Interesting old book find - Our princesses and their dogs.

I picked up this rather tattered and forlorn faded blue hardback as I was intrigued by the title and wondered what I might find inside. It turns out that it is exactly what is says it is - a book about Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret and all their dogs. There is very little writing but there are a number of very lovely pictures. So I snapped it up and took it home.

Princess Margaret with Choo-Choo the grey and white
Tibetan Lion.

This book, written in 1936 by Michael Chance, is dedicated by the princesses to 'All children who love dogs'. I think that is very special, it shows a normal part of life in a really not very normal family. I think that is also what makes the pictures special, because if it wasn't for their famous faces (and the massive play house the size of a normal person's home), you could just think this was a portrait of an ordinary dog loving family. It is lovely to see the children genuinely having fun, not performing a duty.

The photographs are taken by Studio Lisa. This was formed by the photographer Lisa Sheridan and her husband. In the 1930s they were asked to take some photographs of the Royal family and from what I can work out this book is the result of their first photo session.

Princess Elizabeth was born on 21st April 1926 and Princess Margaret was born on 21st August 1930 making them 10 and 6 when these photographs were taken. Many of the photos are taken in the grounds of the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park which was their country home. The people of Wales gave the play house Y Bwthyn Bach (the little cottage) to Elizabeth in 1932.




Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret with Lady Jane - a reddish brown
Pembrokeshire Welsh Corgi.





Princess Elizabeth with Jane and Dookie. Jane is

eighteen months old and Dookie is three and a half.

The children with their mother Elizabeth, Duchess of York,
 with a corgi hiding behind her skirts.







The Duke of York with Choo-Choo, a corgi and his six year old yellow
Labrador Mimsy. Also, take a look at his mighty fine socks.

The family with all their dogs.

Princess Elizabeth with Dookie.

Apparently when told to lie down the dogs posed themselves around the
girls for this picture!

Rather awkward looking but spot the corgi sneaking into
the shot.

At the 'play house'.



Just to place this moment in history we may need a quick lesson. Princess Elizabeth's granddad was King George V. She was third in line to the throne after George's two sons Edward, Prince of Wales and George, Duke of York, her father. In 1936, the year this book was published, George V died. Edward came to the throne as King Edward VIII but abdicated by the end of the year to marry Wallis Simpson. So George became King George VI and his coronation took place in 1937. This made Elizabeth first in line to the throne.

It is quite strange to look at these happy and relaxed pictures and think of the family traumas and dramas that were to play out by the end of that year.

I have not included much of the text of the book because, frankly, it makes me want to vomit with its saccharine, crawling tone. Needless to say they are the best dog owners in the world, can communicate with their animals like no others, everyone is charming and the princesses are a 'joy to everyone throughout the length and breadth of Britain'. You can probably make up the rest.

That aside, I really enjoyed this book as the pictures are lovely, the characters come through, it is  a different side of the Royal Family and most of all, I really like dogs.

Smart jumper - Robin pattern.

When I first spotted this pattern whilst flicking through a dusty pile of papers I gave a little squeak of excitement. I love a good hunt and rummage and a successful find. It is so exciting. I may have done a little jump for joy. It was the colours that jumped out at me - 1950s styling perfection.

I just adore everything about it. Smiling perfect eyebrow woman with shiny brushed out curls held by a simple black velvet band. White daytime gloves and the hint of a bangle. Purple floral skirt, definitely swishy, possibly a circle. Cheerful basket of springtime flowers in a complimentary colourway. The cheeky jaunty 1950s Robin. Lovely square necked, short sleeved, lace patterned jumper. I had to have a go at making this one!

I have a number of patterns designed by Amanda Laine and as yet I can not find out any information about her. I would like to know more so if anybody reads this and has some details that they can fill in please do let me know.

