Votes for Women! Early Edwardian Suffragist Ensemble

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave American women the right to vote*, I met up with some sister suffragettes for a Commemorative Votes for Women March in my hometown of Bloomington, Indiana. The event was put on by the Monroe County Historical Society and it was a nice turnout of mainly women, a few men and one newborn baby (otherwise, I may have been the youngest person in attendance!) in their white, purple and gold. Our mile walk through town yielded lots of thumbs up and photo ops and it was a fun way to spend a Saturday morning.

Here’s what I wore…

My hat and blouse are part of the same costume I posted to my blog earlier this summer. The blouse is from a 1903 reproduction pattern from Truly Victorian and I upcycled a vintage dress I had hanging in my garage, unworn for years. I’m so pleased with the project and how the blouse really looks like it came from the turn of the century. Once I had plans to dress up for the march, I decided I should go for an all white outfit, which many suffragists wore for their marches in the early 1900s. I created the skirt using another Truly Victorian pattern, also from 1903, with two layers of lightweight white cotton (the top being a super sheer muslin from Burnley & Trowbridge). The top is pin tucked to echo the tucks of the blouse.

The star of the show is my reproduction VOTES FOR WOMEN sash, which I made of cotton and used fabric markers for the writing. I used the tutorial from Susanna French (she has an etsy store for premade sashes too!)

I also wore some antique jewelry and a pair of reproduction Edwardian ‘Mae’ heels from American Duchess. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more comfortable or confident wearing a costume in public (outside of Halloween), so maybe I’m getting the hang of this whole costumer thing? I may even wear my sash again on Election Day, this time with a modern outfit. Women before me fought so hard to play a role in our democracy and I do not take it for granted. There’s still work to be done, and by voting for people committed to equality, we can get our country back on track. Please take the time to research your local and state elections (especially your school boards!) to find candidates with views that mirror your own.

*Women of color and indigenous people continued to face voting discrimination for decades afterwards until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed. I really encourage everyone to do their own homework on voting rights (here’s a good article) and not take your current privilege for granted. You can check your voting status or register to vote at Vote.org.

Made Again Patterns | Joey Tank Launch!!

Today is THE day! My first official pattern for Made Again Patterns has launched - it’s the Joey Tank! She’s a simple but satisfying project - classic halter lines are combined with sleek finishing techniques to make this a fun one day project, best for advanced beginners to intermediate sewers. Joey is a PDF download that you can print at home and comes with two hem options - a cropped length with side vent and a longer option with a duck bill hem (cropped shown in these photos with the scooped version here!). Each download includes the printable pattern pieces in sizes XS-2X for both views plus a fully illustrated pattern instruction booklet.

BEST of all, this pattern is designed specifically to work with secondhand garments. The Joey Tank will work with shirting weight fabrics (like a casual button down shirt from your partner’s closet!) to a maxi skirt you’re not wearing anymore (this version is from a linen blend thrifted dress!). Or maybe you have smaller yardage of fabrics stashed up that you’re ready to use! (You can make this in a yard of 60” wide fabric or a yard and a third of 45” wide fabric!) THERE IS AMAZING FABRIC OUT THERE JUST WAITING FOR A NEW LIFE!

Guys - creating this pattern was an awesomely fun challenge and my notebook is bursting with ideas for what comes next. I cannot thank all of you enough for the support of this idea - I’ve never felt so uplifted on anything I’ve taken on before - so thank you thank you thank you. AND to my group of sewers who tested this pattern and gave me detailed and critical feedback - your time and talents are truly appreciated.

Lastly - would you help me spread the word? Have a friend who doesn’t do social media but loves to sew? Tell her! Would your daughter/sister/cousin/mom enjoy this project? Gift it to her! Just want to support another woman/mom/maker?

BUY THE JOEY TANK HERE and use code FRIENDS20 for a 20% discount!

Jessica Sews | Peplum Eyelet Refashion + Wide Leg Dawn Jeans

There are a couple fabrics that instantly draw me in when I’m shopping for fabric at the thrift store - eyelet and chambray. You saw my chambray refashion earlier this week, so here’s one example of how I’ve harvested eyelet fabric and remade it into a different silhouette.

I was instantly drawn to this navy eyelet dress, but it was a couple sizes too big for me. Sure, I could have tried to alter it down to fit, but I’ve been in more of a chop chop mood lately plus I had a pattern (Simplicity 1425) that I wanted to try out. After a wash, I went to town cutting along the seam lines to see what kind of yardage I would be left with. I’ve had some questions about how I disassemble garments and it varies from piece to piece. Something like eyelet can be a beast with all of the thread used to create the actual eyelet, so in this case I just cut along the seam edges.

From there I laid out my pattern and realized I’d need to make some changes to have enough fabric. I omitted the pleats in the peplum by folding them up on the paper pattern and cutting that smaller shape out. I also decided not to do a collar stand and have a flat Peter Pan style collar instead.

I lined both the lower portion of the bodice front and the whole back so I could wear a bra underneath. The fabric I used was left over from Bea’s 18th century dress.

On bottom I’m wearing my wide leg Dawn jeans again. I’ve only worn them a couple of times (I usually save true white for later spring and summer or vacation) and I absolutely love this style. I’m even thinking I need to go check my stash to see what fabrics I have to make a second pair! If you want to see the first way I wore them, check out this post.