40s/50s Pinup Play Sets

I have been going though my many closets of fabric, vintage clothing and sample items that i made ages ago. Here are a few sample play suits, made using left over bits of fabric that i had in my stash. The patterns are a combination of vintage patterns, patterns i made from vintage clothing and some i drafted myself. These are so fun to make, i may have to squeeze in a few more between projects :-)

 

  https://www.etsy.com/listing/130363380/sample-pinup-print-2pc-1940s-style?ref=shop_home_feat
 Totally cute cotton fabric with Pinup Girl Print, contrasting woven red cotton fabric.
Bikini top was cut using a vintage pattern, pleated bust, unlined with red rickrack trim, short sleeves with darted ''puff'' look, button front. full circle skirt with hi-waist and pointed waistband, back zipper. Bow is a pin and can be moved or taken off. This one i used a vintage Hollywood pattern from the 40s but the skirt pieces were missing so i just did a mini circle skirt and pointed waistband.

Cotton fabric with horse shoe and star print, white cotton & ribbon trim detail on top and shorts. Bikini top is cut using a vintage pattern, cups are interfaced with boning on each side of the cup, slight bullet effect. Tie cuff along top edge. elastic back with side hook closure. Shorts are unlined and do not stretch, waist band with hook, back zipper. This one has already sold.
For this set i made a pattern from a vintage 50s bikini top that i have in my stash and used it to create the top, the shorts are from a 60s swim pattern, they have little darts under the bum, you cant really tell from the pictures but it makes the legs a bit less gappy in the back.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/130838757/sample-navy-white-print-pinup-playsuit?

 Cotton print fabric with Satin detailing. Bikini top features gathered sweetheart neckline, satin under cups, padded cups with boning on each side, halter tie, elastic back with button closure, Shorts are unlined, satin waist band with hook, back zipper.
This set i drafted the top myself. The upper part of the bra is gathered on to a facing to hold the gathers in place, the contrasting under cups have little darts. The shorts are cut from the the same pattern as the red shorts mentioned above.


All photos shown in this post belong to Morningstar84 and may not be used without permission in anyway.

Marilyn Monroe White 2pc Sunsuit Bikini

 The Sun-suit worn by Marilyn Monroe for a photo shoot. Above is my version, made using a stretch poly fabric. It is self lined so that it could be worn in the pool or lake without being see through but is meant for more for poolside glam and not so much actual swimming. The top features a cuff with black buttons and black cord. I used pushup bra cups in this one but bullet bra cup could also be used for a pointier bust line. Boning in center front and sides. Elastic finishes off top and bottom edges. Hooks in back. High-waist shorts with cuff detail and same button detailing on the sides as the top. Center back zipper with hook at waistband.

40s/50s Floral Pinup Swimsuit-Customer Photo

http://www.thesartorialist.com/photos/on-the-scene-pool-party-at-viva-las-vegas-las-vegas-3/#comments. 

 



I blogged about this suit earlier this year but the lovely owner of the suit sent me a picture from this years Viva Las Legas, so i had to share with you guys! Below is the link to my original post back in January http://morningstar84.blogspot.com/2013/01/custom-requests-40s-style-swimsuit-50s.html

 

The photos shown  above belong to Morningstar84 and may not be used without permission in anyway.

On The Town Dress- Customer Photos

A few photos sent to me by a customer, she is wearing the 'On The Town Dress' I posted about  Here, 'On The Town' 1949 Ann Miller Dress

Photos by Veronika Kotkova, she is based in Camden, London.

You can check out her work here  http://verve-rockabilly-photography.com/

Please do not use or post these photos without permission from the photographer.

Betty Draper Maternity Lace Gown Full Length

This dress was a custom request based off the dress worn by ''Betty Draper'' on the TV show Mad Men. My customer chose a light yellow lace with a scalloped border and a chocolate satin underlining. She also wanted a slight mermaid skirt instead of the cocktail length dress. This isn't something I expect to make often so I used two patterns I already had and adjusted from there adding a little extra seam allowance so the dress can be altered later if needed. Below are the patterns a vintage Simplicity and a modern Vogue pattern.

