Wednesday, November 16, 2011

A Polished Day Dress in Twill: Vintage Advance 7111


This quickly became Clara's defining pattern for the season--I've made three and have one left to go. Hancock's has a rack of absolutely beautiful cotton twills right now, in muted jewel colors, and the weight and hand of the fabric is perfect for this softly tailored pattern.


Selling points of this dress include the soft pleats that release from under the collar, the fitted waist, and the dramatic flair of the skirt (great for cello). To fit this tall girl I added half an inch to the bodice, and three inches to the skirt length.


We tacked the 3/4 sleeves on from another 1950s pattern.

You will be seeing this again soon in navy, grape, and forest green . . . .

23 comments:

Polly said...

She looks beautiful!!!

Anna, I wonder if you might like some of my vintage patterns. I'm not using them now...Clara is a vintage 14...if you'd like to give me Bella's size and your size, I will find some and see if you might like them. I have several hundred...I'm cataloguing them, but will not keep them forever....especially when they could be made into beautiful wearable art for your girls.

Kathy said...

Beautiful dress on a beautiful girl....

Leah H said...

So beautiful! Clara is so blessed to have a mom who can tailor her clothes to her lovely tall figure. I was blessed with a sewing mom as well. :)

no spring chicken said...

Wow! The dress is a dream. And I just love a girl who can make a hat look so fab!!

Blessings, Debbie

Rose said...

Now that's a GLH influenced dress! It's lovely on you Clara and I adore the hat.

Shelley said...

Adding sleeves to any pattern is a vast improvement, says this 55-year-old. That dress with boots could be my winter staple as well, but only Clara could pull off the hat as well! Lovely girl.

SewRuthie said...

Very elegant :-)

SmileyLovesSunshine said...

How adorable, I t reminds me of the dresses my mother used to wear in the 60's when I was small. Very modest and feminine!

Kate said...

I look forward to seeing the other dresses!

Anonymous said...

simply beautiful. I love her little cloche as well!

deb meyers

Tracey said...

What a beautiful girl in a beautiful dress.. I'm always amazed at your sewing skills. I can barely sew a straight line.. you have a gift. Lucky girls to have a mother that sews!!

Anna said...

Oh, Polly, that's a yes! If you're sure--I 'll email you with sizes, so excited!

Polly said...

I am sure! Please do send me details (also, on Daisy, I may have a few things for her...?). It is a discredit to my grandmother's memory to not use these patterns and I just have no guarantee that I will ever actually use most of them myself, my finest and noblest intentions notwithstanding. You have a talent and vision that reminds me so much of her.

Rachel said...

That is such a beautiful dress and perfectly compliments Clara's figure.

Erin said...

Gorgeous color! And I think the sleeves really bring it up a notch.

Lisa said...

She looks terrific in it!

Lisateresa

Sew Blessed Maw [Judy] said...

Oh how pretty.. I love it. Happy sewing.

Ruth said...

Such a beautiful,modest dress pattern.I am liking it more and more.

Farrah said...

Bellisimo! Perfect pattern for Clara.

Anonymous said...

What a lovely dress on a lovely young lady! Might I ask how hard is this dress to make? I am in need of a few for weddings, and skirts and cellos aren't always agreeable shall I say.

Anna said...

I would call it an intermediate dress. There's nothing too tricky, but the pleats must be placed precisely so that the turnback front facing will align correctly.

Anonymous said...

Sounds worth a try at least. I make most of my pants and skirts so they are long enough, but I'm short waisted, so I am admittedly lazy about tops. Thanks!

Debra said...

Beautiful- love the hat too!

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