Patterns of Eight

I purchased eight patterns, three from an e-crater vendor and five Jen of momspatterns.com.  If you ever get a chance, stop by her website for a plethora of patterns from decades past and her fun descriptions of the patterns up for sale.  Free shipping is available if you purchase at least five patterns.  I definitely recommend her website, lanetzliving.net, ebay, and etsy for retro/vintage patterns.

The 70's is not all about bell-bottoms, platform shoes, and butterfly collars.  I have always like the "boho" styles.  They are feminine, flattering, and fun.  I find that current styles borrow or recycle styles from the past.

From a McCall's series, the "New York Designers' Collection".   This dress appears to be from the late 1960's.

Something from the mid-seventies?  A short vest and gauchos. This look along with a nice pair of boots gets a thumbs up from me for fall/winter.

From 2002, this pretty model is sporting a risque look with the lace top coupled with what seemed to be  nude-colored camisole.  I just received the new issue of Bazaar.  Lily Donaldson is wearing a lace top on the cover. 

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia, look what I found for my daughter!  It seems that there were more stylish and still appropriate pattern styles when I was in grade school and junior high.

Here is a pattern from 1970 that I used to sew a jumper for Heather 3 years ago.  There are current jumpers from the major pattern companies, but they do not fit as nicely as this one did. 

I plan to sew this again.  The collar and bodice have that distinctive beauty and flair that are lacking in current RTW for girls in my daughter's age group which overindulge in images of peace signs, hearts, licensed characters, and Disney teen stars.

 Vogue offers very few options and updates for girls in my daughter's age group.  Current Buttericks are so plain, and McCall's give off  "the grown up toddler look" for girls in any age group.  I miss McCall's Hilary Duff line due to her "on-trend" but still age-appropriate styles.   Simplicity's Hannah Montana/That's So Raven series offer interesting and RTW styles, but seem to need more adjustments to achieve a nice fit from I experienced in the past. 

Flash Back, Flash Forward

Last night, upon surfing a retro patterns website, I  found a 1974 top with a bib front and a ruffled tab collar (from the See and Sew series).  This top had a familiar look to it. 



Fast forward 36 years, top with a slightly larger bib front and a non-ruffled tab collar (Butterick 5555):


I purchased this pattern just recently due to the retro styling, reminiscent of the 70's and early 80's.  Styles come and go, and return!!!

The Mod Quads

For a top that I sewed this weekend, I used the bodice of this Simplicity pattern from 1973: "The flared dress has low round neckline, back zipper, and top-stitching trim. Short dress V. 1 has long set-in sleeves. Long dress V. 2 has short set-in sleeves."  I had sewn three tops from this pattern. I like the scoop neckline
and the a-line fit. 

I used the short puffed and banded sleeves from Vogue 8451 (already out of print). I had sewn two tops from this pattern and a top using the same sleeves with a bodice from a 70's McCall pattern. 

I used a mystery knit from the clearance section of JoAnn's.  Originally, I intended to use this knit to make a retro looking wrap dress.   Since it not a high quality type of fabric and somewhat tricky to sew with due to its texture, I decided to play it safe and make a top.  I staystitched the edges before toptstitching the neckline and lower hems because the fibers tended to separate or "run".  Although the top is wearable, I did not like some bunching at the neckline and the "drapy" lower hem. I did  I learned a lesson not to purchase this type of fabric again, even though it was very cheap.  You get what you pay for.

The front of the top fit satisfactorily, but the back had some "waves".  I thought that I had already made the petite adjustment at the back piece when I traced it onto tissue paper. 

More Patterns

Here are my most recent pattern acquisitions a few months ago either at etsy or ebay.

I liked the necklines in these patterns.

Pictured on the left are something for my 7 year old daughter. In the center is popular 60's supermodel (notably for Seventeen) Colleen Corby in a tunic length vest. I like the collar of the white shirt on possibly a Simplicity pattern from the early 1960's.

These styles look like inspirations for current Tory Burch  tunics.

Seventies chic.

Cool looking tops (very nice choice of collars!!!)and an Adele Simpson shirt dress. 

Sheaths, puffed shoulders, and wrap-styles.

The O-Zone Layer

Here's a 1970's pattern for a simple knit wrap dress or top. I made the knit top, but without the wrap option. I was conducting an experiment or "sew-periment" in making a non-wrap knit top from a wrap top/dress pattern. I liked the side shaping and the unique center back shaping and wanted to discover how these details work with my figure before committing myself to the "wrap" style of this pattern.
Size 14, bust 36. I used a polyester knit for my top.
I transformed the left and right bodice into one front piece, thus omitting the crossover and wrap detail.

From what I glanced, the directions seemed fine for the wrap top or dress. I did not really use them since I was creating something else. I retraced the front and back pieces onto tissue paper and made my usual adjustments.


