Weekend Homework

After months of drafting aimlessly I have finally managed to get enough patterns that I am prepared to make a choice. There is something about vast choice that drives me into action, maybe the feeling of accomplishment I get from actually making a decision...
So about that...
I couldn't be completely sure that I would be successful, what with the fact that although I think I have been very clever with these patterns, I don't trust myself to have done everything correctly. So instead of just choosing one pattern, I chose 4 from the 50s magazines and one from a new Burda Style magazine that I couldn't stop myself from buying the other day.
I figure that out of the four at least one will be worn/liked/fit.
I bought a great deal of material, some while in a state of catatonia, which leaves me feeling slightly uneasy, as the post war frugal housewife in me knows that I will force myself to wear whatever contorted concoctions I create. I am not so much worried for myself (I will simply smile with a hint of sarcastic depreciation when people snicker at my poor choice in material and dress), but I worry about the social advancement of my children when their mother turns up at Kindy or School dressed in clothes that suggest the wearer belongs in an institution.
Well, I must not love them enough because I am going to sew and wear the damn things anyway.
Very excited about the sewing part... just need to bolster up the energy supplies and force myself to clean off the table and get out the sewing paraphernalia.
I will attempt to remember to take photos as I go, especially of the tricky dress with weird pockets.

And here are the pictures of what these things are meant to look like (in order from right to left):
Duffel for a 3 year old (1955)
Einfaches Waschkleid (simple cotton dress- 1956)
Durchgehend geknopftes Kleid (continuously buttoned dress - 1958)
Jersey-Blusen fur des ubergang (Jersey-Blouse for the Junction??-1955)

Material choices

Here is the material I am considering for a back panel (one of the four back panels I expect the gown to have. Then for the body I would love to use an enzyme washed linen, but can't find one in the right colour, some other plain linen here and here are possible choices, but I might have to downgrade to cotton, just not looking forward to driving around from shop to shop in search of just the right colour. And I guess I have to make a firm decision on the interloper panel material before choosing the major body material.

If I get time I would dearly love to print some of the lining cotton with line drawings by her prolific daughters so that every time she looks at her dressing gown before putting it on she sees them inside, but as a private thing just for her as no-one else would see the lining. Also I think it would be lovely to be reminded each morning just how wonderful your kids are (just before one starts the daily noise and argument).

At the bum I have decided to go for more of a bustle than a traditional kimono knot. Like this because I have always had a soft spot for bustles.

My imagination runs wild when I think of the possibilities, but I know in the end this will be a fairly simple gown without many of the flourishes that I would love it to have.. and even now I am not sure that the painted bits described in my previous blog will be included, but then I wonder if that is just because I'm a bit scared of doing it wrong, so I probably need to sit down and experiment a little.
The other thing I wonder about is if I should use a lightly patterned material for the bulk of the gown instead of a block colour.

And then after all that I catch a glimpse of the beautiful untailored draping kimono type dressing gowns of the 1800's and think "Stuff it all, I'll just sew four seams and be done with it". AAAARRRGGHHH!! It would probably look more classically classy and be a lot less work.... Maybe I'll do one of those too so she can say thanks for the crazy construction but secretly put it somewhere "safe" while she wears the simpler one.

There are some basic shots of the trial version Here and in the end I used pattern pieces from a "Kittelschurze" (directly translated "smock apron" I think it is a house jacket) in Beyer Mode 1955.

Lots of work still to do!

Cheers,
Softly Slowly

Kimono Dressing Gown

I have decided to make a Kimono dressing gown as a birthday present for a friend based on some of the wonderful material (Matisse especially) often used in the Ballet Russes costumes and a great 1960's dressing gown I inherited from my grandmother. This book set my heart alight, more of the exhibition here. I love the way they sometimes embroidered, and then without warning gave it all up and just painted a quick wash of colour to imitate the detailed embroidery/applique. My friend loves colour (I hope) so I'm now on the search for a medium weight soft cotton fabric in light burnt yellow. Then around the bottom hem, the lower arms and a little on the collar I am thinking to applique circles of a fancier material (patterned or not, and paint smooth, thick and uncaring petals (or some such) around them... something in this line although what I have described is a direct rip off of one of the Ballet Russes costumes. We will think more on this.
With a little look in from this but without quite so much organisation. I love the opulence of this design, especially the back (fitted coat style rather than a big rectangular block of material). But mostly it is the arms that get me.... My friend is a mother of four so I have to make the thing useful (and long long floppy arms are never useful) but I might put a false drop from the back of the elbow imitating this... on the other hand I might not, it is a bit chintzy.
Etsy Ireland also has a great simple pattern which I will probably use as a base. But for the back I'll steal from a dress or coat pattern.
For the front I will depart from the traditional Kimono look of a criss cross V neck and aim for a somewhat square collar (dress shirt style but a bit more relaxed) and keep the wide collar round the neck to just below the hips. For a tie at the waist I will attach a wide belt across the back with a bastardised version of a straight kimono flat knot sewn on through to the waistline and probably give it a velcro closure at the front to hold the line. I say probably because velcro can be pretty solid and dressing gowns are made to crunch up in. I would hate for her waist to feel uncomfortable every time she bends over.
More soon,
Softly Slowly

