Speechless, right?
Readers, the maternity smock is finished and yes, I do have clothes on underneath it. Quick: separated at birth?
Speaking of underclothes, oh, so hilarious Sassy Lassy emailed me this morning, suggesting I might want to stitch Cathy up a pair of these:
I think patterns like this one may be part of the reason why "Sew Lovely" went kaput. But someone please tell me why Advance (the J.C. Penny house brand) went out of business. Some of my favorite men's and women's patterns are from Advance and I always enjoy their artwork. Anybody have the inside scoop?
And speaking of Advance, let's get back to my Advance 8152 smock (from 1956, btw). I'm very happy with the way it turned out, though (as always) there are a few things I'd change, like the angle of the stripes on the cuffs. But hey, no biggie.
Don't you just love the back button tab detail that keeps the back center pleat in place?
Making a smock like this is a lot like making a men's bowling shirt (the type with no collar stand), though I wouldn't recommend bowling in a smock. Here is the neck facing that will get turned inside to finish the collar.
The cuffs have facings too! The finished cuffs are a bit big, in my opinion, but that's the pattern.
I was all set to use these ritzy vintage rhinestone shank buttons. I made my buttonholes and drat -- the holes were too small (I neglected to factor in the height of the button and not just the diameter), so I used these vintage plastic pink ones instead.
The front buttonholes are vertical, but I made the top one horizontal, so the collar has some room to shift if need be.
And that's it for the smock I think. Still no word on the duster/coat pattern, but I'm hoping it arrives today. I won't be sewing much this holiday weekend -- which reminds me: Happy Name of Your Holiday, everybody!
And with that I wish you all a great weekend. Get plenty of rest and don't forget to sew!
How appropos! My mother might have made that tent...er...smock for herself. I was born in 1956. Other than the sheer voluminousness, it's actually a nice item, and looks great in your fabric choice. It's just so large, compared to what expectant mothers wear today. But actually practical, since my friends who've gone down the maternal road tell me (and I witnessed), the less you have touching you (especially in Florida, in August) the better! The pink striped number looks cool and fresh...and did I mention HUGE!
ReplyDeleteThe first pic has rendered me speechless! ROTFLMAO
ReplyDeleteWill you be wearing the maternity smock with your red leopard pants?
ReplyDeleteYes, to my Passover seder!
ReplyDeleteOoh la la, Peter!
ReplyDeleteNice stems.
ReplyDeleteYou're not the only one who won't be sewing, Peter. Have a good holiday. :) Me, I need to get going on a coconut cake, deviled eggs, green salad, peas, homemade potato salad... All those Easter goodies! :) At least the eggs are decorated, and the plastic eggs for the Easter egg hunt are stuffed!
ReplyDeleteOMG! LOL! Nice shirt.
ReplyDeletethere is no such thing as a bad Laugh-In pun, they are all intrinsically good.
ReplyDeleteThe collar works so well. You make me laugh - such a witty writer - thanks.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea how every photo isn't blurry due to Michael laughing uncontrollably as he took the photos (if you didn't use a tripod).
ReplyDeleteCould you not just sew the rhinestone buttons on through the buttonholes? It's not like you'll ever have to unbutton them. But the pink ones are lovely too!
ReplyDeleteOK, I've stopped laughing now, I can type - It will certainly keep Cathy cool in the heat of New York summer and 6 months preggers - but as for street cool? Maybe capris would complete the look.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the vintage pattern wiki Advance was sold to Puritan Fashions in 1966, who stopped using the Advance name.
ReplyDeleteI am loving your smock and the fact you modelled it yourself is priceless!
Puritan Fashions...oh my, that does sound appealing! Long dresses with ginormous collars and square bonnets, anyone?
DeleteThanks for starting my day off with a good laugh! It looks amazing as always. I love all the details, especially the cuffs. No sewing for me this weekend. Next week I'll continue to fight with my safari coat muslin.
ReplyDeleteThis is hysterical -- Good Ship Lollipop, here you come! ;-)
ReplyDeleteActually, I think these vintage maternity patterns are way more practical than the current maternity fashions, basically designed for stick figures with basketball bellies. When I was pregnant I expected to be a sleek fertility goddess, but disappointingly morphed into something resembling a beluga whale instead...
One word : Sexy :)
ReplyDeleteI won't ask for two words! ;)
ReplyDeleteLove the smock! I think the details on maternity clothes, like the large cuffs and collar were intentionally made larger to draw attention away from/balance the growing tummy. Just sayin'.
ReplyDeleteLOL, my husband looked over at my reading of blogs and was shocked by the smock photo at the beginning. Looking forward to the next maternity shirt.
ReplyDeleteI'm dying laughing! Can we clone you?
ReplyDeleteApparently, I'm the only one who thinks that smock is cute! It reminds me of the summer dresses worn when I was a kid. Back in the Stone Age, we didn't have any air conditioning.
ReplyDelete