Mod Mini Skirt Project: Vertical Stripes

Someone help these gals, I think they need even more stripes on their outfits!
(ABOVE)

Stripes were big in the late 60's. Very much a part of the mod scene. I wanted to do a striped skirt inspired by the stripes of the 60's. Luckily, I was able to find a vintage fabric on Etsy from "retrolabs." The fabric was a little tricky to work with as it was sold as a "woven synthetic." I'm not sure what that means, but it did ravel a tad and didn't sew with quite as much ease as a

typical polyester.

I lOVE this photo-- the colors and the knee high socks are rocking!

(ABOVE)

I winged it when it came to the stripes. I know, I know. You're supposed to do some kind of special layout to make things as ascetically pleasing as possible. I really should learn to do these things, but at the moment, I just can't be bothered. I want to have fun and not have to spend half my time hair-pulling. I will challenge myself again one day....(maybe).


Anyway, I like the result fine, except that this being a woven synthetic, it does wrinkle a tad and needs to be ironed. Ironing is still my mortal enemy! I also think this skirt has a bit of circus feel, sort of reminds me of a ringmaster. I'm not sure why-- I googled images of ringmasters and could not determine why this comes to my mind.


I have inserted a few pictures from the era of stripes. These are the types of images that inspire me. As usual, I don't own the rights and am not profiting off of them. Just showing them for illustration purposes under fair use.

I didn't iron out the wrinkles--sorry!

(ABOVE)

For some reason, this skirt came out with less of an "a-shape" than some of my other ones-- I think it was because the fabric was looser and more drapey--less structured
(ABOVE)

Happy sewing!
Astrid

60's/70's Fashion Inspiration: Oversized Collars

I recently posted my peter pan collar shirt alteration project. As previously mentioned, I'm quite fond of oversized and peter pan collars, especially white collars that contrast the main color of the garment.

So, I'd like to share a handful of pictures I have found of oversized collars. Some I scanned, some I found online. I do not recall the exact sources of photos I found online, but I want to assert that I do not own the rights to them. Enjoy!

Mod Mini Skirt Project: Mid Century Circles

A bunch of my skirts laid out-- shows how the finished products look off the body
(ABOVE)

This mid century inspired print is eye candy!
(ABOVE)

I just LOVE the fabric that I got for this latest mini-skirt installment. This was one of the most mid-century of the prints that I tracked down. Fabrics that I could imagine as a couch are often favorites of mine! What can I say? It's one of my dreams to own an egg chair. And even better yet, one of those egg chairs that hang from the ceiling!




So, as usual I used my same pattern to create this piece. I used vintage fabric purchased from the Etsy seller "Reneesance." It was listed as vintage polyester, but it seemed a tad different texture than the polyesters I usually work with. Perhaps it had some cotton mixed in.

As usual, I am pleased with the results and pleased to share them : - )


Happy sewing!
Astrid

Mod Alteration Project: From Crew Neck to Peter Pan

I used the collar/cuff pattern pieces from this pattern
(ABOVE)

This is the crew neck before I made my additions
(ABOVE)

When I've gone shopping (both online and offline), I have not been able to find long sleeve shirts with peter pan or other oversized collars. I love oversized collars and oversized french cuffs as well.

Since I haven't been able to find these types of shirts, I decided to make one. I didn't want to have the trouble of making a whole shirt, so I purchased a crew neck shirt that fit well. My plan was to add white contrasting cuffs and collar to the shirt. Overall, the project went okay but here's what I took from it:

HIGHLIGHT REEL:

1.) NECKHOLE: Once again, when I added a collar, that meant the neckhole was too stiff to be a pullover. So, I added a 4 inch zipper, so that I could fit the thing over my head. It was kind of annoying, though, because I had to cut into the back of the shirt to insert the zipper and the fabric on the shirt was really flimsy. Also, there was no seam there, so is just cutting into the fabric going to work? I'm not so certain....

So, the zipper doesn't feel very sturdy, but I'm hoping it holds. It also doesn't look the greatest, either, but it works.

2.) FABRIC: I used white ponte roma polyester from my scrap pile to make the cuff/collar. It worked okay, but if I could do it over, I would have picked a fabric that was closer in thickness to the shirt. Because the shirt was so thin and flimsy, the ponte roma seemed very heavy on it. It looks okay, but it doesn't feel that great when its worn. The collar feels sort of lopsided and the collar/cuff areas both feel heavy due to the weight of the ponte roma.

3.) SIZING: Now, I like oversized cuffs and collars, but the pattern made them REALLY oversized. I ended up leaving the cuffs as is, but I had to make the collar a bit smaller.

Before adding cuffs
(ABOVE)

4.) PATTERN: I used cuff/collar pattern pieces from a dress pattern. Simplicity 5150 from 1972. I plan to make the dress too, eventually.

