Vintage Fourth of July Inspiration

Today's we get a spoonful of patriotic inspiration from Emileigh of Flashback Summer. Emileigh is a darling gal with a passion for vintage, sewing, and knitting. She fits right in here! 

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Hello friends!

The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays in the year, the day America celebrates its independence. (It’s also the only time Americans say the day before the month, anyone ever noticed that?) Although some Americans may get a little "big for their britches" about our country, I think it's a great thing for people to love their nation, no matter which one it is.

I realized what a blessing it is to live in America when I lived overseas. We Americans tend to have a lot of hope. Hope that things will get better, hope that we can make a difference, hope that our voice will be heard, hope that we can make something of ourselves. This hope is not inherently present in every nation or culture; it is something that must be cultivated. We are blessed in America to have such hope and to celebrate it on the 4th of July!

You know another great part of the 4th of July? The patriotic outfits and movie scenes! Who doesn't love a glittery Uncle Sam hat, some star-studded pants and a flag dress being tap-danced across the stage? There are lots of examples of these from the vintage stage and real life, especially. I've chosen some of my favorites to share with you, along with my own 4th of July-inspired look at the end!

James Cagney in “Yankee Doodle Boy”

This is arguably the best patriotic movie. It has a whole movie centered around the "Yankee Doodle Boy" and his journey to the American dream. A definite holiday classic, and check out those gorgeous outfits the ladies have on!

Anne Rutherford as a Patriotic Majorette

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1940s Patriotic Allies Dresses

What can be classier for a day dress than to have a flag incorporated into its very design?! Pretty much nothing.

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1880s Patriotic Gown

Made right around the centennial of the Constitution, this dress says “America” in a gorgeous way. I really hope someone got to wear this for an Independence Day parade!

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Fred Astaire in “Holiday Inn”

Saved the best for last! It’s FRED ASTAIRE in starred socks dancing with firecrackers. ‘Merica. ‘Nuff said.

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And now, for my Independence Day-Inspired Outfit!

1940s hat: gifted

1940s belt: flea market

Bakelite and bangles: gifted

Red peep-toe shoes: Payless

1940s dress: Ruth’s Vintage Clothing (St. Louis, MO)

Thank you, Emileigh! And Happy Fourth to all of you here in the states! 

If you're interested in seeing more movie magic inspiration, paired with sewing patterns to make your own, you should also take a gander at my series from last year, Sewing Hollywood History. 

Dapper Day Sewing

It's almost time…!

Have you heard of Disney's Dapper Day? It's a stupendous day of dressing up in your finest at Disney and enjoying the park with others that are equally dressed to the nines. There are some special activities in the park as well as events afterwards like a jazz evening at the Grand Floridian. I'll be attending at Walt Disney World this weekend with my friend Andi.

Guys, I can hardly contain myself. This is a magical combination of things I hold very dear - Disney and vintage! Can you just imagine walking down main street, dressed in your vintage best? It gives me tingles! I've been busily sewing dresses for the two of us, and thought I would give you a peek today!

Dapper for Me 

I'm making Butterick 8408 for me, a pattern from 1958. My dress will be almost identical to the one on the right. Look at those bows! I also love that the pattern says "Magic to Make" at the bottom right. BECAUSE I'LL BE WEARING IT AT THE MOST MAGICAL PLACE ON EARTH!

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I decided on linen for my fabric. I know it wrinkles terribly, but I love sewing with it and it's so comfortable to wear. I choose a deep red, and it looks lovely. 

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The pattern has some interesting construction details like a zipper inserted in a dart that I'll share more with you later. The skirt is also extremely full! Look at this! That's the actual skirt, already cut and sewn together just waiting to be gathered. Oxford demonstrates scale for you.

Dapper for Andi 

Andi told me that she wanted me to sew her The Marfa dress, which was one of the dresses I designed in my pattern making class. I was so honored that she picked one of my designs! That's a good friend. It has six darts at the neckline, cap sleeves, and a full skirt. 

Me in The Marfa Dress

We started our designs in class with slopers we purchased (see more about the process I used for buying a sloper), so I took Andi's measurements and ordered her a custom one. We fit that, and then I did the design work to make it a Marfa. 