I like a jumper with a reasonable depth of rib. Then the lace pattern starts which was tricky until I got the pattern straight in my head and then it was a joy to knit. The colour is not accurate here, it is much more vibrant blue as the next photos show. I took this whilst knitting in the evening, it really was of a work in progress. I used a 1980s Sirdar cotton mix yarn that a friend kindly gave me. I thought that a spring jumper would be nice and cool in cotton. I didn't want to use 100% cotton as I though that it may be too heavy and drag the lace.

This gives a better idea of the colour and the pattern. You can just see that it is still on the needle so this picture is of the knitting laid out flat which does not give an idea of how the fabric will drape.

Here the jumper is finished and on a dress form so the fabric is draping and the rib is stretched as it would be when someone wears the jumper.

This is the finished jumper.

Front.









Back

I don't know what I did to the dress form to make her look so wonky shouldered! I love the little sleeves and the way that the jumper blouses slightly. Depending on how you like to wear and style your jumpers this one size ( UK 12 ish) could be a closer fit on say a size 14 as there is a slight stretch in the pattern, or, a little looser on say a size 10. My friend kindly tried it on for me so that I could see it on a real person and I was really pleased, she looked lovely in it. Sadly I do not have a photo.

This garment is for sale and will go in my online store when I have that sorted. In the meantime you can find me on Facebook here .

A trimly tailored jacket.

I have been very busy knitting lately so I have a number of vintage knitwear posts to come. It has been such fun taking these old patterns and making the garments come to life.



Take a look at this beauty! A gorgeous, tailored 1940's jacket with a choice of sleeve lengths and with moss stitch borders and cuffs. An added bonus is that it is knitted in double knitting yarn. Actually, I really enjoy working in 4-ply but it does take significantly longer so sometimes it is nice to have a double knit project to go to.

When I knit from a vintage pattern I try to produce a garment that resembles the original as closely as possible, I want it to look like a period piece and I want to make it the way someone at the time would have done. That means using the correct size needles for the yarn type and not altering proportions. As a hand knitter I like the feeling of following in someone else's footsteps and being able to make a garment that is recognisable across a 70 odd year gap. I like to know that if I was suddenly whisked back in time whilst wearing one of these pieces I would fit right in!

I chose to knit the jacket in Sublime extra fine merino wool  which is 100% merino and knits up beautifully. It has great stitch definition and it is so gorgeous and soft. I often cannot wear things with a wool content as it makes me itch but I would be absolutely fine wearing this.

This picture shows the lovely moss stitch edging. The colour isn't quite true, it looks raspberry here but it is more of a dusky antique rose, it is lovely. Although it was quite a mammoth task to knit the border separately I decided to do as the pattern said. The sewing up was a bit of a pain but it does look lovely. The collar is also knitted separately and stitched on after the edging. It was amazing how it transformed it from something nice to something really lovely.

Here it is in close up and you can see the lovely wooden buttons. I chose them as they were beautiful and tactile but simple as I wanted the pattern and tailoring of the jacket to speak for itself.

This side view shows the shaping on the fronts and on the sleeves just above the cuffs, contributing to the tailored look and fit.

If you look closely at the small of the back area you can see the shaping that helps give the garment a waist.

So here it is..........

The finished article! It is a size 34-36 inch bust and is for sale. I am working on an online shop but for the moment I can be contacted via my blog or Facebook .

Just to finish - happy blogging birthday to me. It is one year since I started my blog and I am enjoying the opportunity to write about and photograph the things that I am interested in so much. I aim to increase the frequency of my posts in the next year.

Vintage wedding photographs

I added to my collection of vintage wedding photos the other day and thought it would be nice to take a closer look at them. If you want to find out how my collection started and what I used it for take a look at my posts here and here.

Judging by the number of cloche hats on the guests this is a 1920s wedding. I would love to know why the bride and groom are being photographed through apparently locked gates. Is the man in the cap on the left rushing to open them? You can just see the groom's top hat and he has lots of rice or confetti on his shoulder. The bride looks to be wearing a silk and lace dress, I wish it was possible to see more of it. Her lace cap and veil look beautiful.

