Tag Archives: vintage sewing pattern

retro-glam kimono robe with obi belt

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Finding myself with a few precious hours of free time, I got to work on a project that’s been brewing in my noggin for quite a while. My wardrobe is seriously lacking in the loungewear department, and I’ve always wanted something that I could throw on in the evenings and on lazy weekend mornings to make me look and feel instantly chic. Well, that’s the hope anyway! I’ve always loved the look of woven cotton yukata kimonos, so I thought that I’d do something similar with some stretchy knit fabric. I have a ton of the stuff because of an online sale a while back with prices too irresistible to pass up. I chose this orange-creme-brown print because of its ’60s feel — as I, like so many others right now, am obsessed with the Mad Men aesthetic.

I adapted this vintage caftan pattern (Butterick See & Sew line: 5836) and let the collars flop over to give my kimono a bit of a “westernized” look.

caftan

I couldn’t resist making an obi belt to complete the look.  Instant glam for the indoors!

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shoulder-tie dress

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Another dress for summer! I made this today from yet another thrift-store bed linen — a very pretty lavender duvet cover I got for $3.99! And even after making this dress, there’s still a ton of fabric left over for at least two more projects. I used a ridiculously easy vintage pattern I snagged from ebay — Simplicity “Jiffy” series, #7520.

Unlike the dresses pictured in the pattern, I used a contrasting print fabric for the inset because why waste an opportunity for adding a bit of pizazz? I shortened the length so I’d have a sassier, poofier skirt, but didn’t do a very good job creating an even hem, so the back is visibly shorter than the front. Woops. Maybe I’ll start a trend? Ah, whatevah. As you know, I’m not a stickler for perfection. All in all, I’m happy with the outcome and will be wearing this new number to the office tomorrow.

feeling capricious

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I finally, finally made the leap from being a vintage pattern hoarder, to an actual vintage pattern sewer! I’ve been wanting a pair of high waisted capris, so I went through my stacks and stacks of patterns and found this:

So I made View #2, but added a cuff and button at the bottom of the legs.

They came out ok, except I found out too late that the pattern was made to fit a woman of 5 foot 7 and up (were women taller in the ’50s?) and anyone below this height would have to adjust the length of the crotch accordingly before cutting the fabric. Needless to say, I ended up with a very saggy backside which I attempted my best to fix, but as you can see, my alteration skills are lacking. Ah well. Now I know better. Overall, it was a fun project which I’ll definitely try again.