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

My Flashy Pendleton 49er Style Jacket

It has been an extremely busy year so far. Some things were rather unpleasant and demoralizing, I feel a bit worn down (and think I also look like it), but at least I tried to find enough time to make lots of things to wear. Sewing mends the soul they say. A denim skirt, trousers, breezy feedsack blouses for the hot summer and stuff for the kids, and a dress for my daughter for her First Communion... I'm quite pleased with what I achieved. (I will try to catch up with some posts!) And I deeply hope our family life will slow down in autumn and winter, and of course there are many more sewing projects.

Only a few remaing scraps...

Talking of autumn, in late August the unusual hot weather ended suddenly and I became well aware (read: I was panicking) that I have too little casual stuff to wear for the cold season.

I love boxy plaid jackets. I know, many people don't like paids, as they're bold, eye-catching, often a bit too colorful, but I have a soft spot for them. Nothing for the faint-hearted. Some of you may remember the winter plaid jacket I made 3 years ago. Now I needed something less heavy for the transitional season.

Ever since I have been drooling over vintage pictures of ladies in Pendelton style plaid jackets. Paired with wide-legged trousers they are the epitome of vintage casual style for me. Not very flattering, but so comfortable! So I looked for a pattern, and found the McCall's pattern 3242 that seems to be pretty much like the Pendleton 49er jacket. The 49er was, as its name suggests, launched in 1949, and it was - and still is - a huge success. They still produce a modernised version, and vintage ones are quite sought after.
Women surely had worn they're husbands' or brothers' jackets and shirts before, especially for work during WW2, but it was after the war that women's leisure wear included more and more sporty garments like trousers and comfortable jackets. The pattern is from 1955, and it has it all - shoulder pleat, cuffed sleeves, back yoke with gathers, notched collar and - big patch pockets!

 I admit, I couldn't keep my resolution and got weak during our summer holidays, when I found several wool fabrics in a fabulously crammed fabric shop in Northern Italy. The plaid fabric I bought was lightweight and seemed to be perfect, and I fell in love with the green and teal the moment I saw it. The weave was not very dense, and I had to be careful not to stretch the material too much. I was glad for decades of experience with plaid matching. The pattern placement was challenging, as I had a bit too little material. But I was able to cut all the pieces and the pockets even on the bias (which requires more fabric).

The remaining scraps...

My pattern is a vintage size M (14-16), and as usual I didn't bother to make a muslin. The finished jacket is a tad lose because I added some width to be on the safe side (which was not necessary), but I like it that way. I had a bigger scrap of chartreuse green silk I used for the yoke lining and for the shoulder pads I made. I have very square shoulders and ready-made pads often are too massive and stiff. The shoulder pleats caused some trouble and I didn't like the first "true to the pattern" version. That's why it took several weeks to finish the jacket, I got a but frustrated before I decided to change the darts slightly.
I will definitely make another one. As I said, I bought more fabric down in Italy, and there's even more in my stash, but maybe I will add half an inch to the sleeve length and the cuff width. Otherwise I will skip the additional width.

Choosing buttons is always part of the fun when sewing. The original 49er jacket had mother-of-pearl buttons, but I wanted something less striking. These Spanish vintage buttons were sold as bakelite, but they're galalith (a similar material based on milk, mainly produced in France and other European countries). They're not exactly the same chartreuse color, but they blend in well, and they're big and heavy, just as I like them.
The best feature are the pockets. They' re essential for me, they carry my phone, keys, bus tickets, my son's cars and stones, and other stuff.

I can wear all kind of stuff underneath it. Like blouses, thin sweaters or cool, funny t-shirts. The one pictured was created by the lovely Susi of "The Pink Bungaloo" –  this one it "Willy the Weener" quoting one of Hank Willaims' songs! She has an Etsy shop, so if you want this special t-shirt too, please buy from her and support an independent small business. (But hurry, some designs are available for a limited time only.) And no, I don't receive a commission nor do I get paid to mention her – I just love her creations.

This jacket is really a useful and fun garment, perfect for the cold season, great to combine with various colours from the plaid. Hello autumn!


