Casual Vintage Style for Chores & Lounging

Casual Vintage Style for Chores & Lounging

I decided a while ago that I need more house dresses in my life.  While I have had slow progress toward that goal as life has gotten busy and my sewing has slowed down, I have finished this dress!  I made it out of a bit of fabric someone gave me as well as some red cotton scraps from a blouse that is in process.

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Casual Vintage Style for Chores & Lounging

It was all made from items in my stash, including notions and everything.  I ended up drafting my own pattern and modeled it after a vintage child's dress bodice that has the sleeves and bodice cut in one.  While it is now a tiny bit tight around the arms for what I prefer and my next dresses will definitely have more ease, I still really like it.  It has a roomy pocket at the hip, and it just slips on and buttons for a put-together look should I need to run any errands throughout my day.


Casual Vintage Style for Chores & Lounging

Oftentimes I'll pair my house dresses with headscarves while I'm cleaning to keep my hair out of the way and dust free.  If I'm cooking, I may throw on an apron over it to keep my dress clean and free of flour dust.  Here, I use apron pockets to hold the little herb trimmings from my porch garden.  It works well!


Casual Vintage Style for Chores & Lounging

Casual Vintage Style for Chores & Lounging

While the housewife look of yesteryear is often treated as cliche... it really works.  The clothing that women actually wore for keeping house in decades past is functional, practical, and comfortable.

In fact, I'm inspiring myself to go make more house dresses as I type, haha!  They're just so darn awesome!


Casual Vintage Style for Chores & Lounging

Casual Vintage Style for Chores & Lounging

8 comments

  1. I live in house dresses whenever I'm home for the day. It feels like cheating when getting dressed but doesn't make me feel like I've achieved nothing like staying in pjs does. :P

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  2. Gorgeous dress. More worthy of going out than staying in!

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  3. I have recently gotten into house dresses myself! I grabed a great novelty print one on facebook for a steal and another one on etsy. I like that they are roomy and not as tight as some of my other dresses, and bless pockets. I love pockets, its not until I started getting repro with pockets did I relise how much I needed them in my life! Love yours, its super cute. :D

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    1. Yes, this dress is a bit too tight for my preferences, but my next house dresses will definitely be a bit roomier. And pockets ARE so helpful!

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  4. I was looking online for ways to tie a head scarf 40s style and found this post. I love your adorable house dress, especially the print. I actually did a production of halter dresses in that exact print a while back and a customer who bought one ended up winning a best dressed contest at the 1940s event! I still have some of the fabric left and hope to make some more dresses with it at some point. It is a really nice cotton.

    Theresa

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    1. Oh really?! That's so awesome! Someone gave me this cotton (if I recall correctly), but you're right; it really is a lovely one!

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  5. Fantastic dress, it looks super on you.

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