Category: Tops

Click the links below to jump to learn about sewing vintage tops from specific pattern companies:

How to Sew a Beautiful Vintage 1950s Peplum
After two years away (and a rough 2020) I knew it was time to return to the blogosphere with the garment which started it all: Simplicity 1460. In this post, we’ll be chatting about how to sew a 1950s peplum in all it’s gorgeousness, from the new and improved VoT HQ!

Watching the original video I filmed in 2016 (!!) and reading about this vintage pattern again made me incredibly nostalgic.

It wasn’t just me looking at photos of this blouse. It was being reminded of why I love blogging and sewing on camera. Of why I kicked off this project in the first place.

The vintage blouse which started my YouTube channel, throwback to 2016.

It reminded me of why I like to talk about vintage sewing and advocate for it so much.

Click the video above to watch the full breakdown of how to sew a 1950s Peplum!

Here are my tips on how to sew this vintage blouse:

Fitting can be a challenge with this piece.

All in all, I spent nearly 15 hours attempting multiple fitting techniques around a full bust adjustment, leading me to settle with the fit seen in this piece.

The final fit was a compromise, which is disappointing with 20+ years sewing experience! Challenges with fit for my size included:
- Doing an FBA on a French double dart (I recommend splitting the FBA across both darts!)
- Finding the right positioning for my bust point (I recommend measuring from the shoulder point down to get the best fit)
- Allowing enough ease for the button placket at the center front (it’s better to have extra overlap at the placket than not enough)
The neckline on this vintage peplum blouse is extremely beautiful!

To achieve the desired scallop effect, sew carefully around the facing:
- Slowly sew around each facing piece, picking up the presser foot to adjust the fabric as needed to maintain a smooth curve
- If part of the stitch line is too straight, unpick and do that curve again! Because the curves are prominent around the neck, they’re highly visible. A stitch line which isn’t smooth will be obvious
- Trim and clip all seam allowances to ensure that turning the facing inside-out will display a smooth curve
When learning how to sew a 1950s peplum – or any peplum for that matter! – take care to stay stitch the top curve to make sure it doesn’t warp!

By sewing a simple stitch line across the top (at around ¼”) you can prevent the delicate peplum curve from being pulled and stretched. The pulling can (and will!) distort its grain, making it difficult to match up to the bodice.

The last tip is around the buttons in this piece! The pattern calls for three buttons, but I added four for extra protection and insure a comfortable fit for me.

Feel free to modify any pattern with additional buttons as needed. Remember that in most cases, button count is a suggestion, not a hard fast rule.

Sewing a vintage 1950s peplum is not complicated- it’s actually a lot of fun to make such a flattering piece!

In the comments below, please let me know if you’ve made this pattern before or if you’ve ever revisited an old sewing pattern with fresh eyes!

I would love to know how that went for you and if there was anything that stood out as you tackled it again!
February 20, 2021
How to Sew a Wrap Top (tutorial): The Seamwork Kristin!

Into 1960s casual fashion? Learn how to sew a wrap top with this tutorial!

Even though I’m a vintage sewing blogger, 1960s is not a decade I normally dip my toe into, but this Seamwork Magazine Kristin top was too cute to resist! Super simple, accessible, and straight forward was exactly what I was into when I decided to stitch this tank up.

I originally made this top for my trip to Italy back in June, and got to wear this top at Vatican City!

A post shared by Bianca / Retro Sewing Vlogger (@vintageontap) on Jun 22, 2018 at 12:59pm PDT

The most attractive thing about learning how to sew a wrap top is just how easy and flattering it is.

Especially if you’re making up a wardrobe for vacation or a quick weekend getaway. Having something that you know will look good, won’t take you longer than a couple hours from start to finish, and is something you can just throw on– it takes casual sewing to another level.

Step One: Be mindful of the fabric you want to use to sew a wrap top!

As with all sewing projects, being mindful the fabric you chose to work with will have a huge impact on the sort of results you’ll be getting from the Seamwork Kristin.

Check your swatch book for sample fabrics that fit the feel and hand you want to achieve.

In my case, I decided to use a linen fabric from MyFabricDesigns, which had a stiffer hand (discussed at minute 1:10 in the tutorial video.) I wanted to purposefully go with a stiffer fabric to give my wrap top more of a trapeze top feeling to it, and flare out at the hem.

