Lisa Comfort - Sew Over It Vintage: Stylish Projects for the Modern Wardrobe & Home

If your measurement stated in point 3 is bigger than CE, square across from L this distance, in a parallel line to CE. This will become line LM. From M, redraw the side seam connecting to point I.

If your point E is wider than B, square across from L the distance in point 3, in a parallel line to CE, creating line LM. Then extend the diagonal line IE until it meets line LM. This would be a more flared shape.

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Ebury Press, an imprint of Ebury Publishing,
20 Vauxhall Bridge Road,
London SW1V 2SA

Ebury Press is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com.

Copyright Lisa Comfort 2015
Photography Tiffany Mumford 2015

Cover design: Anita Mangan
Cover photographs: Tiffany Mumford

Lisa Comfort has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this Work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

First published by Ebury Press in 2015

penguin.co.uk

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Copy-editor: Katy Bevan
Design: Anita Mangan
Photography: Tiffany Mumford
Hair & make-up stylist: Carolyn Wren
Illustrator: Helen Friel

ISBN 9781473582903

If my first passion is sewing, then vintage is my second. So theres no surprise that everything I sew, for myself and my home, has a touch of vintage. I count Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn as my fashion idols. What I would have done to have spent a day with their wardrobes! All three women oozed style, elegance and glamour.

So you might have guessed that my favourite fashion decades were the 1950s and 1960s. For me, that was when fashion was at its best. The silhouettes were stunning and the fabrics to die for.

It all began with Christian Diors first collection for the House of Dior in 1947. Called the New Look, it celebrated soft, feminine style, characterised by small waists, soft rounded shoulders, pointed busts and, most importantly, full skirts. One of Diors dresses used 15 yards of fabric! Initially, his collection offended many who thought it was an insult to those countries still suffering from post-war austerity measures. However, it soon became very popular and greatly influenced the fashion of the next decade. Dior introduced a richness and sense of luxury. After many years of cloth restrictions for fashion houses and rationing for everyone else, it was time to be extravagant. And fortunately for us, some of these amazing dresses are still out there for us to enjoy.

That said, dressing completely vintage can be intimidating and you risk looking like a chorus member from a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie. I dont like feeling too costumey and it just isnt practical. Plus, our figures have changed. Our underwear does not sculpt our busts in the same way and our waists are not as tiny. I think there is so much to learn from the fashion and style of this era, but taking elements and mixing them with what suits you is a better approach. This is what I have done in this book.

Even if my favourite fashion eras were the 50s and 60s, my inspiration for the book spans sixty years of vintage style, from the roaring 1920s to the bohemian 1970s. Whether its a direct reference to a garment from the 20s, a colour that reminds me of the 60s, or simply making something out of vintage fabric, there is a vintage twist to all the projects that will hopefully complement the rest of your wardrobe.

Last year we were lucky enough to buy our first home and I spent the following 12 months making it our own. We had no budget left for decorating, so making everything myself was essential and, I should add, ever so enjoyable. I have shared some of my favourite projects, both practical and decorative, from my very own home in this book.

I wanted this book to appeal to a wide range of sewists. There are projects for those of you who have recently jumped on the sewing wagon. You can progress through the projects building up to some of the more challenging garments. I also hope there is plenty in here for those of you who have been sewing for a while and want to try out some basic pattern cutting; there are projects for an afternoon and some for a whole weekend.

I have shared many of the techniques that I have learned over twenty years of sewing, many of which have come from the amazing team of teachers at Sew Over It. I never stop learning! There is no point in keeping these little gems to myself. I want to share them with you and spread the sewing word. I hope you enjoy learning what I have learned and get as much pleasure out of this book as I did writing it.

FOR A LOT OF THE PROJECTS YOU WILL NEED MOST, IF NOT ALL, OF THE EQUIPMENT .

Spend some money on a good pair of fabric scissors. Look after them by not dropping them, not cutting through pins with them and not sharing them. It sounds mean, but we all cut at different angles, so sharing them can blunt them.

Keep another pair of scissors that are just used for cutting paper. This will keep them sharp. Whatever you do, dont use your fabric scissors to cut paper!

When youre sewing, keep a little pair of scissors to hand to cut threads.

This is usually around my neck the whole time I am sewing. Not as a fashion accessory, but so that I can whip it out for reference whenever I need it.

You hope you wont need this, but you probably will. Just like scissors, they can get blunt, so replace them as often as you need. It will make your mistakes a lot less painful.

At Sew Over It we use lovely long pins with round heads. They make pinning a lot easier. But for delicate fabrics such as fine silks, you should use silk pins which are much finer.

Everyone has a preference here. Some prefer short and others long, but for beautiful hand stitches the needle must be fine, otherwise it will be hard to keep those stitches neat and tidy.