Chocolate, Raspberry, Blueberry, and Peter Pan Peanut Butter Medley

Look at that distinctive Peter Pan collar!





Many of us could not forget Petticoat Junction's fashionably trendy Bobby Jo. (Check out those tops with those nifty collars!) She definitely had that wholesome and alluring appeal all in one, a rare combination by today's standards.

Pattern Description:
From 1967, a pattern that includes a sleeveless princess-seamed dress or jumper and front buttoned blouse with long set-in sleeves, and two back darts (below the shoulders) and bust darts. I sewed the blouse.

Pattern Sizing:
Misses' old size 16 with bust 36.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?Yes with a chocolate and rasberry coloring scheme.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes! The illustrations seemed more detailed than many of the current patterns I had used! The directions were clear and overall well written!

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I liked the style which is now current and the fact that it is a very basic no-frills shirt pattern. I also liked the side vents, the unique fit and overall look that I could not acquire from current patterns.

The only things I disliked was one of the steps in the construction of the collar and the bust darts came a tad higher than expected.

Fabric Used:
A slightly stiff printed cotton blend for $2 a yard. Usually I like to use cheap fabrics for my first use of a pattern. Yes, the bizarre and atrocious colors and print scream "so what if this does not mesh with the general public!" (or maybe Little House on the Prairie?)

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
I did not use bias tape to finish the neck edge of the collar. I did not baste the collar facing to the interfaced collar piece prior to basting the entire collar to the neck edge as instructed. Instead, I clipped two ends of the facing edge that were shoulder seams apart, and basted from the ends of the entire collar section up to the little clips, thus keeping the top edge of the collar facing between the clips free. Then I folded the facing between those clipped ends 5/8" under the edge and carefully slip stitched the folded edge to the back neck seam.

I shortened the sleeves to 3/4 length, thus omitting the cuffs, due to fabric shortage.

I skipped the strip of interfacing between the front edge and the attached sel-facing. I slipped rectangular pieces of interfacing between the front of the blouse and its self- facing before sewing the buttonholes.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes, but not in the very near future. I plan to sew the dress (I already have the pieces cut!. I definitely recommend this pattern if you enjoy sewing with vintage patterns or to create piece with retro flair that is very wearable today.

Conclusion
This is definitely a fun pattern! I plan to wear this more as unbuttoned lightweight jacket over a tank or camisole. This retro shirt reminds me of a smaller collar and fitted version of Simplicity's 4412 jacket.

Groovy Girls!

I wanted to surprise Heather with a retro jumper/sundress!

She wanted to proudly model mommy's new creation, starting with the criss cross back!





Then more smiles!







Golly gee willickers, the oldest and the youngest famous Brady daughters have upcoming birthdays in August (Marcia/Maureen will be 51 on the 5th and Cindy/Susan will be 46 on the 14th. In my heart they forever young in "TVLand"). The middle daughter already had hers in April. Here's a tribute to their "far out" fashions.

Pattern Description
From 1975 "Child's and Girls' Dress or Jumper in Two Lengths: The top-stitched dress or jumer with skirt sitched to bodice above normal waistline has back zipper, patch pockets and self fabric shoulder straps butttoned to front. Longer length V. 1 and 2 have self fabric rffles. V. 1 and 3 have rick-rack trim. V. 3, 4, and 5 are approximately 3" shorter than V. 1 and 2. V. 4 features embroidered eyelet edging trim."

I sewed view 3, the jumper/dress without the ruffle trim.

Pattern Size
Girl's size "6".

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes, although the dress was knee length for my 4 y.o.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes for advanced beginners and beyond. Like many late 60's and 70's patterns that I discovered the instructions were organized into "units" and the specific steps beneath them. It's interesting to see illustrations of the pattern pieces on the back of the envelope.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I liked the aline shape of skirt portion which gives it a retro vibe, the criss cross of the shoulder straps at the back and the basic ease of constructing the jumper/dress. I have seen current jumper type dress patterns but not with these particular details.

Fabric Used:
Cotton with bold print and a splatter of tacked on sequins from Joann's for $3.49 a yard. I was able to get it at 50% off from the original price per yard because the bolt was placed in the wrong section!

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
My thin 4 y.o. normally wears a RTW 4 or 5, depending on the manufacturer, style or fit. I shortened the dress by 1 1/2". I graded 1/2" from the side seams. The directions for sizes larger than a girls' "6" required darts in the front bodice, but not for the smaller sizes. However, I ended up including what seemed like 1/8" wide darts to my modified bodice to make it better line up with the seams of the skirt.

I thought my 4 y.o. would choose a pair of happy face buttons that we purchased from Wal Mart's fabrics/notions section months ago. Instead she decided on a pair of colorful and attitudinal JMB's Jane Buttons and which one button bears the title of a currently popular penguin movie.

