A Proto-Duro, An Evil Queen, and Two Sales

Doesn't this look like another proto-Duro? I think the only reason I didn't make this back in 1980-whatever is that I probably didn't think that I had the chops. But the gray version, with the pink waist bow? Probably would have been MINE all MINE with a few extra hundred hours of practice. Of course, since I was fourteen, I had pretty much zero patience for practice, so thankfully or regretfully this means there are no pictures of me in anything like this.

But if you have a class reunion coming up and need this pattern, Wendy at PatternStash is running a sale today, tomorrow, and Sunday (July 17-18-19). For a 15% discount, put "Hot Summer Nights" in the note to seller, and your discount will be refunded through PayPal.

Do you know who else is having a sale now through Sunday? Sheila at Out of the Ashes! Just use the discount code DRESSY at checkout for 15% off. You might use your discount on this pattern:




This is TOTALLY the evil stepmother-queen from Snow White getting ready to go to bridge club, am I right? The black gloves are a dead giveaway -- red ones are too obvious, but the white ones show the blood of your enemies (or the small animals you sacrifice for haruspexy) something terrible. So black gloves it has to be.

An early Duro (paleo-Duro?)

Hana sent this great link from the Bath Fashion Museum. Doesn't this look like an early Duro? It's by a guy named John Bates, and was for Jean Varon for the Spring/Summer 1972 collection.

I love the fabric(s), but, of course, since this was the early 1970s, they're synthetic. I also love the length and the drama of this particular Duro. I wish we had a styled picture of it -- what were the shoes like? The hair? The jewelry? Or, better yet, a video -- how does it move? That bell shape is very appealing in theory, but how is it in Real Life, or as close to Real Life as fashion ever gets? Inquiring minds want to know.

Two other things -- tonight is the 2nd Chicago Fabric Swap, at the Rogers Park Library at 6 p.m.! More details here.

Also, it's too heavy to bring to the swap, but I am selling a Rigby cloth stripping machine on ebay -- I got this years ago and have never used it. (It actually looks as if nobody's ever used it; I have the original instructions and the box it was mailed in.) They're used, I believe, for making rag rugs, a craft that is on my "maybe someday, but not now" list. If making rugs is on your "yes now" list, go nuts.

Eh ... What's Up, Doc?

Those orange things on the dress above? They are CARROTS. Don't believe me? (Or the fantastic Angela, who sent the link?) Check it out:




It's from Etsy seller honeybeevintage, and it's TINY (and $65). But nutritious! (It reminds me of this, a little.)

Two quick sale notices:

-- Sandritocat is having a "Pre-Spring Cleaning Sale (but it's really a "I've got too many boxes of unlisted patterns sale")" and is offering 20% off plus the usual multiple purchase discounts on shipping, plus free shipping if you purchase three patterns.

-- Jen at MOMSPatterns (when she's not taunting me about how much warmer it is in Jacksonville, FL than Chicago, IL) is also having a sale, from now until the end of the month. Kindly use coupon code 'febsale' until Midnight EST Saturday, February 28, 2009 and save 20% off of any order. Jen am listing some DIVINE vintage Vogue patterns, loads of Viva-Las-Vegas-worthy designs, more New Old Stock children's patterns, and she has a dwindling Sale Area where patterns have been marked down to just $1.50. Note: If those aren't gone by the end of the month, Jen's donating them to charity ...

-- Oh, and check back in Friday (if not before) where I'll be announcing a SLIP GIVEAWAY from Vintage Hem. You know how much I love slips ...

Deco Vibe: You Can Has?

This is the new HotPatterns Deco Vibe dress, and I'm really feeling it -- can't you see the Duroesque nature of the short version that's front and center? That kind of louche, qiana-flavored 1970s attitude is becoming ever more attractive as we head into a sweater-wearing, oil-crisis-flavored 1970s deflationary malaise ... and Jeremy from HotPatterns offered me a copy of this pattern, too!

The thing is -- as much as I love the feel of this pattern, I'm just not up to it. I don't have a slinky bone in my body (forget the oxymoronicness of "slinky bone": you know what I mean). And you can't put pockets in this one, and I know I'd put that gorgeous grey clutch handbag (in my head it's suede, of course) down to pick up my cell phone or a Diet Coke and it would be gone forever, with my car keys in it.

