Mrs. Hughes

Retro Inspired Sewing

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“These people were of a dark tawny colour, and had long black hair; they chewed a great deal of beetle, and wore a square piece of cloth around their hips, in the folds of which was stuck a large knife.”

You may have noticed that this post’s heading is slightly different than usual….  That’s right folks, it’s time to show you my Sew Dolly Clackett dress!

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If you haven’t heard, this a contest to celebrate Roisin’s (Dolly Clackett) awesome style in celebration of her upcoming nuptials.  As with all things lately, I was a wee bit late on finishing this dress and just barely got it in (sans “modeling”) to the flickr group before the deadline.  I had just finished hemming and pressing this dress before I took some photos on my dressform and uploaded them to the group.  Yep, I’m a last-minute gal as of late.  Lots going on at the Hughes’ house, I tell ya.

For my mirroring of sweet Roisin, I opted for the Sewaholic Cambie dress.   You may have already seen this if you follow me on Instagram.  I haven’t sewn up this pattern since last year and it was nice to get it back on my cutting table.  I always get compliments when I wear one of my Cambies, so it should really be a staple pattern for me, but of course, there are always more patterns that I want to sew up and this one gets left on the wayside.

This Cambie is made of a Hawaiian print cotton broadcloth I purchased on a super sale from Fabric Mart last year for about $2/yard.  It has a minty/ivory background and a mid-century print.  I bought loads of this fabric with the intention of making a retro dress with it as well as a shirt for Mr. H.  I was planning on going with a vintage pattern, but this 50/60’s inspired pattern works just fine.

This Cambie is lined with an ivory cotton batiste, and as with my other Cambies, it went together like a dream.  Sorry though, for not zipping up the back on my dressform, it ain’t easy pulling a zipper for the opposite side when you’re showing off the insides….

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The Cambie pattern only goes up to a size 16, so I graded up to about a size 22.  I’m a pear-ish shape, so the grading was pretty much straight up.  I do like to adjust the cap sleeves on this dress as I don’t like to wear low-cut dresses much, so the bodice is pulled up a little the way I like it.  I considered lengthening the skirt, but the it hits me just fine.

My husband took these photos for me and he pretty much abhors taking photos, so he does it all quick like…. thank God for my tripod.

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Sorry that I really didn’t care about pattern matching y’all….. I only tend to do so if I’m working with a larger pattern or stripes.  Yes, I’m a lazy seamstress sometimes.  P.S. Dontcha like the shadow of my husband in the above photo?  Sooooo professional, right?  Bear with me, that’s the only photo he took of me from the back 🙂

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This Cambie’s first outing was to a ballgame at the Oakland Coliseum (A’s vs Rangers).  I am a Giant’s fan, so as not to embarrass my husband (the A’s fan) with Giants attire, I rocked my new dress.  I finished this the day before I wore it, which is always nice as it was freshly pressed and ready to roll.  I would have worn some killer heels a la Roisin, but opted for some wearable ones instead, so these Stuart Weitzman ‘Barbados” will have to do.

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Honestly, I will most definitely be flaunting my ancestry in dresses to come with Polynesian prints.  You can’t get much more island girl than that.  Well, you can, but that would be inappropriate for ‘Murica.  🙂

Happy Sewing!

 

 

 

 

  • Dress:  Sewaholic Cambie in cotton broadcloth made by me
  • Shoes:  Stuart Weitzman
  • Earrings:  Bauble Bar
  • Orchid:  Vee Vee Vintage on Etsy

Excerpt from:

Narrative of the Mutiny on board His Majesty’s ship “Bounty” and the subsequent voyage of part of the crew, in the ship’s boat, from Tofoa, one of the Friendly Isles to Timor, a Dutch settlement in the West Indies by Lt William Bligh

Comments

  1. I wish I wasn’t so bloody awful at grading, I NEED this in a 22 and in my life, you look incredible! xxx

  3. Oh my gosh you look totally adorable! Totally. The style of dress is gorgeous on you. I am in love with the print and how it’s easy to depict, but doesn’t overwhelm… you know how some prints wear us, vs. us wearing them? It’s so cheerful, fun and fresh! I love the way you styled your hair with it too. The soft flowing curls really depict, “island girl”. That’s a style (plus surfer girl) I’m totally infatuated with at present. I have some wild prints in my stash and plans to make dresses. I keep thinking of some luau or what not to wear the dress & or capris to. Maybe we’ll be making our tropical print dresses around the same time. I really look forward to seeing what you come up with. Pshaw to what ‘murica can handle. Own it and set the trend. We’re already on the start of the resurgence of the “island” & “surf” trend anyway. Nordstrom now has “surf shop” so it’s coming back in vogue. Let’s just set it our way. Besides… I made a skirt from a kids pattern that I graded to curvy size (to be blogged), wore it in Seattle and had people yelling out windows “Hey where’d you get that skirt!” I had no idea my love of this skirt would have people so interested. So tally ho my dear! Until your next post.

    • Thanks, Gwen!! I’ve been looking at some more tropical prints, but I’m so picky (and cheap! lol) sometimes, but there will be certainly more to come! I don’t think it ever goes out of style!

  5. This is SO cute, Tanya! Wow! I am such a sucker for a well-used Hawaiian print and you did it beautifully. Who cares about pattern-matching when a dress looks this fabulous on you? The fit is impeccable.

    Also, you’ve totally inspired me to go perform that dang FBA on my Cambie dress. The pattern has been traced forever, but I’ve been unforgivably lazy about actually hacking it to pieces! Thanks for the inspiration, lady!

  6. Lovely dress. I avoided this pattern because of the sizing. How nice to find out that it looks just as nice when graded up. Gorgeous fabric which will also make an awesome shirt.

  7. I’ve had this pattern languishing in my stash for sooooo long as I was worried about how it might grade up. I just love it on you and now feel all inspired about the pattern again. Now all I need is a time machine so I have more time to sew! 😉 Really lovely dress … if I am ever in California I am coming round to raid your closet!

  8. Thanks, Sophie!! 🙂 Once you have a tripod you will have so much fun not having to wait for someone to take your photos and you can practice your shots as much as you want!

  9. This is freaking STUNNIN on you, no wonder you get so many compliments! Suits you perfectly and is so well fitted.

    My husbands not the biggest fan of taking my blog photos, and while he tries (and is getting better), I’m thinking of getting a remote and tripod too.

  11. I love that dress! I have yet to make a Cambie but am definitely going to add it to my pattern stash. And that print of the fabric is so cute. Not too novelty but not that same old floral or solid. Simple beautiful!

  13. This is such a beautiful dress! The print is also super cool! After Mary, your the second one that made me click to Roisin’s blog. I never read it so far. Thanks for sharing!
    BTW, the light is gorgeous on your photos, it works great with your skin tone and your eyes!!!

  17. GOod job on grading that dress: it fits you like a glove. I gotta agree with Kelly: this dress looks fabulous on your figure! I like the fact that you used a kooky print that is still subtle. Way to go!

  18. I love it! The cambie is really a great dress for you, and the print is so fun, but not so loud as to be distracting.

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Mrs. Hughes: A retro inspired, vintage garment sewing and plus-size dressmaking blog by Tanya Maile Hughes.