I did not expect to be as excited about this Vintage 1940’s Simplicity Pattern #0260 as I am. I absolutely love it! And don’t get me wrong, I bought the pattern because I thought I would like it, but it had some surprises in store for me that kept me from making it for a long time.
First of all, the original pattern had a invisible side zipper. I wanted such a feminine pattern to have an equally light weight, with good drape feminine fabric. This light pink and gold foil flamingo fabric from JoAnn’s Fabric Store I knew would be perfect. A modern print with a classic silhouette seemed like the right way to go. But it is not sturdy enough to hold a side zipper, nor did I want to fuss with a zipper to get in and out of my shirt.
Additionally, the pattern was drafted with a lot of darts. Two on both the bottom right and left front bodice piece, and one across each shoulder in the back. I knew I didn’t want darts. Any darts. I prefer my tops to be looser fitting, especially living in hot and humid southern California. I like air flow. Ha! So I used the width from the front bodice piece shoulders to redraft the back bodice piece shoulders to match them (as I was loosing width by omitting the darts). I also took about 3/8” off from the back side seams.
The original pattern had bow ties on the front (which I did and completely love) and on either sleeve. I left the ties off the sleeves knowing that at any one time I have a chid hanging on me, and I didn’t want to constantly be retying them.
Another favorite feature, besides the front tie, is the puffed, gathered sleeves. They make movement simple and the bias binding at the bottom gives them a polished look.
The remainder of this top went according to plan. The back has a slit for ease of taking on and off.
I love this Vintage 1940’s Simplicity Pattern. I feel cute and put together, and all I did was throw on a shirt. One I can live in! This is a total wardrobe win!
P.S. My daughter (whose birthday is this week) took these photos for me. Isn’t she amazing? I uploaded them for editing, and noticed a trend. And I was laughing hard telling my husband how moody this session was! Ha! I saved the best for last.
