A 1950's faux fur jacket

I have just finished my first ever project in faux fur. I had anticipated that it would be difficult, but it was actually not hard at all. I followed the suggestions here. My faux fur was a pretty generic short-haired black one and the quality is OK- I bought it really cheap a couple of years ago. I did cut the fur with small snips with scissors, but if I would use a fur with longer hair, then I would cut it with a razor knife. I didn't have any problem with the fabric slipping, but I did pin madly. Again, with longer hair I would baste too.

Turning my eyes to the fifties

This year begun with preparation for the move, then the move itself and right after surgery and then the unpacking. Somewhere along the line I lost my sewing mojo. Easy enough when you are tired and you don't exactly know where your sewing stuff actually are. Well my stuff is finally more or less in order, but I still don't want to sew. Correction, I want to sew badly, I just don't seem to find a project that grips me. Part of that, I know, is because I have gained quite a lot of weight after my surgery, weight that I intend to loose. And it's so fiddly to change historical clothes. I don't want to sew something that complicated that will be too large in 6 months time.

At the same time I have problems with my wardrobe, particulary my skirts, as they don't fit anymore. I gain weight around tummy and hips, and somewhat around my waist- my breasts stays the same. (Thankfully, as I have a HH-cup under any circumstances...). Thóugh I love clothes I hate, hate, hate shopping for them and I don't really have the wallet to renew my wardrobe anyway. What I do have is an awful lot of fabric and a pile of unused Vintage Vogue patterns. During my current bout of sinusitis I have looked through them and my fabric stash and decided to leave the more ancient history for the moment and turn to the 1950's instead. I need new clothes and even if I shrink, they won't be too difficult to change.

I think I'll start with this one:

I have some black fake fur that I think would be neat, and if I interline it with a rather ugly brown wool, then it would be warm enough for spring. Or I may do it brown grey flannel and make a matching dress from this pattern:

I need to do a mock up first, though. I'm not quite sure if my hourglass figure would look good in a sheath dress- perhaps it's a matter of fitting. If it does fit, then I have a nice green wool for another one. It would be easy enough to change the neckline so they wouldn't be exactly alike. And I might do both a fur jacket and a flannel one.

I have a very nice printed cotton in green and yellow that I think would be nice fot this one:

It's a rather dark green, so I plan to make the long sleeved version so I can wear it in winter too. I do have a sheer cotton with blue flowers as well, and again, if I like the pattern, I might do another version of it.

I have a three day weekend coming up and as I have planned to take it very easy and stay at home, I think I will have a go at some new clothes. I badly need something to ´feel pretty in, I have felt so dowdy and dull all autumn!

Blue 1950's dress

I finally got a decent picture of my blue 1950’s dress.

It’s a Vintage Vogue pattern and I’m quite pleased with it. I made it when I was bridesmaid for my sister, but I was running out of time and omitted the sleeves for that occasion.

When I wore it first I just have one of those “slimming” bodices underneath and a petticoat. Actually one of my mother’s 50’s petticoats.  Last time I wore it I had an underbust corset underneath, which improved the fit vastly, and I didn’t laced down much. I think that may be because the pattern is from the 50’s and back then women did wear foundation garments and the patterns naturally reflected that.
And here are a few other pics. I felt very pretty that evening and I think the photos reflect that.