Two 1956 One-Yard Sports Blouses

A sewing project that calls for only one yard is good, but two vintage patterns – from one common year in the past – that are unique designs is even better!  These are casual blouses which I reach for when I need something nice, yet comfy, and sporty.  Their timeless designs possess a sneaky vintage air that is very much ‘me’.  I like to be different yet also blend in.  I appreciate vintage yet want to be fashion forward.  I like fine details yet don’t want them to flag people down, and with all that these two tops help me ride that balance in my me-made style.

The one blouse was specifically chosen firstly to match with my husband.  The other blouse was made because I realized I had so many fancy clothes from the 50’s and not enough casual options!  Both are go-to easy separates that work with a variety of bottoms, both skirts and pants in all sorts of colors, so they are super versatile.  From a sewing standpoint, they were just challenging enough to be good for me yet still easy enough in certain ways to not feel like a project that requires commitment.  They have been seeing some good wear recently, with the plaid even going with me to Florida earlier this year, thus it is long overdue to post about them!

Not content with just making my own clothes, I – more often than not – enjoy making jewelry to match.  Look for my vintage 40s and 50’s style chili pepper necklace!  It was made from little glass handmade charms ordered from Etsy.  Then they were attached at intervals to a slightly oversized brass chain to have a very authentic reproduction of a very popular style of jewelry from back then.  It was so easy to do, and is such a cheerful, bright novelty to spice up an outfit!  The rest of my accessories are true vintage pieces.

THE FACTS:

FABRIC:  The green and ivory plaid is as soft as washed cheesecloth in 100% Madras cotton while the zig-zag print is a Waverly brand thick, textured, decorator’s cotton

PATTERNS:  Butterick #7771 and Simplicity #1782, both from 1956

NOTIONS:  Amazingly, I had everything I needed on hand already…yes even the long separating zipper for the striped blouse’s back closing!  The buttons on the green plaid blouse are true vintage from the inherited stash of my husband’s Grandmother, while the buttons on the zig-zag striped blouse are new, and one of those cheap multi-pack of half a dozen buttons for only $1.99!

THE INSIDES:  bias bound

TIME TO COMPLETE:  The green plaid odd-collar blouse took me about 8 hours and was finished on July 22, 2017.  The zig-zag Waverly blouse took about the same amount of time and was done on May 1, 2017.

TOTAL COST:  Both tops cost less than $3 EACH as they only needed one yard and both fabrics were on clearance as a remnant.

I had practice for the green plaid blouse after doing hubby’s shirt with the same collar.  Again, as I said in the post about his version, I believe this is called an “Italian Front” closing, but I cannot concretely verify that.  So, until then, I will say I could be mistaken.  The back of my pattern’s envelope calls this a “two-button horizontal closing”.  What I find most interesting is that the men’s pattern for a shirt with the same collar came out before the women’s’ version.  I wonder if it was due to popular demand or just plain fairness on Butterick’s part?  Anyway, I do see many more copies of the men’s version pop up on the Internet for sale, but the women’s is much rarer with one showing up here or there.  I wonder if the women’s version was an unsuccessful release, but maybe Butterick merely did not print as many copies.  The ladies version was a dime cheaper than the men’s version (45¢), where you get multiple views….surprising because most of their patterns in the years before and after 1956 were about 50¢.  Butterick #7771 only has one view – this style neckline blouse is the only thing this pattern offers (besides the obvious long or short sleeves), something quite unusual in an era where most patterns had two or three different options to make from them.  Either way, “if you wanna help sell it, reduce the price”, must have been Butterick’s idea.  I love this pattern, between my husband and me we see a lot of interesting options to tweak this wonderful neckline in the future.

I do wish they would have made it the same collar construction as was designed for the men’s version.  This ladies’ version is more complicated and fussy with the collar being a separate piece from the facing – the men’s was all-in-one!  I call for equality!  At least I knew what to expect, because it was much harder than my first time and would’ve lost me completely if I had made this before the one I made for hubby.

