Peggy Sue's Mechanical Man Halloween Costume

The most important single scientific development of the 50s was the transistor.  It was invented in Bell Labratories in the U.S. in 1948, but its potential was not fully realized until the 1950s.  Aside from music on the move, provided by the pocket transistor radio, developments in electronics also brought benefits to more serious applications such as computer technology and the space race.

Technology in the 50s, in the form of electric and electronic gadgets began to transform people's lives.  Washing machines, refrigerators and vacuum cleaners meant that people had more time to enjoy leisure.  Nothing represents this idea of  leisure more than the cartoon, The Jetsons, which was featured from 1962 - 1963.  Which brings to mind the revolutionary technology of the television, which was the marvel that transformed the 1950's.  Around three-quarters of the population had a TV by the end of the 50s.

A good many father's tinkered at home in their basements with HAM radios.  There was no Internet, long distance telephone calls were expensive, and international air travel was limited. People knew that HAMs talked to each other all over the world, which was perceived as glamorous and exciting.  The technology was developed by Hertz, Armstrong and Marconi, hence the name HAM.  While men tinkered with communications, televisions sported rabbit ears to obtain clear signals, and getting those antennas just right was the key to an entertaining evening, to include many a sci-fi movie.  Robots were a large part of the sci-fi world.  

The 1950s obsession with robots wasn't only prompted by sci-fi, but by actual automation.  As mentioned earlier, products like washing machines, dryers, and electric ranges contributed.  Vehicles of time saving labor, robots began to embody people's optimism for the future. These gleaming, broad shouldered men of metal (women, a maid in The Jetsons), would be performers, home helpers, and companions signaling easier, happier times, post WWII.

Toy robots provided the classic image of a robot in popular culture.  They were hugely popular, playing to the themes of new technology, space exploration and a future beyond Earth that captured the public's imagination at the time.

And, so it was that in October 1960, Jack and Jill Magazine included a play time page in the center of their issue called Who Will You Be?  One of the costumes would be a Mechanical Man.  A few weeks ago I made Peggy Sue the gypsy costume from these pages.  But, the more and more I looked at these adorable images drawn by Irma Wilde, the more intrigued I became with Mechanical Man, and simply had to try and make it for Peggy Sue.  I wish I could tell you more about Ms. Wilde, but there isn't one single biography (that I could find), on the Internet.  Listings of the children's books she authored and illustrated are plenty.  I felt a little sad at this, but countless illustrators have been forgotten with time.  So it was even more important to me, that I celebrate her wonderful work through a second costume for Peggy Sue. 

One of the colors I've had the most difficulty acquiring in my stash, is pale yellow.  And, its never so much the color, but the kind of fabric the color is made up in.  I just knew I had the right fabric when I pulled an unused yard of cotton sateen from my cabinet.  It had a sheen, and was a sturdy cotton, making me think it would be perfect for Mechanical Man.  Not.  

First I had to make the pattern for this costume.  Since I wrote last, I've been working day and night on this, whether designing it in my head, or tossing scraps of fabric or paper toweling around.  For the pattern, I had to widen an existing pants pattern at the side, that folds, to accommodate a wider bodice to make up this jumpsuit.  I also spent a great deal of time and effort figuring out how to apply, and when, the flat head four prong brass studs.  Back tracking a bit, I think I purchased seven sets of four prong studs before purchasing the flat head ones from a seller in the U.K.  Thank goodness they arrived quickly.

One of the most difficult things about this costume was applying the studs.  There's about 160 of them, yes, since I have about 40 left.  Getting them into the sateen was a nightmare and I found the fabric just too tightly woven and thick for this costume.  In desperation, I went into town looking for the old quilting shop that would have a quilting cotton for the costume.  It was closed - as in went out of business.  I tried another store that primarily sells sewing and quilting machines and they had nothing.  So back to my stuffed cabinet I went.  Then I found this awful "textured satin" that seemed okay, was the right color, and super shiny.  I decided to use it.  Awful stuff, but it did the job.

Like many of the complicated things I make, I spend a lot of time thinking things through before I proceed, and really had to do this with Mechanical Man because I didn't have much fabric to work with.

In short, after the bodice was lined and sewn to the waist of the 

pants, I kept it all open to work on the decorations.  The side and pants seams would be the last thing I did.  I cut lengths of the fabric, like ribbon, and did my best to iron .2 turn unders, so that I could hand sew all the bands on.  That awful fabric wouldn't hold a pressing!  Dulled sewing needles!  It must be some kind of nylon and poly blend.  I think it could take a nuclear hit and stand up to it.  After the first edge was sewn on with hidden ladder stitches, I'd apply the studs, then pin the other edge down and stitch that on.  

