This month the pattern I’m giving away it this beautiful early 50s blouse, 34bust, McCalls 3088.
To enter please comment below, visit my facebook page like and comment on the post related to this blog:
or visit my twitter and retweet the giveaway tweet.
I’ll pick a winner next Friday, 4th April.
Good luck folks!
I have been sewing, honest! I know I’ve been quiet but with the heatwave we’re having at the moment and Wimbledon proving to be quite a distraction it’s taken me quite a lot longer than I thought it would to complete the skirt and top combo I started a couple of weeks ago.
I started with the McCalls 7292 view B top and went for quite a thick red cotton that I had in my stash. The top was quite simple to make but did come out a little bit bigger than I would have liked. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve lost weight recently or if I should have allowed some ease on the pattern. I have used this pattern before (view C) and it has fit me like a glove so I’m not entirely sure why it was different this time around.
I decided once it was finished to embroider a flower on one of the shoulders to make it a bit more interesting and it came out quite nicely. The patterns are ones that were handed to me from my Nana, now her eyesight isn’t too good she can’t do much needlework.
I started on the skirt from Simplicity 2654 view 3, a full circle skirt. I used quite a thin black cotton and it was simple from start to finish (apart from taking ages to cut out as I was watching the men’s final and getting very excited about Murray!)
I did embroider the bottom with the larger flower pattern, hoping that it would lift the skirt a bit as it looks very black. The red against the black didn’t make it pop as much as I thought it would. I know that might sound a bit silly but I did think after maybe I should have put some red ric rac on the bottom of it, then again it might have made it look a little cartoon-y and this is, really, a top and skirt for work so it doesn’t have to be too colourful.
The finished top and skirt:
What do you think? Should I have have stitched some ric rac on the bottom rather than the embroidery? Any advice would be appreciated.
I’m not sure if it’s just because the last thing I made was so colourful compared to this it seems a little boring!
This weekend just gone I cracked on with making the lovely (and not very different from a Swirl) apron dress from McCalls vintage pattern number 2440.
As I couldn’t find any teal fabric in my local shop I ordered online, along with some rather expensive, but very pretty, Michael Miller atomic fabric. It was all medium weight cotton and I matched it with my Gutermann Sew All swatch booklet I’d recently purchased online (something rather handy to have if you’re ordering fabric online because it saved me lugging it to the haberdashery, or cutting a swatch off and taking it with me) and popped into Leon’s to pick up some thread.
It didn’t take me too long to cut the material which was a good job really, as I pretty much took over the dining room, it being the only space in the house that has room enough to cut what turned out to be a rather large skirt piece.
I marked up all of the pattern pieces using a tracing wheel and carbon, which is the first time I’ve used that method. I have used tacks in the past but boy oh boy; was this so much easier, even if it did take an extra bit of time to ensure all pieces were marked up correctly, the time it saved me in the long run was priceless.
I got to sewing and finished the bodice on the Saturday. I have to admit using the new sewing machine is brilliant. I braced myself for the thickness of the fabric about to go through (seam plus binding on the sleeves) and for the needles to refuse the task ahead but it just did what it was meant to do, no fuss no bother. It does make me wonder at how much I used to struggle.
I confused myself quite a lot when it came to bias binding. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how it worked when you stitched close to the line BUT I did eventually understand. I should say at this point I am mildly dyspraxic and I am dyslexic so sometime instructions don’t work the best for me. I made one mistake of sewing the bias binding to the inside of the sleeve first and had to break out the seam ripper but it was a lesson learnt.
I found these bias binding tutorials to be pricelss though: thank you Colette Patterns and Fashion Sewing Blog!
At that point though I decided to stop sewing for the evening, as mistakes are usually a sign that I’m tried and should start fresh the next day, which I did.
On Sunday I gathered the skirt, pinned the pleats (again brain did not function too well and I only had that eureka moment when I was munching through a sunday roast) then I made and attached the waist stay and attached the skirt to the bodice. I then made a huge amount of bias binding to finish the dress off with and put the machine away until the next day.
Monday night after a return from work, I added the binding and a press stud on the back of the dress (it seemed to be gaping somewhat and I may replace with a covered button in the future) then popped it into the washer and waited to see what came out…and guess what did? Only a blummin beauty of a dress!