So instead of hoarding the pattern to myself, and taking it out every once in a while to double-check that yeah, I'm still not slinky, I'm going to give the pattern (when it comes) to one of you. One you slinky goddesses out there, or one of you who can fake "slinky goddess" when this pattern hums a few bars. What do you have to do to get it?

You have to add a link to one of your favorite online fabric stores to the Vintage Pattern Wiki's new Favorite Fabric Stores page! I've put one link in there so far (just the first one I could type the URL of off the top of my head, which, frankly, is frightening) as a model. I'll look at the page history next Friday and choose one person who has added a link to get the pattern -- so if you want to win, it helps to be logged in to the wiki, so I know who's who!

I would prefer that people add links ONLY to stores that sell fabric, notions, or trim online, not to stores that will mail-order if you email and ask. (We can sort those out later ... or maybe this will be an incentive for them to get all the way online!) If it gets long, go ahead and add categories: knits, quilting, buttons, etc. Feel free to add a little note about the link, but please, just a few words -- if we start seeing spammy or overly-marketing-y disquisitions, I WILL go in with my Avenging Editor hat on and clean it right up. (The Avenging Editor hat looks like something Rosalind Russell would wear: jaunty, with a little feather, tilted slightly to one side, and firmly pinned in place so that you can slug a reporter while wearing it and have it not come off. It SO hurts your dignity if your hat falls off when you're hitting someone.)

Anyway: back to the contest! If every tenth person who reads this blog adds just one link ... let's just say there probably aren't that many online fabric stores in the world. Have fun!

The Last Duro Jr of Summer 2008

So this is the last iteration of Simplicity 3875, at least for Summer 2008. This is (if you don't recognize it) some of the fabric I bought at Tomato in Japan.

Here's the bodice, close-up:



There's a little white speck at the vee of the neck where I need to either clip the threads better, or color over the thread with a marker (I'm not fussy!). I used white thread for this, because I didn't really have any red or orange that looked right.

Here's the back:



I altered the pattern to add a back waist seam for ease of construction, but (as you can see) I put it in the wrong place! It's right for my Actual Waist, but wrong for the waist of the dress. I'll raise it next time, if I remember.

Here's the back, close-up:



I actually forgot that the entire back was two pieces, and not one on the fold (and so I cut it on the fold). I didn't want to have a center back seam in the skirt, though, so I left that part on the fold, and just eased it into the bodice. Worked fine. (I didn't want to leave the back bodice on the fold, because that would have screwed up the neck facing, possibly.)

I do this sort of stuff ALL THE TIME (especially if I'm in a hurry) and it's almost always recoverable. A slightly smaller or bigger seam allowance here, a few unplanned gathers there, and everything works out okay. You can do a lot of "fixing" if you just think about it for a few minutes before you give up. (Of course, I wouldn't have to do so much "fixing" if I spent those few minutes thinking before I cut out the pattern pieces, but I suppose that's why they're called "mistakes", and not "happy fun time jitterbug sparkles".)

Despite the mistakes, though, I was really happy with this dress. The fabric is beautiful; smooth and light, and I love the colors. I got a lot of compliments on this dress ... I wish we still had another month of summer for me to wear it in!

But anyway, speaking of "happy fun time jitterbug sparkles", Penny at Antique Dollhouse of Patterns is offering this pattern free to whoever clicks on it first. Go!

And Ingrid is giving away patterns here -- but you have tell her what you like most about Spring (guess what hemisphere Ingrid is in)?

The Penultimate Duro Jr

As promised, the penultimate Duro ... this is Amy Butler Morning Glory Slate (yesterday I thought it was Lotus, but I think that's the name of the line, not the pattern). Anyway, as you can see, it marks a return to piping. I also piped the bottom of the midriff, which you really can't see here, but which lets me someday decide to wear the sash tied in the back (as if).

Here's the back, which has no piping:



As you can see, I made no effort whatsoever to match this pattern on the back.

Here's a slightly closer view of the bodice:



When I first saw this fabric I lurved it, couldn't wait for it to arrive, had all sorts of plans for it ... and then I waited. I had ordered it through ... well, I ordered it from some folks who were not very well organized, and so I waited. And I waited, and I sent some emails, and then I waited some more, until when it finally DID come, I was so over it that I didn't really want to look at it. I kept dragging it out and looking at it and then folding it up again and putting it back on the shelf. I'm glad I was so exasperated, though, because otherwise I would have used this up three times over and would not have had it available for the Duro Jr.

