Some customers go waaaaay back in my life to the very earliest days of my pattern-making career. Rebecca is one of them. I’ve known her since I was pregnant with my second child, when she was launching Baker Lane, and we have managed to stay in touch across the years. So it is always a treat when I see an email from her in my in-box.

In this post, I'm going to walk you through the steps I've taken so far to adjust my Girls' Classic 1950s Shirt Dress pattern to fit my measurements...and what I've had to un-do. As I mentioned in my first post, my goal with this project is to create a dress that is a fairly close reproduction of the 1957 original but without having to draft a totally new pattern.

I have loved this dress ever since I found a copy of the full-color photograph in Life Magazine years ago. I am sure it has sat in the back of my head ever since, silently feeding my love for the 1950s silhouette and serving as part of the inspiration for my Girls' Classic 1950s Shirt Dress pattern and my Ladies' Classic 1950s Wardrobe pattern. I never attempted to reproduce it for myself, but, once I settled on Paris as one of the stops on my 2019 Historical Fashion tour, I knew it had to be: I simply had to make a recreation of Dior's Palais de Glace dress to wear while in Paris!

At long last, the size 16-26 Ladies' Classic 1950s Wardrobe pattern is ready for printing! Many thanks to all of you who have waited such an age for this one to get to press--particularly so long after the 4-18 version went to press last year! I am truly delighted with the results and ecstatic to show them off with my beautiful South African models who brought such grace and glamour to our photo shoot.

This is the Girls' 1958 Party Dress. I love your patterns they are so easy to use. My little girl turned 5 and wanted a new party dress, so this was the perfect dress for a party!

For Designin' December, I thought I'd show the results of making my own dress from my new Ladies' Classic 1950s Wardrobe pattern, as I am super pleased with how it turned out. I opted for the pointed collar and closed the front with a lapped zipper (I'll be sharing that how-to on the blog in January). The fit is perfect and super easy for this nursing mama. I plan to make a bunch more to do some stash-busting and use up fabric that has been sitting much too long in my cupboards!

I've pulled together my favorite design elements from this decade--the full skirt and the demurely tailored pencil skirt; the fitted bodice and tailored sleeves; the curvy collar and the wide pointed collar; the detachable peplum and the removable dickie. You can mix and match to your heart's content and create an entire closet full of flattering outfits that take you from relaxing on the patio in cool gingham to stepping out in sophisticated glamour with all the stops pulled out. Thanks to the inspiration of customer Denise B., I've also added a brand new set of instructions for a breathtaking petticoat a lá Alice Lon!

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Size 4-18 ePattern:[cc_product sku="elc1950w" display="inline" quantity="false" price="true"]Size 16-26 ePattern:[cc_product sku="elc1950plus" display="inline" quantity="false" price="true"](Looking for the paper version rather than the ePattern? Purchase from one of our many retailers worldwide! Please note that Patterns of Time carries my entire line and is well stocked.)

My 12-year-old student made your lovely shirtdress and won Best of Show among other 1st placements in our county fair. Thought you might want to share the joy. I am so proud of her!!! She loved your pattern. Her inspiration was Lucy Ricardo from "I Love Lucy." ~ Adriana W.

When it comes to retro maternity style, I may not be an expert, but I think sheer experience has to count for something! I've lived through two decades of maternity wear, beginning with my first pregnancy in 1996, when I was just starting out as a seamstress-for-hire and making lots of Regency gowns.

It all started when I was perusing ModCloth and saw a beautiful plaid circle skirt. I needed it. The problem was, it was $64. Yikes. But no fear! I can sew(ish)!

This is a fun, easy-to-wear shirt dress pattern design for girls ages two to 16. The 1940s shirt dress that emerged during WWII was a practical, utilitarian garment without frills that used less fabric but still had a distinctively feminine shape to it. As the style morphed over the coming decade, it became one of the most recognizable icons of fashion history, worn by everyone from glamorous Grace Kelly to thrifty TV housewife Donna Reed. The New Look ushered in fuller skirts and feminine frills, and, while the more angular look of the 1960s pushed it out of the limelight for a while, it was still a wardrobe staple on into the 1970s and right up to the present. My favorite versions, by far, come from the decade of the 1950s and have inspired this pattern with its fuller skirt.

(Looking for the paper version rather than the ePattern? Purchase from one of our many retailers worldwide! Please note that Patterns of Time carries my entire line and is well stocked.)

One wonderful accessory my late grandmother left to me that I wish I’d taken better care of was a pair of classic 1959 “cat” sunglasses. Those shades were of a heavy bakelite-style plastic and looked great with vintage dresses or just about any outfit. Alas, the plastic (while thick) was brittle, and one day, as I bent over to retrieve something I’d dropped

In my first post, I covered my grandparents' early history in Hollywood up to the point where "Pop" asked his US Army Air Forces superiors to consider sending him overseas to join the air war instead of working in recruitment and training. They granted that request, and he immediately transferred to North Island to learn to fly Lockheed's brand new P-38 "Lightning" before joining the 48th Fighter Squadron, 14th Fighter Group, serving in North Africa.

Thanks to the talented Katrina Casey of Edelweiss Patterns and her wonderful blog, Threads Magazine discovered my 1958 Party Dress pattern and asked to feature it in the July issue! Be sure to pick up a copy to see the full feature, which includes close-ups of Katrina’s beautiful cummerbund-style sash and rosette. I was so

When I created the Ladies’ 1958 Party Dress pattern, I knew my girls would want their own dresses to match! Because I’ve had a lot of requests for patterns easy enough for beginners, I’ve kept this pattern as simple as the adult version. Perfect for mother-daughter dresses!

(Looking for the paper version rather than the ePattern? Purchase from one of our many retailers worldwide! Please note that Patterns of Time carries my entire line and is well stocked.)

Thank you to everyone who voted, commented, and shared the images over on Facebook Sunday and Monday. It was fun to watch the tally, as people took sides and gave their reasons for their favorite image. In the end, this photo was the clear winner with 126 likes and 43 comments.

I’ve had many requests from customers for an easy dress pattern that even a beginner could tackle. When the 1950s won my fashion era poll in late 2010, I decided to create a party dress that would provide glamorous results without tears for beginners and also satisfy long-time vintage fashion enthusiasts. I hope this pattern fills the bill!

(Looking for the paper version rather than the ePattern? Purchase from one of our many retailers worldwide! Please note that Patterns of Time carries my entire line and is well stocked.)

If you’d like to purchase all the 1950s ePatterns together (women’s and girls’), you’ll receive a 15% discount! This bundle includes all of the patterns shown here. For more information about each pattern included in this bundle, please browse the individual listings in the Titanic/Teens Era category.[cc_product sku="1950scollection" display="inline" quantity="false" price="true"]

We shot photos this weekend for my new Ladies’ 1958 Party Dress pattern, inspired by Ruth Orkin’s iconic “American Girl in Italy” from 1951. When my husband saw the original shot, he said, “Honey, that is the perfect setup for your new pattern!” Of course, Orkin didn’t set up the original–she just caught it as

I thought I'd show off this wonderful 1950s party dress she sold on eBay. I wish I'd had a chance to snag it before it was sold, because I'd have loved to make a pattern from it! I'm still filing it away in my mental cabinet for future inspiration, you can be sure! This reminds me very much of "Liesl's" party dress in the 1964 film, "Sound of Music."