Makeover Dolphin Dance Outfit

The past few weeks have been so full, so guys, I think I'm going to have to accept the fact that over the summer I won't be sewing nearly as much as I was earlier this year. I keep thinking "today I'll sew!" But I never do. I haven't really been inspired to sew lately, either. Our reenacting wardrobes are okay for now and nothing pressing is coming up.

Yes, she picks out her clothes herself. I would never have guessed
just how beautiful hot pink and black plaid is with a fuzzy black leopard
print vest with black vinyl frog closures. 

I did take about an hour lately to remake a few things I've had sitting around. For starters, I've had this. . .thing. . .for over a year. It was given to me with a bunch of other things when my neighbor moved away a while ago and I thought I could make it into some sort of Halloween costume. Yeah. . .no. But the quality of the fabric, the construction and the fit were all great! So I held onto it. 

It was a good candidate for a remake! Now, don't laugh but over the last year I've started to really get into belly dance. At first it was just a fun little break for the days I do not work out with a kettlebell but now I love it for itself; it's so relaxing, liberating and just a beautiful celebration of being a woman. It has really benefited me physically and mentally. I sure know I needed a pick up after recovering from my last c section and this has provided that and more. And the black bodysuit of perpetual ugliness was destined to become a belly dance outfit. 

It was so easy and quick. The top was just cut off below the bust. The blingy edges of the slit bell bottom pants I sewed into a band for under the bust. Once the band was attached I put 2 hooks at the back to close it and done!

The skirt is so fun. I found this large purple scarf at the peddlers mall. It is printed with dolphins and has fringe at the edges. Love!!! To make the skirt I folded it into quarters, cut an oval for the waist opening the same circumference as my hips and added a stretchy black fold-over waistband cut from one of the legs of the bodysuit. Since I sewed the stretchy waistband to the skirt with a zig zag stitch I didn't even have to finish any seams. And since the scarf is already finished on the edges, no hemming either!

My little fashion designer artistically sticks pins into the
mannequins rear end. After each one is inserted: "I DID IT!"

For dance use I have another scarf bought at the same peddlers mall striped in black, purple and white. It's not as blingy and jingly as other hip scarves but I like it's subdued hue very much. 

A long process of learning to celebrate myself, c section scars, stretch marks and poison
ivy patches and all!. Well, maybe not the poison ivy. 

I will probably use the skirt for modern wear as well. Because, dolphins! I should make a few more of these scarf skirts. But now I'm running out of time to even write this blog post. Summer is here! 

A Dress of Yellow Lawn

I made up the yellow lawn I got earlier this year in anticipation of this summers Gettysburg trip, as well as for something relaxing to do after the 1940's experiment. (Love the vintage styles but it is SO FAR out of my comfort zone!) 

This dress went together so quietly and easily. Really no problems whatsoever and I was surprised when I realized that yes, wow, it's done and wearable. That was easy. I didn't even have to think about it. I guess that is one good thing about sticking with this time period for over 15 years. Construction gets easier. I know if I try vintage style again it will eventually become easier. But this was a nice project to relax with before I tackle something new again. 

This dress is inspired by the popular Peachtree Mercantile Dress Pattern as well as a few original gowns, including one in Costume in Detail, that have the bodice with gathering at the shoulders and waist. While the Peachtree dress has only a partial lining that goes under the arms, I made my dress with a half high lining so it can be worn without a corset cover. Since my material is so light and rather sheer I don't want my corset showing through. 

The lining is of white cotton recycled from a thrifted sheet. The hem and waistband facings are from the same sheet. 

To keep things simple for myself I made the bodice and lining as one, except for the lining neckline and darts. The lining is attached to the outer bodice at the side seams, shoulder seams and the waistline. To create the extra width for the gathered shoulders I slashed up my basic bodice pattern through the dart lines, spread the pattern pieces apart an inch or two, and redrew the shape. Then the extra just gets gathered back to the original lines of the pattern at the shoulders and waist. Easy.

The outer bodice has no fastenings and is pinned shut at the base of the V neckline. For these pictures I just used a straight pin; a brooch could work but the one I have is too heavy for this material. So a straight pin is fine. The lining closes with hook and eyes and the skirt has a dogleg closure. 

The skirt is cartridge pleated and it was convenient to use the checks as spacing guides for the pleating stitches. They came out fairly large, so the pleats are softer and bigger than on previous dresses. I still like it. It adds to the overall loose, airy feel of the gown. 

The sleeves are full bias sleeves with a little bias ruffle at the top to help conceal the chemise sleeve worn beneath. They hook closed at the wrist. These sleeves are SO COOL. They catch the slightest breeze. 

Despite all the good things about this dress I still am not sure if I like it. I mean, it's pretty and it's lightweight but it's definitely not my favorite dress. Maybe it's the color? From a distance this dress looks like a pale blob and I guess I've grown to prefer dresses with very sharp, defined patterns. But the paleness goes with the style, maybe. It will be good for summer and very comfortable in the heat. I'll wear it. But I'm still not sure if I like it yet. Definitely not in love with it. 