Finished product
(ABOVE)

5.) DETACHABLE COLLARS: After making the project, I discovered that you can buy detachable collars from craftsters on Mod Cloth and Etsy. I bought a few and was really pleased with the handiwork. My only problem is that when I add them to plain shirts, I have a pretty small neck, and they're too big for me. So, I will need to pin them in place or find some other solution. If I can get them to work properly, they are nice, because they make a crew neck shirt into an instant peter pan collar shirt. I wish they had detachable cuffs too!

I have since learned that this shirt looks better with Mary Jane shoes and knee high socks. More pictures of that look in the future.

(ABOVE)

6.) EXPECTATIONS: I don't think I planned this project all that well, because I expected it to be easy. I didn't predict the challenges and didn't plan for them. If I do something like this again, I hope to learn from my mistakes. Some things aren't as simple as they sound in your head!



Happy sewing!
Astrid

Another Gem From My Simplicity Counter Catalogs!

Good morning! I wanted to share this awesome mini skirt/shorts picture. I got this out of one of my late 60's Simplicity counter catalogs. Obviously, I love the white turtleneck, and black/white combos are very inspirational. And the belts and the purse are adorable-- wow!

Enjoy : - )

Seafoam Green Tunic: Simplicity 9063 from 1970

I made view 3 but without the pants
(ABOVE)

This is the brown tunic that I purchased at the antique store
(ABOVE)

Before adding sleeves-- I like the sleeveless look as well
and will make a sleeveless one in the future
(ABOVE)

As was promised, I do have a non-skirt project to post. This project was inspired by vintage clothing shopping at a local antique store, the Cobb Antique Mall, which is located in a suburb of Atlanta (Marietta, GA). While perusing the vintage clothing racks of a dealer, I came across this item that my husband and I both thought was a dress. But, when I tried it on, the thing couldn't have been a dress unless of course I wanted a dress in which the bottom of my butt checks would hang out. We finally came to the conclusion that the item was a tunic, not a dress and that it was meant to be worn over some kind of pants. As a tunic, it was super cool, and I snapped it up. I took it home and tried it on with leggings and a medallion necklace. Voila! That made the outfit.


I've blogged a bit in the past about the "a-line" shape. Although I love the 60's prints, detailing, colors, etc, I've always contended that the "a-line" shape doesn't look quite right on my frame when it comes to dresses (obviously, I like the a-line shape on skirts). However, this tunic was an a-line shape, and it looked great on me. My husband's conclusion: a-line shapes look good on me if they are short tunics, but not if they are long like dresses. Long a-lines tend to swamp me whereas short a-lines do not. Hope makes sense. That's way too many "a-lines" for one paragraph.


So, loving my new a-line tunic, I decided to make one myself. I wanted to do some different colors and right away I found a pattern that was perfect. It was Simplicity 9063 from 1970. The tunic I bought at the antique store was brown. So, to vary it up, I bought seafoam green polyester from the dealer "MonkeyHugSupplies" on Etsy.

This project was pretty easy, because I had a perfect fitting tunic to base all my measurements on. I was able to use my ruler to measure the length of the tunic I had bought and also the front of the bodice at various places so that I would get the a-line just right.


Other alterations? Well, I did the typical alterations of the shoulders so that the seams wouldn't fall off of them. I also made the collar a tad shorter so that it wouldn't be quite so tall on my neck. But, other than following the tunic I had already purchased, that was about it. Of course, since the tunic I bought was shorter than the one on the pattern, I made my tunic to match the one I bought.


Anyway, I just LOVE this color. I've never had an item of clothing this color, and I'm really and truly in love with it. And the texture of the polyester is really cool too. It reminds me of a retro couch.

Pendant in this series of pictures is by Trifari
(ABOVE)

All for now. If anyone can point me to any good reference pictures of 60's tunics, I'd love to see them. I couldn't find a lot of pictures of this particular style.

Happy sewing!
Astrid

Mod Mini Skirt Project: Criss Cross Fabric

Another mod mini skirt! What a shocker! Ha ha...

I'm trying to put these suckers up real fast, so I can get caught up. This one is made of vintage polyester with a criss cross design. Purchased from "IntheOldSchoolhouse" on Etsy. Etsy is the source for most of my vintage fabric needs.


And Sarah Coventry was the maker of most of my jewelry.


And some notes on this skirt project that I haven't mentioned yet:

1.) Tailoring: I do have to bring in the side seams a tad. I bring them in about a 1.25 inches at each side and about 1 inch at the waist.


2.) Hemming: I make each skirt a couple inches shorter than the pattern. As you all know, pattern sizing tends to be tall so that if you're short or average height, it's necessary to hem to get the right length.

That's about it!



Happy sewing,
Astrid