Making a 1910s velvet jacket

Hello guys! It's kinda unusual for me to write so many post in a month but I have a lot of new creations to share! As told in the previous posts I have been gifted with two of the Butterick Retro patterns last August. I made the 1912 dress and then I focused myself on the jacket, as shown in Butterick #6108. The envelope shows two different jacket options with different collar and cuffs, plus it contains a chemisette and a skirt. I omitted the skirt for now since I plan to wear it over a dress. The chemisette can always been added as detachable collar in a second moment. 

Some words about the pattern. The pattern is designed to be worn over a skirt (included) and a light blouse or just the chemisette since it's kinda fitted. The chemisette is big enough to be shown when wearing the jacket and cover the bust BUT choosing it means you cannot take the jacket off. I decided to omit the chemisette and choose a bigger size (a 14 in my case) to be able to wear the jacket with a dress or a blouse underneath. IF you'd like to wear just the chemisette, choose a smaller size. 

After this preface, the rest is really straightforward. The jacket has a very few pieces (front, sides and back) plus collars and cuffs. That's all. Smaller ladies may shorten the jacket a bit but for the rest it fits perfectly. I just had to shorten and widen the sleeves (which are too tight to fit over a dress) and this is the only alteration I made. 

I had the same purple velvet of the pattern cover in my stash. Purple doesn't offer so many combinations so I won't be able to wear it with all my Teens dress but it's a good excuse to make a black outfit, no? The cuffs and the collar are made with black worsted wool (purchased) and the whole thing is lined with black lining I had in the stash. The lining pieces were remnants of a previous project (a cloak I suppose) and I was really happy to use them and make room in my stash. 

Cuffs and collar are interfaced to hang properly. 

The construction was really easy. I didn't take photos of it, I'm really sorry. The jacket came together so quickly that I forgot to grab my phone and document the process until this morning, when I put the jacket on the dress form. It just needs a good press here and there and the sleeves are just basted. The hem is still missing and so the front closure. 

The velvet is really soft and changes colour when moving, a delight! The wool collar is so warm and so the cuffs. 

And that's all for now! Of course I'll have a proper photoshoot with the finished jacket. 

Thanks for reading! 

1912 purple dress: worn and loved!

Hello guys! In my previous post I talked about my new 1912 purple dress, all made of cotton using a Butterick #6093 pattern. Now that I made and wore the dress twice I can say I totally LOVE how it turned out! 

But let's take a breath and start from the beginning. 

As anticipated, this pattern as some fitting issues. The chart is purely indicative, the skirts are really tight so go ahead and plan to use at least 1 size bigger than yours. I ended in enlarging them of 10 cm to fit comfortable. Maybe they're a little too large but now but at last I can move in them without risking to rip the seams off! 

The bodice has also lot of ease in it. My suggestion is to measure yourself from side seam to side seam across bust at front and back and choose the best size. I used a size 12 for the front and size 6 for the back so yeah, measuring is totally necessary. The bottom of the bodice is then machine gathered to fit. Gathers can also avoided but you will need to use some math and draft a new bodice. 

A mock-up is strongly recommended, do not skip this step. Despite that, the dress went together really easily and straightforward. 

I used some black cotton in my stash to make collar and cuffs. They're both interfaced. 

I also pleated the skirts at front and back and added two more pleats in the upper part of the overskirt. The pattern calls for two overskirts for view A which in my opinion are a waste of fabric; if you have enough go ahead and add the other one and ignore my words, but if you don't have enough yardage skip it: the dress will look great the same and it will lighter to wear! For sure you don't have to skip the underskirt. 

I also shortened the upper part of the skirt about 3.5 cm to fit my body shape better simply folding the pattern and tracing a straight line onto the fabric. 

Now the best part: I have a zipper! Yes, you read it: my dress closes with an invisible zipper. I hate sewing hooks and eyes AND with the last 1912 I had some problems in dressing by my own. So I didn't bother about accuracy and inserted a discreet zipper in the left side seam of the dress. So easy!

The belt has the last step. It is interfaced and decorated with a bow. It closes with hooks and eyes. 

The dress is worn over chemise, corset and petticoat and a lace shirt. I'm planning combinations asap. I completed the look with vintage accessories and hat. 

And that's all! The whole thing took about a week to be completed, all by machine and serger. The only hand stitched parts are the black cuffs and the black bias tape in the overskirt. I sew for others and I work on my projects just when I have the time so I would say this dress would take about 2-3 days to be completed on a normal schedule. 

I'm so happy with this dress, it's comfy to wear aaaaand I didn't have to shorten the skirts: they were of my exact length! Yay! Plus, they're not super long so I don't have to keep them up while walking. It's definitely one of my favourite costumes ever.