Better Late Than a No Show

Polka dots on parade dress was finished in a timely manner.  It was worn to the event, very successfully I might add.  I went with a whole 1940’s flavor that I enjoy so much

What I love about this dress is the piping I added.  I think it just ramps up the dress from ordinary to a little special.  I am particularly pleased with the way the piping on the sleeves turned out.  Thanks to the incredible Carolyn for providing a tutorial that took me from huh to wow!

What I do not like about the dress is the material.  It definitely has polyester in it.  I danced for a couple of hours at the event and this material did not breathe!  Ugh and the room where the dancing took place was HOT.  Hey at least it doesn’t wrinkle too badly.

Courtesy of D'Nalof Designs
Yes, it's me.

Down the Pipeline

Lots of corded piping!

I have been  making a lot of black piping.  Do you make your own piping?  If so, what do you use for the piping?  Do you use straight strips or bias strips.

I use string for my piping.  Ordinary cotton string.  It is less than $2 at the hardware store and I use it for gathering and piping.  I love this stuff and it is so cheap.  I also think it makes the perfect size piping.

This time I did both bias strips for curves and straight strips for the sleeves.  It should come as no surprise, I do hand baste in the piping. 

I love the finished look piping gives an outfit!

Whew

Crazy busy week.  Too much going on with work to sew.  This weekend did see some sewing time.

Shoulder detail

The bodice came together like a dream even with the top stitching on the shoulder detail.  I did make a slight FBA but felt with the gathers and because it is a bigger size than I normally, I would probably be alright.  Fingers crossed this holds true.

Polka Dots On Parade

The next dress is going to be out of this white with black polka dot fabric.  This fabric is notable in that it was one of the first pieces of fabric I bought when I started sewing.  It is a cotton poly blend and was one of my $1 a yard finds. 

The dress will be this pattern.

It has a distinctly very late 30’s early 40’s look to it and very reminiscent of this one.

Off to trace the pattern.

Final Thoughts on Simplicity 3835

The pattern.  Those bows
are killers!  Stay away.

I thought I would share some pictures of the final dress.

No killer bows,
just buttons

You can see, I changed it up from the pattern envelope.  That bow looked silly and was strangling me.  No way I was keeping that.  I had already added the buttons to the dress because it was just toooooo white.  Yes, I know I made a white dress and how did I think it would look except white?  Well, I was still a little overwhelmed by the white so I added the buttons first on the bodice.  When the bow started strangling me, I added the buttons to the neckline to change up the look.

The side closing was a bit of a cheat.  I used hook and eye tape!  What a time saver rather than dealing with individual hooks, eyes and snaps as the pattern recommended.  I am all about cutting some corners.

Wow a smile.

1940s style shoes....yum

These pictures were not taken on the day of the event.  Oh no, I forgot to do it that day.  My hair looked great for the event, here ….not so much.  I didn’t feel like investing hours on hair and make-up for this impromptu photo shoot.  But check out the shoes I wore with the dress.  Tres chic?  No??  Love these shoes! And perfect for 1940s wear.

I am totally making this dress again.  I have a navy voile that screams for this dress!  Plus, it was such a fun and comfortable dress to wear I need one in a more practical color!!!

Who Doesn't Enjoy Quick Sewing?

Another 1940's dress that is coming together quickly......such a pleasure.

Construction notes:

• Did not do an FBA since it is a 34 inch bust.
• There are pleats in the bodice and darts in the shoulder.
• I did not like the pleats in the bodice and turned them into darts.
• I made a huge cutting error on the skirt.  One piece is not wide enough through the hips.  It is my fault; I did not make sure the fabric was even before I started cutting.
• I cut the sleeves on the bias.  Not sure why; the pattern is too subtle to really show up with a bias cut.
• I love love love the pleats on the sleeves. So simple but pretty.
• I had to stare at the instructions for a long time to figure out how the pleats in the front bodice worked and then after figuring them out I turned them into darts.  Blech.

