The Hallettsville Dress for Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm thankful for many things today, and sewing is certainly one of them. It's such a marvelous craft.

My latest finish project is my first dress design! I can hardly believe that I drafted it all myself! I call it "The Hallettsville Dress", after the little Texas town where I spent the day with family stuffing myself with turkey and kolaches.

I love a shirtwaist dress and knew I wanted to start there with my first pattern design. This one has a lot of potential for adding collars and varying the skirt, too. It fits me almost perfectly, except for a wee bit of pulling at the bust I can easily amend with my next version. I can already tell it's one of those dresses I'll be washing constantly from so much wear. 

Sketches and Muslin Making

My original sketch had the button placket extending all the way down. I decided I'd like buttons only on the bodice, so I added an invisible side zip. I'm really happy with the look of the button placket on the top only.

My first muslin was almost perfect, except for a few tweaks I needed to make at the shoulder area. I took it in 1/4" only at the neckline side. Here I am in pattern making class, just over the moon at my first finished pattern! 

I used mismatched buttons that I had leftover from other finished garments on the muslin, and I actually really liked it. I think it would be fun to do a solid Hallettsville dress with different patterned buttons. 

The Hunt for the Perfect Buttons

I started out with fabric-covered buttons, but I just wasn't satisfied with it. They were getting completely lost, and with the piping right next to it, I felt like I needed something that would stand out a little more. Can you spot the buttons?!

So I ended up hunting all over town for the perfect green button, and finally found some last night. So I did a quick swap! Much better, don't you think?

I also ended up making my own piping, which I had never done before. I followed a tutorial from Colette Patterns and found it fairly simple to do! 

If you're here in the states, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

My Croquis and First Design Sketches

My pattern making class is coming to an end (sadly!), and we are frantically preparing for our final exhibition and fashion show. It's all tremendously exciting! Before we got to all the sewing, we sat down to make a croquis and sketch out our initial ideas.

Croquis

Croquis comes from the French "to sketch" and is basically an outline of your figure. It's a way for you to try out a design without actually going through the process of sewing it up. Here's mine, complete with my hair flip:

Then you draw your designs on top of the croquis. It's like playing real life paper dolls! I could barely sleep the first night we started sketching it was all so exciting. For now, I've drawn 3 garments that I hope to make for the fashion show, which is December 14. 

Designs

Since I'm a born and raised Texas gal, I've decided to name each one of my first designs after Texas towns. You'll see each image below also paired with the fabric I intend to use. 

The Bedford Cigarette Pant

I'm absolutely determined to make a perfectly-fitting pair of cigarette pants. I could use some more casual vintage-style items in my wardrobe. I named them Bedford, after a town situated in the middle of DFW (Dallas, Fort Worth). These are city gal pants!

Here, I showed them paired with a red cardigan and my favorite "L" brooch. I purchased wool gabardine in black for the fabric, although I confess to already buying fabric for two more versions!

The Marfa Dress

This dress has six darts radiating from the neckline, cap sleeves, and an A-line skirt. Marfa, Texas is known for its "Marfa Lights", and the darts reminded me of beams of light. I found a lovely textured rayon in emerald for The Marfa Dress. 

The Hallettsville Dress 

This one has so many possibilities! The drawing I have here shows it with a plain neckline and piping on the button placket and sleeves, but I'd also like to try it with a peter pan collar and rolled collar. I named this dress Hallettsville, which is where I'll be spending Thanksgiving with family. The fabric is a reproduction feedsack cotton, and it's perfect for November! 

I am hemming this today, so I am hoping to post it up soon with some pictures taken in Hallettsville! I ended up making a few modifications from my drawing, including a fuller skirt and shortening the button placket to only the bodice. It's divine and fits like a glove. 

Here's hoping I get all these beauties sewn in time! If you follow me on Twitter, you saw a breaking headline yesterday. Daniel Esquivel from Project Runway will be attending my fashion show!! I feel like I'm living in a dream! 

Sewing Hollywood History: Miracle on 34th Street

Thanksgiving is just around the corner here in the states, and that always reminds me of the 1947 classic Miracle on 34th Street. It begins with the iconic Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which is how my Thanksgiving always starts, too! So as you prepare to feast your stomach on turkey, let's feast our eyes on the wardrobe of Doris and Susan Walker (eh, see what I did there?).

Doris' Winter Coat 

Maureen O'Hara, playing Doris Walker, is a sensible working lady in this film, so you see lots of suits and coats. She also has some truly sensational hats.

Source

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Here are some vintage patterns in a similar style:

1. Butterick 2128 A, 2. McCall's 5070, 3. DuBarry 5415

The second and third patterns above have some really lovely top stitching detail that would be fun to do!

Susan's Trimmed Dress 

Susan Walker, played by a little Natalie Wood, also has some darling dresses. This one features a peter pan collar, a top yoke with trim and matching trim at the waist, and a gathered skirt.

Source

Source

Here are some vintage patterns in a similar style:

1. Butterick 1794, 2. Butterick 4384, 3.Simplicity 4175

Some of the trim shown on those patterns seems much to frilly for Susan. Her mother's practicality can clearly be reflected in her own wardrobe! 

I'm hoping to get a new dress sewn for Thanksgiving in a charming reproduction feedsack cotton. Here's hoping! I'm in the final four weeks of my pattern making class and we'll be doing a fashion show/exhibition in mid-December, so lots of busy sewing going on over here! 

3 Winners of the Generation Q Magazine Giveaway

Hi all! Just a quick post to let you know who won the Generation Q Magazine Giveaway.

