My first make from the 1951/1952 vintage pattern collection from the German Praktikus Modenblatt! After a lot of dithering, I’m doing it! No more procrastinating making alledgedly urgently needed jersey tops! No longer impersonating that donkey who starved facing two stacks of hay not being able to decide where to start eating! Huzzah! My dithering was abruptly…… Continue reading A dress from 1952 – cutting out
For me, a successful pattern is one that I made many times over, with variants, in different colours and fabrics. Admittedly, I haven’t got many of those! But this is a story of one such pattern which is still going. The summer dress Some years ago I bought a viscose jersey dress which fitted so…… Continue reading A successful pattern
Differential feed is when the upper and lower layers of the material are fed at different speeds, or as in overlockers when the front and rear of the feed dogs are moving at different speeds. The result is that the sewing gets stretched or gathered, either all of it or just one layer relative to…… Continue reading The gathering foot, the ruffler and differential feed
Here’s a chance to use those fancy stitches on a grown-up garment! And try an array of fancy feet in the process. The challenges of silk dupion Stop to fraying with fancy stitches Getting even fancier with lurex shading Parallel stitching with a big clear foot Double thread stitch and twin needle sewing Stitch in…… Continue reading Silk dupion, fancy stitches and fancy feet
I have received my 1951/1952 sewing magazines, and I am completely overwhelmed by the possibilities… I am feeling like that donkey standing between two heaps of hay: he starved because he could not decide where to start eating. Poor donkey! So I am in danger of not making any use of these patterns because I can’t…… Continue reading It’s all in the details
I learned tailoring in early 1990s, and although this was close-fitting pattern construction (by M. Müller & Sohn, a.k.a. Rundschau after their journal), my teachers repeatedly said that it was no where nearly as detailed or close-fitting as, say, back in 1950s. The lines became straighter, the fit roomier, but most of all – the female figures became more…… Continue reading 487 vintage patterns – where do I begin?
One yard is not enough to make a long sleeved top that comfortably tucks into low rise trousers. But I was not going to give her the satisfaction of saying “I told you so!”. It was early Autumn of 2001 and I was on holiday in San Francisco. And as you do on holidays, I…… Continue reading One yard is not enough!
