My ideal wardrobe includes a handmade dress from each decade in the 1900s. Well, so far I have a 1920s flapper style dress, and now a 1950s outfit to join the party! I found the beautiful vintage-esque (with a modern twist) fabric at a lovely haberdashery just north of London in Brookmans Park called Stitch & Knit.
The pattern was self-drafted using my basic bodice block and cutting out a shallow boat neck and V shape at the back. The circular skirt only needs a waist measurement (and a lot of fabric!), but so worth it for the swish.
It was the first time I had tried pattern matching, and what a new world I discovered! Thankfully it was only required at the back of the bodice, and the front and back seams of the skirt. Quite the task when there's a zip in the middle at the back, but worth it for a more satisfying end result. I now feel even more for the Great British Sewing Bee contestants every time they come under the scrutiny of the judges for their pattern matching skills!
Having drafted the sleeves to quite a tight fit, I would say they look great but start to cut the circulation off a little after a couple of hours! Not to worry future me, I have now added about 1.5cm to the pattern for any further editions of the dress.
Now I just need to learn how to jive...
Watch the Making Of video here:
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