Beautiful 1930s Wedding Lace

As a somewhat recent bride, (my vintage themed wedding was in October of 2014) I can tell you that finding just the right dress is both exciting and terribly frustrating. I searched and searched, didn't like or couldn't afford anything I found. I finally gave up and decided to make my own wedding dress.

Over the last couple of weeks I've been chatting with a lovely bride-to-be about finding a dress for her up coming wedding. She had posted on a vintage buy/sell Facebook page that she was searching for a dress but was having trouble finding exactly what she wanted. I showed her some of the dresses I had and she fell in love with this lace beauty. I'm exited to be able to provide her with her dream dress!

This is a late 1930s or early 1940s lace piece that I've had in my vintage collection for a couple years now. I actually considered wearing it for my own wedding but the fit wasn't right for me plus I wanted a longer train! This was has a little sweep train and is really sweet.

The bride plans to make a few alterations and repairs. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Congratulations and best wishes to Kayce!!

In case any other brides are searching for a vintage dress, I do have a couple 1940s satin wedding dresses on Etsy, plus one more that I have not listed yet. Also, everything is currently 20% off until April 1st with the code "SPRINGTIME."

Two Lace Ladies

I've wanted to photograph these two dresses together for a while now. I finally had the chance this fall and thankfully the weather cooperated. The dresses look much better outside against our stunning fall backdrop then they would have looked inside. Sadly all that beautiful color is gone now that we are well in to November. The gown with the long train is of course my wedding dress and the other is the one I made to wear to the reception.

This is actually the first time I've pulled these dresses out since packing them away after the wedding. Please forgive the wrinkled fabric as I didn't take the time to steam them.

You can read all about the construction of these dresses here. But I thought this was a good time to share some more detailed shots too. :) (There are loads of wedding photos in this post. If you're interested in how I planned my vintage themed wedding check out this post.)

Normally you want your bias tape to match your project. I used peach bias tape to bind the neck, arms and hem of my wedding gown because that's what I had on hand at the time. Plus I really didn't care that it didn't match, I just wanted the dress done!

My felt flowers are still looking nice! The corsages were costume made by Lucy of 1940s Style for You. Lucy also runs an Etsy shop of the same name. I made all our bouquets using wool felt, floral wire and an array of vintage mother of pearl, plastic and rhinestone buttons. I know I took photos while I was making them but can't seem to find the flash drive that hold them. Pooh! But when I do I'll post a tutorial for sure!

At some point I plan to do some major deconstruction and refitting of my reception dress. I had to resize the pattern which created some fitting issues with the bodice. It was thrown together pretty quickly the week before the wedding and never fit right. I don't like looking at the picture of me wearing it because I can see how wonky it is. Anyone else have projects like that? It would make a great outfit for a fancy News Year's Eve party so it's totally worth spending some time to fix it if I can.

I plan to do the following to my reception dress:

- Detach the skirt and bodice
- Rework the bodice to remove the excess fabric/bulk from neck and bust area. I added way to much ease when I resized the pattern. This should help the neck lay a little smoother. It's also tight under the arms so I need to do something about that.
- Shorten the skirt 2 to 3 inches
- Replace the zipper with one that is less bulky.

And a few last shots of me with my creations. And a peak at how I look on a non vintage day, which I'll be honest is most days during the week. I'm really a jeans and t-shirt (or sweater if it's chilly!) kind of girl, but that's because my work day starts so early and I'm lazy in the mornings!

There, now you're totally sick of seeing wedding dress photos! :)

1940s Green Suede Ensemble

Thank you to everyone for your comments on my recent posts. My post blogging myths and perfection was an interesting one to write. And I have to say I have really enjoyed reading other bloggers' responses to Lauren's challenge. It takes a lot of courage to share certain things.

I would also like to thank everyone who has responded to my clothing survey and post about Future Plans. Please keep the feedback coming! The more input I receive the better prepared I know I will be. So far the survey responses have indicated the need for more separates, like blouse and skirts, as well as the desire for more prints. I was surprised by how many people commented that they wanted to see purple clothing. I will have to see what I can do! I'm still very much in the planning and research stage, and will most likely put out another survey later in the year, but any and all feedback is welcome. Please feel free to share the survey with others.

Also, in case you missed my FB post I'm having a spring/birthday sale on Etsy. Everything is 20% off (including the dress you see in this post) with the code "BIRTHDAYSALE".

And now, on to today's post!
Earlier this spring I began a search for a pair of green 1940s shoes. I have black shoes, brown and even blue but I want to diversify my selection of accessories. It was Joanna who alerted me to a particular ebay posting for a pair of green suede shoes. Along with the shoes were a pair of matching gloves and a purse! Too good to be true! I placed a bid and waited. Much to my delight, I won!

