All posts tagged: Vintage

Wearing History's Nanette Blouse thedreamstress.com

The Wearing History Nanette Blouse

Published by The Dreamstress

I was super excited when Wearing History announced the 1930s Nanette Blouse Pattern, because: 1) it’s adorable, and; 2) I’ve been looking for a ‘girlie’ take on a formal shirt to wear with tails (well, waistcoat and trousers, I usually abandon the tails after 3 minutes), for AGES, and the Nanette Blouse was the perfect design. I was even more excited when Lauren offered me a review copy.  Yay!  Free vintage pattern goodness! So I got the pattern for free.  However my opinions on the pattern are totally my own, and not influenced by the free-ness of the pattern. The Fabric: My sewing goal was for my blouse to be ultra-feminine, but also to clearly reference the idea of a formal shirt. I  absolutely love the white blouse shown on the cover of the pattern.  I wanted to replicate its sheer-sleeve and opaque body effect. A rummage in my fabric stash unearthed a white silk tissue with a slightly crepe thread, and a subtle stripe effect.  It wasn’t an absolutely ideal fabric, but it was …

Vintage 1960s Watteau-backed Hawaiian Dress thedreamstress.com04

Watteau in (almost) Paradise: a vintage 1960s dress

Published by The Dreamstress

I’ve blogged about almost everything I wore to Costume College this year, except one: the one thing that was actually on-theme (1960s), and that I didn’t make. I thought I’d give myself a break from corsets on Sunday, and wear a nice loose, flowing dress. Something that was both 1960s, AND fit the class I was teaching on Sunday: Tapa Cloth & Tiki Attire: the Pacific Influence on Fashion. This was the dress! Ironically, despite choosing it for comfort, this dress was the most least comfortable thing I wore all Costume College. Every commercially made Watteau-backed Hawaiian dress that I find seems to have been cut for someone who was 5’3″.  The bust is too high, and the waist is too high.  The armholes dig into my underarms and force my shoulders back to a really unnatural angle. This one is no exception.  🙁 If you’re thinking that ‘vintage 1960s Watteau-backed Hawaiian dress’ is a very specific description, it is, but they were a ‘thing’ from the late 60s to the early 70s.  I collect …

Initial initials

Published by The Dreamstress

A while back I had a brilliant idea that I could embroidery my initials on some napkins. I have these gorgeous vintage napkins just crying out for a monogram: I should add in advance that I’m pretty average at embroidery, and have never done initials. Did that stop me at all? Nope. There are beginner, average, experienced, and expert sewers and embroiders, and then there are people like me, who’s skill level should be rated as ‘rash’.  Of course I forged ahead. First, I drew my initials.  Of course I practiced beforehand.  My sketchpad looks like a silly highschool girls journal. Then I attempted a satin stitch. Despite my lack of experience, the L came out pretty well on my trial fabric. So, with half an accomplishment, I took time to admire what I had created, and to anticipate how fabulous it was going to look on my finished napkins. Yeah….that…. First off, my ‘O’ wasn’t as good as my L Then the actual napkin fabric was much looser in weave, so wouldn’t embroider nicely. …