A Very Vintage Betty Skirt

I'm so happy to be part of the September Showcase part of the Flip This Pattern Series at Frances Suzanne, some of my very favorite sewists/bloggers.  I love the concept this month; showcasing smaller, indie designers.  Very cool idea.

I was lucky enough to sew The Betty Skirt from The Shaffer Sisters.  They describe their skirt as:  "The Betty Skirt is a classic styled skirt inspired after the deep yokes and pleated skirts of the 1920’s. With 4 different styles and 29 sizes you can keep making skirts for years to come."  Seriously, they're right.

First off, I love the drop waist.  My daughter does too.  So, a definite style win.

But, what fabric to use, and what style?

I must admit, it took me forever to decide.  For some reason, I had neon and argyle on the brain.  I couldn't get it sorted out.  I ran my idea by my oldest son's very cool girlfriend, and she politely shook her head.  Ok, so, a different direction.  (But I may return to the neon/argyle idea.)

Well - I actually like going to estate sales.  You know, where people have died, and now they're possessions are getting sold off .  And, the vultures swarm in.  I actually like looking around, and trying to get a sense of who lived there, and what they loved.  Sometimes, I find vintage books, sewing patterns.  And, my daughter likes going with me.  We went to an estate sale in my own neighborhood.  The family was selling off their mother's possessions and was going to sell the house.  The woman was a collector of tiny tea sets, and beautiful dishes.  My daughter, to her delight, got a beautiful doll cradle and a small tea pot and cups.  She asked the people at the sale what was the name of the woman who died and I think they were sincerely touched that anyone cared.  The lady was Dorothy.

Well, Dorothy had two cross-stitched aprons that called my name.  They tied at the waist, were hand stitched, and were almost floor length.  My attempts to find out the age of these put these at perhaps the 1900's.  And, I seriously cut one up.

 

I really feel like whoever it was that did this stitching may get a kick out of a 4 year old wearing it maybe a hundred years later.  Maybe.

I really felt like it was meant to be; I used the width of the apron, and even though the embroidery didn't match up in the front, I can live with it.

The pattern is great - amazing instructions, and a ton of options.  This is a size 4 with some added length, only because I was using all the embroidery.  This should fit her for the whole school year.  I'm definitely going to make the pleated version.

If you'd like to purchase the skirt pattern, they're generously offering a 25% discount in their Etsy Shop.  

If you'd like to enter the giveaway, here's the info:


a Rafflecopter giveaway