1940s 4th of July Dress

You've already seen the little girl dresses I made for the 4th of July, so now it's time to show you my 4th of July dress for this year!

I have so many blue dresses and such a big stack of blue fabric, that it's quite easy to find something suitable for patriotic apparel. This year I decided to use this gorgeous large floral from the Mona fabric line called Dwell – one of my favorites, and it's now starting to go on clearance so I snagged some.

I broke out a pre-war pattern I haven't made for years. I've made this twice in striped fabric before, so this has quite a different look.

I made the collarless version this time, mostly because with the extreme July heat we had forecasted, I had no interest in having extra fabric around my neck.

The same thing went for the sleeves. I wanted something cooler than the elbow sleeves that came with the pattern, so I substituted these cap sleeves from another 1940s pattern.

I had never made a sleeve quite like this, but I rather like it! I think it gives it a very 1940s look too.

The pattern said to bind the edge, but I cut a wide facing instead, using the sleeve piece as a pattern. That way I didn't have to worry about wrinkles or warping of the shaped edge.

I chose a contrast tie belt. It's nice to have the look of a belt, without the actual extra bulk at the waist.

This style does mean that I need to have a good fit, because I can't just cover up deficiencies by slapping on a belt, but there is a bit of adjustability too.

I had to take some width out of the skirt to fit it on the pattern pieces, but it still has a nice flare.

The vintage buttons I had picked up for $.50 years ago at a favorite thrift store in PA, when we were on vacation, and I finally found the perfect project for them.

It was a fun project, comfortable for summer, and I love the bold floral. I have this same floral yardage in navy that I have plans for soon! I got both colors because I couldn't decide which I liked best.