1940s Summer Dress Inspiration

Despite having finished quite a lot projects only recently and having some unfinished objects as well, I'm already planning a new one: a 1940s summer dress, or a frock. My aim is to get rid of lots of clothes that are not my taste anymore and to have less, but more vintage style and more better fitting clothing in my wardrobe. So lots of skirts will have to find a new home, and I hope Ito have more room for what I like much more - decent vintage style dresses, skirts, blouses.

Trotz der vielen erst kürzlich fertiggestellten Projekte und weiterer UFOs in meinem "Nähkabinettchen", plane ich bereits wieder ein neues Werk: ein Sommerkleid im Stil der 1940er Jahre. Ich räume gerade meinen Kleiderschrank (und das Kleiderlager im Keller). Ambitiöses Ziel ist es, deutlich weniger, dafür meinem heutigen Geschmack eher entsprechende Kleidung zu haben, die zu mir passt und die sich mit bereits vorhandenen Basics wie Strickjäckchen, Pullis, Tops etc. kombinieren lässt.

I have this wonderful true vintage cotton percale fabric in my stash since some months, and according the Etsy seller's information and my personal opinion was, that it's from the 1940s. The pattern reminds me a lot of the feedsack prints from that decade, the fabric is almost shouting "I'm so totally 1940s!"… Also, I'm currently totally keen on blue, white and red patterned fabrics, no idea why.

Ich habe seit vielen, vielen Monaten nun schon diesen wunderbaren Stoff, und sowohl die Verkäuferin als auch ich waren uns einig, dass er aus den 1940ern stammt. Das Muster, das zudem an die damals sehr verbreiteten Futtersäcke* erinnert, und auch die Qualität sprechen sehr dafür. (* siehe Anmerkung am Schluss dieses Posts)
Keine Ahnung auch, weshalb ich derzeit so auf rot-blau-weiss gemusterte Stoffe stehe.

So the material calls definitely for a 1940s pattern, and a summery one too (even though it may be a little bit late), matching the colors and the happy checks and flowers print.

Dieses Material verlangt geradezu nach einem Sommer-Schnitt aus der Zeit, um den Farben und dem sommerlich-fröhlichen Muster mit Blumen und Karos gerecht zu werden. 

Most of my 1940s patterns are from my Lutterloh supplementary booklets from the first half of the 1940s. Lutterloh, a German company, had to stop the publication of patterns with their winter/spring issue of 1943/44 due to the war that was raging in Europe. They got back to business only from summer 1949 on, so there are a couple of years missing.

Da die meisten meiner 1940er Schnittmuster aus meinen vielen Lutterloh-Ergänzungsheften sind, schaute ich diese besonders sorgfältig durch. Diese Hefte erschienen wegen des Zweiten Weltkrieges  allerdings nur für eine gewisse Zeit, denn mit der Ausgabe Winter/Frühling 1943/44 wurde die Herausgabe eingestellt und erst für Sommer 1949 wieder aufgenommen, so dass modetechnisch doch ein paar Jahre fehlen. (Falls jemand von meinen deutschsprachigen Lesern evtl. noch ein Lutterloh Buch aus dieser Zeit hat, wäre ich interessiert am Austausch von Schnitten.)

I knew from the beginning that princess seams wouldn't be OK. I had realized when I was ironing the fabric after washing it that the print doesn't run exactly on the grain. This is not a problem for a flower print, but for the checks it is.

Von Beginn weg kamen Prinzess-Nähte (Wiener Nähte) nicht in Frage. Beim Bügeln des Stoffes hatte ich festgestellt, dass die Karomuster stellenweise nicht im Fadenlauf verlaufen, was bei langen Nähten eine exakte Verarbeitung fast unmöglich macht. (Entweder man achtet auf den Fadenlauf oder den Druck.)

So I made a list with elements my dress should have.

Gathers - yes, around the bust. Lots of. 

Sleeves - yes. Short ones, as it's supposed to be a summer dress.

Fitted midriff - yes. Depending on the pattern as such.

Skirt - simple. It could join the top at the waistline or could be made from one piece with the lower top. If made from a separate piece, no gathers, maybe darts or several gores.

Pockets - not necessarily. Maybe...

Collar - depending from the pattern yes, but not a must.

Button closure in front - would be VERY nice. I love buttons.

So stellte ich eine Liste zusammen, was mein Kleid aufweisen sollte:

Raffungen - ja, im Brustbereich. Viele.

