Swatching the shawl

I have tried a few bits of sewing this week, but of course whenever I automatically reach for my phone to take a snap to show Mum, it brings me up short. So it has felt safer to concentrate on knitting for a while. Even then, I don't fully trust my powers of concentration (drying a plate and putting it away - in the fridge - is just one example of why!) so for now I'm sticking to the low stakes effort of swatching a new knitting project. As this is going to require a few samples, it is keeping me occupied for a while.

I have picked up my historical knitting project, a shawl from this 1915 booklet.

Shawl and booklet

It is described as having a border of plain knitting and a centre "worked in a simple vest pattern". I have no idea what a vest pattern might be, but it is definitely simple - only four rows long, and worked in alternating blocks of three knit or purl stitches. What there is not, however, is any indication of tension. It's knitted on size 8 needles, which equate to 4mm/U. S. size 6, and was to be knitted in 'Capstan' wool.

4mm needles suggest DK yarn, and I found this 100% Blue Faced Leicester in my local wool shop, in a shade which seemed suitable for a teens era shawl.

Emu Gold in shade Slate Fell

Supplies were very limited, so I bought a skein in a different shade for swatching experiments. First, I knitted a stocking stitch swatch, just to check the gauge. It came out a little bit large once blocked, but that's not a problem for a shawl.

First swatch - almost no concentration required

Next, I knitted a sample using the stitches for the actual shawl - a plain border and a patterned centre. It soon became obvious that when I changed from knit to purl stitches, there was a gap.

Laddering to the left of the knit blocks

I found this article on how to fix the problem by knitting the first purl stitch with the yarn passed opposite way round the needle than normal.

Examples

It fixed the laddering, but seemed to transfer the problem from the first purl stitch to the last knit stitch instead, so I'm not sure if it's worth pursuing.

Wonky knit stitches instead of laddering

The stitches did even out a bit when blocked. I wasn't aiming for a specific size, I just stretched it what seemed a reasonable amount but not excessive.

This is the only shot which shows the wool colour accurately

The vest pattern is the same on both sides, just the columns are reversed.

Both sides of the swatch

The finished piece feels quite thick, especially when folded double like the illustration of the shawl. The yarn also feels thicker than any DK I have used previously, but that might be because it is wool rather than synthetic or mixed fibres. I couldn't find any information about Capstan yarn as far back as 1915, but it does seem to have been an Aran weight yarn from at least the 1960s. Certainly the name suggests sturdy knitwear for seafarers! Aran yarn on 4mm needles would surely have produced a very dense knit.

Having drawn a blank on 1915 yarn, I turned to Ravelry to see how other people are using my own yarn choice. There are currently three shawls knitted in Emu Gold on there, one knitted on 4mm needles and two knitted on 4.5mm. So my next step is to knit another patterned sample, but this time on 4.5mm needles. I can also try to improve my vest pattern knitting while I’m knitting it. Thank goodness I bought that extra skein!

Mum

Readers who are kind enough to visit this blog regularly (thank you) will know that my mum has been unwell for some time. She defied expectations by surviving the double pneumonia she developed in February, but it left her very frail and she had to move into a nursing home in April. Sadly, she died last week. I had visited her during the day, and she was weak but able to chat a little. It seems to have been very quick.

Mum, aged 21

Mum made the dress she is wearing above, and it was clearly a firm favourite - it appears in lots of photos in the family albums. That this blog exists at all is down to her. I would say that she taught me to sew but, apart from how to thread her (now my) Singer 99, I don't recall her ever sitting me down and teaching me something. Mum making clothes for herself or me was just part of my childhood, and I seem to have simply absorbed her skills by being around her as she sewed. There are no photos of Mum sewing, but this image which I found online brought back happy memories.

This will be familiar to anyone who had a mum who sewed

My interest in vintage dressmaking began with one of her old patterns, and her knowledge was invaluable when I was first navigating the world of unprinted tissue pieces and terrifyingly scant instructions.

My first vintage sewing project, many years ago

Mum always took an interest in what I was working on, and more than once I threw a troublesome project onto the back seat of my car and drove over to ask her advice. It always helped. Even when she was in the home, she was still asking about my sewing plans. It seems odd that my 1915 ensemble will be last project that I was able to discuss with her.

She did knit a few things for me when I was very small, but she wasn't really a knitter. However she absolutely loved the cardigan that I made for her, and wore it almost all the time. It’s good to know that I was able to pay her back even a tiny amount for everything she gave to me.

With Mum in (clockwise from top left) 1986, 1991, 2020 and 2024

Mum was 95 when she died, lived independently until last summer, drove until she was 93, was happily married for 66 years, travelled extensively, and remained interested in life and the world pretty much to the end. It was a good life, well lived, and I was hugely lucky to have her in mine for so long. I shall miss her enormously.

