McCall's Magazine - July 1902 - Part the Second

I finished my project for the vintage sewing contest on patternreview.com and hated it, so I didn't enter it after all. I didn't even take pictures. That's all I'm going to say about that.

MOVING ON... Let's take a look at the rest of my July 1902 issue of McCall's Magazine. I have to start with this crazy article: "Toads as Domestic Helpers."

"A lady who lives near me has a toad so well trained that it jumps upon her lap and then upon a table near her in order to catch flies," writes August R. Pinney in Good Housekeeping.

I admit to being quite taken with the thought of having a troop of toads as little helpers, especially when the article went on to describe them as being "very orderly and clean. When they wish to sleep they go to their basin of sand, and when to wash, they go to their pan of water for a bath." AwwwwWWWW. Please, please click on the picture and read the whole story, it's ADORABLE.

Next up: advertisements. Check out the "Cozy Homes for a Dime," where houses cost anywhere from $300 to $2000 (that's $7835.30 to $52,235.36 in today's money).

Some of those "Useful Recipes" sound pretty good, particularly the recipe for Fig Cake. I might try that some time.

That buggy is cool. $60 in 1902 = $1567.06 today. Not a bad price, I think! I wasn't sure if this was before cars were invented, so I did a quick Google search and found the answer but didn't retain much of what I read except that cars were invented in the 1880s in Europe, and became popular in the US with the Model T around 1908. So this buggy must have been horse-drawn. The first cars looked just like horse-drawn carriages, to my untrained eye. But the best thing I learned was that the first long-distance driver was a woman! Bertha Benz, wife of Karl Benz, who is acknowledged as the inventor of the modern automobile.

More, with comments in the captions since I'm a bit rushed today.

Hah! Inflatable bras! Also, Tutti Frutti Ice Cream sounds yummy. I might try that. I bet it's good with the fig cake.

I always love looking at old-fashioned home remedies. Also, these are boys clothes. I didn't realize that until I looked at the descriptions.

That corset with the wrap-around belt closure looks really interesting. 

"Delicious Desserts for Summer Dinners." Chocolate jelly should sound unappetizing, but reading the recipe makes me want to try it.

And that wraps up my issue of McCall's Magazine, July 1902 issue. It's missing several pages, but what surprises me is how completely they cover the bases in their pattern listings--baby clothes, girl clothes, boy clothes, teenager clothes, women's, men's, fashion, underclothes, nightclothes, aprons, bonnets, etc. Also, was it uncommon/non-existent at this time to have separate pattern books? What were the other pattern companies? Did they put out magazines of their pattern collections including household tips, celebrity news, recipes, etc. too?

Simplicity Jiffy 5959 - Update

I was so excited to get the neckline facing sewn down on my dress last night. I thought I might have a fit of rage in the process, until I realized... Get this... That the facing is supposed to be COMPLETELY TURNED UNDER. I thought it was supposed to be sort of folded over, and that was making me really upset because I couldn't get the fabric to lay flat. I finally Googled "facing for a V-neck" and found the answer.

So yeah, that went well after all, even though it took me three times longer than it should have.

Setting the zipper was a breeze thanks to my friend Jennifer's tutorial. I'm getting to be an old pro at zippers.

I got the side seams all sewn up and then had to wait until I was getting ready to go to bed to try the dress on for fit because a dog park friend came over with her dog, and it was kind of chaotic.

So imagine how I felt when I tried the dress on and saw this:

FFFFFFUUUUUUUU.....

I must have stretched the neckline out somehow when I was messing with the facing. I'm so pissed off. There is no way I can fix it, except to pin the excess fabric away in a little tuck, which looks pretty stupid.

But I don't care. I've never been in a contest before, and I really want to see this through. I also love this dress, and I plan to wear it. Maybe I can make a bow and stick it over the messed up part, and hopefully no one will notice.

Tonight: armhole facings (which should be much less stressful now that I know how to do them right), hemming the dress, and then cutting out the pieces for the jacket and lining. Maybe I'll even be able to sew some of the jacket tonight. It depends on how patient Lulu can be before insisting that I take her on a walk, and how long it takes before I run out of steam. Sewing is very mentally demanding, which drains me of energy pretty quickly on week nights after work.