Part of the impetus behind this was of course, as I mentioned, the gushy matchy-matchy factor with my sweetie, but also because I had to give away an old favorite top that didn’t fit anymore which had the exact same color plaid Madras.  Granted, the neckline on my old top was not anywhere this cool, but it’s okay to have things better than keep it the same, make it all my own.  Unlike my old green plaid top, mine is meticulously matched up!  I am not used to the boxy, shorter, untucked blouse shape of this, but it is comfy and easy to move in, but only works with body hugging skirts and pants.

Now, the other blouse is very curve-hugging in a way that forgives the horizontal striping!  I really think I had some strong luck on my side for this blouse because, as the cotton is a woven, there was to be no forgiveness and a perfect body skimming fit was necessary here.  There was no way I was doing a muslin on such a basic project.  A pattern tissue fitting on myself seemed promising, but those are not always accurate as paper doesn’t fit like fabric.  Take note that this is a Junior’s pattern for teens.  I did not re-size the overall top like I probably should have, as I both didn’t have room on my one yard of 45” width fabric and I wanted a close fit.  Beyond a bit of tweaking and resizing as to the dart placement, and lowering the underarm portion of the side seam slightly, this top turned out great as-is, as you can see!  The fit is snug, but the pattern is first-rate for being an “Easy-to-Make” design because it is still easy to move in.  I love the fact I can have the classic 50’s hourglass shape in such a basic tee!

This was ridiculously simple – one front piece, two back pieces, and some fun little details.  No sleeves to even set in!  As you can see in the pattern front for Simplicity #1782 there are lots of options, so I mix-and-matched to make a combo of three views.  That’s what those options are there for, after all.

I definitely kept the cute little “mock-placket” feature up the front chest.  It is really just a glorified strip of fabric that is sewn down in a very interesting way.  There is an open loop in the top of the tab at the neckline, and when my neck is a bit chilly in the evenings, that tab is great for holding one of my vintage silk scarves, just as the pattern front drawing shows.  As bold as the buttons are that I chose, I love the crazy fun they add to my top.

The one little arm pocket felt a bit ridiculous to make and add on, but hey – I love pockets and they are useful no matter where they are placed or what their size.  Granted, I like to wear this top with an old favorite RTW skirt that has giant cargo pockets (in the pictures) – but I digress.  I will not be pocket prejudiced.  It is just enough to fit a few fingers in so it normally holds some spare change or a nose tissue.  My little pocket seems to hilariously bother my husband who likes to check it every so often when I wear this top.

I added the hem band as an afterthought because I needed a few inches extra to use this matching blue separating zipper that I had on hand.  I was determined to use such a special notion on my blouse because there was no way I was doing two separate closures as the pattern called for – a side zip up to the armpit and a small 5 inch neck zip behind.  A basic, sporty, and easy-to-sew garment like this needed some modern simplicity in order to be enjoyed both wearing and making!  This way all the curious details are not solely in front, either!

Our pictures were taken in the middle of doing our living…between errands for the one and at a semi-pro soccer game (football, depending on where you live) for the other.  It’s awesome to wear what I make to everyday events that are the bulk of the memories that stay with you.  Admittedly, I am always a sucker for making a special outfit for a special occasion, but I find myself appreciating the ones that are there for the commonplace events and prove their worth like an old friend.  I like making friends with the ordinary and unpretentious side of the mid-1950s!

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The One Piece That Made Two

Refashions are just my recipe for having a great time at my sewing.  A slightly ill-fitting vintage 1980s dress came out from under my sewing machine a very fresh and fun 1950’s two piece set of a crop top and simple skirt.  One vintage era went backwards in time through my sewing to suit another era…what a time warp!

