Vintage Patio Dresses And A Pattern

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Recently, browsing through Pinterest I found a pinned picture of a wonderful vintage dress with a tiered skirt trimmed with lots of rick racks (or ric-racs). I soon found out that this was a so-called "Squaw Dress", fiesta dress, patio dress, whatever... How I love these photos!

A quick research led me to an amazing post on squaw dresses (though I don't like this name) on the blog of Lil' Vintage Homemaker (actually there are 3 posts about this subject). A picture research brought up a huge number of squaw, fiesta, patio dresses in all colour combinations. So much inspiration!

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As it happens, since I was a teenage girl, I am very much interested in Southwestern culture and lifestyle. My interest was focussed on the Native tribes of the Southwestern region. No wonder that I also have some beautiful silver and turquoise jewelry. So I realised that, having become a vintage lover as well, I need such a dress to wear with my jewelry. Or the other way round. Immediately.

I found some vintage dresses of the same type on Etsy, but most of them unaffordable, not in my size, or with glittery silver ric-rac trims. (I don't like glittery stuff on my garments. I prefer to wear some jewelry.)
Nonetheless, some silver and turquoise jewelry is almost a "must have" or rather: "must wear" when you wear such a dress.

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I had more luck when I searched for a similar pattern.

The embroidery of these two dresses looks almost like a necklace...

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Apparently, from what I could guess of the patterns I found on Google, this style was very popular from the late 1940s to the late 1950s or very early 1960s the latest. The skirt was usually combined with a blouse with kimono sleeves, short or long, or a short-sleeved peasant blouse.
On most patterns there's at least one design with ric-rac- trims.

This last picture shows the probably latest pattern - from 1961 - featuring a this kind of dress.

I found this gorgeous one on Google, but it was nowhere for sale... Sad face.

So another look at the Etsy marketplace brought up several results. In the end, I decided to buy this one,  Advance 6760, as I really wanted the blouse with kimono sleeves in the first place with the tiered skirt. I have a separate pattern for a peasant blouse, as seen on one of the patterns shown above, already.

Today it arrived, and I was so excited! While I was feeding my little ones, I was reading at the same time the sewing instructions. Some people read the newspaper, I'm reading sewing instructions. I am so in love with this pattern!

It offers a variety of possibilities. Make a blouse of the same fabric, so it looks like a one-piece dress, or make some more matching more blouses in different colours so you can change the look of this skirt or dress completely.
The separate skirt is also called "broomstick skirt", maybe because for all witches it's most useful to have such a comfortable garment for a ride on the broom. Ha, again, this pattern is just suitable for me in every way!

It needs a little bit more fabric than many other full skirts as all these tiers as ruffled. I was trying to calculate how many yards of ric-rac trim I need to buy. On the pattern it says one spool of 100 yards - I still will have to figure out the exact amount. Otherwise this project will cost me a fortune!

Vintage Wrap Top Tutorial

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While I was having a look around Pinterest (a dangerous ground, as I usually forget time and space and duties...), I found these lovely photographs. They show a woman wearing a wrap top, a very simple one, and I think any skilled sewer could create a pattern fitting her measurements.

I'm not sure when exactly this pictures where made, but to my guess it could be late 1940s or early 1950s.

Look at the second picture, where the base pattern of the top is clearly visible. So easy!

I will certainly try this with a piece of cotton knit fabric, but I'm sure any other lightweight fabric will do.

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Just cut a rectangular piece, sew the seams and hems, make an opening for your head according to the one shown in the photo.

To close the front panel, just add two thin bindings, to close the back panel in the front, sew-on a wider binding made of the same material, long enough to make a bow.

Super-easy and so nice for warm summer days!

Vintage Inspiration - Italian Movie Goddess Sophia Loren

This post has nothing to do with the fact that my husband is Italian. As a child, I often watched what is called today "old movies", and we also watched the Italian ones. Sophia Loren was of course in some of them, and I always admired her. She was so - Italian. I loved Italy as a teenage girl, and of course I had a weakness for Italian guys. (In Switzerland, we have so many Italian immigrants, they are almost part of our cultural identity.) 

According to me, she is a very beautiful woman, but she has the kind of beauty that doesn't fade with age. She has charisma, and from what I can judge, she should not be reduced to her looks, as I think she also is an interesting woman who worked a lot for her success. I think she could write books about growing up in war-time Italy, in a very poor place.

And I envy her for her figure!

Here are some pictures I found in the internet from my preferred eras to show her in some amazing outfits.

"Sex appeal is fifty percent what you've got and fifty percent what people think you've got."

