Mrs. Hughes

Retro Inspired Sewing

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You are here: Home / Archives for Retro Garments

Red Paisley Cambie Dress

06/13/2013

As promised, here are photos of the other Cambie dress that I’ve made! 🙂 This pattern is the Sewaholic Cambie in the full skirted version.  I’ve also made the a-line version as well.  I made this dress out of a red paisley cotton that I picked up for a steal at Discount Fabrics in Berkeley. […]

Filed Under: Retro Garments

Avocado Green Cambie Dress

06/7/2013

Well, I finally got on the Cambie bandwagon with my first Sewaholic pattern, Sewaholic 1202 the Cambie dress. I made the a-line version of the Cambie in avocado green stretch cotton broadcloth purchased from Fabric Mart.  I have actually made two of these thus far (I will show the other one soon!) and this was […]

Filed Under: Retro Garments

1940 Apple Green Gauze Sundress

06/4/2013

I’m finally getting around to taking some photos of my latest creations.  Here’s one down and only four more (at the moment….) to go! My husband and I were actually heading to the quinceanara of one of his former students when we took these photos.  It was very hot that day and we were going […]

Filed Under: Retro Garments

The Mad Men Challenge: A Little Bit of Betty and a Little Bit of Joan

04/21/2013

I have had this dress done for a few weeks now.  I made this dress for Julia Bobbin’s Mad Men Challenge.  I was excited to make a dress for this challenge as Mad Men is one of my favorite shows and I love early 60s styles, but I also wanted to use fabric from my […]

Filed Under: Retro Garments

Sew for Victory Redux – 1940 Peacock Blue Dress

04/15/2013

I had been meaning to take some photos of myself in the 1940 peacock blue dress I made for the Sew for Victory challenge and here they are! Doc also wanted to be in these photos. 🙂 Happy Sewing, my friends!       Dress: Vogue 8811 in peacock blue cotton broadcloth, made by me Shoes: […]

Filed Under: Retro Garments

Playing Pin Up

04/14/2013

So, today, I had some pin up photos done!  A local salon does these special photo shoots every once in a whlle where they do your hair and makeup with retro flair and take some vintage-y photos.  I’ve been wanting to do this for a while and am so glad that I finally got do […]

Filed Under: Retro Garments

1946 “Owl Eyes” Challis Dress

04/1/2013

I am happy to finally write a blog post about this dress as it is one of my favorites! This 1946 design is sewn  from Retro Butterick 5281 and is made of Anna Sui “Owl Eyes” rayon/cotton challis.  It is fully lined with cotton batiste and it is a very comfortable dress. The belt is […]

Filed Under: Retro Garments

Red Polka Dot 1940 Sundress

03/27/2013

I am SEW happy that I finished this dress yesterday!  This pattern has been on my “to-do” list for a while and I could not wait to cut into this red and white polka dot broadcloth either! I made this dress using Vogue 8812, a Vintage Vogue pattern from 1940.  This sundress is made of […]

Filed Under: Retro Garments

My 1940 Sew for Victory Dress

03/12/2013

I just finished my first sewing challenge!  Lucky Lucille’s “Sew for Victory” 1940’s Sewing Challenge! This worked out well for me as I already had the fabric and pattern and had been intending to make this dress.  My dress is Vogue 8811, a pattern that I had previously made for a client and now decided […]

Filed Under: Retro Garments

Silk Faille 60’s Retro

02/25/2013

This was the second dress that I’ve made with the lovely retro inspired Simplicity 2444. This dress is made with midnight blue Anna Sui silk faille that I got for a ridiculous price from Fabric Mart during the deal of the day.  I think I only paid like $3.99.  What a steal for silk, especially […]

Filed Under: Retro Garments

1960s Inspired Plaid Dress

02/22/2013

So, it was my intention to start blogging more of my projects. The thing is, I spend more time sewing and creating than photo taking…… Anyway….. I made this dress a couple of weeks ago from my favorite go-to pattern, Simplicity 2444.  It’s a very easy pattern with a vintage feel and it fits me […]

Filed Under: Retro Garments

My 1955 Emerald Green Christmas Dress

12/16/2012

This year, I decided to make myself a special retro Christmas dress. I was inspired by this Barbie Collector vintage Barbie. I used Butterick 5556 to make this dress, altering the bodice to a v-neck and omitting the collar. My versiou is made of emerald green taffeta with a red net petticoat and red lace […]

Filed Under: Retro Garments

1940s Blue Cotton Dress

11/13/2012

I am slacking from my original intent of this blog which was to show my sewing and DIY projects.  I sew and DIY nearly every day, but fail to take the time to take photos and blog….. as I am a blog slacker, my goal is to now blog my projects and not to let […]

Filed Under: Retro Garments

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My Favorites

  • The 1920’s Egyptian Revival Gown
  • The Embroidered Zig Zag Dress
  • The 1929 Pansy Dress
  • The 1930’s Silk Velvet Dress
  • Sailors are My Weakness [The Dorothy Lara Dress]
  • The California Poppy Blouse
  • The 1950’s Robin Hood Dress
  • The Broderie Anglaise Birthday Dress

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Behind the Scenes on Instagram @tanyamaile

