McCall's 5647 © 1991

Dropped the song titles as post titles idea already. It's just not always appropriate.

The charity shop where I previously found some vintage sewing patterns (see the post here) had another basket load in. They were just 50p each. I bought six! Which was pretty much every one that was in my size, I'm still not confident/bothered enough to do grading.

With these and grandma's stash to go through it is taking me quite a while to date the patterns and check that all the pieces are present and correct so I'll most likely be posting them one at a time.

This one was easy to date, The copyright date was on the envelope! I love the big swing coat, which was mainly what I bought it for but I also like the simple skirt and trousers. The top looks cute in the drawing with the skirt but looking at the pattern pieces I think it would actually be really large and shapeless so I'll probably give that one a miss.

Grandma's Stash

During my search to find somewhere to live in September (which I did by the way, but found out what little my money would get me in an area within commuter distance of London) I stayed over night at my Grandma's House. I just happened to mention that I had made my pajamas and Grandma replies 'Oh, I didn't know you liked sewing. Come with me'. So out we go to her conservatory where she opens a cupboard and shows me a shelf full of vintage knitting and sewing patterns.

They are going to take some sorting out!

Draped Top

After some slightly disappointing recent sewing attempts I decided to do something quick, easy and satisfying. I went back to my favourite fabric type, cotton jersey, and knocked out this draped top. The pattern is based on the same top as my Reasonably Happy Mistake Top except instead of curving the hem I cut it straight across (theres a picture of my home made pattern at the end of this post. I think it would be easy to recreate). I wanted it to have a slightly urban distressed look so I turned the edges of the neck and arm holes once to the right side of the fabric and then sewed them down with a zig zag stitch so that they are exposed. I was going to add a pocket to the front but I was worried about the ruining the drape. I'm very pleased with it expect for the neckline which came out a slightly odd shape with that flat bit at the bottom. I've put a note on my pattern to alter it if I make it again.

Top Made by Me
Jeans River Island
Boots Jane Shilton

p.s. Isn't that necklace cool? It's an image of a black stags head attached to a gold chain. I got it from a shop in Norwich.

Simplicity 6392 © 1982

I think we will put this one down to experience. My first attempt at sewing from one of my vintage patterns, Simplicity 6392 that I posted about here. The only changes I made to the pattern were to shorten the skirt and remove the strap across the back. The construction went quite well except that despite using all the same seam allowances the skirt did not fit the bodice so I had to un pick the skirt side seams and redo them but everything looks pretty neat and well made, even the pleats which were my first ever try with the technique. Problem is that is doesn't fit very well. It was always going to be quite a loose fit as it is a pull over dress, but I just don't think that the style really suits me. I like to emphasise my waist. If I weren't such a lazy and impatient sewer I would have tried to fix this problem when it first became apparent, after I had cut out the pieces and pinned them to my dress form. I would have added darts and a zipper, but I am lazy and impatient so I decided to sew the pattern as is and see what I ended up with. What I ended up with was a pretty much a dark green sack with a low back that I can't see myself wearing beyond hot summer days when I'm not planning on leaving the house. Well anyway here's a load of pictures that don't really do it's badness justice.

My cat is wondering what the hell I am doing.

I can't decide if adding a waist belt improves matters or if there is just too much fabric in the dress and/or it is too short to make it work.

Your feedback is as always very welcome.

Dating My Vintage Patterns

Thanks so much to Beccy over at wipster who wrote a whole post in answer to my question about dtaing vintage patterns and also to Mena at The Sew Weekly who helped answer my question. Please check out their blogs sometime. I hadn't realised quite how much about pattern dating was guess work if you can't find a copyright date on the pattern. Armed with their advice I set about searching the internet and found this really useful resource. The site has general information on dating patterns including style and sizing as well as examples of the pattern envelopes for the major pattern companies across the decades so that you can compare them with yours. The fruits of my labour are shown below. On some of my patterns I was lucky enough to find a date, these are listed first.

Simplicity 8197 © 1969

Simplicity 6392 © 1982

Style 3488 © 1981

Butterick 4913
No date and I couldn't find the pattern listed by anyone else online but Butterick started using these block letters on the envelope in 1979 so the pattern is 1980s.

Burda 6278
I could find very little information about the collection speciale range of patterns online. The ebay seller I bought this from listed the pattern as 1980s but I found another collection speciale pattern listed by a different online seller as 1990s. From the style my guess is that this pattern is 1980s.

Butterick 4736
The ebay seller listed this pattern as 1970/80s but given the block lettering this pattern is 1980s. Perhaps early 1980s?

Simplicity 4257
Spent so much time of this one. The pattern is listed by online sellers as 1960s, 1950s and 1953. The design of the pattern envelope ran from 1959 to 1965 and the sizing, 32" bust for a size 12, dates the pattern between 1956 and 1967. I took a look at other vintage simplicity patterns from the same era and assuming that the pattern numbers run in order dated the pattern as c.1962. Eventually I found the pattern listed on vintagepatterns.wikia dated c.1962! I felt very proud of myself.