Ärmel - ja, kurze. (Es sollte ein Sommerkleid werden, aber ein Modell kann diesbezüglich leicht abgeändert werden.)

Schmaler Taillenbereich - ja. Ich bin nicht sicher, ob ein blumigeres Oberteil mir steht…

Rock - einfach, wenn möglich nicht gerafft. Entweder am Oberteil durch eine Naht verbunden (zum einteiligen Kleid) oder als Rock separat zu tragen. Entweder mit Abnähern oder mehreren Bahnen gearbeitet.

Taschen - vielleicht. Kann ich später noch entscheiden. Oder vielleicht Seitennaht-Taschen?

Kragen - kein Muss. Je nach Schnitt…

Knopfleiste vorne - gerne! Ich liebe Knöpfe!

I had a look around the internet what ads and photographs showed for that decade.

Um mich ein bisschen mehr zu inspirieren, schaute ich im Internet nach Sommerkleidern aus jener Ära.

Of course you can't compare those prices with the ones of today's garments, but then, each and every one of those dresses looks totally adorable!

Natürlich kann man die damaligen Preise nicht mit heutigen vergleichen, aber jedes einzelne dieser Kleider sieht doch einfach hinreissend aus!

Look at the seersucker robe with the hawaiian print on the bottom right!

I would wear them all without hesitating!

Ich würde jedes davon ohne zu zögern nehmen!

But I didn't find only dresses, but also trousers, playsuits and shorts.

Meine Suchanfrage ergab auch ein paar tolle Bilder mit Playsuits und Hosenkombinationen.

How adorable are those sailor suits?!

Something I realised are the gathers on the shoulders and midriffs, and the gathered, rather pouffy sleeves that are so typical for the 1940s silhouette. Skirts were wide, but not yet as full as in the late 1940s and in the 1950s.

Beim Betrachten der Bilder bestätigte sich die Idee, die ich eigentlich schon im Kopf gehabt hatte: unverzichtbare Elemente waren geraffte Partien an Schultern und unter der Brust, und die gerafften, eher "puffigen" Ärmel (sagt man dem so?), die wesentlich für die eher breitschultrige Silhouette der 40er Jahre war. Die Röcke sind ausgestellt, aber bei weitem noch nicht so voll wie in den 50ern.

Therefore my dress, being a very 1940s dress, should have sleeves and gathers on the top. (This is also a very flattering detail to make the bust optically larger.)

Da mein Kleid nun wirklich ein 1940er Kleid werden sollte (alles andere wäre bei diesem Stöffchen ein Verbrechen), war ich sehr darauf bedacht, diese Stilelemente bei meinem Projekt zu verwenden. Abgesehen davon, dass die geraffte Brustpartie rein optisch für eine schmeichelhaftere weibliche Form sorgt.

Here are just a very few examples of the tons of patterns that I liked very much. I payed attention to the details - there shouldn't be too much of them, as I think they would get lost in the vivid pattern of the fabric. So I just tried to concentrate on my list and find something that had as much of those elements or that could easily be altered.

Hier nur ein paar wirklich wenige Beispiele von all den vielen Schnitten, die mir gefallen hätten. Ich musste darauf achteten, dass die jeweiligen Modelle nicht zu viele Details aufwiesen, die in diesem doch eher lebhaften Stoff möglicherweise verloren gehen würden. Es müsste ein Schnitt sein, der möglichst viele meiner gewünschten Elemente aufweist oder der sich leicht ändern liesse.

I like the blue dress, but - no gathers under the bust.

Mir gefällt das blaue Modell, allerdings fehlen dort die Raffungen unter der Brust…

The white dress is nice, but maybe not quite what I wanted…

Das weisse Kleid ist auch hübsch, aber auch zu wenig nah an dem was ich mir vorstellte.

All those dresses are super-cute and certainly worth making, but all are not quite exactly what I wanted and have details that maybe would be difficult to alter, for example certain necklines or collars, or no gathered bust.

Alle diese Kleider sind jedes für sich ganz entzückend, aber doch nicht so ganz dem entsprechend was ich mir gewünscht habe oder nicht so leicht entsprechend zu ändern…

Then I found this one and thought: it could easily changed into a front-buttoned short-sleeved dress, and the skirt could be replaced by a slightly wider one. So, this is my pattern.

