1954 Mail Order Pattern- A Pretty Dress and a History Lesson

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1954 sewing pattern, mail order pattern, sew exhausted, sewing, vintage dress pattern

In my quest to write this post I wanted to learn about vintage mail order patterns and along the way I learned quite a bit and thought I would share some highlights.

William Jennings Demorest and Ellen Louise Demorest began the home sewing pattern industry in 1860. They held fashion shows in their homes and sold the patterns. Sounds  just like some of the “in home party businesses” we have today like Tupperware, Pampered Chef and Scentsy! This turned out to be the beginning of the Mme. Demorests’ Emporium of Fashion and an fashion empire!

The Demorests published a magazine called “The Mirror of Fashion.” It listed hundreds of different patterns, most available in only one size. One size ladies and gents! The knowledge those sewists must have had to grade the patterns to their bodies! You also had to have some skills- NO directions were included!

Some other little tidbits I learned about William and Louisa… They launched FIVE magazines and started a cosmetics company. They built a fashion manufacturing and merchandising empire from Louisa’s paper pattern business. William ran for Mayor of New York City and was a Prohibition Activist. (I guess he would not approve of my “Drink and Sew” nights!

Ebenezer Butterick was a few years behind the Demorests with their pattern company and in 1870, a Scottish tailor names James McCall started his pattern company. Throughout the years many other pattern companies came and went- and we are left with the Big 4- Butterick, McCalls, Vogue and Simplicity. And several others like Kwik Sew and Lekala… and LOTS in Indie pattern companies. YAY! Wow, we have a LOT of choices when it comes to patterns.

Mail order patterns are just that! you would spot a pattern in a magazine or in a Book of Fashion and order it sent right to your home. Unlike most of the patterns of today your pattern came in one size. The vintage ones I own have no lines… no notches and no markings. Well, they do have large and small circles cut out so you are not completely flying blind!

Now, I am not really here today to give you a history of mail order patterns but I found it really interesting- especially since I love the fashions of certain eras and if I can get my hands on a pattern I am thrilled. I am even more thrilled when I can make it up and wear it, although in this case, I made it up for my eldest daughter.

This is not my first foray into vintage pattern sewing. I made myself this green dress a few years ago for “Fall for Cotton.” The girls thought I looked like Mrs. Teapot. I have also made my middle daughter quite a few of the same dress. My favorite is this floral one here.

What I really enjoy doing is taking a vintage pattern and making it relevant enough to wear today. I really feel like I succeeded with this 1954 Mail Order dress pattern. I find something so special about handling something that was owned by someone long ago. This pattern came from The Baltimore Sun which looks to be a Newspaper. It still has the address of the lovely lady that ordered it and the postmark is pristine. Apr 29, 1954.  Tell me that is not the coolest thing ever!

The pattern had never been used or at least that was what it looked like to me so I was VERY careful. No pins. I just weighted the pieces down and cut out the dress and then promptly put the pieces away. The directions are all contained on one page. One side for directions and one side is basically a sewing lesson.

The dress went together amazingly easy. And it was a near perfect fit! I took it in slightly at the waist and the shoulder neckline area had to be taken in about 1/2″ on each side. Other than that- it was a dream to make.

I used fabric I ordered from Fabric.com. The only issue was it was listed as a challis but I swear this thing is cotton! It is beautiful anyway so I am not disappointed. The birds and colors are perfect for Kadi since she loves little chirpy things and looks great in these colors. (I consider this melon and bright pink!)

I made the dress so it fell right above the knee. Length is important in keeping it young and current in my opinion. The neckline is so very feminine. When I am perusing patterns from this era I see quite a bit of the notched neckline.

I serged the inside- I know I should probably have french seamed it all but I had bright pink thread in my machine and went for it. Challis I would have french seamed- the cotton was thicker than a challis so serging seemed like a better option anyway- and again- bright pink thread was in my machine!

The invisible zipper was SUPPOSED to be on the side but I forgot and put it in the back of the dress. It is a PERFECT zipper if I do say so myself! 🙂

All in all I am SO very pleased with this dress. Kadi is as well! She wore it to her friends wedding the day after completion and has assured me she will get a ton of wear from it. She wants another one soon!

