Behold, version one of McCall’s 7599, a 1940s skirt.This was a perfect candidate for a first vintage pattern, because it corresponded to my measurements almost exactly. The fabric is just something I had lying around for a while. It is a bit greener in reality than it looks in the pictures, which gives somewhat of a christmassy feel – unfortunately. As always, click the photos to get to my flickr page and see them bigger.

Pattern: McCall 7599
Fabric: ca. 2m wool/polyester
Time: ca. 2,5 hours tracing & cutting; 5 hours sewing.

As you can see from the picture below, I have shortened it drastically, as I don’t really wear long skirts. It hits me right at the knee now, which is a lot nicer to wear in spring.

I had some trouble with attaching the waistband to the skirt, because the steam of my iron had stretched the fabric a bit. To fix it, I added two extra little darts at the back of the skirt. It fits beautifully, although I would make the waistband a little bit longer on the next version. It is just a little bit on the the tight side, especially if I want to wear a blouse tucked inside it.

The back (and the pockets – I love skirts with pockets!) is my favourite part of the skirt. The back panels flare out towards the bottom, creating a lovely silhouette. All in all, I am quite satisfied. I started it on a whim because I wanted to start sewing one of my patterns, and I will actually wear this occasionally.

I will probably make a second version of this, but maybe without the decorative pocket flaps, because they do scream “look at my hips right here” a little bit. Also, it would probably look even better in fabric with a little more drape.

Up next is an Anne Adams mail order pattern for a summery shirt-dress, but I need to decide on a fabric first. I am leaning towards solid red or mustard with white piping along the yoke, collar and facing. It is a vintage size 14 (bust 32″), but if I compare it to my made-to-measure sloper it should fit my 34″ bust with plenty of room to spare. Perhaps I’ll get started on a muslin now.