 This is the side front of the Vogue pattern as you can see i have added to the side and hip (closest to the bottom of the image) and curved out the side front seam to allow for the baby belly. I allowed for a total of 5'' more than the normal natural waist, but that would depend on how far along in the pregnancy you are and how you are carrying. I did leave a large seam allowance in those front skirt seams and through the hips so the dress could be worn later or by someone else. Once on the dress form I took it in a bit under the belly and tapered down to the skirt. The back did not get any adjustment except for the straightening of the side seams so it curves in a little less at the side waist.
I did also omit from the Vogue pattern the train and narrowed each skirt at the hem ad tapered upward to the knee. So that is pretty much all that would need to be done to make a regular pattern maternity friendly. Below the dress finished.

Seamstress VS DHgate-Stolen Photos

Well it seems that a seller in China called ''Bestdavid'' who sells on wholesale site DHgate has stolen my photos, removed my watermark and added their own! They took the images of the Tangerine Evening Dress that I posted in November
http://morningstar84.blogspot.com/2012/11/marilyn-monroes-tangerine-dress-gpb.html

I have contacted the seller as well as the website about their theft and have been assured they will look into it...we shall see. I will have to start placing my watermark in a less removable area. I hate when there is a big watermark blocking a detail, but i'm going to have to do it. I honestly didn't think that many people saw this blog. Who knew some factory in China was out scouring the internet for seamstresses to rip off for their own profit!  Sigh, you learn something new everyday.
So if you happen to post things you have made online I strongly suggest you too start watermarking your work in a way that is hard to remove, lest you be stolen from as well. I looked into this issues particularly with DHgate sellers and found many other people who have had the same thing happen to them, a lot of them Etsy sellers. Unless you can prove you had the photos first then there doesn't seem to be much you can do.

Update!
DHgate is reviewing the issue and the dress is no longer available to purchase. I also got an apology from the seller BestDavid reassuring me they are a respectable and honorable business...
Luckily I was able to prove my photos were posted before the item was listed on their site. So it looks to be getting sorted out thank goodness!

Update 2 !
The photos have been removed!

A Little Bit About Me and Morningstar84

As someone mentioned recently they didn't know much about the woman behind Morningstar84 and all the sewing projects that are posted. I realized I never really introduced myself on my own blog! How rude of me! I do apologize.  So i thought I'd take a little time to say hello and tell you a little bit about how I came to be a full time seamstress :-)

My name is Esther and I have been sewing since I was 6 years old. I grew up with a seamstress as a mother, she worked from home so I saw lots and lots of people come and go with different fitting issues, requests and regular alterations. I loved making barbie clothes and costumes. As I got older I began making some of my own clothing and learning to fit myself.

I have been sewing professionally now for almost 12 years. I got my very first job as a seamstress for a costume shop. After that my mom and i went into vintage clothing, collecting, selling, repurposing and creating new ''vintage''. Thats when I got really interested in vintage clothing, sewing vintage and began creating my own patterns and retro designs. I was also taking custom orders. Learning to work with different shapes and sizes in person was invaluable and i had my mom right there if i needed help. I could not do what i'm doing now if i hadn't spent that time working with people in person and with my mom everyday.

A friend suggested I try Etsy, I wasn't so sure about it but I listed a few things and they sold. I listed some more things and people started asking for custom work. Around this same time My mom and I decided to close the vintage shop since the economy wasn't really improving and we found ourselves sewing more than selling vintage. I began to focus more on custom work on Etsy and moved my work space home which now takes up an entire room and then some, to the great delight of my husband, lol. He's been great though even putting up shelves for me!
So that is how I came to be a seamstress. It has been a real blessing to be able to do something that I love. Thank you to all who have made it possible!

above is me looking very glam  (though i rarely ever look like this)

you are much more likely to see me like this only inside, surrounded by fabric and probably no sunglasses  ;-)

These photos may not be used without permission from Morningstar84.