I picked up a yard of this super cute ‘baby-print’ fabric at a thrift store, which was just enough to make this 1950s Advance halter top.

The lining is an exact mirror of the outside design, so this is a great pattern if you are looking for a pattern that could also be reversible. I lined my print with a white cotton, and added white piping around the neckline and back.

I added some boning to the sides for added structure and support. Also, the pattern called for three bound buttonholes. I think it calls for so few to fit with the coordinating skirt and shorts without adding too much bulk. Since I was not making these other garments (for now), I opted for five conventional buttonholes instead.

For this one, I chose this red and white Swiss dot heavier weight quilting cotton I purchased at Wal-Mart for about $3/yd.

I was hesitant about the tie across the front. I wasn’t sure how it was going to lay or look, but once I got it put together and onto Millie I was in love! It’s such a fabulous detail!

The petal sleeves are a dream and as a sewist with large upper arms, I often have trouble fitting my upper arms into sleeves. I tend to sew a lot of sleeveless shirts because of this. This type of sleeve makes that problem non-existent.  My arms fit beautifully and I don’t get that claustrophobic panic attack feeling when trying to take it off and it gets stuck… Someone please tell me I’m not the only one that does this??

I serged all of my seams and finished the facing with lovely red bias trim. My serger threads seem to be a little on the loose side on that outer edge… not sure what is going on there. I’ll have to work on that.

This is definitely a favorite top. It goes great with skirts and pants. I feel sassy and awesome when I wear it!

The fit is great from the back. This is a heavier weight cotton and it hugs my curves nicely.

The petal sleeves are awesome, fits the arms nicely and shows off the tattoos!! I need more sleeves like this in my life.

All in all, this was a fantastic make. I sewed this up in a day. Totaling about 5-6 hours worth of work. I bought the pattern on sale at Jo-Ann’s during one of their Butterick 3 for $5 sales. The fabric cost me about $6 for two yards. What a crazy deal!! The total cost of this top, $7.70!! Those are the moments, that really make sewing my own clothes totally worth it!

This is #vintagepledge make number 11!!

Until next time! Find more of my projects at www.misskacysews.com!

After admiring everyone else’s achievements last year for A Stitching Odyssey’s Vintage Pledge I decided that this year I was going to join in. My own pledge was to challenge and push myself with my sewing. I’ve just finished my first outfit for the pledge, a 1920s silk blouse and pleated skirt. I created the pattern for the blouse by tracing around a simple silk top I already had and then making my own adjustments. The pattern for the skirt was McCall’s M7022 pleated skirt which I lengthened to a more suitable 1920s style.

I used a beautiful Pre-Raphaelite inspired green and purple floral silk for the blouse which I bought from the fabulous ClothSpot and this was my first challenge. I’d never worked with silk before so was really, really nervous about starting it and I put it off for about four months. The Vintage Pledge was just what I needed to force myself to be brave and just get on with it. As it turned out there was nothing to worry about!

I added vintage, probably early 20th Century, jet buttons to both the front of the blouse and at the side to close the band around the bottom.

The skirt is in a black cotton twill that I dug out from my stash. I’m not overly happy with it, mainly because the fabric is all wrong for the style of skirt, it’s way too stiff. I’m not sure if I’ll try and adjust it or just make a different one.

If you would like to read more about how the whole outfit and see more photos feel free to pop over to my blog. And while you’re there why not check out my latest post where I’m running a giveaway of £40 to spend on fabrics at ClothSpot. (Giveaway ends midnight 20th March 2016)

Hi all! It’s been a long time since I’ve come onto We Sew Retro to look around and contribute, it’s good to be back.

I sewed up vintage Simplicity 4130 a while back and just got around to reviewing it. All in all, it was a great pattern to work with. I converted it to use a knit fabric, but a friend of mine sewed it up in woven and it turned out just as lovely. So it’s a versatile pattern as well! My favorite part is that it’s reversible!

Since it’s so similar to Gertie’s new pattern Butterick B6285, I asked a blogger friend who’s used it, Christina of Gussets and Godets, for her thoughts, as it could be a convenient substitute if you can’t locate Simplicity 4130. Doesn’t Christina look cute? It’s a great match to the vintage pattern.