Fabric: pure lightweight wool plaid fabric from Italy
Pattern: McCall's 3242, size M
Buttons: vintage galalith buttons bought in France
Trousers: self-made after a heavily modified Eva Dress Pattern (1940 Wide Leg/Simplicity 3322), I added the front pockets, because I need pockets
T-Shirt: "Willy the Weener" by The Pink Bungaloo
Glasses: no idea...
Poppy Felt Brooch: self-made
Earrings: vintage bakelite hoops

The Victory Rag

You are right. I did write "rag". It was supposed to be blouse, but it's rather a rag. It's not the pattern or my sewing skills. It's the fabric. I was drooling over this gorgeous design on Spoonflower since many months. When I finally got the fabric, I was bit sad the colours didn't look as bright and intense as on the original items pictures. I could live with this, as maybe it was due to my monitor. Whatever. I later washed my fabric as I planned to make a blouse of it (I always prewash them). When I was cutting the garment pieces in the evening, I suddenly realized there were stripes all over the fabric were the print was faded. Like wrinkles. I was so gutted - imagine, I was truly shocked. I can assure I DO have experience with all kinds of fabrics, and also with laundry, and never before, not even with vintage materials, have I been so disappointed. Of course, I have seen this before on very cheap materials, especially on my kids clothes, but then, these never last long, and they're not vintage, and they are not meant to be special wardrobe staples for the upcoming years. So no loss. But Spoonflower is certainly not the cheapest supplier, compared for example with all those wonderful US quilting cotton manufactures that offer lovely quality fabrics in good printing quality. I was really upset. Best I could do, as I already had cut into the fabric and return shipping would certainly would have been too expensive and too troublesome (I wonder if they do accept return at all and do give refunds?), was to take pictures of the ruined material and write a complain. I was crestfallen, of course, but I deeply hope they do read my complain and do really something about the quality. For other customers' happiness sake.

Richtig, da steht "rag" was soviel wie Fetzen, Lumpen bedeutet. Eigentlich als Bluse konzipiert. Es lag absolut nicht am Schnitt, noch an meinen Nähkünsten. Ich hatte dieses Design schon lange immer bewundert bei Spoonflower. Als ich es endlich den Stoff erhielt, war ich zuerst schon etwas resigniert, dass die Farben weitaus weniger intensiv als auf den Beispielbildern war. Was ich akzeptierte, es konnte ja auch monitorbedingt sein. Als ich dann aber den Stoff am Abend nach dem Vorwaschen zuschnitt, stellte ich plötzlich fest, dass er von zahlreichen Linien überzogen war, an denen die Farbe ausgebleicht war. Wie Knitter. Ich war total geknickt, fast geschockt. Der Stoff ruiniert. Nun habe ich mit meinen 40+ Jahren schon etliche Erfahrung mit Wäsche, was auch das Waschen von delikateren Materialien wie zB Vintage Stoffen und Kleidern einschliesst. Natürlich habe ich solche Waschspuren schon bei recht billigen Kleidern, v.a. der Kinder, erleben müssen, aber dort hat es mich weniger gestört, da diese Stücke ja auch meist nicht lange halten und oft zerschlissen sind, bevor sie zu klein werden. Doch Spoonflower ist ja nicht gerade der billigste Anbieter von Stoffen, verglichen zB mit all den wunderbaren Baumwollstoffen die sonst in den USA produziert werden. Ich war masslos enttäuscht. Ich konnte nur noch den "Schaden" fotografieren und eine Beschwerde an Spoonflower schreiben, da der Stoff schon angeschnitten war. Ich frage mich überhaupt, ob Retouren möglich sind, aber die Kosten und der Aufwand hätten sich vermutlich auch kaum gelohnt. Ich wollte das aber nicht einfach so hinnehmen, schon allein um anderer Kunden Zufriedenheit Willen. 

There might be some designs that work out well also in cottons, maybe it depends from the colours and nuances of certain designs. However, with all the knowledge of the 21st century they should be able to get better results also on cotton fabrics. When I think of all my true 1940s and 1950s materials that look like new, there's no fading, no bleeding. The design is awesome, like so many others on Spoonflower, but in the end it was totally ruined. But maybe I'm too picky and it's totally ok that fabrics look like this after washing... Upon my complaint I was told that very saturated, dark colours don't get good results on cottons, but synthetic materials are not for me. At least their customer service is good, and I could order a similar design in less dark colors as a substitute.

Vielleicht fällt ja das Resultat bei gewissen Designs ganz gut aus, möglicherweise kommt es auf die Farben und Nuancen an. Trotzdem, mit dem Know-How des 21. Jahrhunderts sollte es doch wirklich möglich sein, dass auch diese Firma bessere Ergebnisse liefern kann. Andere können es auch, und wenn ich denke, wie farbintensiv meine alten Stoffe aus den 1940ern und 50 gern sind, kein Verbleichen, kein Ausbluten, nichts. Das Design ist ganz fantastisch ist, wird aber total ruiniert. Vielleicht bin ich ja auch nur zu heikel und es ist völlig ok so? Auf meine Beschwerde hin sagte man mir, dunkle satte Farben würden auf Baumwolle weniger gut ausfallen als auf Kunstfasern, aber diese trage ich nicht. Wenigstens konnte ich als Ersatz einen ähnlichen Stoff in einer besseren Qualität bestellen, der dann doch etwas besser ausfällt. 

