Category Archives: 1910s

Inspiring Images- John Wanamaker New York- Fall & Winter 1918-1919

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It’s finally starting to feel a bit like Autumn in Southern California! Our Summer this year has been long and hot, and I’m trilled to see some gray skies and rain today.  This sort of weather gets me dreaming of coats and suits, and pretty hats and scarves.

I’m particularly inspired by the 1890s to the 1910s at present, so here are some lovely images from one of the catalogs in my reference library.  These are from John Wanamaker Fashion Mail Order Catalog for Fall and Winter of 1918-1919.  WWI era women’s fashions, especially the suits and hats, are some of my favorites.

The bat-like hat below is perfect for Halloween!  Enjoy!
John Wanamaker New York, Fall & Winter 1918-1919
John Wanamaker New York, Fall & Winter 1918-1919

 Also, notice that you can now leave Facebook comments below, as well as standard comments.  Hope this helps make it easier for you to comment and share :)

Hope you’re having a lovely day!

Paris is Dancing Mad: McCall’s Magazine, September, 1913

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What is inspiring you lately? One of my current inspirations is 1910s fashion.  I think it would be quite lovely to incorporate elements of 1910s fashion into my autumn wardrobe!

Here’s some pretty images from McCall’s Magazine, September 1913.  The article is “Paris is Dancing Mad”.  I cleaned up some of the pretty images here, and you can get free hi res images by clicking on the link and going to my Flickr account, where the images are located.  Feel free to use for your crafts or save for fashion inspiration and study.

dancing1

dancing2

dancing3

Hope you have a lovely week!

Pretty Little Antique China

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Hello!

One of my weaknesses is pretty little antique china.  I don’t know much about it, but when I see them at thrift stores or estate sales I love admiring them and occasionally adopting them.  I was having fun looking up some makers marks and thought I’d share a few little snapshots of two of my favorite thrifted china finds.

This petite little teacup is my very favorite one I’ve ever found!  It’s got a lovely pearlized finish and little blue bubbles.  I call it my “mermaid teacup.”  It was made by Limoges and an internet source dates the mark from between 1892-1907.  I’m not really sure I believe it’s that old, but regardless, I really love it!

My most recent find was a set of nine little plates in this pattern.  I thought they looked rather Arts and Crafts, and loved the color pattern.  I just looked up the mark (W A Pickard) and it ends up they were made between 1912 and 1918, so I was actually correct!  I just love these. I need to come up with an excuse for a little tea party so they can be used.

Does anyone else love these old china pieces?  Tell me about your favorite find :)

I also wanted to say thank you so much to everyone who commented on my Costume College project posts!  I was so thankful for your encouraging and complimentary comments :)  I still have lots of photos to go through from the event itself so hopefully will be uploading some of those soon.

 

A 1910s Outfit in Honor of the Titanic

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Yesterday the San Diego Costume Guild got together for a costumed walk-a-bout of the Del Mar Antique show.  It very nice to get dressed up and see several friends I had not seen in a while, and it was great to talk to many of the attendees and vendors there, who were interested in our dress.  The show’s great fun, too- more for looking than for buying for me, but we were awed by beautiful antique jewelry, furniture, and art.  Since it was the centennial of the sinking of the Titanic, the costume theme was Titanic era costumes and many costumers had amazingly lovely and creative creations.  It was an interesting way to pay remembrances to the historic event that happened on that day one hundred years ago.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to bring a camera in to the show (and it turns out I could have- will remember next time!), but I had my husband snap a few shots of my outfit when we got home.

It was quite rainy outside and a little chilly inside the building that the show was held, so on top of this outfit I had a vintage jacket from the 1910s.  I had been feeling poorly this week so wanted to make sure to keep warm! I do have some photos with the jacket and I will try to post those later.

The blouse I wore was vintage from the 1910s era- cotton with lovely pink polka dots and cotton net collar edged in bias of the polka dot fabric.  The sash was made of about a yard of silk remnants I had in my stash.  The skirt was made from an original 1910s sewing pattern, which was quite a puzzle to figure out- Beth and I recently found it at a flea market and the poor thing had most of the illustration missing and was a mystery size.  The shoes were thrifted and I added vintage buckles to them when I wore them for my wedding a few years ago.  I made the hat by using old placemats and taking them apart for the braid and hand attaching them to each other using a base from a 1909 pattern reprint for a brim and then decorated it with vintage silk from an estate sale and new silk flowers from a craft store and new feathers.

