DIY Vintage Fashion

  • Remembering WWII – Outfits

    Last week I posted about the Remembering WWII event I attended in Linden, TN the end of September. I had allotted myself a month to sew costumes for this event, and after some trials and a lot of last minute… Continue reading

  • September Tutorial – How to Sew in 15 minutes a 1950s Scarf and Holder

    Last week, when I posted about my Labor Day outfit, I showed you the skirt and matching 1950s style scarf and holder I had made. Now I'm going to tell you how to make a scarf like it – perfect… Continue reading

  • Going Western for Labor Day, Dotty Style

      After working through a bunch of 1940s sewing projects in preparation for attending a reenactment – including an elaborate-for-me cocktail dress using some very slippery crepe-back satin that was a pain to work with – I found I still had enough… Continue reading

  • 1950s Candy Striped Dress

    Quite by accident, here's another striped dress to show you – this time from the 1950s.   This is one of my earliest sewing projects when I started sewing with vintage patterns – in fact it has one short French… Continue reading

  • The Polka Dot Project – 1940s Dress

    My latest installment in my Polka Dot Project – after making a 1940s 2 piece outfit, a New Look dress, and a 1950s dress among others – was to jump back to the 1940s using a pattern long on my to-do list.… Continue reading

  • My 1930s Summer Housedress

    Just to prove I have been sewing with something other than polka dots recently, here are pictures of my late 1930s housedress made to fill a gap in my wardrobe.   I wanted something in a dark print (so the… Continue reading

  • August Tutorial – Make Your Own 1940s Seamed Nylons

    This month's tutorial is courtesy of my sister Elsie, who came up with the idea and did the models.   One must for authentic 1940s costumes are seamed nylons, since stockings then were made with a seam up the back.… Continue reading

  • The Polka Dot Project – Green 1950s Dress

    My latest Polka Dot Project used an all-over pin dot cotton fabric I got at JoAnn a long time ago and had this pattern paired with for almost a year before it finally became reality.   It's a slender style… Continue reading

  • My Blue Striped Pre-Rationing Dress

    After plowing through a few semi-difficult sewing projects, I wanted something easy and quick. I also felt like I should be making a dent in the trial versions of some of the outfits I have lined up to make for… Continue reading

  • The Polka Dot Project – 1950s Dress

    Continuing to work on what I call my Polka Dot Project – adding polka dots to my wardrobe – I have been enjoying so much this versatile print. I used larger dots on a heavy fabric for my 1940s skirt,… Continue reading