thanks Sponsors! 
When you buy products through direct links from this blog, you support the regular work that goes into the blog, as well as the Enchanted by Sewing Podcast

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.

Going for the Green - Free Bricks!

Free Bricks bring out the artistic side
in  this Californian

Does anybody else get butterflies in their innards when they see the Free sign out in front of a neighbors house? It's not just the fact that their free, it's the idea that something somebody else doesn't want, has long-term value for me that makes them so good. You can call that being green or thrifty - but don't you think it's more artistic to repurpose materials than to make something beautiful from old rather than new stuff?

We waited a few days until we came up with a definite plan for 'em. The plan is for a brick path along the damp and boggy side of our house. We're just going to build the kind where you excavate a little, lay them down and pour sand in the cracks.

There's always that little quiver of fear that somebody else will nab 'em all, but we sure didn't want to have a pile of building resources going to waste in our yard - and looking less than attractive as they do so.

I transported about 190 of these little gems to our side yard in the back of the mini-van (two trips). Yes, I sure do miss having a bright red truck for trips like that. That truck made me feel like a real woman, but you know the back of a mini-van works. And I like being a one-car family who knows how to use their bikes and feet to get around.

 BTW I actually left about a quarter of the pile of bricks for the next guy. Wonder what they're going to make.... 

Tit forTatting... Embellishing my Buttercup Purse

I love this way this bag looks
with my new yellow tee shirt
The combination inspires me to get a camisole sewn
for this tee sooner rather than later.

You may also enjoy 

Do you Love Butter? In Praise of the Buttercup Purse

In case English isn't your first language, or you just never encountered the expression before, tit for tat refers to payback. For example, if you used my new sewing scissors to cut out paper, I might borrow your hammer to pound the pavement and leave it out in the rain. I'd never do that of course, just saying....

I don't know of any actual connection between my piece of tatting and that idiomatic phrase.

Yes, hooray! I finished my new bluebird buttercup purse. In Do you Love Butter? In Praise of the Buttercup Purse, I  had a lot of fun blogging about the buttercup game (as played by my mother when she was a little girl) that this pattern brings to mind. 

What do I especially like about my new bag?
1) Simple quilting, batting and crinoline interfacing gives it real substance and the potential to hold up to what I put in her.
2) An excuse to embellish a covered button with a bluebird's face. Isn't that a darling closure?
3) The opportunity to make use of eight inches of vintage tatting that I bought at last weeks De Anza Flea Market. I'm pretty sure that's a world's record for me when it comes to speed at which I used a newly acquired embellishment.

Closeup of bag, tatting
and covered button

I also love the way this bag goes with this sheer yellow tee shirt I finished a few weeks back. Unfortunately I can't wear them out together until I get a camisole sewn to go under the tee, as it's quite sheer. 

Part 2: Retro Polka Dots, Why I Don't Love Lucy

In my last blog post, I wrote about my recently sewn polka dot tee shirt. I’m a brand new convert when it comes to these retro-style spots, but I also knew there was some vaguely uncomfortable memory, that I associated them with. When I put on my new sleeveless tee, with it’s draped neckline,  I really liked what I saw in the mirror. The wisps of what I disliked were the the shades of a far-from-favorite old television show, in those vibrant polka dots.

Though I’ve come to love that tee shirt, what I still don’t love is the I Love Lucy television show, because Lucille Ball's portrayal of Lucy Ricardo was no role model for a budding, mid-twentieth century, feminist kid. In my modern-woman household, those polka dots represented some pretty old ideas of woman's place in our society. And they were ideas we were still fighting through in the sixties. In my mind, those old-style feminine behavior patterns were linked with images of the ubiquitous polka-dot dresses* that Lucy wore on the show.

I’m the first to admit there are things to admire about the television and movie comedienne whose career in film, television, stage and radio spanned a period of over forty years. No pawn for the film moguls, Lucille Ball was a hard-working woman, driven to succeed on her own terms. For those of you gals who weren’t around in the fifties and sixties, I can tell you that wasn’t an absolutely stellar time to stand up for yourself if you were born female.

Lucy made the most of her unusual looks. Instead of fitting into a standard style, she created her own. Her personal-style sense back then, is an example for us sewists who are always working to create fashions that make the most of what we were born with.

Besides that she was the first obviously pregnant woman on television. Before that, maternity was considered not very nice. Children were great, but the evidence of where they came from, and the affects of gestation on the body of a stylish woman, were something that weren't on display on the box.

My problem with the show is Lucy Ricardo's relationship with her husband. As a television star, Ms. Ball was in the role-model business, and the model of married womanhood that she represented was one that made irrational, dependent, subterfuge looked cute. Lucy, as the center point of the show, was always doing something silly because, apparently, she didn’t have any wits. The show made it clear that husbands really adored a lack of brain in their women. Cute, huh? 


Almost as cute as the fact that Lucy needed to wheedle money out of her man whenever she went beyond the financial parameters he laid out. Another great life lesson for the sixties-era female, particularly those like more than a few of the adult women in my extended family and town, who were married to somebody who were physically or emotional controlling. 


There’s also nothing cute about fooling your spouse to get what you want (instead of discussing important issues and finding ways to compromise on the priorities for a joint partnership) Pretty much every episode played up this amusing angle.

So what does Lucy’s story leave me with?  


Just fashion.


The women I see around me these days have come far enough from the dependent, ditsy, second class role that we saw on the screen back then, that we can begin to have a little fun with Lucy's style.

Nowadays, when I think of Lucille Ball, I'm just going to see spots - polka dotted spots that is. 

~

* And I’m not the only one. In an article in “Flaunt” (“A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE POLKA DOT”), Jake Levy says that a polka-dot dress was a staple wardrobe item in the “I Love Lucy” show. I would go so far as to say that Lucy was the Queen of polka-dots.