A lot of measurements were made for these "metal bands of robot bolts", and the most trying were the two going down the front of the suit to the knees.  I did some baste stitching to the costume to fit them on just right, and removing thread from this fabric was a trial in itself.  

The last thing to go on was the collar.  I made a circle, cut the center out, a few times - the wider the circle, the more ease it would have around her shoulders, and finally sewed that on.  This was the only piece I applied the studs to prior to stitching the band on.

Next came the box helmet.  I thought I knew what I would do, but with very little fabric left, I had to be certain before I proceeded.  I've made a ton of hats.  I've lined plenty of boxes or suitcases as would often be the case, so it wasn't too far a stretch when I figured out what best to do.

Now the box helmet may look a little big, but its not.  It fits Peggy Sue's head with at least a half inch or a bit more around it so as not the mess her hair, which is not as pretty as it once was.  I try to keep it nice, but mohair doesn't hold up to a lot of play.  So I lined the box helmet in tissue silk to help that along.

The box helmet is five pieces of cardboard, all the same size, that were glued to the tissue silk, then built into a box with the silk on the inside.  Then I cut five larger pieces of the "fabric", and sewed them into a box shape, which would tug over the box.  Best to gather the corners when doing this so they ease better on the turns when you're sewing the top to the empty box shape of the fabric.

After that was done, I applied the studs, top and bottom, then turned the bit of edge under and glued it the cardboard.  The box sat right on  her shoulders with her head hitting the very top of the inside, so I had to think of a way to raise it off her shoulders.

I added one more piece of cardboard lined loosely with the tissue silk, and cut a large hole in the center before gluing the silk to the cardboard.  This left a soft depression for Peggy Sue's head to snuggle into.  Then after I fitted the red (pipe cleaner) antennae into the top, I pressed the form into the box and now it was not only the right sit, but the pipe cleaner ends would be unexposed.  Its nice if I ever had to replace them.

The costume closes in the back with tiny hooks and thread loops.  Peggy Sue is wearing a pair of brown boots that zip up the back with this costume for an "industrial" look.  She's carrying the trick-or-treat sack I made for her gypsy costume.

She tells me she's getting very good reception from the antennae on top of the helmet.  This is a crazy costume.  She looks like a deranged robot with the smile on the front, but I stick to as much accuracy as I can when I'm bringing illustrations to life.  

The eyes and ears, which would be lamps or lights in a robot, are made from orange construction paper and edged with brown marker.  I could not use the marker directly on this awful fabric as it spread.  So what did I do to overcome this?  Mod Podge.  I painted Mod Podge on a piece of the cloth and when it was dry, I drew the mouth and nose on it, cut them out and glued them to the box helmet.

Throughout the process of making this costume, I had doubts a-plenty, but now that its done, they're gone.  And, its time to take a rest for the next few days.  

Halloween is coming up at the end of next week and I have "spooky thriller" books to read, movies to watch - we're currently watching Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House, and a house to clean.  The house suffers when I'm working on a project, but I've been enjoying Halloween Month in its entirety this year.  Best of all, we're getting RAIN!  That might not seem like a big deal to a lot of you, but in California, its a call for celebration.  And, I love it.  The deciduous trees are changing color now and it truly feels like autumn.

Whatever your plans, or non-plans, I hope you enjoy the rest of this wonderful month of October.  And, if you're like me, Halloween is the greatest no matter what you do!  A good ghost story movie on the 31rst is just about my style.  We know what Peggy Sue's is.

We'll be back to Red Riding Hood in November, unless I get some wild haired idea.  You know how that goes.  I hope you'll enjoy the few 50s robot images I've included.

Love, Melissa

Superman meet Mechanical Man

Helpful robot on The Jetsons

The space age 50s

The king of robots. Gort.

1951 Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!

 

Dolly Dingle's Little Witch Costume for Halloween

Two more weeks to Halloween!  It seems like I've been racing against the clock to dress so many dolls in costumes this year!  Finding I don't have this, or realizing that would look good in the display...so many little things to play Halloween with.

There's only one or two of the older American Girl costumes that I don't have in my collection now.  Like the bride of Frankenstein one, or the witch spider costume.  Just don't like them.  But, with the recent addition of the Wood Fairy, my collection is full, and to my satisfaction.  Of course then I had to get the luggage cart from the Grand Hotel accessories, to hang a few of them from in her "room".  Blaire has a Halloween party to go to just about once a week, and can't wear the same costume twice.

