Sew What!

For many years, I have loved sifting through hand-me-downs, thrift shops & garage sales for vintage clothes. Beautiful fabrics with prints, tactile textures, heavy and light weights, covered belts and buttons. My personal favourite style era is around late 1940s, 1950s-to-early 60’s, very feminine big volume skirts with tiny waists & dainty accessories, & moving away from the boxy shoulders and tweeds of the early 40’s, but not yet into the shorter wiggle skirts & monochrome prints of the mid-60s (which I also love but aren’t as flattering on me). Before moving to Geelong, Craig bought me a sewing machine (what a wonderful husband!) to encourage me back into one of my favourite past-times: sewing! Turns out, sewing is just like riding a bike, once you’ve learned you can jump back on anytime, but it feels weird & kind of alarming for a while not quite knowing what you’re doing. During this ridiculously frosty winter, I’ve begun to sew more frequently on those cold nights & recently decided to do an inventory of all the patterns, fabrics & ‘gonna do’ projects that I’d accumulated over the years. There were heaps. Since I’d only sewn 1 dress and Craigs wedding vest since I got the machine, I decided I might also diarise my crafty endeavours for a.) motivation, b.) future inspiration, c.) self-reminders of my do’s & don’ts, and d.) potential pattern inventory for friends who may be looking to make something nifty too!

In fact, here are some of my patterns I’ve collected over the years:

Early 1950s Advance Day Dress

Butterick 6955 Dress Coat 50’s Wiggle Dress & House Coat

1950s Dress with Matching Coat

1950s Simplicity 2646 Misses Slim and 4 Gore Dress

1950s Simplicity 3878 Dress with 3 different necklines

1950s Simplicity 4710 Misses Dress and Bolero Pattern

1955 McCalls Misses Junior Accessory Dress w/Full Skirt & Detachable Collar (2 types)

1956 MCCALLS 2104 Wrap Around Apron Dress

1958 Bateau Neckline Cocktail dress with Ruching skirt detail, and matching long pea coat

1970s Style 4908 Empire Line Ball Gown & Cocktail Frock

Advance Pattern 9447 Blouse w Full Skirt Swing

1950s Simplicity 4656 Sleeveless Fitted Blouse Bateau & Scoop Neck

Butterick 9582 Ladies Tailored Blouse with Cowl neck, round neck, sleeveless options with waist belt/cummerbund detail

Simplicity 2978 1950s Blouse with Contrast Collar Double and Triple Collar

1950s Simplicity 2428 Vintage Blouse Pattern

Burda 8174 Young Fashion 50s Repro Dress

Butterick 1950s Housecoat in two Lengths (Floor and ‘Brunch’ lengths!) with Dolman Sleeves Bust 30 Size 12

Butterick 5950 Casual Dress with Rising Neckline and Cummerbund

Butterick 6453 Wing Collared Blouse

Butterick 6947 Keyhole Neckline Dress with Gored Skirt

Butterick 7383 Scoop Necked Shoulder-capping sheath dress and Jacket Twosome

Butterick Vintage Repro Aprons

McCalls 1941 Ladies ‘Mannish’ Jacket

McCalls 1984 Joan Collins Jacket with Contrasting Lapels, Skirt and Belt

McCalls 9704 Misses Button-Front Sleeveless Circle Dress with Pockets and Contrast Collar Size 16 Bust 34

Simplicity 181 1950s 1 Piece Dress, Matching Short Jacket with back closing and Cummerbund

Simplicity 1840 1960s House Robe

Simplicity 1948 Two-Piece Suit Dress w/Peplum Detachable Collar & Cuffs

Simplicity 1950s High-neck Socialite dress with belt and matching coat

1950s Simplicity 1097 Vtg Double Breasted Dress Pattern Detach Collar

Simplicity 6383 1970s Misses Diner Dress

Simplicity 6857 Misses Blouse and Skirt with Contrasting Collar

1950s Butterick 6115 Womens Empire Waist Full Skirt Pattern

1954 McCall’s Pattern 9773 Misses Full Skirt & Cummerbund

McCALLS 6665 1960s Wrap Skirt with Pockets!