I hope I can finish the dress in one week, as I planned to make it as my outfit for the next "Share In Style" for the "Summer" themed edition.

Dann fand ich dieses Modell und dachte, eigentlich könnte man es leicht mit einer vorderen Knopfleiste  unbd kurzen Ärmeln arbeiten, und auch der Rockteil könnte etwas anders gestaltet werden, leicht weiter und als angesetzter Rock. Somit hatte ich nun meinen Schnitt!

Ich hoffe, ich kann das Kleid in einer Woche fertigstellen, da es mein Beitrag für das nächste "Share In Style" mit dem Thema "Sommer" werden soll.

This is an example how the pattern schemes look like.

You draft your pattern by using a special measuring tape to enlarge the small pattern drafts by pinning the measure tape into the cross mark.

So sehen die Schnittschemata aus. Man fertigt den Schnitt mithilfe eines speziellen Maßbandes an, das man in die Kreuzmarkierung steckt.

If you never heard about Lutterloh patterns (The Golden Rule"), have a look at a post I wrote some time ago. This is one of many remarkable patterns drafting systems that were very common in those times when probably most women made part of their clothes themselves. The great thing about this company is: it still exists and is run by the same family. 

Falls Ihr noch nie etwas von Lutterloh Schnitten ("Der Goldene Schnitt") gehört habt, dürft Ihr gerne einen meiner früheren Posts darüber lesen. Dies ist nur eines dieser bemerkenswerten Systeme, nach denen man früher Schnitte selbst anfertigen konnte und die damals sehr verbreitet waren. Toll ist, dass es die Firma noch gibt und dass sie noch immer von der selben Familie geführt wird. 

* Eine Anmerkung für Leser aus dem deutschsprachigen/europäischen Raum:

In der ersten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts war unter der ländlichen Bevölkerung der USA die Haltung von Kleinvieh und insbesondere Hühnern verbreitet. Das Futter wurde in Säcken aus Stoff gekauft, die manchmal auch mit schönen Motiven bedruckt waren. Da man damals sparsam mit solchen Materialien umging und die Hersteller dieser Futtersäcke feststellten, dass die Leute zunehmend diese Säcke auftrennten, um daraus Kleider zu nähen, wurden die Motive immer aufwändiger gestaltet. Heute sind diese "feedsacks" begehrte Sammelobjekte, und bei einem Blick auf die Vielfalt und Schönheit der Drucke wird auch schnell klar, weshalb. Diese sind sowohl farblich als auch von den Motiven her sehr ansprechend und lassen sich definitiv zu wunderschönen Kleidungsstücken im Vintage-Stil oder andern Sachen verarbeiten. Leider sind sie aufgrund des hohen Sammelwertes auch sehr teuer.

The Wild West Rayon Circle Skirt

Falls meine deutschsprachigen Leser sich hin und wieder eine deutsche Version meiner Posts wünschen: ich würde auch gerne jeden Post zweisprachig schreiben, aber das braucht fast doppelt so viel Zeit, obwohl ich sehr gerne schreibe. Ich werde dem Wunsch sicher hin und wieder nachkommen, aber sonst gibt es hier in der linken Spalte auch ein Übersetzungs-Werkzeug, das zwar nicht perfekt ist, aber eine brauchbare Hilfe darstellt. Habt bitte Verständnis, dass meine Zeit einfach nicht immer für beides reicht. :-)

I wanted to post about this skirt for quite some time, as I have been wearing it on several occasions before. But I didn't have time to take pictures earlier. Weather was bad very often. Or my hair. Or both. Usually it's both. As my hair is bad when weather is bad too. But my hair is bad even with good weather. It usually IS bad.

To tell you the truth straight away: Never ever again will I sew a rayon circle skirt. Ever. (Hit me on the head if I ever plan anything similar again… You have my permission.)

I know, there are different type of rayon fabrics. Those from the 40s sometimes have a more "cotton-like" feel to them. The one I have used on this skirt was slightly stretchy and slippery. Almost like chewing gum. A marvel to wear. A nightmare to work with.

But let's start with the beginning.

Since I was a little girl, I liked Western movies, and I was fascinated by the myth and heroes of the Wild West. John Wayne was my hero. No joke. I dreamt of living on a ranch somewhere in Montana or the Southwest. I deeply love the vast landscape of Northern America, and the history of these regions will always be one of my major interests.

