It's pretty great, non? I went with this pattern in particular, because most of my other shirtwaist dresses have a more exaggerated 50s style full skirt. This pattern is from 1963, and the skirt is only slightly gathered. I love love love the collar, and the fake welt pocket.
And there's my version. It took me two days to make this, and absolutely zero tantrums! I'm pretty impressed with that, given that the collar was more complicated than any that I've sewn before. One thing I that kind of disappointed me about this pattern was that it actually said it was specifically sized for women 5'3" and under. I was so excited that for once I might not need to shorten my pattern drastically. Unfortunately when I had it all sewn up I still had to cut eight inches from the bottom of the skirt, not counting the three inch hem. Now I know that I like my skirts a bit shorter than they did in the 60s, but still, the thing practically reached my ankles! Anyway, I'm really happy with how this dress turned out. Do you want to know the best part? The fabric came from an old duvet cover, so I only spent $8 on thread and notions. That's a pretty good deal in my books.
I forgot to blog about it, but I also made this 60s Simplicity dress back in the fall.
I used a plaid wool like in the illustration, so I think I'd like to make a lighter version to wear this summer. The best part about that dress: the day I was told I looked like I should be on Mad Men. Yessir! And that was even before I got my new Ray Ban cateye glasses:
So basically to summarize this post: Yes, Mad Men producers, I am available for work as an extra.
It looks great!
ReplyDeleteThanks Andrea!
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