Long story short told, and to get back to the subject of this post: I made another Smooth sailing blouse of it (yes, once more, sorry if I seem boring, but due to my life circumstances I need more blouses currently), adding self-made red piping. The vintage buttons were a gift from lovely Italian lady. Ah well... The blouse might not be a winner, but underneath a cardigan it won't look too bad.

Der langen Rede kurzer Sinn, oder: um auf das eigentliche Thema dieses Posts zurückzukommen: ich hab eine Smooth Sailing Bluse daraus gemacht. Ja, ich weiss, schon wieder. Ich kann auch anderes nähen, keine Sorge, aber im Moment brauche ich einfach aufgrund meiner Lebensumstände viele Blusen und dieser Schnitt passt für mich prima, er bietet genug Raum über meine breiten Schulterblätter und sieht adrett und feminin aus. Die Vintage-Knöpfe waren ein Geschenk von einer netten Dame aus Italien. Naja... Die Bluse mag kein Gewinner sein, wird es aber im Alltag durchaus tun.

Fabric: Spoonflower (Basic Cotton not recommendable), design by eloise varin (highly recommendable)
Pattern: Smooth Sailing by Wearing History
Piping: selfmade
Buttons: true 1vintage, gifted
Brooch: WW2 Victory brooch, I guess from Ebay ages ago
Bakelite Hoops: vintage

1940's Style Wrap Dress

I have a purchased wrap dress by a repro brand, and I love it a lot. For a long time I tried to find a similar pattern, but wrap dress patterns from the 40s are not easy to find. So I tried to make something like a copy of that dress. Which was not easy, as the slinky rayon crepe of the template dress changed shape whenever it was moved.

Ich habe ein Repro Kleid, das ich über alles liebe. Da ich keinen ähnlichen Schnitt finden konnte, habe ich versucht, das Kleid zu kopieren. Da das Material ein sehr rutschiger Viskose-Krepp ist, war das schier unmöglich.

I should have made a muslin, well, yes, you always should. But I seldom do, and I went right ahead with a gorgeous piece of 1940s fabric. I had to struggle a bit to have enough fabric for all the pieces. Luckily, it turned out quite well. There's only little that should be improved on a next version, and even though the skirt looks slightly too bulky when worn (thanks to my weight gain during the last months), I am really happy how it turned out.

Natürlich hätte ich noch ein Testkleid nähen sollen, sollte man ja immer, aber ich mache das kaum je. Stattdessen nähte ich gleich drauflos mit einem Stück originalem Stoff aus den 1940ern. Mit etwas Glück schaffte ich es, aus dem sehr knappen Material alle Teile zu schneiden. Und zum Glück ist das Kleid auch recht gut gelungen. Nur zwei, drei Kleinigkeiten müssten an dem Schnitt verbessert werden, und der Rock dürfte weniger klobig sein, was aber auch am Stoff liegt (und an meiner derzeitigen Figur).

I had to peace the back bodice and yoke.

I think the fabric is one of the loveliest I have ever seen, as the colour range is so 1940s! I guess it's cotton or some kind of cotton and rayon blend. Then there's a slight structure to the material similar to grosgrain ribbon. It's marvelous to wear and so soft, although there should be a bit more drape to it for this particular cut.

Der Stoff ist einer der hübschesten, den ich je gesehen habe, die Farbpalette ist so richtig zeittypisch. Ich denke es ist Baumwolle oder ein Baumwolle-Viskose-Gewebe, mit einer leicht gerippten Struktur wie Rips. Es ist sehr angenehm und weich, dürfte aber für diesen Schnitt etwas mehr Fall haben.

The dress was finished already in autumn, but because of my medication I put on a bit weight (others may call it fat...), but now that spring is here, it fits better, and I hopefully get back my previous shape.

Fertig ist das Kleid schon im Herbst geworden, doch wegen meiner Medikamente habe ich etwas zugenommen. Winterspeck wohl auch. Nun da der Frühling da ist, passt es aber schon besser. 

I wore it yesterday for a trip with my family. Tomorrow, they have to go back to school after their spring holiday, and it was a splendidly sunny day after a week of rain and cold. So we drove to Stein am Rhein, an ancient, tiny town near the Rhine (and near the Rhine falls). It was a bit crowded, apparently many people had the desire to spend this lovely day in a beautiful place. I didn't expect my husband to take that many pictures, I was rather surprised I didn't have to beg him...