I made one more Duro Jr ... it's sitting upstairs in my suitcase and I haven't taken a picture of it yet. I'll try to do that soonish-like. (I'll give you one hint: it's made from one of the fabrics I just bought in Japan.)

Duro Junior, Again

Whoa. That pic's a little out of focus, isn't it? Try this one:



Ah, well. This is another Duro Jr, made from Simplicity 3875.

This is fabric I bought ages ago, probably at Vogue Fabrics in Evanston. I actually made a skirt out of it first, and then didn't like the skirt (and perhaps sent it to my sister? Kate, you there?), but surprisingly, there was enough left to make this dress with even a smidgen to spare. (I think I might have to go through my "leftover fabric" laundry basket and see what else might be ready for the Duro Jr treament ...)

The fabric has a slight pucker to it, and is ridiculously comfortable. I think the print may be a bit too much of a good thing (if I'd had a red or a pink that matched, I think I would have made the bodice bands and midriff bands in a contrasting fabric) ... but again, ridiculously comfortable, and that's what I was going for. I made this (and another one, which I'll show you tomorrow) for my trip to Japan, because I had been told that the humidity in Tokyo was slightly greater than that found at the bottom of the Mariana Trench (and they were right).

Here's the back:



And the back waistband:



I have cut out one more of these (and may finish it tonight, if a particular eight-year-old cooperates in the matter of BEDTIME), but I think that may be it for the Duro Jr this summer. I had big plans to make seven or eight of these ... and then the September fashion magazines arrived, with all their wools and turtlenecks, and the thought of more summer sewing seemed a bit risible. It'll be October REALLY SOON, won't it? And this is not really something you can wear a sweater over. (Nor does it seem as if it would work in corduroy.)

But as summer dresses go, man, this one is nice. (Especially once I added good deep side-seam pockets.)

Tune in tomorrow for another Duro Jr ... this time in Amy Butler fabric!

Seersucker Dress, As Promised

Here's the seersucker dress (the Duro Junior pattern again) I promised to post when I got back (and I did get back, despite my flight being canceled; I got the next-to-last seat in the last row of the flight that left before my flight, and ended up arriving half an hour later than my flight was supposed to -- myriad and strange are the ways of airlines).

(The antepenultimate and ultimate seats on that flight -- i.e., the two seats next to me -- were occupied by Masters of The Universe who were swapping stories of the first-class seats they'd lost when their flights were canceled. Oh, woe!)

Anyway, I wasn't wearing this dress on the plane, although I did actually wash it during my trip so I could wear it twice! The weather was so horribly humid, and this dress is so cool, that it was a necessity. (Also, being seersucker, it dried in about twenty minutes after I hung it up.) I wished I had eleven of these so I could change into them twice a day.

At first I was a bit worried that this was too "swimsuit coverup," but after wearing it for a while that wore off.

There's a few more changes I want to make to this pattern: I want to make the pockets wider and deeper, and sew the top of them into the waistband for extra support. I need to lengthen the front bodice another half-inch; and alter the seam across the top of the shoulder so that it curves down a bit. (I like the sleeve to follow the arm, not stick straight out.) I lopped two inches off the skirt before I hemmed it, but it would be more efficient if I altered the pattern piece instead ... and maybe make the skirt a teeny bit fuller, too, if only to better accommodate the bigger pockets.

Right now I want to make it in lemon-yellow linen with brown linen banding, dark gray poplin with red, a pink-and-maroon floral fabric (better than it sounds) ... the list goes on. Maybe for my next trip I really will have eleven versions!

Oh, and maybe next time I'll match the stripes. But probably not:



And quickly: Jen at MOMSPatterns has started using "fauxlero" as a key word, meaning you can search for fauxleros on her site. AND she's running a 20% off sale from right now thru Sunday night, midnight EST with coupon code 'fauxlero'. (And there's a nice history of the word fauxlero and list of fauxlero patterns on the Vintage Pattern Wiki ...)

Duro Junior

So this is my version of Simplicity 3875, henceforth known as Duro Junior.

I know I haven't been posting about the Duro lately, but that doesn't mean I haven't been THINKING about the Duro. I was looking for a lighter, slimmer version to wear when it's really hot: the Original Duro can be a LOT of fabric.

This pattern didn't originally jump out at me as a good candidate, mostly because the jewel-neck version on the pattern envelope had these dumb little string ties which managed to obscure the lines of the bodice. But once I erased those (mentally) I decided to give it a shot.

