Another fabric for a vintage summer dress

OK, not the only thing.  At the end of December I bought this piece of brown cotton satin with a duckegg & cream print.  I needed to get fabric for the collar cos I realised it's perfect for the wrap 1930s New York dress pattern.  The olive foliate print I had been planning to use was impossible to find a matching plain, except in white. I looked for a few years and not only does white not suit me, I figured it shows marks to easily for someone as clumsy as myself.

The choices of plain duck-egg or mint were un-inspiring. They looked flat and dull, and not right for this lightweight fluid cotton satin, and then one of the shop assistants suggested the quilting micro dot fabric. It works really well and is a lovely soft and spendy cotton.  This metre of fabric cost 75% what my 4 metres of brown print cost - ok that was ridiculously cheap for Australia, but still. meeep



I also got some black for contrast collar on my red/black print cotton. Red was meh, white a no-go-zone.

A flower will NOT mark the spot

A couple of months ago I started sewing another summer dress version of Lilly Rose.  The print fabric was from my stash & bought on hols during a fabric shop tour with my Brisbane posse. The plain fabric bought earlier this year to go with it.  The skirt is assembled and the back darts stitched.  Thought I'd cut out the sleeves but hadn't - so I must find the shirt pattern I've taken them from.

What ground production to a halt?  Realising that I didn't want a flower on either (or both!) bust point like a target.  Who needs their clothing to say "look at my acreage".


So on Saturday, at the Australian Sewing Guild group, I stopped procrastinating and traced the full front bodice pattern onto see through non-iron interfacing. Next I placed the full pattern on myself and marked BP (bust point) on each side. Only to startle when someone said to look out that the ink didn't bleed through onto the top I was wearing. Yep, I was a bit tired & silly yesterday. 

Then with a full pattern piece I could cut a single layer piece after shifting it around to make sure it was on grain and dodging both BPs.


Having made sure that there isn't a target on either ... a + marks the BP spot.


That's pretty much all I did all day, I was tired and thought I was bound to make a dumb mistake if I stared sewing & cutting.  If I got this wrong I still have enough fabric to cut another bodice piece as well as the sleeves.

Not the parcel wrapping I expected.

Who'd expect this in the post - it's how my copy of Barbara Johnson's Album arrived, and clearly it wouldn't fit in my mailbox. How could I fault it's secure packing.  I wondered what was in it, and was hoping it was a mystery present. Still exciting though! Inside the sack addressed to me was the book in a corrugated cardboard book box, also labelled with my name.



The book is a big slab of a thing and as it's a fascimile reproduction of her album the household accounts are interesting too. From memory they're about 60 years older than the fabric swatches she glued over the top.Not on every page either.  Nice to see fabrics that I'd wear, even if not all of them are my choice.

the older dress pattern, from the stash

For the curious, this is the pattern I bought the bundle for, it's an un-marked mail order pattern, for a 48" bust. I'll need to narrow the shoulders more than I would if it was my size, but it might make a nice dress for at home in a lawn. Maybe, but as it's not what I'd wear to work then it'll have to wait a little longer.



Look at those step by step sewing instructions on the pattern envelope! 9 steps in total with no pictures

Vintage dress patterns staying as eye candy

That is to me they're eye candy.  Years ago I bought a job lot of pattens on eBay, to get a specific 1920s/30s dress.  In the bundle were these 2 patterns, and a couple others that I couldn't see myself wearing that I've since given away.  I love the cover art, as well as the design lines. Sadly as both are sized for a 38" bust they won't fit me even with an FBA.
Somewhere I saw the Simplicity dated to 1949, not sure how accurate that is, and the Advance looks like the same timeframe.




I could grade them to my size & alter, but I might just borrow collars & sleeves and franken pattern with another pattern me-sized.

getting ready for my summer, sewing, holiday

I've got both new dress patterns in my grabby hands, and a brooch I'd won on ebay, so the only things left in the mail is an art nouveau ariel Tshirt, and the reprinted book Fitting and Proper, bought from Burnley & Trowbridge alongwith some fabric swatches. I knew that even with the exchange rate going not so well for overseas shopping , that I might as well bags it now cos it could get worse.  If it improves, well I don't mind cos I've hankered for that book since before it was reprinted.



