Before and After: Adorable Toddler Dress & Bolero for Valentine's Day

Not too long ago I included a charming toddler dress & bolero pattern in a "Scraps from the Past" post, and now it returns as a "Before and After". Some patterns are just that good! I sold the pattern to an amazing customer who quickly whipped up an adorable ensemble for her toddler daughter. Here are the results.

Before

The pattern: Simplicity 1149 (1950s)

After

The results: It's divine, it's sublime! It's a little dress and bolero, befrilled, beribboned, and perfect for Valentine's Day! The sewist, Beth, made the dress for her daughter, who is the model in all these pictures. Note the lace trim and the addition of the heart shaped pockets on both the dress and bolero. Her accessories (hair bow, marvelous red shoes, and lace-trimmed socks) complete the ensemble perfectly. 

Have you fallen in love with the outfit? Have you fallen in love with this darling toddler? (Move over, Shirley Temple!) Do you love mid-century fashion and style? If you said yes to any of these, you definitely want to check out the marvelous Rosie scarves, Rosie bow barrettes, and fabric bags and purses that Beth sews and sells online. Be sure to visit:

• Her Etsy shop DollyValentine 
• Her website www.dungareedolly.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DungareeDolly
• Instagram: @dungareedolly (where she occasionally sells baby outfits and accessories)
• Instagram: @lovedbylibby (where you can occasionally purchase the handmedowns)

You are in for a treat! And thanks to Beth for sharing her pictures!

Before and After: Double Duty from a Single Remnant!

It has been a while since I last posted a "Before and After", and this is a marvelous one! My customer Mark McNulty (Irish fashion designer and illustrator extraordinaire!) got great mileage from two patterns and a single remnant of fabric for 4 Euro!

The Pattern: Simplicity 2895 (1940s)

The Results: With this pattern and the fabric remnant, Mark made a beautiful dress for his younger sister. I love it! The swirly, twirly ballerina length is perfect.

It wasn't a perfect fit, though, for his sister, who is 6'1" (and looks like a fashion model, don't you think?). So he took a pattern from the 1960s and was determined to re-purpose the fabric into a jacket! 


The Pattern: McCall's 7593 (1960s)

The Results: He says, "I absolutely fried my brain trying to lay out the pieces of the fabric and trying to get the patterns to match for this sprig little blazer. After a lot of pulling hair, it worked and i even got two cute little bias cut pockets into it too!" I love the lapel pin - adds a dash of class!

Pocket close-up (I think making the pockets bias-cut was totally inspired):

Neat use of hooks-and-eyes make for a slim closing:

Mark, as always, is inspired by fashion. You can see a post about a recent winning illustration of his here. And if you are on Instagram, you can follow him here.

Before and After: 1950s Shortie Pyjamas Become Delightful Dance Costume!

This is a happy story to relate, in which a professional dance costume sewist (name: Helen) is asked to create a vintage pyjama costume for a dance contest. Happily for me, she turned to my shop on Etsy, Midvale Cottage,  and purchased this charming pattern, Advance 7803 from the mid-1950s.

The drama was in the shipping. She lives in the UK, I live in Seattle. It was New Year's Eve and she needed it ASAP but without costing more than she could charge for the finished product! Needless to say, she got it in time to sew it for her client. Hurray!

And here is the absolutely adorable costume that she sewed for her client. You can see that she sewed view 2. I love the choice of fabric, it is perfect for this vintage outfit. And the pom-pom trim makes it super-cute!

To see more photos of these pyjamas, her client's feedback, and more of her costumes for dance recitals and performances, visit her website: Dance Festival Costumes. Kudos to Helen on a wonderful result, and many thanks for sharing her pictures!

Before and After: 1940s Pants Add Class to Work Wardrobe

If you are not familiar with the blog Flashback Summer (of vintage fashion aficionado Emileigh), you need to check it out and follow it! In a recent post, Emileigh kindly described her experience sewing a pair of 1940s slacks using a pattern that she purchased from my shop.

The Pattern: Simplicity 4362

The Result: Doesn't Emileigh look superb in these sophisticated slacks? A flattering fit for work, the slacks look both stylish and comfortable. And not difficult to sew! For all the details and more pictures, check out  Flashback Summer.

Before and After: 1950s Robe Goes 1940s in Sew For Victory 2014 Project

This inspiring "Before and After" is courtesy of Emileigh, who loves vintage fashion. She purchased a robe pattern from my shop for one of two items that she sewed for the "Sew for Victory 2.0 sew-along challenge. For those of you not familiar with this sew-along, it focuses on sewing 1940s fashion, so be sure to visit and look at all the wonderful 1940s outfits. But before you do, check out this wonderful sewing project - it's so impressive!

The Pattern: Vogue 9834 (1950s)

The Result: Deluxe 1940s plush robe trimmed with hand embroidery.

