Thursday, July 30, 2015

The One Hour Dress 1920s version


Once I knew what the One Hour Dress was, I saw them everywhere.

http://theclosethistorian.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-one-hour-1920s-dress.html

Go search on 'one hour dress 1920s'. Go ahead, I'm here all week.
https://youtu.be/VImcfqrqWKQ is the You Tube ad for the book (original link is dead)

but here it is on Amazon.

There are a million variations on the One Hour Dress. I based my pattern on this image I found online, which turns out to be from a pretty nifty pattern on Etsy. 
Give her your $3, you won't be sorry. 
the alder shirtdress does it too
It's a pullover design of the early 20s, a tube with  a horizontal slash at the hip that gathers the side fabric extension into the main body as a skirt. 

A one piece pattern that is easy to draft, uses fabric very efficiently.

Probably easy to make from flour sacks.

The versions out there are generally pretty dumpy, but if you look at the illustrations using this style, there's a lot of sweet details.

The slash goes from side to side, and is wrapped with the same white cotton on the vertical appliques


Another slash across the center front, with the red bias finish making either belt loops or something to pull your dishtowel through (seen it both ways).

In both of these examples, the seam is on the 'right side' and is covered with a different fabric trim.



The One Hour dress is on the upper left with the boatneck and the flowers

You're just laying the pattern over prepleated/tucked fabric here

Dear reader, of course I made one...


Yes, you are drafting your own pattern from a formula and measurements.

I should mention that the Superboard isn't the most accurate for cutting precise measurements; the grid gets shortened lengthwise with the folds in the board.
But it gets the job done

drew a neck hole based on my head

shoulder seam line

started drafting from the neckhole out. A plastic sword makes a good paper weight/spreading device



ripped to grain up the fabric, folded it crossgrain and doubled



The one pattern piece laid out

Marked a front and a back neckline; will cut both for the back and then one for the lowered front

I could have used the minimal scrap for a facing for the neck line, or pockets
I haven't added pockets.
Yet.

thread gathered the skirt extention to tack it to the bodice (seam G for those of you playing along at home)


I put black bias tape over the gathered seam G (sewed that with the seam allowance to the right side). Also finished the neckline with the stuff.

All the bits for this came from the stash, for once.

All the interior finishing was zig zag stitch over the seam allowance.
Period would have been pinked, but rayon can be ....capricious.


It is waaaaay too wide (the bodice should be your chest measurement plus 2", NOT plus 8". I also need to find a better place to take photos and find another face to make in those photos.
On the other hand, it's rayon so it's drapey and the finished object isn't out of scale for the period. Kinda a William Morris rose.

It's a sack dress, without darts or extra cuts. It's kinda sweet, kinda frumpy, and I plan on wearing it tomorrow night to the theater.
Not the theatre.





Saturday, July 25, 2015

Summer Dress Pockets

Continuing Summer dress mania:

I am a pockets person. Particularily in the summer, when I am at work, and I don't carry around a bag but I do need my phone and a notepad and keys and....pockets.

Fancy Measuring tool for pocket size


Hey, why is that straight side so long?


The selvedge edge stabilizes the offgrain side seams,  and makes the pockets easier to find with my hands

 I go for patch pockets on a bodice/gathered skirt design; the skirt is too wide and floppy for seam pockets (say it with me in your best Shatner: can't.find.seam.must.find.pocket.) They are less obtrusive if I can match the print, but if I'm stuck, I've outlined them in a contrasting bias trim to make them STICK OUT. I can't quite do the 'put them on the bias' thing

This just looks....wrong to me. I understand it from a running short on yardage/ "plaid is hard to match, lady" direction. Then again, the cut bodice sections on the bias look 'right', so ...your mileage may vary.

This would look super cool in stripes.

And yes, I will.





Friday, July 17, 2015

Summer dress from a free sloper

Previously on Ernie K: 

Yes, in the teeny photo you can see I've laid out the upper section from the top half of the BACK piece. I can always lower for the front of the dress once I've made the basic cuts.  Kids, this is summer sewing. It's hot. I'm cutting novelty cotton. Print placement rules over grain. 

One of my standard 'builds' from a sloper is a summer dress or top. Either cut on the straight grain, crossgrain for a border print, or on the bias for a truly well-fit tank; a well fit sloper does the job. And a tank dress pattern can be cut up and made all sorts of ways.
Cutting the bodice into two pieces for pattern placement can include using one of the bust dart legs as a part of the seam line, instead of taking a separate dart. I've cut my pieced section as much on the bias as I can, I cheat the pieces up and down to achieve that layout.



Frankly, the active portion is the armsceye and neckline. My most common change is extending the seam lines out at an angle (the wider, the better) and extending them down to whatever hem I want. The best 'muslin' for this is just that top portion; you can test the fit and how well you can get it on over your head. 


My usual adjustment is making the shoulder seam narrower to help in pulling it over. I want the top to just fit my upper chest with a smidge of ease (1" altogether?) , I don't suggest widening the top any more than you have to, or it falls off at the shoulder, or gapes at the armpit. 


Yes, I only use the back of the Polly as a sloper. And the only difference in the front and the back for me is the height of the neck line - just big enough to get my head into.

The Polly top is probably my second favorite free sloper, after the JJ Sloper on Burda (the name says Flynow top and pleated culottes, but the photo shows the sloper you're downloading). Since I am a flat chested gal, the Polly back piece works well as a basic tank shape.  That's the great thing about the Polly; I never forget where to find it online. I've printed it out at work, in a pinch. On the scrap paper, boss! I swear! 

But The JJ is a fine fine thing, and if you are NOT flat like a board, you want to go with JJ.

And as mentioned before: if you need a pattern for this (no shame there), someone has already done the heavy lifting for you! Give them some money; they are good people, and this is a great side line for them.




Sunday, July 5, 2015

Vintage Pattern Review Historical Costuming

2015 Historical Fashion Contest



I am entering the Pattern Review Historical contest. Mostly so I will actually make a real cocoon coat instead of messing around with the Folkwear and Ralph Pink patterns.

But a dress to go with......
To get the image for the pattern to register, I hadda build a page here.

working off Vionnet book and this pattern
McCalls 4855, from 1921

Poiret 1920s evening dress

Folkwear Monte Carlo Dress




Folkwear 503