She's back! For one afternoon only at least...It's been a while since I made something with a 1950s vintage flare, let along pin curl my hair and wear red lipstick. In hindsight, I wouldn't have called my blog what I did! Alas, every so often a pattern grabs my attention and I just need to make it.

I love Gertie Hirsch and everything she does, so when she released a new book 'Gertie Sews Jiffy Dresses' I had to have it. But this time around the appeal was mainly the simple ethos of the retro dress designs in the book. I don't like sewing projects that I can't do in one go, simply because I get distracted and will never get round to finishing it or picking it back up. So when I saw the 'Popover Dress', an actual tent style dress you could sew in a couple of hours, sign me up!

Here's a peek at the pattern:



Let's just take a second to appreciate this vintage bed sheet shall we? I've recently rediscovered my eBay obsession, it comes and goes in waves and this time around I came away with some great finds. Including a vintage 1960s double bed sheet and pillow cases in perfect condition. When I saw the fabric I knew it would be the perfect pairing with the popover dress pattern and luckily there was enough fabric in the sheet.

I spot prints like this in America regularly online with hefty shipping fees, but I never seem to find prints like this in the UK. So I snapped this up immediately for under £20! An absolute bargain. The colours are so pretty and fresh and the fabric is a lovely light weight cotton, perfect for turning into a dress. I've still got the pillow cases left over but I think I might just actually use those on the bed, they're too pretty to cut up!


Let's talk sizing! The dress was easy to make and easy to fit. The dress is essentially a big tent (without the shop bought belt) so the only measurement I needed to think about was my bust. I cut the pattern according to my bust size and I'm happy with the overall fit.

However I could size down in this pattern and I think I will next time just to see the difference. I like the fullness in the skirt so wouldn't want to sacrifice too much of that, and the fit across my bust is comfortable, if not roomy (which makes a nice change!). It's a little low for my bras, perhaps next time I would extend the centre front/back by 1cm, but that's only to be nitpicky. As it is, it's perfectly comfortable and it has a great 1950s vibe without the tight fit.



Pattern: The 'Popover Dress' from Gertie Sews Jiffy Dress Book


For these photos I also wore my favourite petticoat and must have elastic waist belt.


Overall, the Gertie Popover Dress is my ideal 1950s dress. I can feel self conscious a lot, and increasingly in vintage styles which is probably why I haven't made very many recently. But the popover dress provides me with the solution I was looking for. It's quick and simple to sew, and the fitting was easy. Sewing something where I can just go by my bust size (knowing that the waist and hips are free fitting) took so much pressure off the sewing. It's so comfortable to wear and I like how it makes me feel.

Whilst I might not go full Mrs Maisel with the dress when I wear it next, I'll be pairing this with natural hair, pink lips to match the flowers, my straw bag and cat eye sunglasses with my black denim jacket in toe - coming soon to an Instagram near you!

Which is your favourite pattern in Gertie's new book? Have you made the Popover Dress?

Thanks for reading, pinups!
xo

Hi pinups! Could I possibly be the most inconsistent, unreliable sewing blogger there is? Most likely! Yes this post is very late coming... but I knew I wanted to do it and another opportunity to share this make was just what I needed to brighten up this dull May day. After all it's not often I get chance to make a fancy dress and have a suitable occasion to wear it...

In March Crafty Sew & So hosted The Dressmakers Ball in Leicester, my university city no less! I went to the first ball, held a couple of years ago and jumped at the chance to go to their second event. My first time around, I was a bit of a mess. My dress fell apart at the last minute and I had to pull something else together. The whole thing was just super stressful and I was so nervous all evening and spent most of the time with a migraine and looking very anti social! This time around I was determined to have a wonderful time and feel fabulous.


I knew right away the kind of dress I wanted to make and it just so happened a few months before hand the lovely people at Textile Express had sent me 2m of THIS truly stunning embroidered tulle fabric. Now I had the occasion to use it! The Simplicity 8545 pattern features a practically identical fabric on the cover and I knew these two would be a great team to create the sheer overlay, mid length dress I wanted.

Here's a peek at the pattern:

I made option D, a simple dress design and I used a black satin binding on the cuffs and neck line and left the hem of the dress raw. I cut my skirt panels as long and as wide as the fabric allowed. So I think my skirt is a little longer and more gathered than Simplicity's version. I chose to buy a black slip to wear underneath.

As my previous ball dress was a mess, I wanted to keep things as simple as possible and let the fabric do the talking. For a little extra special, sparkly touch I hand sewed teeny tiny beads and sequins on some of the embroidery around the bodice. I'm so happy I did this and luckily not too many fell off!


I was rubbish in the photo department, although I shared quite a lot throughout the evening on my Instagram Stories, but I couldn't resist a little solo photo session in the toilets. It'd be rude not to when the mirror is this big!


I had such a wonderful evening surrounded by lovely, creative dressmakers and it was a joy to meet everyone and oggle all the dresses! I was honoured to be on the judging panel on the evening for the catwalk too. It was so fun, but I'm not going to lie, by that point in the evening I was 80% prosecco and I whooped and cheered probably too enthusiastically for every dress and my very important notes *ahem* turned into scribbles of 'YES PINK DRESS' etc etc.
My evening was made by Marie and Amy aka A Stitching Odyssey and Almond Rock. Marie was so kind letting me stay in her beautiful home and I couldn't of done it without these two. I was so nervous to meet people at the ball and honestly I've never felt so welcomed and comfortable.

So many lovely ladies came up to me and I was overwhelmed by the love! Mushy I know, but putting yourself online is scary (especially YouTube) and I tend to think everyone hates me and finds me annoying so to have people come up to you to say they love a piece of the content or have bought from my shop means the world to me.


What a night! Being such a socially awkward person, I'd been so nervous about the ball; what I'd look like, what people would think of me, the list goes on. But I really did have a wonderful evening. There were so many people I didn't get to say hello to and the night flew by! Thank you to the Crafty Sew & So team for creating such a great event (the band was AMAZING). Roll on the next one.

To see more snaps from the ball and for more information visit Crafty Sew & So HERE. Did you go too?

Thanks for reading, pinups!
Abi xo

P.S. I apologise profusely to Marie, who dealt with my disgustingly hungover self the following morning with such kindness, and to poor Amy who had to witness me. Safe to say, at any future event, a midnight double rum & coke is not the one.