This post has been going around where op shows off their absolutely stunning embroidery work on an Elizabethan petal hussif. Truly, it’s so cool. In the post, they mentioned how hard it was to find a pattern for the bag itself, and I’ve been learning how to draft my own sewing, so I tried my hand at making a pattern!
Pattern under the cut. Post 1/2/3/4
Now, I know nothing about embroidery so this doesn’t go into the gorgeous work op did, but if you want to try sewing a more basic petal bag, this is what worked for me. My pattern is in inches, apologies to y’all who prefer cm. Also, I chose fabrics that are finicky and don’t like being ironed so i didn’t press my seams. If I had, my flower would look a lot more symmetrical. Don’t be like me! Press in between each step! Also, always make sure to backstitch at the start and end of every seam. I’m holding your hand as we journey together.
Materials:
Approx. 1/4 yard of woven (non-stretch) fabric for each:
Outside of the flower (petals and base)
Inside of the flower (petals and base)
Outside of drawstring pouch
Inside of drawstring pouch
This should allow leftover fabric for pockets
Topstitching thread (& cheaper plain thread if you want to save a couple bucks)
Scissors, pins, fabric marking tool
Protractor, ruler, & compass if you’re drafting your own pattern. Printed version of mine if you’re not
2x 72” drawstring (I used leather shoelaces). Drawstring sliders
<7” “invisible” zipper (optional)
5 snaps (optional)
1/8 yd interfacing or reinforcing fabric (optional, if your fabric is delicate and you’re using snaps)
Pattern:
I used a 5/8 inch seam allowance because it works well with my machine. You can use whatever seam allowance you like. Also, it’s easy to adjust these to change the final size of the bag if you like, just make sure the ratios stay the same.
Base:
Cut 1 outer and 1 inner.
A pentagon with 4” sides. The inner angle of the pentagon should be 108°. Add seam allowance coming off each side but without including the corners - basically, just extend each intersecting line by 5/8” outside the body of the pentagon and use that to create tabs for your seam allowance. This cuts down on bulk. If that’s too complicated, just leave the corners on and you’ll end up with a pentagon with sides that are 5.25” long (4” + 5/8 + 5/8 = 5.25”). If you plan to use snaps later, it’s worth cutting out an extra pentagon of interfacing and ironing on the wrong side of one piece before starting.
Petal:
Cut 5 outer and 5 inner.
Basically a teardrop shape with a flat bottom. The bottom should match the length of one side of your pentagon (NOT including seam allowance). Mine has a 4” base and is 8” tall, and 6” at its widest point (again, not including seam allowance). I added twin notches where I want the drawstring to pass through, about 1cm apart, nearish the top of the petal. You could skip that and attach little hoops for the drawstring to pass through like op did. I also added notches that helped me place pockets. You have total freedom with pockets, so plan them any way you like.
Pockets:
Cut however many you want, outer and/or inner.
I made 3 kinds of pockets. A large, a small, and a pencil pocket. For the lg and sm, I traced the petal and cut the top off, ensuring the shape and notches would automatically match. For the pencil pocket, it’s just a rectangle with a notch at the center bottom. I gave myself a 1” hem allowance at the top of all pockets. Your pockets should overlap the petal similar to this:
Drawstring pouch:
Cut 1 outer and 1 inner
This is just a circle. The dimensions should line up so that if you place the pentagon base in the center of your circle and then align one petal at one side of the pentagon, the tip of the petal should just reach the perimeter of your circle. This piece also gets a 5/8” s.a. so you can use the s.a. at the tip of your petal to account for that. Just make sure the s.a. of your pentagon and the bottom of your petal are not also included. You can draft your own circle by lining up the petal & pentagon pattern pieces, measuring that length, then folding a big piece of paper into eighths and measuring that length against one side of the paper. Cut it out so it’s shaped like a pizza slice and you should end up with a circle that’s more or less the right size. Or use a compass to make it perfect. If you plan to use snaps later, it’s worth cutting out a 7” diameter circle of interfacing and ironing it in the center of one of the circles.
