A little vintage swimsuit project

So I got invited to a vintage beach party recently and took it upon myself to make a whole new outfit because...well, I just love that kind of challenge, I wanted a vintage suit anyway, AND I dislike modern suits. A LOT. I also had to do this with a zero budget (now that's a challenge!) using only what I had in the stash. The good news is I have a pretty mighty stash....

I knew I was going to use a blue and white cotton gingham that has been sitting in the stash so first I started making the hat with a coordinating blue and white railroad stripe, machine embroidered with a cherry motif. The hat is blocked over a mini-pillbox fascinator base that I have, then wired, then covered with the ribbon and fabric. I know I'll wear this one again!

Next came the swimsuit challenge. I didn't want to reinvent the wheel and draft something from scratch so I pieced together a two piece suit inspired by the photo above using patterns in the stash. I was going for "pin-up-ish," not historically pristine. My first attempt at making a halter style top was a disaster--the pattern I had from the 1970's didn't fit my body in any way at all. I mean, seriously the craziest fit I have ever seen on a standardized commercial pattern! Not wanting to waste time trying to make it fit, I chucked it and grabbed the top of a modern halter dress pattern that I know and love, McCall's 4826 (sadly discontinued) and whipped up that top in the blue check with red piping. Whew!

The swimsuit bottoms were a LOT of fun to make. Historically suits were not made out of the swimsuit fabric we have today, they were often made out of woven materials. I just happened to have a swimsuit pattern from the 1970's that was made for woven fabrics and HAS BUILT IN BLOOMERS!! I have wanted to make this one for years. Here's what the bloomers looked like before everything was assembled:

Recognize the fabric? It was leftover from this project. And yes, I did embroider the cherries onto the leg of the swimsuit too, I just felt like being kind of matchy-matchy that way.

So what was it like wearing a vintage, non-stretchy swimsuit? It certainly took a little getting used to, but being used to wearing historical costumes that change the way you move (or how much you can physically move) I just felt that I needed to treat it the same way. And actually, I was quite comfortable with the amount of coverage, and the fact that I could sit comfortably knowing that my bloomers were keeping me from accidentally flashing anyone. The only thing I wasn't used to was how long it took to dry after a dip in the pool but that wasn't too big a deal on a hot day.

Here's the whole outfit! Would I wear it again? Sure! And it wouldn't even have to be to a "vintage" event, I'd wear this instead of a modern suit any day.

The Very Cupcake Dickens Dress: Fitting

The dress is well underway! I've had to go about it in stages, doing things a bit backward like doing the sleeves and cutting out the skirt first, so that I could deal with whatever fitting was necessary when I had the time (and the corset on) to do it properly. I'm hoping that this way, it will all be a matter of fitting all of the pieces together and wham-o, I have a dress!

So onto the fitting...

This is my forth Martha McCain Simplicity Civil War-era gown so I'm very familiar with what fitting issues I needed to keep an eye out for. For me, it was mainly adding to the waist measurement (heck, I have to pretty much do that for EVERY pattern) and making sure everything fits well over my corset. I did have to drop the back neckline down a bit, it was very high and snug, not attractive. Here's what my mock-up ended up looking like:

I didn't want to cut away anything on the paper pattern so I snipped in to my new markings and folded the paper down to my new neckline before placing it on the fabric.

And check out these sleeves!

I wish I had enough of the plaid fabric to do a flounced skirt with cupcake ruffles around the hemline of the skirt but alas, I will just have a plain pleated skirt with green ribbon trim instead. Next: bodice construction...

Whooosh goes the blogger...

Hello! It's been a while, it's true--I've been busy moving into my new house among other Life Stuff and had to take a short hiatus. I'll be back soon with my latest project: The Very Cupcake Dickens Dress. It's well underway and the clock is ticking!

In the meantime, I found this wonderful link to the hat collection at the Met. Thanks to a member of the Milliners on Etsy team! I haven't even had time to look at them all, there are that many!

We like big...

Bum rolls!

To get this lovely period rear view, I made a bum roll using Margo Anderson's Elizabethan Lady's Underpinnings Pattern. I think it worked out well!

Here's another shot of my oh-so-curvy silhouette as well as what the bum roll actually looks like:

It's made out of basic printed cotton and stuffed with polyfil. I kept the stuffing pretty squishy so that it would look a bit softer than an Elizabethan bum roll and wore it slightly below my waistline since the style of dress I'm wearing (anglaise) has a great pointed look down the center back. The bum roll helps to poof out the back pleats. And poof it does!