A very young Sophia in the late 1940s.

In 1949, as a 15 year old girl, she attended to a beauty contest. Sophia is the girl in the middle with the white two-piece bathing suit.

Well, at 15 I looked rather different... And I think women today should look like this and not like some of those anorexic so-called super-models and movie starlets. Sorry for being so frank.

I love this skirt. I realised only on the other pictures of this session that the pleats with the dark border pattern open up to plain fabric. A pity there isn't any coloured version of these photographs...

And look at the amazing closure of the blouse!

How much I would love to have such a bathing suit. Alas, I have not Sophia's long legs and her very female curves...

This dress is so sweet. I think it would suit any woman.

"Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical."

Very subtle make-up, and lovely hair-style.

This outfit is just wonderful. Very simple, yet very elegant: a lace top over a bodice. If I ever cut my hair, I try to get such a cut.

"If you haven't cried, your eyes can't be beautiful."

Wonderful dress, great jewelry.

A blonde Sophia...

This dress is my favourite! I'm in love with the dropped waist, the embroidery, everything, including the Venetian scenery...

"A woman's dress should be like a barbed-wire fence: serving its purpose without obstructing the view."

"There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age."

This summer dress is fabulous as well. The printed fabric is a darling and would look great with any dress pattern.

Both dresses are wonderful. The first one is probably made of silk. Amazing pin-tuck detail of the neck-line! However, I was wondering when women began to shave their armpits... 

Sophia the kitchen goddess! With red hair! She even looks good when she is covered with flour. 

"Everything you see I owe to spaghetti."

If I am ever going to make a black dress with a white collar, it will look have to look like this!

"It's a mistake to think that once you're done with school you need never learn anything new."

This last and blurry picture is outstanding. It shows Sophia cuddling a very young Elvis Presley. Sophia, la mamma!

"When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child."

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My Vintage Pattern Collection

As I wrote probably before, I started collecting vintage sewing patterns about 5 years ago when I was looking for a pattern to make my own wedding gown. What started as an impossible quest for a pattern I had once seen in a Vogue pattern review in the 90s was the discovery of a whole new world for me. I found Etsy, a most astonishing and amazing marketplace for almost everything a sewer's and collector's hearts desires. And I fell in love with vintage sewing patterns.

And I ended up with a couple of vintage patterns, the beginning of my own collection. I soon somehow got a little bit addicted to those incredibly beautiful designs. Each and every one was so amazing. Soon some 40s pattern were added to some of the 50s. My mom used to be a sewer too, and she gave me her patterns from the 60s and the 70s. Even she had made her own wedding gown, and she still had the pattern.

Even though I'm not so fond of those eras, I kept them, as they mean a lot to me. There are many designs for children's dresses my mothers used for my sister and me.

So my collection constantly grows. Whenever I have some money left, I have a look around my favourite online marketplace to see if there is something I like. Needless to say that there usually IS.

I would like to "share" my collection with other that have the same obsession. I will put my collection on some Pinterest boards - just have a look! Maybe you have the same patterns or have a question - you are most welcome to contact me and ask!

And you will of curse find the links on a separate blog page as well!

Misdated Vintage Items

I guess it's not always easy to date a vintage item. But I think sellers offering vintage things should do some research before labeling an item as "true 40s vintage" or whatever.

I certainly do not pretend being an all-knowing expert, but after looking at tons of hats, purses and other vintage stuff, I guess I have a little bit an eye for certain details.

It all began with a row I had with a seller. The lady offered vintage 40s goggles or glasses. I liked them so I had a closer look. Suddenly I detected a clearly visible marking on the inside of one arm saying "CE". Living in Europe, this is a well-known marking to me, as it's common for many European products. The problem is: the marking was created not before 1993. Helpful as I am, I thought it might be nice to let the seller know about the mistake, so I wrote her a few kind words. She answers right away that she would take the glasses from the shop as they were not exactly "hot sellers". This had not been my intention at all, but as it was not my decision, I forgot about the whole affair.
About 2 weeks later I got a very angry, rude message from the very same seller. She was pretending that a collector bought on a different site the same glasses, that she would never ever again listen to a "so-called expert". Between the lines she was saying: "It's your fault I couldn't make a deal." I was very upset as well, as I knew I was right. And if there is something that gets me really angry, it's the ignorance of people who don't want to accept the truth and can't admit they were wrong. Well, I tried again to explain to her the thing about the CE mark. I even sent her the link for the article on Wikipedia, so she could look it up herself. No, she wouldn't listen to me.

I only regret I didn't make a copy of the picture with its original description to show you here. If you ever come across such an item, let me know. Just for the fun having a look at it.