So when I saw this vintage rayon print with lots of Wild West motives, I absolutely HAD to have it. I bought it on Etsy, and I was lucky the seller was willing to ship to Switzerland. When the fabric arrived I realized there where different meanings of vintage. Items from the 1940s definitely ARE vintage, but so are also items from the 1980s - as for example most probably this fabric. It just didn't have that 1940s touch to it, even thought the seller sold it as a supply from the 1950s - it looks like that old from the print, but isn't. And it's much wider than vintage fabrics usually are…
I certainly could be wrong, but it's just not the real mid-century stuff - but despite being much younger, the print looks very 50s like, and I love it nonetheless. The colour palette is adorable (perfect for a red-head like me) and great to find matching tops and accessories.

As a circle skirt is a must-have for a vintage wardrobe, I decided to make this skirt in one day. Plus. Circle skirts are sooo easy to sew. Well, things turned out a little bit different. First I calculated the dimensions of my "pattern" according to my measurements. Cutting the fabric would probably have been an easy thing, but not with this fabric. To lay out the material and cut it on the grain was almost impossible. I needed tons of pins and a lot of time. Jeeeez, you really don't want to spend 2 hours to cut a circle skirt, do you?

Stitching the side seams together was the easiest part, as they were made from the fabric selvages. Thanks to my miracle tape the zipper went in better as easy as ABC despite the "slipperiness" of the fabric. But sewing the waist band was a nightmare, and in the end the skirt turned out a bit too wide. I love skirts with a snug fit around the waist. But this skirt just keeps sliding down to my hips. It's also the drape of the material that somehow seems to make the skirt "hang" down more than probably a cotton fabric skirt would do.

As to the hem - well, sadly the hem doesn't look even at all. I let the skirt hang for almost two days. (So far to the one-day-project…) I have read once that you should give the fabric some time to "fall" properly so any differences due to drape and bias and stretchiness etc. are leveled. But the length of the skirt altered whenever I moved the skirt, and they remained uneven for  all those  hours. So in the end, I just took up a hem of a little bit more than one inch - and that's it. My husband of course noticed the uneven length (sometimes I curse his awareness of "sewing-stuff"), but I'm sure most people won't. And I will not mention how dreadful the waistband was to make. It WAS dreadful. And also looks like. The best thing about it is the button. A vintage button from my grandmothers button box. She will sit gladly on a cloud and look down on me, using all the buttons she inherited from her mom. I feel very gifted whenever I look at those treasures.

On the pictures I'm wearing a self-made knit blouse. I used a high quality cotton knit fabric from a jersey manufactory nearby, very light-weight but solid. A dream to sew and wear! It is made from a patio dress pattern (Advance 6760). I changed the length of the sleeves. It's a nice match for a western themed skirt, don't you think?

I will make the same pattern certainly again, but a little bit smaller. It is a pattern for wovens or knits, but as knits today maybe have more stretch than in the 1950s, there's no need for so much extra-space. A little bit too large, however, very nice to wear. I love the collar (front and back)  and the comfortable fit of the top.

This is the jewelry set I am wearing on the pictures. Well, it was, when I bought it. Even though sold as "shell jewelry", the seller pretended afterwards she "didn't know it was made from shell" and therefore breakable. As it was not wrapped properly for shipping, some flowers of the brooch unfortunately broke. Stupid cow.

In person the jewelry matches the colors of the fabric much better...

I can swirl and twirl, and it's really a great thing to wear such an amount of fabric. And so comfortable - it almost makes me forget the troubles I had…It feels cool and smooth and drapey... And it has all that Western stuff on it, wagons, yuccas in bloom, cacti, cowboy boots, bulls' skulls, a "hacienda"... I really like it!

Skirt: me-made, self-drafted circle skirt (incredibly slippery rayon fabric)

Blouse: me-made after Advance 6760, Swiss cotton knit fabric

Jewelry: 1950s shell earrings & brooch set, bought on Etsy

Watch: Italian Murano (Venice) millefiori glass watch, gift from my lovely husband

Glasses: repro eye-cat glasses, don't remember anymore where exactly from

Shoes: Moheda Toffeln from Sweden - they ship worldwide, and no, I don't get any money from them for promotion… But they are great and comfortable to wear, so why shouldn't I tell about it?

Share In Style "Flowers" - Faux Flower Border Print (Swiss National Day Dress)

When I read that one of the upcoming editions of #bloggersharingstyle would be about flowers, I was most happy to join. One of the best themes! I love flowers, flower fabrics, flower jewelry - what else could you expect from a sewer that grows more than 100 different roses in her garden?

