Make Do and Mend

Believe it or not this dress was made out of an old fitted bed sheet, the elastic was shot but it only cost $2.48 at Goodwill and it turned into a fantastic dress. The pattern is Hollywood 1271; the only change I had to make to the pattern was to shorten the hem but I plan on opening up the collar because it is a little to high for my claustrophobic side. This was my first attempt at bound button holes and some turned out better than others.  The facings for the dress were a little funny especially with the bound buttons but they turned out well enough to wear the dress. My grandmother made me a snood to match my dress. It turned out beautiful with a scalloped front. I wore my dress and snood for WWII weekend at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum.  

There was a downpour while M and I were waiting in the car for the shuttle but it stopped so we had overcast skies for the rest of the day. It's always amazing to see all of the airplanes out and all of the reenactors who really love what they do. We sat a bit for the live radio show and walked through all of the encampments. I found a new sewing pattern Du Barry 2347d (which I can't seem to find a picture of on the internet). It said it was a 40's pattern but I wanted to confirm the date. It's a shirtwaist style with buttons and a zip closure plus you can add pockets to the center panel. (Have I mentioned how much I LOVE pockets?). M was looking for a rifle while we were in the flee market part but he couldn't find one. Oh and did I mention that he was dressed as a British soldier and we spoke with an accent to each other all day? Yeah we're goofy like that but I really wouldn't have it any other way.

The Scoop:

Fabric: 50% cotton / 50% Polyester fabric; cream with orange and yellow flowers

Pattern: Hollywood 1271

Year: 1944

Notions: 8 cream buttons with gold around the edges

Hours: I honestly don't want to think about it. (Let's just say the shoulder ruffles and I didn't get along...)

First worn?: June 3rd 2012 for WWII Weekend

Wear again?: To WWII weekend again for sure, and maybe out and about if I'm feeling ruffly...

Make again?: I want to make the second version with the sailor collar, but I have to decide if I want a red, blue, white, or black dress with all the possible color combos for trim.

Total cost: $5.00 for the pattern, the fabric was a gift, the buttons were in my button jar and the thread was in my thread box