New to me on this sewing project:
Bias Binding (making and attaching)
Waist Stay
Pleats
All of which I found okay. My bias binding could be better, I did stray from the line a little in certain places and I don’t think anyone would get close enough to tell but it does need improving, mind you by the end of the ridiculous amount of binding I added to this dress I was becoming quite a dab hand!
The finished dress:
The front
The back (the binding does go all the way round by the way but the wind caught the side that was wrapped over!)
So what do you think?
I am, personally, extremely happy with how it’s turned out, I thought it would be a lot trickier than it turned out to be.
I decided to subscribe to Sew Today to give it a go and see what it’s all about. I have not been disappointed, there are two very handy articles in the two issues I have received (one on different types of “french” seam, the other about making your own wedding dress…I have an evening gown in mind that is not dissimilar to a wedding dress).
The bonus of the sign up is that I get most patterns at half price now I’m a member and I also got to pick two patterns for free.
I went for Butterick B5895 and B5882; both Gertie patterns (I am so in love with her blog and creations….and have lurked around her blog watching and reading avidly for some time now!).
Although I’m looking forward to trying them out, they both present their challenges. I have never made any kind of trousers before and I have never used boning in a dress either, but then this is what this is all about isn’t it?
Does anyone have any recommendations for other sewing mags that may be of use to a beginner? websites or other blogs to visit? I do follow quite a few vintage blogs and sewing blogs but I’d be eternally grateful for any help.
In other news I have been cracking on with my McCalls dress and have finished. Blog to follow soon!
I recently purchased this amazing vintage pattern from ebay. It was on buy it no for £8.99, it’s rather more than I’d usually spend but I have been in love with this style of dress for a while now but without the cash to purchase one of my own.
It is very much like the classic Swirl wrap dress often available on ebay and etsy but usually costing around £50 – £100 that’s plus postage (and usually tax if it’s coming from America). The lovely ones are always at the higher end of the pricing too, which is why when I saw this pattern I snapped it up immediately.
Then there’s Heyday’s version, which again is quite expensive, usually around the £85 mark, unless they’re on sale.
I have um-ed and ah-ed a little as it has so much bias binding on it, something I have never attempted before, but I do like to throw myself in at the deep end.
I have found some gorgeous teal cotton for the main material and for the bias binding (and maybe the pockets) a beautiful black atomic print cotton.
Atomic print cotton from Frumble
I’m also guessing I’ll need one of these tape makers? Something else to add to the stash.
I do like the thought of the two materials together, I am not sure about the pockets being so dark against the teal though, but I’ll just figure that one out when I come to it, I can always change my mind. Any thoughts would be of help though.
If anyone has used this pattern before or can give me any tips on bias binding on a curved edge etc that would be a great help.
In the meantime I am off to London this weekend, to visit one of my best girls for her 30th. Then it’s fabric purchasing time and getting down to it. Wish me luck!
I have been collecting patterns for a little while now and I thought I’d share them with you. I’ve also put a handy link in the sidebar so if you click there you’ll automatically be transported (via the medium of net webbage) to my flickr account and you’ll be able to see my updated set which I’ll add more patterns to as and when I purchase them.
As you can see from the below I generally buy patterns from the late 1950s through to the 1960s. This is mainly due to my obsession with Mad Men. If I could have a wardrobe completely full of carbon copies of the beautiful costumes used in the award winning show I would, and maybe, if this all goes accordingly and I end up some sort of super stitching seamstress, I will. But chickens and hatching and all that.
If you’d like to take a look at a few more, they can all be found on my flickr here (or click the photo in the sidebar to the right).
I have to say I’m very much looking forward to diving in. Having spent quite a lot of cash in the past on repro vintage I’m looking forward to the satisfaction of making something to wear with an original vintage cut, safe in the knowledge that no one will be wearing the same thing (or relatively safe anyway!).
Does anyone have any of these patterns? If you do give me a shout, as I’m relatively a novice any heads up on how easy these patterns are to use or what difficulties other have had using them would be of great help to me before I put scissors to paper and in turn cloth.
Stacey Stitch 