Many thanks to Mari for letting us take part in the walk-a-bout at the antique show!  It was a nice afternoon spent dressed up with friends.

The Astor Baby- McCall’s Magazine, September 1913

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Today is the centennial of the sinking of the great ocean liner, the Titanic.  There has been many interesting articles circulating around blogs, in the news, and on television to commemorate and remember this horrible accident.  Today I’d like to share an interesting glimpse into the lives of one of the Titanic survivors and her baby, who she was pregnant with at the time of the sinking of the Titanic.

John Jacob Astor was known to be the most wealthy passenger on the Titanic, and was bound for home from his honeymoon with his new (much younger) wife, Madeline.  At the time of their marriage he was 47 and she was 18, and their marriage was quite a topic of gossip in their day.  John Jacob Astor would not survive the sinking of the Titanic, but his wife did and did give birth to the child.  This article from McCall’s Magazine from 1913 takes a peek into Madeline and her baby’s lives.

The article does not go into detail of the event of the sinking of the Titanic, but it does say the following, and tell of how it impacted the lives of Madeline and the baby:

“The details of the terrible night of April 14 are too fresh in everyone’s memory to need repetition here.  Colonel and Mrs. Astor were in their stateroom when the crash came.  They dressed leisurely and went on deck, where Colonel Astor lifted his wife into a lifeboat, kissing her tenderly, and saying, “Don’t worry, dear, all will be well.

Mercifully, she did not know, during those cold, rain-soaked hours until the ‘Carpathia’ came, that the supply of lifeboats had been criminally inadequate, and that her husband had been one of the 1,475 who went to the bottom.  Her maid was with her, and she saved her tiny toy Pomeranian.”

I will let you read the rest of the article for yourself, as I think you will find it quite interesting to hear a little bit of what happened to these survivors.  Click on any of the images for a larger version that you can read.

You can read more about Madeline Talmage Astor at these links:

Wikipedia

Encyclopedia Titanic

And John Jacob Astor VI (The Astor Baby) on Wikipedia

Tutorials: How to Sew French Seams

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This is the last of the tutorials in honor of the 1910s blouse pattern.  In this tutorial we will learn how to do French seams.

French seams are a great seam finish and the technique is quite old-  most of the original lingerie blouses and dresses I have seen from the Edwardian period have this finish for their seams.  I’ve seen it on the inside of lovely sheer chiffon 1920s and 1930s garments, and it is still used today on fine fabrics and sheers where you want a nice clean finish on the inside but don’t want the fabrics to ravel and don’t want an overlock stitch visible through the sheer.

You will need:

  • A sharp machine sewing needle (especially if using delicate or lightweight fabrics)
  • scissors
  • Good quality thread
  • a sewing machine (a basic straight stitch will do)
  • And, of course, your fabric. I do suggest trying this out on scraps before starting a final garment to make sure you understand technique.  Using fabrics with a print are helpful when learning this technique, as it is done by alternating stitching on right and wrong side of the fabric.

Just to clarify, for those new to sewing, the “right side” of the fabric is the side with the print or the side which should be visible when worn.  The “wrong side” of the fabric is the side which will be next to your skin and invisible when worn.  This is also called the “outside” or the “inside”, especially in vintage instructions.

For this tutorial we are using 1/2″ total seam allowance, which is what I use in most of my patterns.  Since French seams are completed in two basic stitches, we will divide that number in half, and each seam will be 1/4″ from the edge of the garment. It will make more sense as you read below:

1-  On the RIGHT SIDE of the fabric (fabric layered wrong side to wrong side), stitch 1/4″ from the edge.  I use a special 1/4″ foot for my sewing machine when doing this step, as I can just line up the seam allowance with the edge of my foot.  Be sure to be accurate with your seam, as using a smaller or larger seam allowance will cause pieces not to line up correctly when finished.

2- Trim your seam allowance to approximately 1/8″.  I usually eye half of the width and trim it away.  This is an important step, as it will prevent any threads from being visible from the outside of the garment.

3- Open the garment, with the seam allowance still facing up, and press the seam to one side using an iron.

