Wiggle Wonder

While I don't watch Mad Men you'd have to be a blind sewing blogger not to realize it's influence and I too was bit by the wiggle dress bug last December.

Everyone needs a hot pink corduroy wiggle dress to brighten a winter's day, right?

You can see more pictures of my dress and my construction notes in this blog post.

I used Butterick 7434 and it was a fun experience. You only had to use one pattern piece to make this jumper. All the shaping was done with the darts. I enjoyed this novel experience and learned a new method of construction using this pattern.
Vintage styles like these are great because it is easier to adapt it to our modern ungirdled, uncorseted bodies. Add a tad extra seam allowance to center front and back and take smaller darts and we still have a sleek dress without a bunch of redrafting. It also gives you more wiggle room with the size you buy ;) They are also a super quick make!
So I took a cruise around our Etsy shops to see if I could find anything similar for you all!

Dress with POCKETS!!

Oh this one does have raglan sleeves but it makes up for it with these pockets and a cute bow belt. I still wonder if I need a belt with mine...

Fancy!

This Vogue has a fabulous little cropped jacket with it! Anyone daring enough to wear that hat with it?

Basic or with options.

If you aren't into V necks, this has a lovely round neck with collar options. You can also add sleeves with this pattern.

There are lots of other ways to get that hip hugging wiggle silhouette and you can find them by searching keywords like sheath dress, wiggle dress, pencil skirt or slim skirt. 

Confess now, have you made yourself a wiggle dress? Which pattern did you use?

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?