Shirtdress – WeSewRetro.com

1960s

Simplicity 3580 First Vintage Make of 2018

By Akram Taghavi-Burris on July 6, 2018

It feels like forever since I last posted on We Sew Retro. Mainly because I haven’t really been sewing vintage patterns the last few months.

However, while going through my UFO pile back in May I came across Simplicity 3580 a vintage shirtwaist dress from the 1960’s.

Review of yet another completed UFO project, Vintage Simplicity 3580 a 1960's shirtwaist dress with pleated skirt. — Can’t believe this has been in my UFO pile for 2 years

I started this pattern nearly two years ago now, and never quite came back around to finishing it.

At the time I’d gained some weight and we were in the middle of a move.

Completing a UFO

I was happily surprised when I pulled it out to find that the bodice fit me (yeah weightloss and healthy eating) and that the only thing left on this project was the skirt and the buttons.

Needless to say in one afternoon I managed to complete this project.

I’m so glad I came back to this dress. It is exactly the type of vintage dresses I love. I love shirtdresses of any kind, I love the drape of the sleeves I love the cuff detail and the soft pleats on the skirt.

This dress was not a planned make this spring but I’m so happy I got to it and that I’ve finally finished it. Even better is that this counts as my first Vintage Pledge make of 2018.

To read full details about this dress please be sure to check out my blog http://akramsideas.com/vintage-simplicity-3580/

8 Comments

Colette Patterns, Penny Dress

By vintageontap on October 27, 2017

Vintage on Tap, Colette Penny dress with full tutorial | Vintage on Tap

Modern with retro flair! The Colette Penny was my last summer hoorah before I transitioned over to Fall and Winter pieces.

This particular October in San Francisco has been super warm, so I’ve gotten the opportunity to wear this dress more frequently than I anticipated!

The vintage-inspired selling points for me were the following:

The cummerbund (super 50s and I love how it looks like my waist is smaller than it is haha!)
The A-line skirt (flattering and very 40s in its simplicity)
Buttons all the way to the top (very vintage-office-chic)

The change I would probably recommend right off the bat is…

to add hooks, rather than snaps, to the cummerbund “belt”, especially since it ends right where your arm might pop off the belt (having the hooks there just makes more sense to me, anyway!)

More detailed photos, including a How to Sew video over on my website.

1 Comment

1940s | Dresses

McCalls 4769 with Contrast and Sleeves

By Akram Taghavi-Burris on July 26, 2016

Last month I participated in the McCall’s Shirtdress Sew-Along and shared my lovely make of McCalls 4769 .

I loved the dress and the wearable muslin so much I decided to make another version.

Akram's Ideas : McCalls 4769 — My latest version of McCalls 4769

This time I choose view D which included sleeves and contrasting elements.
My fabric choice was a pale pink cotton with little dark pink flowers on it. For the contrast I choose a dusty rose solid cotton.

I had to make some adjustments to the sleeve, but overall I really like the look of how this dress turned out.

While this may be a modern pattern I really like how I’ve managed to give it a more vintage 1940’s look.

To read more about my process for making this dress check out my blog Akram’s Ideas (http://akramsideas.com/another-mccalls-4769-shirtdress-sleeves/)

4 Comments

1940s | Dresses | Vintage Sewing

McCalls 4769 Shirtdress with Vintage Flare

By Akram Taghavi-Burris on June 30, 2016

Hello All,

I recently participated in the McCall’s Shirtdress Sew-Along and thought I’d share my project with everyone.

For this project I used McCalls 4769 pattern which I had in my stash, unfortunately it’s currently been discontinued.

Since it was the first time I made this dress, I decided to make a wearable muslin first.

Akram's Ideas: McCalls 4769 wearable muslin — The wearable muslin came out very nice

Once I was happy with the muslin I decided to make my final dress.

While the pattern was a modern one, I choose a floral purple print fabric and vintage buttons to give a vintage flare.

Akram's Ideas: McCalls 4769 final dress — I love the vintage look of the final dress

This pattern was a little tricky and I had to do some pattern grading to get it to fit right. Still I love how this dress came out.

To read more about my process for making this dress over on my blog Akram’s Ideas (http://akramsideas.com/shirtdress-mccalls-4769/)

2 Comments

1940s | Dresses | Vintage Sewing

1940s Summer Frock

By Dolly Creates on March 25, 2015

It’s great to be back on We Sew Retro again! I haven’t posted on here in months.

I have fallen deeply in love with 1940s styles, and have been sewing up bunches of them! I made this dress last week, and I just love it. The fabric is lightweight and just perfect for summer!! I used Butterick 5846 (a modern pattern that’s renowned for its vintage flair), and replaced the flared skirt with a gathered style.

Hop over to my blog for more details!