I think the rest of the photographs that I found are of 1930s weddings.

This is a great group shot framed in the beautiful stonework of the church doorway. Look at the naughty lads not paying attention to the photographer and chatting at the back. Although you can not see much of the bride's dress if you look closely it appears to have a lace bodice. Her tiara/cap looks quite magnificent. The bridesmaids all have straw wide brimmed hats trimmed with ribbon. The flower girl has a Juliet cap, tilted at a jaunty angle. I don't think that the page boy is having the most fun. I put this down to a) the long white socks, b) the silk knickerbockers and c) having to hold a girl's hand.

I love this bride in glasses, always nice to find a fellow wearer of spectacles. Her gown is very elegant with its puffed and pleated sleeves and the triple layer Peter Pan collar. It looks to have a button through bodice but the large bouquet of carnations and ferns is rather in the way to be able to confirm this. She is wearing elbow length gloves and you can just see that her watch is worn over her gloves as fashion dictated. Near the bottom right of her skirt two tassells are visible so I think that there is some kind of belt to finish off her ensemble.

These three bridesmaids are wearing fabulous dresses. Part of the problem of finding old photographs is that you can not always find a set, so, like in this case, there is no way of knowing what the bride and groom look like. I am always careful to look and see if it is possible to match any pictures up. I have been able to with the next two.

All three bridesmaids have floor length dresses with puffed sleeves gathered into a cuff that sits above the elbow. There are lots of differences between the dresses. The woman on the left has a scalloped Peter Pan collar and her bodice looks to have buttons hidden under a placket. The woman on the right has a much smaller collar and exposed button. They do seem to have matching headpieces and the floral fabric of their gowns seems to be an overlay on top of plain fabric. The girl is wearing gloves which come right up and under her sleeve cuffs. She has a Peter Pan collar, covered buttons and a scalloped edge to the button band on the bodice. I can not tell if the trailing ribbons are a sash or belong to her poesy of tulips.

This is a fantastic full wedding party photograph. I really like the setting, the curved tiled platform in front of those very solid looking doors. The bride is almost completely hidden by her massive bouquet so it is hard to say much about her dress. The problem is the same for the bridesmaids. I like the pin striped, double breasted, wide lapels, wide legged suits of the groom and best man. The older gent's suits are not as stylish! It is really nice to get to see some men's fashion and also to have pictures of the mothers of the bride and groom. The groom has a triple corsage growing over his shoulder.

Here are the happy couple on their own. Don't they look lovely? I hope that they had a long and very happy marriage.

1950s couture patterns by post.

I have been thinking about couture frocks for a while, probably because of the latest round of Fashion Weeks and because of the Hartnell and Amies exhibition that I went to. I am always amazed at the detail, the fabulous embellishments, the embroidery, the beautiful fabrics and the sheer hard work that must go into every dress.

Whilst flicking through some 1950s Woman's Illustrated magazines I was taken by surprise to see that they featured a mail order couture pattern in each issue, by a variety of primarily French designers. I thought it would be interesting to take a look at some of them.



March 20th 1954.

Woman's Illustrated was published by Amalgamated Press and then Fleetway from the late 1940s until the late 1950s. Women's magazines increased in circulation in the 1950s due to the end of paper rationing, an increase in wealth and an increase in advertising. As women were often in control of the family budget, advertisers realised that women's magazines would be a great way to show off their products. Women's magazines became far more important than ever before. In fact, in the 1920s and 1930s they were considered to be insignificant.

The March 20th 1954 magazine features a pattern by Balmain in bust sizes 32-40 ins. In the letter he says:

'I am delighted that you will be able to make my first frock for you this Spring so soon after its appearance in my new collection. It is a very simple little frock of which the main charm lies in the fringe trimming - very feminine and pretty! And you will find it very easy to do.'

