Vintage Fabric

Having lived through the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and the aughts, I can tell you that nothing defines a period more clearly than the fabric. Sure, we all want to use that vintage pattern, and some of them are really evocative of their era. But a straight skirt is a straight skirt in any era. And so, to create something vintage, you have to have the fabric.

This piece screams 70s. In what other era would you find plisse (this is a chemically treated fabric that puckers like seersucker) in a diagonal orange yellow and green print? I even have patterns in my shop that call for diagonal print fabric. I have to wonder what this was intended for. Pajamas? A dress? In any case, it's a wild piece that is really, really fun. From the way it wrinkled in the dryer, it's obviously 100 per cent cotton so I'm guessing nightwear was its intended use. I think I'd have trouble sleeping!

Or how about this piece? It's 36 inches wide which is a big clue. But it is also in the penultimate colors of the 1950s, aqua and navy blue. (The ultimate color of the 1950s would have to be pink.) I have a set of Fashion Frocks cards from the 1950s and these are the most popular colors by far. This gorgeous piece is obviously 100 per cent cotton (as were almost all cottons of that period). You can just see this one in a gorgeous tailored blouse or perhaps sheath dress.

 These two pieces of fabric are a pretty good contrast between an era of extremely good taste and one that was characterized by extremes and loud fashion statements. I loved them both.


I'll be listing these fabrics and more in my Etsy vintage shop called Coconut Cake.

Why Vintage Patterns are Cooler

So why are vintage patterns cooler than modern patterns? Let me count the ways. Older patterns came from an era when you could and would try absolutely any technique while sewing. There were patterns for everything from gloves to hats to tailored suits to fur coats. Fabric was way cheaper and available in more variety, patterns were cheaper, and there were no folks in third world countries making blouses and with tucks and ruffles for a song. It actually paid to make your own clothes. Now, a home sewer has to really want to do it, because you can find something to fabulous to wear at Ross or or any department store's sale rack for way cheaper than you can make it.
This explains in part why so few people sew today.

Back in my day, some of my friends wore only clothes they (or more usually their mothers) had made. So vintage pattern catalogues were as up to the minute and as comprehensive as they could be. I would pick out a dress in Seventeen magazine and my mom would go to the fabric store to look for a pattern that was close enough to adapt. Try that today. You really could produce a stylish wardrobe at home.

So let's look at example pattern on the left for a tour of some of its cool features. This pattern features French cuffs. How wonderful is that? The pattern called them linked buttons or something like that. But it's a French cuff just like on a man's shirt. This pattern also includes a version with sheer sleeves and underlining. This is something most folks won't bother to try today, but you can make a beautiful garment that way and the full instructions are in this pattern. This pattern also has a optional braid trim and a bias roll collar. I just  adore bias roll collars.

Thank goodness those wonderful patterns are still around and can be found on the Internet. Because if I really, really want to make a  peignoir set this winter, there's a vintage pattern that will show me how to do it.

My First Vintage Project

After months of playing with, counting, drooling over and literally swimming in vintage patterns, it was time. Time for me to make something for myself. I found an amazing piece of cotton fabric at an estate sale and it just looked like a blouse to me. So I went through my stock and found this pattern (Simplicity 4080) from the early 1960s (Mad Men era). This is old sizing so even though I'm fairly small, I used a size 16.

And so here is the result:

I cheated on two things: one, I used an iron-on nylon knit interfacing which just turned out dreamy on the collar. Two, I used a nylon zipper. (I have plenty of vintage metal ones but they're just really heavy for this light fabric). I did zigzag the seams although the original pattern was cut with pinking shears. This would have been easier. I gotta get my pinking shears sharpened.

I was struck by several things. The fit was so beautiful on this pattern. The neckline in the back even has tiny one/eighth inch darts. Four front darts. Two elbow darts on each sleeve. Sweet! As far as alterations, I did discover that for the next project, if I use a size 16 again, I need to narrow the shoulders a bit (for this blouse I will add some small shoulder pads) and, of course, I did shorten the sleeves by two inches. (You read that right. I am a mutant.) I did decide to put the blouse together according to the original instructions even though I would have done a few things very differently. (The zipper in particular). But their way worked fine. And I even learned something about making thread loops (needed to keep that beautiful roll collar in place) from this pattern. I did wonder what women did about finishing the edges of those slash darts at the waist in the front. They are literally only about one eighth inch at the bottom. I zigzagged them which was a poor alternative.

I was really happy with the way this turned out. Of course, some awesome orange polished cotton capris to finish out the outfit would be good. Now to find the awesome orange polished cotton. I just happen to have a suitable pattern at hand.