4- Fold your piece right sides together, wrong sides facing outward, sandwiching the seam allowance between them.  Your garment will now be right side to right side (as it is when you sew a basic seam).  The edge you just stitched should be butted right up to the fold, nice and crisp.  Press again to create a nice, crisp, folded edge.

5-  Stitch 1/4″ from the edge.  This stitch encases the seam allowance, and from the outside it looks just like a normal seam. Press your seam, then open your garment and press the seam to one side.  It’s a nice and small and tidy seam on the inside!

As a visual, these photos are re-posted from one of the close up posts of an original garment.  In the first photo you can see the outside of an original 1910s blouse, and on the inside you can see the seam finishes.  Two of the seams in the last image are French seams (not the curved seam, but the others).

Outside detail.  You can faintly see the French seam through the fabric.

Inside detail, with the seam finishes visible.

That’s it!  They’re pretty simple once you get the hang of them, and you’ll find they will probably become one of your favorite seam finishes for delicates or sheers.

I hope you have enjoyed these tutorials and hopefully they will be useful for your sewing creations!

Tutorial: Attaching Laces to Each Other & Gathering Lace

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We’re going over how to attach laces to each other in this post. In the previous post we learned how to do basic lace insertion by machine.  If you missed it, here is the link.

Attaching Laces to Each Other

When planning a garment you may decide you would like a wider insert- one composed of several pieces of laces attached one to the other. In this tutorial we will learn how to attach straight pieces of lace one to the other.  This can look lovely going down the front of a bodice or used to edge a sleeve, or to create a collar.

You will need:

  • A machine that does a zigzag stitch
  • Lace.  I recommend using one with a high cotton fibre content, and purchase extra, as I always have an tendency to run out of trims after inspiration strikes!
  • Good quality thread
  • A new sharp machine sewing needle

We are building upon techniques learned in the last post, so please read that post to help clarify steps if you’re new to these tutorials :)

1- Prepare your lace as you did in the last post, by carefully hand washing with mild soap, letting it air dry flat, and then using spray starch to give it body.  Figure out your design and, if needed, cut your lace pieces a little bit longer than the finished design (you can always cut it down later and you want to be sure the finished edge will be nice and crisp, not bunchy from where you start your stitching). When attaching laces of a similar design I find it looks best when the designs are lined up.  Here you can see I’m planning the flowers of the two lace strips to attach so that they line up.

2-  Zigzag the two laces together by machine.  The idea is to attach the headers together.  Use a similar zigzag stitch as used when attaching lace to fabric, using a width wide enough to create a sort of “bridge” over the header, encasing the two together, with the needle going down just on either side of the header.  It’s perfectly ok if the needle falls off of your lace edge- in fact, I personally try to make it go on either side of the header-  but be certain your lace pieces are starched and that your machine tension is correct so that they will not get “eaten” by your machine!

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Tutorials: Basic Lace Insertion by Machine

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As promised, in honor of the new 1910s Blouse and Guimpe pattern, here is the basic lace insertion tutorial!

Lace insertion is a wonderful technique to have under your belt.  When I personally think of lace insertion, I think of the gorgeous Edwardian garments and undergarments that were literally festooned with lace and trimmings, yet still retained a simplicity and elegance.  This technique is not limited to that era alone, however, and you can see it on garments from many time periods.  It gained a resurgence of sorts in the late 1930s to early 1940s, as the “Gibson Girl” mode came back in style, and we saw it again on garments- especially blouses and evening gowns.  This continued to be in fashion off and on, and today it is mostly used for children’s wear, as shown often by the heirloom sewing aficionado, Martha Pullen, and her magazine Sew Beautiful (which, I might add, is fantastic as inspiration for adults as well.  Most images and projects are for babies and children but the techniques can move into adult wear easily, especially when used for historic or vintage dress.)

Heirloom sewing can be quite addictive, and after you master the basic techniques you may find yourself wondering what other projects you can add lace and embellishment to, and be on the hunt for trims to use.

I am sharing here the methods that I personally use for lace insertion by machine.  There are many different methods out there.  For me the most important factor is how well something will launder and how often I am going to launder it.

