Sewing for Sister, Part 2

Next on the make-Sis-a-new-wardrobe list was this dress, made from McCall’s 9000, a vintage 1967 pattern I happily found in the stash. I probably complained to Mom how ugly it was when she bought it a few years ago… 😛 But now vintage-style sewing is my new obsession. 🙂 If you decide to try the pattern for yourself, it’s for sale (in size 16) on eBay here.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Mostly, though I lengthened it considerably and some slight alterations had to be made for a better fit.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes, they were very easy, though they are written a bit differently than modern patterns – less detailed.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I like the look of the front yoke, and that it came together easily. I didn’t like that the dress without the belt seems to be rather shapeless and baggy, but I think that’s because my sister is quite petite.

Fabric Used:
Cotton calico.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
As mentioned, I lengthened the dress – it falls to just above her ankle. I also made 3/4 length sleeves instead of long, and finished them with a faux cuff of my own design. Since it wound up being a bit to big for her in some places, Mom had to tailor it to fit better (she’s much better at tailoring than I am.) and in the end, I think it turned out well. Also I made a simple belt with wide grosgrain ribbon and D-rings to define the shape and bring it in a bit more.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I think I’ll re-visit the pattern after she grows a bit more, as the style really does look nice on her, and she likes it very much as well.

Conclusion:
This was my first experience sewing with a vintage pattern, and I’m very pleased at how it all turned out. So pleased that I bought three more vintage patterns for Sis and two for myself. She is in that in-between age where she’s too old for little girl styles, yet doesn’t quite fit big girl sizes. She thinks that modern pattern styles in her size are rather ugly, but adores some of the vintage styles we’ve seen, so that’s what we’re going with! My favourite part of this particular dress is the ric-rac trim around the neckline, hem, and especially the little bit poking out of the cuff!

Sewing for Sister, Part 1

My little sister is growing taller by the day, it seems, and is therefore in need of some new clothes. I’ve been very inspired by various sewing blogs lately, and so after looking through our pattern and fabric stash, she and I chose what she’d like me to sew up for her.

I remembered a length of denim we have had for a long time. We got the whole piece at a yard sale for $1, and it wound up being about 4 yds and 60” nap.Though you can barely see them, there are largish roses printed on it as well. She chose a pattern for a half-circle skirt.

While locating the denim, we also came across a piece of burgundy/cranberry velvet that she loved, and it matched the roses perfectly. At first I wasn’t sure how to use it, but then I thought I would try to make a capelet. It took a bit of convincing, but she agreed. 🙂

******************************************************************************************************************************

For the skirt, I used Butterick Fast and Easy 3779.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Mostly, though I lengthened it considerably

Were the instructions easy to follow?
So easy I didn’t need them. 🙂

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I like that it is so easy to make – 4 seams with my adaptation of the waist. Nothing to dislike.

Fabric Used:
A heavy denim which gave it a nice drape.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
As mentioned, I lengthened the skirt considerably. Also, since my sister is so petite it is much easier to get a good fit around the waist when I make an elastic or drawstring casing. Though I’m not sure what this pattern had for the waistband since I didn’t even look at the instructions, I think it had a fitted band, gathers, and a side zipper. Instead, I sewed the seam all the way up and made a simple elastic casing.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Definitely.

Conclusion:
Like I said, this was very fast and easy, which is good for me because I’m sort of a lazy seamstress. 😛 In fact, since both the front and back pieces were the same, I simply doubled the fabric and pinned the front piece to both layers at once on the center fold. Yay for a good pair of scissors!

******************************************************************************************************************************

For the capelet, I followed this tutorial from Disney at Ruffles N Stuff. I made a few modifications – namely my rectangle was only 60” long instead of 66”, and instead of using ribbon to finish the edges and make the tie, I just hemmed the edges and made a wide bias from the velvet, then sewed two snaps on the band so it sort of crosses over. It was my first time working with velvet, and while I found it a little “slippery”, it wasn’t too bad.

Isn’t she lovely?