Simplicity 8019 - 1970s Button Up Skirt

Hi pinups! It's been a whole month since my last sewing pattern review, which was also my last Simplicity Stitch by Stitch make. But after all my house moving palava, it's great to be back doing some selfish sewing in the form of my 1970s make! You may have already assumed, but the 1970s is not at the top of my style agenda, not because I don't think it's amazing and lust-worthy, but because I personally find it a tricky decade for my personal style. But there's certainly areas of fashion from the decade I like, including this reproduction Simplicity button up skirt pattern from the 1970s.

Here's a peek at the pattern:


I thought for me, I would find the 8019 pattern the most wearable. These button up skirts are all over the high street at the moment and I hoped my version wouldn't end up looking 'fancy dress', especially if I made one of the shorter styles. I opted for version B.




You can see in the video just how quickly the skirt comes together. It was a dream to sew and my light weight denim fabric works beautifully with the shape of the skirt.


Whilst this version maybe a little too light weight to be wearing in November... this skirt would work great in needle cord and thicker denim. I can definitely see myself sewing this again and trying out option A for a shorter length.


Sewing Summary:

Pattern: Simplicity 8019 Women's Vintage 1970's Skirts

Fabric: Floral Print Stretch Chambray Denim Dress Fabric

Notions: 6 x Clip On Jeans Buttons - Silver

Sewing time: An hour!

Modifications: None.

Fit: Great.

Difficulty: Easy-peasy!

Watch out for: A tidy front corner.

Make Again?: Yes! I can see this being my go to pattern list.


Overall, the 8019 pattern was the simplest and quickest of my Stitch by Stitch projects so far. After a chaotic month, this is the perfect make for getting my selfish sewing fix. I love the end result, even though I might wait until the warmer months to wear this version.

As this is the last of my Simplicity Stitch by Stitch projects in this vintage series (for now...). I just wanted to say a huge 'thank you' to Simplicity for having me as their Vintage Ambassador and another HUGE 'thank you' to everyone who visits my blog and especially to those who have been inspired by my Stitch by Stitch makes and tagged me on social media and shared their gorgeous versions with me.

To add a shameless plug, if you enjoy The Crafty Pinup blog, it would mean the world to me if you would vote for me in The British Craft Awards as I've unbelievably been nominated for 'Sewing Blog of the Year' - the first time I've been nominated for such a thing. You can vote for me, along with your other fave sewing bloggers and businesses, under the 'sewing' category HERE.

Thanks for reading, pinups!
xo

Hi pinups! My blog has been a little quiet lately as my selfish sewing projects have been far and few between. But even if I haven't been sewing for myself, I've sure been planning and the Simplicity new season sewing pattern releases haven't passed me by! I thought it would be fun to share my favourites from the vintage and modern collections and share some thoughts and plans!

Below I've selected 3 from the vintage and 3 from the modern Simplicity new season pattern selections, you can see ALL the new designs HERE. Enjoy!

VINTAGE:


The 8456 pattern was the first to catch my eye from the new season collections. I'm so glad to see more in the way of vintage lingerie and I hope this continues. There's a real lack of vintage/reproduction lingerie and nightwear patterns on the market and I hope this pattern will be a popular one! Not only is this a gorgeous foundation layer for full skirted dresses, it's a great base to make a tiered patio skirt and I think the possibilities for this pattern are endless and I'm actually really excited about it.

Personally, I see myself sewing the skirt version to create petticoats out of chiffons with added ruffles for fullness, I see delicate lace trimmed versions and I definitely want to use the pattern to create a tiered dress. This is my top pattern pick of the bunch!


I never knew how badly I needed overalls in my life until I saw this pattern. I've seen it's been getting some love online too and there seems to be a bit of a buzz about this one. I always find styling this type of garment for my own every day style a little tricky. Whilst I love vintage style, I like to wear the clothes in a current way and blend the eras. I find foot wear tricky with these overalls and I'm not sure whether I'd end up looking more 'workmen' than 1940sn landgirl chic. I'll be stalking this pattern on social media to look out for people's versions for now!

Whilst I know this skirt pattern isn't particularly ground breaking, I'm still really taken by it. I always find dressing with a 1950s twist trickier in the Autumn Winter months, but something about this pattern made me think I could do it. I think this looks like a really great vintage skirt pattern with some nice design features. I'm also a sucker for the vintage illustrations!