Other possible fabrics for a trapeze-style wrap top include mid- to heavyweight wovens, including chambray, denim, and linen blends. Keep in mind that to get a look more closely resembling the original Seamwork Magazine Kristin design, you’ll want to use a light- to midweight woven.

Step Two: Incorporate sewing techniques you’re already comfortable with into the instructions

Sewing instructions are not the holy grail of an individual pattern! When attempting to sew a wrap top- or ANY pattern- take a moment to decide what parts of the instructions you want to play with or tweak to something you’re more comfortable with sewing.

In sewing this individual wrap top, I decided to opt for using a bias facing throughout the edges, rather than encasing everything in bias binding. I cover this in the tutorial video at 2:54.

Bias facings tend to look more professional and I prefer the clean crisp look from the exterior of the piece.

To learn more in depth information about bias facings, please check out the technique video!

The only garment in recent memory that encased seams in bias bindings was my Simplicity 8085 1950s wrap dress.

In this dress, I purposefully wanted an encased seam look, which lended itself to being a super homemade look. Of course, I could have just as easily done bias facings on this 1950s dress, just as I did on the Seamwork Kristin.

Click here to learn how to make this 1950s dress!

Step Three: Keep track of the front and back of each piece.

With wrap tops- especially wrap tops like the Seamwork Kristin, it can be extremely confusing to keep track of each pattern piece. Notches absolutely help and are highly recommended to transfer over from your pattern pieces.

The above tip is extremely useful if you’re making a top in a solid color where it’s difficult to tell the front and back.

Want to sew this pattern?

The Seamwork Magazine Kristin is available via the Seamwork website!

Click here to buy the pattern!

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August 6, 2018
Gertie Retro Keyhole Blouse, Video Sewing Tips!
Any excuse for bias binding is a good one.

When I spied the bias binding detail along the neckline of the Gertie keyhole blouse, I knew I had to have it.

The design, from Gertie’s New Book for Better Sewing, is a short sleeve piece with a button down back and self-drafted adjustments outlined in the book. The gathers at the shoulder are really beautiful and super flattering, and the keyhole detail gives this blouse a gorgeous 1930s and 1940s look.

I’ve been in search of a well-fitting, multi-purpose blouse for a while.

To be dressed up or dressed down, to be worn with a pair of blue jeans or tucked into a wool pencil skirt, a well-fitting basic can be a game changer (think of the modern t-shirt and how comfortable and classic it is.)

Vintage-style basics can sometimes be on the plainer side- and to be honest, I’m 100% happy with it!

Why?

Because if you find something that works, you can make tons of it– in all types of fabrics, all types of colors, and then you’ll have a hearty wardrobe to pick from and mix and match.

The closest I’ve gotten to it in my recent sewing experience, is my Seamwork Astoria sweater, which I’ve already made five versions of (and I could use a few more, btw.)

Sewing the Gertie keyhole blouse is easy- but there’s a little bit of pattern drafting that has to happen before you get started.

Getting started sewing this 40s style keyhole blouse is a piece of cake.

Before getting started, the usual prep has to get done! Includes, but isn’t limited to:
- Tracing the Bow Tie blouse from the New Book For Better Sewing and making your initial muslin. (Not sure how to trace nested patterns? Click here to learn how!)
- Getting your bias binding situation sorted out, either bought or self-made.
- Laundering and prepping your fabric
The fabric I used was printed from MyPatternDesigns, which graciously donated this fabric for use.

I printed this fun paisley design onto organic cotton sateen, which sewed up like a dream and laundered well. The colors did bleed slightly, but I think that’s more due to how I hung my fabric to air dry. I would recommend air drying this fabric flat.

Step One: Get your prelim stitches in place.

There are a couple different stitch considerations to keep in mind when getting everything set up.

Stay stitch the neckline and the keyhole.

While the instructions in Gertie’s book do not mention stay stitching, I always recommend it as standard practice and just Good Sewing.

Taking the minute or two to make sure your neckline, which is one of the most important parts of your garment, stays put can save you hassle down the road.

After determining your appropriate stitch settings, sew a line 1/4in away from the raw edge to provide a little bit of stability.

Be super conscious of your gathering stitches and how you intend to “finish” them.

Covered at timestamp 3:39 in the video, do a couple backtacks at normal stitch length before lengthening your stitches to basting/gathering length.

Why?

The backtack at normal length will become an anchor point, at which to push your gathers towards and so your gathers don’t “fall off” the threads.