Here’s how your aligned pieces should look:
Pre-work and drawstring pouch instructions in post 2!
Quilting has been used so extensively on quilts, throws, and comfortables that many think of it only in connection with them and do not realize how much real beauty it can contribute to garments. Quilting costs little more than your time....
Mary Brooks Picken added that you did have to take time to make it “perfect work,” so attention was needed as well. She gave examples of machine quilting all over on a robe, vest, or “comfortable” which is a little confusing, but comfortables here meant both padded or quilted comforters for beds AND padded and quilted mufflers (thank you, Oxford English Dictionary). While this was published in Sewing Simplified from 1953, some of the material dated back to the 1930s from earlier books Picken wrote, and the meaning of words has since changed.
She also pointed out that bands along the edge of a garment might be quilted, and I have seen quilted collars and cuffs that are handsome as well. Picken also suggested quilting a coat lining, but I swore I would never take on a large quilting project after I machine quilted a simple-pieced comforter. It was about the most tedious and awkward machine sewing I had ever done.
So, take my advice and think of machine quilting as trim or embellishment. If you are keen on a quilted coat lining, you can buy such fabrics pre-made.
ok!!! posting step by step how to make a joxter/snufkin (just change the fabric and size) hat!!!!
the first thing I did was just get the fabric, I bought roughly 2 yards and used about half of joann's felt. I used my snufkin hat i previously made for size reference!
keep in mind I don't actually...use patterns. so the diameter of the hat is, unknown to me but if anyone needs precise measurements I shall break out the tape measure!!
using my snufkin hat, or anything round, a cookie tin could work!! I cut out two separate round disks of fabric, those will be the rim of the hat!
then I use a sharpie remotely a similar shade to the felt, and measured my head and drew a circle a bit bigger than it!!
next I took out a small slice of felt from the doughnut of fabric, this will help the hat sit up more and fit more snugly! it also gives jt more shape!!
then take both pieces of the doughnut and sew them together where you cut them SEPARATELY. trust me I sewed them together while making this and I had to undo ALL of my stitching. not fun.
next sew the edges of the hat rim together!! I just hand stitched it but a sewing machine probably would be much more convenient!
then using the hat rim as a guide cut about a slightly smaller doughnut of batting! I got this batting at joanns too, but walmart has really good batting for a better price! also I used 2 doughnuts of batting because it was too thin. but if you want the hat exceptionally floppy, only use one.
next I cut out four large triangles of felt. those will be the top of the hat, (I don't know hag terminology aaa), and will also make the pointy wizard ish thingy that hangs over!
start sewing em together so you get what looks like a smaller version of wirt's hat from otgw!!
First things first, make sure you have the following items;
20 sheets of computer paper
a working printer
scissors
tape
Print out the pattern, cut out the pieces, tape necessary pieces together. If this pattern is bigger than you’d like your plush to be, feel free to resize it before printing!
*Note: this pattern DOES account for a 1/4 inch seam allowance! You do not need to cut your pieces bigger than the paper!
Starting the Plush
you will need;
Black Thread
White Thread
Orange Thread
2 yards of orange fleece
1 yard of black fleece
1/2 yard of white fleece
sewing needles and/or a sewing machine
2 bags of stuffing, minimum. (feel free to add more stuffing if you find your Hobbes sags more than you’d like!)
Optional:
buttons for the eyes
thimbles for your thumbs
sewing pins, or something similar, to hold the fabric together while you sew (I used binder clips and safety pins)
Your favorite playlists to listen to while you work.
