Marimekko Dress - The Vintage Edition

Vintage dresses; no matter how much I love my modern fashion, sewing classic styles feels like home to me.

Here's one of my latest dresses that takes me back to my roots. The pencil shaped skirt and fitted bodice makes me think 'Mad Men' and answers my daily inner questions of WWJW? (What Would Joan Wear?)

The Pattern
I pulled out one of my all time favourites and most used patterns; Butterick 5603. I used the bodice of this pattern in version B, and added a pencil skirt instead of the full skirt like I have done many times in the past.

How many times have I used this pattern now? Oh, just a lazy SIX times. No biggie.

 the first step is admitting you have a problem

 

Fabric
Oh. Em. Gee. This. Fabric.
This gorgeous fabric is by the designer Marimekko and printed onto a heavy weight cotton.

It's from Yulki's Home Decor which is a beautiful site dedicated to designer fabrics and they have a wide range of Marimekko fabrics. Sadly the site will be closing down soon but a lot of fabrics will still be available in their etsy store.

Julie from Yulki's Home Decor has offered my readers an 18% discount store wide on all available fabrics before the website closes down. Just enter the code "special" at checkout.

Details
I love the little ties on this bodice. It adds such a sweetness to the dress, and the heavy cotton fabric gives shape to the ties without the need to interface.

So BOW-tiful

I highlighted the beautiful panelled design of branches and magenta berries by placing the pattern in the centre, with the top and bottom of the dress being white. This meant I had to cut my pattern pieces across the grain line, rather than along the grain line.

The bodice has a V shaped front and back and an invisible zipper down the centre back.h

Thanks to the sturdiness of this heavy cotton fabric, I went the easy option and didn't line it. It breathes easy and feels very structured so is very comfortable to wear!

The dress has an empire bodice cut just under the bust, and the skirt has four darts at the front, and two at the back, all perfectly hidden amongst the beautiful fabric design.

Conclusion

Here in the Southern Hemisphere us gals are packing up our summer gear and pulling out the knitting needles as we say goodbye to Summer *sniff* and hello to Autumn.

This cheery spring dress seems like a poetic goodbye to our warm weather as we hold onto these last few warm weeks.

I love how this dress turned out and feel happy to have finally made my very own Marimekko dress! Don't forget about the 18% discount code 'special' at Yulki's Home Decor if you are wanting to get your hands on your own Marimekko.

Hope you all have a fabric filled week! xx

Vintage and Pink - Butterick 5603 Strikes Again!

"You're not going to believe this, but Julia Bobbin has done something different and made a vintage dress!" 

Said no one, ever.

Yes that's right, I make a lot of vintage. You're more likely to find a 50's ball gown in my closet than a pair of jeans (though I do love them!). And people, I don't think it's ever going to change. Wearing vintage for me is like putting on a pair of sweat pants at the end of a long day; it just makes me feel comfortable.

But don't freak out, I love my modern too, and my next few blog posts are a delicious mix of 'now' clothes.

But I digress ...

Here's one of my most recent dresses, just in time *cough* for my Mad Men Challenge that wrapped up weeks ago.

It's Butterick 5603 in it's original form. Does that pattern ring a bell? It might be because I've used this pattern FOUR times already to make a pencil skirt version.

Click on the following to see the blog posts: 1. Yellow,  2. Black and White, 3. Red, 4. Blue

The first step is admitting you have a problem ...

Details Details

Butterick 5603 Version B. I stitched this up in a size 14.

I used a quilting cotton that I purchased from Spotlight a while ago.

Changes

I used an invisible zipper and inserted it down the centre back instead of the side. I didn't see anything wrong with this until I realised half way through my cutting that the back of the skirt does not have a centre back seam. Oops. I ended up slashing it down the centre back with a tiny allowance and it worked ok. Phew!

I also did a FBA (Full Bust Adjustment) on the bodice which definitely helped.

Instead of making facings I used bias binding to edge the neck and sleeves as the dress isn't lined.

Love

It's fair to say I like this pattern, seeing as I've borrowed from it five times. This however is sort of the first time I've really made the pattern, as I made it without styling alterations. I love how the gored skirt and fitted bodice give a flattering and feminine shape.

The little ties at the top of the shoulders add to the sweetness of this dress and the full skirt is fun and swirly.

Styling

The dress is teamed with a burgundy pair of heels, and a nice full petticoat, which makes such a difference when you're wearing a full skirt!

I finished off the look with my favourite lipstick at the moment 'Siam' by Nars. I was overcome with 'I have to have this colour' when I read the fabulous review by my girl over at Muskstick Mao who knocks this colour out of the park!

Hooray for another finished project!

Have a look at your me-mades. Do you have a pattern that keeps repeating itself? Your favourite go-to? I'd love to know!

Vintage Yellow Dress + Brooch Give-away!

Ok so my love for the classic shape of Butterick pattern 5603 (modified) has been well established. Making the re-fashioned pattern three times will do that.

But now it's just getting annoying. Seriously, I'm starting to creep my self out now after making this silouhette for the fourth time. It's like a sickness. Even my tired pattern pieces are giving me a concerned look:

Butterick Pattern (BP): "Oh honey, I don't know how to say this, but I think we need a break."

Me: "What? But we're meant to be together! We're made for each other."

BP: "Actually no, this is really awkward but ... I was made for a mass commercial market. Millions of people actually."

Me: *Gasp* "No! BP5603 you floozy!"

Though perhaps the fact that I think my pattern pieces are talking to me is of a more serious concern.

Whatever.

I made this dress in a 100% wool crepe that I purchased on my recent trip to Washington D.C.

 

This fabric has such a wonderful drape and feels like heaven. It's also a dream to sew with. Every time my Janome sunk it's teeth into the fabric, Marvin Gaye's 'Let's get it on' inexplicably started playing.

 

I made a sweet little collar out of left over lace that I purchased from Tessuti Fabrics a while ago. I had previously used the lace to make this dress:

I fully lined the dress and added sleeves.

The bodice also features a V shaped back.

 

I accompanied the dress with a new pair of shoes ...

 

... and the perfect vintage accessory, a beautiful brooch.

 

Don't you think the brooch just makes the dress?! The wonderful Lorraine from Ruemiraldi is also a lover of vintage accessories and personally picked a stunning brooch for me from her fabulous online vintage accessories store. 

The best part? She has also given me three extra beautiful vintage brooches to give away to three of my lovely readers! True story! Release the give away streamers!

Check them out:

 

Want one?

To be in the winning simply comment on this post

Three lucky readers will be randomly selected to win one of the three brooches.

Entries are open to everyone from anywhere in the world.

Entries close on Friday, April 20, 2012 Australian EST

One random winner will announced in my next blog post on Sunday, April 22nd, 2012

 

The thing that keeps drawing me back to this dress is the flattering vintage shape.

So here are the other dresses I have made using Butterick 5603.  On all four I drafted my own skirt for a more pencil look. You can see how I made the alterations here.

Click on the photos if you want to see the full blog post.

In honour of the yellow of this dress, I thought I'd leave you all with one of my favourite songs. This song is also called 'Yellow' and is sung by the beautiful and gifted artist India Arie. The YouTube clip is below.

Have a lovely weekend everyone!