Becca – WeSewRetro.com

Mad Men Teal Joan Dress

By Becca on April 23, 2013

I made this dress for Julia Bobbin’s Mad Men Dress Challenge.

My inspiration was this teal dress that Joan wore in season 5.

I used Butterick 2952 as a base pattern, but I made several alterations and additions.

I added buttons on the front bodice, changed the neckline and drafted a collar to go with the neckline. Then, I drafted new facing pieces for the front and back. For a closer fit, I lengthened the darts on the front and back of the skirt. I also had to take the darts in a bit more at the waist. There is an invisible zip on the left side for closure, instead of a zipper in the back.

For more details and photos, see this post.

11 Comments

1940s | Dresses | Vintage Sewing

Sew for Victory–Simplicity 4036 Chambray Shirtwaist Dress

By Becca on April 1, 2013

I made this dress for the Sew for Victory sew along challenge, hosted by Rochelle from Lucky Lucille.

I used a vintage pattern from the 1940s, Simplicity 4036. I had to make a lot of alterations to the pattern (it was two sizes too big and I always have a lot of fit issues anyway), but I’d say it was worth it.

The fabric is a vintage chambray that I picked up at a thrift store a while back for about $2. I made the buttons and the belt, using material I had left over from a previous reconstruction. It has little red cherries with navy and light blue stems and leaves.

If you’re interested, you can read more about it here.

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1960s

The Louisa Coat

By Becca on November 15, 2012

This coat is made from a heavily interfaced, vintage double knit that I found in the thrift store a few years ago. I made it using a self-drafted pattern. I think the coat has a very 60’s feel to it.

It is fully lined, and features a large collar, puff sleeves, welt pockets, topstitching and fabric covered buttons. It’s complete with my own tag and a hanging loop inside.

If I’d had more fabric, I would’ve added a detail in the back like a little buttoned belt. Oh well, I’ll add that to my next version.

The coat design is based on a well-worn and well-loved coat that I’ve had for several years. Rather than make a complete copy of the coat, I changed some things. The size of the coat is a tad larger (the store-bought one was an extra-small), the collar is much larger, the placement of the welt pockets is different, the pocket openings are wider (the store-bought coat had such small openings that I could barely fit my hands in them), some of the seams are topstitched, and the sleeves and armholes have more wiggle room for additional layers.

Technically, this is a muslin, but I hope you’ll agree this is a very wearable muslin. I love it! I plan to make a few changes to the pattern and make another coat. The biggest thing I’ll change is the size of the sleeves. I overcompensated a bit in adding room to the sleeves, so I’ll shape the sleeves a bit more for my next coat.

If you are interested in more photos and details about the project, please see this post and this post. Thanks for looking! 🙂

7 Comments

1960s

Talking with Turtles 60s Mod Dress

By Becca on May 12, 2012

This project is in honor of a turtle friend that I made last weekend (more details on my blog).

I know that the color and geometric pattern on the dress is not an exact match to the turtle’s shell, but I associate the project with that turtle. Probably because of the yellow markings and the fact that a dress is sort of like a shell.

I used McCalls 2390 (one of the patterns from the free batch I received) from the 1960s, a vintage thrifted double-knit and buttons from G Street Fabrics.

The total cost for the dress was about $4.

I did make a few changes to the pattern. I altered the neckline, added a bit of width to the hips, and shortened the hemline.

If you are interested in more information or pictures (plus close-up photos of a cute turtle), please see this post. Thanks for looking!

3 Comments

1960s

Floral wrap button back dress

By Becca on May 8, 2012

I made this dress using a vintage floral cotton that was given to me. I also used a vintage sewing pattern that I acquired for free: Simplicity 8827.

So this dress was essentially made for free, except for the cost of thread.

I made a few adjustments to the pattern (neckline, waist and length), but the overall style is the same.

If you are interested, more details, pictures and information at my blog.

2 Comments

1960s

“Better late than never” dress

By Becca on April 9, 2012

I started making this dress a little over a year ago, and put it aside for one reason or another. In an effort to make progress on my UFO pile, I pulled it out about a month ago.

I originally cut out the bodice pieces from McCalls 2287 from the ’60s.

However, I had to make a few alterations. I lowered the neckline, removed excess material from the armholes, and made fewer buttonholes.

This dress will get a lot of wear this spring/summer.

If you’re interested in more information and pictures, please see this post.

2 Comments