UFDC Peggy Sue's Autumn Fashions

Halloween is just a week away now.  Well, okay, eight days from now.  While I've been enjoying the fall season, for some reason I was having a difficult time getting in the swing of things ghostly and ghouly until around the 15th.  Shame on me.  I usually have my tables decorated for Halloween on the first of October, and no later.  This could be due in part to the Indian Summer we face here in California every year.  Its been HOT.  Hot and dry.  The mornings and nights are just getting cool now, and leaves beginning to show signs of turning.  Having an active imagination does nothing to promote the change to autumn around here.

One thing I have been doing though, is creating a few fall fashions for Peggy Sue.  It wasn't until I found the Halloween Woolworth's ad that Halloween truly kicked in for me.  So I took a break from the fall fashions and made Peggy Sue her costume.  Which is intended to be part of the fall fashion collection.  So if you count them up, I made five for her.

I'm in love with the 50's right now.  Such a pretty and feminine time for women and girls' fashions.  But, there is also a feel that is undeniable.  Coming right out of the WWII, Americans were invigorated to start rebuilding lives, begin having families, celebrate with gentle pursuits and settle down.  Images from this time are often bucolic in nature and give us a feeling of comfort and serenity.  Children play, animals frolic.  There's an innocence to the 50's that has been lost to the times we live in today.  It is this very feeling that has kept me sewing for Peggy Sue like I haven't for other dolls.  Simplicity.  And, don't we all need a little simplicity and innocence in our lives today? 

Recently I discovered the Jack and Jill magazines that were published by Curtis Publishers for young boys and girls.  Pinterest, Ebay and Etsy all feature ways to enjoy these delightful magazines, and I have purchased a quite a few of them.  This should not surprise anyone since I'm an antiquarian and contemporary children's book collector.  

But, let's get to Peggy Sue's autumn fashions!  As I mentioned in earlier posts, I've been going nuts for Riley Blake and Lori Holt quilting cottons.  A half yard is more than enough to make a charming dress for Peggy Sue.  The colors and patterns are artful and bright.  And, there is no denying that cotton is super easy to sew on.  And, inexpensive to purchase!  I've taken to purchasing half yards of fabric just because I'm charmed by the print.  And, these fabrics are also seasonally themed making them all the more fun.  If fabric prints can be called artwork, I'm all in.  Any doubt?  Just ask Spoonflower.  Which by the way is pretty awful fabric wise.  Don't buy the Signature Petal cotton.  Buy the poplin.  The Signature Petal is like canvas.  At least you can return it, but orders takes a long time to get, especially now.  Poplin.

For Peggy Sue's first autumn dress, I chose this pumpkin-y color with little fall leaves on it.  Artistic license going on here.  This color is in no way indicative of the 50's, but I loved it and used it.  I've been saving off files from Pinterest on 50's fashions for girls.

I was attracted to the design of the middle dress in blue with red from this pattern.  After the Back to School outfits, I decided to flex my creative muscle a bit more and get back to more intricate designing.  The bodice on this dress has an inset of pleats in a V shape.  I was also looking for dresses with longer sleeves, and the 3/4 sleeve was a popular style in the 50's.  The red dress in the forefront has these sleeves.  It was always up to the seamstress to make up any dress she wanted from these patterns.  

Another great feature that is not at first recognizable, is the pleat in the front of the skirt.  Its a deep pleat that mimics in opposition the V in the bodice.  Love it!  Although you can't see them for the print, the pumpkin dress has patch pockets just like those on the pattern.  The sash is separate and ties in the back with a big bow.  

Polka dots were popular in the 1950's as well.  When I was sewing for Cissy, I found an image of a dress in polka dots that was quite a work of confection.  Seriously more work and a level of difficulty I wasn't ready for.  And, I like sewing for child dolls better anyway.  So when I saw "pattern 2705" with the details in the bodice, I had to try it.

The pointed, high waistband is sewn to the the upper bodice that is gently gathered under the bustline.  Not that little girls have a bustline, to speak of, but little girls dresses were often miniatures of adult dresses, just like in the 1860s.  There is so much similarity in the simpler styles that its not funny.  In fashion circles, they do say "it all come back around". 

I spent a good deal of time with this one, figuring out what was going on and how to produce it.  I love doing these little button plackets down the front of the dresses.  They have the look of something buttoned, but the buttons are decorative.  There's two ways to achieve this look.  One is to widen the fold on the bodice and make a box pleat.  The other is to make the placket separate with a long, narrow pied of fabric folded under on each side, then sewn on down the front of the bodice. 

With the persimmon pink dress, the placket was created with the box pleat.  Gentle gathers were made to attach it to the waist band, and ties were created to sew into the side seams.

Another fun feature of this dress were the pointed pockets.  I know a lot of patterns or instructors will have you make one pocket and fold and press the edges in before applying to the garment, but I line the pocket with the same fabric.  Turn it inside out, press, then sew it to the garment.  Its a little thicker, but cleaner looking.  I also hand stitch the pockets on.  

