The 1940s Shamrock Dress

It's been a while since I posted something here on my blog. My family life kept me busy, and then the pandemic swept all over the world, things happened that we never ever would have imagined. Still, we have our own small lives, our troubles, our joys. I made some stuff, but I lost a bit my sewing motivation and was glad to discover knitting again. Health issues made me gain some weight, however I'm convinced I will get back to normal, just as life as such.

To say I was a bit late with my sewing for my son's First Communion would be a huge understatement. I was hoping too long the event would be postponed due to the pandemic. Then, as usual, I had to hurry. A lot. Two weeks for two outfits was a bit tight... Especially when you have two kids and a challenging teenage dog! Picking a project for myself usually is not a problem. Tons of patterns, tons of fabrics. But as my daughter is a little miss now, she needed something nice to wear too. But as she is not a small girl anymore and not yet a proper miss, it's not easy to find the right thing. Luckily she is growing a lot, also character-wise. (She's half a head shorter than me, and she's 12.) 

So this time no pink, no dress. Instead she was very excited when I showed  her the 1930s Wearing History Beach Pajama pattern - a pattern I adore myself as well! She picked a viscose (rayon) javanaise, and then it was a rather short knock-off. I have done a lot of shirring on baby and toddler clothing, no issue there, I only had to down-size the pattern. She also loves the Gertie wrap tops I made in various versions from Butterick 6285 for myself, and this too was a quick job after the down-grading was done. I usually don't double the top, but make it from a single layer only, which makes it less bulky for the summery versions and saves a considerable amount of fabric. Even though the both patterns represent two different eras, I think they make a lovely combination for a young girl not (yet) into vintage properly, but certainly outside the average frame. And I had one very happy girl. 

Having a soft spot for all things Irish (my son's name is Irish), I have been looking a long time for a lovely clover or  shamrock themed fabric that is not too childish. Shortly after Christmas until St Patrick's Day in March you find a lot of rather cheap, colourful or clumsy shamrock prints, but I wanted something more decent and "grown-up". A couple of weeks ago I found an online seller in my country I had not heard of before. Browsing through their site I came a cross this extraordinary viscose fabric with a clover print, Swiss made, and significantly reduced. It was just meant to be! (So far to my decision to reduce my stash.) I originally bought it with another project in mind, but when I had to chose the material for my dress, my husband suggested this would be perfect.

First I thought I would make the 1942 two-piece dress from Eva Dress Patterns, originally Du Barry 5510. But I know all too well that I probably would never wear the skirt separately with a different top, so I rather spontaneously turned the wrap blouse into the bodice of a wrap dress, combining it with the skirt part of Simplicity 1710 from 1946. I have gained a lot of weight during the last couple of months, due to the pandemic and the hormones, and wrap dresses are so forgiving and comfortable. No matter what size or shape you are! I always wanted to make this pattern, but I don't like bust darts that start at the waist line. I also took the fluttery sleeves from the Simplicity dress and changed the gathered skirt inset into a pleated one to match thew pleats on the shoulders. I will probably have to add a pressure stud on the skirt, as I almost had a Marilyn moment. In front of the church certainly not funny.

The fabric, as any other viscose javanaise or challis, was very challenging, certainly not for beginners, a nightmare to cut and sew, but is a dream to wear. And to my utter surprise, it doesn't wrinkle half as much as all my other viscose or rayon fabrics do! Yay to a domestic product in an outstanding quality at an unbeatable price! It has the soft and almost peachy touch of certain silks and a wonderful drape. Sadly the weather wasn't improving as I had hoped - this is probably the coldest April I can remember. Obviously I needed something to cover my bare arms. I looked at many of my patterns, and this Du Barry 5908 from 1944 was the most simple 40s jacket I could find. (Size 12 only - anybody else hates upgrading vintage patterns?) I wished I had a green fabric at hand, but the only matching material was a beige and rather bland noil silk* I had bought about 20 years ago in a fabric shop in Zurich that has closed down long ago. I think it was a colour I love back then. And I realised once again how much of a fabric hoarder I am. 

This unlined little number came together easily, but I should have shortened it by about one inch to end just at the waist line. Maybe later. The entire project had a lot of hand stitching (and some night-sifts) involved, all the hems on both garments are done manually. Luckily my husband was very helpful, and he knows now very well how to handle our laundry-machine. Instead of wrapping bands I added presser studs to the bodice, and I made a belt with a perfectly matching vintage bakelite belt buckle. The buckle was still on its original card, and it matches the focal bead on the bakelite necklace I was wearing, even though the other beads look bit darker. I'm happy I made some shoulder pads for the dress. I have rather square shoulders, and most garments fit quite nicely without them, but the the pads just add that tiny bit for a better fit.

The mid-century shamrock brooch is probably a bit too much, but I so wanted to wear it on that special day, honouring my son on this occasion. 