I purchased this pattern from ebay due to its no-frills wrap style and that it would seem simple to sew. With the front left, front right, back, attached tie and sleeves to deal with, (top is cut from the pieces with length at the specified cutting lines), and a reliable method to finish the neckline, there should be little or no problem in putting this dress together. The only slight dislike is the long bell sleeves.

My  modifications:
*Transferred my usual adjustments to the pattern that I traced onto tissue paper (1" petite adjustment between the bust and hips, shorten the upper back by 3/4", and add 1/4" to the side seams)

* I cut the front as one piece along the center front of the bodice.

* I cut out a scoop neckline, instead of leaving it as a "v" shaped neckline.
*Borrowed the long sleeve piece from my Simplicity 6082

I plan to sew the wrap dress. version of this pattern.

Based on the results of this "sew-periment" of creating a non-wrap top from a wrap dress/top pattern, I am satisfied with the top and would be more so with a few more changes. Next time, I would add another 2" to the length, raise the neckline an additional 1/2", and to take in further the upper side seams to reduce some bagginess under the arms and alongside the bust. It would have made sense to account for this since I was used a pattern piece originally designed for a "wrap" style, silly me....




I have enjoyed the freedom of combining certain style elements from different patterns. I may get some pleasant and not-so-pleasant surprises from the results. After taking time conducting these "experiments, I hope to achieve my goal of creating a TNT pattern.


Wrapped in a hug:

Happy Mother's Day!

X-Static

A pattern from 1966, the year of my birth: "Misses one-piece dress in two lengths: The dress with halter-type neckline haas back interest and zipper. Ankle-length v.1 has back neck band, bow and straps. Regular-length V. 2 has criss-crossed straps in backs." I sewed view 2, the dress with the criss-crossed back.

Size: Miss 14, Bust 34

I purchased this pattern either from etsy or ebay. I liked the criss cross back and cutaway sleeveless look. I wanted to sew an outfit that I would definitely wear and yet still straightforward to sew with little or no fitting issues, instead of something that is more time consuming due to many steps involved.

Back of envelope:

First version:  I used a cotton/twill? (from EmmaOneSock.com) type with little stretch. The circles print and shades are woven into the fabric. 

Second version:  A Michael Miller cotton fabric from Fabric.com

The first dress (the gray one) did not fit properly and the color just did not suit me. I could not zip it all the way up, and the bodice was long for me, because I did not do my usual petite adjustment. I put it aside and tried another pattern (a Simplicity dress from 1965) and I will not mention how that turned out.

So I returned to this pattern, and this time remembered to reduce the bodice by 1" at the waistline mark, and add 3/8" to the front center seam, the center back, the neckline, and the top of the back strap. I also adjusted the placement of the front diagonal darts since due to my petite adjustment at the waistline. Now I am much happier!

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Original Review

The directions are simple to follow, and the accompanying illustrations are very helpful. The directions for view 1 and view 2 are identical except that view 1 has the neckband with facings and the uncrossed back straps with a bow whereas view 2 has no neckband and the criss-crossed straps. I followed the directions with the exception of sewing the darts before the other steps.   The only changes I made to the pattern is adding 3/8 to the sides and 3/8" to the shoulders.   I wish I had included my usual petite adjustment (1" at the bodice).  There are occasions where I was able to get by without the adjustment.   Not all patterns are created equally.  I also used French seams for a nicer finish inside and also due to the fraying nature of this fabric.

The only thing that was unclear was the placement of the buttonholes. There were no markings on the back piece and none on the back facing. I assumed from the directions that the angled buttonholes were located on the back, about an inch or so from the start of the back vertical darts. However, it made sense to sew the buttonhole through the back facing so that the button located on the end of each strap is inserted from the inside of the dress to the outside. Otherwise, I would not know what to do with a back facing turned upwards!

Neck band with facing (four pieces which I really did not need for View 2, the dress with the criss-cross back), front facing (largest one),straps, and back facing (two pieces).

I used a red pencil to mark the darts.  For the front "diagonal" darts, I folded the tissue along the center of the dart, pinned it down, and traced one side (the printed dots and stitch lines)  so that is symmetric with respect to the ones printed on the pattern tissue.  Then I removed the other tissue and drew the other half. Excuse my lack of eye-hand coordination shown in my marks.

Here are my two back pieces with the vertical darts.

Here is the back with my "invisible zipper".  Actually this looked better than the one I applied on a 1970;s McCall's dress that I recently made. With more practice, I will master attaching the I.Z. I referred to a very helpful tutorial from somebody's flickr album. 

With my trustworthy assistant, I sewed on the front and back facings, using a 5/8" seam.  I had to be careful not to "catch" the straps that I basted onto the right sides of the front shoulders.