For her fabric, I'm using the same textured rayon I used for mine, this time in a royal blue. 

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Plus, we've been scheming and plotting all sorts of accessories to wear, like the 1950s white gloves you see above! Squeee!!! I simply cannot wait. Now if I can just get over the truly horrendous stomach virus that has plagued me for a few days! Fingers crossed. If I have to live on crackers and gatorade for four days in the parks, so be it! To Dapper Day I go! 

Follow me on Instagram to see my Dapper Day as it happens! 

Sewing Inspiration: Glamour 75th Anniversary

Next month, Glamour magazine celebrates their 75th anniversary. It inspired me to take a look back at old Glamour covers from the decades I love. It turned out to be a wonderful source for sewing ideas as we transition from winter to spring! Here are a few of my favorites with ideas on how you could recreate them.

Bow Detail from May 1943 

Aren't these bows just darling? I love that the detail at the neckline is mimicked at the pockets.

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Recreate this look: 

• The kimono sleeves on this cover girl's dress remind me of Vogue 8811. It would just require a bit of work with your French curve ruler to deepen the "u"-shape. See my Vogue 8811.
• For the pockets, How to Make Shaped and Lined Patch Pockets from By Gum by Golly. The shape in Tasha's tutorial is almost exactly the same as the one pictured above! 
• For the bows, a Simple Machine Sewing Applique tutorial from Sew Mama Sew should do the trick.
• For the belt, How to Make a  Fabric-Covered Belt from Casey's Elegant Musings. 

Beachside Tunic from May 1954

Gollies, don't you just want to go wherever she is? I'm sure that's especially the case for all of you still caught in throes of winter. This model is described as wearing a "candy-striped tunic" over black swimsuit. 

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Recreate this Look 

• For the tunic, Pauline Alice's new Carme blouse. Have you seen this yet? I love the pin tuck details, and the classic style Pauline puts into all her patterns. 
• I can't tell the details of that swimsuit underneath, but you can't go wrong with the Bombshell Swimsuit pattern from Closet Case Files. See my bombshell swimsuit.

Blue Suit from February 1960

I love everything about this photo. All this matchy-matchyness is just perfection. 

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Recreate this Look 

• All you need is in Simplicity 2154! It's a great 1960s pattern reprint, updated for more modern sizes. See my Simplicity 2154 pencil skirt.

Wasn't that fun?! I could do this for ages! Congratulations Glamour on 75 wonderful years of fashion! 

Lessons in Creating from Julia Child

I just finished reading My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'Homme. It starts in 1948 when Julia and her husband Paul lived in France and she was first introduced to French food and cooking.

Here's a few tips that I learned from the illustrious French chef that really resonated with me as a seamstress.

Don't Be Afraid of Failure in the Kitchen (or Sewing Room)

Gollies, sometimes it's hard not to get down on yourself when you totally botch something up. I've watched really experienced sewers make mistakes and get out their seam ripper. Of course, I'm going to, too!

Julia says, "One of the secrets, and pleasures, of cooking is to learn to correct something if it goes awry; and one of the lessons is to grin and bear it if it cannot be fixed."

When I forgot to stay stitch on the Colette Taffy and ended up with a huge neckline, I had to improvise. I learned a lot by figuring out how to fix the problem, and I'm sure it's not the only time I will make that blunder. 

No Excuses! No Apologies! 

Julia told a story of cooking eggs benedict for a friend just after she had started at Le Cordon Bleu. The hollandaise sauce turned out terribly- gritty and just not good. Yet she insisted that no cook should ever make apologies for a meal gone wrong.

She had three reasons for not apologizing: 

1. Your friends are forced to make you feel better. They already have to eat the bad food! Don't make them do more.

2. It may make them recognize flaws they didn't already notice. She says, "Usually one's cooking is better than one thinks it is." 
3. The focus should be on learning from your mistakes, rather than the failure.

I am all to apt to finish a garment and quickly point out the flaws. Getting in the doldrums over my lack of skills is pointless; recognizing these flaws so I can improve from them in the future is worthwhile.

Remember What Matters

I was amazed to discover the amount of time and energy Julia poured into creating Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She worked tirelessly for NINE YEARS on this one book alone. Sometimes she wanted to forgo plans with friends or family to keep working on something she was so passionate about.

