Tuesday 8 July 2014

Feeling Like A Teenager Again!

mccalls 3379No, I haven’t had a sudden burst of energy, or a facelift, played Simon and Garfunkel LPs, or spent the afternoon watching a young slim John Nettles playing Bergerac – no, I have just re-used a dress pattern for the fifth time! Back in 1974 I bought this McCall’s pattern for 45p. I made it long [blue and green] and short [lilac] and then in 1979 it was my used for my wedding dress in white satin.

I modified the sleeves, and the neckline – with and without the collar – I really got my money’s worth. Now I am repeating this…

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This pattern looks like being equally worth the investment. So far I have converted my ‘Amish housewife dress’ into a cute little skirt, used the fabric from my neighbour Yvonne to make a yellow blouse and a Lilly Pulitzer retro tunic, and Kezzie’s sarong to make a blue cotton dress for Austria [I should mention that other delegates in Salzburg asked to photograph both these last two!]

IMG_1387IMG_1629IMG_1409.1kezzie dress

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Now I’ve made another tunic- this time I turned the neck facing to the inside, and cut the armholes deeper and faced them. The fabric is a lovely cool drapey cotton, a gift from my friend Sandie. She said she thought I could do something with the red border print. It is a little ho-hum on the hanger, but Bob says I look “Very Mary Quant” when wearing it. [I wear it with leggings- I’m too old for a mini that short!]

mary quant

Mary Quant [now in her eighties!] was the designer of my youth, producing clothes which were inexpensive and practical [short, ‘so you could run for the bus more easily’ she once said] Confession – my shortest mini-skirt came in at just twelve inches long. I got told off for wearing it to a Christian Union meeting at Uni! I was [and still am] under five feet tall – it’s not as if I had legs as long as Twiggy’s

twiggy frocks

My new black border print tunic is one of my 52 Projects – I am determined that any dress fabric gifted to me will be turned promptly into something wearable. Thank you Sandie for your generosity

52 projects

8 comments:

  1. Like the black tunic with the red boarder. very chic (?)
    Carolx

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  2. 1974 - that pattern is as old as me!!

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  3. Jolly good!!! I like what you did with them! The material from Sandie is IDENTICAL to another sarong I have from Bali! X

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  4. I'm so pleased you could do something with it!
    And Thank you and Bob for helping me get 'chicken world' home to roost!
    Your Hubby is a star! (he forgot to take the blue sausage plant home with him!).
    Rita made a banana loaf cake, wrapped it up well and put it over the back gate for when we got back, it went down well with a mug of tea.
    Take care xx

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  5. I love the patterns from that era and still have a few.

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  6. Desperately envious of your skill, but taking mental notes. Your clothes look amazing. WS xxx

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  7. It does look very Mary Quant-like. Lovely.

    I wear all my short dresses with leggings too. xxx

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