I’m going to a Murder Mystery party in a few weeks, and the theme is Babes, Bootleg and Bodies. We’re all being asked to dress in the style of the 1920s.
I don’t have a pattern, but the styles of the 1920s are based on a simple, straight sillouette. It’s the fantastic beading that makes a dress stand out. Well, I haven’t the money or time for fancy beading, but I can eyeball a dress and figure out the basic pattern. And since I’m not the only one to ever need a pattern for a dress like this I thought I’d share the quick and dirty directions that I came up with. I’m not a professional costume designer, and these directions are basic, so I’m not guaranteeing a perfect end product. But maybe these will help.

First, get some measurements.

A = widest part of your body + 3 inches divided by 4.

On me, that’s my bust. For you it might be your hips. So if your widest is 43 inches, add 3 (a total of 46) divide that by 4 and you have 11.5. Your “A” measurement is 11.5.

B = Distance from top of shoulder to where the hem will be (usually about the knee) + 3.

If your measurement from the top of your shoulder to your knee is 42 inches, add 3 for a total of 45. Your “B” is 45.  This determines how much fabric you need. Multiply B by 2. You will need 90 inches, or 2.5 yards.

C = Distance around arm, divided by 2.

Measure from the top of your shoulder, through the armpit, and back to the shoulder, snugly.  If this is 20 inches, divide by 2. Your “C” is 10.

D = Distance from the center back neck to end of shoulder.

Find the little bony bump at the base of the back of your neck and measure to where you want the outside of the shoulder of the dress to be. On mine, I wish I would have not gone so far out. I may trim that and re-sew it if I have time.

E = Top of Shoulder to Neckline

Measure from the top of your shoulder, down your chest to where you want neckline of your dress to hit. In the 1920s some necklines were very deep, some were very modest. Please yourself.

Cut the Dress Out

1. Fold your fabric lengthwise, selvedge to selvedge (that’s the woven sides, not the cut ones) with the right side of the fabric inside.
2. Fold again crosswise (in quarters) so the cut ends are together. It’s like folding paper to make paper dolls. If you haven’t done this before, it might be a good idea to get a piece of paper and practice the next few steps in miniature.
3. The fabric should now equal measurement “A”.  The top fold will be the shoulders of the dress. Use a pin or chalk to mark the shoulder fold. Open the fabric again so
   the selvedges are still together

Mark and Cut Out Neckline

1. See the pin or chalk mark you just made? Let’s call that the shoulder. Measure 1 inch above the shoulder and use a pin or chalk to mark the back of the neck.
2. Measure 6 inches away from the fold. Mark.
3. Measure “E” from Shoulder. Mark.

Now you can decide if you want a V neck, a square neck or a round neck. Use c
halk or pins to trace neck and cut. yay! You have a neck hole! Re-fold the fabric again in quarters so the cut edges are together.

      Mark and Cut Out Dress Body

1. From body fold, measure along shoulder fold the distance of “D”. Mark. (actually, since you’ve alread ycut out your neckline, you have to estimate where the body fold would be. Shouldn’t be too hard tho) From shoulder fold, measure down “C”. Mark.
2. Measure “A” from fold near the cut edges , mark. Continue to mark “A” at 6 inch intervals as you go up. When you get to “C”, curve inward until you meet “D”.
3. Cut out dress.

Sew the Dress

1. Use seam binding (purchased or self-made) to bind the neck edge.
2. Make a narrow hem in arm opening.
3. Fold the dress right sides together and sew the side seams.
4. Turn up 1 inch hem and sew.

Note: I chose to do an asymmetrical hemline.

Basically, you’re done now.  You can go a step further and fancy your dress up with extra stuff if you want.

Embellish the Dress

Here’s the fun part. Let your imagination go. Make a sash. Add glitz. Fringe, beads, feathers, braids and trims were all used lavishly in the 1920s. Here are a few pics of actual dresses from the 1920s to give you some ideas.

Corky Needs Our Help!

About six months ago a new cat rescue group came into being in Fargo North Dakota. CATS Cradle split from PAAWS to be able to concentrate on rescuing felines and finding them good homes. I got my last cat, Little Bit, from PAAWS. She was found in a State park by Carol Stefonek, who went on to become a co-founder of CATS Cradle. I’m actually allergic to cats, so as much as I’d like to volunteer, I can’t spend too much time around large numbers of cats. I get used to my own, so they don’t bother me, but a half dozen strange cats would lay me out. I think CATS Cradle does good work, so I’ve been contributing 5% of my royalties to them. That doesn’t actually amount to much, but I figure every little bit helps, right?

But now they have a great need. Back at the end of March, a darling 7-month old kitten came to the shelter. His name is Corky. He’s bright and good natured, and full of fun
. He also was born with a severe disability. His hind legs bend backward, and are twisted. He can’t walk on them, so he happily drags himself along on his front feet. By his sweet dispostion and playful nature, it’s plain he doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with him. Most people would have just put him to sleep, but the good folks at CATS Cradle decided to fight for him. They found a generous and talented veterinarian who was willing to operate. Even with many services and time being donated, it was estimated the surgery would cost $2500.
Well, it will be many times that. Corky is a brave little soul, and the vet has pronounced the surgery a success, but there have been some bumps in the road for Corky. He’s still at the vet hospital and will be for some time while he undergoes various therapies. That costs money which the shelter, being fairly new, doesn’t have. (And really, how many shelters have lots of excess money, anyway?)

To read some news articles about Corky’s story, click one of the links below.

ABC News

The Inquisitr

CATS Cradle has a Facebook page and Corky is featured heavily there.

If you have a few spare dollars, please consider donating to CATS Cradle to help fund Corky’s recovery. You can find out how to give at:

http://www.facebook.com/CatsCradleShelter

Yes, I get moody sometimes. Right now I’m feeling dissatisfied with my life and my writing. Things aren’t flowing smoothly. When I wrote Sleeping With the Wolf, the words just poured out of me. I wouldn’t say it was easy, but compared to how I feel right now, it was. Maybe it’s because when I wrote Carla and Taye’s story, it was still not officially a job. At that point, my writing was a hobby that I could set aside for months on end. I love writing, and I have no plans to give it up. This is just one of those moods that strikes from time to time.

The point of this post is … Hm. What was it again? Oh, yeah. When I get into these moods I usually do something drastic. I was in this mood when I joined the army 30 years ago. I was in this mood when I gave away my precious velvet Tudor gown and French Hood. (When I say precious, I mean it had $300 worth of freshwater pearls and real gold thread embroidery that I slaved over. It took me over 6 months to make that dress). I was in this mood 16 months ago when I whacked off 15″ of hair to donate to Locks of Love.

I’m afraid to leave the apartment. Who knows what I’ll do in this mood. A couple of people are teasingly (maybe teasingly?) suggesting I get a tattoo. I’m 50! What’s more, I’m afraid of needles. What’s even more, i’m broke. Somebody talk me down.   🙂