Dress On Jennie Chancey's Site

[debrand]

http://blog.caseybrowndesigns.com/2011/ ... ess-party/

Damn it. I want this dress but I don't want to give Jennie Chancey money. Do any of you know of a similar pattern that I can buy which won't go to her pockets? There must be something. Everytime I do a search on swing dress pattern, I end up finding the exact same pattern she is selling. Does she own the pattern? If I buy the pattern on another site will she profit from it?(amazon sells it for ten dollars more sigh)

Here is a link to the same dress on her site. I really like the red version of this dress and I want it so much

http://sensibility.com/patterns/1940s-s ... s-pattern/

I've only sewed a couple of items and I didn't sew those very well. This dress might be too difficult for me, but I like the style.

[fluttershies]

Could you use any of the Colette dress patterns?

http://www.colettepatterns.com/shop/dresses

[Wolfie]

I tried to make that dress and found it didn't fit right, and it was difficult to do any adjustments. Butterick does some reproduction patterns (not sure what they have out right now) and usually has some 1940's stuff that is decent. http://www.pastpatterns.com/ is also a recommended company, I've got some of her 1860's patterns, and they are well written and I've heard good things about them. Another site to research patterns is http://www.gbacg.org/great-pattern-review/ Here is the review of the pattern you're interested in- http://www.gbacg.org/great-pattern-revi ... ility.html

[Anise]

Could you use any of the Colette dress patterns?

http://www.colettepatterns.com/shop/dresses

:shock:

I have a feeling we inhabit many of the same corners of the internet. I was thinking of Colette Patterns too.

[debrand]

Thank you all. I knew that you would help me. Thanks again.

[fluttershies]

:shock:

I have a feeling we inhabit many of the same corners of the internet. I was thinking of Colette Patterns too.

Haha, do you also hang out on Sew Weekly?

[Elle]

I tried to make that dress and found it didn't fit right, and it was difficult to do any adjustments. Butterick does some reproduction patterns (not sure what they have out right now) and usually has some 1940's stuff that is decent. http://www.pastpatterns.com/ is also a recommended company, I've got some of her 1860's patterns, and they are well written and I've heard good things about them. Another site to research patterns is http://www.gbacg.org/great-pattern-review/ Here is the review of the pattern you're interested in- http://www.gbacg.org/great-pattern-revi ... ility.html

What I love about GBACG's pattern reviews is that they'll post the negative reviews too. On Jennie's site, her show-and-tell shows several finished 1780's gowns but many are by members of her fan club (I regularly read the forum, and can tell who kisses her ass) who had trouble with the fit, the same issues mentioned in those reviews, but yet who, in her show-and-tell, high recommend her pattern. On her forum, there are a lot of questions about the fit of the Swing pattern also, hard to get into and out of, parts of it that just don't line up. It's a popular one for sew-a-longs so that a bunch of people can figure out the issues together. I don't think a pattern should have the fitting issues a lot of her patterns have been having. The regency dress one seems to be all right, but I've read a lot of problems about the rest, thanks to being a member of a large regency society (annoyingly, a lot of her fan club participate online, even though none of them are local and so can't participate in the in-person events, thank goodness). In general, her patterns are not recommended by anyone but her fan club and people willing to work out a bunch of fitting issues that sometimes result in just redrafting the entire thing.

I've got most of her patterns as epatterns from various promotions and they'll never get used. Anyone want them? She is exploiting poor African women on a missionary trip, and doing it openly, using them to make her rich white American ass more money when she should be setting them up to operate their own businesses instead of using them to make garments for hers - she is literally nurturing dependence on her. She doesn't have room to complain if I give away patterns I will never use.

[Anise]

Haha, do you also hang out on Sew Weekly?

Ooh, actually not (although I am a member on half a dozen other sewing forums)

But I had also noticed in the other thread, you posted about the Sumptuary Laws. And now about Colette Patterns, so I had to comment. :)

[constantgardener]

Could you use any of the Colette dress patterns?

http://www.colettepatterns.com/shop/dresses

Ooh, I like the look of this site! We have a 1940's weekend every year at work and I love dressing up for it but I've worn the same dress a few times now so I was looking for something different. Think I may steer my ever-accomodating mother in the direction of these patterns and see what she can come up with. I am a mediocre seamstress at best (curtains are about my limit!).

[fluttershies]

Ooh, I like the look of this site! We have a 1940's weekend every year at work and I love dressing up for it but I've worn the same dress a few times now so I was looking for something different. Think I may steer my ever-accomodating mother in the direction of these patterns and see what she can come up with. I am a mediocre seamstress at best (curtains are about my limit!).

Colette patterns come highly recommended (I haven't tried any since sadly they do not have my size) and they even have a free pattern to download, so you can try it to see if you like the fit of their patterns:

http://www.coletterie.com/colette-patte ... rbetto-top

[constantgardener]

Colette patterns come highly recommended (I haven't tried any since sadly they do not have my size) and they even have a free pattern to download, so you can try it to see if you like the fit of their patterns:

http://www.coletterie.com/colette-patte ... rbetto-top

The print fabric version is gorgeous! And it looks quite simple, maybe even I could manage this. Now to the loft to track down that sewing machine.

