Spotted in a Shop Window - A Short Cape!

This cute short cape in extra large houndstooth was spotted in the window of Nordstrom's in downtown Seattle. I love the toggle closing. Sporty, fun fashion!

Home Sewing Tips from the 1920s - A Petal Collar for Your Evening Wrap

This sewing tip from Ruth Wyeth Spears and the 1920s adds a petal collar to a straight evening cape - a "luxury of the feminine wardrobe"! According to Ruth the collar is the most important part of the cape, and given the straight lines of these capes, I have to agree. :)

This tip includes a pattern for velvet petals that are sewn in tiers and create a soft, becoming frame for the face. 

Enjoy!

1950s Refashion - Another Fur Remodel Yields Cute Results

While this refashion involves a real fur coat, don't let that stop you from consider faux fur fabrics for a fun and very 1950s short coat!

The refashion started with an old "dyed beaver coney coat" that was out of style. For those not familiar with it, coney is another word for rabbit. :)

 

 

The coat was turned into this wonderful boxy topper, with easy fullness, a natural shoulder, and perfect for wearing anywhere! :)

 

Home Sewing Tips from the 1920s - The Straight Cape

It's another practical evening wrap, this time the 1920s version of the cape. Sewn of crepe satin, and trimmed with thin strip of fur at the base of the neck frill, this "tip" provides all the instructions you'll need to look "Great Gatsby" gorgeous and Flapper Era fabulous. Note how the neckline ruffle or frill is interlined with light canvas so that it stands up well. Thank you, Ruth Wyeth Spears!

asldkf

1950s Refashion - Fur Coat Remodeled into a Cape-Stole

While real fur coats are a current fashion heresy, nonetheless, they were definitely a sign of wealth and high fashion in the 1940s and 1950s (well, and in a lot of decades). In this 1950 refashion, a worn out fur coat from the 1940s or older (it's hard to tell) is remodeled into this chic cape-stole, using a Woman's Day 3269 sewing pattern. The pattern was especially designed for real fur and actually included a real furrier's needle (not easily available in those days).

Here is the "before", a short coat of caracul fur. The caracul is an Asian sheep with a dark, curled fleece when young. The coat is old and very worn, with not much good fur left. The cape-stole is the perfect pattern for using small amounts of short-haired fur worth saving.

I love the cape-stole result, whether made of real fur or faux. The tie closing is a lovely touch.

Home Sewing Tips from the 1920s - An Easy Evening Wrap with Corded Shirring

You need only 4 yards of velvet and the same amount of silk. Ruth Wyeth Spears describes how to turn all that yardage into this luxurious evening wrap . The shirred collar is extra warm, since it is shirred over cording then doubled over cotton padding and stitched. The wrap is also corded at the hip for a bloused effect.

This is one wrap this is, literally, wrapped around you, and simply held in place. That's 1920s evening elegance!

1950s Refashion - From an Old Skirt to a Fresh New Jerkin

Sewn without a pattern, this refashion begins with a skirt that has a fringed edge and ends with a jaunty tweed jerkin.

And what is a jerkin? Originally worn only by men back in the 1500s through the 1800s, it is a sleeveless and collarless short jacket worn by men or women, often with extended shoulders. It is an item that seems to have morphed into the vest or sleeveless pullover in today's terms. In any case, in the 1940s and 1950s, they were popular, and typically considered for casual wear.

Check out how this refashion was done!

The jerkin is cut in a single piece from the seamless skirt, wide enough to extend beyond the shoulders and long enough to fit from front to back hip over the shoulders.

The piece was then cut across the shoulder line, with the back slightly longer than the front. Shoulder seams were sewn in a sloping line. The neckline was rounded and a short stand collar added. A neckline slit was made at center front and faced with scraps.

Darts were added at the waistline for a neater fit. Bias binding was stitched to the side edges, then turned under and hemmed.

The belt was created from the skirt waistband, which had the button and buttonhole removed, the open side and ends re-stitched, and a buckled added.

Nifty, neat fashion that looks cute to me!