As well as my summer dress sewing, I've got 3 domestic tasks and a spring clean to do. The 3 aren't that exciting so I'll either do them all on a roll, powered by the thrill of achievement with the first, or I'll drag myself along kicking & screaming.
- replace my toilet seat (have it al; ready) for one with a soft close
- put together the Molger shelves that are going into the cupboard I use as a pantry.
- add the Hemnes drawer base supports to my Aneboda drawers


I've also had a flare up of an auto-immune problem so I'm also aiming for some soaks in the ocean over my hols as that seems to help (and I don't question why). 3 big sleeps to go if you include Friday night. Hormones & stress & hot days are probably the trigger. I had the blue sparkle dress, that really stressed me cos I didn't want her to be disappointed. 

Plus I've had to apply for my own job. This time as a permanent position - after 4.5 years contracting with them.  As it's state gov't, it has to be publicly advertised.  Applications closed yesterday and mentally I was prepared to come in for an interview early next week - there's minimum notification days involved for interviews.  But I think that's not going to pan out - guessing based on who I'm assuming is on the interview panel and their leave plans. I know it'll be a couple of senior staff in my unit plus someone else outside it (or 1 snr and 2 outside my unit) and what their leave is.

I'm getting help from another colleague with interview coaching cos I know I don't sell myself well.  They need to follow correct procedures so If I don't sell myself well then I can't get offered the job. This is why I've got most of my permanent jobs after temping. They go 'oooh socialised + nerd skills, lets keep her'.  Interviews, not so much.

So my 2 weeks as well as sewing includes eye check & new specs (broke my sewing distance)  with possibly a new script; haircut & recolour; visit friends up in the mountains; 2 x painful massage therapy appointments - deep tissue + trigger point. This isn't relaxing. Well, I should qualify that with afterwards I'm incredibly relaxed but not at the time. Possibly all the endorphins produced in reaction to pain. I've had 3 treatments and know how bad it'll be. But so worth it.

Plus size patterns aren't new

Though it seemed like they were after the plus-size drought of the 80s. One of the patterns in my previous post has a 52" bust, and one of the reasons I've procrastinated so badly is that I'll need to (1) copy it onto new paper and then (2)grade it down to my size and lastly (3) alter it to fit.



I've a habit of procrastinating cos I want something to be perfect, and once it's done there's a good chance it won't be. Even if the imperfections are only in the eye of myself!

I've come across other equally large vintage patterns, usually one of the mail order brands such as this Anne Adams1960s evening dress currently on eBay. Which I think is quite wearable now, depending on fabric choice and skirt length. And another 52" bust Marian Martin dress and "blouse".

I sometimes wonder if one of the reasons I thought I was so fat when I was in my late teens/early 20s is that most fashion patterns pretty much stopped at 36" bust. I was that as a teenager and then went up 38" until I was about 22/23 when I managed to lose enough pounds to be 36-24-37. Not only was I just above pattern sizes but I was an extreme 8 shape. Tiny waist but D bust and high hips. Trending more an 8 than an X if that makes sense. At a time when an androgenous shape was the fashionable one. No wonder I felt like a heifer, the fashions just didn't suit me.

Of course, I got sick and my weight bolted - so it seemed. Though it's more that the PCOS & other endocrine disorder kicked in hard, most likely cos I was so unwell. I think that whole process of believing I was very plus when I wasn't is one reason I have little shame about being plus size now.

Enough introspection, the original point of my post is to say that thanks to the internet I now have access to a whole range of plus size vintage patterns, not only in my size but beyond it.

summer dresses I might make - 6 each of fabrics and patterns

I've looked at my stash & vintage patterns (as I've failed to live up to my vintage pattern pledge this year) to see what my options are.

Here's a pic of my 6 vintage patterns of choice, and 6 dress lengths I already own. They're not in any particular order, except the top 2 patterns are in the mail to me. 

I've let my subconscious think about it which fabric and which pattern.  The top left pattern gets the martini fabric; the top right pattern gets the 4th teal/navy trefoil print and maybe the red + black print; middle right pattern gets the top splodgy print; bottom left dunno really maybe the olivey print; the bottom right gets the flowers on  black? maybe.

I may not use all patterns, but I want/ need to use all fabrics.  I can't buy another dress length until 4  of the 6 pieces are made.  Must shop the stash first!