Laurie xo

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Mustard, Rick Springfield, Jet Black Hair, Sewing Dreams and an Award!

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Blogger, Blogger Award, Inspiring, sew exhausted, sewing, sewing blogger

The inspiring blogger award is an award for bloggers given by bloggers and I have been given one by H. over at H’s Handcrafts. 🙂

 First off… thank you thank you thank you! I took quite a break from my blog and came back quite embarrassed by the absence. I would THINK about blogging every day but I wouldn’t do it. And then as more time passed, well, as I said I was embarrassed to come back. But one day I just decided to DO it and renew my commitment, which I have so far succeeded in. 🙂

That said, I noticed quite a change. Less posts in my OWN feed (some of my favorite bloggers had moved elsewhere or stopped blogging), less activity on my own blog (my own fault for disappearing), and I found myself a little discouraged. But because I am writing for my own pleasure, and just want this to be my little corner where I share what I am up to and spend time seeing what other like minded people are up to I decided to persevere. 🙂

And then, I get an award! I am so honored to realize something I made (Holly’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle dress to be exact) inspired someone. 🙂 Because my feed was less crowded upon my return I started looking around for some other blogs to add to my blogroll… and I discovered H.  You should check her out if you have not visited. She makes STUFF! She knits, and sews, and I even see some ceramic work on her blog. FUN stuff!

There are a few rules for receiving the award, and here they are:

1. Thank the person who nominated you and add a link to their blog.
2. Display the award logo in a blog entry.
3. List the award guidelines so your nominees will know what to do.
4. State 7 hidden facts about yourself OR 3 things that inspire you.
5. Nominate other blogger friends for the award.

Sooo… THANK YOU H! You made my day, week, month! 🙂 It is quite an honor to be able to add this to my sidebar! Which I will! 🙂

And now for the boring stuff… 7 hidden things about me:

1. I love mustard. Cheap yellow mustard. (Were they supposed to be interesting things??!!) But really, to me mustard is the BEST condiment in the whole wide world. And I have passed my love of mustard on to my kids. Seriously, people get upset around here if there is no mustard. And Catsup? Well, I have some but one little bottle lasts a few years at my house! 
2. I was born in Hawaii… land of coconuts and luau’s and palm trees. But aside from a few years as a child in Australia, and a year in Texas, I have always lived in California. All over California since my family seemed to move quite a bit!
3. I want to learn to knit. When I was a teen my grandma taught me a few stitches and I made half a blanket. But I never finished. And I have definitely forgotten how but it is a secret desire. I just don’t know where you people find the time to knit AND sew!
4. I have a crush on Rick Springfield, Johnny Depp, Greg Evigan, Robert Wagner (that voice!), Pierce Brosnan, Keanu Reeves, Batman and The Doctor. Just can’t help myself… Need I say more? (sigh)
5. Top of my travel list is a trip to Ireland via London (so I can hang out with some sewing peeps!) Within the next 1-2 years this WILL happen!
6. I dream about fabric, and outfits, and sewing. And I have BIG dreams!
7. I just dyed my hair black. Jet black. And I LOVE it! 🙂 

Now I get the FUN part… Nominations. It is so hard- I am inspired by SO many but I will just have to choose a few.

Tanya from Mrs. Hughes. I follow her on IG too- because she is ALWAYS making something COOL. She is a prolific sewist and she sews the BEST stuff. I am always anxious to see what she is working on. And she WEARS what she makes too!

Hila of Saturday Night Stitch. This lady has FIVE kids and still puts out an amazing array of gorgeous clothes. I would love to spend a day sewing with her- I am sure I would be wowed by her creative process because, dang, she IS creative!

Michelle of Tres Bien Michelle. I have been reading her blog for 3 years now… She is a knitter and a sewer and boy does she have a stellar me made (her made) wardrobe! She is another one I get to follow on IG. I LOVE to see what people are up to! And then I don’t always have to wait for a blog post. 🙂 Michelle also sews a lot of Vintage and I love vintage!!