Thoughts about working with Simplicity 4130 and more photos on the blog, thanks for stopping by!

Hi y’all!

I’ve recently sewn/photographed/blogged about two new vintage makes. Simplicity 3257 is a c. late 1950s combo skirt/trouser pattern and went together really beautifully. I highly recommend it for the skirt, though I haven’t yet tried to sew up the trousers. The skirt only used three pieces and was very true to size. I enjoyed the instructions for certain vintage craftsmanship that we don’t often use today, like the lapped zipper. I’ve been doing it the “hard” way all this time!

My other creation was inspired by c. 1957 Advance 8288. It’s a “sub-teen” pattern for coordinating separates. I LOVE having options and variety, and even though it looks like a dress I can wear each piece on its own! So wonderful. I didn’t actually sew with the pattern, but rather I used the art as inspiration and Frankenstein-ed two patterns from my collection to make the blouse. The skirt is a simple dirndl style with two side pockets. Both are made with vintage metal zippers from my stash, though the rayon fabric is new (from Gertie’s collection at Joann). My friend, who sewed up this project with me, did have the pattern and noted that it was simple to make but included a lot of wearing ease.

Links to the blog posts for more pics + sewing/pattern details:

Simplicity 3257

Advance 8288

Thanks for looking!

xx Lauren

I made this little blouse using one of those “draft according to these instructions” patterns you find in vintage magazines. I never had a lot of confidence in those but this one was in my size and I had already decided to share it on my blog for the Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge, so I kind of had to try…

And it actually worked. I changed only one thing: The neckline, which was very tight and the style of the collar. And I explained how on my blog.

If you are interested, the pattern is here, the alterations are in this post, and more about the blouse itself in this last one.

Hello everyone! Long time no post I thought I’d pop over here to admire what everyone else has been working on, and to share one of my own recently finished projects. There was an awesome Star Wars themed event at the local aviation museum last weekend and I knew I wanted to combine my love of the 1940’s with the Star Wars theme. Enter some truly great black and gold cotton from Joanns and an idea was born!

I used my favorite (self drafted last spring) kimono sleeve basic blouse pattern and got to work. The blouse buttons up the back and is fitted almost like a dress bodice with 4 darts in the front and two in the back. The edges of the sleeves are simply serged and them turned over with a hand stitched hem and the neckline is finished with a self fabric facing. The blouse only took me half a day to complete, which was good as I made it the night before the event!

For more photos from the event, check out the full outfit post over on The Closet Historian! Thanks for reading

I have coveted the beautiful double collar blouse Wallis Simpson wore during a cruise with Edward VIII in 1936 ever since I first saw the photograph many years ago. I love the fact that despite it being a very simple design it has lots and lots of gorgeous detailing on it. I also love the way it fits her so perfectly, so I was inspired to make my own version for my 1930s wardrobe. However, I didn’t want to do a direct copy of it but rather take the details of it and make my own version.

I drafted the pattern myself from some old pattern blocks I made at college and it took two mock ups to get the fit just right. I wanted it to fit snuggly enough that it looked like a tailored shirt but also loose enough so I could move in it. The measurement across the shoulder blades was the trickiest, mainly because I was trying to do it on myself in the mirror!

The olive and burgundy berry cotton fabric came from my favourite fabric shop, ClothSpot and I knew it would go perfectly with the calf length burgundy skirt I’d recently made from an original 1930s sewing pattern. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do in terms of the detailing and what colours I wanted them to be but it was worth taking the time to get it right.

The largest of the two collars was also self drafted using my oh-so-faithful pattern cutting book, Metric Pattern Cutting for Women’s Wear by Winifred Aldrich. I then traced it again and took about two centimetres off the outside edges to create the second one. The burgundy cotton was from my very big fabric stash and the ivory was rushed to me by ClothSpot after I discovered that I only had white or cream and neither of them were quite right.

The buttons are self-covered just like the ones on Wallis’ blouse and I also had the belt buckle covered for me by the London Button Company. I’d never used them before but I would highly recommend them to anyone, they were very quick and very helpful when I had questions. As the name suggests they also do buttons, all of which you can have covered in your own fabric, as well as a good range of buckles.