Fifties knew it

I have finally managed to make something from the 1956 Burda magazine. It is a very simple "sommerbluse"... summer blouse/short sleeved shirt. Four piece pattern with a rounded collar and 4 buttons. I used an offcut that I bought for $2 at the local material shop because I wasn't sure if the pattern would work to my satisfaction. As it turns out, it does and I wish I had used nicer material.
Essentially this is an easy shirt to make. There are no sleeves to attach, which always makes me breath a great sigh of relief. There is some shirring or gathering at the shoulders, but in the end (with the help of a huge number of pins) this wasn't really an issue either. I did a dumb girls collar, in that I just found a way for it to fit regardless of the intent of design and sewed it over rather than doing anything by hand. Here is the youtube tutorial I watched (without sound because it is awful) and the very detailed instructions from the same in html format (that I only followed in part), so I know how to do it right but it's so nice knowing that I know, whilst not doing it "correctly".
I'm (177cm tall, 81kg... yes yes yes I am coming down from a 30kg baby gain) probably somewhere between a 12 and 14 AUS on top from the shops, and the 44 fits comfortably. From now on I'll go to the size 42 or cut the 44 with a small seam allowance (I went for 10 to 15mm). I have an image of the magazine shirt, however something went wrong with the PDF save originally so I'll have to upload it later, but the shirt I made is photographed above and here alongside the as yet unmade other items from the 1956 April Burdamodern magazine.

More to follow soon I hope. This was a fun exercise, lets hope the rest follow suit.

softly slowly.

Right.

Very bad at this these days. So this is a diary entry.

I have drawn up two patterns that I am keen to make and I think I know what material I'm going to use. But then my mother in law who is staying with us for two months, decided that she would help us out by making curtains for us.... As it turns out I have no love for thinking of curtains. Third shop in (with both of us failing... sun setting on the whole idea) we literally walked into a pre-made curtain sale. 34metres of ready to go curtain on the bolt later we walked away with giggly smiles on our faces. Me because I didn't have to pay a gross amount for curtains I don't think we really need, she because she knew she wouldn't have to sit at a sewing machine for 30 hours sewing seemingly endless lines of sew.
Best thing ever. $40 a metre ready made curtains for $8 a metre. And while I was at it I got some material to cover the armchairs used by the boys.
Nice day.

Softly Slowly

Free Vintage Patterns

I have recently discovered that there are complete pattern magazines around. VERY EXCITED.

So I have started with the stash that was left on a friends doorstep and am attempting to collect more. I am scanning them as PDF's and posting them here as they are done. Please go have a look.
Most of the magazines I will upload have all of their pattern sheets available, some only half and others none (but they are too good not to see and share).

Unfortunately the pattern sheets are a crazy mess of lines, many are semi cut by previous owners and all are yellowed and printed on rough, old paper. Scanning the patterns at least gives an unbroken image, but it is almost impossible to draft patterns from them as they are very yellowed and a colour printout is required as the patterns lines are in assorted colours. As my other life involves CAD engineering work I am able to draft basic patterns from the PDF's fairly quickly so at some point soon I will start selling the patterns. The drafting might be quick but scanning, collating and organising the magazines and pattern pages takes a great deal of time.

For a short while (say 6 months from todays date) I will draft patterns of your choosing; one pattern at a time, with the pattern posted to you almost free. All I ask in return is a photograph of the finished product. Today is the 23rd of May. I have had no requests yet, but I work full time, so if I get too many requests (hahaha) it may take a while, and I may decide to ask for postage...

Please tell any people you know who might be interested in 50's/vintage clothing to go and have a look. Most of the patterns seem relatively simple for a medium level sewer. The instructions are in German but that is what Google translate is for (the instructions are very short which is why it is best to have some knowledge of making clothes before you make these seemingly simple clothes).

Here is the address again: http://issuu.com/retropatternmags

I hope you take me up on my offer.
Cheers,
Softly Slowly

KCWC Day 1

The strangest thing happened today.

I wasn't ready... yes, shock horror, it is true!

I did manage to cut out the leather for the shoes my baby desperately needs. YAY... but I thought I should use extra thick thread (which I don't have) so I didn't continue... now decided that I won't bother with the thick thread and will just use nice new normal thread and be careful.

Life always gets really interesting just when you think it might get a little bit interesting. So working full time, studying at uni and caring for three boys, cleaning the house for a house inspection with my mother in law arriving from the Netherlands and me wanting to find time to catch up with a beloved friend, didn't help my attempts to be a seamstress extraordinaire.

Plus we ran out of blankets (god knows how, we have so many) and my eldest son decided to take the three metres of tracksuit pant material (which I thought I bought to make them sleep-ware) to use as a blanket... I suppose it is sleep-ware after all!

But I have plans for pyjamas, track pants, baby shoes, airman hat and boy drawn freezer paper prints to differentiate the track pants. At the moment I like actively thinking about what I am going to do more than I am actively doing, but here's hoping....

Here is my flickr address for those who have any interest in the materials I hope to use in the near future...