FabUnits: the Vintage Fabric iPhone App

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I’m an aspiring seamstress by night, but during the day I make iPhone apps. After sewing many vintage patterns, not too often I am presented with something like this:

Vintage fabric bolt sizes come in many more widths than ours do today. I often found myself buying too much fabric. Based on the square area of fabric needed, I calculated how much fabric it would equate to using our modern day bolt size measurements.

I also added two extra screens that calculate total price based on price per yard, and convert meters to yard and yards to meter.

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What it does:

Convert fabric sizes.

Convert meters to yards and yards to meters.

Calculate total price based on price per yard.

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Where to get it:

FabUnits is available here, for free.

Simplicity 4886: High Waisted Pants, circa 1950s

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Fall is coming up, so my next project will be these High Waisted Pants. I usually prefer sewing dresses since they are so fun to make and embellish, but pants are very practical.

DuBarry 5390: Shirtdress, circa 1940s

Front view with un-set (natural) hair.

Another front view.

Yet another front view.

Side/back view.

Closeup of button.

This is my first time doing a collar and set-in sleeves.

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Pattern used:

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DuBarry 5390 Pattern Review

Pattern Review: DuBarry 5390, circa 1940s

Pattern Description: Misses’ and Women’s dress. Blouse and skirt joins to an inset belt. Dress buttons in front below the collar. Patch pockets trims front of blouse. Bishop or short sleeves are used. Fig. I: collar, front edges, pockets and inset belt are trimmed with saddle stitching.

Pattern Sizing: This was a 34 bust.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? The dress has a very iconic 1940s feel to it, more so than other 1940s dresses. I like the clean lines with on excessive or unflattering gathers.

Fabric Used: Cotton.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: Since buttons are expensive here, I omitted the buttons going down the skirt. I liked the shirtdress look so I kept the buttons on the bodice. I inserted an invisible side zipper. The skirt was a four-gored skirt that matched this pattern’s four-gored skirt. I omitted the pockets on the bodice since I think those are generally unflattering. I also omitted the inset belt since I didn’t think it needed it.

This was my first time sewing a collar or set-in sleeves.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes.

Conclusion: I love DuBarry.

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Personal Style
This is how my hair is when it’s not set in curlers overnight, and I think I’m fine with it this way.

Vintage Patterns and Sizing

This should be renamed the DuBarry Fan Blog. I’ve never gotten the feel that a dress fit the 40s more than those from DuBarry patterns. Perhaps it’s because DuBarry patterns have less design ease, or seem more flattering from the start and require less adjustment (for me, at least). I recently acquired this two-piece set, DuBarry 6008.

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Any pattern can be fit and perfected in the flat pattern tracing and muslin stage, but some with more work than others. When making dresses I try to get sizes that are equal to my upper bust measurement, but with vintage patterns there is no multi-size, and one can’t be too picky. Failing that I just buy whatever strikes my fancy, trying to keep within one or two sizes larger or smaller than my measurements to minimize the amount of resizing, and work it out during the flat pattern tracing stage.

Below are some pattern companies and my experiences with their sizing.

Simplicity – Most of my 40s patterns are from Simplicity. For most of these pieces I’ve had to resize severely, and measurements that should fit were too large. Perhaps it’s the design of these patterns, but gathers by the waist and shoulder (common to Simplicity 40s patterns) aren’t very flattering for me. I had good luck with this skirt, but that could also be because I’ve adjusted the pattern. I shouldn’t complain though — my basic four-gored skirt is from a Simplicity pattern. I yet have to make a Simplicity pattern that I love, but I haven’t ruled this out entirely. Perhaps I just need to be more stringent with the fit during the muslin stage.

Anne Adams – It fits a little better than Simplicity, but still a little large. This might have been the design ease on the bodice, but I will definitely be more particular during the muslin stage in the future, since I like fitted bodices.

DuBarry – This is my favorite so far. My latest project is a DuBarry shirtdress, and it fit pretty well from the start. It’s also the only dress which to me looks iconically from the 40s. I’m about halfway done with this one, and as I assembled the bodice the dress already felt very 40s.

McCalls, retro reissue – This is a modern pattern, and I’m fairly happy with the fit, but it took a lot of fixing to get here. The pattern pieces were still very large when I cut them based on my measurements.

Future Project: DuBarry 5635

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DuBarry 5635 is very similar to the pattern I’m working on, DuBarry 5390. I don’t have this pattern, but it wouldn’t be too difficult to base it on DuBarry 5390.

DuBarry 5390: In Progress

Here is my progress so far on the DuBarry shirtdress.

This was my first time sewing a collar.

Sarong Dress: Self-drafted, 1950s inspired

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Pattern used: I drafted this pattern myself, based on my reference photos of Alfred Shaheen’s work.

Pattern notes: I used a Hawaiian looking turquoise linen. I’m pretty happy with the fit. I only wish I’d made this sooner since there isn’t much summer left.

McCall’s 5414: Costume, 1790s inspired

This year’s Halloween project: early colonial pattern does French noblewoman, or so I hope.

Sophia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette was stunning with its costumes and pastels.

Such graceful sleeves.

Overall outfit.

The masquerade scene is very inspiring.

Even when sprawled on a staircase the masquerade scene is inspiring.

This is one of Marie Antoinette’s lackeys in the movie, but her hair and costume are gorgeous.

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Ever since before I’ve known how to sew I’ve always wanted an elaborate, over the top, Halloween costume. I’m starting early this year with McCall’s 5414. My criteria for a costume this year is comfortable, easy to make, and reasonably priced, since it will be covered with fake blood. This is an Early American costume (colonial period) but I plan to translate it into something French circa 1790s. I’m going as a guillotined noblewoman, something flashy and gory with elaborate hair, a fancy gown, and loads of fake blood. Some colorway ideas are dark red, emerald green or dark purple, trimmed with black lace. I don’t have fabric for this yet, but I need to make a muslin of the top bodice for fit since it needs over five yards of fabric.

Sleeves, Necklines, Collars, and Dress Types

I’ve recently ventured into drafting patterns starting from my basic bodice and skirt sloper. The fit issues are minimal, since the sloper is made skin tight. Design ease is added as you go along. I found these reference pictures useful for ideas on basic sleeves, necklines, collars, and dress types. These are from Vogue Sewing, circa 1982.

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Sarong Dress: Self-drafted, 1950s inspired

I drafted this Sarong Dress based on my reference photos of Shaheen’s work. Here are my sketches and plans for how I started the project.

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This dress started as an idea that I had in my head for about a week or so. The fabric looks blue here but it’s more of a turquoise. This bright Hawaiian-inspired print is my rebellion from wearing all black year-round for the past 10+ years.

I drafted the bodice top based on my bodice block. I made a muslin beforehand to see how everything fit.

Progress of the dress so far. At this point I had a feeling that the bodice was too boxy, so I made some gathers that i ended up incorporating into the final design.

The skirt is from my tried and true straight skirt pattern from the 1940s, with pleats at the waist. I sewed down the pleats since I wanted it to be sleek, and added a back vent and tapered the skirt so it would resemble a pencil skirt. The pleats don’t line up, but I’m OK with that.

Dress progress so far. The interfacing hasn’t been stitched down yet. The sarong drape is just pinned in place.