The It Girl-Prairie Dress

                                                        by Amy from ViennasGrace

Finding fashionable everyday gals, everywhere I go. I have always noticed what women wear, how they put things together, and what makes some fashions work. Looking at the fabric, the cut, and the everyday fashion changes. Always in the back of my mind I'm thinking, I could make that, I have that pattern! I will talk to anyone and if they let me take their photo they might just end up here because they got IT right. Let's see what the everyday gal is spotted wearing this time.

Call it a prairie dress, baby doll, gingham pull-on, a granny dress,  it's a look I see everywhere. When the prairie dress is done right the ease and comfort of the style is just as comfy as the dress itself. I spotted this IT girl, wearing a soft buttery yellow print simple dress with mild front and back pleats. Perfect afternoon style at Avila Valley Barn in Avila, California. As she passed through the chicken coop, she was happy to pose for a quick photo for me. Her whole look was just perfect, down to the peek of the eyelet on her white socks, and her perfect girlish suede combat boots. Sadly, I was in a rush to catch up with my kids before they fed the lettuce to the "DO NOT FEED" donkey, I didn't get her name, but told her the blog address, hope this IT girl stops by. 

You might be thinking, this isn't what comes to mind when thinking of a prairie dress. Maybe you visualize a traditional Gunne Sax dress, or a ruffled edge skirt? This IT girl in her easy fit dress with a gathered skirt dropping from the yoke style bodice mimics a classic pinafore. Add the classic calico print and voila, prairie dress. It says, I shop organic, recycle, hand craft items and rescue animals. Love those gals! It also says, I am aware of style trends that those uber cool country music girls are wearing and what is in the closet of most Austin Texas fashionistas. I do love Austin! I wondered could I recreate this IT girl look at home? So off to my multi-era closet for a peak.
I pulled out a floral print no fit empire waist dress with a broomstick skirt from 1990's. Not quite the calico print that I was looking for, but it will work great in a pinch. I pressed out the crinkly broomstick skirt to give it a more updated look. Called on my lovely assistant Tallulah the dress form, added a cute pair of combat style boots. For that little show of sock I made a pair of boot socks from the lacy knit sleeves of a pink cashmere sweater that had a little mishap thanks to my sweet husband doing laundry one weekend. Now since Tallulah is without an important accessory, like a head, I added this vintage grey wool Pendleton fedora that I picked up recently from a nearby thrift shop for $1.00.  Plus who doesn't love a grey fedora? 

       Tallulah was so nice to get dressed up and pose for me since, she had no need to do her hair, put on makeup or shave her legs.  I on the other hand would need to do all three, and frankly, Tallulah has never been much of a photographer.

But even a better idea, I could recreate this dress to the exact fabric of choice, by finding a quick and easy sewing pattern. This dress with it's few pattern pieces and no fit style is a perfect choice for even a newby sewist. Take a look at the diagram of the pieces for Butterick 4912-Fast & Easy-this dress has a dropped waistline. If you leave off the pockets and bow (which I would highly recommend) you only have 5 pattern pieces.

ladydiamond46 Butterick 4912

I love this one, I think it's a near perfect match

Check out the pattern piece diagram, only 6 pattern pieces. 

This is a really fast & easy pattern.

omasbricabrac Butterick 3356

Here is another great pattern, getting the idea, pattern pieces are few and they all have about the same type of construction.  This one is a Butterick Classics plus a Fast & Easy Pattern.

                                        retromonkeys Butterick 4333                           

And another great example, easy to sew too. A different back and a sleeveless style, see how it looks like a pinafore?

paneenjerez Simplicity 8136

If it's an empire, natural or dropped waist style, the basic pattern pieces and instructions are going to be very similar, with some sleeve and bodice variations.  Conquer one of these easy fit dresses, and you can quickly have a prairie dress of your own.

denisecraft Vogue 2006

PrettyPatternShop McCall's 8157

Here is an Etsy treasury of more patterns all from the Pattern Patter Team

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THIS TREASURY ON ETSY

I was so inspired from my own closet finds, that I made a treasury featuring sewing patterns from the Pattern Patter team along with some other great items available on Etsy. Hope this helps to give you ideas to complete your own floral print prairie dress with the fun combat boots, and of course a vintage hat to complete your look. I even added the option to make your own hat, how cool would that be?