Als ich das Motto für das kommende "Share In Style" vernahm, war ich überglücklich. Blumen - das beste Thema! Ich liebe Blumen in jeder Form. Was sonst ist bei jemandem zu erwarten, wo über 100 verschiedene Rosen im Garten wachsen?

It's a fact that vintage fabrics in sufficient length are difficult to find in my country, and if you find them, some are in a poor condition or very expensive, or both, and you just get a sad rag for lots of money. Ever harder to come by are border print fabrics, of all fabrics that are most amazing to create lovely full vintage style skirts!

Vintage Stoffe sind schwierig zu finden. Viele sind in armseliger Verfassung, oder sehr teuer, oder  gleich beides, so dass man oft teure Lumpen kauft. Noch seltener zu finden sind Stoffe mit Bordüren-Drucken, die für Vintage-Mode und besonders schöne Sommer-Röcke hervorragend geeignet wären.

Recently I came across this lovely modern border print by Timeless Treasures featuring several borders of lovely red geraniums.

Dann stiess ich auf diesen schönen modernen Stoff…

Why not creating  my own border fabric? The colour range of the geranium print would make it easy. A solid black fabric to complete the "faux border" look should not be too difficult to find. 

If the mountain won't come to the prophet, the prophet must go to the mountain.

Weshalb nicht meinen eigenen Bordüren-Stoff kreieren? Mit einem schwarzen Uni-Stoff als Ergänzung?

Wenn der Berg nicht zum Propheten kommt….

So I cut two borders - the print is lengthwise, along the selvage - and stitched them to the solid black fabric. Black, however, is not always black. I mean it IS black, but in a different "nuance", as we say. So the two blacks were different, and I wanted to add some red piping between the two fabrics.

Ich schnitt zwei Bordüren-Streifen und plante, sie an schwarzen Stoff zu nähen. Aber Schwarz ist nicht immer Schwarz. Rotes Paspel-Band sollte Abhilfe schaffen!

.

However, I had to remove the cord from the piping - it made the skirt so stiff that it would have looked rather like an oversized teapot cozier than a skirt. Nonetheless, it looks nice like that as well. And it still makes the skirt a little bit fuller, even without petticoat!

Letztlich musste ich die Kordel des Paspelndes entfernen (was blieb war das "Schrägband") - es hätte den Rock unheimlich steif werden lassen und ich hätte darin wie ein überdimensionaler Teekannen-Wärmer ausgeschaut. Der Rock wirkt auch so noch relativ "voll", selbst ohne Petticoat.

I had ordered 1.5 yards, so the skirt is almost 3 yards wide in circumference. For the start I didn't want to use a particular skirt pattern. A pleated skirt is a pleated skirt. Just maths. And some sewing. But I was lucky: in my pattern collection there was a vintage pattern (Simplicity 1700 from 1956) for a pleated skirt that had, when upgraded to my size, exactly the same circumference as my skirt, therefore I knew more or less how deep the pleats should be. So less maths. Happy face.

Zuerst wollte ich aus den fast 3 Yards Rockumfang ohne Muster einen Faltenrock machen. Ist ja nicht so ein Ding. Dazu muss man nur rechnen können (was auf mich nicht wirklich zutrifft…). Und nähen. Doch dann fand ich dieses Muster, das meinen Massen insofern entsprach, dass ich nichts mehr rechnen musste, ausser ein paar Anpassungen, da mein Rock statt der einzelnen rückwärtigen Mittelnaht zwei Seitennähte hat. Aber immerhin ersparte ich mir etwas Rechnerei...

The only problem was that my skirt had two side seams, not a single back seam, so I had to re-arrange the pleats. They are pleated in two different "directions", so they meet in the middle back and front.

And I used a green zipper! I didn't have a black one, and I kind of loved the idea of having this secret colourful detail that is there, even though it's not visible and hidden in the pleats…

Mein Reissverschluss ist grün - das sieht natürlich wegen der Falten niemand, macht mir aber trotzdem Freude, so als "kleines spezielles Detail"...

I had still two borders left to make a matching top - making it a dress. I used this pattern here from one of my vintage sewing magazines from 1953:

Ich hatte noch zwei Bordüren-Streifen übrig, um ein passendes Top draus zu machen, und versuchte mich an einem Schnitt aus einem Modemagazin von 1953:

I chose the one with the square neckline, but made it without collar and added a  lining along the neck and front.