Remodelling

Much as I like my 1986 dress, I don't like it enough to need two of it. It was a complex pattern, and I had to regrade it by several sizes, so I made a mock-up before I started on the real thing. This turned out to fit reasonably well, and just binning it goes against what I’m trying to do with my sewing. Instead, I've decided to lean into the existing 1940s-ish elements of the design, and tweak it to make it even more retro.

Because it was only ever tacked together, it's easy to unpick where needed. The first change I want to make is simple, in fact I've already done it; replace the right-sides-together waist seams with a forties overlaid seam.

The new waist seam

Next is the waist fasten. The wide, elaborate, half belt at the back is a striking feature, but not remotely right.

Eighties yes, forties no

1940s dresses often had self-fabric tie belts.

Self fabric belts

Or ties attached in the side seams, like Simplicity 4463.

Just visible on view 2

Because the dress has its mini-eiderdown centre front panel, this is the style I'm going to use.

The area which needs most work is the sleeves and shoulders. Yes, 1940s dresses had defined shoulders, but not this defined.

You could rest a teacup on those shoulders

The only forties pattern I have with anything like such an extreme line is this one.

Sleeve flanges ahoy!

1930s and 40s sleeve heads sometimes had small darts.

The darts are visible on the plain version

But whether darted or not the effect was nearly always a smooth sleeve head, again like Simplicity 4463.

Not a gather in sight

The sleeves themselves were narrower as well.

A selection of sleeves on 1940 Vogue patterns

The new version will take some working out, but the sleeves of Butterick 3794 are so large that I should have plenty of fabric to play with.

Mrs Exeter's sewing plans

I'm still not in a position to do much dressmaking, so instead I'm living vicariously through Mrs Exeter's plans for her 1952 spring/summer wardrobe.

The April/May 1952 issue

Mrs Exeter was clearly quite a selling point for the magazine at the time; not only is she mentioned on the cover, but this is also the lead article.

Before even new Couturier or Paris Original patterns

It is written in the first person, with Mrs Exeter stating that she has been "filled with a new enthusiasm: to make more of my own clothes". She follows the regular advice of the pattern book, which is to begin by buying her undergarments. Her choices, which look quite formidable, are illustrated.

A long brassière, and a girdle

The first item she wants to make is a coat-dress, Vogue 7624. "So many women of my age and measurements feel they can't wear a wide skirt, but I think - as long as the hips are smooth - they're wonderful for making waists look a bit smaller."

'Mrs Exeter' photographed by Norman Parkinson

She does, however, choose the long-sleeved version because she hates showing her elbows.

Vogue 7624

For her coat, she thriftily chooses a fabric which will work for both day and evening - grosgrain - and a design which she will also make up in a thicker fabric for later in the year.

Vogue Special Design 4291

It also appears in the "7 Wardrobe Bases" feature

The pattern

Mrs Exeter's second day dress choice is "a slender wool one - the sort that is quite indispensable for an English summer - with a white collar and cuffs (I shall have at least two sets)".

Vogue Couturier 678, on the right

This too appears twice in the issue, the second time as a suggestion to make in linen.

It is this pattern.

Showing the separate collar and cuffs

Which I immediately recognised as this reissue.

With the usual slight, unnecessary, tweaks to the artwork

Mrs Exeter is particular in her choice of suit pattern; it must be "uncluttered and classic", as her figure "demands long lines". She also intends to make a blouse to wear with it.

Special Design 4282 and Vogue 7607

To round off her spring/summer wardrobe, Mrs Exeter requires two more dresses. One is a dinner/evening dress in a style which she calls a "hostess gown" - Special Design 4292, shown with the suit and blouse above. The other is a "good, all-purpose print dress". For this, she intends to make what she calls a "long-standing favourite of my generation", a redingote with a matching slip.

Vogue 7615

Sadly, I couldn't find any other illustrations of this pattern online, so I'm unable to compare it to Vogue's idea of a redingote as a coat.

So in total, her plan is - four dresses, one suit, one blouse, and a coat. If I tried to make all of this, starting in April/May, I would be lucky to have it done by Christmas. Clearly, Mrs Exeter was a very speedy seamstress!

Repeats and alterations

Only time for a very quick post this week. As I mentioned last week, I'm currently in the situation of having time on my hands but unable to start a new sewing project. The obvious solution is knitting, so I have started a new Confidette bolero.

I have yarn for three different options, and decided to make the navy one with off-white contrast. Mainly because I have a couple of sleeveless summer dresses in navy and dark blue, and a bolero-style cardigan would greatly increase the times I could wear them.

The swatch

So far, I have knitted the top of the back and the fronts, and joined them together.

It's impossible to stop it from curling

Having worn the blue version quite a lot, I want to make an alteration to the pattern for this version. The back and front of the bolero are knitted to the same length. This means that, on me at least, it looks shorter at the front because - boobs.

