Vintage Simplicity 3320: the toile

Simplicity 3320: 1950s dress with 2 skirt variations and detachable collar

I’m not entirely sure what era this dress pattern is, as its listed as 1950s on some sites and 1960s on others. What do you reckon? Not that it really matters. I think its a lovely one in any case and I’ve gone for version 2, Mad Men stylee!

I’m glad I decided to make a toile for this as I really wanted to check out all of the stages properly and for the work involved I want it to work! Everything is going smoothly so far, touch wood. It goes without saying that I’ve had to adjust the waist measurement somewhat . . . oh to have the waist of a small child!

bodice without vestee

I didn’t understand the logic behind the construction of the bodice at first. ie: really low v-neck and separate vestee, until I realised the collar was detachable and needs to sit inside, all the way down the neck/front edge. The neckline is faced and the vestee piece is attached to the inside facings with edges bound together.

bodice facings

vestee attached to facings

Of course, the insides will be so much neater when all the edges are bias bound.

I love the shoulder darts on the bodice. Not something that I’ve not come across before on modern pattern pieces, and it’s looking to be a good fit across my back for a change!

shoulder darts

There are double darts on the skirt back. Not sure why exactly, maybe its just another vintage touch but I think it looks quite classy all the same.

skirt back darts

The double soft pleats on the skirt front worried me at first. I thought I was going to have to exchange them for darts but decided to leave well alone and retain authenticity as the skirt seems to hang quite nicely and doesn’t poof out at the belly which is always a concern! Apart from that, I have never constructed my own darts before!

full dress toile

Ooops… should have pressed the skirt . . . bit slapdash!

I like the side zipper. I think this is common to vintage dresses. It ultimately means I stand less of a chance of pulling a muscle when I zip up but better still it means the back bodice and back skirt are cut as 1 piece each, quite lucky as I am going to be using plaid. I think that matching up the sides is going to be taxing enough for me!

And as per usual I’ve shortened the length of the skirt, using the proper adjustment line, only this time by an impressive 5 inches . . . and it still retains a vintage length! The vent seems a bit excessive, with an inner pleat that extends to the waist of the skirt, but hey, I wouldn’t have a better solution!

skirt vent

I haven’t totally decided on the fabric for the collar. I bought some navy cotton velvet in anticipation but Mr Ooobop! thinks red. Annoyingly he is right most of the time so I might have to make both.

plaid and velvet

Not sure how long it will take me to publish the finished article. It’s not complicated at all, save lots of bias finishing on the inside, just depends on my workload which appears to be growing. Typical when I want to get stuck in to something. Still, not complaining 😉