Vintage Pattern Maxi Skirt

If you follow me on Instagram you would have seen just a tiny portion of my vintage pattern stash.

I love vintage patterns!  I love the cover illustrations, I love the styles and I love wondering about the previous owners.  What did they make?  Which fabric did they use?  Did they ever imagine that 45 years later someone would be making the exact same skirt using their old pattern??



This fabulous 1973 McCall's pattern maxi skirt has been on my "to make" list for awhile. 

I was truly amazed to discover that I had to cut 2.5cm off the bottom!  I did!  Me!  The ladies in the 70's must have been rocking some massive platforms if I, at 6ft tall, had to shorten it!! The only other adjustment I made was to reduce the width of the waistband, it was just too wide for my liking.







The fabric I used was found at an op shop.  I paid 50 cents for 9.6 metres of it!  Bargain!  It's a simple cotton that is perfect for the hot weather.  I also found the zip for 10 cents and the button is a vintage wooden button which was gifted to me.  Seriously, this has to be the cheapest skirt ever!!

I used a vintage wooden button.
This is not a good invisible zip insertion;
I use a vintage machine which doesn't have an invisible zip foot!

New Look 6262 Dress

Hello!

I have been itching to use more of the beautiful fabric generously gifted to me by Marge Clothing (read more here).  They are so gorgeous I wanted to use them for something special.  When a close friend of my Husband invited us to his 40th birthday luncheon I knew I needed a new dress!

I used New Look pattern 6262 with the following modifications:

I added length to the skirt (standard for me!)
I lowered the neckline by 1.5cm, which may have been a mistake because I then had to take it up at the shoulders by 2.5cm!  I am not amply blessed in the bust department so the front gaped by my shoulders.
I inserted a regular lapped zip, rather than invisible zip.  I use a vintage sewing machine which does not have an invisible zipper foot.

It's an easy to sew pattern and I know I will be using it again.  And again!

Now lets talk fabric!  A good pattern is important, but the fabric makes it truly special!  This dress is lined, or really more of a hack where I sewed 2 layers together and pretended it was one layer.  I have possibly made some experienced seamstresses cringe, however this was the easiest way for me to wrap my brain around making it work.  I don't have much (any!) experience sewing with sheer fabric.

The top layer is a beautiful red and purple sheer and the layer beneath is a lush purple satin.  It feels AMAZING against my skin.  Have you ever put something on and just wanted to roll around in it because it feels so nice?  No?  Just me??!  I suspect this is how I would feel in any of the gorgeous pieces from the Marge RTW line!  The fabrics are incredible and more importantly, ethically sourced!

This fabric would have been gorgeous for evening wear.  However I can't remember the last time I needed evening wear, it was long before I became a Mama!  This is a dress I know I will wear a lot!

If you have special fabric in your fabric stash I say use it, wear it, love it!

Dress New Look Pattern 6262 ; Fabric c/o MARGE Clothing

Necklaces: Tiffany & Co
On Mama duty - fixing Miss 4's hair!



After the party - girls wanted their balloons in the photo too!
Photos c/o my wonderful Husband

The 50 cent dress!

Happy New Year!

I wanted to make a new dress for New Years Eve.  Why, I don't know.  We didn't go anywhere and were asleep long before midnight! However, it was a good excuse for a new dress!

I had picked up a bunch of remnants from a local op shop for only 50 cents each - bargain!  I planned to use the fabric as muslins (when you roughly make a pattern from cheap fabric first to test fit etc).  This pretty navy and green (my favourite colour combo!) fabric really appealed to me.  It also has a bit of stretch, so was perfect for a fitted dress.

I am so happy with the result!

This pattern by Simple Sew came free with the Love Sewing magazine - the pattern was the reason I bought the magazine!  I loved everything about it!

I only made 2 small changes:

• I added 2cm length to the bodice, everything else was just fine. 
• The pattern had an open slit in the back; I made it a vented slit so the backs of my thighs aren't exposed.

It's rare that I get such a good fit without too many alterations!  The skirt is a little looser, which I love as it gives me more of an hourglass shape than I really have! 

This really is a 50 cent dress (the zipper was from Nona's stash!) so naturally I pair it with the most expensive shoes I own! Why not?!

I Made It Monday: My Christmas Dress.

For my Christmas dress I decided to brave knit fabric.  A fabric that has  previously struck terror into my heart due to many failed attempts sewing with it.

 

I had always used my trusty old 1960's Lemair machine, however it skipped stitches and looked a mess.  I was using the correct needle, but the results were terrible.  When my Mum gave me her 1976 Bernina 807 I decided to give knits another try.  And it worked!  No skipped stitches or breaking stitches, happy days!  I even used a double needle for the hem with no dramas!

I had this lovely red organic cotton jersey in my stash which was just asking to be a Christmas dress!  I found this free pattern online by So Sew Easy, which promised to be simple, and it was! 

I didn't make a muslin, so the fit is not perfect.  I would have liked the shoulders to be slightly wider, but other than that I am happy with it.  I didn't have to add length to the bodice, which is unusual for me.  If you're not tall or don't have a long body you may need to shorten it.  I did add length to the skirt (standard!).

To dress it up a little I added some vintage sequin trim from Nona's stash.  It's actually a dark brown, but looks black from a distance. 

Friends on Instagram had been telling me how easy sewing with knits was, and they were right.  I just needed a machine that could handle them! 

Photos c/o my wonderful Husband

Merry Christmas!

I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! 

I hope your 2016 is filled with love, happiness and good health.  A new year always seems like it will be filled with exciting new possibilities and grand plans, but the older and wiser I get the more I realise that all you need are those three things (anyone else singing "All you need is love" in their head... just me?... bet you are now!). 

I started my little blog this year to document my sewing adventures and to share with others.  I've been overwhelmed with the positivity and support I've received by wonderful people like you from all over the world.  I cannot thank you enough!  It is very humbling to know I may have touched your life in some small way.

Blessings,
Allison