Where I am:

Not sure I like those lapels

Pieces are sewn together…..kinda…

Bias cut sleeve with pretty pleats!

Yup, there is the back.

Another 1940s Dress

Whew…that was one busy Memorial Day Weekend.   Not a lot of resting going on here.

But I did decide on my next project….another 1940s dress, this one a shirtwaist style dress.

This pattern looks easy.

This is the summery fabric I plan to use.

I rather love this fabric.  So light and airy.  The dots look like poppy seeds, not a true black but a grey/black.

Such A Lot of Plackets

The dress is complete except for the little things such as whether a bow or a button to close the top of the bodice.  The pattern suggests a bow; I think so buttons may be nicer.  Not sure, will decide tomorrow.

What can I do to spice this
up???

So putting the last bits together were time consuming because there was such a lot of hand sewing.  The neck and sleeves are finished with bias binding facings.  I think the look is more finished than a regular facing and may have to incorporate this trick into other projects.  There are also plackets on both sides of the dress.  There is a small opening on the right, a couple of inches, and a larger on the left.  Both openings required 2 plackets for each side which results in even more hand sewing.

Mmm...puffy sleeve

The sleeves were a breeze.  Since they are supposed to be gathered, there was not the fussing over the excess ease that I normally engage in.  This dress requires shoulder pads…hey it was the 40s!  But I cheated, I used some shoulder pads I bought at a tailoring shop.  The pads are a little big but do give the correct silhouette. 

Now do I make a slip or use one I already own.  Hmmmm decisions decisions.  I have to wear this dress on Sunday so I need to decide fast.  Maybe tomorrow I can get a picture of the dress on,…depending on how the day goes.

Could It Get ANY Easier?

 I want to thank Debi for chiming in on the likely date of this pattern.  She really confirmed what I thought!  And, of course if you have not read her blog...well you need to do so immediately!

I really do not think so!  So far, working with Simplicity 3835 has been a joy.  Simple and quick to put together.  The hardest bit so far has been pattern adjustments and those were merely tedious and time consuming.

Pattern adjustments included an FBA….it was needed this time.  Also increased the width of the skirt pieces by a couple of inches.  I left the back piece alone because it fit but if I were to make this again, I would add a smidge to the lower portion of the back piece so that it would be easier to ease into the back skirt piece.  I also made the ties double...I had the fabric and it looks more finished to my eye this way.

This has gone together so quickly, I wanted to do a marathon sewing day so I would just finish it. However, a clearer mind won out; no need to get tired and make silly mistakes.  Also, even though not done, I am thinking of making this pattern up again in a more practical fabric.

Construction is unusual for me.  The pattern has you make the front first, then the back and then you put it all together!

Love the v at the waist

Front

Back

Side

 

You can see how the front
is sewn completely before the back

The skirt is attached to the bodice using a technique you see all the time in 1930s patterns: fold over the seam allowance and top stitch on.  It was really easy after the flat fell seams of last week!  To do this, I measured and measured.  I also marked the placement on the bodice with one of those funky air erasing pens.  On the back, I hand pasted the skirt onto the bodice before sewing it on.  I did not do that with the front but if you have to do this technique, I recommend the hand basting.  It really does save time.

Next – 1940’s Dress

I love the fashions of the 1940s almost as much as the 1930s; however, I do not make a lot of 1940’s wear.  I have a number of patterns but have not been good about getting to them.

So next up is this 1940s dress: Simplicity 3835.  The short version; the long version is a nightgown.

I have no idea when this pattern came out.  It looks early 40s to me but on vintage pattern wikia it is listed as the late 40s.  Any ideas???

This is going to be done in a white swiss dot since I have yards and yards of this fabric in the stash.  I think I purchased 10 yards last year.  The pattern is small in the waist for me but weirdly the stated hips are big enough to fit mine.  So, some pattern adjustments will be in order!

Hopefully I will have more success than with the 1940s skirt!