Workings of a Garment: a 1950’s rose-print cotton gown
Study and analysis of how this summer gown was constructed.
Brand & Era
Selfridges (emulating Nina Ricci)
1950’s
Fabric type & weight
cotton, printed or possibly chintz
estimate 160-180gsm
NOTES FOR A DRESSMAKER
Fit - This is a close-fitting garment. Almost all fit is achieved through the princess seams, with only two darts at the side waist. Rather cleverly, given that this is a ready-made garment, the pleated section over the bust would disguise any less-than-perfect fit issues around the bust, making it wearable by different cup sizes without detracting from the finished look.
Panels - 8 total panels
Zip - metal teeth, cotton tape, lapped construction. Hook and thread-eye added across centre of zip to hold the lap down covering the zip, and at the top of the zip for ease of closure.
Seam allowance - very wide, around 1 inch/2.5cm. Much more common for this period, and allows for tailoring and adjustments by the owner for a better fit and longevity as the body changes shape. Also, since this is cotton, any let out seams should not have obvious pinholes if changed.
Interior seam finish - for the bodice, the seam allowance is turned-and-stitched. From the waist down, it is simply pinked. Note also the one clip at the waist to release the concave seam allowance. Considering this garment is around 70 years old, this simple and easy finish is clearly durable enough for this type of garment, in this type of fabric. No evidence of fraying (and I myself have worn this garment at least 8 times in the past few years).
Hem - evidence of original hem being very narrow 3mm double-fold hem, but a previous owner has hemmed again to shorten, fairly neatly but not as neat as the original.
Hand-finishing - thread loops would have been done by hand, and the pleated detail across the bust is also hand-tacked down in key places.
Notable absenses - no lining, no interfacing on any section, and no waist-stay (which I actually think would be very useful and protect the seams from any stress on such a fitted item.
Other Cotton Garments
Puff-sleeve midi dress in khaki green linen-cotton twill from 1970’s pattern
Fourth make with this pattern, following several refinements on fit and pattern instructions.
TOTAL TIME COMMITMENT: 20 hours
Toile (without zip, lining, interior seam finishing, basting stitch removal or hemming): none
Cut out & transfer all pattern markings: 3 hours
Main construction: 11 hours
Lining construction, attachment and hemming: none
Finishings (hem, enclose zip): 2.5 hours
Applying studs: 2.5 hours
Fabric type
Cotton-linen twill
Fabric weight
estimate 250-300gsm
ADDITIONAL SEAM FINISHING, CONSTRUCTION NOTES & EXTRAS
Overlock each edge of skirt pattern piece before construction, press open
Overlock raw edges together at gathered tier seam
Overlock raw edges separately before construction on zip seam
Attach bodice facing to rest of garment using stitch-in-the-ditch
VERDICT & LESSONS LEARNT
For a centred zip, I must not sew the whole thing around in one continuous line - this is what made the top of the zip and the seam go out of alignment
Travel itineraries for Autumnwear
Zoya green polish, Cece
Colour scrutiny of Zoya’s Cece green polish, with a prominent shimmer foil finish.
Whooppee!! A sparkler this one.
Properly bright grass, pea green glitter, with mini little fine flecks in there.
Used two coats, and I had the coverage. Topped with Leighton Denny’s In The Gloss. Didn’t manage to totally smooth the glitter roughage, thinking it might be time to invest in a for-glitter topcoat……
Cotton lawn dress from Givenchy 1970’s Vogue Paris Original 1950 pattern
Shortening a 1970’s Givenchy pattern I have worked with before, turning midi into mini, my journal on making this dress in Pima cotton lawn in a busy print.
TOTAL TIME COMMITMENT: 20.5 hours
Cut out & transfer all pattern markings: 5 hours
Main construction: 10 hours
Lining construction: none
Finishings (buttons, hem): 5.5 hours
ADDITIONAL SEAM FINISHING, CONSTRUCTION NOTES & EXTRAS
4x side seams, armscye & pocket bags – bias bind together
Pocket-to-dress seam – French seam
Underarm – French seam
Shoulder seam – bias bind each side separately
Sleeve seam – French seam
VERDICT & LESSONS LEARNT
I find this fabric a bit ‘busy’ for my liking though I can’t pinpoint why………..I also think it really needs to be made in a plain fabric to really see those beautiful released tucks down the bodice.
VARIATION IDEAS FOR ANOTHER MAKE
Add a collar, turning the original mandarin collar into a collar stand?
Make in teal single wool crepe
Turn the sleeve into a half sleeve
Sewing Other Springwear
A spring coat in moss green cotton-linen twill from 1960’s Simplicity 5984 pattern
There’s an absense of outerwear for spring that actually offers warmth but isn’t made from wool. My journal on making my first fully lined spring coat, with cotton flannel interlining for warmth.
