Flamingos and film stars

Good day to you!


A Flamingo Shirt Dress

This week has been one of little productivity but much inspiration.  As I mentioned last week, I had my first session at the tailoring course I enrolled in.

My bag packed ready for school. 

The project I decided to start work on in class is the Simplicity pattern #1880.

 It is not a 'retro' or 'vintage' pattern but it is very similar to the shirt dresses of the 1940's as you can see below.

I am making it in a flowing fabric with a lovely drape.  It has a royal blue background and pink and white flamingos scattered throughout.

  I was quite nervous at my first class (not sure why) so I was not as fast as usual.  It took me the whole two hours to trace out the pattern and then cut it.  I started to cut the fabric but didn't finish.  This fabric is silky and quite slippery, so I am anticipating that it will be more challenging to manage.

I learnt a new way of marking onto the fabric using a tracing wheel and carbon paper.  I had seen this technique illustrated in books but never seen it in action.  My instructor showed me how it works and let me use hers.  Basically the carbon paper sits under the fabric and you push the wheel over the fabric and pattern piece where the markings are.  It was very quick and quite accurate.  However, I had already purchased a 'Clover' chalk marker earlier in the week so I think I will give that a go next week.

Clover chalk markers

Marking wheel and yellow carbon paper under the fabric

Hopefully next week I can start to piece the 'Flamingo Shirt Dress' together.

The Good Ship Lollypop!

This week a childhood heroine of mine left this earth - Shirley Temple Black.  

When we were kids, my best friend and I loved watching her films and we would sometimes put on concerts singing the songs from her movies.  I had photocopied pictures of her stuck on my bedroom wall and occasionally put my hair in ringlets to get that 'Curly Top' look.  As an adult she also lived an inspiring life, working as a US diplomat.  Even as a child I thought it was wonderful how she didn't let her childhood stardom direct her life but instead forged an adult career of her own choosing and passion.  She inspired me back then and I will let her inspire me again.  

              

For some fun I have decided to create a little girls dress reminiscent of her style as America's little darling, in memory of her and my childhood.  Come back next week to see the beginning of my 'Shirley' dress.

Other Leading Ladies

The other day my husband and I went out for a Mexican feast with friends of ours.  We had a great time.  During the course of the evening I was gifted with some lovely books full of inspirational photos of the classic Hollywood film stars.  Here are some of the pictures from the one called 'Leading Ladies'.  

                                     

It is great to have pictures like these as a source of inspiration.  I am really intrigued with the outfit Marilyn Monroe is wearing here.  

It seems quite contemporary, you could get a similar look very easily with things you already have or can get from current fashion shops. 

Retro styling is not so difficult or out of reach and you don't have to spend a fortune or make it all your self.  

Hmm time I went through my cupboard with a fresh set of eyes :-)

Well that's all folks

Keep well

:-)

History Heroine

Ahoy! Anchors away. Aye aye: nautical dress part 3

Hellooo!

              

The maritime themed dress is nye on complete.  Just a few finishing touches to be done.  

I tell you, it gave me a bit of trouble.  I stuffed up several times and had to unpick several parts. 

At one point I got myself in a real knot!

I found the instructions for this pattern a bit difficult to follow, they were a bit sketchy in places.  Sometimes the retro patterns can be a bit like that.  They were printed at a time when most women had been given an extensive education both at home and school in the art of home sewing, so a lot of knowledge is assumed. 

Still I kept on at it. Patience and perseverance is very much the key to this business. 

There was quite a lot of hand sewing involved in this project.  Basting, basting and more basting! 

Now I only have to hem the skirt, which needs some time to drop before I trim it even and get at it with the machine.  

I am hoping to use my new 'rolled hem' sewing machine foot for this job, but I need to practise using that. 

I decided to make a hair accessory to go with this out fit.

Here is how it looks:

 

Next week I will start a new project.  I have enrolled in a tailoring course at 'Liz's Sewing Centre'.  It is the type of course where you take your own project and get support to refine your cutting, constructing and sewing skills.  I am really looking forward to it.  It will be great to learn more.  

You can be assured I will be blogging my adventures.  

Well that is it for this week, I hope you all have a lovely week, staying safe and happy.

xo

History Heroine  

   

Nautical dress: part 2

Hia,
       Well, it has been a full on week here.

I have returned to the trenches (otherwise known as high school) to teach the troops (otherwise know as students).  As per usual the start of the academic year in Victoria has coincided with more hot weather.  

This is a pic my husband posted on Facebook.
I was amused :-)

I am not going to start complaining about hot weather now, because, it could always be worse and I am praising God that so far during this fire season our beloved hills have been safe. 

A view of Cardinia Lake from ours.

One of the local parks.

My heart goes out to those in areas that have been effected by bushfire this year and to those and the families of those who put their lives on the line to keep others safe. 

Thank you!

Nautical Fashion 

I have been looking into the history of nautical fashion.  Wondering when and why women started to borrow the styles of the navy and fishermen?  