Although not actually difficult, this pattern is still a massive PITA to put together. The back of the dress has no waist seam (just a lengthwise back seam), so, in order to finish the neck edge with the bias facing BEFORE the front panels are attached, you have to sew the front bodice pieces to the back bodice pieces at the shoulder WAY early in the process. Which means for the rest of the construction, you're shoving that long back piece out of the way. Arrgh.

I was able to add pockets, too, in the side seams, although lining them up when sewing that seam was a bit tricky. There's a single notch to match the front skirt to the back at the side seam, so I placed my pocket piece on the front skirt pattern where I thought it should go, then cut a corresponding notch on the pocket -- that helped it match up pretty well.

The original pattern has the tie hanging down the back, but I prefer the way it looks brought around to the front.

Here's the back view:



And here's a closeup of the front:



I haven't hemmed the skirt, or the sleeves, BOTH of which were about three inches too long (PITA, pt. 3). I ended up cutting a 12 in the bodice and a 14 in the skirt, which was more or less the right size; if I had to do this again I'd maybe cut a 10 in the bodice (for narrower shoulders) and add some length to it, and a 16 in the skirt for a little bit more fullness. Although that would necessitate buying two copies of the pattern (PITA, pt. 4).

The fabric is Michael Miller, maybe? I bought it at City Quilter a gazillion years ago, I think ... (I really should start labeling my fabric with where and when and from whom I bought it, shouldn't I?) I think it's a little too stiff for this pattern, but it was a good tradeoff between fabric I could bear to screw up and fabric I would want to wear if it actually turned out okay. I think next time I will make it in some stripey seersucker, or maybe even in this silk noil I have lying around ...

Linktastic Friday No. 5

Wow, it's linktastic Friday again. Where does the week GO?

That Duro dress up there is Ann's -- remember her Shwe Shwe blog?

It's snowing here in Chicago today, but Lisa sent me a link to a pink shirtwaist dress that I wish I were wearing today. Outside. On a picnic. Without snow.

This dress would be an excellent picnic dress, too. With those pockets, you wouldn't need a basket ...

Nora sent me a link to this alphabet fabric, but I ended up buying this one. Although now I think maybe I should have chosen this one, instead. Ah, well.

Another tape measure bracelet from Lisa ... sold out, but I bet if you emailed the Etsy seller she'd make you another one. Ask nicely, now ...

Did everyone see this stunning (and stunningly expensive) Claire McCardell pattern on eBay? This one, while not as dramatic, certainly went for a lot less ... and ooh! Check out this pattern, it's quite nice and looks very easy ... thanks to Jeanette for the pointer to the second Claire pattern!

Completely Magnificent Dress from Sugardale.

Theresa sends a link to StyleShake, which I haven't had a chance to really play with yet. It's another one of those "choose your own adventure dress parts, and we'll sew it for you!" sites. Which generally I'm in favor of. As proof they'll make anything, though, I present to you this:



Whoa, that's it for this Friday, even though I have more links I really should post ... maybe next week will have two doses of linktasticity. You never know.

Oh! One more thing: Jen at MOMSPatterns.com is having another 20%-off pattern sale, now through midnight Monday. (I don't know what time zone Jen is in ...) Use coupon code 'slacker20', she says, because she's been slacking this month.

But, before I forget, this blog was given a very generous writeup in a new craft mag, Make It Mine! Thanks!

I bet you thought I was over the Duro, huh?

Well, I know I haven't posted much about it lately, but I'm still mulling over Duro and Duro-ish dresses. I'm on the hunt for more interesting fabric and color combinations ... but while I'm looking, you all should know that Hotpatterns has a new killer wrap dress! (Thanks to Jonquil for the link, click on the image to visit the Hotpatterns site.)

It's for silk (and similar) jerseys, which I've never sewn with before ... I understand silk jersey is a dream to wear, but how is it to SEW with? Seems as if it would be slippery to me.

Oh, in other Duro news, reader Lucette has asked that if you've made a Duro and have pics, you upload them to Flickr (tagged "Duro") as inspiration for others -- I think that's a great idea!

Also, if you've ever wanted to send me links, etc., but don't want to email me, feel free to use the tag "dressaday" on Flickr, del.icio.us, twitter, etc. I'll set up feeds and see whatever you tag. This year is all about moving the non-urgent stuff out of the inbox, and into the feedreader where it belongs. (If this paragraph made no sense to you, leave a comment and maybe I'll try to explain ...)

