Welcome to today's edition of "How much can I eke out of this scrap of fabric?"
In my stash, I had this super cute strawberry print. I believe it is vintage because of the quality of the material, the style of the print, and the natural fibers. The drawback, it's less than a yard of length. This definitely limits what I can do with it. Even a plain, sleeveless top won't work.
I started thinking about 1940s colorblock clothing. Though the colorblock look has come back into fashion at multiple points (in the 1960s, in the 2010s, etc.), the colorblock of the 40s is a little different. It was less about fashion and more about making necessity fashionable.
Not only were many people still suffering the impacts of the Great Depression, WWII rationed material. Many women in the 40s made their own clothing and clothing for their families, but even then, they often didn't have the option of long lengths of fabric. They would repurpose fabric from old clothing, sheets, even feed sacks (a trend which became popular earlier on in the 30s). They would save and use anything left over from the project.
The clothing in fashion tried to use the least amount of fabric, shorter and narrow skirts, and simpler aesthetic details. Another way to work with limited resources was to colorblock. If there wasn't enough of one material to make the required outfit, they could cut different pattern pieces out of different materials. I could hardly find any authoritative research on the subject. The ones that spoke the most confidently said colorblocking started with an Ives Saint Laurent dress in 1946. Umm no. It did not, at least not by my understanding of what colorblocking is and based off of many illustrations of patterns and magazines from the early 40s. Since I couldn't find a resource, I made a Pinterest board to show you all the beautiful examples. Notice how many of the sewing patterns illustrate the dress in two ways, one with all the same fabric (probably the ideal look for most people at the time) and a one way showing it color blocked as an alternate to use less fabric.
I decided to make best use of my strawberry fabric, I would use the colorblocking method. The actual pattern I used was Simplicity 4967 from the 60s, not 40s. I did check my 40s patterns, but they were primarily for dresses and were more detailed and tailored. For this particular project, I wanted the print to shine so a simpler, less tailored 60s pattern worked better. I chose to use a dress pattern I had already made in the past that fit me well. I did want to make a few adjustments though. I made the sleeves a little shorter as a visual trick which suited my body type better. The original neck was quite high, above my collar bone. I lowered it a little, using another top I liked to figure out the best line.
The dress I made from this pattern a few years ago
I think I like the strawberry print with the solid bright red even better than I would have liked it on its own! I made a belt as well but will probably wear it without the belt more often.
I finished it just in time for strawberry season! I enjoyed picking strawberries with my mom and sister. We went to Seaman's Orchard, which offers not only delicious strawberries, but incredible mountain views while you pick.
What great lengths have you gone to use a scarce but beautiful item in your craft or sewing stash?
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