Make Your Own Retro Clothes/Bias Tape

I used to work at a vintage clothes shop on Queen Street in Toronto when I was a teenager and used to have a plethora of really beautiful clothes. I had this pink and green 50s skirt with a Taj Mahal border. I owned a really cute 1960s boat neck top with yellow and blue daisies. I went to the prom with a taffeta gown from about 1955 with a delicious off-the-shoulder cowl neck.

But maybe because they were so readily available, and maybe because I lent them out and never got them back, and maybe because my metabolism slowed to a crawl, most of my clothes are gone. And I miss them!

I'm still on the lookout for great pieces but these clothes are really quite old. They're few and far between and I'm really hesitant about ordering clothes from EBay. Nothing like trying it on, you know?

So I make them.

I find lots of patterns at church bazaars where, let's face it, there's lots of seniors. The patterns usually go for a song but, if you buy, keep in mind that a size 12 in 1960 is considerably smaller than a size 12 today. Luckily, the body measurements are printed on every pattern envelope.

Another place you can find retro patterns is in the costume section of the big name pattern company books at the fabric store. Some companies, like Butterick and Vogue, have retro clothes right in the regular clothes sections. They've updated the sizing and even print the pattern multi-sized. If you're built like me, you'll need a larger size in the boobs than in the hips, so instead of cutting an extra inch in places where you need it, the pattern takes out the guesswork. And you can always alter, mes amis. It's better to cut big than too small.

One really simple and unique pattern I found was Butterick B4790. It's originally from their 1952 catalogue and took me a couple of hours to make. It takes lots of fabric (4.5m) but hooks up with a snap in the back and a couple of buttons in the front as it wraps around you.


I think I may make this dress again, but use two contrasting colours next time (a red inside "dress" and a black wrap).

It's finished with bias tape or bias binding, which I love to use. In this case, it finished the seam but it has lots of uses. I learned to make my own, which comes in handy if you don't want a contrasting edge or if you don't want to pay for it. If you have leftover fabric, it's really not difficult to make. I was going to post how, but this link is so clear, I couldn't say it any better.



This dress cost me all of $18 to make. It reminds me of licorice allsorts.