Show us what you've made!

[CherryRed]

I haven't posted in this thread in ages, but inspired by Miss '29 diving in, I shall do likewise:

This is Simplicity 3971, copyright 1940 -- a typical day dress of the time, and very practical for work. There's tucks at the bust and waist, although they don't show up especially well in this pic, and slightly puffed sleeves, along with three vertical pleats in the skirt.

I don't make a lot of 4-yard dresses, because I find them a bit swoopier than I like for work, but this one caught my eye and I think it came out well. I used a soft cotton lawn, and an old Bac-A-Belt kit for the self-belt. Came out well, I think -- I'm wearing it tonight to oversee a concert at work.

Lizzie you look wonderful!:eusa_clap LOVE your kitchen too!!

 

[goldwyn girl]

Wonderful Lizzie!!! We don't see anywhere near enough of you.

 

[Lady Day]

Im just smiling all big! you look great, and lovely color fabric too!

LD

 

[deadpandiva]

Lizzie and Miss 1929- What lovely dresses. I think the colors you chose are so flattering. I really must try harder to make a good quality garment.

 

[Josephine]

I decided to make a skirt out of the polka dot fabric instead of that dress. I thought the pattern was going to be a half circle, but it wasn't. :/ I also had to jury rig the waistband and zipper, and the waistband doesn't come together like I want it to. Next time I'll get an actual skirt pattern as I'm not happy with the waistband.

 

[JupitersDarling]

I decided to make a skirt out of the polka dot fabric instead of that dress. I thought the pattern was going to be a half circle, but it wasn't. :/ I also had to jury rig the waistband and zipper, and the waistband doesn't come together like I want it to. Next time I'll get an actual skirt pattern as I'm not happy with the waistband.

Looks pretty darn good to me! What don't you like about the waistband? Only suggestion I have is that making the waist band a half inch or so less wide could make it appear less 'bandy', if that's the objection you have.

Miss 1929- you look FAB. I've been fantasizing about early 30's styles this week since watching a Jean Harlow movie, but I'm just not sure I could pull 'em off without some extreme hip-minimizing corsetting going on.

Lizzie, great dress! Love seeing it complete with oxfords (are those the clinics?). Your description of 4 yard dresses as 'too swoopy' made me laugh. lol

 

[Josephine]

Looks pretty darn good to me! What don't you like about the waistband? Only suggestion I have is that making the waist band a half inch or so less wide could make it appear less 'bandy', if that's the objection you have. lol

Thanks! IMO the band isn't stiff enough. I should have put interfacing or something in it. I stopped the zipper where the band meets the skirt (kind of), and put two eye and hooks (which I can never get in the right place to close w/o a gap) on the band to close it. I had thought about having the band overlap itself where the zipper is, but at the last minute decided not to, but I had already sewn over the zipper stop and couldn't get the stitches unpicked so had to angle the band up and it's uneven at the top. Nothing that stops me from wearing it, and you won't be able to see the screwy band closing if I wear a belt. Just stuff to remember next time I make a skirt.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Lizzie, great dress! Love seeing it complete with oxfords (are those the clinics?). Your description of 4 yard dresses as 'too swoopy' made me laugh. lol

Those are actually the Tic-Tac-Toes I posted very very early in the Cute Vintagey Shoes thread more than two years ago -- since then, they've been half-soled and re-heeled, but they're still a great comfy summer shoe. Can't beat that perforated comfort!

Josephine -- great fabric for a great skirt! One thing you could do to conceal the waistband issue is add a couple of belt loops and make a belt out of the same fabric -- get a nice plastic buckle, and it'll look like a matched set without any need to show the waistband!

 

[Josephine]

Josephine -- great fabric for a great skirt! One thing you could do to conceal the waistband issue is add a couple of belt loops and make a belt out of the same fabric -- get a nice plastic buckle, and it'll look like a matched set without any need to show the waistband!

Thanks! Good idea for the belt, I do have a bunch of fabric left over...

 

[Miss 1929]

Miss 1929- you look FAB. I've been fantasizing about early 30's styles this week since watching a Jean Harlow movie, but I'm just not sure I could pull 'em off without some extreme hip-minimizing corsetting going on.

Believe me, I am wearing the 30s girdle from hell with these clothes... I am fat and hippy!

But it's worth the small discomfort when you look in the mirror and the tummy is gone.

 

[anabolina]

Finally had some time to do something for me.

Wow Mackenzie. You do wonderful work. I especially love that dress. What pattern did you use?

 

[mackenzie]

Thank you. I'm glad you like it.I made the pattern. I used a pic of I dress I saw on ebay that I liked, but wanted to change to be more flattering for my figure. Taking a pattern construction class is one of the best things I ever did. It is amazingly entertaining....

 

[anabolina]

I do the same thing with saving pictures of Ebay dresses that are way to small for me or way to expensive for me for future inspiration.

My lastest vintage creation on TAS.

Side view

I had it all ready for buttons, it was interfaced and I drawn on where the buttonholes would go when I looked at it and realized I didn't have enough matching buttons and decided I was too lazy to bother with the buttons anyway, so I just sewed up the front. Oh well, I still like the dress even if button-free.

Here's a seventies pattern. I shortened it because I ran out of fabric and the tie was supposed to go around the waist, but with the shorter length, I decided a bow at the neck would be much cuter. It worked too. I got asked out by one seriously younger guy (I think he was 21 or something) and another older guy while wearing it. Hmmm... Maybe the trend will continue this weekend?

 

[LelaViavonie]

I do the same thing with saving pictures of Ebay dresses that are way to small for me or way to expensive for me for future inspiration.

My lastest vintage creation on TAS.