So the conclusion to creating this IT girl look, I think the best option....go sew IT girl!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THIS TREASURY ON ETSY

June Trends Alert

by Amy of ViennasGrace

Gucci spring/summer 2013

Elie Saab did it and so did Ralph Lauren, a big summer fashion trend that is showing up from ready to wear to high end fashion, ruffles. Sometimes as a dramatic flounce flowing down a caftan, an asymmetric jabot placed perfectly on a one shoulder blouse, or feminine ruffles spinning around a soft tiered floral skirt.

Ralph Lauren spring/summer 2013

We see the changes in the use of ruffles throughout the decades in our sewing patterns. In the 1940s an 

off the shoulder blouse or sundress frequently had a single or double ruffled neckline. Late 50s and early 60s used ruffles more as a trim, showing up on collars or finishing off hem lines. The 70s disco scene had a great look, using soft cascading waves down the front of a wrap dress. Let’s not forget the 1980s use of ruffles, blouses adorned with high neck jabots and the multi tiered skirts seen on numerous prom dresses and bridal gowns.

Top row CherryCorners Butterick 3511, AdeleBeeAnnPatterns Butterick 4801, CloesCloset Vogue 2218, retromonkeys Simplicity 1628

Bottom row Vogue 6403, allthepresiousthings Vogue 6229, RomasMaison McCall's 4269, DesignRewindFashions Vogue 9667

So as the peak of summer is nearly here, keep the fashion savvy seamstress in mind. She won’t be shopping in the high dollar designer stores, She will be hunting for the latest summer trends in all our lovely vintage patterns. Use your listing descriptions and tags creatively so she can easily find that special blouse with rows of ruffles and that perfect glamorous party dress with a flounce.

Let's Promenade Part Three

by Sew Betty and Dot

Are you ready to dance the night away? Let’s go!

Part One and Part Two took us from the beginning of prom to the 1960s. Today we'll start with the 70s and end up with today's styles.

Enter the 1970s: peasant-style dresses (Young Edwardian, anybody?), ruffled necklines and hems, and prints were popular. Many girls wore their hair long and loose.

McCall's 4821: Sandmarg

Simplicity 9259: BunnysLuck

And then: Disco! Slinky gowns, halter tops or one-shouldered dresses, and feathered hair were the rage for most…

McCall’s 5360, the Infinite Dress: DesignRewindFashions

McCall’s 5371: CaliforniaSunset

McCall’s 6396: RetroMonkeys

The 1980s were all about BIG: poufy sleeves, poufy skirts, poufy bows, and poufy hair (teased bangs!). The extravagant wedding dress worn by Princess Diana (designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel) in 1981 influenced formal wear: large sleeves, layers of ruffles, and bows. Satin was a favorite fabric choice, often in bright colors, and shorter dresses with dropped waists and bubble skirts. In my Lexington, Kentucky, high school, Gunne Sax was a popular choice. 

Simplicity 6235: The HalfHouse

Butterick 4801: AdeleBeeAnn

McCall’s 3172: RetroWithLana

Style 4746: RosesPatternTreasury

And we’ll stop here on this frock-filled trip down memory lane. Since the 1990s, girls have followed trends but also expressed themselves in tuxedos, vintage dresses, even duct tape dresses. This year, it looks like strapless or one-shouldered column dresses are on trend, and I’m seeing a lot of sweetheart necklines.

Finally, here I am (yikes!) in various dresses for various dances (my high school had a Christmas formal as well as prom). My mom made all of them except for the peach dress—which  was a Gunne Sax, actually, and was repurposed by removing the straps and altering the ruffles for another dance a year or two later. 

Do you have a favorite prom era?