Lately I have been spending a lot of my time researching 1950's couture gowns. As a history major, research is a huge part of my life (and, luckily, something I love doing). That has always spilled over into my sewing, and about half of the time that it takes to put together a project is spent researching rather than actually working on the item. I am a pro at making everything have a ton more meaning that it should (which is why every garment of mine has some sort of backstory of what it was inspired by), and I use my research to add meaning into every seam.
I get a so much inspiration from vintage patterns, like this Vogue one that I found from Vintage Pattern Wiki
It usually starts with choosing or creating a pattern. Fashion history is one of the first things that I was interested in as a kid, and I have been reading every blog/website/book/article that I could find about the eras I loved ever since. Choosing an appropriate pattern can be really difficult--if it is a modern one, you want to make sure that it reflects the era you want to make or can be easily altered into something more vintage looking. If it is a true vintage pattern, a lot of time can be spent making sure that it actually makes sense (some of the old patterns can be incredibly difficult to figure out), or that it can be made with the materials that you have access to.
I prefer to make my own patterns, or at least alter a pre-made pattern so that it has my own flair to it. If I am drafting my own, I spend hours looking at patterns that people have scanned and reading vintage sewing magazines.
These kind of diagrams (this one I got off of The Stitchery Academy) are incredible to work off of when making your own pattern. I use them as a jumping off point--inspiration for the shape, and reference for generally what my pattern pieces should kind of look like. Even though this is labelled in what I think is Russian, I just need the shapes and not the labels (usually).
I don't make my dresses to be like an exact copy of a vintage one, but I like to have all of the information before I choose what to ignore and what to copy. For example, I don't always use the same fabric as is recommended, or follow the instructions for finishing (I actually very rarely read pattern instructions and just follow notches and common sense instead).
Finishing techniques is what I wanted to talk about today. The couture gowns from the 1950's are incredible, and the inside is even more interesting to me than the outside. Most of the dresses have a corselette made from bobinette cotton (a light but strong cotton used often in corsets), twill, and boning/padding on the inside.
I think a common misconception in the modern world is that women in the 1950's/30's/whatever era you are looking at just have bodies that are shaped that way. We are all mostly aware of corsets in the 1800's and earlier, but it has been quickly forgotten that there is shapewear underneath all of the stunning Dior dresses that you can see in the museum. In fact, a ton of couture garments now have a lot of structure under them to give them the gorgeous shape that they are known for.
The inside of this Charles James dress (photo from Getty Images) has a corselette, padding at the bust, and a waist tape to reduce stress at the waist for the zipper.
What I have been fascinated with in seeing the inside of the Charles James dresses that I have been inspecting is that everything is attached to the more fancy evening dresses. The dress has its very own corselette that has been sewn to the outer gown, the shaping in the skirt is not separate, and any padding is sewn right in to the lining. When making my own dresses, I usually only have certain bits for shaping (mainly shoulder pads or interfacing and canvas) inside the lining, and any further shape I have separate to put on underneath. For example, I am making a petticoat to go under the a-line skirts that I have. All of the a-line skirts I have made are just a layer of cotton (or whatever fabric they are made of), so if I want a more exaggerated shape, I need to add to it.
In everyday wear, this is preferable so that you can wear it multiple ways and wash whatever is worn underneath more often (washing your clothes less often makes them last longer, which is why slips and undershirts are so handy). However, when making a dress that is not worn often, it makes so much sense to have everything attached. You don't have to worry about bra straps showing or petticoats twisting, and you get the exact shape that you want every time you put it on.
This Balenciaga dress (that had been for sale on 1st Dibs) has some really incredible details that can be easily seen. The corselette closes separately with hooks and eyes and includes a waist tape like the Charles James one. We can also the the underwire (Dior also used the W shape underwire in his dresses). There are darts in the 'cup' to give a closer fit. It is difficult to see, but the seams are hand finished with a scallop shape that is whip-stitched by hand. The corselette is also hand stitched in.
Having a corselette attached to a beautiful dress has another advantage--it reduces the strain put on the zipper while giving the bodice a snug fit. Since most of the fanciest dresses are made using silks and other fabrics that don't always have much strength (or lasting strength, since silk shatters over time), this makes the dresses last so much longer. Cotton lasts for ages, and you don't have to worry about sweating in it, unlike silk.
To be completely honest, this is not the way I was expecting my blog post to turn out! I was going to show some of the ways that I finish the inside of my dresses so that they are pretty, comfortable, and strong, but I got excited about fashion history and went on a rant about researching instead (as happens often with me in real life).
Anyway... here is what I really wanted to talk about.
Since the majority of the things I make are for every day wear and are not incredible evening gowns, I thought that I would show a few of the techniques that I use to finish my garments.
The hem of this skirt is serged and hand-sewn, while the hem of the lining (the brown striped fabric) has been double folded and top stitched.
First off: serging! I used to hate working on the inside of garments. What is the point of putting so much effort into something that no one sees? I knew that it made them last longer, etc, etc, but that didn't add any enjoyment. What really changed my mind was the thrill of putting on a dress and seeing all of the beautiful little details that only you can see. It's a bit like wearing nice underwear. I'm not going to flash it to anyone in my university classes, but it does give me a bit of confidence and pride in what I am wearing. Serging isn't the most beautiful way to finish off a seam, but it is neat and strong, and less bulky than french seams or a Hong Kong finish. This is one of the most common ways that I finish open seams.
Pinking is incredibly easy to do and can be an afterthought while sewing, since you do it after sewing the seams. If you are serging both sides of the seam together, you do that after sewing the seam as well, but if you want to press your seam open it is much easier to prep your pieces by serging the edges first.
The second most common way to finish open seams is pinking! I looove the way that pinking looks. It's adorable, it's easy, it's completely not bulky, and it is historically accurate. I have a gorgeous suit from the 1950's, and all of the seams that are open have been pinked. Ever since I saw that, I have added it to my repertoire.
An example of a Hong Kong seam in a summer blazer that I am working on. This is the first time that I have ever finished something this way, and I love how it turned out! (Also, please know that this is before I have ironed the seam down, so it will look nicer once it's done)
Lining is probably the most beautiful way to finish a garment, but I don't do it often. This is for a few reasons: lining kind of sucks to work with since it is so slippery, it is hard to find really nice lining fabric, and it doesn't work for every type of garment. I love it for most jackets and blazers (and a Hong Kong finish for summer blazers), but it can sometimes be too warm and uncomfortable.
The neck facing of this dress has been double folded and blanket stitched down. I love using this at a facing or collar, since it looks so polished with the tag.
Recently, I have been playing around with other ways to finish seams. For collars, I have been using a blanket stitch after double folding the edge to hide the raw edge. I think this looks beautiful, and you can turn it into a feature by using a different colour of thread.
Here I used a grosgrain ribbon at the armscye of a dress, and hand stitched it down. There is some puckering (as you can see), but I think it looks okay on, and I love how the inside looks.
And the same technique on the inside of a wool bolero, with a red silk ribbon. Please excuse the cat fur, I had lots of company from Walter while sewing this one.
Another new technique that I have been using is sewing a ribbon to the edge (after pinking it), and using that as a facing of sorts. So far I have used this to finish off the arm holes of a dress (to mixed success--I had to ease it in, but I still think it looks okay) and to finish the inside of a bolero. I love it in the bolero, since that way you will be able to see it if the jacket opens. Using a ribbon also can be made into a feature by using different colours/patterns of ribbons.
Thank you so much for reading all of my rambling! If you sew, what is your favourite way to finish your garments? And if you don't, which do you prefer in the garments you buy?
~K