I do love a good summer-time-fun combo, and more separates that work well with my existing wardrobe are most welcome.  This is no exception.  If you follow my blog you may notice or might have read that I have a weakness for turquoise (and purple) so this set matches with so much!  Besides, it is really lovely floral that is like flowers scattered in the wind, in a basic white print…something I don’t have.  This fabric is so soft and semi-transparent, too, making this a cool, fun, and breezy set that’s put-together enough for dashing around the city in summer yet made for lounging around by the water.

THE FACTS:

FABRIC:  Well, it’s more than just fabric, really, since I started with a dress that that from the 1980s, but it is a soft cotton and polyester blend knit.  A remnant of cotton knit, leftover from this project, went towards the waistband of my new skirt.

PATTERN:  Simplicity #4213, year 1953, was used for the top and I self-drafted the waistband for the skirt

TIME TO COMPLETE:  This re-fashion project only took me a handful of hours and it was finished on May 29, 2015.

TOTAL COST:  Not counting – this was a special gift! Read on…

This the original dress before re-fashioning

The 1980s can be a hard era to re-fashion, especially with this dress.  When something is frumpy from the beginning, with a lot of extra fabric, it can be tough to envision anything else working better!  This dress was so worth it to save, though.  This was something from my hubby back when we were only dating in 2009.  I remember we were out and about in downtown on a bitter cold winter day after an early morning breakfast one Saturday.  I had on so many layers to stay warm that I didn’t first try on this dress that caught my eye in a vintage resale shop, but he bought it for me anyway.  As it was, it really didn’t do anything for my figure, so I didn’t wear it, but was determined to make it into something I would enjoy.  Thus, it was kept it on my backburner of my ‘to-be-re-fashioned’ queue until the right idea struck.  Well, it took a few years to get the feel of what I wanted to do with that 80’s dress, and a few years more to post about it, but here it is, finally!  When good memories are attached to what you are wearing, it somehow seems to make the current moments so much sweeter.  This is definitely not my most interesting sewing project, but to my mind, with the background history to it that I know, it feels so very interesting to wear.

Now, at first glance this set probably appears to be a dress, and I intended it that way.  You see I really wanted to keep the dress, well, a dress, but ideas for doing that were not popping in my head.  Besides, to make a divided dress that deceptively seems like a one-piece would be just as good, maybe even better.  I made sure the top was only long enough to reach the skirt when I’m standing straight and the waistband was wide enough to look like some sort of belt or middle cummerbund.  In all, I love this!  When I reach around it feels so subtly sexy to have a crop top, and wide waistband is great to wear and doesn’t roll.

The blouse/top pattern is labelled “Simple to Make” and boy are they ever right!  It was the perfect answer for my desire to leave as much of the original seaming intact.  Keeping with the kimono sleeves, the bodice was more or less only trimmed a little.  I re-cut half of the shoulders and side seams only, marking the darts after the skirt had been detached.  I left the neckline as it was because I love a V-neck for my face but did remove the sleeve elastic.  Then the top came together before I knew it and fits like a glove.  As the fabric is a knit, I am able to slip this on over my head without a zipper or any closure, which always surprises me every time I put it on.  The waist is so tapered in and defined!

For the skirt, I adored the triple rows of shirring at the waist, so I made sure to keep them.  They do stretch, since there is elastic thread sewn into the stitching, which is good because this is a pull-on skirt with no closures, like the top.  I chose 2 ½ inch wide elastic for the waist, and drafted the casing accordingly – double the width plus two seam allowances.  Then the empty casing was stretched and stitched on, the elastic run through it, and the opening closed up.  Easy-peasy!  I left the hem alone, so that is original to the dress, and also was able to keep the original side pockets that added to the appeal this garment had on me from the beginning.

I kind of feel bad for my hubby actually because this outfit reminds me of a conundrum.  He really likes me in what I chose to make for myself, yet he used to like to buy things for me, too.  Sewing for myself has completely cured me wanting anything from a store nowadays, and it has taught both of us to look for quality…which we generally do not find in ready-to-wear.  So – he really can’t buy me clothes anymore!  I make what I need and I like it that way.  I guess my dress re-fashion merely reminds me of a sweet thing he used to do for me that my current sewing practices (which I wouldn’t change) have curtailed.  Now, he is really getting good at picking out neat fabrics for me, though!!

