Category Archives: sewing

Household Hints (1944) AND VOTE FOR ME

EDIT: Just as I was about to publish this rather dry little post today, a text came through on my phone: “Are you aware that your website is listed as a contestant for Lulu’s Vintage people’s choice top 10 vintage clothing websites?” NO, NO I DID NOT. I realize that any ol’ person can write in any ol’ shop, but it is SUCH AN INCREDIBLE HONOR to know that one (or more) of my customers or colleagues submitted Tiddleywink for this annual competition! To be mingling with such fabulous company is just blowing my mind right now. And hey, yeah, vote for me! I do my best to find you pretty, affordable items, to research them thoroughly, and to list them with honesty and integrity. My shop is pretty terrific. :)

I now return you to today’s regularly scheduled programming.

Handy Hints from The Work Basket, Volume 9, No. 4 (January, 1944)

  • To prepare sour milk quickly for use in baking soda recipes use 1 1-3 [sic] tablespoons vinegar in a cup, adding the sweet milk until the combination of milk and vinegar equals the quantity of sour milk required. Mix well. The resulting sour milk will react with ½ teaspoon soda. It can be used in place of sour milk or buttermilk in any baking soda recipe.
  • When buying buckles or buttons to be used on wash dresses, don’t get the kinds that are glued on to the shanks. They will come off in laundering.
  • After towels have been wrung out of last rinse, fold them as you would to put away on shelves, then run them back through wringer. Unfold once and lay towel over line, with crease of fold running along the line. They dry straight and are ready to be put on shelves.
  • To avoid wrinkles in the legs of trousers caused by hanging across wire clothes hangers, cut a piece of fairly stiff cardboard two inches wide and two inches longer than the rack. Notch in one inch from each end and fit to rack. Trousers hung over this do not wrinkle even when left on for months.
  • To make sure fudge will reach its destination in a good creamy condition, pour the warm candy into the box which you have previously lined with waxed paper. Allow to harden without cutting. Seal the top with Scotch cellulose tape.
  • Cook liver first over high temperature to sear. This keeps in the juices. Then lower heat.
  • The flavor of an apple pie is greatly improved if the juice of half a lemon is squeezed over the apples after they have been placed on the lower crust.
  • Buttons which have been torn off children’s rompers or underclothing can be replaced by sewing the button securely to a small piece of strong tape. Push the button through the hole, leaving the new square on the wrong side of the garment. Fell this down to the garment beneath the button. Thus you are patching as well as sewing on the button.

Tomorrow: Christmas in July! A delightfully awful mid-century “glazed” ham that should never grace any holiday table. 

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Prominent Designer Series: part 10

Ta-da! We’ve reached the 10th and final installment of this here Prominent Designer Series of vintage sewing pattern illustrations. Our final day brings us dresses designed by Alan Phillips, designer “for the well known house of Rembrandt,” and John Weitz, winner of the 1959 Designer of the Year award for his achievements in designing sportswear. Weitz also won the prestigious Coty Award in 1974. His men’s style book, Man in Charge: The Executive’s Guide to Grooming, Manners, and Travel, made bestseller lists the same year.

Alan Phillips M380 – Dress and jacket (1960)

John Weitz A723 – Easy to sew, drawstring waist dress

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series. Tune in next time, when we bring you, ah, something! There’s a delicious recipe in store for Monday. À bientôt!

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Prominent Designer Series: part 9

We’re almost at the end of our Prominent Designer Series, folks! Just a few more vintage sewing pattern illustrations for you to admire, study, search for to add to your own collections. Showcased today are dresses by Harmay, Don Loper, and Mr. Mort. The only archival information I can find for today’s patterns is the original 1960 “advertorial” for the Mr. Mort pattern:

Mr. Mort’s Day-to-Dinner Success Is Crisp in Cotton, Gala in Silk
From Mr. Mort—favorite designer of America’s young fashionables—comes a gay, full-skirted dress that “takes” to almost any fabric. For a crisply-pretty sun style, sew it in handkerchief pique, dacron, cotton, or linen. For evening, choose gleaming silk or shantung.
Little straps join to a deeply scooped camisole that molds closely to your figure above a wide belt and whirling skirt. It’s truly a lighthearted, feminine, flattering style. And it’s so delightfully easy to sew that we suggest you make both a day and an evening version. If you wish, fill one of the pockets with a bouquet of daisies. Hurry, take out pen and paper—send for your Printed Pattern exclusively through this newspaper now!

Harmay A732 – Pretty sun or city costume

Don Loper M247 – Shapely sheath with flattering neckline

Mr. Mort A999 – Full-skirted style for day or evening

And, as always, click on each image to see it magnificated.

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Prominent Designer Series: part 8

Omigourd, do you follow the Tiddleywink Vintage fan page? Did you read about my altercation last night with a persistent Attack Centipede? Hor. Ri. Fying.

And with that interruption finished, back to our show! Today highlights sewing pattern designs by Esterel, Estévez, and Ed Gerrick. It’s not often that we run into a dress designer named Ed! Ed, it turns out, was a specialist in designing dresses for fuller figures. “Ed Gerrick has a definite touch of genius, exhibited everytime [sic] he designs clothes for the mature woman with mature measurements.” – The Deseret News, Apr 9, 1959. Notice that his pattern design starts at a size 12-1/2 (that would have been a 27″ waist) and goes up to a 22-1/2 (37.5″ waist). Those are definitely Plus sizes!*

Do I really need to tell you that clicking the images will open them biggererer?

Esterel A537 – Sun and fun dress

Estévez M130 – Daytime or evening dress

Ed Gerrick A528 – Eye-catching capelet costume

*Yes yes yes, you can find larger sizes from the period. They are, however, rare and were specialized cases. The largest size I can find in a Sears catalog of the time is a 20, but most of the dresses only go up to a 16 or 18. A more generic “large” of the time fit a 30-32″ waist, and Sears didn’t readily offer anything bigger. If you couldn’t get your size at Sears, the mail-order-for-everyone source, you were really looking for specialty departments!

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Prominent Designer Series: part 7

Aaaand we’re back! Today’s installment of sewing pattern illustrations comes to us from actress and singer Polly Bergen, the ever-elegant Mr. Blackwell, and our two-fer pal from last week, Oleg Cassini. Bonus feature today: the original newspaper ads for these patterns! Clicking on any of the images will bigger them.

Polly Bergen A887 – Reversible jacket ensemble

newspaper ad, 1961

Mr. Blackwell A548 – Sheath and circular cape-coat

newspaper ad, 1960

Oleg Cassini A552 – Shapely sheath

newspaper ad, 1961

 

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