"The New Look Blouse Project"

Check out my newest project. I am super excited to start working on it. I call it "The New Look Blouse Project" (TNLBP)

McCall #7242 ca. 1948 (UNCUT!!)

McCall #7242, ca. 1948, I got on eBay, the first one I bought off eBay actually. There was a stiff last minute bidding war for it but I ultimately prevailed at $8.50. Looking back with a bit more knowledge and understanding of the vintage pattern market it seems that this a pretty desirable pattern. In my experience McCall patterns from the 1940's are not as common as those from later decades and....drum roll please...it is UNCUT and Factory folded!!!! Those folds have been percolating for 60+ years ironing out the folds so i could trace it took forever they did not want to come out...Anyway the style is great, reminds me of "New Look" style conceived of and made popular by Dior around that time.

I plan to use this fabric for it (at right). This is a silk chiffon that I bought half price at one of the fabric stores in town that is closing....I love it. I plan to line it in a complimentary green that is drapey like Charmeuse....though I was also thinking of using something stiffer, I plan to shop around. BTW this will be the blouse w/o the collar

I have started preparing the pattern, which means I am tracing it onto tracing paper. Basically to preserve it, since it is at least 63 years old, it is pretty fragile and I don't want to subject it to the stress of excessive handling and I doubt it would withstand all the pinning, re-pinning, cutting, etc. inevitable in the layout and cutting process. More importantly, in my opinion, is that this pattern is uncut. In 63 years no one ever used it to make this awesome blouse. I want to keep it as pristine as possible as it is valuable, not necessarily monetarily but culturally...who knows in another 60 years they might want to study it or keep it in a museum and who am I to deprive future generations of it, I'm like it's custodian!

I will post further on this project as it develops!