Ich habe das Kleid bei unserm gestrigen Ausflug zum ersten Mal richtig ausgeführt. Morgen müssen die Kinder nach den Ferien wieder in die Schule, und weil es nach einer kalt-regnerischen Woche endlich mal wieder sonnig war, fuhren wir ins malerische Stein am Rhein in der Nähe des Rheinfalls. Es hatte etwas viel Volk unterwegs, offenbar hatten noch andere Menschen das Bedürfnis, den Tag an einem so schönen Ort zu verbringen. Ich war auch sehr überrascht, dass mein GöGa aus freien Stücken so viele Bilder machte...

We also visited the nearby tiny island Werd that can be accessed only by foot or boat. Having no boat, we had to cross a small wooden bridge, which was quite challenging for me. As soon as I don't have terra firma beneath my feet, I feel totally dizzy. (It get's worse with age...)

Zuletzt besuchten wir noch die winzige Insel Werd gleich nebenan. Diese ist nur zu Fuss oder mit dem Boot erreichbar. Da wir kein Boot haben, nahmen wir den schmalen Steg, was für mich ein wenig eine Herausforderung war. Sobald ich keinen festen Boden unter den Füssen habe, wird mir schwindlig.

View of Stein am Rhein from the island

This place was just amazing. It has an ancient house and the chapel of St. Otmar. The beautiful labyrinth, a copy of the one in the Chartres cathedral, intrigued my kids a lot.

Dieser Ort ist sehr beeindruckend mit dem kleinen Kloster und der St. Otmar Kapelle, und das Labyrinth hat selbst meine Kinder sehr beeindruckt. Es ist übrigens eine Nachbildung des Labyrinthes der Kathedrale von Chartres.

Pattern: self-drafted after a reproduction 1940s dress

Fabric: vintage 1940s from Etsy

Shoes: Moheda toffeln from Sweden

Purse: vintage crochet purse with faux tortoise shell frame, Etsy

Earrings: vintage early plastic screw-backs, don't remember where from

Bangles: The Pink Bungaloo (the wide carved one), small ones are vintage bakelite from various sellers

Brooch: The Pink Bungaloo

Cardigan: H&M

Banned Apparel Cowgirl Border Skirt & Gertie's Wrap Top

I really dislike most reproduction labels, and I seldom came across a reproduced vintage style garment that offered a nice design, proper workmanship and good material quality. I do own a few (2 to be precise) items that stand out: a gorgeous "Fleur" dress I bought from Heyday , and a fabulous rayon dress from "The Seamstress of Bloomsbury". Sadly, these are exceptions. I think it's a tragedy that most of the reproduced vintage style garments are made of cheap quality material (polyester!), produced in Asia (under which conditions?), and still cost quite a lot. Then, all too often, seams are badly done, zips are not working or breaking after just a few days, or the cut of the design is so awful I wonder how they could put those garments on the models to make the stock pictures. As I sew, I would like a neat finish, because that's how I would like all my clothing to look like. When a dress that cost twice what I would pay for a true vintage fabric is made in an ugly way, I rather spend my rare spare time to make a dress of my own. And it still looks better and is unique.

Now you may think, "Oh no, not another blog with reviews about off-the-rack stuff". You're totally right. I am well aware that there are bloggers that earn their money by writing reviews, they certainly have a huge experience compared with me, but still, I wanted to show that there certainly are reproductions that are quite OK, even if I still prefer sewing my own stuff. So no worries - this is really an exception, and I only do it because the skirt in question has an issue I gladly could solve with my sewing skills.

Ich bin nun wirklich keine Anhängerin von Retro-Labels, und ich habe noch selten Reproduktionen im Vintage-Stil gesehen, die ein gutes Design, einwandfreie Verarbeitung und qualitativ gutes Material in einem zu bieten hatten. Einige Sachen in meiner Garderobe jedoch stehen da heraus. Eigentlich nur 2: das fabelhafte "Fleur" Kleid von Heyday - eines meiner absoluten Lieblingskleider im Sommer, dann besitze ich noch ein tolles Viskose-Wickelkleid von "The Seamstress of Bloomsbury". Das Tragische der meisten Reproduktionen ist das lausige Material (meist Kunstfasern oder billige Mischmaterialien), produziert in Asien (unter welchen Bedingungen?), und dann sind sie dennoch sehr oft nicht wirklich günstig. Die Nähte sind oft unsauber gearbeitet, schief, Reissverschlüsse gehen innert kurzer Zeit kaputt, und der Sitz vieler dieser Kleidungsstücke ist so erbärmlich, dass ich mich immer wundere, wie die auf den Models der Verkaufsfotos so toll aussehen können. Wenn man selbst näht, möchte man doch ein Kleid wenigstens so haben, wie man es selber machen würde, und vergleiche ich den Preis eines originalen Vintage Stoffes mit diesen oft eher traurigen Report, dann investiere ich lieber noch zusätzlich meine rare Zeit und nähe selber. Mist sieht es erst noch besser aus und ist einzigartig.

