Fifties Fair was so much fun! The dress worked a treat and no one (except perhaps Kitty) was catty about it being was a 1970s pattern. And look, my cardie was the right shade of yellow!
But we were blown away by the bona fide 50s folks… the best-dressed competition was amazing. Everyone looked smashing.
A final pic from Sydney – a wallpaper idea for all those old patterns you can’t use because they’re missing a critical piece…
Nearly there… after hours of handstitching the placket and hem… just needs buttons and buttonholes.
The spots look so crisp and fresh (and I’m not a very crisp and fresh person, so it does feel like a costume). I just can’t get over my luck finding the classic yellow and grey combo.
Should be finished tonight!
I pulled out every decent yardage I own to see what would be best for the Fifties Fair frock I have to whip up by Thursday. They either weren’t quite right or I couldn’t bring myself to cut them just yet. So, shopping! I hit the Brunswick hotspots upon advice from Moggy (who is making her Fifties Fair frock from a particularly tasty splashy cotton sateen) and picked up some voile in possibly the most fifties colour combo in the world: yellow and grey.
Nice, eh? The other one is a heavy sateen remnant that may or may not be an accompanying bolero. Let’s see how I go.
I also got some crisp plain voile to line it but it was too blinding-white. I wanted something just a little bit yellowy-creamy like the background of the dots. So I stuck it in some tea… too pink. Then some instant coffee… more browny than yellowy. Then the Curmudgeon, who proclaims himself uniquely qualified in the craft of staining clothing with foodstuffs, suggested a bit of turmeric. Threw that in too and you know what? Perfect. Plus, I will smell just a leetle beet like curry.
Now, to cut out my circa 1976 Style 1542 pattern and whip it up! And 1950s purists bedamned!
I suaved out the pigsty that was my sewing room and with the cleanliness and order came inspiration.
So nice to have my sewing mojo back. And to have made a new frock I really, really like!
It’s a 1976 pattern made up from old curtains kindly given to me by a friend in a de-stashing frenzy. There was a bit of light damage but I just cut around the worst marks.
Only a couple of modifications – added length to bodice and skirt and made the sleeves longer with a kicky little turn-up.
Love, love, love it. The swingy skirt is just the best.
Not much doing around here for a couple of reasons. The first is because it’s flipping cold and my sewing room is unheated. Brrrr. The second is because it looks like this at present:
Right. So I need to do me some cleaning up before I can even get near the machine. And I should do so, pronto, because we’re off to the Fifties Fair later this month and I need to construct some kind of anachronistic confection. I’ve wanted to go for years but never got myself organised in time. Hard to imagine from the state of my room, eh?
In other news, I scored some lovely murky-coloured 60s silk at Camberwell Market on the weekend:
The pattern is big but the yardage is not (3m). I’m thinking skirt; any other ideas?
Make it 'til you fake it 