A 1920s "Two Day" Sweater...

I made this sweater almost by accident. I bought the c. 1921 Bear Brand Blue Book on Etsy and found a few patterns in it I wanted to make. They called for Shetland Floss, so naturally I wanted to find out more about it.  I do have a sample of it from Peace Dale Yarns, which I wrote about here, but was interested to see if I could find any from Bear Brand, details about the weight, or how much yardage was on a skein.  Instead, I came across The Diane Sweater in an ad for Fleisher's Yarn in the April 1921 Ladies' Home Journal that claimed it only took a day and a half to make.  While I knew that it would take longer--it took about a month--it gave me an actual reason to make something and consistently work on it--something I haven't been able to do since all events were cancelled--as they should've been--this year. 

I took these pictures by myself with a tripod, and so look forward to when we can get together again. 

My version of the pattern can be found here. I've rewritten it and fixed a few of the errors in the original pattern. 

A Beaded Robe de Style

I almost didn't make a new dress for the gala at Costume College this year. I had a very busy year costuming wise and thought that I wouldn't have time. But things went a little more quickly than I expected, and I realized I was going to end up with a week with no costuming plans right before Costume College. I had fallen in love with this robe de style ages before, when it was an eBay auction, and just as I was considering making it, more pictures came up on Pinterest. I really wanted to make it in green, and one day, after daily checking Renaissance Fabrics all of a sudden had green in stock. I had to make it then!


I made a few design changes from the original. After 2 hours of working on them, I decided I liked the dress better without sleeve caps. I think the silk net that I had was too lightweight to work correctly. I also left out the inserts of net at center front and back. I left off a beaded element at the center back because I liked the neckline more without it. I also decided against turning up the front hem to show the lining.

I'm wearing the dress over my envelope chemise and 1920s hoop. I didn't take pictures making it, but it's essentially the same as my first robe de style. I added guards so the straps wouldn't slip. Information about the beading can be found here.

These two pictures and the one with the gorgeous light below are by my friend Llyra Lee who's doing wonderful things with photography lately!


The dress is trimmed with 2mm, 5mm, and 6 mm rhinestones from Pretty Things Supplies, the steel beads are from Hanson Stone Vintage, the skirt lining is cream silk charmeuse from Dharma Trading, and the green taffeta is from Renaissance Fabrics. It's lined in lightweight cotton voile. My comb is from Pansy Belle Attic. My earrings are from Dames a la Mode. My shoes are t-strap ballroom shoes by Minitoo that I found on Amazon.

I waved my hair using a vintage Subpedo iron in front, and a vintage triple barrel iron in back. Both needed to be heated in a stove meant for non electric irons. It was a little intimidating, but I'm very happy with the results--especially for being rather new at using it!


One of my favorite parts of the evening was seeing Stephanie's interpretation of the same dress. I love what we approached the same and differently! Though you can't tell in the picture, her bow was made of black beads that sparkled beautifully.

Transferring a Design and Beading a Bow--A Tiny Tutorial

The most striking feature of the dress I copied for the 2016 Costume College Gala is a rhinestone bow on the front neckline. It's what drew me to the dress when I first saw it, and it was one of those dresses always in the back of my mind.

My green silk taffeta is from Renaissance Fabrics, my steel cut beads are from Hanson Stone Vintage, and my rhinestones are from Pretty Things Supplies


I knew when I was making this dress that I wanted to add the beading to the mostly finished dress. I finished the bodice, except for sewing the neckline facing down. This way I was able to sew the neckline beads on and then whip the facing into place. I left off the skirt as well, because I didn't want it in the way. You can see the half finished facing in the above picture. The rhinestones are 5mm surrounded by 2mm.

Because my fabric is so dark--green shot with black--my previous technique of a cell phone flashlight and bowl, wasn't going to work. My fabric was also too dark for the pencil markings to show up. I have a chalk pencil somewhere, but I didn't really want to rub that off with the beading anyway.


To start, I traced my design onto tracing paper. It looks opaque in the picture, but is actually sheer. Tissue paper would work as well. I then pinned the design into place.

To get the design itself, I enlarged the picture of the dress and traced it--very easy!


I then sewed along the lines using white thread and big basting stitches.

When I tore the paper off, very carefully and with the help of a seam ripper, I had a perfect guide for the beads!


I sewed the beads right next to the guiding stitches--this made them easier to pull out once the beading was done.


The completed outline!


I then filled the bow with rhinestones. I used a 6mm in the center and 5mm and 2mm in the rest.


For the tails of the bow, I basted a line, sewed 6mm rhinestones along it, and then sewed the steel beads along the edge.


One of the tails ends past the skirt. I hemmed a piece of fabric in the shape I wanted, added the rhinestones, and sewed it to the dress. I sewed the steel beads after this so they'd cover the join between the extension and the dress.

And that's it! For the beading, at least :)

A 1920s Beaded Dress

A 1920s dress made of silk chiffon from Dharma Trading and worn over a slip made of yellow China silk from Golden Silks. The dress is tambour beaded with zillions of tiny seed beads from Fire Mountain Gems, and I bought the clip in my headband on Etsy.


I am not in love with this dress. I didn't give it the attention it deserved, and it has quite a few issues that I really should've dealt with before wearing it. I should have shortened the waist which was stretched a little during the embroidery process and weighed down by the beading on the skirt. When I wasn't happy with the fit, I took in the underarams a bit, but I really should've taken in the whole side seams. That would've meant taking the skirt off, but, well, see number one. I also wanted more decoration, beading around the neckline, armscyes, a fuller design, etc. By the end of the beading, I was probably beading about half as densely as when I started. However, due to having whooping cough the summer I made this, I very much Did Not Care, and the dress just got done. I cared much more about the knit beaded bag I made to go with it--beautiful mindlessness!

