My 1960’s revival obsession continues, as you probably guessed it would… Here is my second 1960’s dress, this time sewn from a genuine vintage pattern: Style 3172.
Sewing vintage… from Vinted!
Ever since I started sewing for myself (11 years ago), my style has definitely changed towards a more vintage look. Not that I did not like it before but it was just quite difficult to find the clothes I wanted without them looking either worn out or plain fake. Sewing sorted out this problem and my wardrobe bloomed into my 1950’s wildest dream!
I have sewn tens of vintage-inspired dresses (mainly 1950’s) from contemporary patterns. But I had rarely ventured into genuine vintage patterns (just once actually). I particularly feared the sizing uncertainty: vintage patterns usually come in only one size; and the cost is high – vintage can fetch quite a high premium on Etsy or E-Bay… Who wants to spend a fortune to end up making zillions of adjustments? Certainly not me!
But then I discovered Vinted. After a (very long) designer shoe addiction phase, I started buying sewing patterns. And what joy! For between £3 to £5 (postage included), you can find real gems… and start building a ridiculously large collection. Here are only the vintage patterns, I buy non-vintage too…
So you can really take the risk of wrong sizing without too many regrets. A toile is never optional though!
Sewing the Style 3172 dress: the process
Introducing the pattern
I had never heard of the Style patterns, being more of a Vogue/ Butterick/ McCall’s/ Simplicity girl. But this dress was far too pretty to overlook – how lovey is this envelope!
Overall it frankly looked a lot like Big 4 pattern, with very clear instructions (which I did not necessarily fully follow but never mind)…
… a flattering shape and lovely details, in particular the crossed bodice and the side buttons…
… but the sizing was a bit of a nightmare!
Adjustments made to the pattern: fit, fit, fit!
- My main work on the pattern was to make the dress fit better – I am obsessed with fit! My first toile, with my usual FBA of 2.5cm for my E-cup, was enormous. I had to remove about 1cm on the sides for each pattern piece (so 4cm in total) and redo a smaller, 1.5cm FBA. Here are the initial versus final bodices.
- I substantially shortened the dress to give it more of the mini look we associate with the 1960’s.
- I played with the inside to add some cotton lining for the bodice (less sweat) and synthetic for the skirt (softer with tights). I also added a button on the inside as a waist-stay substitute.
- Lastly I made the sleeves 3/4 and added a cuff – my favourite for mid-season dresses
Conclusion
As a result of all these effort, this dress is an absolute perfect fit and very comfortable to wear. I also particularly like the soft contrast of colours. All in all I am very happy with this vintage pattern experience and fully ready to tackle more!
Bonjour,
Très très jolie réalisation ! Bravo ! Est ce que cette robe reste confortable pour se mouvoir, notamment en position assise (tiraillement au niveau des boutonnières ?) Merci
Merci Ghislaine! Oui très comfortable, la boutonniere intérieure permet de tout bien garder au bon niveau wt fermé wn position debout et assise. Il suit just de passer unnpwu de temps pour la positionner correctement.