January Pattern Review Contest - Barganista

Vintage Waisted Blouse

One thing about vintage patterns - lots of them are designed to be made from nonstretch, woven fabric. With modern patterns, I'm so often lamenting having not chosen one of the more drapeable stretchy options from the "fabric suggestions."

A good example is the waisted/collared blouse patterns that are often included with jumper or suit patterns, or, bought separately, offer face-framing collar options.  These blouses are shaped with limited ease at the sides, and in the front the fullness is controlled for tucking into skirts, usually by dart-tucks.  This seems a flattering way to wear a looser silhouette and also avoid blobby tucking or butt puffs from uncontrolled gathering.  The whole look is softer and more forgiving than princess seams, and nothing like 'man tailoring.'

Here's one of the patterns I have, which I bought for the skirt w/pockets.  It came with an interesting version of this tuckable blouse.  The collar looks like it would be very flattering in the right fabric, with a jacket or cardigan - or, I suppose, a jumper though I never consider wearing jumpers.  On me, the jumper look says less "naughty schoolgirl," more "nun in civvies."

Here is one of the blouse patterns, Vintage Simplicity 4379

The back of the pattern shows the waisted blouse, with dart tucks.  The collar is rolled with a fisheye dart.

I thought about making these blouses many times, but lacked the final inspiration.  Then I took part in the Pattern Review Sewing Bee.  It not only reintroduced the fun of classic women's clothes through an aline skirt challenge in the first round, it also reminded me how much I LOVE cotton wovens.  Though I never refashion old mens clothing on my own initiative, directed to do so in the second roung,  I fell in love with the oxford cloth I used to make a jacket. So forgiving, so tailor- and- press-able.  So rewarding.

It's been forever since I made something from a useful comfortable fabric like that.  I made things from featherweight cotton with fibers like dandelion silk, slippery charmeuse, stretchy curling knits, blends that won't hold a crease.  Why?  Why not cotton shirting?  I have lots of fabrics in my stash that are always overlooked, because modern patterns want more drape.  Then I saw this:

This is a Cavalli blue and white silk blouse.  It is waisted with drawstring and drapey, but the inspiration is its  bold floral, collar, waist, and womanish silhouette.  I do not do frills or ruffles.  They are lovely but any time I put them on I take them off again before leaving the house.   I had, in my stash, an indigo and white border print poplin shirting.    The concept seemed to fit the vintage pattern, which has collar interest and a waist  without frou frou or boho.

So that was the plan:  An indigo and white blouse with a waist.  Because from the 40's, it would be constructed and  ladylike, rather than droopy/drapey.  This was a good way to see exactly how these waisted constructed blouse patterns turn out, and how they fit.

The pattern drawing is very plain:

 Here is the line drawing of the shortsleeved version.  It has buttons only to the waist.

This is the only mention of shoulder pads, by the way, and they're unnecessary.

Vintage pattern instructions are very clear, but  tend to presume I know at least something of what I'm doing.   I spent some time looking for pattern pieces for the smaller bias facings before I noticed this part of the instructions, telling me to find a ruler and cut out the facings myself:

Well, sure, I agree I don't actually need pattern pieces for this, just measure and cut your own.... same with the back darts, which are just marked with a line, and instructions to start them at 1/8 inch and taper to nothing. I feel so respected.  It almost makes up for needing to make something sized three sized bigger than usual.   Older pattern sizing is smaller.  This was a fourteen that I had to size up a bit, but the measurements are a nowadays 10ish (32 Bust.)

Once underway, it's amazing how well this design works.  The waist is shaped with dart tucks which are very flattering and adjustable. Unlike the pattern photo, the waist is not smaller than your head but very well proportioned and easily adjusted by deeper or shallower dart tucks. A fisheye dart that rolls the collar works perfectly.

The edge of the facing has to sit under the body of the blouse at the front opening, then over it when it becomes the overcollar.  It does this easily.  So far so good.  Sleeves next.

Everything was sized very precisely, even the facings I measured myself, and fits together well.  The gathered bottom of the sleeve is just the right fullness.   Here is the work in progress.  Looks exactly like the pattern envelope, except for the print:

The dart/tucks make the  fullness end at your waist, so I cut the fabric for the border to begin there.  I initially made a mistake cutting the cuffs, because they fold in half and my first cut had the lighter part of the border showing, which did not have the effect I was going for.  I didn't discover this until I had gathered and put the cuff on one sleeve, so I pulled it apart and cut new cuffs, reversing the border.

