Sewing has been a bit slow for the past few weeks, due to my daughter’s birthday, visitors coming over and the colds and general fatigue that I can’t seem to avoid this time of the year. Instead I have been plotting some future projects. As I want to make better use of my small collection of vintage patterns I couldn’t resist joining the Vintage Pattern Pledge hosted by A Stitching Odyssey and Kestrel Makes. I have been very impressed with the projects by the participants in the previous pledges and this year I hope to contribute myself with at least five garments based on vintage patterns.
Butterick 5920, my first reproduction pattern.
Recap of 2015
2015 was the first year in which I used vintage and reproduction patterns. I made a dress and peplum top based on Butterick 5920, which is a reproduction of a pattern from 1951. This was also the first time I made a Full Bust Adjustment and overall I am happy how the dress and blouse turned out.
Butterick 5920 as a peplum top.
While two finished garments might not sound very impressive, I also did some preparatory work that will make it easier for me to reach this year’s goal. I made a muslin for a skirt that I drafted using the Silver Scissors pattern system. The fit was not too bad, so I can use this pattern to make a wearable skirt.
Skirt muslin drafted with the Silver Scissors pattern system.
A sweater pattern from the German magazine Stimme der Frau from 1956 resulted in a wearable muslin. I started writing a post on this pattern in autumn but accidentally deleted most pictures of it. It is a very interesting design that deserves better fabric than the boring cotton jersey I used for my muslin. The pattern also needs some downsizing, something which I am not used to as vintage patterns tend to be too short and narrow for me!
Sweater based on a pattern from a 1956 issue of the German magazine Stimme der Frau. (See also the photograph below).
Writing this post reminded me of an unfinished baby dress based on a vintage Swedish pattern. I was close to completing it when I figured it was going to be a wadder. This was definitely not the pattern’s fault but had everything to do with my choice of fabric. Anyway, I just took a look at the nearly-finished dress and it isn’t as bad as I remembered. Moreover, while a little short, it still fits my daughter, so the dress is now back on the unfinished garments pile.
Stil 2471. I almost completed the dress in the bottom left corner.
Plans for 2016
While I don’t feel like comitting to specific patterns for the rest of the year, my more general goal is to sew different types of garments that are wearable in everyday life. In addition, I would like to try out various vintage pattern sources and drafting methods. Let’s start by looking at some dress patterns.
Stil 348, a very stylish summer ensemble. Enclosed in the pattern envelope was a booklet with information on the Stil pattern company and how their patterns were distributed to other European countries. The booklet is dated to 1952.
I was a bit disappointed by how little I got to wear my Butterick 5920 dress due to the chilly summer, so one summer dress is probably more than enough. Fortunately, there are also some pretty nice patterns for long-sleeved dresses around.
Butterick 6266. Image source: http://butterick.mccall.com
Stil 502784 from 1947.
Next up: skirt suits. I’ve recently joined a sewing circle/course in my neighbourhood and the plan is to make a vintage-style skirt suit. It is such a benefit to be able to use the expertise of a teacher, I don’t think I would have had the courage and dedication to tackle a tailored jacket all by myself. Instead of using an actual vintage pattern, we wil be using a sloper based on my own measurements to draft the jacket and skirt. The first three patterns are from my Silver Scissors book, the Stil pattern was a recent find.
I’d love me a plaid suit!
The jacket to the left is one of my favorites. Love the neckline and the three-quarter sleeves.
Record 670, a pattern from 1950. The jacket has kimono sleeves.
Tops! Last year I discovered that I really enjoy making sweaters and blouses. It’s a good way to use the smaller pieces of fabric in my stash and I find them easier to wear than vintage-style dresses.
Two jersey sweaters from a 1956 issue of Stimme der Frau. Last year I made a muslin for the sweater in the upper left corner (see above). I’ve also traced the pattern for the top with the gathered bust..
Record 539, a pattern for a cute pussy bow blouse from 1949.
Another blouse with cut-on sleeves, from the Dutch magazine Beatrijs from 1950. You draft the pattern yourself based on a diagram.
And let’s not forget the children! Dresses are always fun to sew, but my main goal is to make my daughter a coat.
Some children’s patterns from the German magazine Das Blatt der Hausfrau from 1952. The coat to the right would be great for my daughter.
At the moment I seem to be very much into styles from the mid-forties to the mid-fifties and I am obviously very partial to cut-on sleeves. Let’s see how long this fascination lasts!