The magazine is missing its cover, but there are tons of the most amazing patterns in it!

Without collar it looks a dirndl style top. The red piping is definitely nice, but was a nightmare to sew. The overlapping fronts are closed with buttons. Vintage glass buttons! I was so happy I could use some of my treasures for this project. However, they are not my first choice, and when I was searching for my vintage red button earrings for the pictures, I found some more vintage black buttons that would have been a better choice. Maybe I will change them later. (Reminds me that buttons should not be stored with jewelry…)

Ohne Kargen sieht es ein wenig aus wie ein Dirndl-Oberteil. Das rote Paspelnd sieht zwar hübsch aus, war aber ein Alptraum zum Verarbeiten. Die überlappenden Vorderteile werden mit Knöpfen verschlossen. Mit Glas-Knöpfen aus den 1940ern! Ich war total happy, dass ich die aus meinem Fundus verabreden konnte, auch wenn sie von der Musterung her nicht so meine erste Wahl waren. Jedenfalls fand ich noch mehr, die gepasst hätten, als ich später meinen roten Ohrschmuck für die Fotoaufnahmen suchte. Vielleicht werde ich das später noch ändern. (Und ich muss mich unbedingt daran erinnern, dass ich Knöpfe definitiv NICHT mit meinem Vintage-Schmuck aufbewahren sollte….)

If you have a close look, you will probably notice that the fabric pattern of the front wrap  meets exactly with the pattern of the other front part. This was sheer coincidence, but I'm extremely proud of it.

And, oh, I made a matching red belt with a red vintage belt buckle! 

Das Muster der überlappenden Vorderteile ergänzt sich nahezu perfekt. Purer Zufall. Trotzdem bin ich stolz auf den Effekt. Auch ein blindes Huhn legt mal ein Ei. Oder so…

Und ein passender Gürtel dazu - selbst genäht mit einer Schliesse aus den 40ern oder 50ern!

My dress was ready to wear on August 1st - Swiss National Day!

Und das Kleid wurde genau zu unserm Nationalfeiertag fertig, dem 1. August!

Many people in Switzerland grow geraniums on their window benches and balconies in summer. Often smiled at and being mocked as "square" and typical for a rural and small-burgeois lifestyle, it is, at least for me, a must-have each summer. They bloom constantly and don't mind being without water for some days (perfect for me). 

In meinem Land haben viele Leute im Sommer Geranien vor den Fenstern oder auf Balkonen. Oft werden diese Blumen als etwas kleinkariert und spiessig angesehen, ich aber muss sie jeden Sommer um unser Haus herum haben. Sie blühen unermüdlich und nehmen es einem nicht übel, wenn sie mal ein paar Tage kein Wasser haben (wie praktisch für mich). 

I have a lovely red hat from the 1950s that is perfect for this outfit. The veil is still intact! And - best of all things - it is covered with lots of delicate silk flowers… Flowers on my dress, flowers on my hat…

Der hübsche Hut aus den 50ern passt prima zu meinem Kleid. Der Schleier ist noch vollständig intakt! Er ist besetzt mit ganz vielen zarten Seidenblumen… Ganz wie mein Kleid, blumenübersät.

I had also planned and cut a lovely vintage style purse from the rest of the border print fabric, but then the weather forecast changed quite drastically, so we had to take the pictures a day earlier than expected and the purse was not finished.

Eigentlich hatte ich noch eine passende Handtasche aus dem Geranien-Stoff in Arbeit, aber dann änderte sich das Wetter schnell und wir mussten unsern Foto-Termin rasch vorverlegen, so dass die Tasche unvollendet blieb (kommt später noch).

Skirt: me-made after Simplicity 1700
Top: me-made, pattern from a 1953 German sewing magazine
Fabric: Timeless Treasures, bought on Etsy
Belt: me-made with a vintage buckle (bought on Etsy)
Buttons: vintage, bought on Etsy
Earrings: vintage, bought on Etsy
Shoes: plateau sling-backs, bought about 8 years ago, but they are still in great shape and great to wear
Hat: vintage silky flower and veil hat from the 1950's, bought on Ebay
Sunglasses: vintage repro, no idea where from…

In case you didn't notice, I'm an avid Etsy-an. :-)

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...