The wrong cuffs, cut with the dark part of the border folding to the inside.

The blouse will be hemmed at the end of the dark border. Here it is pinned up at the back.

When I attached the first sleeve and stood back to look at the blouse, I knew I liked it.  Just then, my husband came in and I had one of those conversations with "laymen" that keep you humble.

Me:  Look at what I'm making.  I really like it.  I made it from a 1940s pattern.
Him: Very nice.  Whatever happened to the jacket you entered in that contest?
Me:   The one from old shirts?  I was eliminated.
Him:  Really?  I thought it was pretty good, with the lining and all.
Me:  Other peoples' were better.  I think this blouse is turning out really well.
Him:  Really?  I thought you said it was dated.
Me:  It's not "dated,"  it's "vintage."

This kind of conversation always  makes me think of lyrics from a Noel Coward song from a revue I loved, that I saw twice and have on LP "Oh Coward,"  not available on CD. The song is making fun of upper class self-indulgent youth of the thirties.  It's sung by a trio commenting on one another's statements:

"Bright young people.
Don't think our lives are not full.
I  make little mats from Victorian hats.
And I work in tinfoil and wool.
The critics are often excessively rude.
To one of my portraits they often allude.
It's me, worked in beads, upside down, in the nude.
What can be duller than that?"Noel Coward (c) 1930s

My husband is used to attempting to converse with me because I'm a painter, gardener, sewer, baker, indulger in all kinds of things others do not always find particularly exciting.  (You can see paintings here.)

Back to construction, I realized that the back skirt of the blouse is just a smidgeon not quite wide enough, although the front fits perfectly.  I thought I should probably add a godet or underlayered pleat somewhere, but where?  I don't want to look like I have a tail and fit of the sides, from the front, looks perfect.  So I turned to Vogue Sewing Book of  Fitting, etc,  paging past the too small busts, too high busts, too bony shoulders, to the horizontal wrinkles at low back, on which subject the book offered, gratuitously: 

"Excess flesh due to lack of exercise or being overweight creates wrinkles between the waistline and hip."

Thanks a lot, Vogue Fitting.   Was that really necessary?

The proposed alterations in the book were at side or center back,  which I had already considered, so it didn't even offer useful advice. 

To be continued.

Watercolor Paintings

Watercolor painting, like sewing, is about the love of natural and invented materials, cotton and dyes.  I have been a watercolor painter for many years, selling via galleries in my arty/touristy area - and portraits.  Here are a few paintings of mine  in transparent watercolor - which uses no white paint only the white of the paper, and watercolor & gouache - which uses white paint, or mixed media with transparent watercolor or acrylic, on paper or board:

Autumn Skyscape, (c) I. Young
Full Sheet Transparent Watercolor
Private Collection

A Charm for Good Fortune, (c) I. Young, Quarter Sheet Transparent Watercolor and Gouach

Peaches, (c) I.Young, Full Sheet Transparent Watercolor, Private Collection

Bluebird Flies By, (c) I. Young, Half Sheet Transparent Watercolor, Private Collection

Introduction to Natural Science, (c) I. Young, Full Sheet Transparent Watercolor, Private Colletion

Mute Swan, (c) I. Young, 1/8 Sheet Transparent Watercolor, Private Collection

White Roses in Memorial, (c) I. Young, Half Sheet Transparent Watercolor, Private Collection

Max on the Beach, (c) I.Young, Quarter Sheet Transparent Watercolor

I painted a Twelve Days of Xmas Series to be reproduced for prints by a local gallery:

Partridge in a Pear Tree, (c) I. Young, Transparent Watercolor fron the Twelve Days of Xmas Series, Private Collection

Two Turtledoves, (c) I.Young, Transparent Watercolor from the Twelve Days of Xmas Series, Private Collection

Three French Hens, (c) I. Young, Transparent Watercolor from the Twelve Days of Xmas Series, Private Collection

Six Geese A'Laying, (c) I. Young, Transparent Watercolor from the Twelve Days of Xmas Series, Private Collection

And, of course, what is watercolor painting without cats?  Always sure sellers.  Their minerals in watercolor pigment make great fur.