I really think it's a pity. I am sure, there are many sellers out there doing a terrific job. They collect items, check them, store the, even clean them. I know how much work it is to take pictures and set up a listing. And there are all those who are not sure about the real age of an item and are grand enough to admit it. I can read so often something like "maybe from the 50s, but collectors know probably better". This is only fair, and I guess it pays off like that. Just be honest. Rather than pretending something and disappoint a seller that realizes she or he bought a reproduction item.

But there are other sellers who really appreciate getting an advice.

I saw this lovely hat up for auction, described as 40s hat. I didn't learn anything from my rather unpleasant experience. It was definitely beyond from what I can afford, but I had a look at the pictures nonetheless. On the last picture I could see the original price tag that was still attached to the hat. It was not only the familiar font, layout and words on the tag, but also the price itself that made me stop and look again.

The tag says: DA- HUT, "Damenhut", lady's hat, and "Groesse", size, in German. Therefore I realised it was a hat that was originally sold in Germany. And there was the price: 69 DM, Deutsche Mark. The trouble is: the currency Deutsche Mark was introduced only after WW2, 1948, so it would still fit in the sellers time frame. But from the look of the tag it was definitely not a 40s hat. The font style is very modern. To my guessing it was a 70s or even 80s hat, also the price could fit in that period, but I had to admit, it looks surprisingly 40s or 50s -like. To my opinion the visible pinking shear finish at the felt bow is a rather uncommon thing for a true 40s hat. (Since felt doesn't fray, what's the use of it at all?)

Of course a seller from the States cannot be so familiar with these details like me in this very particular case. I don't know very much about particular things that are well-known in the USA. But as it happens, I'm living very close to the German border, and since I was a child, we go shopping to Germany. So I know these details from my own experience. Maybe it was a mistake, but I thought it wouldn't be fair to deprive the seller of these informations, so I wrote her. She was very happy and said she would change the description. Yes, I know, I'm a naggy fault-finder. :)

There could be a lot such examples. Often you can see vintage patterns from the 60s sold as 50s or even 40s patterns. Of course, when it comes to fashion styles, it's not always easy to find the correct year, but it helps a lot to look at the hair-styles, the type of hat that's worn etc. And if still in doubt, just enter the pattern number in your favourite searching engine. It can provide you further infos, or look it up on Vintage Pattern Wiki - many patterns are listed with an exact copyright year, as someone else did the research job before you.

Goodbye Sew-Along, Hello Vintage Purses!

I am disappointed and a little bit sad. I entered my first sew-along, and what happened? I broke my toe. Then I got sick, for about 2 weeks a ghost. My daughter got sick too. And now September is over. That's life. I'm glad the little girl is well again, the toe is healing (it was the second accident this year...), and a missed sew-along is no disaster. I will finish my dress, promised. Maybe next year, in spring, as autumn was here so quickly with rather low temperatures that it's not really tempting to make a sleeveless cotton dress.

As I couldn't sew I planned tried to tidy up my studio. "Studio" is a big word for such a tiny room, but it's all I have, and I even feel privileged to have it. I didn't get far, as the two little ones were just to demanding. But I managed in the time between cooking and doing some laundry and playing with the little monsters to surf a little bit around the wide world of the web. And I was very lucky to find some rather inexpensive vintage items. Some were on sale, some were just lowly priced, but all, according to me are real bargains. As a stay-at-home mom I'm living on avery limited budget. (This is probably better. We would end up with Switzerland's first and only Vintage Hat, Purse and Pattern Museum.)

Some of my purchases arrived today. Have a look.

I found this crochet cord purse on Etsy. The condition is rather good. There are no damages at all on the crochet part. The handles still close well, even though the closure latch is missing. The screw is still there, so I guess it broke and fell off. But as I will have to keep the purse anyway in my hands, that's no big problem at all.

The handles show a pair of exotic birds, maybe peacocks. Made of cordet yarn, it shows the common pop-corn crochet pattern that can be found on many purses from the 30s through the 50s. The lining is made of black acetate, without additional pockets.

This darling is very clean (I wouldn't wear it if it was dirty or smelling), the handles have some wear from use, and the cord is partially a little bit discoloured, so that the purse is not deep black anymore, but shows some brownish "highlights". But these can bee seen only if you take a very close look.

After having bought this purse I found an almost identical one on Etsy too. It has clear handles, but is the same purse in navy blue. I even saw later more such purses, mainly in navy and black. I imagine this type was very fashionable and widely diffused.