* Silk noil (sometimes also called bourette silk) is a fabric made from scraps and short threads left from the silk cocoon that are too short and uneven to be used on finer silk fabric. As it contains still a certain amount of the cocoon glue, it has sometimes a specific smell to it that doesn't wash out easily. Due to it's anti-inflammatory properties it was used for diapers and nursing pads for a long time only, considered to be too "crude" for the garment industry. It has a feel like cotton or linen, with a slightly nubby texture, but is extremely lovely to wear. Often it is mistakenly called "wild silk". A couple of years ago, it became available also in western countries, even though in India sarges have been made from this material for ages.

Beach Pajamas pattern: Wearing History

Fabric: Viscose javanaise from Buttinette

Wrap Top pattern: Butterick B 6285 by Gertie

Fabric: Viscose knit

Shamrock Dress pattern: Eva Dress 1942 Two Piece Dress (wrap blouse), Simplicity 1710, © 1946 (skirt, sleeves)

Dress fabric: Viscose fabric from Stoffwald

Jacket pattern: Du Barry 5908 © 1944

Jacket fabric: Silk noil from my stash, about 20 years old...

Bakelite belt buckle: Etsy

Bakelite necklace: Facebook

Shamrock Brooch: Facebook

Smooth Sailing Blouse, Smooth Sewing And A Day Out

It took me rather long to buy the "Smooth Sailing" blouse from Wearing History, even though it was love at first sight. Repro patterns are often not as good as true vintage ones. But this blouse really is an exception!
But when we, my dear husband and I, decided that maybe (maybe…) we could go on a holiday in October, I panicked about having no decent stuff to wear. This is the negative side of losing weight when you wear vintage, you can't just go to the next store and buy some cheap off-the-rack rags to fill up your wardrobe. So I had to make some new clothes, and the pattern seemed to be easy and was ready to use.

Ich konnte mich lange nicht überwinden, das "Smooth Sailing" Muster von Wearing History zu kaufen. Repro-Schnitte geniessen nicht immer den besten Ruf, aber dieses ist wirklich eine positive Ausnahme. 
Aber als mein Mann mir sagte, dass wir im Oktober vielleicht doch noch nach Italien fahren, bekam ich Panik, da ich fast nichts mehr anzuziehen habe. Das ist der Nachteil, wenn man abnimmt und Vintage trägt. Man kann nicht in den nächstbesten Laden gehen und ein paar billige Fetzen kaufen… Also musste ich dringend noch ein paar Sachen nähen, da kam mir der pfannenfertige Schnitt grad wie gerufen.

I also made another pair of trousers after the Eva Dress pattern I already posted about earlier this year. I used a blue denim material and changed the pattern to have proper front and back pockets (to carry keys and my mobile phone when I bring my doughtier to the kindergarten). For a tighter fit I skipped the button closure and I inserted a zipper, not in the side seam, but in the front pocket. These changes didn't cause too much troubles, so I could finish the trousers in a rather short time. Smooth sewing.

Ich brauche auch dringend neue Hosen, mit Taschen für Schlüssel und Handy, wenn ich das Tochterkind in den Kindergarten bringe. So gab es einmal mehr eine weite Hose von Eva Dress, die ich somit zum bereits dritten Mal nähte. Diesmal aber eben mit Taschen und statt der Knöpfe einem in die Tasche versetzten Reissverschluss. So sitzt die Hose auch anliegender als mit Knopfleiste. Und trotz des ungeliebten Materials nähte sich die Hose total einfach.

And I needed a blouse to wear with the denims, so I decided it was about time to use my "Smooth Sailing" pattern. And yes, never use your precious fashion fabric if you make a pattern for the first time. Nonetheless, I used this gorgeous Japanese goldfish fabric for my project. First I thought to make something else of it, but the print is a little bit "feedsack-esque", so it was perfect for this vintage style blouse.

It is a slightly heavier cotton material, but very soft and comfy, with a nubby structure. Just the kind of excellent quality I got used to have with Japanese fabrics.

Und dann brauchte ich natürlich eine Bluse dazu. Also den besagten Schnitt endlich in Angriff genommen! Und ja, man sollte immer zuerst ein Testmodell nähen. Trotzdem habe ich gleich meinen guten Stoff genommen, wunderschöne japanische Baumwolle in etwas festerer Qualität und mit einem stark an Vintage-Stoffe erinnernden Fisch-Motiv. Exzellente Qualität, die ich an japanischen Stoffen schätzen gelernt habe. Und obwohl ich den Stoff ursprünglich für etwa anderes gekauft hatte, bin ich froh, ihn für dieses Projekt verwendet zu haben.

