I had the best weekend EVER! This last Sunday was the Gatsby Summer Afternoon event in Oakland, California. This annual event is put on by the Art Deco Society of California. Everyone dresses in late 1920's/early 1930's outfits and sets up fabulous picnics! There are also tons of great vintage automobiles! The highlight of the trip was being able to meet I was so happy to finally get to meet Mena, Christine, Shannon and Xandra!! I am super happy I was able to coordinate this event with going back to the West Coast to visit my family.
In August, I had a poll on my blog for which dress I should make for the event. McCall 7403 was the clear winner (scroll to the bottom for the giveaway for this pattern). Despite having planned for this dress so early on...I didn't (ahem) start sewing until the day before the event! EEP! Part of the reason was that I was hit with a lot of work the week before I left in preparation for my vacation and was super exhausted in the evenings.
Luckily, I had contacted the Sewing Workshop in San Francisco and I was able to get in to use their sewing machines for part of the day. Karine, the owner, was so lovely and accommodating! I got up on Saturday at 4:30am to cut out my fabric and grade the pattern, then I went to the studio and sewed up every seam I could for the next 6 hours. The next day, which was the day of the picnic, I got up really early to hand finish the remaining parts of the dress which included hemming and attaching the collar, attaching the buttons, putting in the zipper and hemming the dress. I finished exactly 30 minutes before Mena came to pick me up for the picnic!!! Phew!
Mena organised an amazing picnic spread for us! Do you recognise that plaid fabric? Mena used it recently for one of her dresses! I am super happy Mena brought parasols as it was really sunny and warm and they helped keep us cool!
I absolutely ADORE this pattern. It was very easy to grade and put together. Like most early 30's McCall patterns, I found that it was brilliantly drafted. I really loved the interesting details of the yoke and matching hip v-line. The back closure, the great collar and sleeves also have really unique details. I chose to make the neck yoke in red and white gingham and the rest of the dress in pure white. It seemed the perfect combination for a summer picnic. I actually decided on these fabric choices to match the red buttons I already had in my stash.
I also really love the style of belt for this dress. It's actually looped through a buckle and buttoned on each side. I used an old handmade belt I found in a vintage store for £1.00 and recovered it with the gingham fabric. I cut the buckle off (which was a self-cover buckle) and took it apart. I was going to try and recover it but it was too difficult without some sort of adhesive. At the last minute I borrowed a beaded bracelet from my friend and twisted into a figure eight and used that as my 'buckle'. It worked beautifully. I'm so glad I had it because I think the belt really helps to break up the dress and add a bit more colour!
The house and grounds of the Dunsmuir Hellman Historical Estate were absolutely stunning! It was really fun to be at an event where every single person was dressed in styles from the late 1920's and early 1930's. 
Thanks ladies for a fantastic day!
Pattern Giveaway I LOVE this pattern! It is McCall 7403 in a size 14 or Bust 32. The pattern is from 1933 and features two different sleeve styles for the dress. All the pieces are present and the instructions are easy to follow! This giveaway is open to everyone. Just leave a comment on this post by Monday midnight (Pacific Standard time) for one entry. You can also do a blog post on this giveaway, tweet about it or put it on facebook for an additional entry for each method (up to four entries total). Just come back and leave me a comment that you've done all those. I'll randomly pick a winner next week. It would be great if you could leave me some way of contacting you in your comment!
The only restriction of the giveaway is that you do not sell this pattern. Keep it for as long as you want and once you are done--pass it along to someone else!
YAY! Good luck.
Oh, please still comment even if you don't want to enter the pattern giveaway--I LOVE hearing from you!!! Just let me know if you don't want to be entered in the giveaway! :)
