Sold But Not Forgotten - Du Barry 2413B

I haven't blogged in some time, so today I'm writing up a quick post on a past sewing project to help get back into the swing of things.

This dress is easily one of my top ten favorites of all the reproduction pieces I've made to sell so far. This super cute 1930s/40s reproduction cotton print was a lucky find at my local fabric shop. (I was also able to find it in a purple colorway as well!) A few of you may remember the first time I used Du Barry 2413B, waaaaay back when I first started sewing 30s/40s clothing for myself. It's a great pattern and one I can see myself sewing a few more times!

It's a fairly basic pattern but it has some great details too. I love the option of the little V-shaped pockets! They make the perfect accent for a war-era dress. While the skirt does have some tiny pin tucks, they are kind of lost in this particular print. I think in a solid fabric they would stand out a bit more.

Here are a few in progress shots on the dress. Another thing I like about this dress are the little pouf sleeves and gathering at the shoulders.

Playing with some trim for the pockets! I ended up using this cotton eyelet. It helped break up the bright red print just bit. I added some dark colored vintage buttons from the stash too for the same reason.

Here are a few photos of the finished dress. I'm very happy with how this one turned out.

My friend Christiana bought the dress and she looks amazing in it! She even wore it for a photo session with A Timeless Collection. Here are a few images from that shoot, shown with permission.

Photo by A Timeless Collection

Photo by A Timeless Collection

Interested in purchasing a reproduction dress or blouse from me? Have a look at my Etsy shop.

Summary of the Pattern
Fabric: Late 1930s/early 1940s reproduction cotton print
Pattern: Du Barry 2413B
Year: About 1938/39
Notions: Buttons, thread, cotton lace trim
Time to Complete: Start to finish, I'd say about a week. It's an easy pattern to complete in a weekend if you have the time to sit and sew.
How historically accurate is it? Pretty darn close! The pattern is original vintage and the fabric is a historically accurate print. The buttons and lace trim, though vintage, are likely 1950s or 1960s.
Any tricky parts to the pattern? I've made this pattern once before and it goes together pretty easily.
Did you change anything? I chose not to add a side zipper. Instead of adding a collar I just turned but the front edges to form mini lapels.

Vintage Boudoir Slippers with Ribbon Rosettes

I wasn't sure what I was going to post about for today's Sunday Shoe Spectacle post. But then these shoes arrived in the mail this week! How adorable! The color, the cording rosettes!!! So similar to my candy striped pair ......

And sadly, due to a listing error on the part of the seller, I discovered they are too small for my feet. Ugh! Sadness!!!! So, into the shop they go. And after photographing them I thought, why not blog about them along with my striped pair.

Marked Saks Fifth Avenue, Debutante Fashions Keystone Gay Step. 6 N - Listing here

I believe the beautiful blue Saks Fifth Ave boudoir slippers are from the 1940s or possibly early 1950s. They are an absolutely gorgeous shade of royal blue with matching blue silk ribbon cording rosettes! I loves these so much, why don't they fit!?!? I love seeing them side by side with my striped boudoir slippers. How cool is that pom pom ribbon trim? You can see me wearing the striped pair in this post from last fall. 

The striped pair are marked "Created by Jerro, New York" and "The Fair, Ft. Worth." They need a good cleaning but I'm not sure how to do that so I've left alone and enjoy wearing them as is.

More close ups of the blue rosettes! By the way, you can save 10% on these by using the code BLOGFAN at check out. :)

Overall the blue slippers are in very good and very wearable shape, though they do have some storage marks. Not really sure how to clean faille fabric but I think they could be cleaned. But if you are wearing these with a long flowing dressing gown, no one is going to notice. 

The soles have minor wear which I find normal for shoes that are only worn indoors. And the leather heel caps are almost perfect.

These are rather narrow and are marked 6 N, which should have been a clue to me that they wouldn't work. But the seller stood by their measurements which made them seem like they would fit my feet. Ah well. They will live together with my other pom pom slippers until they have a new home. Maybe yours? ;)

Also, just for fun check out this pair of striped slippers that sold from FabGabs. They are almost identical to mine except for the heel strap. Do you own any vintage boudoir slippers? I would love to see them!

