The Shirtwaist...Post 1

The Shirtwaist...Post 1

OK, truth be told, its 4 am and I can't sleep. I keep thinking about the shirtwaist dress I am going to start on tomorrow (ahem, today). When I was in South Carolina I scored big time at Jo-Ann fabrics Labor day sale. Vogue patterns were on sale for $3.99 and McCall's were only $1.99!  (you would think that liking in one of the fashion capitols of the world I wouldn't get so excited about going to a Jo-Ann sale but so be it) Needless to say I picked up a bunch of patterns on the cheap. More on that later.

 One of the patterns I bought is Burda Style 7179

This is a vintage reproduction pattern which means that the fit will have been modernized. But that what muslins are for!

I will be making version B as its still quite warm and I figure this is a good fall transition dress.  Should I make the shall collar variation? What do you think? And I might just try and figure out that cute little pill box hat on the F illustration.  And those gloves might be perfect for trying my new Bernina Leather foot! (I have a pattern from BurdaStyle.com for the gloves) I might need the bow tie too.  Hmmm.



It calls for 3.5 yards of 45" wide fabric, which is just dandy because I happen to have 4 yards of this beautiful jewel hued plaid that I purchased from my under-the-N-train jobber*.  It's pretty n'est-ce pas? It will look terrific with my new Frye Lois Oxfords! Perhaps a nice cardigan draped around my shoulders to ward off the autumnal breezes?

Any ideas on contrasting fabrics? I am thinking red.



Tutorials/posts I plan to create for this dress include but are not limited to:

• Cutting and matching plaid
• Tips for using sew-in interfacing
• Adding side seam pockets
• Button holes-sizing and sewing
• Creating covered buttons with some oomph
• Seam and Hem finishes 

I am ready to go back to bed now.  Maybe my muslin will arrive in the mail and I can start cutting that? Sweet dreams....


*Jobber- definitions online vary for this word, but in the industry, or at least where I worked, the term jobber mostly meant an independent retailer of fabric that was neither wholesale nor "retail" (i.e. Jo-Ann's or Hobby Lobby) Mood from project runway might be considered an example of a Jobber. One thing jobbers do that "retailers" don't do is buy leftover yardage from manufacturers to sell to the public. If Donna Karen has a fabric produced for her line and after the run of production is over the factory still has 100 yards, they might sell it to a Jobber. Prints and colors found at Jobbers are often a few years behind...but who cares about that when you are getting awesome fabric!