Once the gathers are gathered, tie the threads as closely possible to the stitches and then with a normal stitch length, sew a straight perpendicular line across all gather stitches, backtacking over each gathering line. This way, your gathers will stay in place and not shift around over time, at timestamp 3:51.

Step Two: Sew the side seams, shoulders, and back closure

Sewing the side seams and shoulders are pretty straight forward- but when it comes to the back closure… the sky is the limit!

The original Bow Tie blouse featured a button placket right up the back, which looks lovely. As I discussed on Patreon, I decided that I wanted a quick and easy zipper to not have to worry about buttoning the back of my piece.

At timestamp 5:03, I used my adjusted pattern pieces to accommodate a lapped zipper, and stitched that in place.

Step Three: Bias the neckline… but start with the keyhole!

There are so many different ways to stitch in bias binding- but no matter what, take your time!

Remember that the bias bound neckline is what makes this piece, so a twisted and wonky bias strip can make things look “off.”

The bias binding is inserted on this particular blouse at timestamp 5:23, taking care to insert the bias binding on the keyhole first. I went step by step in the following order:
1. Pinned the bias binding in place (5:23)
2. Sewed the first stitch line, close to the first fold on the bias tape
3. Pinned the bias tape closed (to the inside, 5:58)
4. Pressed the bias tape with steam to keep it from wiggling or twisting
5. Hand sewed the bias tape closed
All in all, the Gertie keyhole blouse is a really cute retro sewing piece.

I love how quickly it came together (in an afternoon!) and how much fun it is to wear– I get a lot of compliments on it and I feel like the waist tapering really gives it a great silhouette.

And I admit, I’ve worn it at least once a week since I’ve made it. There, I said it!!

Have you made a keyhole blouse before? What fabric would you have chosen for this piece?

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links and thank you to My Fabric Designs for donating this fabric for use!

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September 15, 2017
How to Sew Simplicity 1364, Video Tutorial!

The difference between View A and View B of Simplicity 1364 might look slight, but the styles behave very differently in fabric.

To be quite honest, I have mixed feelings about this top.

If you’re embarking on sewing this blouse, I have to be honest about all these conflicting thoughts. On one hand, I think its quite a comfortable, easy sew. On the other hand, the long sleeve version left a lot to be desired.

If I were to make this again, I would stick to the sleeveless version (View B.)

The problem with Simplicity 1364 came down to one thing: the 1960s cut just didn’t agree with me.

If you had the opportunity to watch my fitting video about this blouse, everything seemed to be going fine.

After doing some pattern drafting magic, I was able to get a nice and comfortable, wearable fit on the bodice.

I loved how it looked and felt on me. Even the slightly too-open neck on me was passable. Heck, I thought the slightly-off-shoulder shoulder line was just “part of the style.”

The long sleeve version, though, was a reminder the placement of a seamline can sometimes make or break a pattern for my frame- and as you can see in the images, the off-the-shoulder sleeve wasn’t particularly flattering on me.

My shoulder peak is literally at the edge of the facing. And you can tell.

Add to that, but the weight of the sleeve pulls the shoulder seam down even further. I created mutton sleeves without meaning to.

I would still sew the View B version of Simplicity 1364 again.

Closing in the neckline (covered in a previous post) is a simple drafting fix and the blouse is super versatile.

The long sleeve version, probably avoiding unless I wanted to put in more time into pattern drafting.

If you’re tackling vintage Simplicity 1364, head my warnings above, but otherwise carry on!

Realistically speaking, the top is a comfortable beginner pattern. But, there’s room for opportunity for improvement on it, if you want to take it there.

Step One: Bodice Darts.

If you had to do an insane FBA as I did, you may need to trim your darts after sewing and pressing. I used a rayon challis in my maroon version, and decided to leave about 5/8in seam allowance on that trim.

Step Two: Sleeve darts.

Darts! On sleeves! How fun is that?

You don’t often see darts on sleeves unless they’re on a sloper, but I love the small detail. Be sure to press the darts in the correct direction. Pressed down and you have a comfortable fitting sleeve. Pressed up and it can rub against your elbow annoyingly as you move.

Step Three: Finish with luxe details

I opted for the following “upgrades” because I love being Extra about my sewing. I hand hemmed my blouse, and whipped stitched all my seam allowances.

Also, if you have more of a curvy figure, I would definitely recommend making the waist tie– it really helps avoid the “sack” look.