Back to the Source

Madelene (and several other folks, but I think Madelene was first) linked me to the Style.com coverage of Duro Olowu's recent London show. There were lots of gorgeous fabrics and some really lovely coats, but this was the only dress close to the iconic "Duro"-type.

I like the longer sleeves and the longer length -- I think this is great as an evening gown, very easy and comfortable yet glamorous, too (and for a shortish person I'm unfortunately enamored of maxi-length dresses). I also like the double-banding (it looks like) on the sleeves and at the hem.

The whole show is worth checking out ... I really wish I needed one of those coats. I mean, I *want* one of his coats; I just don't need it.

First Prize!

So, I forgot (again) to tell you (or at least the Chicagoland-area you) that I would be on Chicago Tonight on WTTW last night. (I was only talking about txt-messaging abbreviations, LOL.)

But, I figured, I might as well wear a Duro. (A Duro, as some of you have asked recently, is a kimono-style dress with contrast banding, as popularized by the designer Duro Olowu. That makes 'Duro', like 'cardigan', an eponym.)

The Duro worked fine on TV (as far as I can tell, being no expert on production values, and only being able to watch myself for a few minutes post-show, before it was time to put the little boy to bed). I'm sure someone helpful will tell me if it didn't ...

The only problem with wearing dresses on TV is that the mic guy doesn't have a super-convenient place to put the mic. With a Duro, though, you hang the box on the back sash, and run the cord & mic through the wide sleeve to the front vee. Works fine! (Occasionally when I've worn dresses to speak they have to hang the mic box from my back bra strap. Not ideal.)

The print fabric here is Liberty, a pattern called "First Prize". Here's a non-flashy photo:



The banding is quilting cotton. It's a little rough next to the fine lawn, but I haven't been able to find good colors in cotton lawn, unfortunately. And it's probably one of those things that I'm the only one who notices, too. I'm also convinced that either my mannequin has a decided list to one side (or maybe I do?), or the floor of my sewing room is slanted. (Or maybe I just can't hold a camera straight? My worldview is skewed? Something's going on.)

I'm also showing it here with the tank I usually wear under this one; a plain milk-chocolatey one from H&M. (I don't think you can tell here, but it matches a brown tone in the center of the First Prize rosettes.) Lots of you have commented about how deep the Duro necklines are, and I wanted to show you how I manage to wear them without being, in the classic words of somebody-or-other, a "cleavage-y slutbomb." (Not that I think cleavage is necessarily slutty, and of course it's the patriarchy that defines sluttiness anyway, always with an eye to perpetuating itself and controlling uppity women, but I just really like the word slutbomb. ) I also like having a chance to throw another color into the Duro mix with various tanks. Not to mention being far too lazy to alter the pattern to have a higher neckline.

I can't remember if I posted this one before, or not! (Do I repeat myself? Very well then, I repeat myself.) If I have posted it before, I'm sure someone helpful will post it in the comments.

No, Luke. I am your Duro ...

So, here, finally, is the Darth Vader fabric Duro. It's not really pressed, and until I uploaded the picture I didn't realize it wasn't straight on my mannequin, but, nevertheless, here it is.

I showed it to Mr. Dress A Day last night, and his reaction was, "Well, the houndstooth certainly distracts from the Darth Vader heads." (Mr. Dress A Day sometimes has a hard time ginning up the appropriate amount of enthusiasm for my sartorial flights of fancy.)

I am very pleased with the houndstooth, because the background isn't white -- it's gray, like the Darth Vader heads, as you can almost/maybe see here:




I like that I could use this fabric in a Duro, because what I'm really hoping for is the double-take. That it just looks like an abstract print at first, and then suddenly there's the realization, that no, it's not abstract, it's DARTH VADER. (And then they find an excuse to move away from the obviously unbalanced woman in the Star-Wars-themed dress.)

If I were really ambitious (or really a lot more geeky than I am right now) I'd find one of those Darth Vader-breathing chips that were in the magazine ads for the re-release of the first trilogy, and keep it my pocket to jolt that realization, for people slow on the uptake. But I won't. Or, at least, I probably won't.

Here's a closeup of the bodice, just because:



And, yes, I know, that in the movie Vader really says "No, I am your father," with no "Luke" in there at all. How do I know this? I looked it up.