Thought you lovely folks would appreciate the stack of vintage patterns I just thrifted for 10 cents each. I may have squealed in the store….
A pile of vintage treasures!
A sampling of my faves here, but check out the full blog post for all 20!
Butterick 8381 (1958)
Simplicity 5059 (1960s)
Simplicity 8656 (1969) Those collars!
Sew Lovely P500 (1970)
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Another 1930s re-pro pattern from EvaDress, I made these up a few months ago but finally got around to documenting them. I had started the blouse (not enough of the lovely rayon for a whole dress) ages ago, but the sleeve pleats got the better of me and then I got busy with other things. Once I’d figured them out though, I’m in love with the look.
EvaDress 1934 Frock
As I had an occasion to wear it, I finished the blouse and made up the lower portion of the pattern in a similar green coloured mystery fabric I picked up second hand.
EvaDress 1934 Frock (as separates) by HLB
EvaDress 1934 Frock (as separates) by HLB. Back view.
Cutting out the blouse and getting it to do what i wanted was a bit of a challenge. It’s a buttery rayon with lovely drape but frays terribly at the edges and slinks around when you try to sew it. I pinned it to within an inch of its life and took the time to hand baste as well as hand hem the bottom edge/ties, collar and sleeve edges. Time consuming but a nice neat finish.
Sleeve detail. Self covered button and pleating.
Most people thought it was a dress when worn together, but I actually like that I can mix and match it. For another event I made a shorter black rayon skirt with side godets for dancing in.
EvaDress 1934 Frock (blouse) with self drafted skirt by HLB
I’ll definitely be making this up again with some strategic alterations. As always, do check out the full post on the blog.
~Heather
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Another dance party, another excuse to make myself something the week of the event…
Made for another edition of the ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody‘ (all divas- all night) dance parties organized and DJ-ed by a fabulous local DJ duo.
I wanted to evoke a classic look with dramatic sleeves. The end result is heavily influenced by late 60s early 70s mini dresses, and is actually 2 separate pieces that can be otherwise worn with different outfits.
The Diva Dress 2014 by HLB
The underdress is made from some lovely stretch suiting similar to fabric I’ve used before. I love the fact that it has nice structure and weight but also a good amount of give – perfect for figure hugging garments that you can move in! Frankenpatterned fitted LBD.
For the chiffon overlay I used this 1970 blouse pattern as a starting point – extending the hem, exaggerating the sleeve blousing, negating the bust dart, and lowering the neckline to a shallow scoop shape.
Simplicity 8494 (1970)
To give the waist definition, I added ties at each side that form a bow at the back. I wanted initially to have the overlay drape more, but it proved unflattering on my curves.
The Diva Dress 2014 by HLB. Back View.
I love that it was long sleeved but still pretty cool. The sheer sleeves let my arms breathe, I was pretty comfy all night and they were super fun to dance with.
More pics and details in the full post here.
p.s. Another blog post coming soon documenting my themed dance party ensembles!
~ Heather
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In my attempt to keep up with recent goals of making things for myself and also using my vintage pattern stash, I chose this 1965 blouse pattern – View 4:
1965 Simplicity 5885
This was my first button backed top pattern. I like the idea, but honestly I’m not sure why this was so popular, as doing it up yourself is a little challenging – and that’s without wearing a girdle as most likely you would be in this era. I cannot imagine having to do up more than 4 buttons this way without a ladies’ maid.
Modified Simplicity 5885 (1965)
Modified Simplicity 5885 (1965) Back view.
The collar was of course very high and tight, so I lowered it in the front to make it more comfortable. I also took in the side seams a little to give the blouse some shape. It’s actually a pretty boxy design – ok if paired with a nipped waist skirt, but I wanted to be able to wear it untucked as well. The nice thing about making up new garments from vintage patterns is that I don’t feel guilty when making alterations! The nearly finished version of this blouse was relegated to the UFO pile for months awaiting a solution to the excessive ease issue that did not involve completely re-making it. See the ‘before’ pics on the original post here.
Simplicity 5885 Modified centre front with pin tucks.
Simplicity 5885 with a skirt.
In the end, I ended up having to remove the collar tabs and most of the neckline facing. I took about an inch out of the centre front by way of pin tucks, which also help give it a nicer line. I also extended the back shoulder darts down to the waist to help pull it in a bit more. It’s still a little on the boxy side, and if I make it again I’ll be sure to grade the whole thing down from the start. It does improve the look to wear it with a skirt or high waist pants. In the meantime, I’m planning to try out some other quick tops for summer from the vintage pattern stash.
~Heather
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