The buckle and the belt, which I made myself, is done in the same wool crepe type fabric of the skirt so it can be worn on top of the blouse or around the waistband of the skirt. This allows me to tuck the blouse in if I wish.

If you would like to read more about my version of Wallis Simpson’s 1930s blouse and see more photos, feel free to pop over to my blog.

I have a new favorite blouse pattern and it is Simplicity 1364.

This 1960’s reproduction pattern really is a JIFFY pattern.

My first version was a pink floral cotton, which I made as a test, since the pattern was new to me.

I loved it so much I immediately made a second one. This time out of a white floral and used French seams throughout.

I also made matching hair scarves for both blouses.

This blouse looks great with jeans or a skirt and is so light and comfy to wear in the summer heat.

Making this blouse was easy, it consists of only two main pattern pieces and sews up in no time.  I made even easier to put together by making a few modifications.

To read more about my process and modifications check at my blog Akram’s Ideas (http://akramsideas.com/favorite-blouse-simplicity-1364/)

In an earlier post I mentioned how much I love Simplicity 1364 blouse pattern. I loved it so much I wanted to make more versions of this blouse.

While searching my stash I found I had a lovely butterfly print fabric and decided to use it for another blouse.

I really liked how the piping turned out on my shift dress I decided to add piping to this blouse.

After making the blouse I found that I had enough fabric left over that I could make a matching skirt.

I decided to make a simple gathered skirt. To give the set a more dress like appearance I aded piping to the skirt waistband.

While the print might be a bit childish I really love the fun look of this this combo. I also love that at first glance it looks like a dress, but has the versatility of a two piece.

To read more about my process for making this set check out my blog Akram’s Ideas (http://akramsideas.com/butterfly-dress-purple-piping/)

I’ve been eyeing this site for a while, but never thought I had anything worthy of posting here.  I have been collecting vintage patterns for a while – I have accumulated quite a collection, so I have plenty of sewing to do.  But, I also had been away from garment sewing for a long, long time. Last year I decided to get back to it.  I am not normally a huge fan of 60s styles, but I have really loved this blouse for a while.  A contest at PatternReview got me to finally make the blouse.

Here is my blouse:

This is the pattern I used:

I used a cotton lawn I had in my stash.  Though I had (and still have) some issues with the front french dart and the collar, I am happy with the blouse.  It is very comfortable and a perfect summer blouse!

More on my blog: 1960s blouse

I recently had the opportunity to review the Gable Top from Jennifer Lauren Handmade.

If you are looking for a pattern to kick off your autumn sewing, this may be it!

I love everything about this shirt, from it’s ease to put together to the overall look.

The classic slash neckline, the sleeve variations , it’s just perfect.

I’ve also been wanting to add a striped knit shirt to my wardrobe for a long time. This seemed like a good pattern for doing just that. Plus, I’m so happy that I managed to line up all the stripes, even the sleeves match up.

Autumn maybe still a week or two out, but I’m already planning like a dozen more of these shirts.

The Gable Top is great example of a modern pattern with a lot of classic 1950’s flare.

To read more about my process for making this shirt check out my blog Akram’s Ideas (http://akramsideas.com/gable-top-jennifer-lauren-handmade/)

Simplicity 6110, Misses’ Blouse, Skirt and Pants

Seventies fashion always makes me smile.  I absolutely love the exuberance of this era’s designs:  cheerful, big buttons, the oh-so wide pointy collar that spreads from sleeve cap to shining sleeve cap, it all makes me grin.

According to the envelope, “This design has the new narrow shoulder look.  The shoulder length of the pattern is shorter and the head of the sleeve is higher.”

I sewed this up using Michael Miller’s “Little Lifesavers” quilting cotton.   This type of fabric is perfect for the way I wash and wear clothes.  That is to say, hot water, high heat in the dryer, and I’ll likely spill something down the front every other wearing.

Fitting was simple, as there is no bust dart.  Instead, the front is gathered into yokes.  By comparing the measurement of the pattern to a blouse that fits, I determined I only need to make a rounded upper back and swayback adjustment.

I also shortened the sleeves about an inch and a quarter.  Otherwise, they end at my elbow crease, making my waist look wide.  Between the wide collar and the short, cuffed sleeves, it appears I have a waist (I’m actually pretty square).