Looking so authentically 1940s, Emileigh Mimi did an amazing job converting Vogue 9834 into a 1940s plush robe, using a green panne velvet. She even embroidered her initials on the pocket - such beautiful handwork! And I adore the hand embroidery trimming the collar, cuffs, and back of the robe (yes, the back too!). The only key changes that Emileigh made to the pattern were to change the sleeves to bishop sleeves (beautifully gathered to slim cuffs), add shoulder pads to add width across the shoulders for a truer 1940s look, and add fringe to the ends of the tie belt.

You can read all the details about Emileigh's adventures with this sewing project on her blog, Flashback Summer. Be sure to also read about her other project for Sew for Victory 2014, which is equally fabulous. And be sure to follow her on Bloglovin. As an aside, don't you think she looks quite like Bette Davis, movie star of the 30s & 40s? I mean, really.

Before and After: Vintage Patterns Inspire Student Designer

This "Before and After" is a special one - and so exciting!!

The Trinity Fashion Society (of Trinity College Dublin, Ireland) hosted its annual catwalk event on March 19. One of the organizers was a good friend of the sister of Mark McNulty, who is a customer of my Etsy shop. This organizer offered Mark a chance to make some things for the show. So he purchased several patterns from my shop and modified them for the show. Here is his story. To read more about the fashion show (which mentions "design prodigy Mark McNulty who is a secondary school student" - wow!!), check out this University Times story.

Mark says: "I find vintage fashion has always influenced me. For my outfits, I wanted to have vintage silhouettes but with a twist. I wanted to mix the classic retro look with 90s grunge, so I went for sophisticated, sexy, smokey colours.

Pattern: Butterick 7956 (1950s) 

The Result: Dreamy strapless evening gown in soft, warm black velvet.
 

 

Mark says: "I made the skirt bigger than the pattern and added more fabric to the back to give it a small train. The black velvet was difficult to sew as it was so so so stretchy and I used it for a very structured piece. The dress called for thin sewn-in boning, but I made a built-in corset with steel boning to really hold it up and hold the wearer in. A self-drafted petticoat was also made, though I do regret it as I don't particularly like it;  but ah well.  

Pattern: Simplicity 2170 (1940s) 

The Result: A hot little dress with attitude!

Mark says: "For this green dress, I used the ice skater dress pattern. I altered it, making it less broad at the shoulders, took in the sleeves and waist considerably, and then added 2 inches to each gore of the skirt to give it more volume. I chose a crushed bottle green velvet that really brought that rocker touch to the dress. The extra fabric on each gore really added so much oompf to the dress when it was on the catwalk."

Pattern: McCall's 7002 (1960s)

The Result: A sexy, slim sheath - fabulous! It doesn't hurt that Mark's sister is gorgeous. :)

Mark says: "I made this black dress for my sister, using the ends of the fabric from the black formal gown. She wore it to her friend's 21st birthday the other day. Even in this dress you can see the 90s grunge influence, with the dark lips and smokey eyes."

What can I say? Fantastic results and congratulations, Mark!!

Before and After Hit Parade: Groovy 1970s Caftan Goes Tropical!

Seamstress: Jem
Pattern: Simplicity 5900

This fab caftan from 1973 features an empire waist and beautiful, flowing style. It's a "Jiffy" to sew pattern that doesn't sacrifice great style. It's the sort of pattern that shows off fabric to great effect.

The Result: And here is Jem's great result, hand-sewn in a gorgeous tropical print, full of colorful parrots. Looks fabulous, doesn't it? And yes, that is not a typo, Jem did not use a sewing machine, she actually hand-sewed each seam. Amazing!

 

You can view Jem's blog post about this sewing effort here: Seven Minutes in Heaven. Be sure to also visit the Etsy shop that she runs with Nicki,  Seven Minutes in Heaven, where they sell groovy clothing items from the Mod era of the late 1960s and the 1970s. Girls after my own heart. :)

Before and After Hit Parade - 1950s Girl's Dress Hits the Stage!

Seamstress: Rachel Danay - Lincoln Community Playhouse
Pattern: Butterick 7009

This adorable girl's dress from 1954 was purchased by Rachel to sew as a costume for a community theatre production of The Bad Seed. Isn't that exciting?! She's been working hard to have as much ready as possible by Oct 20.

And here is the dress, which is terrific and looks great on this young actress! This fabulous photo is the work of Bronson Gierhan of Lincoln Community Playhouse, and following it is the show's awesome poster. So if you are in Lincoln, Nebraska later this month, be sure to enjoy the performance (it's a drama mystery/thriller), and enjoy the vintage costumes, sewn by Rachel!. :)

Before and After Hit Parade: Cute 1940s Summer Frock

Seamstress: Emily in Australia
Pattern: Du Barry 5833

Here is the pattern, Du Barry 5833, from 1944 and the war years. Such a classic style, this frock has a swing skirt, square neckline, and a lightly bloused bodice with short sleeves and the option to go sleeveless:

The result:

Emily picked a gorgeous color for this frock, and is true to the short-sleeve version. Lovely flare and a perfect length. So flattering, and a lovely result! And I think I spy her cat (named Lamp) in the mirror! ;). Speaking of her cat, Emily has her own shop on Etsy, Lamp's Little Luxuries, where she sells beautiful hand-knitted accessories, so be sure to check it out!

