1940s Retro Dress

I started collecting vintage sewing patterns (1930s – early 1960s) before vintage and pin-up style dressing developed the following it has now. My daughters were in late elementary school and getting into middle school when I was most active in making acquisitions. At the time, they didn’t understand my interest in old clothing styles. (I blame the syndicated episodes of “I Love Lucy” I watched as a child. Lucille Ball had a classy wardrobe, especially when her character dressed up.)

Now that they are grown, my daughters love vintage styles. The younger one even wishes we still dressed in Victorian and Edwardian fashions. Though I think she would change her mind if she had to wear a corset every day. Showing a bit more modern sensibility, she chose the pattern for this featured project at the beginning of the summer; with the expectation that I would make it before she went back college this fall.

When pattern companies first started releasing vintage replicas from their vaults, I had mixed feelings at first. But they do offer some advantages, the first being multiple sizing that’s offered with most patterns these days. The other is price. As much as I love the original patterns, some of them are getting too expensive.

I’ve been sewing for more than 25 years, so I would rate this pattern at an intermediate level. It doesn’t contain an excessive number of pieces, or require an obscene amount of fabric. (Try a 1950s dress with a full skirt.) The most difficult parts of construction are the pleats and putting the bodice front into the dress. A bit of patience is required to make sure there is just enough gathering in the bodice sides and keep the front points in position while sewing. The front has a second piece that acts as lining on the inside of the dress. It needs to be sewn down by hand. If you aren’t comfortable with hand sewing, this may not be the pattern for you.

In case you are interested, the pattern can be found here. http://www.simplicity.com/p-7751-misses-1940s-vintage-dress.aspx. It’s Simplicity 1777 (my envelope is 0261 & was purchased at Joann) if  you want to buy it at your favorite store. For my daughter’s version we chose a silky print that had a retro sensibility. We chose black buttons with rhinestones for the bodice front, and made it out of solid ivory fabric so the buttons wouldn’t get lost. Besides, it’s a unique feature of the dress and deserves to be shown off.

The Project Queen