I "graded" or trimmed the seams, snip the curves, and turned the facing inside out. Out came the straps.  Mr. Procter Silex helped me with seam-pressing to avoid those unwanted puffs and waves at the neckline and armholes.  I sewed on the buttonholes at the back and attached a button to the end of each strap.  I used French seams for the center front and side seams.  I finished the edges of the zipper to minimize the fraying from the fabric.  All what's left is the bottom hem.

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Finally, a semi-back dress that fits! The last time I wore one was in the mid-90's...

Wave-o-lutionary

This is the second pattern from her collection that I used.  From 1983: "Misses' Dress or Top: Pullover dress or top, tapered to hemline, has elastic in neckline and sleeve casings.



Size: Miss Medium



The style is a typical raglan-sleeved top with a gathered neckline. Although I sewed a 70's top from Simplicity, I was curious how this would turn out.

This is the first pattern from the Brooke Shields Signature collection that I sewed with.  It is from 1986.

For the 1983 top, I inserted the neckline elastic and stitch an end closed, I was shocked at the fit! Much to my dismay, it was a tent that P. T. Barnum would be happy to rent. This shocked my daughter the she was reluctant to photograph the "tent". A belt was not sufficient to "cinch away" the extra fabric. Here's the math: I ended up taking in the seams approximately 6" from each side and 6" from the center back. I made two darts with the widest part of each dart being 1". Therefore, I removed about a foot and 8" or about 5/9 of a yard of fabric.

I still do not like the fit of the back, although now it looks more decent than before. I am not sure if skipping my usual "petite" adjustments at the upper back and the other at the waist affected the outcome. The gathered fabric puffs out, making my upper back appear rounder and shorter. After my changes along the way, the top looks wearable, and would be more so after a few more adjustments. For an "easy" McCall's, I spent more time getting the top to fit than actually stitching the entire top. I prefer the fit of my "Super Simple" Simplicity top with similar styling. It is strange that the front and back section come from the same pattern piece, whereas in Brooke's pattern, the front and back come from two distinct pieces.

This pattern did not seem to be the same one that was used to create Brooke's top and dress. Also, A lighter weight fabric or one with more drape would seem to work better with this classic style.

Button-ical Garden

As I was browsing through some of my pattern stash, I discovered many dress patterns. One of my sewing goals is to sew and wear more dresses, stepping out of my comfort zone of sewing tops/shirts/blouses and an occasional blazer/jacket.

From 1970, a "Step-by-step pattern" by McCall's: "Miss petite dress in three versions...." Original cost 75 cents.

The front of the dress consists of three pieces: the left front bodice, the right front bodice, and the skirt. The dress has sleeveless and short-sleeve options along with options for welts and buttons details on the shoulders or diagonally along the front bodice.

I sewed a size 12, bust 36". It seemed as if McCall's was slightly generous in their sizing. If I went strictly by the specified measurements (i.e. 27 1/2") for this size, the dress would have been spacious.

Here's a  schematic of the pattern pieces and back views of  their dresses.

I used a mystery linen-blend type from Joann's. Although the fabric sewed nicely, it wrinkled easily and does not have the fluidity or drape to masquerade my figure flaws. Since it was only $2/yard, I thought it would be ideal for my first version or muslin from this pattern.

The directions  were straightforward and were accompanied by large and easily decipherable illustrations. Assembling the front bodice pieces was easier than I had expected. The matching notches aligned nicely. I would recommend this pattern for users if directions for attaching the back zipper were included. However, insufficient directions for particular methods could be supplemented with information obtained from on-line and/or print resources/tutorials.

Favorite Features

 *The buttons placed diagonally across the bodice.

*The composite bodice consisting of three distinct pieces that add geometric interest

*Fairly simple to sew

*Late 60's / early 70's aline style. After I sewed and tried on the dress, my mind conjured up images of retro airline stewardesses/flight attendants. I also recollect some bold blue color still worn by the KLM Dutch Airlines flight attendants on our flight to Sweden last summer.

Designer Matt Vasser just released a new line of his KLM uniforms for female flight attendants.

 

     In 2011, Cynthia Rowley will release her line of uniforms for United Airlines.  Here is a website containing a flight attendant's collection (coincidentally working for KLM) of "906 different stewardess uniforms from 378 airlines" It's interesting to see the evolution of fashion through the years. It's hard to tell if RTW was patterned after airline fashion or vice-versa.  Desginers such as Nina Ricci, Pierre Balmain, Balenciaga, Patou, Christian Lacroix and more have contributed to airline fashion. Here's a link  to a forum about these designer contributions.   In the 1960's, the now defunct Braniff International Airways hired Emilio Pucci to design stewardess attire in order to update its image.