The listing said the shoes, made by Vitality Shoe Company, St. Louis, MO, were purchased in 1949 by the seller's mother and worn on her wedding day as part of her "going away" ensemble. The gloves were custom made for her mother and match the shoes and purse perfectly! I was incredibly pleased to find that both the shoes and gloves fit me just right! I sent a message to the seller letting her know the items arrived safely and how happy I was with them. She very kindly wrote back and shared a little more about her parents. Here is what she said.

I am so glad they have found a good home and that they will be worn and enjoyed. ...
Here's the story that goes with the shoes and bag if you want to use it.  These were worn by my mother as part of her "going away" outfit on her wedding day, September 7, 1949. The gloves were custom made for her hands, which are very small so I'm delighted they fit you. She wore these during their honeymoon and for VERY special occasions the first year they were married.  She then put them away in a box with the gloves inside the bag, to keep them safe and they have been there ever since.   She and Dad were high school sweethearts and started dating when she was 15,a sophomore, Dad 16, a junior.  They dated 5 years, were married 60.  We buried Dad on their 60th wedding anniversary, a very sad day.  Their's was a true love match.  Nothings perfect but there was a lot of love.  Mom's Alzheimer's has progressed to the point she can't remember much but she remembers Dad and the loving life they shared.

I believe the stories should be shared so our herstory and history is passed on. If there are any pictures from Mom and Dad's honeymoon, we've yet to find them.  I do have a photo of each of them the year they married and one from their wedding day I just love because hey look so happy. They were married on a Wednesday (Mom was very non-traditional) and they were coming out of the church,(when this picture was taken) just after school let out and all the kids were running down the street headed home (this was back in the day of neighborhood schools).  Mom said the kids were laughing and being kids and Mom and Dad were so happy they started laughing with them. She said it was a very magical day. My grandmother, who was an artist, painted this in amazing detail and color and my youngest daughter has it hanging in her home. 

It's always nice to know the story behind the vintage and antique items I wear and collect, but this one story will always stay with me. You can bet I will treasure these items for years to come.

Outfit Details

Dress - Facebook trading page

Bracelets - Local antique shop

Necklace - Was my grandmother's

Stockings - Bobby's of Boston warehouse

Shoes, gloves, purse - Ebay

Picture from the ebay listing

A Tail of Two Wedding Dresses - VPLL Pattern Review

Finally, a post I know many of you have been waiting for. As I'm sure you all know I got married last October and was crazy enough to make not only my wedding dress, but a separate dress for the reception. I don't have as many construction pictures of my wedding dress as I would like. But that's par for the course I guess. The pattern I used for my wedding dress was the 1934 Evening Gown With Drop Sleeves from the Vintage Pattern Lending Library.

1934 Evening Gown With Drop Sleeves from the Vintage Pattern Lending Library.

The VPLL ships fast and does a very nice job in packing your order. Look how nice my little bundle of patterns were! I ordered three patterns in all. Each time you purchase a pattern, or leave a review, you earn points towards future purchasing. They patterns are printed on a nice quality paper. The instructions are pretty clear and easy to follow with some additional information provided as well.

My first task after receiving my pattern from the VPLL was to resize it. While the VPLL does offer some patterns in multiple sizes, this was not one of them. It was reproduced in its original size - a 38" bust which I am not. I made a quick mock up to help with resizing the pattern. All was going well until I cut into my lining material. In my hurry to complete the dress I forgot to add my seam allowance! Even with tiny 1/4" seams the dress was going to be too snug. Uuugh! I had enough material to cut a new lining for the basic dress but not enough for the train. Feeling frustrated and very annoyed with myself I tossed the project in the corner of the sewing room and didn't touch it for about two weeks. In the mean time I had to hunt for more lining material. I thought finding more of the same off white cotton muslin would be an easy task. Wrong!! I never realized how many shades of "off white" cotton there would be.

Source

McCall August 1934 Pattern Catalog - Source

This pattern actually goes together rather well, despite my fitting issues. For the bodice I treated the lace and lining as one. The lace pieces were first basted to the lining and then the bodice was sewn together. Next the bias tape binding was added to the neck edges and arm holes. I didn't have any white or off white on hand so I used peach which I think made a nice contrast to the lace.

The skirt is constructed to two sections - upper and lower with additional fabric added for the train. Again, lots of basting with the lace mounted first on the cotton lining. The two photos below show the lower back sections of the skirt. Because Cori and I had not moved into the new house yet, and thus I had no sewing space of my own, I worked on my dress at my parents' house. It's a good thing they have a giant dinning room table!

Here you can see the lower front section of the skirt.

Here is where it got a little tricky sewing wise. The zig zag edges of the upper and lower skirt sections are lapped which meant, yep you guessed it. LOTS of pinning and basting. I used colored thread so the basting stitches would be easy to see when it came time to take them out. The lapped seam makes for a nice neat finish but was fiddly due to the lace and excess fabric of the train. Ahhhh huge wedding train!! :)

I like using these extra long quilting pins. Plus the butterflies are kind of cute.