Nun denkt Ihr sicher, "Oh Gott, nicht noch ein Blog der Repro Kleidung bewertet und darüber berichtet". Und Ihr habt auch völlig Recht. Etliche Bloggerinnen verdienen damit Geld, Bewertungen zu schreiben, und die haben auch gewiss sehr viel mehr Erfahrung mit solchen Sachen als ich. Dennoch wollte ich erstens zeigen, dass es auch Repros gibt die ganz OK sind, auch wenn ich Selbstgenähtes noch immer vorziehe. Also keine Sorge, das ist eine Ausnahme, und ich tue es nur, weil der besagte Rock einen "Defekt" hat, den ich dank meiner Nähkenntisse beheben konnte.

So, why at all buy an off-the-rack retro garment when you can sew? Because the design of material is so amazing you just can't say no. When I first saw a picture of the Banned Apparel skirt on IG, I was hooked. I mean, it's a simple pleated full skirt. Nothing so special. But as some of you know, I love everything cowboys, deserts, cacti. Sadly, good reproduction fabrics with prints that have a mid-century vibe are not easy to find, and true vintage ones tend to be a tad too expensive for my purse. I decided to give that skirt a go and buy it. What could go wrong? If it was crab, I could re-sell it. Easy.

Warum dann also doch ein Repro-Stück ab der Stange kaufen? Weil das Design des Materials einfach zu gut ist, um nein zu sagen. Als ich das Bild dieses Banned Apparel Rockes auf IG sah, war ich hin und weg. Klar ist es nur ein simpler Rock mit Falten. Aber ich liebe ja nun alles mit Kakteen, Wüste, Cowboys, und selbst neue Drucke in der Art sind nicht wirklich leicht zu finden. Dieser Print hier hat wirklich einen "mid-century vibe", und so dachte ich, dass ich es wage. Was konnte schief gehen? Würde der Rock Mist sein, könnte ich ihn immer noch weiter verkaufen. So einfach.

But firstI only found pencil skirts made of this fabric. With the help of my lovely UK friend Melanie of Retropoodles, I found a seller in GB that was about to list exactly that skirt. (She searched the skirt, found the slim pencil version and called the shop to ask if they had the full skirt and would ship to Switzerland - honestly, how awesome is the lady? I didn't ask her to do all that, but she did. She's a gem! And have  look at her blog - she has the most amazing collection of vintage clothing and is always styled perfectly.) Except that it didn't look exactly like the skirt I had seen before on IG. The placing of the print was totally different and not as nice, as I particularly loved that blue sky around the hips. The IG version looked more like a vintage border print, as the busy part of the border was around the bottom of the skirt, while the top of the skirt was much calmer. But well, you can't have the cake and eat it. Really, what could go wrong? If it was crab, I could re-sell it. Easy.

Doch zunächst fand ich nur schmale Röcke aus diesem Material. Mit der Hilfe von Melanie von Retropoodles, die eine ganz fabelhaft nette Bekannte ist, fand ich einen Shop in UK, der gerade kurz davor war, diesen Rock ins Netz zu stellen. (Sie fand den Pencilskirt, rief ohne meine Aufforderung dort an, schilderte das Problem und erkundigte sich nach dem Versand in die Schweiz. Mal ehrlich, wie super ist die Dame? Schaut mal auf ihrem Blog vorbei - sie hat eine ganz wunderbare Sammlung von Vintage-Kleidung und paart diese auch immer wunderbar mit originalen Accessoires.) Nur stellte ich dann fest, dass der Rock auf dem Bild dann nicht dem von IG entsprach. Die Anordnung des Motivs war anders, dabei hatte mit gerade dieses Himmelblaue so toll gefallen (und sah auch mehr nach Vintage aus). Naja, man kann nicht alles haben...