[gustava]

The girl in the dress needs to dial back the big mouth smile a tad.

[Shirley MacLaine]

do you think Jennie would sell me that dress if I requested it with the hemline a good ten inches shorter

[ohmeohmy]

Before I knew better, I used several of the Sense and Sensibility patterns. The instructions are kind of a mess (lots of unclear hand drawn illustrations) and adjustments are a pain. I LOVE Collette patterns! I have several and they are awesome! Though I almost always have to do a full bust adjustment (FBA), they are very easy to use and I just love them. They are incredibly pricey, unfortunately. Right now, in my area, Jo-Ann fabric store is having a sale on McCall patterns. Maybe by you, too? I can't remember if the sale ends today or tomorrow, but I found this dress and it could very easily fit your swing era craving for $1:

http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m6503-p ... age_id=108

Hope that helps!

eta whose patterns i had used

[Elle]

Before I knew better, I used several of the Sense and Sensibility patterns. The instructions are kind of a mess (lots of unclear hand drawn illustrations) and adjustments are a pain. I LOVE Collette patterns! I have several and they are awesome! Though I almost always have to do a full bust adjustment (FBA), they are very easy to use and I just love them. They are incredibly pricey, unfortunately. Right now, in my area, Jo-Ann fabric store is having a sale on McCall patterns. Maybe by you, too? I can't remember if the sale ends today or tomorrow, but I found this dress and it could very easily fit your swing era craving for $1:

http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m6503-p ... age_id=108

Hope that helps!

eta whose patterns i had used

I think that McCall's one would give better results. All the time on Jennie's forum people are asking about something with her pattern that doesn't make sense, and some of her more recent patterns have had extremely severe fitting issues.

And I agree that her instructions are poorly written with really bad drawings. She needs to have a non-ass-kisser go over the instructions and tell her what they think. Instead she usually has forum-regulars, the kind of people who praise extremely awful dresses as being "gorgeous" because an honest appraisal isn't allowed, test her stuff. I think that's contributed to the decline in her patterns' qualities.

[aubrietta]

I looked on Etsy for you and found a really similar, actually vintage pattern.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/97354806/19 ... led-bodice

[Sweetpea1]

http://folkwear.com/retro.html

The Glamour Girl dress might work.

[Olive Plant]

I looked on Etsy for you and found a really similar, actually vintage pattern.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/97354806/19 ... led-bodice

I would just like to point out that this size 12 has a 25-inch waist and 30-inch bust. That's a size 0 currently in a lot of clothing lines. Every time I look at vintage patterns I wonder at America's expanding waistline. Off topic, but I'm sure you could tie it back in to, um, the restrictive nature of girdles in the 1940s or something.

[B5SnowDog]

Something else to consider - the average height of women was less that it is now. A taller woman would need to have a larger waist in order to maintain the same proportion as a shorter woman, so it makes sense that waistlines have expanded as heights have increased.

[Elle]

I would just like to point out that this size 12 has a 25-inch waist and 30-inch bust. That's a size 0 currently in a lot of clothing lines. Every time I look at vintage patterns I wonder at America's expanding waistline. Off topic, but I'm sure you could tie it back in to, um, the restrictive nature of girdles in the 1940s or something.

Sizing has changed for vanity purposes. Label a larger item with a smaller number, and a woman is more likely to buy it just because it's a smaller number.

[sarahbrownie]

FYI. The thing with Colette Patterns is they're drafted for women with a C cup, so if you're small breasted you'll have to do a SBA (small bust adjustment) or else it won't quite fit right even if you cut to your measurement.

[clibbyjo]

I was just now reading my blogroll and someone posted a link to a retro clothing co. and I remembered this post. They have some FABULOUS dresses (1940's ) I think you would like and you can just buy if sewing isn't your thing. http://miskonduct.com/index.php?main_pa ... 616cb520df

[debrand]

FYI. The thing with Colette Patterns is they're drafted for women with a C cup, so if you're small breasted you'll have to do a SBA (small bust adjustment) or else it won't quite fit right even if you cut to your measurement.

I've been reading online about how to make a small bust adjustment. Maybe I could try that.

Clibbyjo, those dresses are fantastic but they are too expensive for me. :(

[Wolfie]

Something else to consider - the average height of women was less that it is now. A taller woman would need to have a larger waist in order to maintain the same proportion as a shorter woman, so it makes sense that waistlines have expanded as heights have increased.

Also, the waistline was higher. A lot of people measure closer to their hips, rather than at the smallest part of their waist. (and I'm also going to include waist cinchers, and the fact that their muscles were trained different than many of us. I know that I grew up with lectures on holding my stomach in and posture, but it was kind of an old fashioned thing that my mom did. And she wasn't sexist about it, my brother got it too.)

[DowagerDuchess]

Vogue has some great vintage patterns and beautiful 30's and 40's style come backs.

I am a costumer and use Sense and Senability patterns all the time. Fill me in on why I don't want to be using these? Actually, her lead seamstress is a dear dear friend of mine and while we do not have the same political or religious views we do have great respect for each other.

I actually have a dozen S&S Regency dresses cut out and waiting to be sewn in my sewing room, for customers going to Bath, U.K. this fall and/or hoping to go to NYC for the JASNA Festival.

Please fill me in.