A 1941 Sailor Girl Dress: Darla's Day Out

Today in The United States Of America we celebrate Independence Day.

Our family will be visiting with friends on the beach in beautiful Malibu, attending a cookout in the afternoon, and then watching the fireworks from the pier!

I though I would share one of my all time favorite patriotic sewing projects from my archives.

The 1941 Sailor Dress from April 2012....

Let's pretend.

It's 1941 and this little girl's daddy is a soldier coming home on leave today.

Her name is Darla.

Mommy and Darla came to the station early and Darla wants to look at the train tracks!

Darla is wearing her best dress made by mommy especially for today.

It is so patriotic, isn't it!

Mommy and Darla took a special trip to the city to buy her new leather shoes as well.

The man in the shoe shop gave Darla a pinwheel and she loves it.

Darla also loves to go to the train station because it's fun to explore there. Mommy often takes her out for an ice cream on days like this too.

She has such a nice mommy, doesn't she?

This is an old farming town and only one train comes a day so Mommy lets Darla play around the tracks.

Things were a lot different back then!

Children Darla's age played unsupervised outside for hours and no one called Child Protective Services!

Darla loves to find pretty rocks.

Darla also loves to play with her pinwheel. Lucky for Darla there is a nice breeze so her pinwheel affords her endless amusement!

Darla is starting to get weary of waiting....

There is the train off in the distance...

Daddy will be here soon!

Hip, hip, hooray!!!

Back to reality....

I used this pattern from 1941.

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An Early 20th Century French Communion Gown

I bought this cotton organdy gown two summers ago at a street market in Paris.

I had meant for it to be a first communion gown for my daughter but I realized it was much too big and to tell you the truth, it was very inexpensive, and I just wanted it.

Today we finally found someone who fits into it.

Rachel is very petite and she looks like a little French girl in this dress.

You see, in the old days the Catholic church had the tradition of giving the First Holy Communion around age 14 so this dress is made for a young girl of about that age.

Now in the church children generally receive The First Holy Communion much younger, around seven, so I did end up making a dress for my daughter as sadly, this one was huge for her, and I didn't want to damage it by altering it.

It sits in my closet, a memory of a trip I took to see my friend and her new baby.

It was actually on that trip that I decided I would start a blog.

You can see my early posts about buying fabric in Paris and my trip here.

These photos were taken with my new 35 mm fixed lens which I am loving so far.

I desaturated the color a little, to give the photos a more vintage look, but still keeping the color.  I like this little trick.

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Everyday Vintage And Our New Puppy

Introducing Miss Coco!

A little chihuahua we found at the feed store.

We love her...

Everyday Vintage

I found this blouse in a pile at a yard sale for 2 dollars. I fixed the pockets and patched the holes.

It's Jiminy Cricket from the old Disney  movie Pinochio!

I have no idea how old this blouse is but I love it! I'm guessing the early sixties?

The first Disneyland opened here in California in 1959

and I wouldn't be surprised if it was something that was sewn from fabric bought around that time.

Anyone have any idea?

I think it may have been pajamas or some sort of smock top originally .

I'm not too sure about my patch job but I wore this all day and got quite a few comments once people noticed it was Jiminy Cricket!

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My 1940's Kids Sewing Patterns : Summer Sportswear

Today I am sharing some photos from my vintage pattern collection with you.

Today's theme is 1940's warm weather children's sportswear. There is one thirties pattern thrown in for good measure.

I adore these old patterns as much for the sweet envelope art as the for great styles inside them.

A peek inside a pattern to the directions...

A typical unmarked one size only pattern piece. 

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Dreaming of an Old Fashioned Clothesline

There is something sweet about the image of a mother and child hanging laundry at the clothesline together.

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It reminds me of simpler times when life wasn't so complicated.The image of white linens flowing in the breeze on the line is such a classic one.

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Of course the reality is dragging hot, wet laundry outside on a hot summer day is probably anything but glamorous. I don't know because I have always had a clothes dryer. I am installing a clothing line to dry delicate things and linens but I don't think I would have the energy to dry all of the laundry on the line.....Although dragging it outside and all the lifting and such is probably good exercise.

 Modern housewives are so lucky to have a choice. 

I have always thought it odd that in warm and mild Southern California where I live there are so few people who use clothing lines outside to dry their clothing. There are  laws and ordinances here that ban visible clotheslines from certain suburban neighborhoods. Things like clotheslines and chickens roaming in the yard are considered unsightly  in a lot of California areas.

 But people's attitudes about these things are changing thanks to the urban homesteading and green living movements. Did you know the clothes dryer is probably the biggest electricity waster in the home besides the refrigerator?

 I have been lucky enough to have lived abroad and have traveled to several foreign countries. 

And everywhere outside of the US, the clothesline is seen. 

My dad used to describe growing up in New York City in the fifties and this is what it looked like:

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You will find clothing hanging outside small apartments in Europe, Japan,and Mexico. Few homes abroad have a clothes dryer at all.

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When I was buying appliances for our place in Pezenas, France ten years ago, and asked about a dryer, the salesman explained most people didn't have dryers but pointed me in the direction of the meager stock of clothing dryers which were very expensive. I guess he wasn't on commission because he wasn't too concerned about selling us one. 

We opted to dry our clothes on the line too. Electricity in France is so expensive compared to the US. 

Apparently clothing dryers were thought of as a wasteful luxury. 

Sort of like the big, American cars we drive. I'm not sure if attitudes about clothing dryers have changed in the last 10 years in Europe or not. However, one of my best friends moved to France and has a baby and husband there. She does have a dryer but tells me not many families have one.

 I grew up in an old 1920's bungalow in Los Angeles.We had an old galvanized metal clothesline in the backyard.  There were two T shaped poles with attached hooks to hold the line. 

We used the electric dryer.

Homes aren't built with clotheslines anymore but I did find a steel T shaped bar online through Wal Mart similar to the one in my childhood back yard. I bought two of them but they don't look nearly as strong as the old ones.

I am looking forward to installing it. It will look so vintagey.

 I can't wait to photograph my creations on it! 

Now if I can only get my husband to help me dig some holes and mix some cement to install it.... Pin It

Photos from my Tokyo trip

It was the week of the peak of the cherry blossoms. Can you see the cherry blossoms falling like snow?

Seniors having a Hanami party under the cherry blossom trees.

A Japanese child enjoying the Hanami. ( Cherry blossom)

Me standing in fron of the 160 year old sushi restaurant at the Tsujiki fish market. We had a sushi breakfast!

Harajuku girl.

A cherry blossom

Our Japanese breakfast in the Ryokan hotel.

A statue in front of a Pachinko parlor.

A schoolgirl waiting for the train.

Shibuya girls.

Shibuya at dusk.

Tokyo taxi.

My son in a Ginza alley.

I love this one.

My hubby. It was different traveling with guys only. They wouldn't let me spend too much time in shops!

A Yakitori grill

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