When I started this plush, I started from the bottom and worked my way up, meaning I sewed him together in this order;
Tail, then feet, then body, and finally head. You may go in any order you wish. There is no wrong way to sew a plush! (Well... yeah there is, but I’ll explain that later)
Durring this tutorial, I note which stitches I’m using for which piece. I use only three stitches for the entire plush, they being Running Stitch, Back Stitch, and the Ladder Stitch (aka slip stitch or invisible stitch) If you do not know how these stitches work, check out this quick sewing tutorial on DeviantART.
Tail
Stitch Used: Back Stitch
Get your 1 (one) black tail tip piece, your 4 (four) black tail stripes, and 5 (five) orange tail stripes, and your choice of either your orange or black thread. (I chose orange). I started sewing the tail by first sewing all the stripes to each other until I had one big rectangle, until it looked like this;
Once all the tail stripes were sewn together, only then did I sew the tail closed into one long tube, (But still leaving the ends open for stuffing).
I then set this piece aside, and sewed the tail tip together. Looking at the paper pattern for reference, sew the sides labelled “A” together, and repeat for sides “B”, “C”, and “D”, until you have a rough cone shape. Now sew this cone onto the rest of the tail. I like to line up the sewn edges for a more uniform look.
Turn the tail inside out to hide the stitching and fill the tail with as much or as little stuffing as you prefer. sew the one remaining open end closed, and set the tail aside.
NOTE: If you want your tail to have more stripes, feel free to cut your current stripes thinner, and/or cut more for a longer tail!
Feet (part 1)
Stitch Used: Back stitch
Grab your 4 (four) white paw pieces and white thread. Just like the tail tip, look to the paper pattern and sew the sides labelled “A” to each other on a single piece, then repeat for sides “B”, “C”, and “D”. Do this to all four pieces, then set them aside. Leave them inside out with the stitching exposed.
Body
Stitch used: Back stitch
Get your 2 (two) orange body pieces and orange thread. Sew the long curved edges together. This curve is the plushies’ “back bone”, and it’s slightly curved to give Hobbes his signature slouch. (If you don’t want your Hobbes to slouch, feel free to make this edge straight before cutting your fabric). Do not sew the edge labelled “neck”, the straight edge of the bottom, nor the protutions on the opposite edge of the back bone. These edges will be the arms, legs, and butt.
Butt
Stitch Used: Back stitch
Speaking of the butt, once the two body pieces are sewn together, grab your 1 (one) orange butt piece. Use your sewing pins (or binder clips if you’re like me) to line up the butt piece with the two body pieces. Now, BEFORE you sew the butt to the lower legs of the body, grab your tail piece and line it up at the T-intersection where the two body pieces meet the lowest curve of the butt. BEFORE you sew the tail to the body and butt, make sure your tail is facing INWARD. This way, when you turn the entire body inside out, the sewn edges are hidden and the tail ends up being on the outside.
Legs
Stitched Used: Back stitch
Sew the butt to the base of the body. Now grab your 2 (two) orange inner leg pieces. These pieces should have two right-angled corners, one edge that is more slanted than the other, and is longer than it is tall. The slanted end will be closer to the belly, and the straight end will be attached to the feet. Sew the longest edge to the edge of the butt piece that makes half of a “V”, then sew the top edge of the leg piece to the leg portion of the body piece. The ends should form a triangle shape where you will then attatch the paws and sew on the belly.
Make sure you keep the tail inside! I kept my tail piece tucked against the backbone to keep it out of the way.
Arms
Stitch Used: Back Stitch
You will repeat this process with the 2 (two) orange pieces labbeled upper arm. The shortest edge of this piece will be attatched to the neck, and should not be sewn to the body just yet. The curved edge edge of the upper arm can be lined up and sewn to the curved edge of the arm portion of the body. Sew the bottom edge of the upper arm to the matching section of the body as well, but do not sew the edges labelled “paw” or belly” just yet.
Paws (part 2)
Stitch Used: Back stich
At this point you can either sew on the belly or the paws. I sewed the paws onto the legs first, leaving the belly open that way I could slip my hands into the limbs and more easily manipulate the feet, since sewing in a circle isn’t as easy as sewing flat shapes. Just like the tail, I lined up the longest sewn edge of the paw with the seem of the limb for a more uniform look.
