Neckline Styles Part I

By Mary Beth, RetroMonkeys

When choosing a pattern, there are many variables to consider. Necklines are one. We all hear the different terms for neckline styles. Some we have never heard of at all. Below are some sketches and descriptions of several necklines that you might choose for work, play, or evening wear along with some patterns showing the featured necklines.

This first selection includes some of the most basic necklines. The jewel neckline was very widely used in the 1950's and 1960's. It was an essential element of the demure dress.

Here are a few examples of the Jewel Neckline

Left to Right: 

Simplicity 5702 by  McCall's 7001 by ViennasGrace Vogue 7611 by AllThePreciousThings

                                  

Next is the V Neckline. From dresses to tops, the V neck Can be plain, ruffled, high or deep. 

Left to Right:

Butterick 3731 by MBChills            McCall's 3045 by Virtual Vintage     Butterick 4456 by HeyChica

Cardigan Necklines can be found on some shirtwaist dresses as well as, to state the obvious, cardigan sweaters.

Left to Right:

   McCall 6008 by DesignRewind          McCall's 6583 by PatternShop        Advance 8645 by Jantiki

Slit Neckline A popular alternative for decades! Especially popular during the 1970's on Caftans, Dashikis and Tunics.

   Simplicity 1375                Simplicity 5043                 Advance 9336                     Vogue 7808
by RetroMonkeys                by ErikaWithaK             by Paneenjerez                    by CaliforniaSunset  


U Neckline A basic fashion. The U can be deep or shallow. Deep U necklines are seen in jumpers.

       Butterick 6009                      Simplicity 2948             DuBarry 5793                       Simplicity 8626
        MaddieMod                     MonkeyandFriends         SewBettyandDot                     AdeleBeeAnn  

Stay tuned for more neckline styles!

Can These Patterns Be Any More Awkward?

Here's to a new month and a friendly reminder to always check our pattern placement! Thanks to Lynda from All the Precious Things for providing these gems!

Arrows are Always a good idea! 

So are large dangling bowling pins, no matter what they dangle from.

 FEATURED SHOP

Lynda Slade, from allthepreciousthings  

For those of you who don’t know me, this will be an introduction, and for those that have known me online (or met me in person), it’s a little bit more about my world.

My name is Lynda, and I live in Sydney, Australia. I started selling vintage sewing patterns here on Etsy in 2009, but my dual love affair with all things Vintage and Sewing has been going on for as long as I can remember.

Puttering around my Great Grandparent’s home in the Blue Mountains (near Sydney) was one of my earliest memories. To a small child, it seemed like the house was filled with beautiful antiques and vintage curiosities – some of  which, I’ve inherited. My Grandmother’s sewing room was a favourite place to spend the day, watching her sew, and playing with her buttons, fabrics and ric rac. My mother taught me to sew as a child, and I still sew most of my own wardrobe.

Just before I started here on Etsy, I discovered the thrill of “Op Shopping”, or “thrifting” as those in the US refer to it. Since then, I’ve started buying PILES of vintage patterns, most of which I sell through my shop, allthepreciousthings

What started as a hobby has now become a small business, which has actually worked out very well for my unusual family situation.

My husband and I have been married for 28 years, and we have a son, 21 and a daughter, 19. Our daughter is severely autistic, has virtually no spoken language and has Epilepsy and a myriad of behaviour issues. I work part time in Sydney’s CBD at a breast cancer clinic, but my hours there are getting shorter and shorter because of my carer responsibilities at home. In 2011, my husband was diagnosed with Leukaemia, and has had months in and out of hospital with treatment including chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. He is currently in remission, 1 year after his transplant.

Working from home, therefore, has become more and more important, as I snatch little pockets of “free” time when things are quiet.

Visits to the op shops are necessary for the shop, but also therapeutic.

Part of that therapy involves vintage collections.

Current collections:  (See photos below)

-vintage patterns

-vintage sewing books

-vintage Australian Home Journal magazines

-vintage buttons

-vintage fabric

-depression glass (clear, pink and green).

-vintage Pyrex (1950s-1970s)

-vintage sewing machines

I love admiring the things in my collection, but I also USE them!

Thanks for reading about me :)

1950s Fridor Stitchmaster Merino

by Linda of AllThePreciousThings

I fell in love with this machine, as soon as I saw it on ebay. The clean lines, the “atomic style” shape, unlike any other machine I’d seen before.

 I bid, I bought, and for under $100 (including interstate postage), she was mine.

The machine comes in its own little suitcase, decked out with leather straps inside to hold the pedal, the extension table and a cute little bakelite box of attachments. I spent a day cleaning her (the suitcase was full of rat droppings), and enlisted my husband’s help with the mechanical and lubrication side of things. With the machine up and running, I’ve now had time to “play”, and have even made my first project on her – a gored linen skirt.