Sometimes I wonder if these purses were handmade, and only the handles were bought, or if they were produced by manufactories. The handle is marked, it says "Made in the U.S.A.". I am not sure, but I once read that this mark can provide an indication that the item was produced most probably after WW2. I really don't know, I'm no expert. But the style is definitely suitable for the 30s, 40s and earyl 50s.

 Shipping was in the end more expensive than the purse itself, and each time this happens I get upset. Shipping all over the world is just a nightmare if you depend from international sellers. No, there are almost no vintage items for sale in Switzerland. I often wonder if everyone has thrown away their 30s and 40s stuff or if all 50s items are locked up in some private collections. Of course we are a small country, but from a vintage collector's point of view, Switzerland is a desert.

And I bought this little purse as well. 3, 2, 1 - it's mine.

I am not yet THE expert for vintage purses, but I'm getting better. You can learn a lot about such items by taking a very close look at them, how they are made.

This purse for example seems to be of a different making than the tiny coin purse that came with it. I bought them together, just like on the picture, and most probably they "belonged" together once. But the outer fabric of the coin purse is completely different, a kind of moiré taffeta. The lining of the purse is plain acetate taffeta and slightly more creamy coloured than the coin purse. Maybe the coin purse and mirror were bought items, whereas the crochet purse could as well be handmade. The snap fastener is sewn-on in a very bad way (I will have to re-do it soon), but this could be the work of a previous owner of the purse who was probably not the most brilliant sewing talent.

The crochet pattern is similar to the popcorn pattern of the navy purse, less puffy. I love the crochet covered button of the closure.

The closure, by the way, is a feature rarely seen on such purses. Most of them had the handles only. As mentioned previously, many handles had a closure latch. On most vintage purses of that type, the latch is missing now. So if you see a purse still featuring the latch, you have found a purse frame in an excellent condition. Consider to buy it.

The black purse is probably slightly younger than the cream one. I think the handle plastic, at least it feels and looks like it, and I guess the cream purse frame is made of celluloid, which was very common during WW2. At least it was sold like as a celluloid frame, and I can clearly feel a difference of material when I touch it, and there is a difference of weight as well. To my guess, the cream purse is older. The frame also looks kind of carved, and the black handles are definitely pressed or cast material.

It was a little bit spoiled, nothing serious, just dust from the decades and numerous touches, and a slightly greasy feeling on the crochet closure. It could be just my imagination, as I am very picky when it comes to smelly or dirty vintage textile items. At least there were no odours, but usually it doesn't do damage to clean vintage items. Just be careful! I soaked the purse in lukewarm water mixed with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), it came out very clean, and all the yellowish parts and what I thought seemed to be slightly greasy had disappeared. But it takes quite long for such a material to get dry again, so if you plan to clean you bag before using it, keep that in mind.

Now my two new old purses are carefully stored in a box. They are waiting for their first big day out.

Sew-along Project Choice

As I posted some days ago, I entered the "Fall For Cotton" sew-along. For my first sew-along I wanted to make something special, but I was unsure what to chose. I so much wanted to make a 40s outfit. But then, I have so many lovely patterns from the 50s as well...

Then I looked at the cotton fabrics in my stash. I have mostly children's fabrics, piles of children's woven cotton, cotton jerseys... I have wonderful woolen fabrics I bought in a previous live during my travels in Italy and Scotland. both countries that produce wonderful quality woolen fabrics. I have some cotton ginghams, tiny polka dot cottons, solid cottons that would make a lovely 40s dress. Some flowers too.

But than I had on the top of a pile this lovely grey cotton fabric with pink gloves and white strings of pearls. I am in love ever since I saw it, and finally the fabric made the choice of the decade. This fabric is so 50s.

This is from the "City Girl" collection (Timeless Treasures). I'm not a city girl at all, but we country girls too know about dressing chic.

And I knew which pattern. It had to be this gorgeous Simplicity 3846 I bought a couple of weeks ago, and which is wonderfully brought to live by one of my heroines of vintage sewing, Beccie of Sew Retro Rose. Have a look at her "emergency dress". (If emergency to her terms looks like this, then how's the rest?)

Well, the fabric is laundered and the pattern is ready. I had to adjust the size of the everything, as the pattern was in a size too small for me, but I think the modifications should be OK. 

As I have only 4 yards of fabric, and the pattern requires slightly more, I decided to make a white collar. I pray the rest of the pattern pieces will fit into the 4 yards... I always forget to buy more fabric. But then, I seldom buy fabric for a specific pattern, so usually I chose a pattern and see if there's a fabric with enough yardage in my stash.

I'm so excited!

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