I Took the Plunge...

The Vintage Plunge, that is! I've been having so much fun with my little 60's retro reproduction pattern, that I finally decided to try some real vintage patterns. I wanted to start small, and just get my feet wet, so I only ordered three. But it was really hard to limit myself! I found these at Momspatterns, and there were so many beautiful patterns to choose from, I could have just gone hog wild!

I found these in the "mod" section. I love my little repro dress, and in fact, I've been having the best luck with dresses which have princess/vertical seams, no waist seams, and an "easy" body skimming fit, so the mod look seemed like a good place to start as far as vintage "eras" go.

I picked patterns which appealed to my eye, but also were listed as very close to my actual measurements. These are all size 16 (bust 38) or size 18 (bust 40). I didn't want to have to do a whole lot of re-sizing, at least until I get the hang of working with these older patterns.

The first one that caught my eye was this one:
Is this not fabulous!?! Check out those pockets! And look at all the topstitching! And gosh, I can't decide if I like it better with or without the collar! When I saw that this was available in a size 18, I knew it was meant for me!

Then I found this one:

It's really hard to see on the illustration, but this one has a princess seamed "insert" thing going on. The side front piece is also seamed underneath the belt. I love how the belt is caught in the seam. The little stand-up collar is very cute, too. I'm totally picturing the long sleeve version made in a tweedy purple fabric, with dark hose and a gold locket to accessorize. ( Just have to find that fabric!)

And finally, there's this one, the most recent of the three, copyright 1972.

I love the triangle yoke, the center front seam, and the darts. I actually like the tunic version with the shorts and the long pants, but I probably will make the dress and cut it off at mid knee. I think I would get more wear out of it that way.

Like I said, all of these came from Momspatterns. The website is wonderful- You can search by decade, by bust size, waist size, or hip size, which is really convenient. The prices seemed good to me, although I'm by no means an expert. I ordered these late Sunday night, and I received an email early Monday morning saying they were on their way. They arrived Thursday. That was pretty quick! I will definitely be visiting there often looking for more little jewels like these!

Now I just need to get that retro dress hemmed so I can wear it and get started on one of these! If I can find the right fabric, that little long sleeve dress might make it into my Sew-as-You-Go.

Happy sewing! I'm off to drool over my new patterns some more...