Första utmaningen klar/ The first challenge is finished

Ja, så var första utmaningen i Historical Sew Fortnightly 2014 färdig.  Som jag skrev i förra inlägget (från igår) så handlade det om att göra om och laga, om att göra saker man inte kan använda användbara igen. Och jag hade ju en klänning 30-talsmodell gjord av tunt ylle som fått ett malhål mitt över magen och sen packats upp och packats ner vinter och sommar, men aldrig använts. Utmaningen blev en anledning i att ta tag i detta och med hjälp av en meter blå yllekypert som jag köpte av min kompis Caroline när hon rensade ut sitt tygförråd för ett par år sen gjorde jag en ny kjoldel. Nederdelen av den gamla blev då en kjol till min ena dotter Valeria.

För att binda ihop den nya kjolen med livet gjorde jag en ny krage till klänningen (om ni tittar nedan ser ni att den hade en vit bomullskrage) och gav den dessutom utanpåfickor i livets tyg.  Jag gjorde också den nya kjolen kortare, till den i mitt tycker mer smickrande 40-talslängden.

   Den "gamla" klänningen hade antika glasknappar, men de bytte jag ut mot blå plastknappar som också passade den nya stilen på klänningen bättre.

Valeria i sin kjol:

Valeria in her skirt:

As I wrote in yesterday's post I had a wool dress in 1930s' style which had got a moth hole right in front on the tummy. The "Make Do and Mend" challenge gave me the kick in the butt I needed to do somethign woth it, except packing it down for summer and packing it up for winter. I made teh new skirt from a wool twill that I bought from a friend a couple of years ago when she sold out most of her fabric stash. To tie the two pieces of the dress together visually I also made a new collar (as you can se in the post below it had a white cotton collar) from the blue wool and made patch pockets from remnants of the glencheck wool used in the bodice and sleeves. This time I made the skirt shorter, to the, to me, more flattering "little-above-the-knee" length of the 1940s.
   From the lower part of the original skirt, which didn't have moth holes I made a skirt for Valeria, one of my daughters. I feel very thrifty.

The Challenge: # 1 Make Do and Mend

Fabric: 100% Wool tabby and wool twill

Pattern: Not as such, it started its life as a '70s pattern, but has been heavily re-made to a) fit me and b) to give it more of a 40's style.  You can see here another example of how I changed this "1970s does 1940s pattern" into a 40s  dress.

Year: ca 1940-44. Typical for the  war years with its combining of materials and rather short skirt.

Notions: Four plastic buttons, a zipper for Valeria's (modern) skirt

How historically accurate is it? Wool was a common dress material in the 1940s, unlike now, so the materials are good.  It has machined button holes, which wasn't common in home made clothing and the plastic buttons are probably from another type of plastic than the one used then.  While the pattern is from the 1970s it has been changed enough to make the pieces look like what you can find in an original 1940s pattern. The sleeves are taken from an original 1940s pattern too. Mixing fabrics like this gives it a very authentic look for the war years (at least in Europe) where every scrap available was used. I have studied many sewing patterns and Swedish women's magazines from the period and I think this would pass without comment or notice. (The magazine on the "old" photo is one of the leading Swedish women's magazines, from 1945)

Hours to complete: Not many, maybe five, including Valeria's skirt.

First worn: For photos I wore it today, but since I'm at home recovering from a hole in my duodenum, surgery and four weeks in hospital it may be a while before I wear it "officially". It will be great for work when I get back though.

Total cost: Nothing now, since everything is from stash, nothing newer than two years old. However, if I try to remember the price of the two fabrics I would end up with c. 150 SEK for fabric, which is about 29 USD, and then 20 SEK for a zipper (for Valeria's skirt) and 16 SEK for the buttons, so in all ca 35 USD.  The lining in Valeria's skirt was scraps I can't calculate the value of.