I wanted to emphasize the very pointed collar and cuffs.  I tried Pellon 950S, ShirTailor, which gave a crisp feel to both.

Sewing the blouse was incredibly straight forward.  The instructions are clearly written, and the diagrams quite helpful.

The oversize buttons that I love didn’t look quite right down the front of the blouse.  I happened to have two sets of the same orange buttons in different diameters.  What can I say?  I like orange buttons, so I have a lot of them.  The three-quarter inch diameter buttons matched the scale of the little lifesavers, and I like the effect much better.

But the cuffs, oh, man, the cuffs were made for the orange 1 1/8″ buttons.  The sheer exuberance of oversize orange buttons makes me so happy!

Back in spring I had planned to participate in the Vintage Suit-Sew-Along. While I never did get around to making a vintage suit per-say; I did manage to make this great vintage inspired suit.

My lovely green suit is made up completely of separates. I actually started this project with the blouse using Simplicity 1364.

I wanted to make a skirt to go with the blouse and the Delphine skirt from the book “Love at First Stitch” By Tilly Walnes. This is my go to skirt pattern.

Once I had the blouse and skirt I thought this outfit was the start of the prefect vintage style suit. All it needed was a jacket to top it off.

Since I had limited fabric I deiced to make the bolero using Butterick 6354 pattern.

This was the perfect paring of separates into the most amazing suit. I love this suit from the color the print. It may just be my favorite outfit I’ve made.

To read more about my process for making my lovely green suit check out my blog Akram’s Ideas (http://akramsideas.com/vintage-inspired-suit-green)

Does anyone else find themselves sticking to the same colours with their sewing? I was very much guilty of this until I made a New Year’s resolution to explore new colours, even ones I’d never worn before. One colour that surprised me on this journey was coral. It all began when I spotted a gorgeous coral linen/cotton mix fabric on the website of my favourite fabric shop, ClothSpot. I fell in love and set out to find a patterned fabric that went with it. I found a beautiful one on Fabric Godmother, which had a mixture of coral, turquoise, mustard yellow and fawn in it. I knew it was the one!

I, of course, stuck to my favourite era, the 1930s. I used the coral linen mix for a complicated pleated skirt and the patterned cotton lawn for a short sleeve blouse. The blouse was made using an original 1930s pattern I bought at a vintage fair (you can see it here). However, I decided not to do it with a Peter Pan collar and instead I created a V neckline and added a large pussy bow.

The sleeves are my favourite part as they remind of the puffball skirts of the 1980s. The cuffs are secured with elastic and you push them up inside the sleeve when you wear it to create the puff shape.

The skirt was the hardest part, not only because the fabric was such a pain and kept moving, but also because of the pattern I chose. It was an original 1930s draft at home pattern which I bought from Mrs Depew on Etsy. The illustration of the skirt and the illustration of the pattern pieces just didn’t seem to add up. You can see how confusing it was here.

I’m still not convinced I did it exactly right but at least the complicated double pleat looks like the skirt illustration. Also, I’m really, really chuffed with how the two pieces go together and make a really lovely 1930s day outfit. I just wish, despite my love of pushing myself with my sewing, that it had been a bit easier!

If you want to read more about it, and see other detail pictures, just pop on over to my blog.

I’m a newbie, newish to sewing and brand new to WeSewRetro. Vintage sewing and I have had a bit of a rocky road on the way to where we are now. I’ll admit at first, I didn’t see the appeal.

Then my great aunt heard that I wanted to sew and sent me a box of patterns she had used when she was a school sewing teacher. The patterns ranged from mid 60s – mid 70s, and slowly as I looked through them all I kinda fell in love with the style.

I used Style 4721 from 1974 and made View 2, but shortened the sleeves. I also used snaps instead of buttons. The fabric is vintage cotton that I inherited from my grandmother, so I’m not sure how old it is.

This is the first blouse I have ever sewn, and while it’s not perfect I’m actually pretty stoked with it. I’m really digging the neck tie. I think this is definitely a pattern I will make again.

A while back I made the Gable top by Jennifer Lauren Handmade and fell in love. Immediately after making the top I knew I wanted to make a second one, but had to find the right fabric.

Luckily for me, I came across a great autumn leaf print stretch fabric I had in my stash. Not only was it theme appropriate for the season, the colors were all jeweled tones.

