The dream must end. I'm heading back to work on Monday and so before my life turns back into nothing but work and commute, I'd thought I'd get this post up. I haven't worked in 2 months, so I can't really complain. It has been glorious, but I'm also ready for some more travel money to start pouring in. I've got one project done already for the pledge, so I think I'll be more successful than previous years. Also, it is my goal in life to look like Peggy Carter, so I'll be sewing up more 40's patterns!
My pledge this year is to 1) redraft a minimum of 5 of my vintage patterns so they are the right size for when I feel the inspiration, 2) make more outfits out of my rather large vintage pattern collection-once they are redrafted, 3) make at least 2 things that can actually be worn and not look like a costume. Peggy has also convinced me that I need a 40's style suit.
Let's check a few of those off! 1st redrafted pattern (it was an easy one!) and 1st finished vintage make of the year
A slip from 1944. I'm slightly old fashioned in that I will never wear a dress without a slip. Not ever. So it is nice when I get some lovely patterns for slips! Can never have too many! I wanted to make a muslin of the pattern to make sure it fit before I used some good fabric, so I used some left over material. Next time I'll make a muslin out of something that doesn't make me want to bang my head against the wall. It stretched (every piece being on the bias didn't help), it doesn't hold a crease when I iron it, and using self-made bias strips for the top was a nightmare. I basically just gave up towards the end.
I used a decent amount of Wondertape for the sewing. It is a double sided tape that you can sew through (without gumming up your needle) and it dissolves in water. This stuff is BRILLIANT.
This, and many other vintage patterns, are constructed by folding over the seam allowance and just topstitching it to the other piece. This makes all the points and dips and shapes you see in vintage outfits much easier, but I think it is hard for modern sewers to really accept, we try and make points by stitching, cutting, stretching, and trying to sew corners from nearly a straight line. I did that for the first seam and that was as far as that lasted! Topstitching it is! Made much easier by the use of wondertape.
I love the way it turned out (though I might lower the neckline next time) and it fits me better than the mannequin, so I'll definitely be using this pattern again! And definitely in some more solid fabrics so it can go under some of my sheer dresses. But a sheer slip is a lovely frivolity, isn't it? I'm also very excited about the french knickers/tap-pants, I've been hoping to grab a pattern of those for ages and you can better believe I'll be making some of those! I haven't redrafted them yet. The slip still counts as a redrafted pattern though, yea?
Next up in the pledge:
I have a 40's dress that I'm redrafting right now, making a muslin out of actual muslin (to tell you the stage I'm at), and some PJs from the 30's that I'm dying to make up. Redrafting those will be a blast. I traced all the original pieces out and it is like a puzzle. There aren't any instructions, some of the pieces were cut out of a 1938 newspaper (made for some interesting reading!) and some of the pieces that should be for the jacket look like they belong to the shirt and visa versa (just guessing by the picture on the pattern envelope-that's all I really have to work off of). Some I have no idea where they go or what on earth they are. One would think it would be obvious enough, with all the sewing I do.....but nope. It'll certainly be a challenge!
~Nikki