Be sure to check them all out! You too will be inspired… and thanks again H! 🙂

Laurie xo

EP:1 Free Sewing Pattern Review: Ellie Travel Case x 2

Tags

Ellie Travel Case, Free Pattern, free sewing, Free Tutorial, Pinterest, Pinterest Success, sew exhausted, sewing, travel case

Last month I decided to do a 12 month series where I actually DO some Pinterest sewing vs just PIN all the things! I have a Free Sewing Pattern board but have NEVER made anything from it. I know, you are shocked and appalled. But I had to confess: I have never made anything from my Pinterest Sewing boards. (Although I DO admit to making a few cocktails from my cocktail board! 😀

Now, isn’t that what a bulletin board is supposed to be all about? You put things on your board you want to try! So, by committing to a pattern a month I figured I would change that- and blogging about it would show off the Success (or Pinterest Fail if that is the case!) and share with my readers great free patterns/ tutorials out on the interwebs! 🙂 Next I need to challenge myself to actually take one of my Sewing Inspiration pins and being inspired!! That board had 202 pins and is steadily growing! Ach! But I can’t go crazy all at once so for now I am focusing on my Free Sewing Pattern board pins!

For my first free pattern I thought I would make the Downton Abbey inspired nightgown, which turned out to no longer be free (I downloaded it last year) but that is a different story you can read about here. Instead I decided to make these adorable Travel Cases.  I love purses and bags and totes but rarely ever take time away from sewing clothing to focus on one. I had a yard of this Paris Couture fabric and what better thing to make than a bag? I bought it with my middle daughter in mind. She LOVES Paris and wants to visit some day. Half her room is Paris inspired. Now when she goes to Paris she will have her little Ellie Travel Case!

I made two because, well I wanted one for ME too and had plenty of fabric, so why not? 🙂

This tutorial can be found on The Fabric Mutt Blog. When you visit be sure to check out some of her other posts. Last month Heidi made the sweetest little pillow for her new loveseat- I recognized several of the fabrics she used as I have some lingering in my stash!

The materials are pretty simple. I had everything but the zippers. I hate that I have well over 50 zippers in my stash but whenever I make anything I don’t have the right one. Here is what you need:

Cotton print for the exterior main panel
Linen for the exterior accent and handles and tabs!
Cotton print for the bag lining
Fusible interfacing to reinforce the lining (she suggests Pellon Craft Fuse and I had some on hand! Bingo!)
Batting to reinforce the exterior – Fusible batting is suggested but as a quilter (who has not quilted in a few years) with quite a bit of cotton batting in my garage I used non-fusible batting with my can of spray adhesive)
Zipper– 16″

Seriously, I could make a dozen of these little bags with stuff I have in my stash. (Other than those darn zippers!)

The inside of my bag coordinated nicely! I thought I could actually add a little pouch pocket on the side of future ones if I wanted. It would be an easy add.

I just threw some random items in there, but if I was really taking a little trip somewhere I would put my toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brush, soap, mini shampoo and conditioner and some lotion. These items would all fit nicely in there and would be exactly what I need for a weekend getaway! (Ok, I may add some mascara too!)

I noticed after I made my square to attach the handles that it should actually be  rectangle. But this works.

And look! Pull tabs- or whatever you wanna call them!

The directions are clear and concise. I used my rotary cutter and mat to cut the pieces precisely as called for and followed the directions to a tee… well almost. I did not have any clamps so used lots of pins. And I only stabbed myself a few times!! Clamps would be nice for future makes.

I am very pleased with these little Travel Cases. I think they would make most excellent gifts, and are fairly simple to sew together. I highly recommend the Ellie Travel Case and in my opinion it is a Pinterest Success! 

In other sewing news…I just finished the most beautiful dress for my eldest daughter using a 1954 mail order pattern. It was still in it’s addressed mailing envelope, never used, and was practically made for her size and fit wise. It must have been score week for Daughter #1 because I also finished a sunflower print circle skirt and am working on the 2 tops she requested to go with that circle skirt … and then I better get back to making middle daughter her dresses. OH, and Baby wants a swimsuit cover up and maybe I could finally make her the swimsuit she bought fabric for last year? (her words)… I really want to sew for me too… I have my Sallie jumpsuit by Closet Case Files all ready to go!

Take Care! I better get back to sewing!

