Celebrating Victory!

Hi everyone,

My Sew For Victory project is now complete !

( Another building hall picture…I originally wanted to have a little photoshoot outside, but in the pouring rain ? No thanks !)

To celebrate Victory, what’s better than music ? Well, it just so happens that the fabric I chose for this is music-themed ! I found it on Spoonflower and it was designed for a « History of jazz » contest that took place a few months ago. Guitar, piano keys, double bass, drums, sax, trumpets, clarinets…there’s a whole big band on this fabric, perfect for a 1940s/mid-century soundtrack !
Well now, on to the patterns and the details.
I used Colette’s Ginger skirt pattern, and the size 6 fit me with almost no alterations. I just slashed-and-spreaded the skirt pieces to make the whole thing a bit more flared, and I also just lengthened it a little bit for a more (or so I hope !) period-appropriate length. I also made my left back waistband pieces longer, in order to have an overlap which allowed me to put a skirt hook-and-eye closure at the waistband.

I also tried to include more vintage-ish details, such as patch pockets …

Hey look, I can actually put my hand in the pockets now !

Another pocket detail. These buttons looked pretty cute to me, but on second thoughts I think they look more 70s than 40s…Could anyone confirm that ? If it is so, I guess I have to train my eyes at identifying vintage buttons…

…A hand picked lapped zipper, instead of the invisible zipper the pattern called for…

Please be kind, as it was only my second time inserting a lapped zipper ! I actually made a first go at it with my sewing machine, and I think I would have left it as it was if I had been sewing a solid fabric with a same colored thread. But the orange thread showed a little too much for my taste on this fabric, so I went for a hand picked lapped zipper. It’s not perfect – either I lack training, or handpicked is just better for non-lapped, centered zippers – but I think it still does the trick...

…and bound seams.

(picture coming later)

So there you have it – a jazzy Ginger ! I hope the weather gets better soon so I can actually wear it !


And for now, I’ll leave you with a picture of my faithful sewing help :

No, Kitty. Nothing is going to hatch from that pincushion, no matter how long you sit on it…