Side view

I had it all ready for buttons, it was interfaced and I drawn on where the buttonholes would go when I looked at it and realized I didn't have enough matching buttons and decided I was too lazy to bother with the buttons anyway, so I just sewed up the front. Oh well, I still like the dress even if button-free.

That is soooo cute!! I finally learned how to read patterns :eusa_doh:
Is it hard to resize a pattern to make it bigger?

Just thought I would ask cause all the patterns I have are a size 10 or 12.. and in much bustier than those sizes..?

 

[MarieAnne]

Here is a dress and a shirt I've made. I've only been sewing for a little while. The dress is only the third article of clothing I've made and the shirt is the fourth. The first thing I ever made was a western shirt for my husband. I didn't realize seam allowances were included and his shirt went from size large to size FRIDGE. It fits OVER his winter jacket, it's pretty funny.
Sadly almost everything I make for myself is too big. I have difficulty choosing pattern sizes because my bust if bigger than my hips and my waist is tiny. I read (I think on eBay) that if your proportions don't match measurements, to go by hip size. What do you guys think? I think it's time to make muslin my friend. Any advice on resizing shirts with yokes? How do I make sure the yoke and lower bodice still line up?

Here is the dress.
And this is the pattern

This is the shirt. I LOVE this shirt, I really wish it fit
And this is the pattern

 

[LizzieMaine]

Sadly almost everything I make for myself is too big. I have difficulty choosing pattern sizes because my bust if bigger than my hips and my waist is tiny. I read (I think on eBay) that if your proportions don't match measurements, to go by hip size. What do you guys think? I think it's time to make muslin my friend. Any advice on resizing shirts with yokes? How do I make sure the yoke and lower bodice still line up?

Those look very impressive for first projects -- just from looking at the dress, I'd think the hips would be much more forgiving than the bust, so you'd be justified in going by bust size and letting the hips take care of themselves.

That's an interesting shirt design -- if it's too big at the waist, maybe experimenting with those darts a bit might be worth trying?

Muslin is a good idea, but if you don't want to go thru the whole process of fully sewing a muslin, you can get a pretty good rough idea of fit by simply pinning the pieces together wrong side out along the seam allowances and moving the pins around until the fit feels right. They used to recommend doing this directly with the pattern pieces, but it's very easy to tear them up if you're not careful, and muslin's easier to work with.

Don't feel you absolutely have to follow the seam allowances stated on the pattern. Once you learn what works for you size-wise you can just go with that -- I buy my patterns in vintage size 18, but I'm actually midway between 18 and 20, and it's easier to size up a bit by sewing the seam allowance at 1/4" instead of 1/2" than it is to take in a 20. Once you've experimented and done this enough you'll know automatically where to seam, and things will start fitting better.

 

[LelaViavonie]

Here is a dress and a shirt I've made. I've only been sewing for a little while. The dress is only the third article of clothing I've made and the shirt is the fourth. The first thing I ever made was a western shirt for my husband. I didn't realize seam allowances were included and his shirt went from size large to size FRIDGE. It fits OVER his winter jacket, it's pretty funny.
Sadly almost everything I make for myself is too big. I have difficulty choosing pattern sizes because my bust if bigger than my hips and my waist is tiny. I read (I think on eBay) that if your proportions don't match measurements, to go by hip size. What do you guys think? I think it's time to make muslin my friend. Any advice on resizing shirts with yokes? How do I make sure the yoke and lower bodice still line up?

Here is the dress.
And this is the pattern

This is the shirt. I LOVE this shirt, I really wish it fit
And this is the pattern

I love it!! THey are really good! I love that shirt... soo adorable.. love the fabric u used!

 

[Rachael]

I love that shirt! Might just have to make one myself.. what size pattern do you normally wear? The more pieces involved, the more complicated it is to scale down but if you are going down just a size it shouldn't be too bad. The trick is to make sure that whatever changes you make to one piece you do the exact same to the pieces it affects. So if you take in the yoke, adjust the bodice the same amount. I'd be willing to do the drafting for you in exchange for being able to make a copy in my size.

 

[kamikat]

Wow! Those look great for being first projects. The dress looks like it fits ok. Can you just take it in on the sides a bit to fit better? That blouse is smashing!
Generally, the most difficult place to fit is the neck and shoulders. In the dress, this isn't an issue because it's a halter. Also, with the full skirt giving more room for your hips, I would have gone with the bust measurement. For the blouse, it's more difficult to decide on size. Commercial patterns are drafted for a B-C cup bust. If you are larger or smaller than that, a pattern that is sized for your bust may not fit your shoulders. Working with some cheap fabric and a couple cheap, on-sale modern patterns (chain stores have them on sale for $1.99 on weekends) will help give you an idea of where your fitting issues are without wasting expensive fabrics. I also recommend Real Fit for Real People by Pati Palmer and Marta Alto for learning how to fit yourself.

 

[MarieAnne]

Wow, thanks for all the great replies and compliments!
LizzieMaine - The shirt is actually too big in the bust. It's a tiny bit too big in the waist but I think that's just the ease. I like the idea of pinning and fitting with the original fabric. Especially since I only have to size down a tiny bit. I'll have to give that a try. I might try fitting it with the pattern trace too since I trace all my patterns. It's a bit strudier than pattern paper.
LelaViavonie - I knew I wanted to make the shirt with the yoke and it just so happened I had some leopard print, black and red fabric kicking around and it turned out great.
Rachael - I'm not sure what size I am because I still haven't found a size that fits. The 14 is a tiny bit too big so I might be a 12[huh] ? I'm 35.5, 26 and 34. Thanks for the offer to draft a pattern for me. I think I will just play around with the seam allowances since it doesn't need to be taken in that much. But if you would like, I can send you a copy of the yoked shirt with instructions? You can PM me if you are interested.