Barbie and Ken, and Skipper, are in their masquerade costumes in the Dream House, which I decorated for Halloween of course, and

my two Little Darlings got new knitted Halloween costumes this year from a fabulous Russian artist. 

 Of course, Peggy Sue's been keeping me company in her gypsy costume on my work table, and my displayed Bleuette, Bernie, is once again in her gypsy costume by Kathy O'Malley.  

The Club Grace box arrived a week ago, and I'd ordered a cat suit for her from some clever artist that sews for the VDC.  Then I remembered this adorable little witch button that Diana Vining illustrated the first year of the VDC, and I couldn't resist making the costume for Dolly.  Although I'm still not a big fan of what's been arriving in the Club Grace boxes, I'll see the year out.  And, this add-on Halloween cat suit was sewn to perfection.  Rachel added a tiny box of itty bitty Halloween stickers to the collection, so Grace is holding them 

as she enjoys stickers and scrapbooking as much as I do.

So here's a short journal posting on Dolly's little witch costume.  I adore this "button", as Diana calls it, so much.  I  think I had just gotten Dolly when I saw it, or she was being made at the time.  My memory is poor in this regard, but now I was able to bring it to life.  Diana was dear enough to send me a digital copy of the original artwork, and its more beautiful than I would have hoped for!

So I made the costume in silks.  All of it.  Silk has a sheen and brightness of color that cotton just cannot.  

There's not a lot to say about making the costume, but I wanted to share it with you.  

Dolly wears a striped pair of tights in dark pumpkin and black beneath the purple silk dress with white inset bodice.

Three little mother of pearl buttons were sewn down the front.

And, I managed ruffled cuff ends at the end of the long puffed sleeves.

The only problem I had with this costume was running out of the matching purple thread, but since the costume is fully lined in white batiste, I was able to use white thread for much of it.

The witch hat is black silk, and the base of it is buckram.  I had a gold silk that I used for the bowed ribbon, and used a paint pen to make the green polka dots on it.

A view of the back.  Its closed with snaps.

And, a view of her little black witch booties.

I used the pattern I'd made up for the flamingo slippers from last January or February, and they went together fairly quickly - after I remembered how I made them.  They are made from black wool felt and sewn together with a blanket stitch.

Below are some very old Grace Drayton paper dolls of Dolly Dingle Halloweens.  I think the second one is my favorite, for the little cones you can make from it.  Hats?  Perhaps.  Just darling.  And masks!

The best news is that the items I needed to make Peggy Sue's second costume this Halloween, arrived the day I completed Dolly's costume.  Now let's see if it turns out!

I hope you're enjoying the beauty of autumn and are having fun with Halloween, if you enjoy it as much as I do.

Off to sew!

Love, Melissa

Grace in her cat suit with Dolly.

 

Peggy Sue's Gypsy Costume for Halloween

At this time of year, there's a certain energy in the air.  With the first of October, comes an excitement for decorating with autumn leaves and pumpkins, Halloween decorations old and new, perhaps plans for a party for the children.  The energy zips through the air with the cooling temperatures and the scent of leaves turning while breezes carry them about the land.  I love autumn.  There's no better time of year for me.  All my fondest memories are wrapped up in the 'bers from yesteryears.

If you were reading my blog last October,  you might recall that I'd been sewing for the UFDC's Peggy Sue for a couple of months, and made her a Halloween costume from a 1950's Woolworth advertisement.  I had such a good time making it, as it reminded me of the costumes my mother never bought me, but ones that I would yearn for in those colorful boxes.  They came with cellophane windows showing the costume beneath, with, often, a mask in the 

center of the window.  We made our own costumes.  My mother had a "costume box" out in the garage, which was pretty much full of her old skirts and heels, and any other clothing discards.  At the bottom of the box might be strands of Mardi Gras beads sent to us from the relatives in New Orleans.  We put on circuses in the garage on rainy days dressed up in whatever we could scrounge up in that box.  

I think I was in love with "dress up" from the time I can remember, so Halloween was particularly special as I got to be someone different than a little girl growing up on Grape Avenue.  While my childhood was in the early 1960's, Peggy Sue's been a doll I delight in because the styles she wore were still in fashion  then and television hosted a series of rerun shows like I Love Lucy, where the fashions were feminine, with large skirts and pretty high heels - hats, gloves, purses to match - oh, heaven!

