A Pretty Pair

I like the month of May.  My mum’s birthday is this month, and May also signifies the start of the 1940’s events season, I’m so excited, but I’m also so tired.  Can’t shake it off at the moment, lots of late nights as it is coursework marking time, so Mr Y is up until all hours.  I’m extra tired this morning because my Mr and I had a rare, child free, trip to the cinema last night to watch Monuments Men, which I thoroughly enjoyed. 

So today, with everyone so tired, we are having a fairly lazy day, lots of reading and craft, thankfully the girls love craft as much as I do and then gymnastics this evening, the girls, not me! 

I don’t drink hot drinks at all, so no caffeine fix to help me through the morning, instead, I have a rather large slice of homemade Bakewell Tart to keep me company, while I share with you some beautiful floral dresses, to brighten up this dull and dreary May day.

This first dress was started a couple of years ago, cut out on a snowy day in February 2012.  I vaguely remember why it was shelved, something to do with an overly hot iron, and a visitation from a frustrating guest, but I won’t bore you with all the details ;o)

The fabric dates from the 1940s, a right old slippery, and easily creased, piece of rayon in a hard to capture shade of lavender, with white and black floral spray detail.

Rayon silk creates a beautiful end product, but is an absolute pain in the bum to work with.  An inordinate amount of time was spent pinning and tacking, but it was definitely worth it.

I chose this Du Barry pattern,

From a design point of view, Du Barry patterns are some of my favourite.  The only unfortunate thing with them is that the instructions aren’t as good as some of the other patterns I’ve worked from.  There is a degree of assumption with Du Barry instructions that the seamstress is already a master of many of the techniques needed to complete a garment.  Working on this one also wasn’t helped by the fact that it was missing a piece, the piece that joins the skirt and top, so a new piece had to be made.   

The dress has many of the features you would expect in a dress of the era; full sleeves, fitted bodice, detailed finishing.  Aiming to create a reproduction dress as close in quality to an original 1940’s dress as possible, it has been finished with vintage methods such as hand hemming, side popper placket etc.

The dress has turned out really well.  I love the detail at the neckline and the tiny gathers at the waist and collarbone.  Flicking through the photographs, I have realised that I didn’t get a shot of the back of the dress, but that has 4 off white 1930’s style button and a big bow.

Having already struggled with the aforementioned Du Barry pattern, you would think that they would have been knocked off the “to make” list, but no, the next pattern is, yes, you guessed it, another Du Barry. 

Again, some original 1940’s fabric was used, this time a fabric called moygashel, which is a sort of linen fabric.  Moygashel frays.  Simple.  Even when cut with pinking shears it frays.  It is even more frustrating to use than rayon, as every single seam needed to be over locked.  But the pattern and design of the fabric is pretty, which sort of makes up for how tricky it is to use.  Sort of!

Because of the busy pattern, the detail doesn’t show up that well on camera, but “in the flesh” the dress is really sweet.  The tie bow at the back creates some detail in an otherwise simple design, and the full, typically ‘40s sleeves, finish the dress of perfectly.  Like the dress above, this one has a side placket with poppers, but the opening to get your noggin through is at the neck, and flaps forwards, which I’ve never seen before, and which I forgot to photograph!

The back bow, sort of shows up.

We have a much needed Bank holiday weekend stretching before us.  I will be very grateful, come Monday morning that I don’t have to set the alarm for silly o’clock.  Hope you have a wonderful weekend, wherever you are in the world! x

On a Roll!!

So, we’re almost at the end of the month!  Hasn’t January flown by?  The festivities of last month seem but a distant memory.  I don’t mind though, for as much as I love the winter, I am always pleased to welcome in the New Year and see the daylight hours increasing.  A fresh month stretched out before me brings an enthusiasm to push forwards and get things done!

Despite my best intentions, 2013 was an epic fail in terms of number of garments sewn.  I can clearly remember sitting down at the beginning of the year to map out a plan of all that would be achieved.  I listed how many pieces of sewing and knitting I would get done, and the number of corsages and turbans that would be finished, but when December came, I had achieved very little in the sewing stakes.

I don’t know whether any of you crafty folk have the same problem, but, from a making perspective, I can be a bit of a butterfly.  One day I wake with an eagerness to sew corsages, the next day I can be hankering after cutting out a garment.  I forever want to start something new.  With a jumper, once I’ve knitted the back and the sleeves, I really have to push myself to get the front finished, and often things get left languishing in a heap, never to see the light of day again. 

Well, this year I have decided to try to finish off those unloved projects, before moving onto something new.  It’s a hard task, I can tell you.  Mr Y got me some seriously scrumptious patterns last month and I’m itching to get at them, but, for now at least, I’m determined to stay on track!

So, without further waffling, the first item to see the light of day in 2014 was a neat little bolero, from this Bestway pattern.

It was started last year when I was going through a stash busting phase, trying to use up some of the copious amounts of double knit yarn that seems to breed under my bed! 

Green being my favourite colour, I couldn’t pass up the chance to see my favourite Stylecraft DK shade of meadow be used for such a pretty project.  Sadly, I should probably have taken more care with my calculations because, yet again, I ran out of wool! 

It took weeks to find more wool from the same dye lot, and by the time it was found, I’d moved onto my next project, and the bolero was consigned to the cupboard.  

The task of completing it wasn’t too daunting, as it was only the one sleeve to get finished.  Here it is in all its green glory!

 

I posted a picture of it on Facebook and was astounded by peoples’ reaction.  When it was listed on Etsy, it sold within 10 minutes!  The new owner is none other than the lovely Fleur De Guere, I think she wears it well :o)

Because of how popular it is, I’ve already cast on another one, this time in a pretty blue shade that reminds me of spring.

Next to be pulled from the cupboard was a blouse, made from an original 1940’s New York pattern.  The only finishing it required was bound buttonholes!  Oh, how I hate doing bound buttonholes.

It has been made from original 1940’s novelty print fabric that I bought from America, and was stung for import tax on; don’t you just love an £8.00 handling fee?!!  Anyway, the fabric is pure cotton, in a sort of spring green, with the sweetest stylised telephone design!

It’s quite a blousy kind of blouse, low fastening, with just two buttons.   It’s definitely a statement piece and not one for the modest.  It has been finished with 1940’s black Bakelite buttons, and is currently for sale in my Etsy shop, which can be found here.

Last, but by no means least, is a dress made from an American Hollywood pattern from the 1940’s.

The fabric was originally bought to make a blind for the kitchen, but when it arrived, it wasn’t the modern cotton that I expected, but was actually a piece of original 1940’s heavy cotton rayon mix. 

It was a squeeze getting the dress out of the narrow 35” by 2 7/8yds piece that I had, but, because it had no nap, I was able to follow the pattern, just, but it meant I didn’t have enough fabric left for ruffles. 

I decided to do self covered buttons, because they looked best, and to keep it as authentic as possible, I fitted a vintage metal zip.  It's a simple dress, but I love it, especially the little bit of gathering in the front. 

It’s a fairly decent size, measuring a 36" bust, but it just won’t squeeze onto Doris the dummy, so I’m afraid we’ll have to make do with a rubbish hanger shot! 

  

I still have a few more projects to finish off, a couple of jumpers, and another dress, but they are waiting in the wings while I frantically try to get my Knit For Victory piece finished. 

   

I’m getting there, and I’m sure my dad will be pleased with it, but I still have half of the back and then the neck and armholes to finish, so I’m sure you can guess what I’m going to be doing for the next few evenings :o)