The Reproduction of a Vintage Dress, Part 1

It started when someone asked me if I could do some minor repairs on some vintage dresses. I jumped on the chance, and immediately fell in love with the dresses. One in particular caught my attention. It was a grey wool dress with ¾ length sleeves, scallops down the front, and a cover button in each scallop. Before I returned the dresses to their owner, I photographed the dresses, sketched them, and took detailed measurements. Then, since the grey dress was my favorite, I decided to reproduce it, first. Based on the measurements I had, I was able to create pattern pieces. I did cheat a little on the sleeve, and copied the cap from a similar sleeve pattern. Next, I resized the pattern to my size. Interestingly, although the dress was several sizes too large for me, it was exactly the right length throughout the bodice. The last step in my pattern-making process was adding the seam allowances. Finally, I was ready to try out my pattern! Coming soon…the results!