Not-so-Favorite Features

* It would have been wiser and simpler to replace those cumbersome and bulky neckline and armhole facings with lining. The lining would have provided a "sleek and smooth" finish. When working with a retro/vintage pattern for the first time, I usually like to "stay true" as much as possible to the original directions. But sometimes, I drift from them, especially if there are simpler or updated methods that yield comparable or better results.

* I re-cut the right front of the bodice on the bias due to fabric constraints. I discovered that I initially cut the piece on the wrong side just before stitching the front bodice pieces and skirt together (different lighting in my office). It was hard to distinguish the fabric's right and wrong sides due to their identical weave and imprint.



Pattern alterations:

*I interfaced the neckline and armhole facings. As in previous vintage patterns I used, the interfacing was basted onto the neckline before attaching the facings (non-interfaced).

*Usual adjustment: shortened the upper back by 1"

*Shorten the length by nearly 5".

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes, after another fitting adjustment, I would sew another version in a different fabric and include a lining. I definitely recommend this classic line of McCall's and other similar retro/vintage patterns due to their uniquely distinctive styles and geometric artistry that are rare in current RTW.

Conclusion:

Heather and I enjoyed wearing our new dresses on Easter day!

Cult of Fleur-sonality

Pattern Description:
From 1973: "The flared dress has low round neckline, back zipper, and top-stitching trim. Short dress V. 1 has long set-in sleeves. Long dress V. 2 has short set-in sleeves."

The use of this classic pattern stemmed from my experience with a UFO project, Butterick knit dress 5243. After cutting the pieces (which seemed to take more time than expected), I eagerly started stitching. I could not figure out why my machine behaved strangely with this poly knit because it felt similar to a ITY knit, which it had no problem sewing. I would get skipped stitches despite numerous needle, tension, and stitch changes. Once I switched to another project, I did not encounter problems. So the dress pieces along with the pattern stayed in a plastic bag for more than 6 months.

Then along came the opportunity to revisit this dress due to the UFO contest. Things were running smoothly when I was able to sew the attach the sleeves to the upper bodice and gather the lower edge of the bodice until I attached the facing to the neckline. My stitching went haywire. Then I looked at it and told myself this will not work. It was confirmed when I slipped it over my head and my instinct was correct- this dress was not meant for me. I probably made a goof somewhere or the dress's style does not work for me. This project was tainted from the beginning.

So, I shifted gears and decided to try this Simplicity pattern from 1973. I found remaining fabric from previous projects and shortened the dress pattern to create two tops. Then for my third version, I decided to cut the top from the skirt (against the grain, due to size constraints)originally intended for THAT Butterick knit dress. Now, I feel relieved to eliminate this fabric from my UFO list.


Pattern Sizing:
Misses' size 12, bust 34

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?Yes, except I shortened the dress pattern into one for a top.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes, from all my experiences with a pattern from the "Jiffy" series. As usual, clear illustrations are included.

First version

Second version


Third version

Fabric Used:
Poly knit from GorgeousFabrics. All came from fabric that I used in previous projects.


Favorite Features
* Scoop neckline
* Curved contour at side seams that work nicely with my figure
* Gathered style at sleeve caps that balance what's below the bustline


There is nothing to dislike about the pattern except for the facings which I excluded. However, I would use the facings if I create the dress version in a double knit because it would look much better with a non-topstitched neckline.



Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

To preserve the original pattern, I traced the front, back, and sleeve pieces onto gift wrap tissue paper. It was easy to make any necessary adjustments.

*Omitted the front and back facings

*For my second and third versions, I took in the upper center back seam by 3/4" to eliminate some gaping that I experienced in my first version.

* Removed the added 1/4" at the armscye, or in other words, I did not have to change the armscye of the original pattern.

* Shortened the upper back by making a horizontal fold with a width of 3/4".

*Made my usual 3/4" petite adjustment between the bust and hips.

*Traced a short sleeve pattern piece from the long sleeve pattern piece.

*Staystitched 1/4" from the neckine, folded the edge under at the staystitching and topstitched



Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

After making three of these, still a big YES! It is one of those easy and gratifying things to sew. I definitely recommend this and other Jiffy patterns to sewists at all levels. Jiffy patterns are "easy chic". I confess that what I have been wearing out often are my poly knit tops created from Simplicity or McCall "carefree" (anyone remember?) patterns from the 1970's. The simple style of a deep (but not too deep) scoop neck with some shaping at the sides work best with my figure and just a change of fabric can significantly alter the personality of the garment.


Conclusion:

I have been usually successful with patterns from the 1970's. With little or no alterations, I have been very fortunate to have something that fits BETTER than current RTW. Suppose I have 10 garments to try on in department store dressing room. I would be lucky to have ONE that fits decently. I have better luck fitting into something I sewed straight from the pattern envelope...