Recreating a Vintage 1940s Dress

One of my favorite vintage pieces in my collection is this beautiful late 30s, early 40s black rayon dress. Unfortunately, it doesn't fit me, so in this video I'll be sewing a replica as (reasonably) close as possible while exploring the details and intricacies of the original dress.

As the 1930s drew to a close, the straight, boyish silhouette that had defined women's fashion for the past fifteen years evolved into more of an hourglass shape that remained fashionable well into the 1960s. In particular, the late 30s and early 40s was characterized by drapey fabrics, puffed sleeves, gathering, and geometric style lines, all of which this dress exemplify. It even has stiffener sewn into the sleeve cap to further emphasize the puffed sleeve that was later cut out to fit the fashionable squared-off shoulder of the mid-40s!

I hope you enjoy this illustrative, tactile look into fashion history and sewing!

Music:
YouTube Studio Audio Library (linked below)

0:00 - Intro
0:54 - Pattern Drafting
4:53 - Cutting and Marking Fabric
7:17 - Sewing
17:19 - Differences Between Dresses
18:26 - Reveal!

Thanks so much for watching! Feel free to subscribe for more vintage sewing, knitting, and crochet, sock plushie tutorials, and whatever else I feel like doing. See you next time!

[MichelleSMV]

It has been fascinating watching your journey from draft to finished dress and everything you learned from Mildred is going to help me too in my own sewing I think lol

[mustaddfabricsoftene]

Setting sleeves flat is supposed to be for more casual garments where there's not a ton of easing or sleeve fitting to do. Setting sleeves in the round is for when you have a more tailored fit, a higher sleeve cap, or more easing. So I guess Mildred probably should have set them in in the round. Oops.

Maybe this was a home ec project and she didn't really care to do it "right, " which would also explain why it didn't have a closure--don't have to worry about it fitting if the teacher isn't going to make you wear it as part of your grade, and maybe as a teen her shoulders were narrow enough to fit into it.

I've also seen other historic sewers point out that expecting fine finishing on the inside of home sewn garments is really a pretty new thing. Usually as long as it looked OK from the outside and wasn't going to fall apart, the inside could be (and probably would be) some level of mess. Hers definitely is some level of mess.

[Catsface]

I discovered your channel today and I have watched several of your videos. My goodness you are talented!! You knit, crochet, make patterns, sew, embroider such a talent!! I enjoy your videos. How did you learn how to knit and crochet? I am going to make a bodyform in the near future. I have always wanted a bodyform but like you I can't afford one made for me because they are ridiculously expensive. Keep making videos know that there are people that are truly enjoying them.