Making the 1941 dress

I made this dress before I had any patternmaking software, so I manually graded it to size. I used my Sea Deco print which was the first fabric I designed and had printed for a garment. I had it printed on silk which I needed to order from China.

I made the short sleeve version with a detachable bow from orange silk charmeuse. The bow was not included in the original pattern, but I really liked how it looked on the cover drawing, so I decided to copy it. I have included pattern pieces for the bow in my version of the dress. My pattern also had a couple of extra collar pieces cut out of newspaper. The pattern was stamped 1941 and you can see part of an article about WWII on the newspaper pieces. What a great piece of history!

The pattern is pretty straight-forward. It calls for a “sleeve stiffener” ruffle in the inside of the sleeve cap to give that lovely 1940's poof. I used silk organza. I also went all out and bound the armscye seam with bias. The other dress seams are pinked for a vintage feel. The bow is mounted on a strip with snaps, it attaches to snaps hidden under the collar. The collar is closed with a hook and eye. I used an invisible zipper in the side closure.

I like the way the fabric works with the vintage pattern to enhance the look but also gives it a modern touch. It’s a super comfortable dress which is very flattering. The long sleeve version has zippers at the wrists, which is a nice touch. I can’t wait to make it up as well.