Basic Pointers and Tools Needed

You will need the following tools:

  • A method of marking which will come out of your finished garment.  I used a special pencil I bought at an heirloom sewing supply store, but you may find you want to use a special sewing pen or other mode of marking.  Test it on a scrap of your fabric first to make sure it will come out when laundered.
  • Fine pins.  I use silk pins.
  • Scissors
  • Insertion style lace (with two straight edges, called “headers”).  I find those with a high cotton content work best.  A standard for heirloom quality laces are 90% cotton, 10% nylon.  Many are imported from places like France or Switzerland.
  • Your fabric.  I am using Swiss batiste, but cotton lawn or handkerchief linen also work well.
  • Spray starch
  • Good quality thread (I use Gutermann)
  • Fine sewing machine needles. Use a new, sharp one to prevent snags in your fabrics or laces.
  • A sewing machine with a zig zag stitch.
  • A pattern you plan on using (of course, I recommend my new blouse pattern.  I specifically designed it to use used with heirloom sewing techniques! :) )

Before Sewing

  1. Test your marking method (as mentioned above) on a scrap fabric.
  2. Pre-wash your laces and fabrics on a gentle cycle and with a gentle soap to prevent future puckering or stretching when cleaning your finished garment.  Lay them flat and let them air dry.
  3. Spray starch your fabric and lace after it has dried.  This is an important step, as when these fine laces and fabrics are washed they loose body which is necessary to keep them smooth and not puckering while sewing.
  4. Test your tension on your sewing machine using your zigzag stitch.  Sewing machine tension plays a huge factor in successful heirloom sewing.  If your machine needs to be serviced or is due for a tune up, you may consider getting it before trying this, especially if using expensive laces and fabrics.
  5. Make a sample of your insertion and test it in your method you will wash the finished garment to be sure it will not fray and cause the lace to separate from the garment.  Always hand wash with a mild soap or dry clean heirloom garments.  They will not stand up to a normal machine washing and do not throw them in a dryer- make sure they air dry flat.  Doing a test sample also helps you learn techniques before you start your final garment so your final garment will be your best work.

How to Plan Your Design


Plan the design of your garment and draw your guides on your fabric.  Insertion lace is sort of like patchwork- you are building a design from the bottom up- if edges need to be finished take into account what needs to go first, second, etc, to make sure all edges are finished properly and will not fray. The example above is a close up of the work I did on one of the samples of the 1910s blouse pattern, which I based on an illustration from a period catalog.  You can see that I added the horizontal insertion pieces first, then added the vertical pieces which finished the edge of the horizontal piece.  The horizontal pieces had an extra “tail” which extended into where the vertical piece was placed.  I clipped off  the “tail” when I clipped away the backing of the vertical piece, in order to have a finished edge (no hole at the ending, as would happen if I cut it right where it was to end design-wise). This will make more sense as you keep reading the basic technique below.

How to Sew Insertion Lace by Machine

Since we’re doing basic technique, I’m going to assume we’re just doing a vertical insertion from either the shoulder to hem or from the center front to hem.  This tutorial only covers insertion lace that is straight- curved lace insertion requires an additional technique.  I find it usually is best to do insertion lace before constructing a garment, unless that garment is going to have lace which travels, say, around a neckline- and in that case I’ll do it after attaching the shoulder seams.

1- Draw your design lines using your water soluble marking and a clear ruler.  Keep in mind the grain of the fabric as it relates to your design.  I have drawn two lines here that are the width of my insertion lace.

2- Pin your lace to your design.  I’m kind of haphazardly pinned my lace here- use as many pins as you need to get your lace lined up on your fabric and be sure you don’t create tension between the lace and fabric as this will cause puckers.  They should lay smoothly together.

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Lanterman Tea Dance

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I completely forgot to post photos of the Lanterman Tea Dance!  This dance is an annual event held as a fundraiser for the lovely Lanterman house museum.  We had never been to this dance, but friends Beth and Cait were going so we decided to go as well.  I love the 19-teens in terms of architecture, music, and fashion, so it was great fun.

A glimpse of the upstairs ballroom.

Our three escorts looking very dapper.

I know I may be biased, but I think my husband suits this time period exceptionally well.  He does other periods well, too, but I love his “look” with Edwardian and Victorian eras :)

Cait and Michael dance the tango.  They are both wearing authentic vintage pieces, and Cait made her hat.

Beth and husband, looking very Irene and Vernon Castle.  Beth made her lovely ensemble.

My husband and I practicing a silly ragtime maneuver.  I’m wearing a blouse I made from an original vintage pattern and a skirt I made from this Past Patterns reproduction.  I had posted about this outfit previously here.  My husband is wearing an original vintage suit of the era.

