Home Sewing Tips from the 1920s - Adding a Cascading Drape to a Frock

Starting with your basic "plain dress" pattern as the foundation, this tip from Ruth Wyeth Spears illustrates 3 specific changes that you can make to add dash and elegance to your frock:

1. Long sleeves are lightly bell-shaped, then fastened snug to the wrists with snaps.
2. A narrow slot at the neckline front, with a contrast-colored vestee underneath.
3. Square pieces that are cut in a slope are added to the front skirt, creating a cascading drape.

Such inspiring style!

Will you sew yours in a "soft deep rose" and cream?

From the Summer of 65 - A Dress to Get Away from It All

This lovely dress from 1965 looks cool and inviting - perfect for your summer get-away!

Home Sewing Tips from the 1920s - Craft a Spray of Sweet Peas

Satin ribbons 1-1/2 inches wide in pastel colors turn into lovely sweet peas with this charming tip from Ruth Wyeth Spears and the 1920s. With the ribbon and some wire, you can make a quick and delightful spray for a Mother's Day corsage - the second Sunday in May is coming up soon, but you have time!

You can click or tap the image to enlarge it for easier reading.

The Art of 1920s Dressmaking - Choose a Becoming Color

This image is the frontispiece in the 1927 book "The Art of Dressmaking" published by Butterick. The image carries the caption "Selecting becoming colors as they do in Paris".  Does this sound familiar? If you've been reading Ruth Wyeth Spear's tips for home sewers of the 1920s, she frequently mentions the current fashion from Paris, whether it be color or some other detail of style. And of course, selecting the most flattering, or becoming, color was extremely important.

The book goes on to state that "in order to look well dressed, you must have your clothes accord with the season's lines". Clearly, Paris designers ruled!

Scraps from the Past and In Search of Style - Mad Men Party Dress!

This is a double jackpot in a pattern envelope: "Scraps from the Past" and a clipping that was "In Search of Style". :D

The Clipping: Found in the pattern was this 1963 clipping for (remarkably) another pattern! The mail order pattern illustrates a lovely full-skirted dress with a snug bodice, short French sleeves, drop-waist points, and a portrait collar.

The Pattern: Simplicity 2413

The Simplicity pattern is very close to the mail order pattern and a wonderful match. It has a snug bodice with extended points, drop waist, full skirt (in this case with soft box pleats), portrait collar (in this case with a notch in front and a pert fixed bow accent), and short French sleeves.

The Scrap: Based on the beautiful blue color of this scrap that was tucked in the envelope, I would venture to say that the sewer was inspired by the color of the illustration on the pattern. The fabric is a soft, winter-weight interlock jersey in a vivid blue color. It's easy to picture!

Spring & Summer 1965 - A Blue Belle

Blues are "in" this summer, so this wonderful dress from 1965 looks deliciously cool and perfect for today.

Home Sewing Tips from the 1920s - Updating a House Dress to an Afternoon Frock

Starting with a "straight dress pattern", Ruth Wyeth Spears walks you through easy steps to turn your simple house dress into a fashionable, flattering afternoon frock. She adds a bit of skirt fullness at the sides, cascading drapes, trailing fabric ribbons, and long sleeves. Just like that, an every-day frock is turned into a lovely one!

Note the fabric-covered buttons at the shoulders. Enjoy! And don't forget to click or tap the image to enlarge it for easier reading.