The photo of the front cover shows the original Balmain dress. The fringing is described as exquisite drawn thread work and self fringe.

The top picture features the dress without the fringing. The fabrics suggested are Viyella for the most economic choice or pure wool. The illustrated fringing is stocked in Harrods as is the braid. In Viyella and using braid the dress would have cost £3 7s 0d.

I like the fact that accessories are suggested to make it a complete and perfect outfit. The hat is a navy and white sailor hat by Walmar. The shoes are navy and white courts featuring the 'new' two-inch slender heel from Dolcis. White gloves and a navy calfskin bag from D.H.Evans and Co complete the look. If you were to have bought everything for this outfit it would have cost £12 12s 2d.

March 27th 1954.


This issue features a pattern for a suit and blouse in 32-40 ins designed by Norman Hartnell. Much is made in the accompanying text of him being the royal dressmaker. The jacket is boxy with slit pockets, bracelet length set in sleeves with a slit cuff and is lined in material that matches the blouse. The skirt is straight and slim with a long inverted pleat at the front. The blouse is button through with a soft wide neck-tie and has a camisole inside.

The suggested material for the suit is rayon 'alpaca' in grey, navy, grey-blue, pale blue, brown, pink or plum red from Dickens and Jones. They can also supply stripped semi-sheer nylon in shocking pink/white, grey/white and lime green/white. For a brown suit the lime green and white blouse is suggested, I think I would have loved this.

At the top of the page are some tips from Hartnell's tailor Mr Rossi to help the home sewer get the details right. These were taken in the workroom behind Hartnell's salon in Bruton street, London.

June 12th 1954

The pattern in this issue is for a skirt and blouse  32-40 ins designed by Balmain. The idea behind this feature is that Balmain has provided the pattern for a basic trend which has scope to be altered by changing the fabric and styling.

As it says in the text :

"The final choice is yours - we know it will be a good one... You'll look lovely, because you'll look your charming self." 

The spotted version on the left is made in coin dot silk and is called 'For Town' as "silk is an aristocrat with Town manners". The version made in diagonal cotton checks on the right is called 'Country Style'. This is made in pink for the blouse and blue for the skirt, "a colour scheme for someone who's young at heart".

From the left:

'The Young Idea' a crisp white poplin blouse with a contrasting black skirt and a red taffeta cummerbund, "the individual touch of an under twenty Miss".

'Southern Style' a polished cotton skirt with clusters of ivy leaves in wine, pink and grey with a grey blouse. "This is the choice of a girl with warm and vital looks".

'At the Office' a blouse in grey and white gingham stripes, a grey skirt and black accessories with a rose buttonhole. "one career girl steps out looking fresh and lovely".

'Party Pretty' pink and grey sheer floral fabric. "Final touch - pink beads, rows and rows of them".

April 6th 1957

This issue features a dress and a suit 32-40ins designed by Norman Hartnell. These were featured to celebrate the Queen's visit to Paris which she was making the week after this issue came out. There she would be wearing clothes designed by Hartnell. The suit has a fitted jacket and a full skirt with pleats. The suggested fabrics are silk or fine cotton. The dress has a simple, unfussy bodice and a full skirt made in silk.

The suit was originally made in grey and white. The recommended silk from Dickens & Jones has sprays of flowers printed on grey, turquoise, brown or cream. The features highlighted on the suit are as follows:
- wide revers, collar piped in white.
- slim set-in sleeves - 3/4 or full length.
- fitted jacket with short basque.
- flared skirt of pressed or unpressed pleats.

The dress was originally made in black and white. The recommended white polka dot silk from Peter Robinson & Co Ltd comes in green, turquoise, peacock or tan. The features highlighted on the dress are:

- simple slit neckline bound with contrast.
- short sleeves cut in one with bodice and bound with contrast.
- fitted bodice with extended waistline.
- full, gently gathered skirt.

