Hello sweet friends! This weekend, at long last, our Sweet Guy will have an outdoor graduation ceremony. It is consistently in the upper 90’s here in Texas so I wanted a cool cotton dress to wear. I absolutely love how the Red, White, and Blue 1930’s Dress has turned out.
Simplicity 2813
A few years ago I found this amazing 1930’s dress pattern, Simplicity 2813, in a little box in a field at Round Top Antiques Week. I have been hesitant to make it as the patterns of this era are completely blank. They feature no lines or guides. So I wanted a bit of sewing experience under my belt.
I had found 4 yards of this glorious vintage cotton fabric last fall at an estate sale. The vintage navy rick rack and buttons were in my stash.
Because of the pleated bodice detail, I would classify this pattern for intermediate level seamstresses.
Red, White and Blue 1930’s Dress
As I am short-waisted I had to shorten quite a bit of the detailed pointed waist inset. The detail is somewhat lost in the busy fabric anyways so I wasn’t to bothered.
The second alteration I made was to the A-Line skirt. The style of the 1930s was very long and lean. Not exactly a pear-shaped girls friend. The skirt pattern piece was almost full length on me. So I simply removed about 3 inches off of the top of the skirt. This allowed the skirt to correctly hit me at mid-calf as well as give my hips a bit more breathing room.
The adjusted skirt was simply attached to the bodice waist with a few slight gathers added in the center back. You can see them ever so slightly below.
I really like the length of the sleeves. The rick rack detail makes me smile.
Bang For The Buck
This dress was made for under $10. JOY!!!
If I were to pay the going rate for new, old stock fabric I could expect to pay a least $20 a yard. Making the total, at minimum, $80 for materials.
The dress took about twelve hours to create from start to finish. An hourly rate of $20 an hour would total $240 for labor.
Whew, I truly can’t afford $320!
But I like to share real-life costs with you. If you are willing to look for deals and sew things yourself you can get a truly one of a kind bargain. It also helps to validate the prices that professional seamstresses and tailors charge.
I hope you have enjoyed this Red, White, and Blue 1930’s Dress.
As always, a HUGE “thank you” to my amazing photographer, Ian Charles Ingalls Gunn.
I am SO incredibly proud of you!
XO,
Mom
So cute!
Your dress is so lovely, Laura! Very becoming on you! Ian looks so happy and I am thrilled
for him to hear there will be an actual graduation – WooHoo! And that your darling daughter
is home as well — happy days are here again!
I’m happy your son will have an actual graduation ceremony! The dress turned out lovely–love the rickrack detail.
A funny story from when I worked in a fabric shop in early married days. One day a German couple came in and asked for zigzag. I wasn’t sure what they meant. They tried to describe it to me, but I just wasn’t getting it. Finally somehow I realized they were talking about rickrack. We all had a good laugh about it.
Adorable dress! Very flattering on you and so happy for the graduation ceremony!! Enjoy to the fullest!
what a darling dress, Laura. I love the fabric, especially the top — and you are right about the sleeves. They really are a perfect length. I appreciate the cost comparison. It’s such a good reminder.
What a cute style! I’ve always liked rick rack. That’s great that your son is getting to finally have a graduation. This is one that ya’ll will never for
get!