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Have you considered making this blouse? Do you like the off-the-shoulder seamline? Would you adjust it, like I’m planning on doing?

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June 21, 2017
Seamwork Magazine Astoria Sweater, Tips for Busty Ladies

The Astoria Sweater was a joy to sew.

I honestly loved how quickly the Astoria sweater came together and how it fit me so comfortably, but there are definitely things busty ladies need to know if they’re taking on this project.

This is especially true if you’re into pinup style and vintage sewing: you’re going to want a specific fit and silhouette from this sweater.

It has been about a year since I made this Seamwork Magazine pattern.

In the past year, I admit it: I rode this sweater hard. It’s been thrown around, washed to heck and back, but would I make it again? Absolutely. Its on my to-do list in a black double knit, a thinner white knit, and maybe a coral textured knit, just for fun.

Would I do things differently in the next iteration of this Astoria sweater? Damn right I would.

So let’s get down to my tips for this gorgeous piece (including my tips for the pinup girls out there who tend to be a little bit more busty)– all in the name of having you avoid the mistakes I made!

Tip #1: Don’t skip out on the Full Bust Adjustment (FBA)

Yes, you read that correctly. This Seamwork pattern is billed as a quick-sew, with 5 pieces (front, back, collar, sleeve, and waistband)– but if you’re like me and have anything larger than a C-cup, there will be pulling from the sleeve to your full bust point.

You can see in the above images, that while the sweater fits, it was awkward. I thought I wouldn’t care. One year later, and it was still awkward and I cared.

Luckily, I’ve made a video specifically about this topic and covering this very garment

Due to such a huge demand in fitting videos, I figured it was time to tackle the no dart full bust adjustment and just do the necessary changes! Full written out tips for this process are covered on the blog post dedicated to this particular full bust adjustment.

Read The No-Dart Full Bust Adjustment Tutorial!

Tip #2: The Astoria Seamwork sweater is cropped. And I mean VERY cropped.

If you’ve had the opportunity to see any of my pattern drafting videos, you know that I’m short (5’2”) and have a short torso.

This sweater barely went to my waist, being this awkward “in between” length that didn’t sit right over jeans, but was also too short to tuck into skirts. For a vintage girl like myself, tucking a sweater in is vital to “the look” and I would gladly lengthen this sweater by at least 1.5in/3.8cm.

Tip #3: Baste the side seams before sewing them together, to double check the silhouette.

The photos of people’s projects for the Seamwork Astoria can be pretty hit-or-miss with the silhouette. For some people, it fit snug and a beautiful hourglass shape was created. For others (including myself)- I ended up looking like a sack.

Shortly after the photoshoot, I did a hack-job on the waistband and tapered in the waist of my Astoria sweater by 3/4in/2cm on each side, which made it wearable, but not the standard I strive for in my sewing.

Please take the time to baste the side seams before you commit to the silhouette, especially if you’re into pinup sewing.

As I wrote at the beginning of the post, I’m definitely looking forward to giving this sweater some redemption, by looking at it with new eyes and new fabric. Especially here in San Francisco where the weather is consistently chilly/windy/cloudy, these sorts of sweaters are used year round.

Have you made the Astoria sweater? What did you think of the fit? What would you do differently in your next Seamwork Astoria?

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April 28, 2017
Completed: The Gable Top, Jennifer Lauren Handmade

The Gable Top is something I want to make 10,000 of.

Simple- practical- straight forward, what more can a seamstress ask for? When it comes to my workflow here at Vintage on Tap, I’m constantly working on projects that stretch my skills (and time, and patience, and funds, and brain cells…) Most of the time, it works out fine, but sometimes all I want is a feel-good pattern that I don’t have to fuss with and just fits.

I think I’ve found that pattern for me.

Jen from Jennifer Lauren Handmade reached out for me to give her Gable Top pattern a shot and not to gush, but I’m so happy with this pattern! It whips up quickly and without hiccup that I’m all ready planning on stitching up a few more Gables in black, black, black, and red. And yes, you read that correctly, in a lot of black jersey because this piece is a basic I can see being incorporated and used quite a lot.

From Jen’s website-

The idea for Gable has been floating around in my head for a long time. I love knit tops and since releasing Bronte all that time ago, I knew I needed to revisit the world of knits again. They’re so easy, so quick and so satisfying to make and wear. Gable is a true slash-neckline top, which basically means it sits at a 90-degree angle straight across the neckline from the inner shoulders.

