Easy pieces!

Gibson Girl, 1899

 With summer heat on the rise, some of us like to spend the heat of the day in front of a sewing machine working on some projects some perhaps inspired by the heat.  There are pieces that lend themselves well to either being dressy or casual really depending on the fabrics used.  A classic style top and skirt will span several years worth of wearing, particularly if you use colors that enhance you and accent pieces that will add variety.

I tend to check out New Look patterns as they have very basic and simple-to-make styles.  For Summer I like make easy pieces out of lighter cottons for coolness and comfort.  One can always add a light sweater or jacket  for the top and a half slip or knee-length bloomers under the skirt.  Unless you can catch patterns on sale, Walmart offers the New Look Patterns for  under $5.

Simple Tops

This is an easy top from New Look 6434 that I hope to make soon.

This one is looser.

Getting into more detail with the pleated top--which would be a great camouflage top for various issues.

This blouse has more detail and pulls over the head.  It is more fitted.









This one has a jacket that would go nicely on cooler occasions.  The tops could be used with any skirt.

Then there is the camp shirt which is comfortable.

Simple A-Line Skirts

There is a simple skirt from New Look 6437 that will look nice on every body. A-line skirts are feminine and flattering.  New Look 6004 with a simple elastic waist to quickly pull on.  I like to add pockets to the side seam for keeping things handy.  There are other with a little more detail  New Look 6287 and New Look 6483

This New Look has some pockets  and is a little more fitted in the waist.

                                                          Wishing you a wondrous summer.

Oh! My!

                                This picture was found on a pinterest site and was labeled:

                          Little old-fashioned beauty......back when girls looked like girls!


I was looking at a blog I check out for interesting articles and found this one of "Sex & the Kiddies"  by Robin Phillips.

"The result is that our brains are being changed to think of sexuality in completely disenchanted terms. In earlier generations, when this area of life was considered “holy ground,” the veil of shyness that properly attended sexual things preserved the sense that our sexuality, though on one level purely functional, is also a matter of great significance, calling for reverence, respect, and privacy".   - See more at: this site.

The article deals with the advertising and entertainment that affects children in Great Britain.  I do believe we have become very desensitized as a whole nation as part of the slow disintegration of our morals and especially sexuality and all that goes with it.

It has arisen in our family and there seems to be a stubborn resistance to looking modest anymore. And....I may be late in discovering this as we are sort of isolated from big city culture yet it is prevalent in the small town we live in and we have been careful in what our children do, however, sin creeps in when there are open doors.  The following  articles and similar other ones, you may have already seen and read but it won't hurt to review them and seek God's counsel. It definitely is a sign of the times--the inward collapse of our culture and society and the loss of a moral standard from the scriptures.

Here are other sites that discuss this issue.

Provocative clothing can cause long-term harm to kids, expert says

Why Do Teen Girls Dress the Way They Do?

The sexualization of girls

I have been reading a very interesting book on what affects the culture of today and the devastating results we are seeing in our youth and in our churches.  I would strongly urge you to read  The Tattooed Jesus by Kevin Swanson.  He has a great series on the Proverbs that we have been using.

May you continue to be encouraged our Savior and King by doing what He wants.

Dresses for Summer and Print Tips

On The Bridge
Peter Alexandrovich Nilus

Comfort in the warmth of the season is the basis for what we wear in the Summertime.  However, with our culture expressing little restriction on exposure of the near naked body, those of us who prefer no
visible immodesty try to avoid beaches, picnic areas, and other summer recreation sites which once were acceptable for family gatherings and fun times in times past.  I enjoy looking at the pictures where the summer activities were portrayed with fully clothed people who found pleasure in such times.  There certainly was respect for the company kept.  We are a far cry from it now.

Many of the pictures of the clothing I put on this post are from Shabby Apple.  I was sort of discouraged by the meager offerings of "pretty" dress styles offered in the major pattern companies.  After checking out Shabby Apple I have been excited to see such feminine apparel, albeit they cater to the above-knee look on the shorter dresses.  One can find similar patterns to make the simple dresses by checking on these previous posts:  More Spring Things,  Cold Days Ahead.