I had the chance to wear this dress at Camp Dennison, which was the site of a training camp and hospital during the Civil War. Though most of the buildings are gone now there are still a few remnants of this interesting history there and close by is a small cemetery. The particular home in these photos, the Walschmidt Homestead, was built in 1804 and was used as headquarters by General Joshua Bates. 

For fun, here are some edited photos I have been experimenting with in Photoshop. While I definitely need more practice I was so excited to get these pictures looking a little more like real period images!

Hope you all are having a blessed June! Much love!

1940's Casual Summer Outfit ~ Wearing History Sunkissed Sweetheart Separates

The kids are out of school for the summer and the last week has been a blur. So far our days have been filled with baseball, playgrounds, trails at local parks, sidewalk chalk in the driveway, bike races with neighbor kids, telling ghost stories on the street with the neighbor kids, gardening, frozen lemonade and mass watchings of the old PBS kids show Wishbone on YouTube. (They all LOVE it! Why did they take this program off the air?! It was my favorite as a child.) And I've had poison ivy for over two weeks. And then got a sunburn on top of it.

But, I sewed! This time I jumped into something completely different and made up a version of the Sunkissed Separates from Wearing History. I've been kind of tired of Victorian sewing and wanted to make a few things I can wear for everyday. 

I purchased the e-pattern so had to print and assemble it before I could start. This whole project took me a really long time since I only worked on it a little each day. I wanted to have it done by Memorial Day though, so I did make my deadline (just barely). Vintage sewing is a ton different than mid 19th century sewing. I feel like such a, as my oldest son would say, noob. 

This outfit is basically a glorified mock up. I wanted to see how the pattern would fit and if any adjustments needed to be made before I make up my real fabric - a lovely green and pink Hawaiian print cotton that I've had in stash for many years. The fabric for this one is truly vintage, at 34" wide and with a few age spots here and there. I got it so long ago I cannot even remember when, at a thrift store. I probably paid less than a dollar for all of it. I had 4 yards and it was just enough for the top and the short version of the wrap skirt. 

I cut a size 16 and the only adjustment needed was to take some width off the back piece of the top. I knew going in that I have a narrow ribcage so was expecting that adjustment. Other than that, the fit is pretty much perfect! I love how the armscyes come up to right under your arms. One thing I hate about modern blouses with set in sleeves is that so often they are baggy on the shoulder. It makes for a pretty unflattering line (at least, for me) and is hard to move in. I like the slim fit of the sleeve, too. It is comfortable and easy to wear. 

The gathered sections on the top and on the skirt hip were hard for me to figure out. The instructions call for facing a slit where the gathers go, then gathering up the long edge and sewing it to the faced slit. I followed the instructions and it came out fine, but still made no sense to me. For the skirt I just thought of the gathered-and-slashed area as a dart, and that made sense to me. I didn't face the slit on the skirt, just sewed it like a dart with one edge of the dart gathered. It worked!

Instead of a hip tie on the inside of the skirt to keep the wrap section closed, I sewed on a hook and eye. I thought this would reduce any bulk at the hip that would come from fabric ties on the inside of the skirt. 

The other change I made to the instructions was the finishing of all the edges. All the raw edges of the top and the skirt are meant to be faced with bias. To me it seemed easier to trim off the seam allowance and just bind the edges with bias instead. So that's what I did. And I like how it came out. I will probably do the same thing with any other versions of this pattern that I make. 

I'm super pleased with how this came out and am looking forward to make up a version with a long skirt in my green Hawaiian print. I also plan to make the shorts but maybe with a tuck-in blouse instead of the wrap one. 

Thank you to Judah for taking these pictures for me. And! Speaking of my kiddo, I just must brag on him a little even though its not sewing related. He was selected for the all star baseball team this year and had his game this weekend. I am SO PROUD of this kid!!! He is SO good! What a wonderful thing to see your baby growing up and doing so well in something he loves so well. Future MLB player, right here! (no, I'm not just saying that!) ;) 

Happy beginning of summer you guys!!

A Large China Head Doll

So, I found her at the antique mall. She was sitting on a wooden shelf, folded up on herself. I am not a doll person at all but I went over to have a closer look. $10! I wavered a little, but ended up bringing her home and I am so glad that I did! I just love her.

She has a few long, thin cracks and her face has tiny brown spots, but overall
she is still very lovely!

So does Anne, who insisted on cradling her in her arms the whole drive home, whispering to her. "Tell me your story." she said. Then she'd pause, and exclaim complainingly "MOM! She's not telling me a lot yet."

Um. . .ok.

But isn't she beautiful?! I know almost nothing about dolls and although I've made a few cloth dolls for the girls, china head dolls are completely out of my realm. But she looks. . .right. Is she an original? Is she a reproduction? Is her body original? Her clothes almost certainly aren't. . .they are of a variety of materials and construction techniques. Her feet seem too large and bulky and her arms are fat. But her head looks real enough. I need to do more research. But in the meantime, here are some photos of my pretty lady.

We named her Julia. For Julia Grant, of course. ;)