Surprisingly, I encountered just a little give as I zipped the back of the dress which is quite a change from a quick zip and finding the dress loose fitting on my 4 y.o! Fortunately, I could unbutton the straps prior to unzipping the back. I'll keep the pattern intact if I plan to make the dress again.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes in the near future with a different fabric (i.e. stretch cotton twill) I highly recommend this pattern or something similar to it (past and or present) if you are looking for sewing a "no-nonsense" dress with distinctive characteristics, that is both retro and current. Ebay and other retro/vintage pattern sites are wonderful sources!

Conclusion
My 4 y.o. and I just visited the McCall's patterns site and came across the "Stuff" by Hilary Duff patterns. We bought a few for $1.99 each at our favorite fabric/crafts store. The styles even for the 3-4-5-6 set still seem more appropriate for the preteens. I still prefer the Lizzie McGuire series.

Although my daughter insisted upon arriving home after shopping that I sew one of the new "stuffs" by the now brunette Hilary, it was really great to see her ecstatic reaction to her "new" jumper/dress that looked like something mommy wore 32 years ago!

Get Into the Groove

My first keyhole dress created from a 1973 design!










Pattern Description:
"Miss Petites' and Misses' Dress...Designer Fashion: The dress stitched to shaped yoke forming keyhole opening has back zipper and neck band. Top-stitched V. (view 1 is sleeveless. V. (view) has short set-in sleeves.

I found this pattern from a vintage pattern website (momspatterns.com) She has a huge selection and her website may be addictive. I had to grab this one the minute I saw it on her website because patterns with similar styling are really hard to come by!

Pattern Sizing:
Size 12, Bust 34"

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, except mine is louder!

Were the instructions easy to follow?
The directions were clear, organized, and the illustrations were helpful. I remember trying to do a banded collar to a similar retro dress also by Simplicity and did an inverted version! I found that the illustration for creating the neck band enabled me to do it correctly this time.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I like the keyhole style, especially that it is shaped like a teardrop to reveal a favorite pendant! I also like the aline cut!

The dress was easy to put together, however, I took a little more time to attach the front facing and neckband to avoid time to undo potential mistakes. In general, the pieces fit together nicely. The only thing that needed some fidgeting was the interfaced neck band piece which I sewed to the neck edge from the inside of the dress with the correct sides of the fabric together. I did not have much problem attaching the neck band facing to the band.


Fabric Used:
Cotton with bold print and sequins from Joann's for $3.49 a yard. I was able to get it at 50% off from the original price per yard because the bolt was placed in the wrong section!

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
Shorten the dress by 5". Otherwise, it would have been well below my knee! I also eliminated the back darts, just in case.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes and yes, I highly recommend this pattern or something similar to it (past and or present) if you are looking for sewing a "no-nonsense" dress with distinctive characteristics, that is both retro and current.

Conclusion
Finally, my first official keyhole dress ever to wear and to make! I have not had much luck in finding dresses with a style that appeals to me, but this one is a winner.

I really enjoy sewing with Simplicity 70's patterns and in particular the designer (anonymous) fashion series.

She's in Super Sheath, She's Super Sheathing Now!

(From June 13, 2007)

After being inspired by several pattern reviewers, I decided to make a dress this time!

I chose this pattern because of its "simplicity" as the name implies and I was in the retro mood!

I had the courage to wear a dress, especially this dress for the graduation ceremony for officially our second graduating class of seniors at the high school where I teach.

Pattern Description
From 1966, "Misses' One-Piece Jiffy Dress or Jumper: Sleeveless, A-line dress or jumper with slightly lowered round neckline and back zipper has optional top-stitching and optional purchased belt."

Size
Miss, Size 12, Bust 32.

Fabric
An cotton-lycra "Astro-Geo Stretch Twill" from Gorgeous Fabrics This fabric was a breeze to work with and does wonders for figure flaws! Thanks Ann "Gorgeous Things" for your nice fabrics!

Likes
* The overall retro style which is now en vogue.
* "Easy-cut, easy sew". Yes, this pattern lived to that label!
* The diagonal bust darts were flattering, especially for my hard to get rid of mommy pouch! I was glad that I did not avoid creating these!
* The neckline and armhole facings fit well on the dress.

Dislikes
*The only thing to somewhat dislike was understitching the facings close to the neckline and armhole edges. It was worthwhile to minimize them from flapping out of the dress while being worn.

Modifications
* I sewed interfacing to the front and back neck facings before attaching them together at the seams. Somehow the directions asked to baste cut interfacing pieces (without the fabric facing, which seemed odd to me) to the neckline of the dress prior to attaching the neck facings. I found the same step on another 60s pattern.

* I did not cut my dress to mini length. I kept mine slightly below the knee.

* Although my bust is a 36, I did not make adjustments due to the fabric accommodations. I could have taken the back a little more after the final fit, but I wanted to avoid the "I have to squeeze into the dress" syndrome!

Conclusion
I definitely recommend this type of pattern to a beginner! I have searched high and low for current shift/sheath dresses and thanks to ebay, found this classic that was so easy to create with miminal fuss! I definitely will make maybe two more.