     

I am rather small busted not particularly full busted, but I have a wide upper back, so I used a size 16 and added some width. And I made the sleeve slightly larger, as I had learned from various blog posts that the sleeves are rather on the tight side. Carrying my kids since 5 years rewarded me with strong arms.

Ich bin zwar nicht ausserordentlich vollbusig, habe aber einen breiteren oberen Rücken, deshalb schnitt ich die Grösse 16 zu und gab an den Hüften für den gut gepolsterten Popo etwas mehr zu. Auch die Ärmel schnitt ich leicht weiter, die sollen gemäss Urteil etwas knapp sein beim Modell. Die bald 6 Jahre, in denen ich Kinder und Gartengeräte rumschleppe haben mir ordentliche Oberarme beschert… 

The pattern was very easy to sew, and despite having made some adjustments, I didn't have to rip open seams as I usually have to, but I could really sew smoothly and without any major problems. So it was smooth sewing again. (If there had not been problems with my sewing machine who sometimes behaves like a diva.)

Der Schnitt wäre eigentlich ganz leicht zu nähen gewesen, wenn meine Nähmaschine sich nicht wieder mal wie eine Diva benommen hätte. Ich musste auch keine Nähte auftrennen und neu anpassen, trotz der paar geringen Änderungen am Schnitt.

I used some of my much loved vintage buttons. These are made of glass, so they weight a little bit more and therefore are just right for the slightly heavier fabric. And they're  even the perfect match in colour and pattern. I am totally happy with the finished blouse.

Die Knöpfe sind Vintage und aus Glas. Da sie etwas schwerer sind, sind sie genau richtig für den Stoff, und in Farbe und Muster passen sie perfekt zum Material!

I wore those two garments on our trip to the open-air folk museum near Brienz we went to see yesterday. After a very bad summer, we had a sunny and warm day and spent some splendid hours in the mountains. Despite being insulted by a very stupid woman because of the snood I was wearing (she called me a woman with a fish-net on her head…), I enjoyed my new outfit. (Reminds me that stupidity doesn't know any limits. Nonetheless, I'm always totally speechless. My parents just didn't prepare me for such things…)

Das neue Outfit habe ich gestern zu einem Ausflug in ein Freilichtmuseum in der Nähe von Brienz getragen. (Das ist im Kanton Bern, also bereits in den Bergen, und von uns aus in 2 Stunden zu erreichen.) Das Wetter war prächtig und wir genossen die wunderschöne Landschaft. Obwohl ich wegen meines Haarnetztes von einer saudoofen (sorry) Person beleidigt wurde (sie bezeichnete mich als "die da mit dem Fischernetz auf dem Kopf") war es ein perfekter Tag mit meiner Familie und einigen netten Bekannten. (Das ermahnt mich einmal mehr, dass Dummheit keine Grenzen kennt. Ich bin immer wieder sprachlos ob solchen Leuten. Irgendwie haben mich meine Eltern nicht auf sowas vorbereitet in meiner Kindheit.)

Would I use these patterns again? Yes, definitely. And I will wear both items again and again. As you can see, they are very comfortable and neat. Under all circumstances.

Würde ich den Schnitt nochmals nähen? Definitiv ja. Und beide Kleidungsstücke trage ich auch gerne wieder, wie man hier auf einem neueren Bild sieht. Frau macht darin immer eine propere Figur. Unter allen Umständen.

The museum by the way, the Ballenberg, is very interesting. It's a huge area with many very old and beautifully re-built houses, stables and chalets of different regions of my country, so you can see the various architectural characteristics. Some of the houses display old furniture, traditional crafts, or how food was prepared. They smoke sausages, make cider, bake bread, and there is even an old drug-store with stuff they used to sell in previous centuries, so mainly medicinal herbs etc. There is also - very interesting for me - an ancient hat maker's workshop. If you ever happen to go there, be prepared to wear proper shoes and plan to spend the entire day there. The museum is huge, and there are various opportunities to have traditional Swiss food for lunch - or you can bring your own.

Dieses Museum, das Ballenberg, ist übrigens sehr schön und empfehlenswert, wenn man sich für alte Häuser, altes Handwerk etc interessiert. Dort sind die unterschiedlichsten Häuser und landwirtschaftliche Nutzgebäude aus den diversen Regionen der Schweiz auf einem riesigen Gelände zusammengetragen. Einige zeigen noch originale Küchen- oder Wohneinrichtungen, präsentieren traditionelle Handwerke oder wie früher Essen zubereitet wurde. Es werden Würste geräuchert, Brot gebacken, Most gepresst,  man kann manchmal beim Klöppeln zusehen. Ein Haus enthält eine alte Drogerie mit Sachen, die es damals, in den vergangenen Jahrhunderten, dort zu kaufen gab. Mich hat besonders die Hutmacher-Werkstatt interessiert. Falls Ihr je dorthin geht, nehmt gute Schuhe mit, denn es ist sehr weitläufig und man braucht gewiss einen ganzen Tag. Es gibt mehrere Möglichkeiten, traditionelles Essen zu geniessen, oder man kann selbst etwas mitbringen und im Freien essen. Hier ein paar Eindrücke!

