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The Boyer Sisters

Real-life Advise + Inspiration for the Creative Gal.

Sew for Victory // Three Sailors Went to Sea, Sea, Sea

03/18/2013

Hooray! I have finally finished my Sew for Victory project(s)! In my previous Sew for Victory post, I told you all that I was making myself a sailor dress. But, I ended up making myself not one, but TWO sailor dresses. If you know me pretty well, you will know that the desire to make one thing twice is a rarity with me. So, I went ahead and made the second dress before my mind could convince me to do otherwise. Therefore, I am pleased to present to you my two brand new late 1940’s Sailor Dresses!


Now, the reason I decided to make this dress twice, is because the first one was “basically” a wearable muslin or mock-up, and there were SO many things I knew I could do much better if I made another one, and I had a super cute idea for a different applique for the collar.

I had originally planned to embroider, “Three sailors went to sea, sea, sea…” on the second collar, but it wouldn’t have fit quite properly, so I decided to leave it out. I like how both collars turned out, but I think that the turquoise dress is my favorite. Which collar/dress is your favorite?

Well, the second dress isn’t *quite* finished yet… I still have to add the neck panel.

Well, enough about the dresses, onto the details!

Just the Facts:
FABRIC: Brown and red plaid dress: Old costume skirt made from store-bought cotton homespun. Turquoise and red plaid dress: Vintage (I believe) cotton homespun (traded from Charlotte for some fabric of mine). Cost: traded material + cost of original costume skirt + the fact that the costume skirt was recycled = basically free. 🙂

PATTERN: My own. Drafted using the Haslam System of Dresscutting, and based on this dress from etsy.com

YEAR: about 1947

NOTIONS: Brown and red plaid dress: buttons-$1.40, snaps-25 cents?, interfacing-stash.
Turquoise and red plaid dress: buttons-stash, snaps-10-15 cents?, interfacing-stash. Belt buckle- 75 cents?

THE INSIDES: The seams on both dresses are pinked (to stay true to the 1940’s, and for time’s sake), the facings hemmed; the hems of the sleeves and the skirt on the brown and red plaid dress are finished with rayon seam binding tape, while the turquoise and red plaid are merely double hemmed.

HOURS: Pattern: about 2 hours + Brown and red plaid: about 4 hours + Turquoise and red plaid: about 3.5 hours = 9.5-10 hours total.

FIRST WORN: For the pictures.

Wear again? DEFINITELY!!! I love how the dresses turned out, and they are bound to get a ton of wear this summer, and hopefully for summers to come!

Make Again? Well, I’ve already made it twice, so I don’t see a need to make another one right away, but I can see myself making this dress again, so… yes!

TOTAL COST: Brown and Red Plaid Dress: about $2.00
Turquoise and Red Plaid Dress: about $5.00-$7.00 (with the cost of the fabric I traded Charlotte included).

Cake or Frosting? Cake! (which I am doing a happy dance about right now, by the way) Finally some pretty new-vintage dresses to wear every day! 🙂

Well, I guess all I have to say now is; a giant, humongous THANK YOU!!! to Rochelle of Lucky Lucille for hosting this sew-along! It has been a blast seeing everyone’s projects, and finding out all sorts of neat tips, etc. If you plan on doing another one, I’m pretty certain I will participate. 🙂

And just for your enjoyment… some *insiders* pics to laugh at… 😉

Blessings,

Brigid
The Middle Sister and Singer

Creativity 12 Comments Tagged With: Vintage Style

About The Boyer Sisters

Jessica + Charlotte Boyer make up the Boyer Sisters. They are total opposites with two things in common: a love of Christ, and infusing every sphere of life with beauty + creativity.

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Comments

  1. Kalin ♥ says

    03/18/2013 at 5:34 PM

    Love them both!!!! Adorable!

    Reply
  2. Chrissy88 says

    03/18/2013 at 9:46 PM

    They are both very cute. I think the turquoise is my favorite though.

    Reply
  3. Em says

    03/18/2013 at 9:57 PM

    Both of your dresses are so cute!!! The blue one is probably my favorite, just because blue is my favorite color. I love both of the collars too!!

    Reply
  4. Stephanie Boomsma says

    03/18/2013 at 11:03 PM

    Both dresses are gorgeous! I love the applique – especially the boats. So cute! Well done

    Reply
  5. Emily says

    03/18/2013 at 11:06 PM

    They look amazing!!! I love the turquoise color on you! GREAT work! I love the new blog design too, looks lovely!:)

    Reply
  6. Loran says

    03/19/2013 at 1:23 AM

    Oh my…I have a soft spot for sailor dresses. I think the turquoise one slightly edges out the other just because of the collar BUT I love the other collar as well. Lovely outfts, now I am off to rummage around for sailor-type fabrics/inspiration : )

    Reply
  7. Alicia Joy says

    03/19/2013 at 4:34 PM

    I love it, Brigid! And the fact that you made up TWO of them! 😀 So glad you’ve finally got some “cake” to wear for everyday. I just love the turquoise collar applique! So cute. Both of the dresses are adorable. Makes me jealous now for a sailor of my own!

    Alicia Joy

    Reply
  8. Lauren Smilie says

    03/19/2013 at 5:59 PM

    Both dresses are lovely. Although I like both appliques a lot, I especially love the applique on your turquoise dress. Thank you for sharing with us! ~Lauren 🙂

    Reply
  9. Debi says

    03/20/2013 at 7:33 AM

    Oh I LOVE them both!! The sail boat appliqué is so cute!! I just love that you used the Haslam system too!! One can never have too many 1940s sailor outfits!! So pretty!

    Reply
  10. Faith says

    03/20/2013 at 4:18 PM

    Great Job! They look professional. I really like the applique on the the brownish one, although like the color of the blue one better! Did you use regular cotton for them?

    Reply
    • The Boyer Family says

      03/20/2013 at 4:44 PM

      Thanks!!! I used regular cotton homespun, the brown one being made from an old costume skirt.

      Brigid
      The Middle Sister and Singer

      Reply
  11. Rachel Proffitt says

    03/21/2013 at 5:35 PM

    They both look lovely, but I have a soft spot for the boats 😉

    Reply

About the Boyer Sisters | Real-life Advise for the Creative GalHey, gal! We're Charlotte + Jessica, the Boyer Sisters. Around here, we present a raw, vibrant perspective on what it means to be a creative gal after God’s own heart. We believe in the breath-taking freedom that is found by putting Christ first in our lives and letting everything else follow.

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