However we have the responsibility as modest Christian women and young ladies to dress with the purpose of glorifying God  in the wonderful feminine clothing that we have to put together ourselves as there seems a dearth of "lovely lady" style clothing.  This does not mean everyone should wear ruffles and lace, but it does mean we wear something other than T-shirts and heavy skirts.  If you don't have anything else, decorate the neckline with embroidery or a light airy scarf,  just make sure that the T-shirt is not tight, low necked (test-bend over to see what shows--same for skirt length in back) or have messages over the front.  We want to draw attention to our face which shows our grateful countenance.  The looser the clothing in the summer, the more comfort realized.

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Spring Bouquet

Emery Dress

The dress styles seem to have more simple  lines in the entire garment  than say, the elegant and feminine detailed  accents of  past centuries.  Our culture seems to be heading towards simple styles, almost gender neutral.  Along with that philosophy, most of the dresses or tops and skirts have very little definition that makes it look feminine.  The body underneath determines who is wearing it mostly by the hang and fit.
However, by carefully choosing fabrics, colors, designs, and styles that complement our shape, we can truly look feminine with wise and careful use of our funds.

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Rose

blue skirt

Skirt ideas:   Find a skirt pattern, the simpler, the easier and better for summer, choose a print that you can wear several tops with as well as a sweater or light jacket for warmth.  Then make a single color one that coordinates with the tops and you have a quick versatile summer wardrobe.  Fabric choices should be cottons for comfort or a natural fiber you prefer.

At any rate, prints must be carefully chosen.  The larger the print, the better on a larger build.  Medium prints will work for most.  Tiny prints can be used and accented with accessories, such as belts, scarves, larger jewelry.

Cordelia

Also if there are obvious designs that would make for attention to the placement keep them away from areas where you don't want to draw the eye to,  particularly the areas of the bust, hip, or protruding (not pregnant) stomach.

Eve

Amanda

Prints can vary in dominance according to design and colors.  Those with darker skin tones can wear a wide variety  of  bright and vibrant colors while the pale skin tones need to be careful not to have an overpowering color scheme.

This blue tiny print dress below works nicely in a simple top with accent on elbow-length sleeves and a  box-pleated skirt.  A similar pattern for a dress like that is found at Mingo and Grace  #2716, New Look 6143,  Merrick's art shows a similar dress,

Modest dress

Mingo and Grace 2716 

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Mikarose

Prints are to be complementary to the body and skin tone. Print size can be overpowering so the print should be in moderation according to your size and shape.  

Pinterest

 Make sure that your print  works  best with your body type and the color goes best with your skin tone.









Here's an idea for a simple top.  Make several in different colors  and prints.

Blue top

Simple tops make stunning outfits with the right prints and fabrics!  This one is an African fabric and would go wonderfully well with a navy skirt.  Etsy.

This Burda is a little different with gathers  on the side and it does look comfortable in pastel colors.

Well, there are some tips for modestly dressing this summer.  I hope you find colors that suit you and enjoy wearing a few new items you have made.  ( I hope I didn't sound too repetitious!)

More Spring Things

English Spring

With  Spring  actually here,  it is inspiring to see many possibilities in wardrobe extensioning.
Cotton dresses are so much more comfortable than blends or manmade fabrics.  mingo & grace have a unique and yet classic dress pattern on sale now that would work with many colors and flowery prints for Spring and Summer.

mingo & grace 2716

 These pictures come from their website and the ladies look very pleased with their results.  I would lengthen the hemline for a more feminine and graceful look. 

McCalls has  another shirtwaist out in 7380 by Melissa Watson.  Again, this would look very nice with an even-length lowered hem.  It has an interesting placket for the front opening.  The skirt is  A-line shaped.

One could change the sleeve style with a shorter sleeve for summer.  The gathers in the back make it fit nicely.  Another challenge!

While perusing dress styles I have noticed that there are very few details on American dresses.  It seems that knit fabrics reign and so it leaves little with one to find those feminine details on dresses anymore. 

Spring is in the Air And a Couple More Shirtwaist Offerings!