Have any of you also found some interesting aftereffects to sewing for yourself?  Do you (like me) also find yourself unhappy with much RTW the more you find yourself pleased with how you feel in your own handmade garments?  Do you also find fabric so very inexplicably exciting, much more than buying a new outfit in the store?  Does your significant other or friends understand that wonderful “hooked on fabric” bug?  (If so, they’re a keeper!)  Let me know because this re-fashion project has made me ponder just how far I have come along in what I wear and who it comes from over the last few years.  At least with my sewing skills, I was able to hold onto a little bit of the past and continue to wear a good memory.

Down on the Polka Dot Range

There are so many things I have planned in my sewing queue, that many get shelved for the future out of necessity to make way for what I do want or need to make at the moment.  Although I am “Seam Racer”, one can only make so much in a month or year!  I have never liked the idea of myself in polka dots (yeah, call me weird), yet sewing a polka dot blouse has been on my “list” now for several years.  After seeing a lovely rich navy shirting in my local fabric store recently with polka dots in a size that finally pleased me, I snapped it up and decided now was the time to whip that long awaited blouse up!

With the Burda Style 2018 Challenge going on, I immediately had the perfect pattern in mind for it, too, to make my at-least-one-a-month goal.  I love the seaming to this finished blouse, which I highlighted with piping.  It has an ever so slight nod to western fashion, with a touch of menswear in the detailing.  This is a great, first-rate pattern, one that you don’t need much fabric for (on account of all the piecing), and I am so absolutely thrilled with the finished result!

THE FACTS:

FABRIC:  a super soft, 100% cotton shirting in polka dot, with a 100% rayon challis to line the shirt panels inside

PATTERN:  Burda Style pattern #117, from January 2018 –  View A is the “Blouse with Embroidery”, while View B is the “Pleated Blouse” (but they’re really only tucks down the front actually!)

NOTIONS:  I bought the piping pre-made, and had to buy the buttons new to match as well.

TIME TO COMPLETE:  8 to 10 hours – it was finished on March 21, 2018.

THE INSIDES:  Most of the seams are covered by the lining for the shoulder and chest panels inside, as well as the button panel piece, but the other seams are French seamed.

TOTAL COST:  Since I bought this with a discount (at my local Jo Ann’s Fabric store) and I only needed 1 ½ yards, counted with the piping I bought this blouse cost me $12.

Now, as for any Burda Style pattern, printing and/or tracing is necessary to have a usable pattern to lay on your desired fabric.  My pattern was came from the monthly magazine issue, using a roll of sheer medical paper to trace the pieces out from the insert sheet, but if you buy from the online store, you download, print, and assemble the PDF file you receive first.  It’s at this preliminary step that I pick out my chosen size and add in your choice of seam allowance width (I normally add in 5/8 inch allowance), but others do this directly on the fabric as they are cutting out.  A scissor with a magnetic ruler guide attached helps immensely for adding on the seam allowance easily.  Sorry to repeat something you might already know, but this is just an “FYI” for those that don’t.

As much as I love the detailing and complexity of the original design, I did not think the front tucks suited a polka dot and nor did I feel like doing all the decorative stitching at the moment anyway.  Thus, my blouse has been simplified down to the major seam lines only.  Yeah, call me lazy, but deep down it was a styling choice.  Seeing how happy I am with my finished blouse, I do not expect this to be my only time using this pattern, so next time I hope to go for a solid with lots of add-on interest in front, as originally designed!  I’m also envisioning a full-out Western version in two colors with chest pockets on the front panels!