Laurie xox

Downton Abbey Inspired Nightgown x 2

Tags

Downton Abbey, Nightgown, Niightie, patterns, sew exhausted, sewing, vintage sewing

I love pajamas. Nightgowns, robes, shorts sets, flannel jammies etc, yet I own hardly any. So I decided to spruce up the sleeping garment situation at my house with a little Downton Abbey inspired sewing. Now, the intention was to make myself a better night time wardrobe, but as usual I was waylaid by some pretty cotton’s in my stash that I felt would look SWEEEEET on my girls. So these nightgowns were for them.

Last year you could get the Unofficial Downton Abbey Sews Magazine from the Sew Daily Shop. It is actually still available and if you are a fan of the show or the time period there are some pretty nice patterns in there.  When I spotted the nightgown it reminded me of the summery cotton nighties my mom would buy me and I knew I HAD to make a few. 2 of my girls agreed they would wear them so I decided to make one for each of them.

The pattern has 3 pieces- a front, back and a sleeve. I traced it long but made these first two short. Mostly because I used STASH fabric and had the exact amount for short ones. As a matter of fact I can proudly say I bought NOTHING for these two nighties. (OK. Technically I bought it over a decade ago but that doesn’t count, right?)

The fabric in this one is a quilting cotton I bought at Joanns well over 15 years ago. I made a little girl dress out of it and this was the leftovers. I know I know. That is a lot of leftover but hey! It has come to some good use now!

The lace is a crocheted cotton lace I found in my collection  of lace, ribbons and trims box. I could not even tell you how long I have had it- I do not even remember buying it! It was pure white and this pretty floral fabric was not white. But after pouting on instagram, Sewbrooke and a few other ladies told me to tea dye it! So, tea dye it I did!

I used a variety of teas since I did not have any good old lipton lying around. At first I thought it was going to be pinkish- That Good Earth Spice Tea is delicious but had a decidedly red undertone, but I added in some green tea and feel like the result was pretty darn good!

The sleeve is a a short flutter sleeve, although mine is not as fluttery as the one in the picture. I figure because I used a fabric that was not as light as the one they used. But I love the result anyway.

The back is pretty sweet too. The nightgown has a nice relaxed fit. Perfect for summer nights!

All in all it is a pretty sweet nightie and Kadi asked me to make her another. You know you have a winner when you are asked to make another!

Holly’s is also made from a random piece of cotton I found in my stash. Except I have no idea where it came from or why I bought it! But I loved the pretty floral and the shade of blue was perfect for her.

Now I have to confess I only have 3 pictures of this nightgown, mostly because pinning these kids down for pictures is agony. Sometimes I feel like I should hold a garment hostage until they are ready to smile and say “cheese.” The only pic I have of her wearing it is the one I forced her to take after she had slept in it 2 nights in a row.

Holly’s is a little fuller than Kadi’s. I cut hers out second and realized I wanted to try it with the same amount of fullness that was at the bottom of the long nightie pattern so folded the pattern pieces strategically to get that extra fullness. I like it!

I used the un-tea-dyed half of the pure white lace to trim this one. You will notice the lace is set up higher than the other one I made. My mistake and I did not want to take it out. But it works right?

 All in all I think it is a great pattern. Simple, and perfect for a pretty summer nightie. I think I need to make myself one next! Maybe in a soft cotton batiste/ voile/ lawn. 😀

Laurie

xox

PS. Originally I wanted to do this pattern as #1 in my monthly “Free Pattern” series. But it is no longer FREE! (Which is A-OK because I think just having the magazine to look at is worth it!) I do have a free pattern I finished up today I want to share and I will blog about it in a few days. I found it on Pinterest so it was lingering on my Pinterest Free Patterns Board waiting for me to give it some attention. Can’t wait to share it with you!

HISTORY LESSON

PPS. Nightgown vs Nightie. I started out calling this a nightgown, which it is, but as I was writing I was brought back to my childhood when all I wore were nightgowns, and I remembered that my mom called them nighties. I looked it up and learned that nightie was short for nightgown and it came in to use in about 1871. It was shortened for children and used in Britain. Interesting!! Does anyone still use the word nightie? I had to say it like 30 times cuz I really like the word! Guess I am a kid at heart.;)

 

 

 

I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing… Star Wars Dress and Shirt… FINALLY!

