I haven't had any sewing time in the past week, and the coming week is guaranteed to be the same. I did finish my final (for now, anyhow) 60s shirtdress last weekend, and I'm hoping to get some photos of it actually on me before I leave town. But meanwhile, even if I can't sew, I sure can ogle patterns, and I thought it would be fun to share a few of the patterns from my neighbor that I kept. Of close to 90 patterns, I kept 37, and these are some of my favorites.
First off, this Simplicity Designer's Pattern -- it's in an oversized envelope, and I've never seen a Simplicity pattern like it. There are some pictured at www.cemetarian.com though, and apparently they were produced from 1949 to 1952. I like how the little jacket (would this be considered a bolero, or just a cropped jacket?) can take the sundress into Fall! And those scallop-edged pockets. Sweet.
I love the look of a double-breasted coat dress, though I can't say I've ever worn one. I like the a-line shape, and of course the pockets!
I love these shift dresses from the late 60s with interesting seam lines! Definitely not the kind of thing I could expect to fit (or flatter) my body if I had to buy off the rack. But with the magic of sewing, I can in at the waist and make the skirt a touch more of an a-line, and then it works. I did this last year with Vogue 7807 (from 1969, I think). The pattern illustration has a more fitted and a-line shape than the hideous shapeless sack it turned out to be when I sewed it up without any alterations. I ended up taking it in several inches under each armpit, tapering to nothing at the upper hip. It was my first major pattern alteration, but I had nothing to lose, as it would have otherwise been unwearable!
Oops -- that turned into a bit of a digression! Here's one last pattern that I acquired from my neighbors:
Usually I don't go for dresses that need to be belted to have a waist, but I am, as always, a sucker for a hoodie. And a hooded dress? Argh, I need it! The scooped neckline also looks nice, but ah ... that hoodie! Is it crazy to want to make one of these in a super-soft flannel for winter?
wow thank you!! and that simplicity designer pattern is sooo lovely!
ReplyDeleteHow exciting, thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteI think the hoodie dress in soft flannel doesn't sound crazy at all. I have a shift dress in soft flannel wool and it feels heavenly to wear, without looking like a pyjama. So I'd go for it if I were you (and I look forward to seeing the result here, ofcourse!)
Wait: You downsized from 90 patterns? I just bought #138. Eep. And I'd sew every one of them, too, if I had time.
ReplyDeleteI love that double-breasted coat dress. Love it. Definitely a keeper. I don't normally like that era at all--I don't even collect the images of them that much--but 7097 is gold.
Thanks, y'all! I am loving the idea of a flannel dress ... that is going to have to get on the to-do list. I don't have that many good ideas for Fall and Winter sewing.
ReplyDeleteLittle Black Car -- My neighbor gave me a big box of 90 vintage patterns, and I only kept 37 of *those*. As to how many I own .... uh ... yeah, most of the ones on my Flickr photostream I actually own. A few I've swapped, sold, or given away, but not many. I just checked the image count on my vintage pattern set on Flickr, and it says 820 ... I'm sure the count of what I actually own is over 700. Yikes, there's a reason I've never looked at that number before!
Thanks so much Andrea, I'm so excited to receive your lovely giveaway patterns!
ReplyDeleteAs for the ones you kept, they are stunning and I can't wait to see your hoodie dress made up.
Also, I've often browsed your massive pattern collection on Flickr, taking notes of the ones I'd love to own as I go along ;o)
Thank you again, Andrea - I'm so excited about my new patterns! :) And holy moley - I can't believe you have so many patterns. I thought I was bad for having somewhere near thirty. lol
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