Simplicity Jiffy 5959: Vintage sewing contest

So I started my new project for the vintage sewing contest on patternreview.com. Simplicity Jiffy 5959 is a two piece sheath dress with a matching jacket. Four pattern pieces in all, if you don't count the facings. I almost didn't do a muslin because the pattern looks so simple, but then thought the better of it since I had decided to shorten the pattern where the lengthen/shorten line is for once, rather than just taking it up at the hem. That's because the dress has a slight waistline, and I am very short-waisted.

The muslin turned out nicely. I'm not very experienced at pattern fitting (i.e., have no experience in it whatsoever), but it seemed okay to me. Loose fitting, but the illustration on the pattern cover looks a bit loose-fitting. Didn't see any weirdness at the waist, the armholes seem okay, didn't seem to gape at the neck, and it was a good length.

I only took pics of the bodice because look at those darts! I love them, so clean and neat-looking!

The pattern calls for the jacket to be lined, but I decided to line the dress too since the fabric I'm using is so sheer. I also thought it would be easier to deal with if it was lined because the fashion fabric tends to stick to itself. Plus, it's a bit scratchy against the skin. But CUTE!

I knew I was going to run into problems because I always run into problems. I attribute it to my level of experience, no matter how simple the pattern. I am trying really hard to improve my craftsmanship, and it's very frustrating when things like this happen and I don't know why:

I meant to clip the curves and trim the seam allowance of the neck facing at lunch today, but my cat had other ideas.

Oh well, carry on!

I only have a few more days left. I'm hoping to have it done by Thursday so my parents can take pics of me in it when I'm there for Thanksgiving, but as long as I can finish it on Friday I'll be happy. I still haven't cut out the pattern pieces for the jacket. One thing at a time. My plan is this:

Tonight (Monday): I hope I can at least do the zipper and finish the neck facing and sew the side seams together this evening, and cut out the armhole facings.

Tuesday: Attach the armhole facings, hem the dress, make the tie belt, and cut out the jacket pieces from the fashion fabric.

Wednesday: Cut out jacket lining pieces and sew jacket and lining together but probably too much to hope that I'll line the jacket Wednesday night.

Thursday: Line the jacket, hem bottom edge and sleeves. I have a feeling a fit of rage will happen when trying to line the jacket, because the pattern illustration accompanying the instructions looks incomprehensible to me.

Friday: Post pattern review and pics on patternreview.com.

Vintage Butterick 8160 - F@#% this

This weekend I worked on my dress for the Pattern Review vintage sewing contest, using Vintage Butterick 8160.

Early indications were that the bodice was going to be a bitch to sew and that I'd have at least one fit of rage while trying to get the fit right.

I made a muslin. The fit was so hideously bad. It was a major humbling experience for me because my figure is so generic that I actually stopped making muslins for the 50s-style sundresses I love because my proportions fit the pattern measurements so easily. I didn't think it'd be any different for this actual 1950s pattern, but thank goodness I made the muslin for it. Because it looked SHITTY and I would have killed myself if I'd cut up my fashion fabric for it.

This is the only picture I have of Muslin #1:

I convinced myself that it turned out badly because the fabric I used is too heavy and stiff. So I made another one, and I felt like the gathers came out better and looked more like the picture on the pattern. But it was the same result on the body. Ungainly. Badly proportioned. Horrible drape. Here, I'll show you.

Muslin #2:

I am actually wearing pants here, okay? A skirt, actually. I turned the waist band up to my actual waist level--I am very short-waisted--hoping it would magically improve the bodice fit.

I can't even begin to figure out how to fix the fitting issues. I even bought a dress form to try the muslin on so I would have a better chance of figuring it out, but ended up having a fit of rage and tearing the stupid thing up at the seams (the muslin, not the dress form).

I truly don't think the bodice pattern for vintage Butterick 8160 is a workable design. It looks good on paper, but in reality, it's a terrible design.

So I'll have to do something else for the Vintage Sewing challenge, and save the Christmas dress for the Holiday Sewing contest, because then I can combine a different bodice with the Butterick 8160 skirt, which really does look to-die-for.

Luckily I had a Plan B for the Vintage Sewing contest. My fallback plan is to do Simplicity Jiffy 5959 with the cute vintagey print fabric I found at High Fashion Fabrics in Houston.

It looks easy, and I'm sure it is, but I'm convinced that every new pattern I try takes at least 5 times longer to complete than it would for a more experienced seamstress. Plus, I'm going to line both the jacket and the dress, because the fabric is kind of scratchy and I believe it tends to stick to itself. So it's probably good for a fit of rage, haha.