Belly
Stitch Used: Back Stitch
At this point in your plush, all of the body, legs, tail and feet should be sewn together, except for the big gap of the stomach. Take your 1 (one) white belly piece is the heptagon that is longer than it is wide. The corners of this piece should like up with the corners of the arms and legs of your plush, with the one accute point pinned to the butt. Sew all edges to the arms and body, EXCEPT the shortest edge at the top. This is the neck and will need to stay open until the very end after the plush is stuffed.
Once the belly is sewn to the body, turn the entire plush inside out so all the sewn edges are inside. It should look something like this;
(I temporarily stuffed my plush at this point to make sure it could sit right. I had to un-stuff it in order to sew on the body stripes)
Head (front)
Stitch Used: back stitch
Whoo-boy. I’m gonna be honest. The head was the hardest part of this plush. Saran wrap, paper mache, packing tape, and a balloon was involved in getting the shape right, and even now I feel I could have done better. I made adjustments as I was sewing, so feel free to do the same.
As I type this, I realized I forgot to label the face piece as (x2). So get your face piece pattern, and cut 2 (two) orange pieces. One edge should be long and curved, and the other edge should be broken with triangle cut outs. sew the unbroken curved edges together. This will be the line down the middle of the face. And just like the paws and tail tip, sew the edges labelled “A”, “B”, “C”, and “D” together. This will give the face depth.
Head (back)
Stitch used: back stitch
Find your four orange pieces labelled upper head, lower head, crown and neck, and arrange the pieces like so;
(pieces shown are, from top to bottom, crown, upper head, lower head, and base of the head). Note: It is important that the longer curved edges of the upper and lower head pieces bend away from each other. This is so the head has depth with sewn together. Sew the curved edges to the curved edge of its neighboring piece. You should end up with a half-sphere shape.
Another Note: When sewing on the Base of the Head, I started at it’s widest points, and sewed along the top (the edge that was not shaped like a “B”) This will leave you with two flaps that are unsewn. This is okay, and in fact, necessary.
Sew this half-sphere shape to the front of the head, but DO NOT sew the bottom edge of the Base of the Head to the front of the face or body just yet. We’ll need to stuff it first, and attatch it to the body!!
Mouth and Eyes
Stitch Used: Running Stitch
OH MAN I ALMOST FORGOT. Once the front and back of the head is sewn together, you have to add the mouth. Cut out your 1 (one) black nose piece and sew it to the center of your mouth piece with black thread. (if you need a tip on how to keep the nose centered, fold the nose piece and mouth piece in half symetrically so you know where the middle line is for each, then line them up with each other).
Get your 1 (one) white mouth + nose piece and white thread. Position how high or low you want the mouth to be on the face and pin it to the head. for me, I lined up the mouth until it was just under the triangle cut outs that had been labelled “B” on the face. Sew the mouth from the widest point on the sides (this will be nearer the bottom) across the top, but DO NOT sew the bottom edge of the mouth to the face. (We will give it a bit of stuffing so he has a muzzle.)
At this point you may want to add eyes, too. I originally bought two black buttons, but they looked to round and... kinda creepy, so I just cut two oval pieces of black fleece and sewed them on above the mouth.
Stripes
Stitch used: running stitch.
At this point it’s time to sew on the stripes. While I do have patterns for the head and shoulders, you may have noticed I have no stripes for the legs or back. That is because each stripe is slightly different from the next and no one uniform pattern piece would suffice for the entire body. Some stripes were perfect rectangles while others were elongated trapazoids or had tapered ends. If you have a flexable tape measure, you can fin out how long each stripe needs to be on your plush. For me, the stripes on the back were roughly 13 (thirteen) inches long, and I cut each of them an inch wide. Just like the tail, though, if you want your Hobbes to have more stripes, feel free to cut them thinner to make room for more!