MODERN:


Choker everything seems very popular on the highstreet in the UK right now and whilst I'm not particularly a follower of current trends or do much high street shopping, this trend does appeal to my pop punk feels. I'm ignoring the trousers in this pattern and mainly focusing on the choker detail. I think this could be a really sassy, current looking dress or simple t shirt that people wouldn't expect you to sew. For me, this is one of those patterns that just calls to me and I don't plan on ignoring it!

I can't resist a ruffle and this dress has it all! Part of me thinks it looks way too fussy with all those pleats but I LOVE the overall style. It's got some 1960s relaxed vibes and would look nice worn with tights and heeled boots for the colder months. Although I'm not sure if this style would do much for my curvy body shape, so again, I'll be stalking social media for some variations.


I'm certainly a skinny jeans girl this time of year and I have a lack of pretty me-made tops. The 8454 top pattern has some lovely variations and there's that ruffle detail again! I love version A and I actually really like the real-life version on the model and the styling. I think it's very current compared to a lot of sewing pattern packaging. I think that this will be a great smart/casual pattern to have in my stash.

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So those are my new season Simplicity sewing pattern picks! What are your favourites from the new season? Will any of my picks be on your to-sew list?

Thanks for reading, pinups!
xo

Here's a peek at the pattern that won the vote:

Whilst I loved the style of the pattern, the thought of working which such a formal fabric like velvet or tweed didn't fill me with hope. I wanted to make the pattern work for me and read through the instructions before thoroughly to see how I could adapt this dress for cotton. The dress is also fully lined which seemed like a lot of faff for me. Again after analysing the pattern, I made a few changes to the construction.

In the video below, I discuss the changes I made and how I adapted it for cotton. You'll also be able to follow along with me as I sew the dress, finishing with a close up look discussing the fit and details and an in depth pattern review.


It is my longest Stitch by Stitch video yet, but the dress has a lot of steps to it. I really wanted to do the pattern justice and help anyone looking to sew it. I tried to make the construction look as simple as possible and I felt like if I edited too much out it wouldn't be much help. So I really do hope my video will be helpful! Unfortunately my camera wasn't having an easy time dealing with the black fabric so the quality is a little off.
I'm really pleased with my finished dress. I found the sewing process a lot simpler than I thought it was going to be. I was prepared for a sewing headache, but the bodice came together pretty quickly. Then the steps like the sleeves and skirt are much the same as other patterns. So what I thought was going to be a tricky make ended up to be rather straight forward!
My favourite thing about the dress is the top-stitching and the scallop neck edge. I really enjoy topstitching and find the process really satisfying. I opted for baby pink to compliment my lovely rose print fabric. I love the finished look and the neckline and bodice shape is really flattering.
I'm also really pleased with the fit of the dress. If I were to be super picky I'd say the shoulders could be taken in and the bodice shortened slightly, but I'm really happy with the fit nonetheless and will certainly enjoy wearing this dress! I think it's the perfect retro Autumn dress!

Sewing Summary:

Pattern: Simplicity Pattern 8259 Women's Sew Chic Button Front Dresses

Fabric: Vintage Style Floral Print Polycotton Dress Fabric

Notions: 5 x 1 inch buttons.

Sewing time: A day.

Modifications: See my above video to learn about the changes I made.

Fit: Really good.

Difficulty: More straightforward than expected. For confident seamstresses.

Watch out for: Tidy scallops will make all the difference for a clean neck line finish.

Make Again?: Maybe one day!

Overall, this dress is a surprise favourite of mine. The style lines of the pattern are gorgeous and I love the 1950s feel. I think the design lends itself really well to cotton fabric and the added top stitching make the creative possibilities of this sewing pattern endless.

To compliment my 8259 dress, I wore a gorgeous hair flower by Daisy Jean Floral. I'm wearing the Signature Rose Double in Peach. Shop the look HERE. It's such a perfect match!

I really hope you've enjoyed my extra special 8259 Stitch by Stitch post and video as much as I have. Will you be adding this gorgeous vintage inspired dress to your sewing list? Don't forget to tag me in your version @craftypinup!

Thanks for reading, pinups!
xo