• Instagram: Erin from Miss Crayola Creepy
• From the Post: Bobbi and Voodoo Kitten 

Email me at rosiewednesday@gmail.com with your snail mail addresses, and I will ship out your copy next week! Thanks all, and happy weekend stitching!

The Anatomy of a Sewing Pattern Envelope

Today's post is for those of you who are newer to garment construction or need a refresher. I'll show you the pieces on the back of the pattern envelope and what they mean. I'll be using Simplicity 3833 for this illustration.

How to Read the Pattern Envelope in 10 Parts

1. The Pattern Number. Each pattern has a unique number that can be used to identify it.

2. Pattern Pieces. The number of pieces you'll have inside the pattern envelope for a size. There will be multiple sizes within your pattern.

3. Pattern Illustrations. Just what they sound like! These illustrations allow you to see the variations included in the pattern, as well as details like dart placement and seams.

4. Fabric. This fabric will get you the best results for the pattern, as it was intended by the designer. For example, you likely wouldn't want to make a dress with gathers out of a heavy wool as it would be very hard to make the gathers!

5.  Notions. All the small objects and accessories you'll need to finish the project, like a zipper.

6. Body Measurements. Select the size that's closest to your body measurements. You can follow the line down to match how much fabric you'll need for your size. When selecting the bust measurement, choose from your high bust measurement. 

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Your high bust is a better indicator of your rib cage size. Your full bust just tells you how busty you are. The big 4 pattern companies (Vogue, Simplicity, Butterick, and McCalls) design for a B-cup size. You will get a better fitting garment if you choose the high bust measurement, then you can do a full or small bust adjustment to account for your busty-ness.

A note on Vogue patterns: Vogue likes to stick their body measurements and size table on the top flap of the pattern, as opposed to the back. On the back you'll only see the size and recommended fabric. 

7. Width of fabric. Fabric comes in different widths, so if you are buying wider fabric, you'll need less length. Validate the width of your fabric before purchashing yardage. 

8. Interfacing quantities. Interfacing is a somewhat stiff material that you place on the wrong side of fabric to help give it a bit of rigidity. It's usually used at necklines and in collars and such. This tells you the amount to buy for the version of the dress you're making. 

9. Finished garment measurements. The Big 4 pattern companies tend to put a lot of ease in their garments, so pay attention to this. For example, this garment has 2 1/2" of ease at the bust for my size, which is a lot! I ended up sizing down for this pattern and it fit much better. 

10. Notations on fabric with/without nap. Nap means that the fabric will look different depending on how it's positioned. This usually comes in the form of texture (velvet) or design (plaids, novelty prints, etc.). So if you have dogs on your fabric all lined up in a row standing up, you'll need more fabric to make sure all the dogs stay looking like that on your finished garment. This pattern has ** next to each fabric width, indicating that they've given you all fabric requirements with nap, which is the maximum amount of fabric you'd need.

If you'd like a bit more information on body measurements, see my body graph method of understanding fit.

Sew Along in January for this Pattern! 

Stay tuned for a Sew Along for Simplicity 3833! I'll be posting up schedule and basic information next month with the sewing starting in January, and I'll also give instructions for doing a bust adjustment. You'll really get to see the ins and outs of this pattern!

Wearing History 1940s Overalls

Happy Veteran's Day! Here in the states, we're honoring all those that have fought for our freedom. I thought today would be a great day to post my 1940s overalls from Wearing History. They've got a great Rosie the Riveter flair. So in honor of the women that contributed to the war effort before they could fight, I give you this Rosie in her overalls!

For some reason, I really struggled with the construction of the button plackets. After four tries, I figured it out, but I realized later I had still botched it up a bit. I placed the buttons on the front and and buttonholes on the back, when it should have been the other way around. Functionally it's fine, but asthetically it looks a bit better the other way. 

I chose to do a lining on the bodice front and selected a baby blue cotton for the fabric. It made for a really nice finish on the inside. If you saw Brittany of Va-Voom Vintage's overalls in July, our buttons are almost a complete match! 

The truck is a 1949 pickup my brother has restored. It's the perfect era to match the overalls. He also has a keg for a gas tank, which is so neat! 

And lookie! My socks are sewing themed! 

I really liked this pattern, and will likely give a few other variations of it a try at some point. A shorter version for a summer romper would be great, and trousers would be so fun!

Happy Veteran's Day to all of you, and thank you so much for your service! 

Rosie Wednesday in Generation Q Magazine and a Giveaway!

Hello stitchers, and welcome new readers! I am thrilled to share with you that I and several other talented gals are in this month's Generation Q Magazine! The article is, "Trendology: Vintage Sewing." I'm positively giddy! See where you can get a copy.

About the Article 

Linda Hamlin, the author, interviewed me along with Gretchen from Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing, Rochelle from Lucky Lucille, and Lynn from the Little Red Hen.

There are some wonderful tips and pitfalls to avoid when sewing with vintage, including recommended further reading from all of us. You also get a glimpse into what each of us likes to sew, like my Joan dress above! 

As Linda spoke to each of us, she said she saw a theme emerging about the online sewing community and how wonderful and educational it is. I couldn't agree more. I am the sewer I am today because of tutorials and inspiration from bloggers like the wonderful ladies in this article. It was an honor to be included with them!

Enter to Win a Copy of the Magazine

*This giveaway has closed* 

Generation Q has kindly given me 2 extra copies of the magazine that I can give away to readers. This giveaway is open to United States residents until November 15. 

I'll pick one winner from the blog and one from Instagram: 

1. Comment on this post. For fun, share how long you've been sewing and if you already have a flair for vintage.
2. Follow me on Instagram and comment on the article photo. 

I hope you'll pick up a copy and enjoy!