Style 836
This is the one I'm having the most trouble with so I've included pictures of the envelope front and back to see if anyone can help me out. The pattern is unprinted. The envelope design isn't any particular help as style appears to be a small British company that no longer exists and I couldn't find a lot to compare it with. I found a few patterns with similar envelope designs listed as 1940s though these had warnings about rationing of fabric on the back and the style of the dress is not 1940s. The sizing too is not much help as the envelope does not list the size the measurements correspond to. All I have to go on is the dropped waist dress, hem length and hair styles. With that I guess this pattern is mid 1950s.

If anyone has any more thoughts or information about the pattern above or any of the others please leave a comment or e-mail me at my new blog dedicated e-mail address girlonceknownas@googlemail.com. I would be really greatful.
Thanks x

Little Grey Dress

This post should also known as 'hunt for the perfect picture location in the little bungalow that is the family home.'

So I've sewn a new dress. How exciting. Finally had something of a break in the job application process to get down to getting through my stash and making some of the hundreds of ideas that have been floating around in my head for years. I made this out of a grey fabric that I bought as a remnant. As usual I have no idea what the fabric is. It is very light and drapey, possibly a lining material, but it's not particularly smooth? Anyway I made a dress with it and then went on a hunt to find a good place to take a picture of it rather than my usual location squashed between the sofa and the dinning table. I started off outside but my camera wouldn't stand up on the table, it was freezing and my heels sank into the mud so then I went...

... in front of the french doors in the living room with the curtains closed but the flash made the material look much shinier than it does in real life. So then you get...

... a crappy mirror picture.

I finally settled on between my bed and the door to my bedroom. No easy feat. I had to push my bedside table out of the way and then vacum the carpet becuase it was a state underneath it and now I see that the photos have come out pretty dark. Back between the sofa and the table next time. Anyway you get the gist. It's a grey dress with a fitted bodice and straight gathered skirt.

Successes and Failures

Successes
This was my first time adapting a pattern in any way. I used the bodice of the coffee date dress (available free from burdastyle here) and then created the skirt my gathering rectangles one and a half times my waist size onto the bodice. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out though I ended up with slight more gathering at the back than the front. I should have waited until I had cut the bodice pieces and then cut the skirt rectangles one and a half times their length. I think the skirt suits this material much better than the original and adds interest given that I omitted the ruffle on the bodice.

Secondly I finally figured out how to finish the seam over an invisible zipper with the aid of a sewing guide bought for me by a friend for Christmas. No gaps or zipper ends sticking out of the seam this time. However I still think I need an invisible zipper foot so that I can sew closer to the zipper edge. Close up of my attempt below. As you can see in some places more zipper shows than in others.

And finally... I didn't skip any steps! This baby has stay stitching, understitching, the lot! I used a whole reel of thread!

Failures
I ended up with some pretty odd side seams as Huberta models below.

I can only guess that something went wrong in the construction. I think that the front bodice piece ended up bigger than the back piece and I had to take the waist in a lot which resulted in a very wonky seam. Perhaps I should have stuck to the intial construction instructions where the bodice was made first then attached to the skirt and finally the zipper sewn in. This was the method I followed when I first made this dress for my halloween costume, seen here, and my side seams were perfect although the skirt front ended up with a couple of tiny tucks where it was slightly bigger than the bodice. I guess that wouldn't have been a problem here as the skirt is gathered. To construct this dress I sewed the skirt front to the bodice front, the skirt back pieces to the bodice back pieces then inserted the zipper before finishing with the side seams. I think if I made it again I would go back to the original method. It doesn't look so bad when it is on me as you can see below. Evidence that Hurberta and I are not exactly the same.

Biggest failure is that it gapes at the back. Sorry for another rubbish mirror picture but it seemed to be the only way I could get a picture showing the problem. This is another problem that didn't occur with the halloween dress. So much for making a toile. I'm going to have a fiddle with the facing but I'm guessing that the only way to solve the problem is to re-fit the zipper. I'm a bit sick of this dress for now so I'll wait until I get an invisible zipper foot and then do it at some point in the future.

Both
The good news is that with the help of one of my sewing guides I figured out how you are meant to finish the shoulders when you have got an all in one facing, something I completely failed to do on the only other dress I've ever made with facings. Bad news is that I hadn't left myself enough seam allowance to be able to do it. So see those black ribbons on the shoulers? Not a design feature but covering my total bodge job on the shoulder seams.

More ebay Patterns

Two more patterns from ebay.

I think I have enough to keep me going now.

ebay Magic

Again I am several years behind everyone else but I finally discovered the magic of ebay especially when it comes to vintage sewing patterns. Here are the ones I have 'won', or bought as I prefer to say.

This last one was actually a buy it now job rather than an auction. I'd had my eye on this pattern for ages but when I finally went to buy it I was told that burda had discontinued it the week before! Luckily an ebay seller still had some.

Right got to make some of these now.