Before and After Hit Parade: 1970s Bride - It's Me!

Seamstress: Me!
Pattern: McCall's 2701 from 1970

In the early 1970s, there were strong folk and country influences in fashion and the wedding gown featured in McCall's 2701 from 1970 is a great example.

The Results: I liked it so well, I chose it for my wedding in June 1971! :D Don't I look young? I was 21, honest!

I chose view A, with the lace-trimmed stand collar and lace-trimmed cuffs on the long bishop sleeves. I sewed a self-fabric tie belt that I tied in front at empire waistline. I chose to trim the center bodice front with lace ruffles as well.

As you can see, I followed view A pretty closely. White dotted swiss was my choice for the fabric, and the veil was my "something borrowed" from a best friend. Can you guess how much I spent on fabric and notions for this wedding gown? $6.00!! Amazing.

Before and After Hit Parade: Girl's 1940s Wartime Frock - Reliving History!

Seamstress: Jan
Pattern: Butterick 3488

This adorable frock from 1945 for a girl is totally adorable and the story of Jan's sewing project is simply brilliant! Jan sewed the frock in view B for her 11 year old daughter to wear to school for WWII day as part of their history/English curriculum. Check out the results!

 The result:

Look closely at these two photographs of her daughter, Georgia, in the frock - complete with other wartime accessories (gas mask box and small suitcase).

Jan wrote "An elderly gentleman who was a guest speaker at the WWII school event (he had lived through the war) approached my daughter and I to express his admiration for her outfit and I quote "if there was a prize for the most authentic look this little girl will get it. The other children have made a half way attempt but this little girl is in a league of her own". I then went on to explain I had made the dress from an original 1940s pattern which I'd purchased from the US.

My daughter's form teacher has taken a photocopy of the pattern together with a photo of Georgia in the dress and these will be exhibited along with other WWII items in their end of year celebration."

Isn't that awesome?!! Jan's beautiful daughter looks fantastic, like she just stepped out of a World War II movie. I love the fabric, the contrast collar and contrast wing cuffs (so authentic!). The accessories of beret, knee-high socks, the name tag, vintage suitcase, and gas mask box (omg!) all add up to a totally authentic look. Kudos to Jan for a fabulous and inspired job!

Before and After Hit Parade: 1960s Winter Hats - Cool Fashion!

Seamstress: Michelle
Pattern: Simplicity 7326

This pattern for hats from 1967 provides both a very Mod turban-style pill box hat and beret with some saucy variations. How can you beat that combination? Seamstress Michelle chose to sew view 1.

The Results:

Don't you just love it?! What a totally charming result. Bright braid trim on a thick white wool adds up to a cute and winter wonderful look. Michelle says that she chose a "white wool that had a lot of tooth and was also pre-washed for more felting.  I also did a polartec hood from that pattern which I've worn quite a bit too."

Michelle loves to sew, although she states that she does not sew professionally, just for family and friends. She especially loves sewing vintage 40s and 50s fashion, and thinks it's too bad more women don't sew. She is becoming quite a collector of vintage patterns, so expect more of her work to appear here.

Before and After Hit Parade: 1960s Wrap Skirts Revisited

Seamstress: Rachel

Pattern: Simplicity 5385

True to her word, Rachel, who had commented on my previous post about wrap skirts (The Ever Popular Wrap Skirt - 1960s Style), sewed the following classic 60s wrap skirt and wrote about the project in her blog, The Jacobite Rose.

The results are fab! Rachel chose a poly-cotton blend, twill, bottom-weight fabric because it was sturdy and casual. It also had the bonus of helping maintain the A-line shape. Isn't that a beautiful blue?

I agree with Rachel, that the pockets look wonderful, and the length is perfect too. It's a great look, front and back!

Be sure to check Rachel's post, because she includes some great tips about sewing a wrap skirt that she learned during this sewing project.

And you'll definitely want to follow Rachel's blog, because she loves sewing vintage patterns, knitting vintage, .... and more!

Before and After Hit Parade - 1930s Girl's Overalls - Retro Romper

Seamstress: Elizabeth
Pattern: Du Barry 2259B

Almost a year ago, Elizabeth sewed up this cute pair of overalls for her adorable and fashionable daughter. Dating from the late 1930s, it's classic cute sportswear!

The Result:: Created in a somewhat stretchy denim with eye-popping bright colors straight from the late 1960s - early 1970s, this pair of overalls is easy-care fashion that Felicity loved wearing! Didn't it turn out great? Of course, it doesn't hurt that Felicity makes such a superb model, right?

 

Check out Elizabeth's blog Peanut Butter Macrame to read all the details of her struggles with sizing this pattern for her growing daughter, as well as her current sewing accomplishments!