Meet my new favorite dress! This is the @gertie18 Meet my new favorite dress! This is the @gertie18 Charm #cinchitdress in cotton linen from @lafinchfabrics . It is my third and favorite version thus far. I did several alterations to this pattern for both fit and preference. This is a size 22/24 in upper cup sizes. I'm not sure if it's because I am on the lower end of the bust sizes at a D, but I raised the bust darts and also raised the shirring line a few inches. I took a wedge out of the back for a swayback adjustment, raised the armholes as they're too low for me and lowered the neckline slit. This version has the banded collar. Other versions I've made have sleeves and no collar. I also lengthened the skirt and am wearing my lightweight petticoat with this. It's difficult to see, but this version has a triangular pocket from a similar vintage 1950's tent dress pattern, which I also used to add more width to the shoulders and create a bit of a sleeve, which I'll be extending out more for my 4th Cinch-It dress. I just had my second dose of the Pfizer vax, so if I feel okay, I'll be cutting out another dress. 😉

This is a great every day dress. It's so comfortable and quick to sew. Without a belt or shirring, it looks a bit like a muu muu, which really isn't a bad thing, but I like some waist definition. My first one I made out of rayon challis, and that's a bit too drapey IMO for this pattern and I prefer this cotton linen and version 2 in chambray, which I'll share when I finish with the appliques and pockets on that. I love this pattern so much that I was going to use one of my treasured vintage Hawaiian fabrics, but didn't have enough yardage to cut this pattern out as that 50's fabric is narrow.  Now that I have this pattern fitted exactly how I want it to, I may just sew 5 or 6. 😉

#charmpatterns #lafinchfabrics #polynesianAF #vintagesewing #plussizesewing #sewistsofinstagram  #sewistsofcolor #curvysewingcollective #sewing #1950ssewing
I made a dress and took photos of it! 💃💃 Thi I made a dress and took photos of it! 💃💃 This is a @gertie18 Charm Lamour Dress and Dorothy Bolero made of cotton linen from @lafinchfabrics. 

#lamourdress #dorothybolero #charmpatterns #1950sfashion #plussizevintage #vintagedressmaking #vintagesewing #lafinchfabrics #curvysewingcollective
My new hussif/housewife sewing wrap that I made in My new hussif/housewife sewing wrap that I made in @the_sewing_room_alameda 's class at the @gbacg virtual costume academy last weekend. I sewed it in class and added the binding today. I love how it uses remnants and that I had everything to make it in my sewing room. It was perfect for this little piece of vintage fabric (printed off grain). I'm planning to make another one to go in my 18th pockets and do some embroidery on it.
I feel incredibly grateful that I've had my first I feel incredibly grateful that I've had my first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. My husband (a teacher) has also had his first dose. It feels like being on the path to some sense of normalcy and being able to breathe again after a tumultuous year. I'm also looking forward to seeing my grandma and my aunt who is in a care home -- both of whom I haven't seen since before this pandemic began.

If you're curious, as I live in California and we are not doing great amongst the states with our vaccine administration (currently ranked 38) and my county has not reached my age group yet. On Monday, I became eligible in my state as high risk due to BMI (fat privilege!). I would have had to jump through hoops and wait to get a shot at the only vaccine option  my county has (I was on the list), and looked for other options. Our state vaccine website (MyTurn) gave me clinics in other counties which I am not eligible for as I'm not a resident or worker. VaccineFinder gave me locations at area pharmacies and I tried to get an appointment and they were all booked. Finally, a friend told me about Walgreens and I went on their website and made an appointment on Tuesday and had my first shot today. 🎉🎉
This lady head brooch by @lipstickandchrome really This lady head brooch by @lipstickandchrome really made my day. Thanks to @wanderingwhipstitch for telling me about it. 💖
It was pretty unbelievable when my husband and I f It was pretty unbelievable when my husband and I found these Pyrex orange butterprint Cinderella bowls at a thrift store the other day. The orange (along with pink) butterprint were promotional pyrex from the late 1950's/early 1960's and very hard to find. I never thought that I'd have some in my collection as I've never seen these for sale in person and there are so many pyrex collectors in my area. These are mint, but missing the 444 (largest size). At $75, these were not a thrift store price, but a steal considering the current going rate. Plus, I love them, which makes them valuable to me. I rearranged this hutch of my favorites so they could be displayed there. 😊

#pyrex #vintagepyrex #pyrexcollector #orangebutterprint #rarepyrex #pyrexcollection
Today, @mommarainbows and I had a Castle Cake-Off. Today, @mommarainbows and I had a Castle Cake-Off. Who wins? We both do. 🤣 I present to you my Count Chocula cake. 🧛‍♂️ It's a chocolate malt cake with malt fudge sauce, chocolate malt frosting, malt crumble and some somewhat charred marshmallows. I used the recipe from the Milk Bar. 

This is the fanciest bundt cake I've ever made as I usually just pour a glaze on with coconut, sprinkles or berries.
Just finished: A crewelwork pillow with California Just finished: A crewelwork pillow with California poppies and bachelor buttons. I made this from a vintage 1970's Bucilla crewel embroidery kit. This is the second Bucilla crewel kit that I've made and I just love using them. I was fortunate to find this one with my state's flower on it and it was a pretty quick embroidery project.

#bucilla #crewelembroidery #crewelwork #embroidery #handembroidery #1970sembroidery #1970sstyle #californiapoppy
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Copyright 2012-2021. Tanya Maile Hughes. All rights reserved. Please do not copy or reproduce any content from this site without approval and credit. Sewing graphics by katieshoestring and California poppy graphics by DigitalDesignsAndArt

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

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