My Retro Dress.

In 1967 I was in Teachers' College and I was already making most of my clothes. I made a dress that I've always remembered because I loved it so much. It was the "mod " period in fashion and this pattern was a good example of that style.I found it on Pinterest and was so excited to see it

I have a whole board of patterns I once owned and sewed and it's always such a thrill to find new ones! Small things amuse .........! 😗

  

                     

My 1967 dress was made of a sports weight cotton and was burgundy and teal paisley print. It had long sleeves , a front zipper, patch pockets and a mandarin collar.

Well, I found this burgundy, border print , textured knit and it reminded me somehow of that much loved dress. I thought I would make a tunic to wear with leggings but then I changed my mind and made an above the knee length dress to wear with tights and boots.

I love this thing !! What do you think ?

Well ! It doesn't look that great on Antoinette, I guess !

I  used a couple of different patterns to arrive at this one. Believe it or not , my dress is a combination of Marci Tilton's V 8793 ( OOP ) because I like the loose fit ,

                                          

 and Sandra Betzina's 1456

.I used the body, armscye, and sleeve of 8793 and the shoulders .neckline and  collar of 1456

I added an inch to the side seams , somewhat straightened the waist curve and lengthened it to dress lengthen . I angled to a slight A-line  as well.

I took away 5/8" from the neckline because it was too high  for me and that made all the difference. I had to lengthen the collar slightly because of this alteration.

Patch pockets were a no brainer and I was done.

This was an easy make easily accomplished in a day. I really enjoyed the whole process.

I will wear this piece a lot. It will be great to wear for my Sewing Group, for church, for shopping, and even at home because my hubby appreciates it when  I go around the house  "looking cute" (his words ).

I hope you enjoyed my ode to retro . Thanks for stopping by. I really appreciate your support.

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I'm Back on Track (M 6844 + an SFD Top )

I've been getting great feedback from my Fashion Show / Sale and am planning another one for early June. My head is full of ideas for summer things that I can sew easily , but I'll get help from my sister next time. I've already hit Fabricville where there was a great 40%-40% Sale. Just look at these luscious colours !!

I had a great week sewing for my self. First I'll show you the cozy cardi I made a while back using my morphed version of McCall's 6844.

The closures are some that I found on a belt I bought at a discount store . They don't stay closed so I put tape on the back so they won't open !!

Isn't infinity scarf, a Christmas gift, the perfect  accessory ?

The fabric is a wool blend boucle knit  (Fabricville ) and is warm enough to wear as outerwear on a milder winter day. I've worn this many times already and I get lots of compliments.  This is how I like to wear it.

 I also used for this wrap.

 

The second piece I'm showing you today is a combination of my Surefit Designs sloper and Sandra Betzina's 1477 .I love this pattern but the twisted bodice accentuates the bust more than I like and I thought the lower half would work with a simple bodice and it does .

The fabric is a poly/lycra from Fabricville.

The trim is a mesh knit. I tried out the twisted neckband and it works I think

I made use of the selvedge and topstitched the cuff in place.

Instead of the bust dart , I shirred the sides . Probably should have aimed higher !!

This is an every day top or an around the house top. I don't love it but its OK. I needed a change from the things I wear all the time as most of my life is lived at home.. I wanted it to be long enough to wear with jeggings ( I don't wear leggings much ).For me that means 30 to 32 " in length. I did wear this to Sewing Group the other day and didn't get any compliments so I guess no one else loves it either . LOL.

This week, I'm having a mini sale of my wraps at my Retired Teachers meeting so I'll be making a few more but I've got a tunic/dress cut out that I'm anxious to get to . I hope you have time to sew this week .

More later from

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fashion Show / Sale a Great Sucess

Hi Everyone. I thought you might like to know how my Fund Raiser went .

Well, it far exceeded my expectations. I made a whopping $842.00 for the Food Bank !!!
And those who attended LOVED it and want me to have more. I think I've created a monster.

I ended up selling 35 of my 43 wraps , only 6 of my 12 infinity scarves and all of the hair towels I had on hand . I only charged $12 for plain wraps and $15 for those which had buttons or trim. They were very popular.

During the Fashion Show,my models were stopped in their tracks so the wraps could be touched , examined and even tried on .These were the popular ones.

 The sale took place after the show and we served coffee, tea, lemonade and sweets. We held a silent auction for this reversible cape I made for the occasion . It brought in $95.00!

We had several door prizes . The main one was this poncho, which I also made.

Both the cape and the poncho were copies of RTW garments.

The Food Bank was overwhelmed when I took them the cheque yesterday and were thrilled to know I plan another event for June.

This was a real feel good project. I feel I'm using my talent for something God wants me to do . And the Fashion Show provided a respite for people in the middle of winter.

Now I'm going to sew a couple of things for my self and I still have my red Christmas dress to show you. I'm changing it up a bit before that though.

More later from