She didn't,though. She says,“Remember, 'No one's more important than people'! In other words, friendship is the most important thing--not career or housework, or one's fatigue--and it needs to be tended and nurtured.”

I am too often tempted to hermit away in my sewing room and come out triumphantly several garments later. That would be the real mistake!

I hope you enjoyed these little lessons from a truly fearless and delightful woman. Bon appettit and happy sewing!

Circle Skirt Inspiration

You can probably deduce from this one and this one that I really like circle skirts. Similar to shirtwaist dresses, they are a staple of my wardrobe.

A little while back, I stumbled upon 365 Vintage Days. A woman from Finland (I believe her name is Sylvie) decided to accept a challenge to only wear vintage clothing from March 2011 to March 2012. She was having so much fun doing it that she just kept going. She posts photos of her outfits very frequently for us all to have a good drool over.

In particular, I was struck with how much I liked the circle skirts that she would pair with matching, brightly-colored blouses. I  love coordinating separates.

Some Circle Skirts from 365 Vintage Days

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AREN'T THEY WONDERFUL?! I really and truly had to stop myself from posting more here. She's been collecting vintage for over 20 years and has amassed a spectacular collection. I would like to know her secrets to staying the same size for 20 years so she can continue wearing all these beautiful pieces.

Fabric 

I was feeling so excited at the thought of dozens more circle skirts in my own wardrobe that I went out and got some more fabric. Exactly what I needed! Here's a peek of things to come.

Atomic Burst. 

Pink linen. Thinking of doing horizontal stripes in black ric rac. Jumbo ric rac no less! I dream big.

Isn't planning for projects one of the best things about sewing? It's so exhilarating. Now I must get back to Great Gatsby dress sewing. I'm nearing the home stretch! 

Great Gatsby Sewing: Fabric and Pattern

Happy Great Gatsby Premiere Day! In honor of the occasion, I thought I would share with you the fabric and pattern I am planning to use for Miss Crayola Creepy's Great Gatsby Sewing Challenge.

I had mixed feelings when I first saw this challenge. 1920s patterns are notoriously unflattering on curvy girls with their dropped waists and rectangular shape. I decided I'd spend a bit of time looking for something, and if I didn't find it, I'd call it a day. Here were my criteria: 

1. It needed to be from the 1920s to fit with the theme. 

2. It had to be flattering, so likely something with a seam at the waist or I could tie at the waist. 

3. I wanted to be able to wear it for more than just watching the movie. I love a good costume as much as the next gal, but I wanted to make something I could wear more than once. So likely not something fitting for a Gatsby soiree! 

Pattern 

Past Patterns 8340

I found the pattern through Past Patterns,  which is a fun little company I haven't bought from before. Here's the pattern description from the original, "Ladies' house dress, closing at left side of front, with sleeves in long or short length and a three-piece gathered skirt in slightly raised waistline; pocket and separate belt."

It meets my criteria perfectly, and I love the sailor-esque collar. Plus, I get to do fabric-covered buttons! 

Construction should be interesting for two reasons: 
1. I was warned before buying that the pattern had "minimal instructions", and they weren't lying! Nothing like a bit of fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants sewing to make things exciting. 
2. The measurements are a bit crazy, and definitely don't match my proportions. 38" bust, 26-1/2" waist, and 42-1/2" hip. Definitely not the standard. So I'll be making some changes to the pattern for sure!  

Fabric 

I decided to go with a cotton fabric so it would be light and comfortable for spring/summer. I also wanted something a bit geometrical and a print that was a bit more subdued. 

Black fabric will be used as contrast.

I actually had a hard time getting the fabric for this. The pattern requires 5-1/2 yds of 36" fabric, so even with translating it to larger widths, it's quite a bit of fabric. I though I had found something perfect online at Hart's, but they called me to say they were short on fabric, so I had to start over. I'm pretty happy with it in the end! 

Are you going to see the movie this weekend? I was an English major, but I'm kind of apathetic about the book. It just doesn't tickle my fancy for some reason. I'm looking forward to seeing the film, but I'm definitely not one of the avid fans!