Walled Garden in the Springtime
Helen Allingham

There is an inspiring  freshness when we see the new growth after the winter's chill.  The colors seem more vibrant and there is an eagerness to enjoy the new season ahead.  God's works shout out in the springtime with a glorious array of color and beauty.

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This is an wonderful time to gather new ideas and freshen the spring transitional wardrobe that has been sitting idle since the cold Fall and Winter weather.

I have perused a few of the new spring patterns from the major 4 sewing pattern catalogs.  I am always encouraged to see a version of the shirtwaist dress for the new year's entries.  I mentioned previously Simplicity's entry in 8014 in this post.  It is a simple dress with bodice options and varying skirt lengths.  Just be sure to keep your knees covered as it is so much more flattering to the figure.  It is a graceful and feminine look. 

Butterick 6333 has princess seam lines  that run from the shoulder down.  I like these for fitting as it is difficult to get a proper fit with a princess seam that emanates from the sleeve opening.

Butterick  6333

Lengthening the sleeves and skirt a bit makes it usable for transitional season clothing with consideration of fabric weight.

McCalls 7351 offers another classic approach to the shirtwaist with the various skirt types.  Personally, the squared corners remind me of table cloth re-purposing and they are more of a fad than classic looks.  The dipped-look skirts (?) as in the denim style dress below are also a fad. To make it more flattering as it is A-line, just make it the same length all around. The skirts can be lengthened or you may have a favorite skirt pattern that you could replace the given pattern with.  Make sure that your waist measurements match with the bodice on the pattern.

McCalls 7351

More Nearing Spring Thoughts: Musings on "Old" Clothing!

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Have you ever thought about how many people change their wardrobes and how often that happens?  Then take into the fact that some people just toss clothing into the waste baskets rather than recycle.   My husband receives junk mail  (another wasteful enterprise--although I am sure some do make money that way or it wouldn't keep filling up our mail boxes) that was quite interesting!  It was titled "America Gets Thrifty!"  The article told about a retail thrift store industry and how great it is doing.  Some of you readers might be familiar with  Epic Thrift.  The article quoted a story from June 6, 2013, ELLE magazine saying that the average American throws away 70 pounds of clothing every year.  This equals about 191 T-shirts per person discarded per year.  That is just to give an idea of the wastefulness.

There are many other sites that show that how wasteful and thoughtless America has gotten to be.  There are groups and companies that specialize in recycling clothing and shoes as well as other household goods.   However, there seems to be a growing number of thrift store shoppers as well as folks recycling clothing and shoes.  I enjoy going through such stores and finding "treasures" as well as recycling what we are through using that is still in good condition.

Probably in the larger cities there are a lot of thrift shops that specialize in up-to-date-fashions where trendy looks can be purchased for a lot less.  But the fact is thrift shops work because of purposeful customers who want to use their  funds wisely and others just love to shop for "treasures".

On this note of recycling and repurposing, I received this interesting website  and wanted to share it with you as I believe it is an outstanding contribution that one can easily become involved in.  Here you can use up those fabric scraps with gratefulness that God has made a way to clean out those fabric stashes and others can be so blessed by your kindness!   Please check out this site:  Little Dresses for Africa!  I am definitely going to do this as they have several ideas for children's clothing.  I noticed that some of these have been at it for several years and a few have had to quit sending dresses for a variety of reasons,  shipping costs are expensive as well as dispensing concerns.  Anyway, one of the simple ideas is making pillowcase dresses.  I know that there has been a great venture promoted for making just pillowcases by sewing stores in the U.S., not sure of those details as it just didn't interest me, but this makes a pillowcase seem to take on new life!   I find there are many sites that donate sewn clothing to children around the world.  We adopted from Haiti in 2005 and I  always wanted to sew some dresses for the  little girls and as well as pants for the boys at the orphanage, but got busy with our own corner of the world and now that our children are much older I find golden opportunities!  This is one site that is interested in pillowcase dresses from what I can read.

Another site that wants dresses  is found here:

Website

 Opportunities rarely exist whereby one can make a pretty outfit for a girl that is appreciated for its being a dress for daily wear!  Anyway, if the Lord leads you down this path for a while, may you enjoy the blessings!