This is what I have found:

According to The Vintage Fashionistas: 

http://www.backinstyle.com/blog/2013/04/nautical-not-new-the-history-of-nautical-style-in-fashion/ 

In 1846, Queen Victoria dressed her four-year-old son, the Prince of Wales, Albert Edward, in a sailor suit to wear aboard the Royal Yacht.

  Sailor inspired swim suits came next...

Followed by the use of Breston stripes in men’s fashion of the 1930’s. 

Sailor collars were already being worn by women early in the 20th century but...

According to Vintage Fashionistas it was the wonderful Coco Chanel who caused the nautical look to truly take sail in women’s fashion. 

Coco Chanel

Whoever it was who let go of the champagne bottle and launched the nautical fashion trend, I salute them!  For it is a fine look, come rain or shine, come high or low tide. 

My own maritime inspired creation is coming along.  I have not yet completed it, but it is taking shape.  

This dress is the first I have made that is fully lined.  

Marking the darts with tailors tacks

I am a bit nervous and quite excited about that. 

Both the bodice and the bodice lining sew,
now to attach them to each other

 It has been quite a challenge doing under-stich around the arm holes, but almost there. 

Fabric finds a home

A couple of weeks ago I spent the day with an awesome lady, who is also a fan of fabric.  Off to town we went on a quest for good fabric at good prices and by the end of the day we had made a number of exciting discoveries.  Now don't get me wrong, I regularly shop at the big haberdashery chains but there is nothing quite so exciting as finding those little independent treasure troves and amazing fabric strewn grottos that provide a myriad of different textile types and unique bolts.
  

I was in fabric heaven, feeling all the beautiful textures and reading all the extremely pleasing price labels!

My problem came when I got home with a sack full of fabric, to add to my already bulging collection of textiles.  

The solution?  Ikea of course! 

Hey diddley Billyo, hey presto!...a new home for all my fabric, where it will stay dust free and can be seen and prompt inspiration.  Love, love, love!

The cupboard is part of the Billy range .
And look there is room for more!

So that is it for this week.  I hope you are all keeping yourself cool and safe. 

xo 

History Heroine

The Tablecloth Shift Dress: nautical dress interrupted

Hia!

I have a confession to make.

Last week I cut and started my nautical dress and
 I claimed that this week you would see it sewn.  

Sorry but you won't 

(Remorseful face!  Is there an emoticon for that?)

I had every intention of getting that project completed until...

I found this AMAZING tablecloth at the back of my linen cupboard!

I love bright colours and yellow is one of my faves.
I also adore daisies, as they are cheerful and timeless in their simplicity.

That is right, I got absolutely distracted by a tablecloth, an old tablecloth to boot, with a gorgeous 1960-70's print.

I thought...'Hello my lovely, I can work with you!'  

I have had it a while and intended to use it one day, but it was too large for our little round dining table.
  

It is a very light but sturdy cotton, that feels so soft to touch.

This tablecloth needed a new life. 

I also know we are in for some more hot weather here in Melbourne and I need a practical, cool dress for when I head back to the trenches next week.

The shift dress made popular in the 1960's was just the ticket. 

 



I have a couple of shop bought shift dresses already (Thanks Modcloth!), and they are so comfy and cool, but I don't have a pattern for one so I improvised.

I took the bodice pattern from Butterick B5748 and lengthened it.  Of course I brought it out on an angle so that it covered my hips and made a bell shape.  

As I wanted it to be light and airy I decided not to fully line it, but I did need to understitch the neckline's facing.  

New Skills

As you may recall, last week I did not know how to understich. During the week I read all four of my dressmaking books and still didn't get it.  My lovely Mum, also tried to explain it to me, but I am very much a visual and tactile learner and needed to see it done.  

In the end I found this Youtube tutorial by Professor Pincushion, which was quite helpful.  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8WM4yjqawU

N/B: In fact I watched a few of her tutorials and found them all pretty clear and easy to learn from. Thanks Professor!

So after watching the video a couple of times I went straight to the sewing machine and this was the result:

One of the other tutorials I watched was on creating a patch pocket, so I figured I would give that a go as well:

Gathering the pocket edge

Pressed and ready to be sewn to the garment.
Yay for new skills!!

The appeal of the slip-over dress

Most of my dresses have zips but because of my 'T-Rex arms' I often have trouble zipping them all the way up.  I have one dress that I can just slip over my head and I think it is great for that reason, thus I decided the 'Tablecloth dress' would be the same.  

Finishings 

Even a simple shift dress needs some extras to give it that little something else.  I thought I would put the pocket I made on to the 'tablecloth dress', but found it too distracting.  Instead, I put a decorative front band down the centre in a contrasting green cotton topped with one daisy shaped button.  

Here is the completed dress:

The finishing touches :-)

And here it is on me:

 Up-cycling!

Not so shabby for a tablecloth hey?  I love the fact that this fabric is now going to be enjoyed for years to come instead of being shut up in a linen cupboard or worse yet thrown out (gasp!)

So, what do you have in the back of your linen cupboards that can be made more useful? 



Well, that's it for this week, we WILL be back to the 'nautical dress' next week.

Unless I have another "squirrel" moment :-)


xo

History Heroine