vintage may – Page 10

as we prepare for vintage may, i wanted to round up some patterns and tutorials that i think have a “vintage/retro” look to them, many with a modern twist. most of these designers have a vintage/retro sensibility in general, so be sure to click around their sites to see more.

you know, in case your project list isn’t long enough already…

*note: aside from the title photo, i’ve disabled pinning in this post to protect the original sources. please click through to pin. thank you!*

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COMMERCIAL PATTERNS

patterns by independent designers to purchase in your local sewing shop (or online).

1. Oliver + S: Croquet Dress and Puppet Show Tunic, Dress & Shorts (available for download). Oliver + S has a classic aesthetic in general, and these patterns are just the tip of the iceberg. be sure to check out their free popover sundress (the first actual “pattern” i ever sewed)! EDIT: You can also now download the Sailboat Top, Skirt & Pants pattern! it’s my favorite boy pattern and quite vintage inspired – get it here.

2. Figgy’s Patterns: Zephyr. rompers make me nostalgic – i have photos of my 6-year-old self climbing a fence in the summertime wearing one with saltwater sandals, but they also harken back to the ’30s depending on fabric choices. figgy’s also makes a classic-with-a-twist peasant dress in the ofelia.

3. Clever Charlotte: Finch Top & Shorts. a pinafore-esque top and pleated shorts? doesn’t get much more vintage inspired than that! clever charlotte patterns are a fun sew. also check out their wren dress.

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PDF PATTERNS FOR PURCHASE

by lovely blogging ladies with great vintage style!

1. Made by Rae: Peekaboo Bonnett. i mean, come on. make one of these and you’ll get hit with girl baby fever, HARD. also check out Rae’s Flashback Skinny Tee, a real blast from the past.

2. Shwin & Shwin: Claire Top and Dress. the ruffle in the back harkens back to the turn of the century, but pair it with leggings or skinny jeans and the styling is very modern.

3. Sew Liberated: Huck Finn Cap. my grandpa was from scotland so i have a soft spot for tams. this one is so cute and adds a vintage twist to a little guy’s outfit.

4. Running with Scissors: Maxi Sheet Dress. want to sew a maxi dress? you’re gonna need a lot of fabric. want to make it for next to no money? vintage sheets are perfect!

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FREE ONLINE TUTORIALS

probably the single greatest perk of following sewing blogs – free tutorials! especially perfect if you’re just learning how to sew – i have learned so much from free tutorials. these gals generously share their methods for everyone to follow.

1. Craftiness is not Optional: Vintage Feedsack Dress Tutorial. my lovely vintage may co-host has plenty tutorials for you to try. my favorite is the vintage feedsack dress, but i also love Jess’ emma dress, vintage heirloom dress, and cinched up skirt.

2. Smile and Wave bloomers to romper. Rachel’s blog is a must-read for vintage style inspiration and i’ve been a fan of hers forever. check out this tutorial to turn bloomers into an adorable summer romper!

3. Crafterhours: Pleated Sundress – a simple sundress is elevated by beautiful pleats and tucks. also check out this lovely 20s inspired boardwalk dress.

4. Girl.Inspired: Dress Shirt to Shirtdress. i’m so in love with shirtdresses. they remind me of the ’40s and have a great ladieswear/menswear thing going on. stef shows you how to upcycle a men’s shirt into a classic shirtdress!

5. MADE: heirloom skirt and circle skirt. dana shows how to add vintage embellishment to a simple skirt, and takes a classic circle skirt and created an easy-to-follow tutorial. circle skirts add twirl to any bodice! and if you need bloomers to make rachel’s tutorial above, dana’s got you covered. dana also has a pattern shop here.

6. The Cottage Home: Happy Day Big Bow Dress. a sweet summery sundress with eyelet shoulder straps. check out Lindsay’s patterns too!

7. Noodlehead: vintage inspired skirt. inspired by catherineholm enamelware. a skirt for grown ups, but scale down the design and it’d be adorable on a little gal. and if you’re in the mood for some selfish (or mother’s day) sewing, check out anna’s patterns.

i’m pretty sure that should give you plenty to work with, and i’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s out there. do you have any favorite pattern/tutorial suggestions to add to the mix? chime in especially if you know of good vintage style patterns for boys – they’re hard to find! happy sewing!

head on over to Jess’ blog for a roundup of her adorable vintage sheet projects!

i’m so excited to finally spill the beans on something that has been in the works for a while now – a brand new series that i’m co-hosting with jess of craftiness is not optional! it’s called Vintage May, it’ll run for two weeks starting may 14, and it’s going to be a blast.

we started chatting during week 1 of my season of project run & play when i remixed her junebug dress into the sweet tartan dress. after hitting it off via email and talking about blog stuff, jess said she had the idea to host a series, but didn’t know what it should be about. i helped her brainstorm, and then she totally surprised me by asking me to co-host! i made sure she wasn’t joking, then quickly agreed.

i’ve been a big fan of CINO for a really long time. jess is generous with her tutorials, her daughters are adorable, and she writes in a funny, friendly way. she’s one of those gals you wish lived nearby so you could just hang out and your kids could play together (her Sadie and my Em are just a few months apart in age, and her Charlotte and my O are pretty close too). i even love the name of her blog – if you’re a crafty/creative person, it really isn’t optional – you MUST create and you make the time to do it!

we’re both enamored with vintage style, especially for kids (but for ladies too), and find ourselves drawing inspiration from the past. whether it’s using thrifted/vintage materials, retro-inspired patterns with modern fabrics, or vintage patterns themselves, the results are interesting and fun.

jess and i will have a little pre-show the week before the series starts to share some of our projects and ideas, and then the real fun begins! we have each rounded up ten fantastic guest bloggers that we’re thrilled to have on board for two weeks of vintage/retro inspired projects and tutorials. we’re so thrilled, in fact, that we can’t keep them a secret! these are the guests i’ll be hosting here at skirt as top. some are blogging celebs, some are hidden gems, all are super talented. here they are!

sophie from cirque du bebe
danielle from my sparkle
gail from probably actually
rae from made by rae
cherie from you & mie
jess from running with scissors
rachel from nest full of eggs
meg from elsie marley
stef from girl.inspired
stacy from hart & sew

if you’ve never checked out these ladies’ blogs, do yourself a favor and click through. and jess will be hosting ten lovely guests of her own, so be sure to go check them out!

because this series is all about inspiration and sharing the love of vintage/retro, we’d love to see YOUR projects, too! if you’ve ever sewn an item of clothing from a vintage pattern, vintage bed sheet, a modern pattern that looks vintage, modern fabric that looks vintage, anything along those lines, please add it to the Vintage May flickr group! i’ve added some of my projects, jess has added some of hers, and a few of our guests have added some too, so there’s already plenty of fun stuff in there to browse. we’ll round up a few of our favorites from the flickr group somewhere along the way, so get ’em in there! we’d just love to see what you’ve made.

are you excited? i sure am! hop on over to CINO to check out jess’s awesome guests here, join the flickr group, and get ready to celebrate vintage lovelies!