20s Patterns

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Are you having fun researching patterns for The Great Gatsby Sewing Challenge? Before the challenge I never realized how many patterns from the 20s required people to actually draw out the pattern pieces themselves. It's something I have never done, but it's on my to do list for the year, so I may try and tackle it!

Below I am posting about a few patterns that I have found online that might be of interest.





There are a LOT of patterns at Mrs. Depew's Etsy shop. Some of them require you to draw out the pattern and others include actual pattern pieces. Thanks for showing me the shop, Rochelle!



Last year BurdaStyle came out with eight Roaring Twenties inspired patterns. Any of the eight would make a great addition to a summer wardrobe.





I found this instant download pattern on the Etsy shop, Vintage Visage, for only $2.99!



Rachel just e-mailed me a link that brought me to this super cute pattern! 

Have any of you found any great patterns online? Please share them in the comments!

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For those that aren't fans of the 20s silhouette

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When many people think about clothing from the 1920s the first image that comes to mind is of a flapper wearing a slim fitted dropped waist dress. During this time many women moved away from the corset and towards a looser fitting, "boyish" silhouette.



Quite a few people commented on my last couple of posts saying that the 20s silhouette was not a flattering look for them and I don't want them to think that that style dress is the only sewing option! I recently purchased Everyday Fashions of the Twenties, a book that is a compilation of clothing catalogs from that time frame, and was happy to see a page dedicated to blouses.

When I saw this page I immediately thought of Steph's Sisters of Edwardia blouse which was inspired by the ladies on Downton Abbey.  If you are interested in making a blouse it might be worth it to check out the pattern she designed.





I really love the flutter sleeves and bow/belt. They aren't something that I would immediately think of when I think "20s," but they work! I can see this working as a mix of a longer version of View A of the Cambie dress and the sleeves from the Taffy blouse



This pretty vintage dress could be remade using the Laurel pattern as a starting point. You'd make the sleeveless version for the upper portion (see the extras for help with this) and make a slightly fuller bottom part. The embellishments would be fun to try and recreate!

I hope that I showed you a couple of options that you hadn't yet considered for your outfit. Are any of you making anything that might not be considered "traditional?"

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My Mad Men Elisalex dress

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Last year I was super bummed out that I didn't have time to participate in Julia Bobbin's Mad Men Challenge. My Joan dress was finished just after the challenge concluded, so I didn't get to join in the fun with everyone else. This year it was on my radar and although I'm cutting it close, I got it done in time! :)

I wasn't sure which outfit I wanted to emulate from the show, so instead chose a fabric from my last trip to Mood that I felt Megan Draper would possibly wear. The fabric is woven and a thicker weight, almost like a light canvas.

P.S. I'm a Megan lover, not a Megan hater. Why do people hate her?

I think this dress holds the record for the most time I have spent on a garment. I traced the pattern, sewed a muslin, retraced the pattern (went down a size from the original muslin, did a FBA, went in an additional size at the shoulders), made another muslin, and then got started on the final dress. While the fit is still not perfect (will it ever be?) I am still pretty happy that I corrected the initial problems with the baggy shoulders, tight bust, and baggy front. Doing a FBA made such a huge difference, but man, it was NOT fun making the changes for a princess seam bodice. Thank you to those of you that gave me suggestions and help on the fit!

 Oh, I guess I should tell you which pattern I used, huh? It's the Elisalex dress by the ladies over at By Hand London. Thanks to the sew along they are hosting I was able to sew the pattern with little confusion.

The dress stands up much better on the form.

Along the neckline you can kind of see my lining popping out a bit. While I did hem the bottom of the dress and the sleeves by hand, I haven't had a chance to properly stitch in the lining. I was kind of burned out on all the hand sewing today. And I ran out of Pretty Little Liars episodes to watch ;)

Speaking of hems, I took a lotttt off the bottom of the dress. Nine and a half inches to be exact! If you use this pattern I highly advise you to lay out your pattern pieces before buying fabric. I ended up using close to a yard less than the recommended amount.

Thanks for putting this sewing challenge together, Julia!

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The Great Gatsby Sewing Challenge

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A week or so ago I asked if there was an interest in a 1920s sewing challenge. The response was amazing and today I am so happy to officially announce The Great Gatsby Sewing Challenge!

WHO
Anyone that sews or crafts is welcome to join. Whether you are an expert or just an admirer when it comes to the time period, everyone is invited to participate. It's not necessarily important to make perfect historically accurate clothing (although you certainly can), the point is to have fun!

WHAT
If you're as excited about the movie release of The Great Gatsby as I am, then join the challenge. The goal is to make an item, or items, inspired by the era. Haven't read the book or maybe Gatsby's not your thing? What about making an outfit like one of the ladies on Downton Abbey or Boardwalk Empire? Or maybe try to incorporate beading or another new technique into your make. Make a dress, a blouse, a headband, a hat, anything with a 1920s feel.

WHERE
Bloggers and people without blogs are encouraged to join and add photos to the Flickr group. Post your progress, ask for fitting help, get opinions, and meet new people. At the end of the sew along I will do a round up of projects from the Flickr group. Weekly I will share some inspiration posts, here, on my blog.

WHEN
The movie is being released on May 10th, but the deadline for us will be at the end of May. That way you will have time to make an outfit and wear it to the movies if you'd like :)

WHY
Sewing challenges are a great way to get inspired and more importantly, meet new people. Some of my favorite blogging buddies were made when I joined Sew Colette. And if you've been waiting for the excuse to whip up a 1920s dress then here it is.

If you'd like to add a button to your blog to show your participation, please do so. And if you're on Instagram then hash tag your progress with #thegreatgatsbysewingchallenge so we can all take a peek.





Who's in? 

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