TOTAL TIME COMMITMENT: 28 hours including toile
Toile (without buttons, lining, interior seam finishing, basting stitch removal or hemming): 5 hours
Cut out & transfer all pattern markings (both main fabric, facing and lining): 5 hours
Main construction: 11.5 hours
Lining construction: 1.5 hours
Finishings (buttons, button holes, hem): 5 hours
FIT ADJUSTMENTS
Tapered the shoulder seam at a slightly more sloping angle for a better fit at my (sloped) shoulder
SEAM FINISHING
No real seam finishing needed - lined garment
Attach collar neck edge to each other – stitch-in-the-ditch by hand
DECORATIVE EXTRAS & CHOICES
Contrast fabric for the pleat underlay, the facings and the button holes
Contrast colour for the topstitch thread
Omit topstitching at the collar and omit topstitching around the button holes
VERDICT & LESSONS LEARNT
The fit and length on this coat (the shorter version) is superb – just a very small bit of extra sloping at the shoulders was needed to tailor the fit perfectly to my frame.
I absolutely love this fabric – makes such a beautiful jacket with both structure and drape, and very very easy to sew.
I can now make bound button holes! Uncorded, but still – found a technique that works reliably. There are two key things to remember: 1. When cutting, make the side triangles as big as they can be 2. Sew the triangles to the buttonhole fabric in the same colour as the fabric, to prevent it being seeing through the underside of the buttonholes
I can also topstitch much better! I used Gutermann topstitch thread on top with a 90 topstitch needle, and regular all-purpose thread in the bobbin, and I found a stitch length of about 3 to be ideal – worked well!
VARIATION IDEAS
Make in blue and orange Ventile with taped hems and ribbed cuffs, for a more waterproof version
Make a version in a light colour with a dark topstitch
Other Sewing Projects from Vintage Patterns
High-waisted trousers in sage green twill from a 1970’s Vogue 1275 pattern
Journal of my total make time, lessons learnt and pattern adjustments.
TOTAL TIME COMMITMENT: 9 hours
Toile (without zip, buttons, lining, interior seam finishing, basting stitch removal or hemming): none
Cut out & transfer all pattern markings (both main fabric and interlining): 1 hour
Main construction: 6 hours
Lining construction: none
Finishings (hem): 2 hours
PATTERN CHANGES
Added a little extra flare from the hip down to the hem
Cut the waistband so that the gap and zip is located in the centre back rather than centre front
Add a cuff at the trouser hem
Removed pockets
SEAM FINISHING & DECORATIVE EXTRAS
Outside leg seams – overlock together
Inside leg seams – overlock together
Crotch – overlock each side separately
VERDICT & LESSONS LEARNT
These are great! Turning the waistband around, removing the pockets and adding more flare has made a big enough difference to the finished result that it feels like a very different pair of trousers from my caramel linens.
The cotton twill is a great application for this kind of garment – there is some drape in this fabric so it feels soft and moves nicely, but it also has some structure which adds drama to the flare and is handy in a trouser. I also absolutely had no need to line them.
They also felt very quick and easy to make.
Travel Itineraries for Autumnwear
A cropped jacket in cotton twill from 1980’s New Look 6007 pattern
Using a 1980’s cropped suit jacket pattern as the starting point. Details on total make time, adjustments, seam finishes, and lessons learnt.
TOTAL TIME COMMITMENT: 16 hours including toile (note this jacket is self-lined in the same fabric)
Toile (without buttons, lining, interior seam finishing, basting stitch removal or hemming): 6.5 hours
Cut out & transfer all pattern markings (both main fabric and facing): 2.5 hours
Main construction: 7 hours
Lining construction: none
Finishings (buttons, button holes, hem): none
PATTERN CHANGES
I added a waistband and cuffs – attach to the outermost layer, fold to the inside then stitch-in-the-ditch from the outside
Since I didn’t want to make this with shoulder pads (which the shoulder is designed for) but still wanted a ‘slouchy’ ovesized shoulder fit, I reduced the shoulder length by 2.5cm at shoulder head, grading down the armscye by 15cm
Since this pattern has no lining, I chose to self-line the bodice by simply cutting extra pieces of the main bodice, and applying them in reverse. This very neatly hides all the interior raw edges
SEAM FINISHING & DECORATIVE EXTRAS
Armscye – overlock together
VERDICT & LESSONS LEARNT
This is a fantastic loose fit on me, and is excellent without the buttons. It’s a brilliant summer jacket option in the cotton twill fabric – serves all the same purposes as a denim jacket but a bit different.
These sleeves were incredibly difficult to set in, but I managed it without a single pucker. I took a very long time gathering and pinning in place before sewing, then sewed from the side of the gathers to control that better. The extra careful effort was worth the smooth result.
One thing to note on fit, is that I still think the arms are a little too long for me, which is disappointing for a made-to-measure, and I think it is because when ‘sizing them up’ before sewing, I hadn’t pressed the cuffs down, so they were a little ‘springer’ and higher before sewing and pressing.
I think the cuffs and waistband I added were GENIUS – they really finish this jacket off for me, much more in-keeping with my style at the moment
VARIATION IDEAS
Add just two buttons at the waistband, double-breasted style single row of buttons