1938 apron reproduction

My summer dress is coming along nicely, except that I'm having problems lining up the center back seams of the bodice and skirt. I had to pick out the seams three times last night before I finally had enough. I am also going to have to fix the gathers on the back of the skirt because they run out about 1.5 inches on either side of the zipper. If the dress wasn't looking so good, I'd have had a fit of rage.

While I'm waiting to finish my summer dress, I thought I'd post pics of the apron I made over the holidays. My friend Jennifer sent me a set of three apron patterns from the late 1930s when I was sick with the sinus infection/cold from hell a couple of months ago. I finally got a chance to make one of them over Christmas break. It was my first time sewing with rick-rack, and it took a while to get used to pinning it to the fabric.

This skirt isn't doing me ANY favors.

Close-up of bib detail, with bonus adorable sleepy puppy.

I got the calico fabric from my favorite thrift store. I'm really happy with the way this looks! I especially like how the shoulder straps are done. I wore it when I made Christmas cookies with my mom on Christmas Eve.

I'm not very happy with the way I look in it though. That skirt is definitely going into the Goodwill pile. If I ever needed any reason to justify my love of structured clothes and 1950s-style dresses, that white skirt gave me one. I should have just worn the dress that I modeled my vintage aprons in, but I've torn my rotator cuff and it hurts to bend my arm backward to zip up the dress.