I still wore the dress twice--to Costume College and to visit a friend in Montana and go out for a 20s themed dinner (where three of my dresses were worn!) and enjoyed wearing it, so that is something, I suppose! While I do hate it when people put their costumes down, at the same time, I think it's good to share that not everyone loves everything they do!


I remain enthusiastic about my beaded bag, and I very much want to make more. The bag is from The Hiawatha Book of Beaded Bags and Chains that I bought on Etsy. It has a Ravelry page here.


This picture perfectly sums up my attitude towards this dress. Plus, I just like the way Aubry of A Fractured Fairytale frames the shot.


My shoe clips (bought on Etsy) though? Possibly the best things ever :)

A few construction pictures are below.

A 1922 Evening Dress, Based on a Dress from Harper's Bazar

I've wanted this dress ever since I first saw it over two years ago. I'm surprised it took me as long as it did to make it! The inspiration is pictured at the bottom of this post. For my accessories, I'm wearing earrings and bracelets by Taylor of Dames a la Mode, a fan--with a kitty!--from Dengra Designs, shoes from Amazon, and a necklace I made from vintage stones from Etsy, settings from Fire Mountain Gems, and beads and chain from a local bead shop. My tiara is from Seperwar on eBay. I had to

The skirt is hemstitched with the help of Laurie of Cuddle Tyme Hemstitching who was wonderful and actually let me use her antique machine! More can be read about it on my post here.

I took detailed pictures of the construction process, and will post those later!


The dress is made over a foundation bodice of a cotton twill from Farmhouse Fabrics, boned with plastic whalebone from Farthingales, with boning channels made of Italian cotton ribbon from Angela Liguori, silk velvet from NY Fashion Center Fabrics which is lined with cotton organdy from Pure Silks, with edges finished with vintage rayon seam binding, and metallic silk from Pure Silks. I wrote about the flowers and silk thread covered beads here.

The pattern for the foundation is the Lady Maud Warrender 1911 pattern from Patterns of Fashion that I also used for my harem pants bodice.


Now, underneath the dress! I'm wearing stockings from American Duchess, which, while a little later than 20s do a good job of imitating the shiny look seen in many photographs. The smallest size is slightly too big for me, which I think makes them look more twenties! They're held up with garters which are made of crepe de chine and lace over elastic. I've since bought an antique garter which was made differently, which I've yet to copy. I'm wearing it over my silk envelope chemise, fully described here, and hoop, described here.


The dress is a wrap dress. A very elaborate wrap dress. I made up construction based on 1910s ideas, and it ended up working to not close the skirt. So, here it is, held up, and then I'm putting it on. Everything is open!


The skirt is the first thing that gets fastened. It closes with snaps. Next comes the twill underbodice, which closes edge to edge with alternating hooks and eyes. The chemise straps are then fastened into the lingerie guards I wrote about here, so they don't slip out of the narrow shoulder straps.


The flap that you can see hanging open in the pictures above these is essentially a stomacher. It's crinkled metallic silk lined with black silk taffeta. It's sewn to the right side, and then snaps closed on the left side. The velvet bodice then snaps shut over that.


Last, the belt--a tube of the crinkled metallic silk--is snapped on the left side. It's sewn around most of the skirt so it doesn't move. It's only loose from the center front to the side.


And here's the dress laid flat. You can see some of the construction. First, a twill foundation. Over that, a stomacher and back panel of crinkled silk. Then the velvet bodice, joined at the waist and center back, then the skirt sewn to that. Whew!


And my inspiration dress. You can see I've made a few changes. But that's why it's inspriration, right? :)

A 1920s Hemstitched Tennis Dress

My 1920s tennis dress is loosely based on this dress at the V&A and this dress on Etsy. It's made of dress weight linen from Farmhouse Fabrics. My scarf is some lightweight cotton that I had, and is based on the photograph in this pin. I'm wearing white tap shoes, based on the flat Mary Jane type shoes based on the photograph in this pin.

I used my 1920s base pattern for the bodice. I've had it for several years, and can't remember what it started as. It's a very simple shift shape though. The skirt is straight panels box pleated, based on the pattern in Women's Wear of the 1920s. It's about 110 inches, or two widths of linen. The hemstitching on the bodice is done by hand, and explained in this post. The neckline and armscyes are bound with self bias. The belt is very simple. It's just a tube of linen without a closure that I pull over my head. The belt buckle is a mother-of-pearl buckle I bought on Etsy.


I'm wearing the dress over my cotton 20s combinations, fully described here. I'm using garters to hold up cotton stockings. They're very simple, just crepe de chine and lace gathered over elastic. I've since bought an antique garter, which is constructed differently and that I'll eventually reproduce.


A detail of the neckline. You can see the bias binding at the arms. The hemstitching was done by pulling threads and sewing groups of thread together.


A detail of the waistline. The bottom edge seam allowance was pressed up and the skirt topstitched in. I've seen this done on 20s dresses, and it makes a nice, neat line. The box pleats are sewn together for about half an inch. I tried to sew them a little further down, like the pattern and the Etsy dress, but it was extremely unflattering.


A detail of the hem. While most of the hemstitching in the dress was decorative, I actually hemmed the dress with hemstitching as well. It's quite easy, just catch the fold of the hem as you sew the little bunches of threads.

Now, if only I really played tennis...