The grey suit and peacock dress for me please!

July 13th 1957

Here is another pattern by Balmain for  a two-piece 32-40 ins.

"Choose a two-piece for mid summer days! It's so easy to adapt for town or country. It's so comfortable to wear for travel or holidays.... The casual two-piece, already a favourite with the young crowd, can be worn just as successfully by any age, and when it is designed by Pierre Balmain - a young-in-heart fashion achieves a Paris finish!"

The pattern above has a semi-fitted middy top and the skirt can be gored or straight. The one in the picture is made in white wool jersey piped in navy. Plain linen or jersey stocked by John Lewis is also recommended, with contrast piping. The main features are:
- face framing revers that are mitred at the corners.
- contrasting piping that edges front band, pockets and cuffs.
- clinging fit of the middy top for ease and comfort.
- swinging line of the twelve gored skirt version.

This version has a double breasted bloused top and a choice of a flared or slim skirt. Plain or printed material is suggested along with an over collar in white pique for "extra sparkle in summer". I like this version with the flared skirt the best but probably in a print rather than plain.

I wish it was still possible to have patterns like these in a weekly magazine. If you are looking for similar patterns Vogue and Butterick have released a number of their vintage patterns re-sized for today's figures.

Ladies' gloves and Mitts.

I have been quite excited about the cold and snow in the last week. In fact, I was hoping that the cold would stay around for just a little bit longer. Not because I am a hater of the Spring, no, far from it. It is all down to the fact that I have finally knitted myself a pair of lovely, squishy, warm and cosy mittens and I love them!

I have wanted a pair of mittens for a good while but always seemed to be needing to knit something else more. So when I finished my last project (which will be featured here when I have finally sewn it up!), I quickly cast on my mittens before I decided something else was more pressing.

I used this pattern, Weldon's A1093 that I already had in my collection. I think it is probably from the early 1950s. I chose this for a few reasons: some lovely cables going on, moss stitch for squishiness and knitted on 2 needles which I thought would be an interesting construction as most gloves and mittens are now knitted on 4 needles.

I made a couple of changes, the first being the type of yarn. It is written for 3-ply yarn and I used a 4-ply extra fine merino in a beautiful petrol/teal colour. I didn't change the needle size as I have relatively large hands and thought that if they came up a little large that wouldn't matter. I didn't do a tension square (naughty), as, well, I was hoping for the best and frankly just wanted to get on with knitting them! But I would recommend it and indeed would do normally when not using the yarn that the pattern specifies.


A close up of the pattern, showing wrist rib, main pattern cables and
the moss stitch.

The wrist rib is purl 2, knit 2 and gives a nice snug fit so no draughts get in! Then you knit on in the cable and moss stitch pattern for a while before dividing for the thumb. This involves slipping 2 sections of stitches on to 2 separate stitch holders and continuing knitting on a small section of stitches. I knitted the number of rows the pattern stated and then measured it against my thumb and realised it would be far too big. I would look like some odd long thumbed creature. So I took it back a bit, no measuring, just judged it by eye against my thumb.

The three sections of stitches, the thumb section is
in the middle.

When the thumb is the correct length a couple of shaping rows are knitted to round it off. The next job is to join up the thumb seam. This is quite exciting as it starts to really look like a mitten and you can put your thumb in the thumb hole and admire how mighty fine it is going to look.

Showing the thumb sewn up.
  

In order to close the gap around the thumb hole a few stitches need to be picked up and knitted before continuing in the pattern. This leaves the thumb waving around comically as you knit on. It provoked some mirth at knitting group with comments that can not be mentioned here!
Then it is just a matter of continuing in the pattern, decreasing to shape the top and then sewing it up which is pretty quick and simple.



Finished!



In close up.

So here they are! My lovely, lovely mittens! They were really pleasing to make and the construction and the cables kept it interesting. So, just a little longer of cold weather is fine by me!