It is the busiest time of year for me at the moment, but I wanted to make sure that I took time to sew in between writing papers and handing in exams. For me, sewing is a way to wind down and relax, so I have been popping in time at the machine every chance that I can get. So far I have managed to sew while on call for work, while making dinner, while watching documentaries and listening to podcasts for school, and while chatting on the phone with my mom. Although it often feels like I don't get much done at a time, I have managed to do quite a bit over the last few weeks!
During the summer I decided that I needed to make the kitschiest, tackiest 1950's Christmas dress that I could. I found a lovely Christmas ornament fabric at a local quilt shop, as well as a snowflake brooch and candy cane buttons, and I absolutely love all of them.
I have been wanting to make another version of this Vintage Vogue pattern for myself for ages, since the bodice of the pattern fits me nearly perfectly without any alterations (as I find that Vintage Vogue patterns often do). The last dress that I made with this pattern was a summer dress that I got photos of in the desert, so I thought that it would be fun to change things up and make a totally different version.
I especially love the little dolman sleeves and unique gathering in this pattern. The skirt is huge, but it doesn't feel uncomfortable or 'too much' when wearing it in every day life. Plus, the gathering at the bust adds a special touch and makes the dress very comfortable to wear, especially when it is made out of cotton.
At some point I would love to make a wool version of this. The only reason that I haven't yet is because wool is much more expensive usually, so I don't use it for dresses with wide skirts very often (this pattern requires ___meters of fabric).
For some reason I am having more issues with the front and back parts of the skirt pulling up to the side where it is gathered. I don't recall this being as big of a problem when I made the pattern the first time, and despite my constant fiddling and ironing and re-stitching, I just can't get it to sit as nicely. I know that the problem is how I ended each gathered seam, but no matter how I change the angle of the seam, I just can't get it to lay flat. I am hoping that once it is attached to the bodice, the weight of the fabric will pull it down enough to not look ridiculous.
Other than that, the sewing of this dress has been mostly smooth sailing! I am getting close to just needing to do the finishing touches on it, which is always my favourite part of a project. I love hand stitching in front of the TV, especially in winter. Now that I have my cat living with me, hand stitching projects are especially appealing.
The other project that I have been working on this past month is a party dress for New Years Eve! As much as I love the kitschy side of the 1950's, it is also nice to have an elegant version. I have been so inspired by vintage Dior lately that I decided to make a fancier dress with lots of beautiful details and perfect finishing on the inside.
This is another Vintage Vogue pattern! I have been drooling over this one for years now, and when I saw that the website had a sale, I didn't even have to think before adding it to the cart. The panels that fit nice and snug at the waist, then flare into the skirt is one of my favourite 1950's designs, and I love the seam under the bust. I have thought about drafting my own pattern of similar designs, but it would be so much work to draft something with so many pieces. So I decided to be lazy and just buy a pattern instead.
It worked out so well in the end! I cut this pattern out in a size 6 and it fits me perfectly without any alterations at all. The skirt has 20(!) panels in it, which makes the skirt massive and swishy in the best way possible. At first I was going to buy a fabric specifically for this project, but I just could not find what I wanted at the price that was in my budget. Eventually I remembered this silk-polyester blend that I had in my stash. I originally bought this fabric not long after the TV show 'Victoria' came out, so that I could make my own 1840's gown. Although I love looking at 1840's designs and paintings, I found that it just isn't my favourite era. I find with historical costumes I need to be more than obsessed with an era to actually sew it, just because it takes so much time and work to create a historical gown.
This fabric ended up being perfect for this dress since I had purchased so much of it. I just love the colour of it (a sage green warp with an icy blue weft), and I am a lover of swiss dot. It turned out that I had thread that matched the fabric exactly as well, so this project turned into a bit of a stash buster.
The inside of the dress has a Hong Kong finish (a finish that I have used before in a 1950's cropped blazer). A Hong Kong finish is bias binding the seams inside a garment so that it does not need a lining. It is one of my favourites (I actually like it even more than a fully lined garment), and I thought that this dress would be a perfect opportunity to use it again. I found that the silk is thick enough that the lines of the bias binding don't show through to the front, and the waist of the dress is so structured that it doesn't look bulky.
I am so excited to finish both of these dresses before the holidays! Do you have some holiday sewing as well, or do you like to take breaks from crafting during that time?
Thanks for reading!
~Katherine
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