SHANNON'Sdresses

1940sdress

May 2010

I LOVE this dress. It was made from a genuine 70-odd year old pattern which I bought off the internet - at Etsy to be exact - it's a fantastic online shop. Neither the pattern packet nor the instruction booklet however say exactly what year it is from, although from my judgement I would guess the very early 40s.

I really enjoyed making this dress, and it is also very comfortable, but as always there were a few hiccups, especially with the belt. I must have remade the belt about four times - it took me ages to figure out from the instructions exactly what I was supposed to do. And in the end it didn't even turn out that great. It could have done with another layer of interfacing at least, as it doesn't sit stiff and flat against the tummy. And I think also because of this when I used ribbon to tie the belt together it didn't sit flat at all - so I hunted around for something metal and circular to use instead and found an old brass bangle that I never wear, so I just threaded that inside instead. Still not perfect though. And as you can see from the photo, I didn't quite manage to line up the belt attachment with the insert in the back of the dress at the side seams. I think it's because I did a bit of guesswork when it came to ironing and sewing seam allowances, so, my fault.

The buttonholes are hand-sewn, which I was quite happy with, and I'm also getting quite good at inserting side zips. I also learnt an interesting new way to construct a collar and lapel, but I don't actually think it's the easiest. But there is only one thing I'd change if I ever made this dress again, which I would like to - I'll get rid of the belt altogether!