This process can also be done for the head if you want your Hobbes to have a more stripe-y face, but if you’re content with my pattern, then take your head stripes and lay them OVER the seams on the back of the head. (the crown stripe will go over the seam of the crown and upper head piece, the middle head stripe will go over the seam between the upper and lower head piece, and the lower head stripe will go over the seam of the lower head and base of head piece) These stripes are curved so they lay more natually ot the 3D shape of the head when stuffed.
I used a running stitch for all the stripes since I couldn’t see my hand that was inside the plush (and because I was losing my god damned mind at this point from staring as so much orange and black). The head was the hardest part for me to sew, but these stripes may be the hardest part for you since you are working with a 3D structure now, constantly having to rotate this big orange bag and fighting to keep the stripes straight until you sew them down. Don’t be afraid to use those sewing pins to keep your stripes in place!
Ears
Stitch used: Back stitch and running stitch.
Another thing I almost forgot! You may not be able to tell from my pictures, but my Hobbes’ ears are actually sewn on top of his crown stripe. Get your 4 (four) black ear pieces and some black thread and sew two together along their curved edge until you have two ears. Do not sew the straight edges together. Turn them inside out. Okay, now you can sew the straight edges together if you want. Personally, I did not do this.
To make sure the ears were even, I temporarily stuffed Hobbes’ head before pinning them on. I also slightly bent Hobbes’ ears into a “C” shape before pinning them to the stripe so they had a bit of a concave shape when they were sewn on. After pinning the ears (and don’t be afraid to use a lot of pins to keep the in place) I un-stuffed the head and sewed the ears on. A back stitch was used to attatch the two ear pieces to each other, and a running stitch was used to attatch the ear to the head.
Neck
Stitch Used: Back stitch
If you’ve been following along up to the point, you should have a finished head and body, complete with stripes and all. Now it’s time to put the two bits together.
There are a couple of ways you can go about doing this. If you want, you can completely turn both head and body pieces with the outside in, and have all the seems showing, or you can be like me and have the plush with the outside on the out and the head “upside down”.
First, get your neck piece. Because it is curved, it has a concave and a convex side. You will want to sew the concave side (the inner, shorter curve) to the neck of the plush. Unlike all the other stripes on my plush, this one was sewn with a back stitch and with the seem facing inward like the rest of the body and feet.
Next, grab your head. I first made sure the head was stuffed so I would be sewing it on straight. When I positioned the head where I wanted to rest, I pinned the neck to the two flapps on the Base of Head piece. I then unstuffed the head some and sewed the head to the convex curve of the neck stripe, starting at the corners of the mouth, but NOT under the chin, and I did NOT sew the orange pieces of the head closed.
Like the concave side, I did a back stitch and made sure the seem was facing inward like the body and paws. (You’ll be holding Hobbes’ head back 180 degrees to do this)
If done right, your Hobbes will have a giant gaping hole in his jugular, as well as a gap between his white mouth piece and orange face pieces, and a cavity in his skull. This is okay! Because now we can fill him up with stuffing!
Stuffing the Plush
I used roughly two bags of polyfill to stuff Hobbes. You can fill him with as much or as little stuffing as you like, but the most important part about stuffing any plushie is avoiding clumps. It’s better to use lots and lots of little bunches to stuff your plush rather than big handfuls. This helps prevent your stuffed animal from becoming lumpy.
I started stuffing the body first, using fingers and those sticks that come in the bags to poke the stuffing all the way into Hobbes’ toes. I then filled up his legs, and made sure they were packed tight so he would sit properly, then carefully stuffed his belly. I know it’s tempting to just put great big clumps in his stomach to fill him faster, but take your time. Because the belly piece is so smooth and flat, lumps will be felt easier if you don’t fill the main body carefully.