Stock photo by Banned Apparel

So I ordered the skirt. (I made a mistake as was thinking in 1940s US sizes and the skirt turned out to be too wide. Duh. Note to myself: you're living in the 21st century.) But I could change that easily. Anyway, when it arrived I was positively surprised by the nice quality of the cotton fabric. It contains a tiny bit spandex, so the waistband may could forgive a bit. The material feels a bit like polished cotton, and it has a nice weight. Not too thin. This skirt could certainly also be worn on colder days with a chocolate brown jumper for example. The seams are more or less well made and neatly finished, even though the item is (sadly...) produced in China. And, best of all - it has pockets!

Also bestellte ich den Rock. (Dummerweise zu gross, weil ich irgendwie immer in 1940ern US Grössen denke wie bei den alten Schnittmustern. Notiz an mich: wir leben im 21. Jahrhundert.) Das konnte ich schnell ändern. Als der Rock ankam, war ich positiv überrascht von der Qualität des Baumwollstoffes. Ein kleiner Elasthan-Anteil macht v.a. den Bund leicht dehnbar, und der Stoff fühlt sich ein wenig wie alte polierte Baumwolle an (ähnlich wie Chintz). Und für einmal war es kein dünner Fahnen. Somit kann man das Stück sicher gut auch an kälteren Tagen tragen, zB kombiniert mit einem braunen Strickjäckchen. Für ein Produkt aus (leider) China ist die Verarbeitung ziemlich OK. Und das Beste an allem - der Rock hat Taschen!

That's how the skirt look at its arrival.

On the not so positive side is the fact, that due to the design of the skirt with pockets, they cut the print apart and so there are 3 pieces and - obviously, 3 seams. Where the print does NOT match - "of course", I'd like to say, as it's made in China. A home-seamstress certainly would have tried her best to match the print. I don't expect a print to match in the back seam, as sometimes you don't even manage to do that when you make a border print skirt yourself. But there would have been a better way to make the pockets without cutting apart the whole border print. You could easily insert pockets by making a slash from the top only a few inches/centimeters down, which would not or at least not entirely affect the gorgeous print. I just guess it's faster and therefore cheaper to make it that way by joining 3 rectangular pieces. Of course, most people would not notice that there is only half a horse on each side of my skirt and some branches of a saguaro cactus that seem to float in the air. But I do, and some people I know certainly would as well.
Another detail that certainly will turn out to be a quality issue is the zip. It's a very cheap quality. I bought all kinds of zips, and this one reminds me painfully of the lesser ones. I'm totally expecting it to break on any occasion. Preferably when I'm in a hurry and have nothing else to wear. Haha.

Auf der weniger positiven Seite ist, dass wegen der Taschen der schöne Druck zerschnitten und der Rocke eigentlich aus 3 Stücken zusammengesetzt ist. Und, logisch, nimmt man sich nicht die Mühe, den Print an den Nähten anzupassen. Eine Hobbynäherin, sofern sie genug Stoff hat, würde das bei einem solchen Motiv versuchen. Man hätte statt den Stoff ganz zu zerschneiden eigentlich bloss von oben Schlitzt machen können, gerade so tief, dass man die Taschen einsetzen kann. So wäre die Bordüre weitgehend intakt geblieben. Klar werden wohl die meisten Leute nicht bemerkten, dass ich auf jeder Seite ein halbes Pferd habe und dass einzelne Arme des Saguaro Kaktus in der Luft schweben. Aber ich sehe es, und einige Leute die ich kenne sicher auch.
Ein weiteres Detail das ein Problem sein wird, ist der Reissverschluss. Der ist von absolut billigster Qualität. Ich habe in meinem Leben schon sämtliche Arten von Reissverschlüssen gekauft, und dieser ist definitiv einer der erbärmlichsten. Ich erwarte, dass er bei jeder Gelegenheit kaputt gehen wird - vermutlich gerade dann, wenn ich in Eile bin und nichts anderes anzuziehen habe. Haha.

Close-up of he amazing border print.

Last but not least, this skirt is - short. If you're a small person or like a pinup-ish pseudo-retro style, probably with a petticoat showing from underneath the hem, you could live with a length of 60 centimeters or 23.5 inches. I'm 169 centimeters and love to wear shoes with heels and platforms, and the skirt looks too short on me. So I added solid trims in two different brown shades around the bottom to lengthen it by about 10 centimeters or 12 inches. The "hem" was basically non-existing, means: nothing (I mean NOTHING) to be left out. Looking again at the original stock photo and the length of the print, I am pretty sure there must have been some exceeding material at one point of production. Why on earth was it cut away?

Still, I love the skirt, as it's an amazing print, great colours, and the fabric as such is very nice. Fun thing is: the label says "Iron if necessary", and really, it wrinkles a bit too easily to say such a thing.

