1950s Lace Blouse Knitting Pattern

Along with the movie magazines, The Spaniard also found a load of 'Pins and Needles' magazines from the 1950s.  They contain a few sewing related pages and a fair few knitting and crochet patterns, which I intend to share.  I can't knit and have no intention of learning, so I hope others might make them and enjoy them!

First up, this sweet lace blouse

The PDF file can be accessed and downloaded with this link (I hope):

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B0leCxVfAxqjbVFERFNma25YVjQ

I haven't forgotten the giveaway I promised for reaching over 100 followers, I'm still thinking of what to offer.

Film Review 1951-2

I picked up a load of old film annuals from a car boot sale, so thought I'd share some of the lovely images.

Film Review 1951-2

Debra Paget

 Debra Paget - How beautiful

Vera-Ellen, Ava Gardner & Debbie Reynolds

Judy Holliday

Ann Blyth

Corinne Calvet & Michele Morgan

Gloria Grahame

Patricia Neal

Virginia Mayo

Evelyn Keyes

Nadia Gray

Elizabeth Taylor

Robert Mitchum & Jane Russell

Doris Day & Gene Nelson

Robert Mitchum & Ava Gardner

Happy New Year

I thought I would start off the New Year with a gift!  I love the generosity of the sewing blog community, sharing tips, offering free patterns, hosting sew-a-longs and of course, giveaways.

 As any followers of this blog know, I have begun to collect German pattern magazines and I have several pattern sheets without the accompanying magazine but this is no barrier to making any of the patterns as a picture and construction details are on the sheet… the barrier is the scant, old German instructions!

 So, on to the giveaway (with apologies for the poor quality pics):

* A German pattern sheet from WWII, with suits, dresses, gowns, skirts and children’s clothes.

2 German pattern sheets from 1961 - dresses, skirts, jackets, coats, trousers and children's clothes.

2 German pattern magazines from the 1950s WITHOUT the sheets, but great images for inspiration.

Simplicity 5783 – a 70s pattern with a 30s/40s vibe.

Some vintage notions – Rick rack trim, lace hem facing, hooks & eyes and snap fasteners, a buckle, 6 glass heart buttons and 3 1930s plastic buttons.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below, maybe mentioning what sewing plans you have for 2012, or anything you like really.  For an extra chance to win, post about the giveaway on your blog and let me know in another comment.  You don’t have to become a follower if you don’t want to!  I will post to anywhere in the world and will choose a winner at random on Monday 9^th January at 8pm GMT.  Please remember to leave your email so I can contact the winner.

* I thought I’d best mention that the 1930s/40s pattern sheet comes from the National Socialist magazine.  It was part of a job lot on ebay and I only discovered what ‘N.S. Frauenwarte’ was when I googled it after I received them.  Most of the magazines from this era have Nazi references and propaganda but I wouldn't want anyone to be offended by this.

Pattern Magazines for Sale

There hasn't been much sewing around here to bother this blog with...though I have made a toile for the 1930s dress and all it needs are some simple fitting tweaks, but for some reason it's languishing in the trunk and I can't muster the focus necessary.  I am the worst if I hit any glitches, no matter how small, as instead of adressing the problems and getting things finished, I feel defeated and wander off to do something else!  Meanwhile the sewing stash continues to grow, as fabric, patterns, buttons, buckles and pattern magazines are added to it. 

So, in an attempt to slim it down a tad, I have a few things on Ebay that I thought my fellow sewing folk may be interested in.  I am selling 2 1968 Burda magazines June & August , with English supplements (these are double issues of ones I already have, some fab patterns!); 11 1950s Marion magazines, German mags with pattern sheets; 2 1950s Modenschau Pattern magazines, unfortunately sans patterns, so for inspiration only; and a late 1950s or early 60s Modenschau WITH patterns, some pics from inside below:



I'm on a roll! I made a 50s frock from Simplicity 3505, view 2, a pattern I had been given and was going to sell, but after another look, thought the simple lines would be great for a day dress.  I have far too many ‘going out’ dresses. 

I thought the red 50s border fabric I bought from Etsy over a year ago would be perfect, so made a toile (muslin) of the bodice to check fit and was pleased it fitted great, and was also pleasantly surprised at how little ease the pattern had, pattern was for 26” waist and finished waist measurement was 26 ½ (breathe in).   Only problem was that I didn’t have enough fabric needed for the skirt, so I redrafted my own pleated skirt with these instructions, using 200cm of fabric (plus seam allowance).



I debated if to line it but decided against that as it would involve cutting, marking and sewing up practically another dress, so I’ve resolved (again) to make a waist slip, with just one hem ruffle that I can wear under all my full-skirted dresses instead. 

I used a centre back invisible zip, which was not my intention but as I only realised after I had constructed the dress that a lapped or centred zip would have had to be inserted BEFORE I pleated the skirt section, then it was my only choice.  I like invisible zips, but they are a bit fiddly without a zipper foot (which I don’t have) and they are expensive.  Ideally, I would have inserted it into the side seam, but the skirt was only one piece of fabric with a centre back seam.  I pinked the seam edges, ‘cos I’m lazy and figured I could get away with it with cotton.  I usually line things to avoid finishing a seam edge, which is probably far more time consuming but that’s how much I hate it!

I love the dress, there were no problems, no seam ripping, it went together beautifully and, along with the 70s top, has helped to reignite my sewing enthusiasm.  The only negative is the square neckline, it gapes a bit and doesn’t lay right, I’m annoyed I didn’t tweak it in my toile and I will fold out a diagonal section at each corner  (in the paper pattern) to tighten the neck for when I make it again. 

(Sorry about the photo quality, some were taken with a camera phone so are fairly low resolution.)

Vintage Swimwear

All images from my 1950s Vogues

Tilly posted about finding time to sew, and asked if anyone wanted to join her in a little monitoring of time habits, which is a great idea and as I was mulling it over, I found myself buggaring around in my pictures folder, looking for eye candy to post on here… rather than using my free time to complete the top I’ve been working on. 

At certain points during projects, when the job is fiddly or tedious (um, that’s a LOT of sewing processes, I reckon), I find it very hard to focus and just do it.  I enjoy the end product of sewing, not really the making at all, and I wish I could find it more enjoyable.  I suppose to this, one might say ‘why bother?’ but then there are times when everything is going right and comes together without hitches, that it is a satisfying process.  I just have to learn to endure the many times when it isn’t!