After you fill the main body, take a minute to run your fingers between his belly, back and stuffing to work out any lumps that my have snuck in there while you were stuffing him. This is the one chance you have to fix the stuffing directly before you close up the throat!
Fill Hobbes’ body up to about the shoulders then pause. We’re going to switch to the head for a bit.
Much like the body, continue stuffing the head with small bunches and try to spread them evenly in the face. A round object is more likely to look mishapen if you just stuff your fill in their willy-nilly. When the head is almost full, take a hanfull of filling and stuff the muzzle with as much or as little as you want until it’s shaped the way you like. When you’re done with that, now and only now you can sew the bottom of the mouth to the bottom of the face pieces.
At this point your head and body pieces should be nearly 100% stuffed, save for a little sewing room for the chin and throat. If you’d like to fill this space with stuffing, do it now.
Closing the throat.
Stitch used: Ladder stitch
The ladder stitch is probably the most difficult stitch on this plush. It’s basically a running stitch, but you only see the vertical threads connecting the head and body, you don’t see the horizontal lines of the threads going into and out of the same piece of fabric. The only way I can describe it is, you want to Tunnel Through the Mountains, not Bridge Over the Valleys. When the thread comes out of your fabric, it should go OVER the edge towards the next piece, not under it. This forces the fabric to curl inward when the seem is pulled shut so it doesn’t stick out.
(If you look at my picture, I actually messed up near the bottom. (hobbes’ left shoulder) The thread comes out under the orange fabric. This is backwards.)
Tie your thread tight to one corner of the throat and leave your ladder stitch wide and loose like above so you can easily see and maneuver beneath the chin. I pulled my ladder stitch through the same edge that the mouth was sewn to the face.
When the ladder stitch runs across the entire throat like above, you’re going to tighten the stitch bit by bit like you would shoe laces. Start near your beginning knot and on every fifth thread or so, pull the string tight until the head and body pieces come together and touch. Repeat this until the head is completely touching the body.
When you reach the other corner, pull a little tighter to give yourself more room to tie the final knots. (then when you let go, the fabric will expand a bit and tighten up against any extra thread that may have been before the knot, so the final knot doesn’t end up loose)
And congratulations! You’re done! You’ve sewn Hobbes!
Jeeeeeezus christ this took me a long time to type. If you have any questions or need anything clarified, please don’t heasitate to shoot me an ask! I know I’m not very good at explaining things clearly, but I promise to do my best!
The Perfect Shirtwaist Dress? Vogue 8013 from 1953
This fit and flare dress with pleated bodice and skirt, raglan sleeves and lower-calf skirt strikes me as close to the perfect spring or summer dress. The silhouette was a common one in the early 1950s when a bottom-heavy hour-glass with soft shoulders and longer skirts was popular. This silhouette first surfaced with Christian Dior’s New Look in 1947, although the American version was never quite as pinched in the waist nor as long in the skirt. The original did stand away from the body more than my version, but there is no reference to a petticoat in the pattern. They recommended so many fabrics that it was clear that they thought it an adaptable model. All kind of cottons, such as chambray, pique, gingham, denim, plus more formal fabrics including silk shantung and wool crepe which would make it a party dress or an office work dress.
The raglan sleeves mean it is relatively easy to make as you avoid the easing of set-in sleeves. The sleeves are short with jaunty, shaped turn-up cuffs which broaden the body at the bustline and thus balance the hips which is fine by me. The collar is similarly simple and turns up enough at the back to shield your neck from the sun.
Ok, I did tweak a few things as you can see. The biggest one is messing with the front opening, stopping it at the waistline and then added a side snap-placket in order to make it possible to get over the head. The idea of ending a row of buttons at crotch height has always seemed silly to me. A placket cut on a slight bias works best. I recommend a two-strip placket binding each seam allowance separately , instead of trying to make a single strip that goes down one seam allowance and up the other. Two strips eliminate having to cut far into the seam allowance at the turn, and avoids any chance of shredding the fabric as a result. The buttonholes were supposed to be bound, but I did simple machine-made ones. I eliminated the pockets in the side seam as this is an awkward placement; the natural bend of the arm puts the hand well in front of the side seam. Otherwise, it is the same dress.
