That Seventies Dress

First post in about two years, lets see if I can do this better in the future, fingers crossed.

So a while ago I got a bunch of sewing patterns that my grandmother found in the attic. All of them are a bit out of my normal time period, being from either the 70'ies or the 80'ies. I haven't yet photo documented all of them, but here the one that I've decided to try out together with the fabric I've decided to go with:

Vintage pattern sweetness. Hippie chic here I come (hopefully)

I'm quite sure the pattern is from the seventies. Some of the patterns I got from my grandmother has never been open, but this one has and most of the pieces has been cut out. I wish my grandmother had added a scrap of fabric from the dress she made from this pattern, I would have loved to see that. I don't dare to hope that the actual dress is saved somewhere, if she ever finished it, but seeing the fabric choice from back then would be awesome. I have to ask her one day if she remembers the dress.

 I copied all the original pattern pieces onto pattern paper, though they don't seem fragile I see no reason to ruin the originals with more needles or tearing, so to be on the safe side I just copied everything. I really want to save these patterns for the future, so when working with them I always try to handle the originals as little as possible. I know this is not for everyone, but I'm the type that copies all of my patterns, I'm just annoyingly thorough. Sometimes I even annoy myself, when I get impatient and just want to sew NOW.

The fabric is this flowey/drapey cotton I got on sale some years back, though its more greenish irl.  I'm going for view A , but with a shorter skirt. I love those fluffy sleeves. I have a ton of dresses with short or no sleeves, so this is going to be a nice addition. I have a lot of red ric rac leftovers from another project so I'm going to try to copy the look quite closely.

Look at that, nifty hem marking devices and old school metal wire dressforms called Donna-Stilina. What is not to love?

The pattern is just called 5974, but on all the pattern pieces there is printed the name Koko, so I think that might be her name, even though it doesn't say so on the pattern envelope/paper-front-photo-thingie. In the instructions there is an add for a dressform kalled Donna-Stilina and a device that should help you make an even hem called pusta. I love this, since Stil patterns were Swedish it all ties delightfully in to something quite Ikeaesque. Those Swedes can't help themselves, names are needed for everything.

As of now I've made, what I had hoped would be, a wearable muslin. I measured the bodice to make sure that it would at least be big enough and went for it. How that ended up is for another post. I've also begun cutting out and assembling the pattern in my chosen fabric, I will take pictures in the morning so I can share progress, but right now its 2 am and I should be in bed.

Packing and stuff

I've been trying all day to get my act together and start packing my suitcase. Instead I have had my head buried in a book (Someplace to be flying - Charles de Lint, if your curious). As always I'm in last minute, since I'm flying out tomorrow to Lisbon. It's going to be the first vacation together with the boyfriend. Does anyone know some places I should go in Lisbon? Any good fashion museums, flea markets or streets filled with fabric stores? Maybe something else?

Jeg har brugt min dag på at (forsøge) at tage mig sammen til at pakke. I stedet for har jeg brugt min dag på at læse (someplace to be flying - Charles de Lint, hvis du er skulle være nysgerrig). Som altid er jeg i sidste øjeblik, eftersom at jeg flyver til Lissabon i morgen. Det bliver den første ferie kæresten og jeg tager sammen. Er der nogle der kender nogle steder jeg burde tage hen i Lissabon? Et modemuseum, et kendt loppemarked eller en gade fyldt med stof forretninger? Måske noget andet?

OOOH and now for a preview of my newest dress, I'll reveal the completely finished product in another post, but now for sneak peeks. / Smugkik på min seneste kjole!

It's my second go on this dress, or really 1.5 go, since the first time I only made the top part since I already had the skirt finished. I have really gotten into fifties dresses lately, and have now added a new thing to the of things I always look for in secondhand shops, vintage patterns. Maybe I should ask my grandma if she has any I could get/borrow.

Det er mit andet forsøg med det her mønster, eller egentlig mit halvandet forsøg, eftersom at jeg kun brugte overdelen i første omgang og kun har brugt skørtet her anden gang. Jeg er blevet virkelig glad for halvtredser kjoler her for tiden og har nu tilføjet endnu en ting til listen over ting jeg altid kigger efter i genbrugsbutikker, vintage mønstre. Måske skulle jeg spørge min farmor om hun har nogle mønstre liggende, som jeg må få/låne.

Well on account of future projects I passed about two hours Wednesday with washing fabrics by hand (we don't have a washing machine). I took a picture of my wet fabrics hanging in our courtyard. I loved the wonderful colour display.


Nåh, når det kommer til fremtidige projekter, så brugte jeg cirka to timer i onsdags, på at vaske stof i hånden (vi har ikke nogen vaskemaskine). Jeg tog et billede af mine våde stoffer der hang til tørre i vores gård. Jeg elskede den eksplosion af farver der var som de hang der.

Is there someone who can guess what one of my great fabric weaknesses are? It might be colourful printed cotton.

On a last note. Look what came to my door today, a new iron. A red iron none the less. Sewing will be even more fun from now on! / Se mit nye fantastiske RØDE strygejern, nu bliver det endnu sjovere at sy!