Mix and Match

These mix-and-match fabrics, and three mix-and-match patterns became a new spring dog-walking ensemble for vintage UF 251-2 Bleuette. 

Time to go for a walk, Lad.

G-L Biarritz jacket

G-L School Smock

Classic Beret

What Will These Become?

Sometimes, when sewing for Bleuette, I choose a few related (in my mind, anyway) fabric pieces and let them lie on my cutting table for a while to look at while I wait for inspiration to strike.

These are nothing terribly special, a piece of blue felt, a fat quarter, and a little dotted scrap that appeared out of nowhere one day.

Stay tuned.

A Difficult Construction

The rather Victorian-looking La Semaine de Suzette 1907, issue 20-21, Summer Dress has a devilish construction.  One difficulty is that the arm-hole opening for the balloon sleeve is hardly big enough to put two fingers inside it.  It was a challenge to create a workable pattern for Bleuette dressmakers to sew this dress and keep their sanity at the same time.  It's hard to imagine any French youngster being able to bring this dress off by themselves.

I made the original first to see how it worked.  It didn't turn out perfectly, I admit, but I discovered the pitfalls, and had an idea how to simplify the construction.

To solve the problem, without sacrificing too much of the original design, I made a shaped bodice based on the original but with a conventional armhole.

It's a contemporary version that any seamstress could sew.  

Better to simplify the pattern to encourage others to try it, than have all but a few pass this dress by.

Pattern Making

A glimpse at the process of pattern making for Bleuette, with model, and tools of the trade.