The hem of the cotton lining was finished off with bias tape. I made a small rolled hem for the lace section. The dress closes at the left side with a placket and snaps. The belt was made with a layer cotton fabric and fusible interfacing with the lace mounted on top right sides together. Then the belt was turned right side out and pressed. The rhinestone buckle is from a 1930s dress in my collection which sadly is in very poor condition.

The most obvious changes I made to the pattern, other then the size, were to omit the extra large fluffy sleeves and to add a RIDICULOUSLY long train. I made a slight change to the neckline and added darts to the bodice as well. The original neckline hit right across my collar bone which would have been OK except that I would not have been able to wear a necklace of any kind. This realization, of course, came after I had assembled the bodice and added all the bias tape around the edges. Grrr. My quick solution was to make an inch and a half slash down the very center front and turn the edges under. Not very neat but at that point I didn't care and just wanted the dress done!

Here you can see the changes I made to the neckline. If I were to make this dress again I would keep the original rounded neckline.

And the finished dress.

I have very few construction pictures of my reception dress and most of those are just a pile of lace fabric with my cat happily holding it down. Black cat, white fabric....it happens. My reception dress was made from the same lace fabric as my wedding dress and Advance 8269 which I purchased on Ebay. It was sewn very quickly the week of the wedding. Crazy I know, but I really wanted a shorter dress for the reception. It has some fitting issues that should be reworked at some point but I'll worry about that if I ever have the opportunity to wear the dress again.

Summary of the Pattern
Fabric: Cotton-ish lace with plastic sequins and 100% cotton lining all from JoAnn's Fabric.
Pattern: 1934 Evening Gown With Drop Sleeves from the Vintage Pattern Lending Library.
Year: 1930s
Notions: Bias tape, snaps, thread, rhinestone buckle all from the stash.
How historically accurate is it? Very, but it's really more 1930s evening then wedding. Although you do see lots of 30s evening gowns with trains, this one is really much too long for true evening wear. Wedding gowns of the 30s and 40s were mostly long sleeved too.
Any tricky parts to the pattern? Attaching the skirt bottom to the skirt top using a lapped seam. Part of the difficulty was due to the excess amount of fabric in the train.
Did you change anything? Left off the sleeves, slashed the neckline, and added the train. And of course resized the pattern.
Time to complete: ummm, hard to say. There was a lot start and stop with this. I worked on it over the course of 2 months. I started working on resizing the pattern sometime in July and finished the dress a couple weeks before the wedding.
First worn: October 10, 2014
Total cost: $16.50 for the pattern
Notes:

You can read more about my wedding day here and here.
 

1920s Bachelorette Party on Star Island

This will likely be my last post for a couple weeks. As some of you may know, Cori and I closed on our new house and are in the process of moving in. Also our wedding is coming up in two weeks and I need to get my act together and make sure everything is in order. Last minute things to coordinate and lots of stuff to pack for decorating the reception area. I'm looking forward to the day itself but I'll be glad to have all the planning, coordinating, stress, etc. behind me. I'm ready to move on to other things.

Today's post will be short on text but full of pictures! Back in August my friends surprised me with tickets for Gatsby on the Isles for my bachelorette party. We joined some fellow vintage fans from the GBVS, hopped on a ferry boat and headed out to Star Island for a 1920s themed adventure.

The history of the island, the second largest of nine rocky islands ten miles southeast of the mouth of the Piscataqua River, goes back hundreds of years. The Star Island Corporation has owned and operated Star Island since 1916. The Oceanic House is the largest structure on Star Island and has long served as a place of retreat.

Jill looks said because we told her we ate all the chocolate. Don't worry, we saved her some! :)

After a 2 hour ferry ride which included a narrated history of Portsmouth harbor, the Isles of Shoals and the New Hampshire Seacoast, we arrived and were ready for lunch. The girls and I set up our picnic blanket, listened to some live music, and relaxed. Then we explored the island.

Warning. Silly things happen when these girls and I get together!

I wore the dress I made for the 1920s Downton Abby event last year. It's the dress I got engaged in so it seemed fitting to wear again for the bachelorette party.

Erin borrowed the same dress my friend Jen wore for the Roaring 20s Lawn Party.

At the end of the day we boarded the ferry once more. A few people stayed behind at the hotel but they came to the dock to see us off.

The ferry ride back. It was much warmer then the ride to the island in the morning!

After arriving back in Portsmouth we changed and went out for dinner. My hair was an absolute mess by the end of the day. But look, I got new sunglasses! Our waiter said that even though it wasn't my birthday it was a special occasion so he put a candle in our brownie sundae!

It was a wonderful day!