We were not poor, but we had just enough, and while my parents did their best, we never got subscriptions to magazines like Jack and Jill, which were only enjoyed at the dentist's office.  I would have gone nuts for them back then, but today, I can collect them as I do vintage and antiquarian children's books.  I began collecting Jack and Jill's from the 50's when I started sewing for Peggy Sue, and soon began to collect just the October issues going into the early 1960's.  While this era may seem like ancient history to some of you, for me, its only yesterday.

So when I found the center pull-out of the Jack and Jill October 1960 issue last fall, I was excited and thrilled to have something wonderful to look forward to this year.  Costumes!  And, the page was titled Who Will You Be?  

As most of you know, I love sewing gypsy costumes, so this one was definitely getting made for Peggy Sue.  I found out something interesting doing a Pinterest search recently.  If you type in "gypsy costumes", a gray bar pops up and states that "Pinterest isn't a place for

hateful images, contents or activities."  Well, wow.  My ancestry on my father's side was Bohemian, so I was taken a bit back, but if you type in "fortune teller", you can browse gypsy images, and beautiful ones.  Its  here where I found a couple of darling vintage pattern covers for costume (see below).  However, as a paper doll lover, I enjoy most creating from illustrations for children.  Which also brings to mind the artists that illustrate for patterns!  Why do we never think of them?

So Peggy Sue was going to dress up as a gypsy this year.  Like scrounging through the old "costume box" in the garage, I rummaged through my stash for fabrics and notions for her costume.  I didn't have a print with large roses on it for the scarf, but I did have a Lecien cotton that I'd intended for a dress for Lettie Lane long ago.  I had the polished cotton in green from Kitty Hudson's travel outfit (my favorite), some red velveteen (the same used for her Christmas coat last year), a ton of this gold silk dupioni for the sash, and was lucky to find (I knew I had some), pin dot vintage cotton for her 

blouse.  I may have made a dress for tiny Chiffonette from it since it is light and thin.  There was a time when I could count how many doll costumes/outfits I had made,  but that time is long gone now.  

Last year I'd decorated a pink gingham dress with red rick-rack for Peggy Sue, and hated the rick-rack.  It was polyester and thick and strange.  So I went on Etsy and found a card of unused "vintage" red rick-rack from 1979.  Seriously.  The Wright's card had the date on it.  It was perfect.  So now I had to opportunity to use it.  What became of the pink gingham dress is a good question, but I rarely keep outfits that aren't "good enough" for my dolls.  Out they go!

I did have to dye the rose print cotton a bright yellow, and this was a long and tedious task. A darker dye may have given me better results, but again, I used what I had on hand.  Michael's provided me Peggy Sue's beads, and large gold sequins with a hole punched in them became the faux earrings, or scarf embellishments. I had red cotton knit jersey for the socks, and I'd bought the slip-ons last year.

Honestly, the hardest thing I made for this costume was the paper trick-or-treat bag.  No, I take that back.  Sewing that narrow rick-rack on was quite a task!  Trying to sew down the center of it was something else entirely.  But, yes, the paper bag took several tries and its still not perfect, and I'm okay with that.  I looked up several Youtubes on this, and they all gave the same instruction - and you know how I am with instructions.  Can't follow them to save my life!  The key was accurate measurements, but they were all of large bags, not miniature ones, so with my passable math skills, I did my best to miniaturize one.  

Lastly, I went on Fenderskirts on Etsy, and bought a new download for a mini costume box to keep the costume in when Halloween is over.  I love making these, and do add cellophane to the center window for authenticity.  

I'll be making one more costume for her this month and I'll let it be a surprise.  Can you guess which one it will be?  The full pages of Who Will You Be? are shown below.  And, while I was at it, I did some digging and found the photo my mother took of me at 4 years old, in the gypsy costume she made me.  I thought I was so dressed up in this simple skirt and vest.  What on earth was I wearing on my head?  Some kind of crown or band?  I guess this was my mother's version of "gypsy".  The funniest thing about these old photos was that we were always squinting because my mother took them with the sun to her back - and the sun in our faces!

Since I photographed Peggy Sue with a contemporary honeycomb pumpkin, I did some more digging and found the truly vintage mini honeycombs I purchased for doll displays years ago.  Such a difference in creative effort they were.  Precious treasures.  As I mentioned, I included a couple of vintage pattern fronts that I found this morning.  I just love gypsy costumes!

Enjoy the autumn days, and if you're like me, a Halloween Hound, get those decorations up!

Love, Melissa

Me at 4 years old?