Vintage Sewing Patterns

A few weeks ago I spotted a statsh of old sewing patterns in a basket at one of my local charity shops. I flicked through them at the time but couldn't remember my measurements so didn't buy any in case they wouldn't fit. Anyway several weeks later I finally got round to going back with my measurements memorised as a result of looking for a dress form. To my great surprise all the patterns were still there! I got these two (both my size) for just 25p each! What a bargin! I have no idea when I am going to make these but I'm sure I'll get round to it eventually. I really like the bow detail and the ruffles or pleats at the shoulders on the style dress. I'm not sure about having the zipper at the front though. I'll probably make it once and then try to move the zipper to the back if I don't like it. The Butterick pattern screams 80's at me and not in a good way but I like the shape of the skirt which I think I'll make shorter and the shirt pattern should be good for making some casual shirts and dresses for the summer.

New Look Inspired Dress

Here it is my version of the New Look Anchor Print Dress, seen here.

I used a light weight polyester and the Anda pattern. Instead of using casing at the waist I sewed the elastic directly to the fabric stretching it as I went to create nice even gathers. I could have done with cutting the pattern smaller as the top looks quite large compared to the dress it was inspired by but I've already cut the pattern at the smallest size. The fabric is perhaps a little grannyish but hopefully it will make a nice casual summer dress. Plus it probably ended up costing just over half the price of the New Look dress, the waist fits and its unique.

Ribbons

My lastest sewing project. Made from Burda Young pattern 8123. I cut the pattern a couple of sizes too big to give the dress a looser more shift like shape. I also cut the neckline rounder and a little deeper. I sewed on the ribbons after I had sewn in the darts, finished the back, sewed the two sides together, wacked some bias binding around the neck and arm holes, a voila! I'm very pleased with the result. The embellishments make it much more unique than anything else I have made and it has a cool kinda 1980's meets 1960's feel to it.

MySpace Archive - Size

This obsession with size completely confounds me. I've not met many if any people that aspire to be a size 0. But I simply typed size 2 into goggle and came across a website where hundreds of girls had added being a size 2, or zero to a list of goals, which also in some cases included 'become anorexic' and 'be skin and bones'. I looked at pictures of girls that were size 5s and upwards that wanted to be size 0's, these girls are NOT fat. When did fat change from being unhealthily overweight, to being anything more than unhealthily underweight? You may think I have developed this very obsession, I have not. This begun because of sewing patterns, obviously I needed to know my size. Also having heard about the infamous size I was curious to know what my American size was. I still don't know. SIZE DOES NOT EXIST!

Every pattern lists different measurements, you need different sizes in every different clothes shop and all the different clothing size conversion internet sites, for working out what your clothes size would be abroad, list different conversions. The closest I can come to working out my size are from this Guardian article.

My measurements are that of a UK size 12, US size 10. A very long way off a size 0 then! But I'm not fat, look at my pictures if you don't believe me and I won't believe anyone who says I am. I can also tell you that those same measurements on my sewing pattern put me at a size 14 (I don't even know if these are US or UK sizes). In shops I generally buy size 10 trousers, size 14 skirts and size 12 tops and dresses, yet I have a size 8 suit jacket from next (UK sizes). Again SIZE DOES NOT EXIST. The article given above makes a good point which I shall give here:

'Are women who are a so-called size 0 really 12 sizes smaller than a size 12? Size 12 (or American size 10) is roughly designed around three measurements: bust 35in, waist 28in, hips 38in. And then, for every one that you remove from the size, you should remove one inch from each of the measurements. Therefore an American size 0 would have a 25in bust, an 18in waist and 28in hips. A five foot tall, corseted Victorian might just about have a waist that size. But for most women nowadays, it would be tantamount to death.

Size 0 is a misuse of numbers. It does not exist, nor should it. The British representative of size 0 is Posh Beckham, and there have been recent reports about her 23in waist. This would make her an American size 5, British size 7; not a size 0. Misnumbering her size sets a new unattainable standard.'

My point exactly size has become so distorted, it simply DOES NOT EXIST!

I don't suppose many people will see this blog and take my advice (admittedly it is formed only from my own opinions and a few internet articles, but I believe it is worth something). But if they do I beg you don't believe in size. Pick what fits! I have a size 16 t-shirt in my wardrobe I have it because it fits (and I liked the my little pony design). I do understand that it can be difficult to find some sizes, but in the UK at least shops are cottoning on to this, and provide ranges for plus sizes and smaller sizes for those of us who are naturally slim. Of course it would be better if these sizes were included in the main collection, there is still a way to go, but if everyone starves themselves down the shops won't need to bother. That is not the way capitalism is meant to work, shops are meant to react to the consumers needs! I don't believe that being fat or thin has anything to do with what size you are, as we have already seen 'size' means nothing. It's about being healthy and being comfortable in your own skin. If you're not happy, okay exercise and diet, but do it healthily. If you take anything from this, make it this – DON'T BELIEVE IN SIZE