Star Trek Inspired Vintage Vogue Pattern Dress

   

Brand - Vogue 2065

Year - Mid 1960's

Designer - Fabrini of Italy

After seeing the awesome costumes in this past summer's Star Trek movie, (I was probably the only person in the audience looking at seaming and closures!) I was inspired to make this dress.  As with a lot of these sixties dresses, the opportunities to play with the graphics and the cool seaming really lend themselves to using the fabric in an unconventional way. There was no way was I making this dress from one solid fabric!  I chose a royal blue and black patterned woven jacquard that was matte on one side and shiny on the reverse. It felt like a home furnishings textile rather then a dress fabric. One side reads as blue and the other as black. All those 2D design classes really paid off when working out the optimum design layout.  It was interesting that there were no side seams- the center front piece wraps around to the back and the bib part is an overlay on a fitted piece underneath. 

   

 These A-line dresses run very full, and I removed the excess fabric from the center front piece and created two darts for a better, sleeker fit. This looks more modern then the gathers, as does the lowered neckline. The necklines in vintage patterns are so high they are practically impossible to wear.  During the practice muslin I lined up those darts to the underpanel sides. I created the under bodice piece from a lightweight fabric (instead of the fashion fabric) to reduce bulk. The element of surprise in the back is important and adds fun, so the reverse fabric is prominent in the back. One mistake I will not make again, is neglecting to fit the short sleeve in the muslin. The sleeve ended up being so huge in the shoulder and arm that almost two inches had to be removed from the whole shoulder to underarm circumference.  This is a hassle to do after the sleeve is all finished and I now know that even if it looks right it may be way off.

                                        

The pattern called for the bib to be sewn down, but I left it separate, choosing to play up the fact that it was a separate piece that creates a prominent horizontal line caused by the shadow of it being  away from the body.  The bib is secured by two vintage buttons from the same era as the pattern. I actually found them in an old sewing box that was bequeathed to me. It's great when what you need magically appears among your belongings.
As usual, my cat feels the need to participate in all activities.

  

This is the front and back views of the dress showing the reversing of the fabric and the design of the bib.

  

The side panel is actually the front piece that wraps around.  This pattern was a lot of fun to make and still looks fun, fresh and youthful over 60 years after it was designed.

Short sleeved striped mens shirt

Brand - Simplicity 5048

Year - 1972

Designer - NA

These guys are great! They just scream 70's sleaze.  It seems silly to spend the time making a men's shirt, but if you want something truly eye-catching, custom is the way to go.  Once you've made one shirt slowly, they go fast. Shirts are a three day project and it really pays to stop and fit  Don't be intimidated, this is actually a lot easier then a lot of womens wear, although every collar gets ripped out at least twice before all the pieces line up and lay perfectly. We were looking for a nautical effect and Adam actually picked out this red and navy striped cotton himself. I love to play with the stripes to achieve maximum effect, contrasting the angles of the diagonal and hi-lighting the button placket. I lined up the pockets to render them invisible and just left the flap for contrast, it was just to loud otherwise. I also top stitch at 1/8" or 1/16" not the 1/4" which looks dated sometimes.

  Fitting him is always a challenge, so I leave large seam allowances for adjustment and add a couple of inches to the bottom length in case the pattern runs short.  Adam doesn't perform the human pincushion act but he was a sport getting pinned up for fittings.  The shoulder had a drop that looked off so I raised the shoulder line an inch which greatly improved the shoulder line.  I always taper the short sleeve cuff to avoid the dreaded "office worker look" and here about 3" was removed from the bottom width.  The giant collar was made smaller, he's not in the cast of "Threes Company" although the Mister Farley neckerchief is tempting.. 

This is the layout of the pieces, my cat never misses a chance to roll around on them!

This is the shirt pin basted  I like to check how the pattern works 

The bias placket with button holes marked, I used vintage white pearl buttons for contrast.

           

fitting

Ready to rock!

                           

            

        

Sometimes a package from a stranger can change your life. Over twenty years ago, I received an e-mail (on the very primitive Prodigy network) from an elderly dressmaker, asking me if I wanted some patterns. A few days later, ten cartons arrived at my house. Her collection of dress patterns spanned from the 1940's to the 1970's. These patterns afforded me all the things I loved about vintage clothing with the option to customize the clothes for my needs. I freely take inspiration from the major style elements and interesting seaming and combine them with current fabrics and trends for a fresh look. I hope you are as inspired as I am!

Here are a few projects I have been working on...

Brand: Vogue Americana
Year: 1965
Designer: Chuck Howard

I am always intrigued by seaming that works in the round, where the design starts in the front and continues to create a surprise in the back! I found this reversible patterned fabric and thought it would be fun to experiment with. To create a more modern styling, the A-line dresses have been narrowed in the side-seams. I also added the pockets. (Pockets are always great if they enhance both comfort and design). The slight dip in the back waist seam is very flattering and something I rarely see anymore.

             

    

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Brand: Simplicity
Year: 1967
Designer: NA

Here is a "Jiffy" Simplicity dress from 1967 . I hate to chop up a large print , so a three piece pattern is perfect! The diagonal waist to bust darts are  really a great easy way to size a pattern down (this started out very big). I take my cues from the textile print, and traded the high jewel neckline for a lower square one which I felt worked better. I also added a contrasting red zipper in the back, for a fun effect. The high armhole and smaller sleeve cap in vintage patterns makes a big difference from more modern clothing patterns.
              

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Brand: Butterick
Year: 1960's
Designer: NA

Once again I  found a pattern with wrap around seaming!  This is an undated Butterick pattern from the 60's. I consider it a challenge to accentuate the creative seaming with a fun textile choice We picked a purple and black houndstooth cotton and a black contrasting fabric. It does take time to figure out which fabric goes where.  I extended the curve line to create the black triangular piece on the back.  This pattern has great potential and would be fun to make in various combinations for different effects. The large vintage black buttons on the neck become an accessory themselves. The 3/4 length sleeve is very trendy now as is the color blocking. Eliza loved the idea of two different colored sleeves.
              

                     

 

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This is a real Mad Men suit with a lot of modern whimsy! The textile is a rayon faille and I was lucky to get the small giraffe print and the solid brown in the exact fabric. I can't resist playing with the patterning  ( I was also short on fabric) so I sliced the sleeve pattern up and inserted the print down the center. I also added to the bottom of the skirt  both to lengthen it and to add a decorative element.  In keeping with the animal theme, the closure is a natural horn button.

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Brand: Simplicity
Year: Early 1960's
Designer: NA

Here is your classic early 1960's day dress updated for a modern yet retro look. I needed a fish themed fabric for a Coney Island event and found this great cotton with an Asian carp print. The collar and sash are black taffeta for an evening look. I was inspired by the print and wanted an obi type belt so I made it much longer and wider then the pattern called for, and added an 8" fringe on the bottom. I also eliminated one of the waist darts for a blousier look, and put two hidden snaps instead of buttons for a top closure. It's always a hassle having closures on the front and the side, and since there was a center front seam anyway, I put a 4" waistline zipper there.The zipper is almost completely hidden by the sash and getting dressed is a lot easier!