Two Cats in a Window, (c) I.Young (detail), Full Sheet Transparent Watercolor

Rosey on the Matelasse, (c) I. Young, Full Sheet Transparent Watercolor, Private Collection

These are mixed media, with Chinese papers, gold leaf, vintage papers, and transparent acrylic, among other things:

Migration, (c) I.Young, Transparent Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Board, Private Collection

Barbados, (c) I. Young, Mixed Media, Private Collection

Treetop Heron, (c) I. Young, Transparent Watercolor and Acrylic Glaze with Chinese Paper and Leaf, Private Collection

Mysteries of the Deep, (c) I. Young, Mixed Transparent media and Vintage Papers on Board, Private Collection

Ritual, (c) I.Young, Transparent Watercolor and Vintage Romance Comics on Paper, Private Collection

In this full sheet painting created for a 9-11 memorial exhibit, liberty's dress is cut from a New York map - specifically, the area of  New York City's islands. 

Liberty Listens to the Sparrow, (c) I.Young, Full Sheet Watercolor and Vintage map of Manhattan, Private Collection

Sewing Bee - 2nd Round

Participating in this contest was an interesting experience.  Running a professional practice full time left no daylight hours for sewing during the course of the competition.  The specific requirements and short time frame was inspirational, though.

When this contest was announced., it was described as using mens' buttondown shirts.  I am old enough for this to mean traditional button down shirts - the kind with buttondown collars, not just button fronts.  I immediately thought of preppy oxford shirts in their traditional pastels.

The usual colors of oxford shirts:


 are traditional pastels:

and exactly the colors on trend this year for outerwear:

 These minimalist style coats  are a bold shape of pale color with a luxurious kind of simplicity,some with standing necklines.  The Jill Sanders yellow one top center  costs about $3000.00. The one on top left is Celine.  They are both oxford button-down yellow.

 At the same time, I love the same pale colors in other clothes, this season, with  flora and fauna embellishments.  This is Thom Browne

This Dolce and Gabanna skirt, though there is nowhere in my life into which it would fit, is divine.

In honor of the colors,  decided to make a minimalist bold  shape coat  from these shirts and see if it could look luxurious, despite originating at the Goodwill store.

It's amazing how little usable fabric is in four extra large shirts. 
I didn't have enough  for long sleeves, only three quarters, and not enough for a coat, only a short jacket.  I didn't have enough fabric for the same color front and back. I  looked at  a few patterns in the stash and this one seemed the most suited for a minimalist shape, about color,using smaller fabric pieces. 

  I  decided to secretly embellish the interior lining with some flora/fauna to please myself.  I searched my stash for something and found some scraps of birds, left over from upholstery.  The ones from my dining room chairs have colors that go perfectly!  Ready to go.

I had a lot of delay in starting my project  preparing the fabric.  Because I wanted  the soft brushed rich matte look of laundered cotton, I washed the shirts, which I think were permanent press so slightly glossy.  My washing machine has a "sanitize" setting,  a two hour hot cycle for things like musty linens, so I ran the shirts through that, then tumbled them dry, which took about 2 1/2 hours.  They I laid them out and cut the front pieces from the yellow and the back from the blue, reserving the long sleeves from the yellow for the sleeves.

 Looking at the pieces on the form I thought they were still a little too smooth looking, so I stayed all the edges of the cut pieces, and ran all the pieces, and the scraps, back through the harsh hot cycle, this time in company of a big acrylic blanket, then dried them. The fabric finish was now very matte and brushed.

I was surprised at how much I now loved the fabric and color.  I knew I should probably line it with old shirts, or use other shirt elements but by now I was enamored of my vision.

I used the long yellow sleeves for the sleeves, recutting the cap and keeping the top of the cuff opening as a slit but for the embellishment, I did not employ shirts.

The rest of the construction was straightforward. Set in sleeves and lining cut from pattern pieces. I have a big stash of all purpose lining fabric in a sort of flesh color (grayed pinky-peach) which goes with most things, so I used that for the back areas and sleeves.  For the front of the lining, I made facings from the bird fabric, piecing the fabric together to get  full birds on the visible areas, interfacing them with a flexible interfacing, and finishing the edges with a vintage bias tape that was part of a lot of vintage notions from ebay.  It's yellow gingham print.

 I also used this for the button loop.

 I hand understitched the facings and linings and hand fininshed the lining.  I hung the jacket on the form, wet it, and finger shaped the drape of the neckline, steaming it a bit and letting it dry.

  I didn't want any stitching to show anywhere on the exterior of the coat.

I think this looks pretty luxurious, considering it's oxford cloth from Goodwill.

 Secret lining just for me.

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