Scraps from the Past: Toddler Coat in Sunny Corduroy

I so enjoy finding fabric scraps tucked into vintage sewing patterns. They provide a window into popular fabric trends to match the vintage pattern style itself.

The pattern: This pattern for an adorable dress, coat, and cap for a toddler just begs to be sewn. It is easy to imagine these fetching items from Simplicity 3807 and 1951 in any number of fabrics and colors. It's very inspiring!

The scrap: A small scrap of a very fine pinwale corduroy was included in this pattern. It is a soft fabric, and a warm color, perfect for spring. Certainly the fabric was used for the coat and hopefully for the hat. It does make one wonder, though - what fabric did they use for the dress? 

Easter Hats from March 1949

A new Easter hat is the perfect accent for your new Easter dress or suit. Which one of these lovely hats from March 1949 would you pick?

 A woven powder-pink straw - perfect for a dark spring suit and and small, piquant face.

  

A cherry-red straw hat with iridescent ribbon pouf, side-dipped brim to frame the face.

 

A youthful helmet cloche of fine straw braid and winged with two tiny brilliant feather birds.

 The perennial sailor in a soft rich coffee straw - perfect with a tailored suit.

 A cartwheel hat the color of toast, with a gently rolled brim, head-fitting crown, and soft leaf-green trim - it's a delicately flattering hat when you are dressing up.

This enchanting off-the-face bonnet combines purple and pink.

March 1949 - Easter Bonnets for Every Face!

From March 1949 comes advice on the right hat for your face shape. If you are lucky enough to have an oval face, like the beauty above, then you can wear any style and shape of hat.

If you have a long face, a bonnet with a broken crown will cut the height of forehead, and a deep crown helps hide the depth of your head. You can also wear a large-brimmed hat, providing the brim dips. Don't wear a high crown or a tiny hat.

Balance a triangular face with a thick-edged bonnet, which emphasizes the heart-shaped look.You can also wear a slanted pillbox set slightly back, or a small beret.

If your face is round, the hat line should be broken  at the side. A deep crown is a good balance, and a tiny brim frames the face. You can also wear a deep-crowned hat, a one-sided toque, or a bonnet with a high curving brim.

For the square face, try a smallish sailor with a flower-filled brim to balance the width of the cheekbones. A rolling brim with a profile line, a tilted, draped turban, or a beret angled to one side are also good.