A little later than promised, but I hope you'll enjoy this glimpse into vintage Vogue 5671! As you know, I used it for my Minerva Meet-Up dress, which is also my first #vitntagepledge make.
The first thing I want to stress in this post is that not all vintage sewing patterns are scary! I know a lot of people are reluctant to give them a go, most commonly because they fear working with unmarked pattern pieces and minimalist instructions. This is indeed true of some vintage patterns, especially ones pre-dating the 1950s, but most 1960s ones I've come across have been absolutely fine. Luckily, Vogue 5671 falls into this category and you can see from the sleeve pattern piece below that everything is marked clearly and in great detail.
I've also pictured the sleeve pattern piece, because for me, it's one of the most interesting details of the dress in terms of design and construction. A dart at the top gives it a really nice shape and volume without the hassle of gathers. What I love the most about these sleeves though, is that they're not set into the neckline, instead they form part of the neckline. The back straps are attached at the same time as the facings and although they're optional, I think that they actually help to keep the sleeves on my shoulders.
When it comes to vintage sewing patterns, it's all about the details! Vogue 5671, and many other vintage patterns, offers sweet touches like a decorative bow for the back and a bow belt to finish the outfit off. Due to my busy fabric print I opted out of both of these, but I look forward to trying them when I revisit the pattern with a solid fabric.
You may remember me saying before, but I didn't have time for a muslin when I made this, so I just had to dive in. I made up my bodice without the sleeves, basted in the side zip and tried it on (at this point it just looked like a boob-tube). To my delight it was spot on at the waist, but I clearly needed a lot more width across the chest/back to fill it - around 12cm altogether! Were women's bodies that broad/different back then, or were patterns not drafted as well as they are nowadays?!?
Anyway, I pinched out the excess, marked it on the wrong side of my fabric, unpicked my side seams and re-cut the bodice pieces. Luckily the bodice was spot on after that and once I increased the dart size on the sleeve I had a nice snug fit - these two changes did mean that I had a bit of fiddling to do in order to re-size the facings, but nothing too tricky. The only other change I made was to shorten the bodice by my usual 1.5cm and to swap the skirt for my beloved pleated Lilou one.
Overall, I'm ridiculously happy with the fit of this dress and I'm even happier that I finally got around to using this gorgeous pattern - I definitely see more Vogue 5671 variations in my future!
Long live the Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge, I say! Are you in?
Marie - that dress is just stinkin' cute on you! Nice job!!
ReplyDeleteOooh, thank you!
DeleteThis was certainly a great bodice choice for this dress. It was great to see in real life #wellmade
ReplyDeleteThe dress is so cute!! I can prob answer your question about the size of the pattern - If you needed more room in the bust its because people would have worn corsets back then (even in the 60s years where the waist was still defined). So if it fits your waist, its likely to be big in the bust. I find this with most of my patterns.
ReplyDeleteAnd its usually best to buy for your bust size and increase the waist. Less fiddling!
Oooh, how interesting! Thanks so much for this info :o)
DeleteLovely dress. I like vintage patterns. I think that they are drafted well and have loads of nice details often lacking in modern ones.
ReplyDeleteThanks! They're pretty special!
DeleteIt's lovely. So unusual and I love the back detail! I have found with printed vintage patterns as they are single size there tends to be so much information on the pattern pieces. But there are often no directions in when to finish seam allowances as you get on modern patterns.
ReplyDeleteI've just about finished my second vintage pledge make. Blogging soon!
Yes, you're right Jo! They do make many assumptions in terms of sewing knowledge!
DeleteI can't get over how cute the back of the dress is!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Erin!
DeleteIt was really interesting to take a look inside the pattern, such a lovely dress! Nice to know that not all vintage patterns are scary :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you found it interesting Georgia!
DeleteYep, the back details on this pattern are killer! Gorgeous, gorgeous dress!
ReplyDeleteAaaw, thanks Rochelle!
DeleteWow, that back detail is too cute!
ReplyDeleteAdorable dress! I'm absolutely in love with that back and you did such a wonderful job creating it! I too sew with vintage patterns (I have a shop on Etsy full of them) and they are not scary at all. My personal favorite eras are the 60s and 70s and these patterns are marked. There are great tutorials on line for sewing with unprinted patterns if you like an earlier style. I love being able to add design elements you just don't see anymore. Thank you for sharing your lovely creation with us. I'm going to have to find that pattern for myself :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, very informative indeed and I can't wait to check out your Etsy shop ;o)
DeleteSO cute and sweet. If it was made in spandex jersey in that pattern, with that top, with a tight skirt- you'd totally be Kelly Kapowski 2.0! (was Saved by the Bell a thing in the UK? I totally wanted to be Kelly Kapowski.)
ReplyDeleteAhahaha, thanks for that ;o)
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