Simplicity's darling new pattern line, Lisette, now has a line of fabric to add to the fun! Not knowing what I'd do with it but knowing I HAD to have it, on Friday I snatched up a little of their brown corduroy at 30% off.
Looking through my pattern stash, I found an easy jumper (New Look 6363 @2004). Then searching through my fabric stash, I found a coordinating fabric for the lining (although the pattern calls for self-lining, with corduroy it would have been too thick with the layers of fabric crossing in the front). One slight change I made to the pattern was placing the straps to set on top of the bodice instead of behind.Last night I sewed this in the newborn size (up to 13 lb) while the boys were scraping the peeling paint off of my bathroom ceiling. It will be sent off as a baby gift sometime this week.
Suzie's candy cane pink gingham piping sold in packages here.
This dress is a rescue from my Goodwill pile. I made it a while back and was so displeased with the result that I put it in a black bag in the garage, never to be seen again. Or so I thought. A couple of days ago I pulled it out and took another look. I decide that maybe it wasn't THAT bad. So I switched out the wooden buttons for abalone ones and liked it a little better. The actual colors are richer than what came out in the photos (looks too grayish green). It is made from a 1960's vintage pattern.
This outfit is a combination of Simplicity pattern 2484 for the jumper and a vintage pattern for the blouse. I didn't alter the patterns except for adding trim on the pockets (matches the sleeves). This outfit combination happened because of some fabric I had on hand - the blouse fabric I had bought to make potholders and the corduroy jumper fabric I had bought to make a romper for my grandson. The zipper was in my notions box, so all I'll need to purchase are the white back buttons. A better use of it all in the end...
A retro dress that still
does need to be hemmed. I tried using my narrow hem foot, but it didn't
like the curved circle skirt. Foo! So I'll run a gathering stitch all
the way around, slightly gather the bottom, and then press up the hem.
The pattern calls for a 2" hem, but I think that little girls wore
their dresses much shorter in the 50's. So I'll use a 5/8th's inch hem
instead.
I've
never used a pattern that called for elastic sewn into the seam
allowance (formed from joining the bodice and skirt). Smart!
The "belt" is just some inexpensive 100% polyester tubing. I burned
the edges to keep it from fraying and will probably satin stitch the
edges for good measure.
The pattern condition is none too pretty, but all the pieces are there. I rarely come across an old pattern that is unused. The women in the 50's and 60's didn't buy a pattern and stick it into a drawer. Too wasteful! But I find that many of the patterns from the 70's and later are unused. Says something about a change in our culture....
See & Sew B4701 $2.99
There was just enough of this fabric left on a bolt to make a toddler dress, so I snatched it up right then and there! The pattern calls for a lined bodice, but I also lined the skirt. Because the fabric is embroidered, the unfinished look on the reverse side needed to be hidden. Plus it makes the dress more swishy! I used my narrow hem foot (I wouldn't attempt a narrow hem without one!) to hem the bottom. Without any extra weight on the bottom of the dress with a wider hem, it stayed flowy.
My husband did me the favor of keeping all of the children out of my bedroom so that I could sew uninterrupted. Happy, happy Mother's Day! I had the dot blouse already made up, and sewed the coordinating jumper using supplies I had on hand. The pattern also has a kerchief. Now how cute would that be?!New Look 6578
A quick dress to make! This pattern has no gathers and no button holes or zipper. The only hassle was cutting the contrast bias tape....but it really wasn't that big of a deal compared to the alternative: edge finished facings, interfacing, trimming and clipping seams. I did boo-boo by not being careful with the large patterned fabric and had two large flowers end up next to each other. But that was an easy fix. Hello pocket!
Discontinued McCalls pattern(8191) purchased on etsy.com
Don't be fooled by the innocent look of this little white dress! I had purchased the embroidered fabric about four months ago; but because I had only bought a yard (pricey), I didn't have enough to make the sleeves. I ended up using a dot fabric I had in my fabric cupboard and feel it did not do the embroidered fabric justice.
But the main problem wasn't the fabric debacle. It was the pattern. So fussy and unprofessionally constructed! I ended up ripping out, redoing, lining, and binding. I will keep the pattern for the cute little capri pants but will throw away the pieces for the dress. Sorry pretty embroidery fabric. I hope the gold trim I put at the bottom convinces you that you're worth so much more than your crazy construction and dot sleeves!
Finally the gray jumper and blouse are to my satisfaction (they've morphed a couple of times!). The jumper is lined with a cotton stripe in the bodice and a pale gray silky fabric in the skirt. I know the gray for the jumper seems a little blah, but I wanted the top stitching to make a statement.
Because the jumper seemed a little too full for a six month old baby, I added ties to the back so the dress can be pulled in some.
The blouse fabric is a 30's or 40's reprint fabric (maybe flour sack inspired?). The combination of gray and floral was inspired by some Japanese clothing books that I had browsed at Mitsuwa. Someday, I hope to acquire a couple of them for my very own!
Jumper: New Look 6367
Blouse: vintage pattern
