Friday, January 25, 2013

When they sound the last all clear

I had a murder mystery set in 1941 to attend. So of course I needed to make an appropriate outfit. The 40s isn't really my era. The shoulders are a bit too angular and the hair is a bit too tall and they wore snoods. I don't like snoods. There were magnificent hats and coats, but in the record-breaking summer we've been having a hat and coat seemed slightly superfluous.

I looked at a few different dresses and basically chose the one I did out of convenience- it was available as a download. I used the 1940s Swing Dress from Sense and Sensibility. I liked it because it had the 40s look, but not so much that I'd never want to wear it again.

The pattern calls for a fabric with a lot of drape, but I couldn't resist the vintage reproduction cotton prints at Spotlight. I chose one that suits my taste and goes with my current clothes and shoes because I didn't want this dress to just be for dress-ups, I want it to be a regular part of my wardrobe. It didn't occur to me at the time, but choosing a small print was in keeping with the era because small non-directional prints allowed them to get a garment out of less fabric. The pattern suggests a button or brooch to close the gap at the neckline, and when I went though my vintage button stash I found one that matched perfectly.



The dress was fairly easy to sew, but the instructions for the yoke were not easy to follow. After an afternoon tearing my hair out I did some exploring on the internet and found Casey's Swing Dress Sew Along, which had a lovely simple picture tutorial for assembling the yoke. And the order in which she did it made sense, unlike the order described in the instructions.

The dress is designed for ladies with a long torso, and I am not one of these ladies. So I took two inches out of the bodice pieces, three inches out of the skirt and an inch out of the midsection piece. Casey included a section on adjusting the sleeve to fit the armscye so I did that as well. I was also inspired by Casey's sew a long to add patch pockets. Patch pockets are a lovey feature of vintage clothing that are far too rare these days, and I can't stand things without pockets. I also thought they fitted well with my character in the murder mystery.



My character was a munitions factory worker, and the local ARP warden. She had a husband fighting overseas and she was fiercely patriotic. I decided she was very practical and big on the make do and mend, but she was also keen to keep up morale by looking her best despite the grim times. I assembled the rest of my outfit around this idea- I wore brown Oxfords and tied my hair back with a scarf. My hair is too short for victory rolls and after some experimenting I discovered my hair doesn't do sleek 1940s curls, but on the night of the party it was in an obliging mood and I managed to get the front into a few semi-upright pin curls. Again, this was in keeping with my character because a munitions worker come air raid warden doesn't have much time to do her hair. I cheated and wore actual stockings because I was worried painting my legs with tea and drawing on seams would worry my very sensitive skin.



I'm very happy with the finished dress. The fit is probably my best yet, and the finishing on the inside is neater than usual too. I hand sewed the sleeve cuffs and I used lace hem tape to finish the hem by hand. I also managed to get the invisibly zipper in neatly, although I should have used a longer zipper than the pattern called for- getting this dress on and off is an adventure. Once it's on it's a comfortable dress though, with a very satisfying swish as I walk.













By chance someone I follow on Pinterest pinned a magazine pattern from 1941 for a gas mask bag, so I used that to make myself a little bag to carry odds and ends on the night. (Including the war sock WIP I took along and knitted during the party. Oh yes, I am a nerd and proud of it.)


I used cotton with iron on interfacing with the outer fabric, and lined it with felt to give it more body. The 'V for Victory' badge is a replica of a badge sold by the Australian Comforts Fund in WWII.






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