Miss Ohio 1941

Ok now im going to get serious about this vintage sewing business.

And to prove it i just spent a small fortune on 12 patterns from Ebay, yes, Ebay AMERICA..

Just saying that makes me feel so worldly. I really got a sense of what it must have been like in the 40’s for the kiwi girl, lusting after those jaunty American styles but being stuck with our boring old Academy patterns here on this little island in the back of beyond.

So i decided to break out and import some fancy stuff.

I felt like i had brought over some never been seen before breed of animal when I opened the packet. Even the pattern covers were shinier, the writing a nicer font, the colours..yes colours on the pattern.

So now i sit, decision made about which one to do first.

It wasnt difficult, this is the quintessential 40’s pattern for me, simple lines stylish but functional.

I am going to do this one carefully and with love. Im not going to rush in, im going to make a rough one first, to do the proper fitting and im going to enjoy each part.

This is the material i am using.
So as i carefully unwrapped her pieces you can imagine my joy when I discovered I could date her. The previous owner, 70 years ago had cut out pieces from a newspaper. Luckily she did because one of the pieces was half missing and now I can retrieve it.

The date is December 1941, Canton, Ohio. There was an article about Hedy Lamar and a disturbing amount of adverts for rat killer.

I cant believe that all going well I am going to own a dress from 1941.

I just have to figure out how to add 2 inches at the waist whilst keeping the bust and hips the same. Any tips?

Daisy the delightful dress dummy

I have two new additions to show you this week.

Both related to my new obbsession – sewing.

After my disasterous dress – which I may add is still in the too hard basket, I decided that what I needed was a dress makers dummy. This will hopefully make it easier to fit things without me having to wiggle up and down in front of the mirror all the time.

So introducing Daisy…

And Daisy just happens to be wearing one of my latest creations – the pinstripe pencil skirt.

I am in love with this pattern – pencil skirts are so fab, you can dress them up or down and if you get the right length they look subtly sexy. This one is from a 50’s pattern so is nice and high waisted.

Dont you think Daisy looks fetching?

She is a vintage dummy..of course.

Next up is Doug the dog. I have promised my sister in law that i will start sewing for my nephew and what better place to start than with my 50’s pattern for soft toys. Its a series with a dog, cat, horse and rabbit. They are super cute and so old school looking.

I may have to make me a set too. Doug has no eyes or tail yet, so don’t tell him hes a bit strange looking.

Facings are not my friends..

I bought this lovely looking pattern the other week, looks simple, classic, bit of a challenge to make but nothing I cant handle.

I have been sewing for 2 months and i think i may have just a tinsy bit of an inflated idea of my own ability.

I embarked on it this weekend.

Anyone who has sewn with old patterns knows the joy of translating the scant instructions.

This pattern has a complicated facing that gets sewn on and then turned inside out, now I am about as good at working out spatial things as a blind man is at parallel parking, so it took me 5 goes to figure out which bit gets sewn onto what bit.

but, I did it…

Only trouble is now Ive got it to the point of the top sewn onto the bottom i have realised it

A) Is gignormous in the top even though I have altered it heaps
B) Looks like a matrons dress

C) the colour does nothing for me

What do you sewers do when you have this problem?

I have thrown it in disgust on my chair and plan to ignore it for a week.