The hat maker's workshop

Clockwise: smoked sausages, a traditional peasant's garden, stone pavement of a farmhouse, dried flax 

Below an ancient reed thatched roof.

The stuff in the grass is flax that is being prepared to be turned into linen.

On the left the traditional folk costume of my region for men.

Top left: silk ribbon sample card (ribbons often were woven by peasant during winter); bottom left: an ancient kitchen

A traditional house from the Italian part of Switzerland

Blouse: me-made
Pattern: Smooth Sailing/Wearing History
Fabric: Japanese cotton goldfish print
Buttons: Vintage
Trousers: me-made
Pattern: Eva Dress, modified
Fabric: denim
Button: vintage MOP button
Earrings: vintage screw-on molded plastic screw-backs
Snood: not me-made. I'm not particularly gifted when it comes to crochet.
Glasses: Ray Ban, not vintage, but I couldn't find my 40's style glasses when we left from home…
Watch: vintage
Shoes: Clarks

Vintage Slacks

Ignore my silliness. We stayed at some friends' place and had a good time...

As a mother of two little ones, I can't always wear dresses and skirts, and most trousers that are available off-the-rack don't fit me. Or are terrible. Or both. High-waisted pants are mostly available in larger or so-called "short" sizes for elderly, rather short women. And as the waists of trousers got lower and lower during the past years, and I constantly feel cold around my kidneys, I somehow felt I was getting too old for such things. You can guess that buying pants is a nightmare.

I never thought that, after leaving the 1980s fashion nightmares behind me, I would gladly opt for high-waisted trousers again. But… I always liked the wide-legged trousers Marlene Dietrich used to wear. (This reminds me that I should write a post about her.) Of course they would look different on me, as I'm not that slim, but still, it's a style I love and that will always look very neat and decent. Even if I don't do swing dancing or that kind of cool stuff. (I can't dance at all, I'm unfortunately born with two left legs.)

I bought this wonderful pattern from Eva Dress Patterns. It's a reproduction of Simplicity 3322. The patterns costa little bit, but they're worth it, as they offer some very nice and searched-after patterns in excellent quality. Some come along as multiple-size patterns, like this one.

For many of the patterns there are also pictures of finished projects, so it's really helpful to have a closer look at the entire site.

As a non-native English speaker (even though I am used to talk, write and read in English since 20 years), I didn't know what "slacks" are - until I found that pattern.

I was looking for something exactly like this! I am not sure how I would look in an overall, but the trousers are definitely worth giving a try! 

Since years I had a large piece of a inexpensive poly-cotton gabardine in my stash that I bought for about $10 per meter. I think I bought it about 10 years or more ago to make a trench coat. Of course I never made it. The fabric was still there, looking at me reproachfully each time I opened the shelf. It's a nice tan or dark-beige colour, making it perfect for cooler summer days, spring and autumn, as it has a lightly heavier drape.

After our 1.5 hours drive, the trouser look a little bit wrinkled... 

The colour is certainly not my first choice, even though I think it's not bad and can be spiced up with some top or blouse in a lovely colour or pattern, but I would have liked something that looked like denim or at least a blue fabric to be incorporated in my summer (holiday) wardrobe. Blue, especially combined with red and white, always makes me feel like holiday at the sea. But for now this has to do it. I chose some wooden buttons I bought from a warehouse that closed down many years ago, so I guess they are somehow vintage too...

They are super comfy and were easy to sew (haha, no small bust to deal with this time!!!), and I hope they will be a valuable garment. However, as you can see on the last picture, from my hips downward they are far too baggy and I look much bigger than I am (my bottom IS NOT that fat, at least I hope so), soI will try to make my next pair in a smaller size and look how they turn out.

I am wearing the self-designed peasant knit top I posted already here…

And yes, I definitely look very silly on the pictures. I was standing by this column and my lovely husband said, let's take some pics of your trousers for the blog (how well-educated is he?). I was in a very cheerful mood being with friends and relatives - hehe, maybe too cheerful...

But look what I bought and what arrived yesterday - perfect for summer, especially as we had to cancel our summer holidays! Flamingo cocktail sticks! Aren't they great?

Pattern: Eva Dress Pattern, Vintage Slacks

Fabric: cotton poly gabardine

Peasant top: me-made pattern, organic cotton knit in red gingham by Lillestoff

Lipstick: MAC, Russian Red

Earrings: fruit salad, NOS vintage bought on Ebay

Shoes: pink Moheda Toffeln from Sweden

Toy octopus: not ours...