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McCalls 6044, sew exhausted, Sewcialists, sewing, Sewing blog, sewing blogger, Simplicity 4432, Star Wars Dress, Star Wars Shirt, vintage dress

A long time ago, in a galaxy far away, a young Jedi Princess-in-Training wanted a dress. A Star Wars dress. So her Jedi mother bought the fabric. Enough fabric for a dress for her and a shirt for her handsome Jedi brother who was off battling the Evil Galactic Empire. And the fabric sat. And sat. Waiting for the moment her mother’s Jedi skills would awaken and create the vision of loveliness she imagined.

And the fabric sat. And sat. Then, a date loomed ahead. The 4th of May. “May the 4th be with you.” The young Jedi Princess-in-Training wanted to wear her dress on that special date. But, that date passed. The fabric sat. And sat. And the conversation started:

Jedi Princess-in-Training: “Search your feelings, oh most wise Jedi Mother of Mine. Are you going to make this dress?”
Jedi Mother: “I find your lack of faith disturbing.”
Jedi Princess-in-Training: “I feel like it will be all too easy.”
Jedi Mother: “I will try.”
Jedi Princess-in-Training: “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”
Jedi Mother: “I find your lack of faith disturbing.”
Jedi Princess-in-Training: “Use the Force, Mom”
Jedi Mother: “I find your lack of faith disturbing.”

And the moons rose. And the sun set. And the moons rose again.. And the Jedi mother chanted to herself, “STAY ON TARGET.” She stayed up late into the night remembering the skills of those who had walked before her.

The young Jedi Princess-in-Training arrived home from her own Jedi training and saw her mother, finally, skillfully maneuvering the tools of her trade.

Jedi Princess-in-Training: Said while rolling her eyes…“You don’t have to do this to impress me.”
Jedi Mother: “The Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded.”

It took the Jedi mother months of staring at the fabric on her cutting table. But finally the long awaited moment arrived! One Star Wars button down shirt and a dress awaited the lucky young Jedi Princess-in-Training and her handsome Jedi brother! They would now be garbed in the skillfully crafted garment their all powerful Jedi mother made after battling the Sith, thousands of Storm Troopers and even the most evil Darth Vader and his Galactic Empire. (Ok… she battled Tiredness at the End of the Day, and the most evil Lack of Motivation.)

Jedi Princess-in-Training: “I never doubted you! Wonderful!” –

And it was good.

Hope you liked that little bedtime story. 🙂 I DID complete a lovely little Star Wars sundress for Kadi and a button down shirt for my son Casey. And it DID take me a LONG time to get to. Here is the rundown!

Kadi’s dress is made from the Vintage Simplicity pattern 4432 that I can’t seem to get enough of right now. The bodice is fully lined and I added pockets to the skirt. This pattern is sized perfectly for her except the upper back needed taking in. I am not sure why that is? As a dancer she has great posture but for some reason I needed to take two big “chunks” out of the back neckline area. I actually put darts in to get rid of the excess and now it is a perfect fit. Whew…

The fabric is one of the Star Wars cotton prints readily available from JoAnns and probably quite a few other fabric stores. I think with the new Star Wars movie on the horizon we will see some more prints heading our way. I am anxious to get some Yoda fabric. For me!

Here is a close up of the fabric and dress. You can see it is a pretty simple design. 4 darts in the front and 2 in the back and a gathered skirt with pockets. And you can see some craft beer I was gathering together in the background!)

For Casey’s shirt I used McCalls 6044. I have made  three shirts from this pattern for Casey now. A Green Bay Packers shirt, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shirt, and Star Wars. I have been making shirts for that boy since he was a toddler. Here is one I made for his Kindergarten pictures!

OMG- I remember those days!

I love making shirts for him because- well, I sew for the girls all the time and this is the one thing I am pretty successful at making for men. AND he wears them!

We had a fun day- and I wouldn’t have these pics if it wasn’t for my youngest. So photo creds go to Juliette!

The Jedi siblings battle it out:

Laurie xox

Quotes I used from Star Wars

“Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

“Use the Force…”

“I find your lack of faith disturbing.”

“I never doubted you! Wonderful!”

“Search your feelings.”

“All too easy.”

“STAY ON TARGET.” –

“You don’t have to do this to impress me.”

“The Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded.”