Sold by FabGabs

Ready-Made Clothing - Future Plans Update

Earlier this spring I posted about my future sewing plans for Emily's Vintage Visions. There is still much to be done! I'm making progress, it's slow going, but progress none the less. I hope by this fall to have a small inventory of ready made items to list for sale on etsy. (Probably October or early November, stay tuned for updates!) I am continuing to work on my business plan while I work a some sample items using fabrics I already have in my stash. The second part of my clothing survey can be viewed here.

Looking at the results of my clothing first survey, (which is still available here) many of you want to see more separates like blouses and skirts that can be mixed and matched. I totally agree! So I will be starting with some 1930s and 1940s blouses first. Dresses are great, and I WILL be making some :), but having items that can be worn multiple ways just makes sense. Our mothers and grandmothers did that so why not us? Here is a peak at some of the patterns I plan to use. I've made several of these for myself, some like Du Barry 5172, Hollywood 1530, and Mail Order 2588 I've sewn more then once. I used Simplicity 1782 for my Spring for Cotton project.

Here are a few of my favorite and easy to sew dress patterns. I'm working on Advance 4199 in a lovely purple and white print for the shop now. You can see more of my patterns here.

McCall 3306 was my 2014 Sew for Victory Dress. I listed this one on Etsy.

See version of dress here

See Simplicity 1668 one made up here.

Good news for the larger size vintage loving ladies! With the help of some amazing friends I've been increasing my stash of vintage patterns with bust sizes 38 to 44! If anyone has vintage patterns they would like to sell or trade for please let me know.

This suit is divine!

Survey results
The results of my survey so far have been extremely helpful! Some of the feedback matches what I expected to see but some of it was pleasantly surprising too. 1940s clothing seems to be leading the way with the 1930s and 1950s in a close second. You should have been able to select more then one option for this first question but for some reason that didn't work. However, most people have been good about leaving a comment with their additional wished for decade(s). Over 90% of you who have taken the survey said you were looking for vintage style clothing to wear everyday or just for fun. Just under 50% said they wanted items for vintage inspired events or for dancing.

For colors, blue was by far the most popular with green not far behind. In the comment section of this question the most popular colors suggested were red, purples (including lilac and eggplant), yellow or gold and grey. The number of suggestions for grey surprised me but it makes sense as it's a color that can be paired with so many others.

It looks like prints are in high demand too.


Here is a look at some of the fabrics I plan to use or have already made sample garments from. If you follow me on Facebook you will know that the cherry print has been made into a 1940s pinafore. The eagle print is true 40s vintage, others are reproductions! I will try to get more of the Scottie dog print. I also have some of it in red.

I also posted some other possibilities for reproduction prints such as this one, or this one, or this one on Facebook. Thank you to everyone who has commented on which color(s) they like best. There are so many options out there! I know what colors and prints I like best but it's important that I offer things that you will like and buy. :)

Some of my fabrics in the stash.

Some purple and pink prints in the stash! I have some of the Scottie Dogs in red too.

There are literally TONS of places online to buy fabric and I have several brick and mortar options near by too. My local quilt shop has, no lie, a WALL of 1930s/40s reproduction cotton prints!! They are a little pricey but I have been able to find a few of the prints they offer for sale at other location for a bit less. Which is great because the less I have to spend on materials up front the more you will be able to save on my finished clothing! Hooray! However, I know I will need to take the time spent sewing each garment into consideration when figuring out a price. This is one of the areas where having a good business plan will really help.

Some of the comments on my survey about pricing that I've found very helpful are ...

•  "I LOVE reproductions, but don't like to wear originals or things made with original fabric." 
• "I realize that it can cost more than that to produce a garment, I'm just stating my realistic budget for spending money on a garment."
• "It would really depend on the fabric and the details. $100 for a very plain cotton dress to over two hundred for wool or silk dress with special touches of buttons or trim."
• "For a nice dress I can save and spend this range, but I am most likely to buy lower priced items that can be mixed/matched, like blouses or skirts in the 70-100 range."
• "Would prefer less-costly historically similar textile & finishings to more-costly actually-historic textile/finishing." 

