Welcome to my favorite dress ever! Ha! I love this dress. And by this dress, I mean the Colette Patterns Parfait dress. I like it so much I’ve made 4 of them. There are only 3 pictured here because I have something planned for the 4th. It’s a little unusual and a little patch work…More on that later.
Read more1930's Sleeves - Weirdly Wonderful and Over the Top!
I’m getting ready to put together a Fall outfit and am very excited about working with some of the fabrics I’ve put aside - lots of luscious wools and silks in gold tones. And I bought a terrific 1930’s hat at the Alameda Point Vintage Fashion Faire, last weekend. So when Wardrobe Shop and Nataya approached me to do a sponsored blog post with this article, I couldn’t refuse.
Read moreVintage Style Knitted Lace Cardigan -
I fell in love with this style when I paged through the Fall 2014 issue of Vogue Knitting Magazine and stopped on page 44. I’m kind of a sucker for a well styled layout and this was no exception (you can see a bit of the magazine in a photo below). What I really thought, however, was that this sweater would be a great accompaniment to my several Colette Parfait Parfait Dresses (Pattern Review coming soon). And pictured here in this post, it pairs perfectly with this dress.
Read moreCreating a Miss Fisher style hat by Upcycling a Vintage 1970's hat
This was a fun and quick upcycle to create a 1920's style cloche like the ones that Miss Fisher wears in the series, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. While not totally period correct, the style similar to some of the hats Phryne wears on the show, designed by Australian Milliner, Mandy Murphy.
Read moreSide Tracked from my Sewing Goals - 1930's Green & Peach Ensemble
Have you ever come across the perfect fabric that goes with another fabric you've been waiting to do something with? Well, this darling plaid came into my life and I just had a to make a new outfit around it. It's a synthetic Charmeuse, which is not a regular go-to for me. I much prefer silk. However, when I saw this plaid which was printed on the diagonal, it really screamed 1930's blouse, right at me! AND it matched perfectly with a beautiful green wool that's been waiting to be made into something for quite some time.
This outfit doesn't exactly fit into my "Miss Fisher Wardrobe" goals, but it does kind of echo some of silhouettes of the (Miss Fisher) era worn between 1928 - 1932, and definitely covers the "Colorful" way she dresses on a regular basis. The emerald green of the wool is one of my favorite colors and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make this skirt, for which I had a pattern waiting in the wings. I've used this pattern twice before, once recently using a wool tweed and made slightly shorter. You can see the post for that skirt by clicking here.
Having more fabric than I needed for the skirt, my mind wandered into the world of accessories. I've been wanting to try out a couple different patterns - one for a 1930's hat and one for a clutch from a book that I had on my shelf. I found a small piece of velvet in a coordinating color (to the green) that I was able to use for both the hat and the clutch to give them each a little depth and contrast. The top piece of the hat, which makes the point is actually a circle that is gathered in 3 spots fitting into the circle of the next piece. The hat is comprised of 4 hat pieces (3 for the top and one for the side) and a hat band that finishes off the bottom edge. The pattern did not call for lining, but I added some because it gives some structure to the finished piece. I really like the very 1930's, whimsical nature of this silly little almost "beret".
For the clutch, I had originally planned to add a trim between the velvet and the wool, but got so excited to finish the bag, that I forgot. In the end, It's fine without the trim. I added a stone and filigree broach to give it some pizazz.
The Blouse was made from a Simplicity re-issue of a 1930's dress pattern, and shortened to blouse length at the hip. I used the version with a v-neck & 3/4 length puff (at the cuff) sleeves, that seemed to suit the fabric being used. It is a raglan sleeve made from what appears to be a kimono style shape, with a dart at the shoulder. If I do use this pattern again, I will re-shape the raglan armholes and side seams so it fits a bit better under the arm and around the bust. It does not hang perfectly in this area, which is my only disappointment with the whole project in general. No reason to complain overall.
Also, I added a little tab at the front neck so that I could loop a bow through it or hang a flower from it which is a very '30's detail. In the photo above you can see the flower I made by creating a long double sided triangle and gathering the bottom straight edge. Rolling the gathered edge and sewing it at the bottom, creates the rose-like shape. The fabric color pattern, serendipitously, arranged a black point at the center of the flower. The flower was finished off with a tab of it's own that snaps in place around the tab on the dress.
Here is the lineup of all the patterns used along with my accessories:
- Blouse - Simplicity 8247 reissue of a 1930's Dress
- Skirt - Vintage Pattern Lending Library - 1936 Ladies Skirt - #T1047 - re-sized to fit my body measurements
- Hat - Vintage Pattern Lending Library - 1930s Ladies Hat, Scarf & Gloves - #H2851
- Clutch - Making Vintage Accessories: 25 Original Sewing Projects Inspired by the 1920s-60s by Emma Brennan
- Shoes - Decobelles and Angels Shoes from Argentina - Style Leah
- Necklace - Hotcakes Design
- Scarf & Pin - both vintage and gifts from either a friend or my mom
- Belt - 1 1/2" wide vintage grosgrain ribbon and vintage green celluloid belt buckle. Buckle bought from VictorianButtons on Etsy
- Earrings - Feathered Outlaw Alameda
Until Next Time, Happy Sewing!
Jennifer
December Red - A Red Wool 1930's Ensemble
This outfit all began after a short trip around the corner to my local crafting consignment shop, where I found the amazing fabric for the blouse featured in this post. The print (Asian Art Deco?) was irresistible and there was just enough of it to scrape out a blouse. Next up was a search for the perfect 1930's blouse pattern. That proved to be a little easier said than done, as I had trouble finding a blouse pattern that suited the fabric. I did settle on a gorgeous 1930's dress pattern with a fabulous neck bow, that could be converted into a blouse and skirt.
Read moreSmooth Sailing Sports Togs- A Pattern Review
Pictured here is a 1940's (or late 1930's) outfit that I sewed up using the Wearing History Smooth Sailing Sport Togs Shirt and Trousers pattern. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!! This pattern is great. The blouse needs a little work in the armhole, but otherwise...
Read moreMy French Couture Jacket - It's Done!!!!!
Well, it's done and I have to say, I'm very pleased/relieved. This jacket was an enormous amount of work and so easy to become distracted away from because of it. It's been a serious commitment to get it finished this month before staring any new projects. AND, has definitely been a practice in patience for sure. I must have done at least 20 hours of hand work, last week alone, in the push to get it finished. My hands are a little broken, but they can rest for a little while while I do some decision making about future projects....
Read moreMy 1930's Handknit Sweater
Sooooo Excited to finish this sweater. I started in late June of this year when my friend and I estimated it would take 100+ hours to finish. Ha! I have no idea how long it really took but I just finished it last week. Hooray. And it's a beauty. So excited to go through my closet and see what I can wear it with...
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