Sewing 50's Styles on My 1952 Singer Featherweight Sewing Machine
Sewing these colorful little cotton skirts is so fast and so rewarding! I’m suddenly caught up in it! So I have just finished another one! Again, size 3T, for the three year old princess Mademoiselle Coco who loves pink and loves twirly skirts! I am loving them so much that I am going to make myself one as soon as I finish the Princess Wow concert dresses!
I’m whipping these up out of leftover fabric from other bigger projects.
Hot Off the Press Today ~ Three Different Cotton Prints & and Five Yards of Rick~Rack! Size 3T
Here is today’s creation! Amazingly, it required two full packages of Rick~ Rack! For a child’s skirt ~ size 3T. That impresses me as a lot of Rick~Rack. I don’t know what to expect when I make an adult’s dress! But I can tell you that I intend to use a lot of the stuff as I love the effect! It is crisp, fresh and decorative! But it is not cheap! The wide stuff ~ called Jumbo, is $4.99 for a package of 2.5 yds. and the Medium is $2.99 ~ so this small skirt contains $8 worth of Rick ~ Rack, $1.50 of elastic, two spools of thread, and the fabric which I cannot really cost out as I used left overs. When I make it again I will calculate the yardage and price it out. It is important to know how much a project is going to cost to make.
People used to sew to save money, but nowadays it is actually quite expensive. You just get to make exactly what you want and get a perfect fit. Those are the advantages. Fabrics and trimmings have gone way up in prices. Of course fuel prices effect these costs as well. Sometimes I take apart old clothes and reuse the fabric and buttons, and other parts in new creations. I actually really enjoy doing that at times.
Two Twirly Skirts
Here are the two little pink twirly skirts I have made for Coco over the weekend. Both pink, of course! And super cute.
What’s in that pink heart box? A little bumble bee tea set! A tiny teapot, 4 little cups and saucers. and a sugar and creamer. Yes, I will probably photograph it and post it soon.
These would be the perfect skirts to wear for an Easter tea party! I will have to get cooking.
Pink and Green the Ultimate Preppy Combo!
Here’s a close up of the other skirt. It’s a full circle. The bows are removable for washing and ironing or can be taken off and untied and worn to tie the hair back in a pony tail.
Yesterday I read that in the 1950’s ~ 52 million sewing patterns were sold! And that 50 million women and girls in the US were sewing on a regular basis! They were making clothing for themselves, their children and their families. And making curtains, slipcovers and pillows and so on for decorating their homes. That sounds like domestic bliss to me!
The majority of patterns sold were for women’s dresses. And were they ever pretty! Super full skirts, based on Dior’s New Look, nipped in waists. Bright beautiful prints and solid colors, crinolines, hats, and high heels! I would have been in heaven! So lovely and so inspiring!
What would happen now if 50 million American women suddenly started making the majority of their own clothes again? Would everyone look pretty? I think so! Would shopping malls with store upon store of ready made go out of business? Or collapse? Hopefully!
Personally, I love the old styles and I love the old patterns. I look at Vogue Patterns Catalogue for the Vintage Vogue Pattern reissues every time I am in a sewing store. And I have bought some on eBay as well. But now that I know the statistics I wonder where all the original 1950’s patterns are?
I want to discover a warehouse full and make them all! Tell me if you know of one! Seriously!