Butterick 7720 1950s Tailored Skirt with Tabbed Side Pockets

Spotlight Get Creative 50s Repro Strapless Dress with A-line skirt

Style 2844 1970s Mens Business Shirts with Wing Tip Colllar & Neckerchief

Vogue 1950s Diagonal Wrap detail neckline dress with matching bolero

Vogue 1951 High Waist Skirt with Faux Pockets and matching cropped jacket with contrasting lapels

Vogue 1952 Simple sleeveless round neck wiggle dress with custom cinch belt

Vogue 1953 Collared or Bateau Wiggle Dress with Front Belt Detail, 2 sleve lengths

Vogue 1953 Wiggle Dress with Gathered back, button front detail and short/mid length sleeves

Vogue 1954 Shift Dress with matching over-blouse and belt

Vogue 1957 1 piece Wiggle Dress with Kimono sleeves and Jacket

Vogue 1957 Wiggle Dress with back flare, square neckline and back button detail

Vogue 1958 Collarless ‘Chanel’ Jacket with Faux pockets, matching wiggle skirt and singlet

Vogue 1958 Wiggle Dress with Back Detail & Bow

Vogue 1959 Bateau Neckline shift dress with button front and belt detail

Vogue 1959 Square Neckline Wiggle Dress with short sleeves & Matching Jacket

Vogue 1960s Bateau neckline shift dress (alternate cowl collar) with back detail

Vogue 4875 Rosie Riveter Button-Front Sleeveless Wiggle Dress with Matching Over shirt

Vogue 5799 1958 1 piece Sheath dress with Centre buttons and wide rolled collar

Vogue 7070 1960s Shift Dress with Matching Short Jacket

Vogue 7257 1950 One Piece Rounded Neck Dress with 4 pockets and Waist Length High Collar Jacket

Vogue 7955 1953 One Piece Dress with Deep-round yoke across front with Curved Yoke Skirt, Pockets

Vogue 9854 1950s Cocktail Dress with Deep V neckline or faux shirt with cinched waist

Vogue Couturier 1950s Fitted Short Jacket with Double Breasted detail and wiggle skirt

Vogue Couturier 1960s Valentino Stunnig Trenchcoat

Vogue Couturier 793 1954 Short fitted jacket with collarless v-neckline & cinched waist, matching skirt and low neckline blouse

Vogue Couturier Design Galitzine 1970s Wrap Top, Flared Pants, A-Line skirt and Turtleneck Blouse

Vogue Couturier Fabiani 1866 1960s Military Button Shift Dress

Vogue Couturier Federico Forguet Short Jacket with 1 button detail and matching pocketed skirt

Vogue Couturier Galitzine Twiggy Shift Dress with button and pocket detail, front pleat, round neckline

Vogue Couturier Pucci 1960s Shift Dress with Collarless matching Jacket

Vogue Givenchy 1960s Tshirt/Diner Shift Dress

Vogue Paris Original 1214 Paquin 1953 Stunning Arrow shaped neckline Dress with Fitted Jacket

Vogue Paris Original 1419 1950s Slim Skirt, Round neck blouse and matching coat

Vogue Paris Original 1441 Ladies 1950s Wiggle Dress with Button Front & Cummerbund Detail

Vogue Paris Original 1959 Jackie O Shirt Jacket with Button Detail, Matching Wiggle Skirt and Double-breasted Pea coat

Vogue Paris Original 1960s Molyneux Twiggy Style Dress

Vogue Paris Original 1960s Twiggy Style Shift Dress with contrast front

Vogue Paris Original 2627 1960s Molyneux Flared Tea Dress with Button Detail and Contrast Collar

Vogue Paris Original Gres 1956 Short Collarless Jacket with Matching Skirt and Pea Coat

Vogue Paris Original Jacques Heim 1960s Jackie O Skirt and matching Jacket

Vogue Paris Original Jean Desses Bateau Neck Dress with Cummerbund and Coco Chanel Jacket

Vogue Paris Original Patou 1954 Cocktail dress (sleeveless or kimono sleeve) with Ruching belt detail

Vogue Paris Original Pierre Cardin 1694 1960s Coat

Vogue Paris Original Pierre Cardin 1950s Jackie O Chanel style short jacket with button detail, round neck and matching skirt

Vogue Paris Original Yves Saint Laurent 1793 1960s Vest with Contrasting Collar, Wrap Skirt and Jacket

Vogue Special Design 1950s Elegant 1 piece Dress with Radiating Darts from neckline and back pleats from hipline

Vogue Special Design 4747 1950s Brides or Bridesmaids Dress (long & intermission lengths) Inverted Pleats at centre & wide V neckline

Weigels 1950s Button Front Wiggle Skirt with Pockets 24in Waist

 

Yes, that’s a lot of patterns. No, that’s not all of them (just the gooden’s). Oh and yes, I took the title of this post from an Anti-Nowhere league song that MetallicA infamously covered.

In protest of the developing world sweatshop-made clothing filling our retailers & landfill today, I’m hoping to ‘fill the gaps’ in my wardrobe with my own hand-made versions some of these elegant pieces, and refashioning of some vintage fashion as well.

Looking forward to a crafternoon sometime soon! Sew awesome!