To eliminate the vertical pleat-looking front section, I took the pattern piece that was sectioned off to shape the tucks and added it directly to the bodice front at the pattern stage.  This way I had one solid piece to cut out from fabric.  The pattern originally has you cut out panels for those tucks, mark the large sections every so far apart, and fold and stitch.  Then you take those panels and cut them out according to the shape of another pattern piece, the one that I added onto the bodice front tissue.  Adding the panel to the bodice front was a bit tricky because there is a gentle, inward tapering curve, starting about 7 inches down from the top, to the front bodice where it meets the button placket.  This is indistinguishable until you get out your ruler, but nicely shapes the blouse over the chest.  I merely slashed the add-on panel for the tucks to curve it in with the shape of the bodice before taping them together.

I made no adjustments besides grading between sizes for the hips to the waist and above, and this fits impeccably.  There are no bust darts, and this blouse is so very long and simple in shape, with an arched shirttail hem.  Nevertheless, I find it to be a nice in-between tent sized and fitted.

The sleeves are not restricting, there is plenty of reach room.  They are roomy yet tapered and I love the pleating into the skinny button cuffs.  Granted the tiny work of the bias covered cuff opening and the skinny cuffs were sort of tricky, fiddly work, but I found that grading down the seam allowance with a scissors helped immensely.  I did not even need to lengthen or shorten the sleeves!

The collar too, came together perfectly and looks impeccable, if I do say so myself.  It has a small collar and then a collar stand for a very structured, yet not overwhelming neckline.  As I sew so many vintage pieces, I am so used to large collars, or at least the more commonly found convertible, wing, or cut-on collars that I am taken by this one.  It keeps a subdued place alongside all the piping I added in the seams.

I neglected to even so much as bother to try and figure out how the instructions told me to do the invisible button placket.  I just made it on my own, however it made the most sense.  After making this Burda dress, with its invisible hook-and-eye placket, I discovered I’m just better off just using my sewing and engineering sense.  I cut one button placket for the left side, and two for the right, as this would have the buttonholes which needed to be covered by an extra panel.  Now, I did use lightweight interfacing for all three pieces because with all of the plackets and the piping, I figured it could easily become too stiff.

To keep the two right pieces straight in my head (but also because I ran out of fashion fabric), the under placket which would have the buttonholes was cut from the solid lining fabric.  Each of the three pieces were folded in half to make the plackets, but the invisible one (out of the solid fabric) with the buttonholes was trimmed (by 1/8 inch) along the long seam allowance so it would be slightly less wide than the over placket, and therefore be truly invisible.  For the left, the placket was sewn on, folded in half and seam allowances folded in and top-stitched down to cover raw edges.  The same was done for the right side, except there were two plackets layered together.  Lastly, I hand stitched the invisible placket to the over placket in between each of the buttonholes.

It was funny, yet not funny, how impossibly hard it was to find matching navy buttons.  Have you ever realized what variety there is in the color navy?  There is the popular navy blue, which is bright and has a good amount of true blue (royal cobalt blue) in it.  There is another navy color I found that has a dusty, grey tone to it.  And then there is a navy color that is almost a blue-black…and this is the tone that was crazy hard to find in a basic shirt-button, ½ inch style.  I had to buy this “craft” multi-pack of 50 something different colored buttons just because that was the only pack in any fabric store in town that had the black undertone navy blue color I needed.  Even then, the navy buttons were labelled as blue.  I know we all see color differently, but there are so many helpful means of standardizing color today, you’d think it would carry over into helping us who sew find the buttons we need.  Maybe match the numbers for color with the numbers for the thread offered…or maybe just follow Pantone’s charts?  I never knew the color differences of navy could be that frustrating until I needed to finish a sewing project.  Many varieties of thread colors are offered nowadays, but not as many button colors.  What do you think?

This blouse may be the beginning of a conversion to liking polka dots after all, but I still think I will be selective with the colors and sizes I prefer.  Whatever – I do love my new blouse!  I have been on a blouse making spree for the last 6 months (making way more than have shown up on the blog in that period of time) and with this one, my “kick” doesn’t seem to be waning…yet!