News — EvaDress Patterns

The 1930's is a fashion decade of great variety and significant firsts. In particular, women's wardrobe choices seemed limitless from new-fangled suits and sportswear to décolletage evening gowns. The 'official' street trouser and the natural waistline as we now know them were first established. This is a sewing pattern challenge to create men’s or women’s garments from 1930’s EvaDress patterns. Accessories (hats, bags, etc.) are not counted as an individual project, but may accompany garments in a submission. Participants may each enter more than one project for this challenge.Projects may not be started earlier than 12:01 a.m. EST on January 1,...

This week’s pattern tour covers the Katharine Hepburn Ensemble pattern. It was 10 years ago I wrote the six-page article, ‘Working with Vintage Patterns’ for Threads Magazine focusing on this scarce pattern. It’s commemorative. So here is… Howard Greer designed the dress, jacket and hat ensemble Katharine Hepburn wore in her first starring role in RKO’s ‘Christopher Strong’ (1933). The costuming a great filmic narrative; in this case, she wears the kimono jacket with cut-away shoulders at the time she is really opening up with her love for Christopher. The dress underneath is a simple A-line yet touched with sophistication...

It was tough to evaluate the entries in the EvaDress Patterns Fabulous Forties Challenge because they were, well so fab! Lil from Oz took the finalist spot for her versatile ensemble of the 1945 high-waist trousers and 1945 beach tops! While she said she did not consider herself as a ‘1940s’, Lil sure pulled it off using a lovely combination of linen, wool and flowers! Extra meaningful, the trousers and braces are in lightweight wool from her mother’s cache of fabrics. She re-sized the trousers (currently a single-size pattern) to fit and added fun contrasting pockets. The inside scoop: plain...

Excuse my absence, been inundated with network issues and a dental procedure, as late.  As I touched on last week, it's often a better garment when cut on the bias versus the straight of grain.  This week, I demonstrate this in my improvement of a Big Four pattern, namely Vogue 8191 (OOP).  I cut the top front on the bias in two pieces, versus the one piece to avoid undesired asymmetry. Many may already know one side of a bias cut garment behaves differently than its opposite side.  Here, the armholes would have draped differently with the bodice cut in...

Picking up where I left up in 'Bias Junkie Part I', it's often a better garment when cut on the bias.  Take McCall 9906, the 1938 Day or Dinner Dress: The skirt is arranged on the fabric with grain.  It's fabulous already, right?!  Yet, I saw in it an opportunity so many of us dressmakers want - the potential to MAKE our own fabric!  As you may have seen in my blog 6 years ago, I set out to create my own ribbon gown using this pattern as I was inspired by an extant gown I bought in an antique...