My, it's been a while since I posted a 1950s project. For some reason this year I have mostly gravitated towards the 1930s and 1940s when I am drawn to a fabric or pair it with a pattern.

I picked up 2 yards of a brown vintage polka dot polyester knit at the local thrift store a few weeks ago. I'm pretty sure it's from the 1970s, and I'm not usually a fan of 1970s polyester. At all. But this one was polka dot, and I DO have a weakness for that print. Plus it was just a couple of dollars, so into my cart it went (along with some nicer pieces of fabric which I have plans for already!)

One good thing about this type of fabric (along with the fact that it doesn't fray) is that it is easy care and can take a lot of wear-and-tear, so I decided to whip up an everyday skirt.

Because the fabric looks 1970s, I wanted to make the skirt as obviously different in decade as possible, so instead of going with a simple A line skirt or something similar, I chose a side buttoning skirt off of a 1950s dress pattern I have, and added a large pocket with a scalloped decorative flap from a house dress pattern from the same decade.

I like the flare, and the pocket does really help make it look 1950s, I think.

Because this fabric doesn't press well, I double top stitched the pocket, and just did a narrow top stitched hem. 

The top few buttons actually are functional buttons, but the rest are sewn on through both layers. No need to make extra buttonholes I'll never use! The top button (which you can't see here) is also sewn on for decoration, after a long struggle to try to get the thick waistband under my buttonhole foot. I ended up defeated and closed the waistband with a hook and eye.

The corduroy I used for the pocket flap is a little whiter than the off-white dots in the print, but I realized that too late to care; and anyway, since it's an everyday skirt I wasn't taking too many pains with it. I had a bit of trouble figuring out how the pocket was supposed to be placed and slanted, but ended up with something I liked. The whole thing took only a few hours to make.

It IS nice, I admit, to use a fabric with a bit of stretch in it. The extra give in fit makes it very comfortable to wear. I will have to get used to making sure my pocket is empty, though, before I wash the skirt – because I am not used to wearing clothes with pockets!

I have a few brown skirts that I wear a lot, but this one is a different shade. A friend called it "gingerbread" colored, and that's exactly what shade it is! Which makes it ideal for fall fashion.

It is also the perfect style to wear with my other Rocket Original's 1950s reproduction sweater set! This is my favorite – the rich claret color is so, so pretty. I think it will pair well with a lot of skirt colors, and looks very autumnal as well as potentially perfect for the holidays. 

It's the same in fit, quality, and style as the gray version I showed you earlier – but in a different color combo, which I just love.

The light colored arrows are more noticeable than the black ones, I think. I enjoy the way they interact when the cardigan is worn.

We have enjoyed a spectacular, long autumn here, and when I was hanging up laundry one day I noticed the beautiful, thick carpet of yellow leaves  in my back yard. I wanted to take advantage of them while they lasted.

They are the perfect backdrop to the burgundy of the sweater set, and the overall fall colors of this outfit. 

My hair was on its 2nd day of curl set, but behaved pretty well. I actually enjoyed the longer, looser style of the more relaxed curls, for the most part.

I will be interested to find out how versatile these pieces are when worn with other separates, this fall and winter. I love making and wearing dresses, but often gravitate toward separates for everyday wear.

So I think my first experiment with 1970s knit has turned out fairly successful. I doubt I will repeat it often, but expect to get a lot of wear out of this sturdy skirt. Which in trade for a few dollars and hours of time, should be a good investment.