Cleaning out the sewing room one project at a time--Vintage Edition!

There are piles of yet to be started projects in my sewing room and I've decided that I will be every so gradually attacking those piles.  I'm not buying fabric unless something unusual that can't be made from stash arises.

I finished the first project in the pile.  This one utilized a vintage pattern and some 1940's/50's silk purchased on Ebay back in 2011.

The pattern wasn't exactly my size which is a problem one faces when buying vintage patterns.  Thanks to this article and this chart I learned that grading a pattern to the correct size isn't as daunting a task as I thought!

First I looked and the pattern pieces that needed adjusting.

Then I slashed the pattern pieces according to the directions in the article.

I took out the excess by removing the designated amount and taped the pieces together.

Then I traced the pieces, straightening out any lines that were distorted by the grading.

I made a muslin of the bodice and found that it fit perfectly.

I love the dresses of the 1950's but there are features in them that I'm not particularly fond of--most notably side zippers and metal zippers.  Most of these dresses aren't lined.  So while I was making a vintage reproduction of sorts, I chose to convert the side zipper on the pattern to the center back and to use a modern invisible zipper.  I also chose to fully line the dress with Bemberg rayon lining.   At a glance, the dress has a vintage look and some vintage details however.  I was very pleased with the final result.

Close up of bodice:

Bodice back with invisible zipper:

Some of the vintage details I kept:

Fabric covered belt

Thread belt loops

I found it interesting that patterns in this period did not include armhole facings but rather just instruct you to use fabric bias to finish the armholes.

I also covered the waist seam with the fashion fabric.

I was very happy with the end result.  The fit is perfect and I have all the proper accessories to finish off the look!