Gertie + Gertie = Fabulous Vintage Top!

I have made the ultimate Gertie item… Butterick pattern 6217 with a Gertie cotton sateen fabric! Things are getting crazy over here!

I could have copied Gertie exactly in her post here and used my Gertie rayon fabric for this blouse. BUT I like to think I’m more creative than that, so I went with her other black and white fabric to make almost the same shirt, haha! Believe it or not, Amy from That’s Sew Amy made this top in a black and white fabric, too! Granted, both Gertie and Amy made their shirts before I did, but I swear I had this fabric in mind already. I guess brilliant minds do think alike. 🙂

I was immediately smitten with this pattern when it first came out, but didn’t buy it right away since I had so many other patterns I had yet to cut into. Then my beloved Hancock Fabrics went out of business and I couldn’t resist stocking up on patterns when they were selling them for 75 cents each. 75 cents! So, this little beauty came home with me.

This top makes me feel fabulous so excuse my attempts at looking like a retro pin-up girl.

At first I was hesitant to start this project because it looked like it could get complicated. That is not the case at all! I was surprised at how easy this was to sew and how quickly I sewed it!

My favorite design features are the unique neckline and the tulip sleeves. So different, so feminine!

The tulip sleeves were easy to create and install as there’s no easing into the cap sleeve since the pieces wrap over each other. I also love the freedom of movement these give my arms! Check out that range of motion!

According to my measurements, I sewed a size 6 on top, grading to a 12 at the bottom. I added my usual 1 inch to the length and it was just about perfect!

However, those armscyes are drafted insanely tight! Thanks to Amy (as mentioned above) for pointing this out. The fabric went right up into my armpit which would have been very uncomfortable if left as is. I cut off 3/4 inch off the bottom of the armscye and tried to add as much seam allowance back into the tulip sleeves as possible. It worked out beautifully! So now I know exactly what tweaks to make before cutting into my next Butterick 6217.

The insides don’t look too bad, either. There is a crazy-shaped facing for the neckline and button band that is not too difficult to attach. In the front, you can see side bust darts and fish-eye darts near the tummy.

For the back, there’s 2 fish-eye darts on each side (GREAT for those of us with a swayback curve there) and what confuses me is the center seam. Amy had removed that center seam by cutting her fabric on the fold after removing the seam allowance, which I thought I might do. But it was my first time making this pattern and I didn’t know if I needed to make adjustments for the back curve. Well, turns out I didn’t need to adjust anything so next time I’ll be cutting the back on the fold!

I was torn between large vintage black buttons or these flowered ones. After asking DD’s opinion, he voted for the flowered ones. I actually bought these 3 years ago, thinking I would use them for my handmade wedding bouquet(s), but I ended up choosing different buttons. I’m glad I held onto these because they give a feminine top an even more feminine touch!

Mwah!

I think I might have to start embracing the retro/vintage look more often. I’m finally starting to see what the big fuss for vintage fashion is about in the sewing world. That’s the beauty of sewing, isn’t it? Getting to try new looks while learning and honing your craft.

I’ll leave you with my “ultimate” pin-up picture… I can’t tell if it’s creepy or cute, LOL!

Have you embraced vintage style or is it still not your cup o’ tea? Why or why not?

-RED