If, like me, “Fridor” is a name you haven’t yet encountered in the world of sewing machines, you’re not alone. There aren’t many to be had in Australia, and I think I was lucky to get this one. It was designed in Switzerland, and manufactured in Holland.

Like driving a European car, there are many features that I found to be the opposite of what I’m used to in Australia. To switch the light on, it must be flicked up (not down), the stitch length lever goes up for forward, and down for reverse, and the needle threads left to right (not front to back). I’m prepared to live with these little idiosyncrasies, however, because the machine has so many design features that I love. 

Removing the motor cover reveals that there are TWO belts driving the machine; probably the reason that the machine never seems to “stall”. The extension table is HUGE compared to other machines, giving a nice flat work area. The bobbin winder is on the side of the machine, and is simple to use. 

The motor is quiet, and runs smoothly. It’s a seriously good - looking machine – even the foot pedal is attractive!

Dropping the feed-dogs is as simple as flicking a lever.

For a simple, straight-stitching machine, it has quite an array of extra feet. So far, I’ve tested the narrow hemming foot (lovely results), 

but I have to say that the spring-loaded darning foot is my absolute favourite. It’s going to make free-motion quilting a real delight!

My machine has quite a few bumps and scratches, and the wooden base definitely needs repainting. The dilemma is this: do I leave her as is, and keep her “pure”, or do I strip her down, and re-paint with a glossy new coat of enamel in a fabulous colour…..peach? pink?……what about turquoise?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

My First Experience with Lutterloh

Dip your toe into the vintage pattern world and a name that comes up in whispered awe is Lutterloh. (At least that's how it felt to me) Imagine my surprise when I realized I actually had a kit in my possession! In a recent pattern dilemma I decided to break it out and see if this system was all it's cracked up to be. I noticed a few things right off the bat.

1. No directions. You better know how to put a garment together cause all your getting is pictures of the finished piece.

2. No fabric recommendations other than the picture.

3. No yardage suggestions. Since you are drafting to your size and we're all uniquely proportioned people this makes sense but you better have some idea of how much fabric your design is going to take.

4. No seam allowances. If you use Burda you're probably already used to this. If not, remember to add them so you get the correct fit.

5. My Lutterloh is in metric. I'm an American. The rest of the world is good to go but for those of us in the US make sure you can convert your measurements into metric. Don't freak out if you triple in size. :)

So let's take a look. First you pull out a tape measure that looks nothing like any tape measure you've ever seen before.

 Then you stick a pin in the tiny hole next to either your Bust/Chest or Hip measurement depending on which article of clothing you are drafting. I think this is especially nice for those of us with differing tops and bottoms. You can draft the bodice section one size and the skirt section another, helping you achieve a better fit.

But wait! I'm getting ahead of myself! First you want to choose your design!! Feast your eyes on these beauties.

From the personal collection of All The Precious Things

1950s Supplement

The neat thing about this being a drafting system is that any design can be made for any person. Really like those kid's shorts? No problem! Using this magic tape measure everything will come out your size!

So, once you find your design you flip the little paper over and tada! You have your pattern pieces!

Front, shown on left side, shows the design. Back, shown on right,
gives you the pattern pieces to enlarge.

Here's a shot of the sleeve I drafted. I found it easiest to draw this on my cork board. First trace the tiny pattern piece then, pivot the tape, mark the dots, then play connect the dots and TaDa! You have a pattern piece. I'm warning you it gets a bit addicting!

Tracing of the tiny drawing in the middle of the actual size sleeve!

Have I piqued your interest yet? Now as amazing as the Lutterloh system is, it can be pricy to buy into, especially if you're not sure about it, which is why I'd like to introduce you to Embonpoint Vintage.....

Mens Smoking Jacket

1934 Dress

1956 Dress I love her pudding!

She has carefully cleaned and adjusted vintage patterns she has scavenged from old books that work on a similar drafting system. Better yet she offers them in Plus Size ranges so all of us can join in the fun! Her patterns come as a PDF file so there's no need to trace all those tiny diagrams, you can just reprint them! I'm in love with several items in her shop...

Lovely 1950s Dress

I really like these shorts! Remember you can draft to your size!

So how did my first garment turn out? Wonderfully! You can read all about it on my personal blog since there's not much vintage about it except the pattern...
This isn't a cure all though. If you usually have to do pattern alterations to get a good fit you will still have to do that. The nice thing is you are already drafting the pattern so you have plenty of paper to draw you changes on too. I still had to rotate the bust darts to get the correct fit on my top but it was much easier than working with a commercial pattern.

What do you think? Does it sound interesting? Have you ever tried Lutterloh or a similar drafting system?