Leider, und das ist sehr schade, ist der Rock extrem kurz. Wenn man eine sehr kleine Person ist oder einen Pin-Up-Stil vorzieht, womöglich noch mit einem unten raushängenden Petticoat, dann mag das nicht tragisch sein. Für mich mit 169 cm Länge sind 60 cm einfach zu kurz. Deshalb habe ich am "Saum" (der mit 1 cm diese Bezeichnung auch nicht wirklich verdient) zwei verschiedene braue Streifen hinzugefügt. Wenn ich nochmals das offizielle Verkaufsbild anschaue, denke ich, dass doch da noch was an Material vorhanden war. Warum in aller Welt wurde das weggeschnitten? 

Nun, ich mag den Rock dennoch total, auch farblich, und mit den braunen Streifen unten finde ich ihn nicht mal so übel. Die Qualität ist sehr schön, ich musste aber doch schmunzeln: das Pflege-Etikett sagt, "Bei Bedarf bügeln", und das Teil knittert doch eine Spur zu sehr, um das zu sagen.

A very happy coincidence was, that I had a great cotton knit fabric in my stash that came pretty-pretty close to the blue of the sky in the print. So I sew quickly a wrap top. I had recently tried to design a wrap top myself, only to realize that it was pretty much the same like Gertie's Butterick 6285 pattern I already had in my stash as well. (Note to myself: organise your pattern collection.) When I say quickly, I really mean it. This pattern is made up, if you don't line it and you have no kids or pets distracting you, within an hour. So after my alteration of the skirt and my newly made wrap top I had a complete 50s style outfit. The colours perfectly matched my green and buttersotch vintage bakelite.
I wore it out yesterday (spring is here, and it's almost like summer, sunny and warm). Sadly I have some health issues currently and I have a sleep disorder, that's why I look very tired and wrinkled (and the bright midday sun was didn't help to hide it). "Iron if necessary", I'd like to say.

Ein sehr glücklicher Zufall wollte, dass ich in meinem Vorrat ein Stück Baumwolle-Jersey hatte, der fast genau der Frage des Himmels auf dem Rock entsprach. Ich nähte also noch rasch ein Wickeloberteil. (Kürzlich hatte ich mühselig ein solches selber zu entwerfen versucht, nur um dann festzustellen, dass es fast gleich war wie das Butterick 6285 Schnittmuster von Gertie, das ich schon länger in meinem Fundus habe. Notiz an mich: Schnittmuster endlich katalogisieren.) Wenn ich sage "rasch", dann ist es auch so. Dieser Schnitt ist, wenn man das Futter weglässt und weder von Kindern noch Haustieren gestört wird, in gut einer Stunde zu machen. So hatte ich, nach der Änderung am Rock und mit dem neuen Oberteil ein komplettes 50s Style Outfit. Die tollen Farben des Rockes haben auch prima zu meinem grünen und bernsteinfarbenen Vintage Schmuck gepasst.
Gestern war so ein herrlicher Tag. Der Frühling ist dieses Jahr bis jetzt aussergewöhnlich warm und sonnig, fast frühsommerlich. Leider leide ich derzeit unter anderem an erheblichen Schlafproblemen, und deshalb sehe ich auch so müde und zerknittert aus (die grelle Mittagssonne war auch nicht optimal). "Bei Bedarf bügeln", würde ich sagen...

Skirt: Banned Apparel, Dancing Days Cowgirls, bought from Cherry Red Vintage, UK
Bottom trims on skirt: self-made, fabric from my stash
Top: self-made after Butterick 6285, cotton-spandex knit from my stash
Vintage bakelite jewellery: various sellers from FB and Etsy
Shoes: Remix



The top is the 3rd #sewwhatyougot project I'm blogging about. There are some I yet have to take pictures of and post, however, I'm still in!

What I was wearing... Mexican Repro Circle Skirt

I recently was looking for a Mexican circle skirt. Most of them are not affordable for me, and all too often not my size. I was rather surprised when I found on Ebay some skirts that looked very much the same, but appeared to be reproductions. And best of all, the were not expensive at all. Almost too cheap to be true. I was not sure, but I had a look at the producers homepage, and so I decided to make my offers to the seller and they were luckily accepted. So in addition to a true vintage skirt in the same style from the 50s, I now own two cute reproductions that totally fit me. (The vintage skirt was not correctly measured, so it was too small and needed some adjustments.)

