Sewing Retro

Taking a step right outside my comfort zone and for that matter my style zone!  I have completed my very first vintage sewing project - which I would never have attempted if it wasn't for the online sewing community.  Earlier in the month I revealed the pattern and fabric (read here) as my Fall for Cotton project.

I am really smitten by the bodice of this dress and in particular the neckline, which was really easy to sew BTW, just had to make a triangle when sewing the facing on to the dress and cut it out!

Don't you just love the stand-up collar!

I am SUPER happy with the dress and it's construction.  It feels fabulous to wear - fit and fabric.  Whilst the front and back sit directly on my waist I could have hitched up the sides a little more which would have  taken away the downward pulls you see.  My muslin was perfect, but I think my seams might have been out on the dress 'cause I used a french seam instead of the overlocker and I was a little afraid to overdo the seam as there wasn't much wiggle room in my muslin.

Soooo pretty!

The pattern didn't provide for a lining - it was a dress and a separate slip.  That didn't make sense to me because the dress was very fitting through to the waist but the slip was just straight up and down???  So I went about making my own lining (as ya do!).  The bodice has a sweetheart neckline in the front and straight across, just above the bra line in the back.

I love the purple lining :)

I inserted the lining before attaching the pockets so it is stabilised well in the front, caught by the armhole binding under the arm pit and tacked at the top of the darts in the back.  I didn't want any obvious stitch lines around the top of the lining to be visible from the outer shell of the dress.

can you faintly see the bottom of the lining?

The skirt lining, well that is just a duplicate of the skirt, but shorter!  I shortened the skirt pattern by a good 5".  I really like the finished length - both skirt hems are hand sewn with a catch-stitch.  Actually there is quite a bit of hand stitching: I hand basted the lining to the dress and continued as one; I hand stitched the sleeve bindings on the inside - I think machine stitching would have been too heavy; the bottom of the button placard is hand stitched down; I understitched the facing by hand, it would have been too fiddly with the machine, and I think it looks better by hand anyway.

Well, this isn't a dress that I see myself wearing, mainly because the fabric just isn't me, and I'm not sold on the skirt on me either.  I'll finish setting up my Esty store and sell it, so at least someone will appreciate and wear it.

More photos on my Flickr -->