I only have 12 days to finish the Vintage Sewing contest. Luckily, the Holiday Sewing contest started Nov. 15 and runs through the end of December, so I have plenty of time to figure out what to do for my Christmas dress.

I need help: Compulsive vintage pattern buying

One of my favorite thrift stores sells fabric donated from peoples' stashes. And they also sell patterns. Often, they sell vintage patterns. And I KNOW I should stay away from there, but I can't. I can't really get into much trouble during the week, and I start off every weekend with really, really good intentions, but Sunday afternoon comes along and I start thinking, "I've been so good! I haven't gone to ANY thrift stores!" And then I start thinking of what I might be missing at Savers and then it's all over.

So anyway, I'm obsessed with vintage patterns at this point in my life. Some vintage styles, like this one, are still classic:

1974. Cute, classic, and I found a sewing blogger who made View 2 in a nice wool, so it works well as a winter skirt too.

Other vintage styles are not:

1977. Ugh.

I have a big stockpile of patterns I want to try, an even bigger stockpile of patterns I DON'T want to try but have because Savers puts 2-3 patterns in every package, but I can't bring myself to get rid of them JUST IN CASE. I also have lots of fabric, much of which I bought for making mockups, which is fine because it will get used. Lots of fabric in my stash I'd bought with the intention of making costumes that have never materialized. Some of it I bought for making clothes for myself, and I used SOME of it in my summer dress making blowout, but--actually, I take that back. I used ONE piece of fabric from my stash for my summer dress project, but the rest of them were either remakes or made from fabric I bought after I set my goal of busting my stash. Fuck. I have a problem.

Well, this weekend I went through all my vintage patterns and pulled out the ones I really want to try the most. My amazing seamstress friend, Jennifer, sent me a package a couple of months ago that included 5 fabulous vintage patterns from her collection:

Butterick 8160 (1950s), Vogue 9274 (1957), Vogue S4515 (1954-1955), Butterick 4735 (1960s?), Simplicity Jiffy 5959 (1965)

I LOVE THEM ALL!! I was going to try the Vogue pattern in the middle with some of my stash fabric, but it lacked a pattern layout and I immediately felt overwhelmed and set it aside to try again later. And I'm still looking for the perfect fabric for the Butterick pattern at the lower left. That should be a really easy pattern, and would be good for building my vintage sewing confidence. Actually... the confetti dot fabric would be really great for that dress. Hmmm...

Here are some others I want to try:

1957, according to an expired listing on Etsy. A lucky find from Savers. I need to learn how to set sleeves. Ask me how much I love View A in the center.

 

This is a modern reprint. From my research on the Internet, I learned it was printed in 1999 and that it's discontinued. The instructions didn't seem too terribly difficult, and if I can make this, it will give me some good experience and insight into making the bodice of that 1911 dress from Patterns of Fashion that I want to try.

1970s, according to Vintage Patterns Wiki. I didn't like this pattern at first. I think it was because the color combinations in the illustrations are horrible, and I couldn't get past the weirdly elongated legs of the girls. Then I found a sewing blogger who made this pattern in a really pretty ikat fabric and modeled it on her realistically proportioned daughter, and I was sold.

1977. So cute and contemporary even 25 years later! This is a pattern a couple of sewing bloggers have made, so I got a good idea of what it looks like "in real life."

1983, according to an expired listing on ebay. I'm always looking for the perfect 1980s sundress pattern, but I think the joke is on me because they all seem to be identical. These elastic waist pullover dresses have a special place in my heart because the first dress I ever made from a pattern was one just like this--no buttons or zippers to have to figure out as a beginner.

1973. I love the cut of the blouse and skirt in this pattern, and those fluttery sleeves! To me, this has a very early 1930s feel to it, but what do I know. It's pretty and feminine and I need to learn to sew with knits, and I found one blogger that made the pattern and liked it.

1976. I'm REALLY excited about trying this pattern. I think it would be cute made out of wool or flannel for winter, paired with some cute tights and a blouse or light sweater underneath, and out of linen for summer. It looks super easy, and the two sewing bloggers that I found who made it loved it.

1979. I love view 3--so classic and elegant and feminine and pretty. This is another pattern I can use to practice sewing with knits.