One thing I haven't found in any instructions though, even online, is where the heck to place the pockets.  They all say to "sew on the pockets before gathering", but there's no indication of where on the skirt to do this.  There should be a standard, and I haven't found it, so I just measure and place, measure and place, after I've gathered and assembled the dress.  This way I can adjust where they look best.  I chose short sleeves for this one sticking to the illustration on the child.

One of the things I hadn't made Peggy Sue yet, was a skirt.  I'm not a skirt person.  I like dresses.  On me.  But, little Peggy Sue looks good in everything, so I made her a skirt.  She will get a circle skirt at some point, but for this outfit, it was a gathered skirt on a high waist with straps.  Another very 1860's look.  Call them bretelles, and you have French Fashion.  

The image I found for this skirt was one for Holiday Parties for Sub-teens in a catalog advertisement.  These were not patterns, but outfits you could purchase direct.  I wanted to try the skirt with the double flounce.  Again, it is hard to tell there's one in my photo, but there are two flounces.  

The straps on the one featured were wide and gathered, but this can't be done smoothly with quilting cotton on a small doll.  So I made the straps with simplicity.  The addition of a black satin bow to the center of the high waistband makes a plain skirt fancy.

What I find interesting, is that the samples shown of these dresses gives no indication that they are to be worn for parties.  Except the inclusion of lace on blouses and front bows on the dresses and skirts.  Perhaps it was in the fabrics they used that the "dressy" outfit happens.  In today's clothing, you know exactly what the dress is for since our fashions are so diversified now.  For instance, the term "Holiday" gives me the impression these were worn at Thanksgiving or in particular, Christmas.  With today's fashions, a Christmas print or color (red, green, gold, etc.) would give you the indication for holiday they would be worn on.  I see these dresses suitable for any kind of party.  The gifts in this advertisement look "Christmas" to me, so it troubled me some that I wanted to make the skirt in this style,  Was it too fancy for a simple fall skirt?  I did it anyway.  

I added a basic white blouse that can we worn with other skirts and jumpers in the future.  Thinking ahead!

And, of course, I took a break to make the Woolworth's Halloween costume.  Upon completion of that, I began her last fall dress.  Its not that I couldn't do more, but we have to begin thinking about Christmas, New Year's, and winter.  Peggy Sue only has one pair of britches, and these were for summer.  

Again, the dress styles I was looking for would include 3/4 sleeves for fall.  It is my impression that sweaters were frequently worn over short sleeves, and I have yet to see a 50's style, besides a basic blouse, with long sleeves to the wrist.  I am having a knitter make a couple of sweaters for Peggy Sue.  I asked her take her time, but I will share them at some point.  I liked this pattern for Sub-Teens because of its inclusion of lace around the front placket.  I'm about as into lace as skirts, but it was something I hadn't yet done for Peggy Sue.

This dress has it all when it comes to the classic 50's dress.  The white collar, full skirt and matching belt, and simplicity of design.

I had a cocoa color in the same print as the skirt above that I'd purchased earlier.  It was my intent to have both colors in a dress, but wasn't sure that was authentic to the 50's.  I wanted a brown dress though, so purchased this little cocoa print with petite white flowers.  I was skeptical that it would make up into a pretty dress, but when I added the lace, the look popped.

I learned something here, too.  The placket is a separate piece this time instead of the box pleat used in the polka dot dress.  I gathered the lace by finding and pulling the little thread, and pinned it under the fold beneath edges of the placket.  The lace does not go all the way to waist and its width is smaller at the bottom to create an almost V look.  This was achieved, by running the lace under and midway beneath the placket.  It worked!  Sometimes I just sit and play and work with something until I get the look I want.  In the case with this lace, this was no exception.  I was pleased.

I'm calling this dress her Thanksgiving dress.  She has dresses for fall, a Halloween costume, and a special dress for Thanksgiving Day.  I made her a couple of mini Jack and Jill issues from October and November magazines, so that she had something to do to pass the time while the turkey roasts.  I also made her a paper pilgrim bonnet, which she enjoys wearing most of the time since it makes her feel fancy and right in step with Thanksgiving.  I made one in class when I was a child, and to hear my mother tell it, I wore it every day until it fell apart.

Peggy Sue wears classic burgundy Mary Janes with these outfits, and matching hair accessories were made for them as well.  

Below is an assortment of papers and illustrations from the 1950's that call to mind that bucolic feel I spoke of early.  Country life.  Autumn color, falling leaves.  Even if a child lived within the city limits, she surely had a family member, maybe a grandmother, that would live in the country.  I do not like to dwell on that fact that these times were 70 years ago.  But, oh what a pleasure it is to immerse myself in the comfort of a past we romanticize.

I'm taking a couple of days off.  Peggy Sue will get dressed back up into her Woolworth's costume and enjoy it for the next eight days.  I'm thinking of putting my AG Nanea away for awhile and bringing Molly back out on the shelf.  I have Jack and Jill's to read and enjoy, and a southern gothic I wish to finish, scary stories to read for Halloween, and fine tune my plans for Peggy Sue's winter wardrobe which will include a dress for Christmas.  

Enjoy this special time of year no matter what the weather.  The 'bers go by awfully quickly and Christmas trees will be coming out for display in the blink of an eye.  Don't forget to find some fall leaves to crunch around in.

Love,

Melissa

Okay, this one is from 1963