1930s Inspired Summer Outift

I had so many plans for summer outfits, but so far this is all I have managed to get done. Fortunately, the skirt especially has become a summer staple. It seems like every time I wear this I get tons of compliments, one day I went out and literally every person I spoke with mentioned how much they liked it, including my dentist, lol!

It was really quick and simple to sew up as well, using McCalls 6993 version B. While researching this pattern, I found several examples of version A which is adorable and fabulous, but I wanted something a bit quicker and simpler, so I chose version B.

The top is a mish-mash of the very simple and popular McCalls 7542, and the top tier of ruffle sleeves from Vogue 9243. I had to add a little bit more shape and length to the McCalls bodice since the boxiness wasn't super flattering. I just wanted, again, something fairly simple and quick or I would have just gone with the princess seamed Vogue bodice.

I used a lovely floral stretch denim from JoAnn Fabrics for the skirt, and cotton coral eyelet for the top. I underlined the eyelet for the bodice but not for the sleeves. The color of the eyelet was a bit difficult to capture, it kept turning out more orange looking in the pics, but this one is pretty close to the real color.

With the underlining it ended up a little bit heavier than I hoped, so I haven't worn it much because it has been so hot! I'll probably wear it a bit more in the fall and winter, the sleeves are so much fun!

Untucked so you can see the whole thing.

Of course I added a pocket to the skirt, and I encased all my raw edges in Snug Hug on the inside.

I wore this on our road trip to Santa Fe which was great!

I think the skirt will be one I pull out again and again because it's comfy and easy to wear! Once it's a bit cooler I hope to wear the top a bit more.

Red Damask Peplum Top - McCalls 6896

Last year while planning my wardrobe before our trip to France, I went a bit peplum crazy! I tried several different peplum top patterns, and I ended up liking McCalls 6896 the best.

 

I think it was the princess seams that made the fit so effortless, and I loved the fullness of the peplum. I fully lined it, and actually ended up omitting the zipper because I used view D, with the slit in the top, which allowed enough room to pull it over my head. (I was in a hurry so the quicker the sew the better!)

That meant I couldn't get it on my me-sized dress form though, lol, so here she is on my standard dress form.

 

 

This ended up being one of my favorite items of clothing for the trip, and even after the trip. Here I am wearing it in Paris, standing in front of Marché Saint Pierre, ready to get my fabric store fix. :-)

 



Pinspiration Monday - Vintage Tops & Blouses

I love dresses. I love them so much  because you throw on a dress and it can be a whole outfit! There's no deciding what goes with what or should the top be left tucked in or out. For me, the less decisions to make the better, so I love a complete all-in-one outfit. Unfortunately my great love of dresses means I tend to neglect tops in my wardrobe.

The good thing is, I'm always pleasantly surprised when I make a blouse at how quickly it goes and how little fabric it uses because I'm so used to making whole dresses. So as inspiration to think about more tops to add to my wardrobe, here are some lovely vintage patterns of various tops and blouses!

 

 

 

 

 

Striped Peplum Blouse - Simplicity 1590

This is another item I started sewing in my frenzy to make a wardrobe for our trip to France last year.

I made several peplum tops and ended up picking my favorite to take with me. This one is Simplicity 1590.

It didn't make the cut for the trip, just because the navy striped shirting I chose was extremely crisp! So it makes the peplum stand out quite a bit, and also I thought it would get really wrinkled during the trip.

 I still like it, though, I just need to finish putting buttons on it (I'm thinking small navy buttons), and I definitely like the pattern, I'm sure I'll use it again.

What I really love about this pattern is the flat front, the sleeves (no trying to fit sleeves in arm holes, yay!!) and the slightly longer back on the peplum, I just think the lines are gorgeous and so flattering!

Adorable Shirt Tutorial

My sis sent me a link to this tutorial for a darling springy/summery shirt. I just had to make it before leaving on our trip, and of course I stayed up ridiculously late getting it done the night before our flight.






I didn't get a chance to take a pic of it until we were in Miami, so here I am squinting in the Florida sun!