Showing a slight rise at the front

When it's worn for any length of time it tends to slide back a bit*, which makes the front rise up even more (please excuse the bad mirror selfies).

Over time it gets worse

Much worse

So my plan is to add some short rows to the fronts, to lengthen them in the centre. I'll knit the sleeves and part of the front before I do this, so that I can try it on and get a reasonable idea of how much extra I need. I'm not entirely certain how this is going to work but, even if I continue to have lots of knitting time, it will be a while before I have to make any decisions.

* - Meanwhile I'm hoping that this cute vintage sweater clip, found online and waiting for me when I got home today, will add a little weight and hold the bolero front in place.

#FoundInOxfam

First challenge completed

Success! I've completed my first Historical Sew Monthly 2026 challenge and the first item of my 1915 ensemble. The challenges can be completed in any order, so originally this was going to be for the March challenge, Comfort at Home. This is to "Make something to wear around the (historical) home or that would be generally only seen within the household", and underwear definitely fits that bill. But once it was done I had a change of plan and instead went for the January challenge, Joy for January. Part of the description of this challenge is "Create an item that epitomises the joy you find in historical costuming", and it really has been a joy to pick up historical costuming again; I hadn't realised how much I missed it.

Challenge completed (Note: the proportions are deceptive!)

Admittedly, it was hardly a difficult challenge. It's a simple make, only two pieces, and between Lauren's extra notes for the pattern and The Dreamstress' blog post I had a lot of hand holding.

The back has a central pleat, to add extra width for sitting down.

Back pleat from the right side

If this had been a skirt vent, I would have just overcast the raw edge at the top of the pleat. But as it's going to be worn next to the body, I covered the edge with some scrap cotton tape to make it neater and more hard-wearing. I also flat felled the shoulder and side seams.

Back pleat from the wrong side, with tape edging

I used beading lace round the neckline, attached by the Dreamstress' method of turning the raw edge of the garment to the outside, and enclosing it in two rows of stitching.

The trimmed neckine

I also followed her approach of reinforcing the flap with a second layer of fabric, to provide more stability for the buttonholes.

Up to this point, I had done all the sewing on my 1930s treadle machine. But then circumstances dictated that I had to be away from home for a while, with no access to a sewing machine but plenty of time on my hands. So the rest of the sewing was done by hand. Thanks for the suggestion, Juliana!

The armholes were trimmed with lace. Again this was sewn over the raw edge of the fabric, but this time folded to the inside.

The lace is sewn to the inside of the armhole

The pattern has markings for where the buttons/buttonholes should go on the flap - either option is historically accurate. But to me, this seemed a long way down the flap. So instead I sewed them closer to the edge.

This looked like annoyance waiting to happen

I have some kind of blind spot about buttonhole stitch. No matter how often I do it, I can never remember how it differs from blanket stitch. Normally I refer to my trusty copy of Vogue Sewing, but this time I didn’t have it to hand. I did, however, have a dim memory of having photographed the relevant section on my phone ages ago 'just in case'. And sure enough, there it was!

When a plan comes together

Finally, my wash buttons were a little grimy from years spent in a button tin, but I scrubbed them with soap and an old toothbrush, and this greatly improved matters. So here is the finished article.

It looks absurd, but it's really comfortable

The ribbon is synthetic and too stiff to really tie properly - a replacement has been ordered. But that's the only issue I have.

I thought that the low flap might feel weird, but I didn't really notice it once I was wearing the combinations. If fact if, like me, you have the misfortune to remember 1980s bodysuits (iykyk), something with fastens you can both see and reach easily is an absolute boon!

It's also very loose-fitting

I tried putting my 1911 corset on over the top, and the combination (no pun intended) worked really well.

But fits under my corset very well

There is still an issue with the corset, but thanks to The Dreamstress' Fortnight in 1916 posts I've finally worked out what it is. And the fix will fulfil another Historical Sew Monthly Challenge.

In the meantime, here are the details for this challenge.

The small print:
The Challenge: 1, January, Joy for January
What the item is: Combination underwear
How it fits the challenge: After a long break, it's a joy to be picking up historical costuming again
Material: White cotton
Pattern: Wearing History Circa 1917 Combination Underwear & Chemise
Year: Around 1917
Notions: Cotton lace for armhole trim, beading lace and ribbon for neckline trim, vintage wash buttons for fasten
How historically accurate is it?: The pattern, fabric and most of the notions are correct for the period. The ribbon is synthetic, but will be replaced as it is too stiff
Hours to complete: Around 12. It's not a complicated pattern, but I hand sewed a lot of it as I was away from home, and my hand sewing is very slow
First worn: Just for photographs
Total cost: All the materials were in my stash, so this is an estimate based on current prices - fabric £14, trims £3.25, so £17.25 total