Vor einiger Zeit hielt ich Ausschau nach einem mexikanische Rock in der Tradition der 50er. Mir gefiel das Handgemalte. Die misten jedoch waren unbezahlbar oder nicht meine Grösse. Oder beides. Überraschenderweise fand ich auf Ebay einige Exemplare, die genau so aussahen, aber Reproduktionen waren. Und das Beste: Sie waren erstaunlich günstig. Eigentlich fast zu sehr, um wahr zu sein. Ich besuchte die Homepage des Produzenten und beschloss, dem Verkäufer meine Offerte zu unterbreiten, die sogleich akzeptiert wurde. Nun besitze ich zu meinem ebenfalls günstig erstanden Original aus den 50ern zwei gut gemachte Repros. (Das Original war von der Verkäuferin falsch gemessen worden und braucht noch ein paar Anpassungen.)

Yesterday was very hot weather (33°C or almost 92°F) rather unusual for Switzerland, but it was a wonderful day. As life for our family has been a bit difficult recently, it was the perfect opportunity to take one of those beauties out. We went to the Rhinefalls, Europe's largest waterfalls. We had a great time with the kids, despite the many tourist there. And of course my skirt was rather eye-catching (maybe too flamboyant, hehe...).

I didn't wear a petticoat (I seldom do, it makes me feel "puffy"), it would have been too hot anyway.
Please excuse the sloppy carmen top, it's one of my oldest and will soon be replaced.

Gestern war es sehr heiss, mindestens 33°c und somit sehr unüblich für die Schweiz im Juni. Aber es war so ein tolles Wetter. Da unser Familienleben etwas gelitten hatte in den letzten Wochen, war es die perfekte Gelegenheit, etwas zu unternehmen. So fuhren wir an die Rheinfälle, die wir in nur etwa 30 Minuten erreichen können. Wir hatten eine schöne Zeit dort mit den Kindern, trotz der massenhaften Touristen. Natürlich fällt man mit einem derartigen Rock auf. 

Ich trug kein Petticoat, das tue ich ohnehin nur selten weil ich mir zu bauschig vorkomme damit, und es wäre auch viel zu warm gewesen. Das Carmen-Top sieht etwas schlabbrig aus, es war auch sehr billig und ist schon alt und ausgeleiert. (Ersatz lieht auf dem Nähtisch bereit.)

The skirts I bought - the label is Monica, Paris, and the prints are even signed - both are well-made, neatly sewn and hemmed (which often is not the case with circle skirts), but there are always a few sequins falling off. The fabric quality is almost the same as the one of my original Mexican circle skirt from the 1950s. The embroidery is rather abundant in some places, for me very unusual as I normally don't wear much bling-bling, but it's totally convenient for the style. The print is rich and vibrant and has an authentic look.

Die beiden neuen Röcke sind vom Label Monica, Paris. Sie sind ordentlich genäht, sogar die Säume, was bei Tellerröcken nicht selbstverständlich ist. Leider fallen immer mal wieder Pailletten ab, was aber wohl fast "normal" zu sein scheint. Der Stoff ist fast gleich wie bei meinem mexikanischen Original aus den 50ern. Die Stickerei sind schon fast üppig stellenweise, was für mich sehr ungewohnt ist, da ich selten Glitzer trage. Doch es passt zu diesem Stil von Kleidungsstück und ist auch farblich toll auf den intensiven Druck abgestimmt. Das Ganze sieht für mich sehr authentisch aus.

I washed it with the laundry program for woolens to treat the skirt as gently as possible and put it in a pillow cover, so the few sequins that had fallen off could be recovered and replaced.

I love the print very much, there are cacti, a tavern, a dancing couple, musicians and even a dog. "Mexico Lindo", pretty mexico - true.

Gewaschen habe ich die Teile im Wollprogramm der Waschmaschine, damit sie so schonend wie möglich behandelt werden. Dazu steckte ich sie in Kissenhüllen. Dadurch konnte ich die abgefallenen Pailletten auch einsammeln, um sie später wieder anzunähen.

Ich bin ein bisschen in die Motive verliebt, es gibt Kakteen, eine Taverne, ein tanzendes Paar mit Musikern, und sogar einen Hund. "Mexico Lindo", hübsches Mexiko, wie wahr.

Skirt: By Monica, Paris ("Mexico Lindo"), bought from Ebay

Top: cheap off-the-shelf cotton-knit carmen top, bought many years ago and a bit too large now...

Shoes: black leather and wood clogs from Moheda Toffeln, Sweden

Purse: true vintage rayon-linen purse with clear lucite frame, bought from Fuzzy Lizzie's now closed Etsy shop, but you still can follow her amazing blog!

Pink cotton batiste scarf: me-made

Black fake bakelite rosebud earposts: Charcoal Designs on Etsy

Super-cute kids: me-made