Other helpful comments included:

• "Specifically with INTERESTING details like fun collars or sleeves!"
• "It would be great to see prints based on actual vintage."
• "Separates are always very nice - cute blouses and skirts."
• "Trousers, suits, things that can be purchased and help build classic mix and match wardrobes."

And a few that made me smile!

• "I would love a beautiful wool suit!"
• "For church, and especially everyday, since my wardrobe is all made of vintage-inspired clothing."
• "Red! I look excellent in red."
• "Anything . So long as it catches my eye, the colours compliment each other and me and is a standout from the crowd sort of fabric"

In addition to  blouses and skirts I want to offer some light jackets. LOOK at this pattern I scored on the evil bay! Can't you envision a line of cute cotton print bolero jackets? Or lace? Oh the possibilities are endless!

Depending on how well things sell, I eventually want to expand my selection to offer play suits and outerwear. But that will be a ways down the road. I need to start small with just a few items at a time and see how well they sell. But it's so much to fun to think about all the possibilities. ;)

I would love to hear your thoughts! If you have not taken my survey please do. The second part is here! (Or at the upper right of my blog.) Also, please feel free to leave a comment on this post or feel free to send me an email at vintagevisions27(at)gmail(dot)com.
Thanks everyone!

Red and White Swing Dress

Hi everyone. Remember this pattern, Advance Pattern #4199?

Well I finally got around to finishing the dress. Knowing that the pattern would be a touch large for me, I went ahead and made it up anyway without making any alterations. And guess what? Yup, it was a little too big! Well, actually it's quiet wearable but a bit too roomy in the bust area for me. And that's perfectly OK because I'm hoping this dress will work for someone else. You see, I'm slowly, oh so slowly, making items to add to the "Made By Me" section of my shop. This 1940s reproduction dress was listed this week! I would love to hear your feed back.

1940s Reproduction Swing Dress. Just listed!

The dress is made from a red and white striped cotton that is light and slightly springy. It's machine sewn but the neck, sleeves, and hem I finished all by hand. The fabric really drapes and moves beautifully so I think this would be perfect for swing dancing! I believe it's a cotton/rayon or cotton/nylon blend. It was a left over piece from my fabric stash so I'm not really sure. The first picture shows the dress over a small crinoline so you can get an idea of the skirt width.

The side zipper

I really like the wrap style bodice - it's slightly gathered to where it attaches to the shoulders which gives the bust area its "roomy" fit. If I make this dress again I'll make 'View Two' with the contrasting bodice. What do you think?

The neckline has a great key-hole detail and closes with a hidden hook and eye. There is also a zipper on the left side. I did not add the bow at the neck as shown in the pattern but that can be added in a jiffy! I added a black bow belt for contrast in the pictures, which sadly are a little washed out. I soooo need a new camera! The fabric is really a nice bright red in person.

As I mentioned above, the dress was made using the measurements provided by the vintage pattern. I did not make any alterations. Pattern is a vintage size 18. Bust 36, hips 39.

The actual measurements of the finished dress are as follows.
Under arm to under arm - 19" (I believe this would best fist a 34" to 38" bust)
Waist - 15" across (Will best fist a 27" to 28" waist)
Skirt length - 28" from waist to hem

Dress back, no crinoline underneath. The first picture shows the dress over a small crinoline to give an idea of the skirt width.

Close up of the bodice.

I love the little key-hole neck detail of this dress. Also I think the picture below shows the true color the best.

As you know I love getting feedback on all my projects. But what I would like to know from those of you who shop for vintage or vintage reproductions is:

• What kinds of vintage or vintage reproduction items do you look for?
• What would you consider a reasonable price for a simple reproduction dress like the one above? (As this is the first time I've made this dress I'm considering it as a sample. Also the fabric, thread, and zipper came from my stash so cost to create this dress was very low.)
• What kinds of items seem to be lacking in world of vintage reproductions? (Some day I want to offer a line of smart looking 1940s cocktail dresses.)
• What would be a good waist/bust size to offer for dresses and skirts? (Many original vintage pieces tend to run small. I've passed up a number of dresses that I love but know will never fit!)
• Color and/or fabric preferences? 

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for one of my "Picnic with my Valentine" aprons. Details here!