Sew for Victory - The Finished Dress!

My 2014 Sew for Victory dress, finished at last! I didn't have as bright and sunny a day for pictures as I had hoped. But at least it wasn't raining, which it did for most of the weekend. Ah well, we need to spring rain. April showers and all. :) So here we go, the finished dress!

Over all I'm very happy with how this dress turned out. The pattern was easy to follow and the dress went together rather quickly. The bodice is a bit "blouse-y" for my taste so if I make this dress again I'll take a little of the extra fabric out of the top. I would probably make the other collar option too. I love the double collar with the lace but I'm not crazy about it on me.

The next time I wear the dress I'll be sure to pick a longer slip to wear underneath. This was actually the first time I put everything on together and it was only then that I realized the slip was a little on the short side for this dress. Oddly enough, the vintage slip I first pulled out was going to be waaaay too long and I didn't want to hem it. I'm lazy, I admit it. Then I saw this one and figured it would be fine... but I was wrong. Ah well.

I look kind of dumpy in the first photo below but it was the best full length picture I had of the front of the dress. The other two I rather like.

And a few shots of the back of the dress. I was exploring the old wooden dog house.

I think this rock is going to be my new favorite spot of picture taking. :) I love the view from this spot.

A few weeks ago Joanna of Divided Vintage Moments host a giveaway for some vintage hair nets. Made from real human hair! The catch was that we had to use them and then blog about them. Joanna had enough of these to send to everyone who entered the giveaway. She very kindly sent me two - one medium brown and one dark brown. I used the medium brown which was a perfect match for my hair. So perfect in fact that I had some difficulty seeing in against my hair as I was placing it over my victory rolls! On close inspection of the hair net I noticed that there was a white hair woven into it! The hair nets are very fine and I think will take some practice to use. I usually do a pin curl set first if I want a vintage up do but I didn't have time before this photo shoot. I can see these hair nets working really well over my hair after styling with curly hair.

Some you may be wondering about my hat. I'm happy to say it's of my own creation and very much inspired by those darling doll and tilt style hats so popular in the late 1930s. I actually used a straw dolls hat as my base. After a quick soak in some warm water I re-shaped it, let it dry over night then added a bit of antique velvet ribbon. I think it needs a little something extra but can't decide what. What do you think, a small cluster of flowers or fruit maybe?

Would anyone be interested in a tutorial on making a hat like this? I have a second straw base that I'm itching to do something with. ;)

And the shoes! I adore these shoes, they were such a lucky find on Etsy. They are very similar to pair on the top left of page 35 of the March 18, 1939 addition of the Boot and Shoe Recorder. The Great National Shoe Weekly. (I posted a couple pages from these magazines back in February. See the post - "Ensembles in the Major" - Shoe Magazines!)

Be sure to check out the Sew for Victory Flickr album to see pictures of everyone's finished projects. :) Rochelle of Lucky Lucille will also be putting together a project parade video so be sure to look for that on her blog.

Pattern - McCall 3306

Shoes - Etsy

Tilt Hat - My own creation

Purse, Make-up compact - Thrifted

Summary of the Pattern
Fabric: Green cotton print, white cotton
Pattern: McCall 3306
Year: 1939
Notions: Snaps, thread, buckle, lace trim from the stash
How historically accurate is it? Very!
Any tricky parts to the pattern? The side placket but I always find these a little tricky.
Did you change anything? Not really
Time to complete: About 3 weeks, not sure the number of hours. I worked on it a few hours each night after work
First worn: April 2014
Total cost: Everything but the pattern came from the stash, so less then $10
Notes: The bodice is a bit "blouse-y" for my taste so if I make this dress again I'll take a little of the extra fabric out of the top. For me to wear this dress again and really be happy with it, I need to make a different collar. Oh, and wear it with a longer slip!