The original directions did not call for any interfacing, but I used it on the front facings of the bodice and the collar because of the buttonholes and because I like a collar with some stiffness. I did not interface the turn-up cuffs which are finished on the inside with a bias band of fabric. This is made from a white and spring green fabric that I overdyed blue. The result is a teal blue shirtwaist dress that is comfortable in the heat without being bare. I like it so much I am already pondering what fabric to use for the next time I make it.
The mod dress in a bold print of greens, reds and creams illustrates the principle that a print can obliterate details in a garment because you can’t make them out easily. Dress 121 A has an interesting neckline created by a front center seam and then a band that creates a kind of keyhole at the top. The dress flares slightly towards the hemline while bust darts fit it to the body, and the set-in sleeves are pleated where the meet the cuffs. That neckline will have more of an impact in a solid-color.
Another interesting detail appears in the Blouse 129 which comes in plus sizes. The sleeves, which are gathered at the shoulder and ruffled at the hemline, contain an inset of a sheer fabric as well. While they did it in a bold red and a sheer print, you can imagine all kinds of combinations of solid with sheer fabrics. I can imagine a regal gold satin with a sheer fabric to match for evening wear.
Coat 122 in beige is one of their Designer Styles, but it seems to lack front buttons save the one added at the lapel, so it is for wearing in warmer climates. A double-breasted coat with buttons is your best option for really cold weather.
Coat 108 is a Masterpiece item which means something that takes time and skill that you will want to wear for years. Here that means matching the large plaid and putting in welt pockets, adding a full lining, etc. The other Masterpiece items are the long vest, Gilet 114 for which there is a full sewing lesson, the short Jacket 109 and the Jacket 130 which comes in plus sizes and has asymmetrical zipper.
The other full sewing lesson is for the miniskirt 116 which has no waistband but an exterior belt. Otherwise the sewing instructions are un-illustrated although certain techniques are explained with illustrations in the Glossary. As usual, you need to copy tracings of the patterns, which are all included in multiple sizes, on the sheets there they are printed on top of one another using different colored lines. This means you spend time but not so much money for a fair number of patterns. The dog stuff includes, a bone, a blanket, a collar, lead, and bandana, plus a bag to put bags in, or you could use your pockets like I do. ;-)
You can find it you local sewing store, local newsstand or bookstore or onlinehere: https://www.burdastyle.com/subscription-burda-style.html
The Interior Grosgrain Ribbon Belt: Vogue 8013, 1952
You see here a not quite lost construction element. I actually first saw an inside grosgrain ribbon belt on a modern designer name sewing pattern, but you are more likely to find them in vintage patterns.
The idea is to take a stable ribbon, like grosgrain, and shift some of the strain of wearing at the waistline from the fabric to the ribbon. After all, the body necessarily expands and moves at the waist when sitting, etc. This kind of belt is useful especially if the fabric is lightweight, the silhouette is fitted, the skirt is voluminous, and there is no button or other fastener at the waistline itself. This is an early 1950s patterns, so it has an hourglass shape and a long, flared skirt that is also pleated. Although the button placket extends into the skirt, there is no button at the waistline, and the pattern is shown with a belt to wear over the dress.
As you can see here, the ribbon is finished at the ends by hand, fitted out with hooks and eyes and is then tacked all around the waistline. Since this dress is worn with a belt on the outside, the tacking will not show. The modern pattern I made with an interior belt only asked that it be tacked at the seam allowances, but that did not work well: the interior belt drew the dress close to the body only at those points. The results were odd and and the vintage version here strikes me as far more useful.
I am copying this pattern at the moment and hope to show you the finished results soon.
