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. ;)

My Mothers!

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful individuals who have ever taken on the enormous responsibility of caring for another living creature. I am so thankful today for the women who have shaped and influenced my life, especially my own mom and my grandmothers. I thought I'd share a few of my favorite vintage photos in honor of the day. I don't have very many older pictures of my family so these are incredibly precious to me!

Great-great-grandpa William with great-grandma Etta
and great-uncle Albert, c. 1916. This is a sad photo to me,
since their young mama had passed away, leaving a widower
and two very small children.
And doesn't Etta look almost exactly like my Anne?!

My teenage great-grandma, Etta, and great-grandpa Floyd
c. 1930 

And their daughter,
little Marjorie, my darling grandmother, c. 1933 or 1934. My own little Rose
resembles her so much!

Marjorie, my beautiful grandma. We
share the same birthday. c. 1945

Marjorie, c. 1950

My grampie, Harold and grandma, Marjorie on their wedding day.
This photo hangs in my sewing room and I can rarely look at it
without shedding tears of both happiness and grief. Both of my beautiful
grandparents are now free from the bonds of this earth, but they live forever in my heart. 

My other gorgeous grandma, Judy and my grandpa, David
c. 1960

My own amazing mom and myself, c. 1987! Isn't she beautiful?! She still is!

Yep, Another Corset!

The weather this week! Just. . .ugh. I had a lot of plans for the yard this week but it's been drizzly and grey for what seems like forever. And now it's hot and humid on top of that. It's fantastic growing weather but. . .I haven't planted much yet. I pray fervently for a drier weekend! You know they say to plant after Mother's Day, so I'm still on proper schedule if the weather cooperates!

So I decided to get my new corset out of the way since I've had to spend that time inside. I really didn't want to make this but I'm glad it's done. I love making corsets but the problem is that I loved the last one I made and I am not ready to say goodbye to it! But my mistakes when making it have at last proved true "you reap what you sow" (in this case, sew!) and my last one has become really uncomfortable to wear for extended periods of time since it laces completely shut. 

Corsets can be scary because you have to really address what your body looks like, become very familiar with any and all irregularities, lack of symmetry, measurements, squishy flesh vs. firm flesh and all those kinds of uncomfortable things that, I'm sure, the majority of us would rather ignore. Add in a body that has gone through six pregnancies, six c-sections and six breastfeeding babies and. . .yeah, not a fun thing to do (OLORD WHAT DID THEY DO TO ME?!). A woman's body goes through so many changes. I finally lost the last of my baby weight late last year and although I was happy to reach my goal (after 10 years!) I am still trying to get used to different shape/proportion/measurements and dealing with approaching corsetry from a different angle - trying to help boost and shape things rather than squish it all down! Haha. It can be depressing. If it's not one thing it's something else! 

So I wasn't excited about this project at all. The only sort of interesting thing about it is the corded underbust sections. I have always wanted to try this feature but was always in such a rush to get my corset done I never took the time to do it. I tried it this time around and am happy with the additional support it gives. It's decorative, as well. I am not sure if this type of cording was really popular in the 1860's as I see this far more frequently on later corsets (1880's on up) but since I will be using this for a bustle-era dress anyway I went with it. I don't know if it really affects the look of the corset or the dress that is worn over top, but it does feel nice to wear since there's additional stiffness and support. For me, I have found I have a really small ribcage/underbust measurement (a 28 band size is no fun and bras are freaking expensive) compared to a more average bust and the cording helps pad out that area below the bust just a little, so the boobies don't slip down and get smashed inside the corset. ;)

And I have a much better lacing gap! I'm happy about this! This makes the corset way more comfortable than my last one, which didn't have much of a gap at all and towards the end was lacing shut. 

I made one other thing this week: earrings! I had a few beads left from Anne's new necklace so I tried making a simple pair with some cheap headpins and hooks from the craft store. I like them. I want to make more. Of course, I hardly ever wear earrings so there is no need to make more but the process was fun!