For a few detail shots:

The lovely buttoned detail on Cait’s original vintage 1910s suit.

My husband’s tie (he made from vintage millinery ribbon) and really neat little antique bulldog tie pin.

My hat, which is original vintage and a gift from a friend.

You can see Beth post about the dance on her blog and Cait’s posts about the dance on her blog here and here.

Finished Project: 1917 Checkerboard Ruffle Dress

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I’ve had this project finished for several weeks but am finally sharing photographs!  A few weekends ago we went to the Lanterman Tea Dance and I needed an outfit to wear to the event.  Well, I madly started this outfit that week and nearly completed it, but for a variety of reasons abandoned it at the last minute and wore something which was already in my closet.  A few days after the dance I finished the outfit in entirety and have meant to take photos since then!  Finally here it is.

This dress is from Past Patterns Past Patterns Vintage Revivals #8159: Ladies’ Dress with Two-Piece Skirt: Circa 1917, a reproduction of an original vintage sewing pattern.  It actually has another view not pictured on the website, and I made mine a combination of the two options.  The one not shown has a a “plastron” and ties, and has the wider sleeves as shown here, and also has no ruffles at the back.

I made the dress from a cotton/linen blend checkerboard print I got from Fashion Fabrics Club.  The fabric was a bit different than I expected, but in the end it worked out ok.  The white is a cotton I had in my stash.  The belt is made from a thicker linen/cotton blend from Joann and the buttons are vintage.

Of course, the back has the crazy ruffles, which is why I chose this pattern.  It is somewhat silly, but it’s fun and very of the period.

I realized after I got the photos done that I had the petticoat peeking fashion faux-paux.  Oops?  But this is about the dress, so please excuse that ;)

As far as recommendation- I would say do not attempt this pattern unless you are familiar with vintage construction and can make a pattern with little to no instruction.

Pros:  The pieces matched well and it certainly has a period look. the collar has an excellent roll line (one of the things that bothers me is when collars lay totally flat when they’re not meant to) so I really love that.  The ruffles are way fun.  And this is a pretty rare style and rare period to find patterns from, so it gets kudos for that.  The pattern is pretty basic in terms of pieces so it is easy to make alterations to them.  The dress does look like the illustration when finished.

Some things to be aware of:  It is a somewhat basic copy, just a photocopy of the front and back cover and a blueprint copy of a hand traced pattern which is somewhat wavy.  This has never bothered me, and I have used several of these “vintage revival” patterns from Past Patterns and love them because of the rare styles they offer.  The fit is totally different than modern standards, which you have to expect from patterns of this age which are meant to be worn over period foundation garments.  I am short waisted, but this one is exceptionally short waisted.  The sleeve does not have a lot of movement, when you make a mock up test the fit and construction and movement before you make it in your final fabric (which is why I didn’t wear it to the dance- I needed more movement).  The proportions, of course, are to period standards, so the bust and waist ratio is greatly different than today.  The seam allowance is 3/8″, which is standard for this period.  And the instructions are unillustrated and pretty difficult to go by, so it is best if you are familiar with period constructions and are used to using antique patterns.  The skirt is meant to be faced, but if I faced it instead of hemmed it, the dress would have been floor length and not the shorter length like in the illustration.  The buttons on the belt are shown with buttonholes.  If they are, they are faux, as there is nothing for the bottom button to attach to.  I used large snaps to secure the belt and attached the buttons to the top of the fabric as decorative instead of functional.  In the end, all I can say is definitely make a mock up.

In the end, I do really like the dress.  If I make it up again I will make some sleeve alterations for more movement.  But it does give a great period look.  When I first tried it on I hated it (it has a raised interior waistband, similar to many patterns of this age), so with the raised waist and the gathered bodice and gathered skirt it was somewhat unflattering on me and made me look like a long rectangle.  BUT, when you add the wide belt on top it totally changes it and makes it actually quite pretty for a dress of this period.  It does feel pretty to wear, and I need an excuse to wear this somewhere!

The photo effects in this post are done with Lo Fi, which has a great filter comparable to early color film, which I love.  The shoes are by Oak Tree Farms and are the Catherine boots.

Disclaimer:  I bought all the products mentioned in this blog post and thoughts shared here are my true and honest opinion.