While it may be a modern pattern, it has a great 1950’s feel to it with the slash neckline.

As with the first top, I’m in love with this one as well. I love the colors and how soft the fabric is.

This is definitely not the last Gabel top I plan to make, it’s just such an easy and lovely pattern to make.

To read more about my process for making my latest Gable top check out my blog Akram’s Ideas (http://akramsideas.com/latest-gable-top-in-autumn-leaf-turquoise-print/)

Do you ever have an idea in your mind that never really pans out when it comes to your sewing? Yep, that’s exactly what happened here. Both the blouse and skirt were going to be very different to how they actually turned out, mainly due to not having quite enough fabric for either of them!

The white silk with navy polka dots is actually a vintage fabric I picked up at a flea market. It was very narrow and as a result, the originally planned pattern of McCalls – 7053, from their Archive Collection, just didn’t fit. So after abandoning this idea, I decided to use the top half of this beautiful original 1930s dress pattern instead. It’s been sat in my collection for a while totally unused, but boy am I glad I used it this time.

It worked out beautifully in this fabric, despite having to redo the front yoke many, many times. The issue was that it needed to be lined to give it some stability and the join at the bottom, where the button placket areas overlap, was incredibly fiddly. After many attempts, both on the machine and by hand, I finally got it to sit right. However, after all that stress I gave up on trying to do buttonholes, so just sewed the buttons in place.

Instead of finishing the sleeves with a mid-forearm cuff as shown in the pattern, I decided to add a long cuff right down to the wrist. I absolutely love this style of bishop sleeve, it’s so classically 1930s, and of course keeps your forearms warm! I finished it off with four buttons and rouleau loops to allow enough room to get my hand in and out.

The fabric itself, unfortunately, has weakened during the pre-wash and making up stages. As a result, I’ve decided to only wear it on special occasions and to try and find another white and navy polka dot fabric for a more wearable version. I think it would work well in a crepe or a soft cotton lawn.

The skirt was drafted from another original 1930s pattern, which I’ve used multiple times as it’s such a simple design so can be changed to just about any style. The fabric is a deep mustard linen, which I bought from My Fabrics and a dream to work with. It’s quite a heavy weight linen so can be used for both summer and winter.

The design itself was taken from an original 1930s skirt I own but haven’t yet worn. I love the little pockets on it, so decided to replicate them here with a slightly different style button tab. They worked out quite well I think and give such a lovely interest to the front of the skirt, along with the deep single kick pleat on the centre front.

If you want to read more about it, and see the gorgeous original 1930s navy suede shoes I wore with it, just pop on over to my blog.

Hello everyone,

This will be my debut on this page. I have been sewing vintage-inspired clothes for some time and recently started using authentic patterns from my favorurite era, 1950s-1960s. My newest project is a two-piece dress, based on Simplicity 4906 pattern.

What I like most about this pattern is how it fits on the shoulders. Made from non-elastic fabric it does not constrain movement. And the wide collar has enough room for a woolen scarf in a matching colour.

I altered the top a bit, as the original had short or 3/4 length sleeves and I wanted long, plus I eliminated a side zipper – who needs a zipper in a loose-fitting boxy-shaped top? Also, I decided not to use the original skirt pattern as my fabric was too thick for a skirt with a long back pleat. I went for a Burda skirt pattern from 2/2013 issue, but to my disappointment, the pattern did not work with my fabric either – elastic band are not friends with thick fabrics… Anyways, I ended up making a simple skirt with darts and a waistband. But the overall result is I think satisfactory. I also used the original belt pattern, which was meant for the dress, but can work with the top as well.

The greatest thing about two-piece dresses is that you can wear them as separates.

I normally sew big skirted dresses but I got a bee in my bonnet to make some pants for practicality in the cooler months. I have seen many lovely renditions of Simplicity 3688. Since I already had the pattern in my stash it was a natural choice.  I made these pants up in a linen/rayon blend from Jo-anns. For the top I pattern hacked Simplicity 1590 by removing the peplum and and changing up the darts. I sewed this up in a premium broadcloth from Fabric.com

I added a little embroidery to the collar points of the blouse for something a little extra special.

To learn more please visit my blog