The only change I made to the pattern as pictured is that I shortened the length by at least 1.5″. For future versions, it also needs about 3/4″ taken in on the shoulders to fit my frame a little bit more comfortably. I also sewed my neckline differently than the directions or Abi’s from The Crafty Pinup version. I did a simple fold over without a curved seam, to keep a straight stitch line between shoulder reinforcements and neckline.

Would I recommend this top? Absolutely! I think it’s super important to have a go-to jersey pattern that you know is flattering and no-fuss. My muslin of this top was made in 45 minutes (including cutting) and I wore it out right away to go have a beer as soon as it was off the sewing machine. This blue one took about an hour because I took extra care to make sure not to cut the fabric at an angle. To be honest, the hardest part was cutting everything on grain, but that’s not too bad.

Disclaimer: This post was made possible by Jennifer Lauren Handmade who kindly donated this pattern to review :)

August 25, 2016
Completed: Butterick B5895

Liked it so much, had to make Butterick B5895 twice!

I absolutely love this little top! I never anticipated falling in love with a crop top, but when I made Butterick B5895 last year, it blew me away. Unfortunately, last year I never really blogged about it, even though I started a draft.

As all other reviews of this sewing pattern have stated, the bodice is super short! This worked out great for me since my torso is equally as short and this bodice ends at my natural waist line. For those of you with a normal torso length, beware!

When tracing out the pattern pieces, take care of all circle markings and note them well on your fabric. These circles are where the seam allowances intersect for the collar. Every single circle must match up– over 5 layers. I find it also very curious how much clipping is called for at such a high stress point- so much so that if the circle markings don’t line up, there can be a hole under the collar. Fortunately, the hole isn’t visible, but its there nonetheless if the circles don’t line up.

For this reiteration of Butterick B5895 I also made a matching dirndl skirt like I made a while back, lengthening it by 2.5in. I wanted this set to have a “resort” feeling to it and I’ve always wanted to have a matching set!

The fabric was fun, too. I found it at one of the local shops and its a comfortable, breathable cotton lawn. And the hat in the above pictures is from Goorin Brothers- which I don’t get to wear very often, but was great for the photoshoot! The weather in San Francisco has been jumping from hot to cold for the past couple weeks and luckily, this project matched up on an 80*F (26*C) day.

May 6, 2016
Sewing Tips for Vintage Simplicity 1460, with Video!
Vintage Simplicity sewing patterns are definitely some of my favorites.

A while back I stumbled on an absolute vintage gem from 1948, “Pattern for Smartness” which totally endeared me to Simplicity. The video was an advertisement, but honestly, the campy, “wholesome” vibe is one of my favorite aspects of vintage life.

Dipping your toe into vintage Simplicity 1460 definitely sends you to the 1950s with its pretty peplum.

Peplums do a phenomenal job of nipping you in at the waist and then flaring at the hips, which look great on people with short torsos like myself. I originally found this pattern a few years ago and was super excited to try it for my first pinup sewing video.

The fabrics recommended for this pattern are below:
- Light-to-midweight cottons and linens
- Brocade
- Cotton Lawn
- Cotton types
- Crepe
- Crepe de Chine
- Dupioni
- Shantung
- Lace
- Sateen
- Satin
- Voile
To keep it simple for this sewing video and to make this quickly, I went with a midweight cotton for both versions of this peplum. If I were to make this again, I would definitely push myself more towards cotton lawn, woven eyelet fabrics, or even voile for a more delicate, less structured look, all with a silk camisole underneath (I’m thinking something like the Seamwork Savannah.)

Tip #1: Watch the pattern ease!

The biggest complaint I read before starting to sew vintage Simplicity 1460 was that there was a huge amount of wearing ease- and I can confirm it 100%.

For vintage styles and modern pinup styles, huge wearing ease can be a style faux-pas, and with silhouette-hugging style such as this vintage Simplicity, its something you want to avoid (while also avoiding gaping buttonholes!)

Decide on your size using the measurements on the pattern paper, not the measurements on the pattern envelope. In my case, I wanted to be mindful of any full bust adjustments that might be necessary so I picked my size based on my high bust with an inch of ease, and then did my adjusting as necessary. I speak to this at timestamp 1:20 in my video.

Tip #2: Decide early on how long you want the peplum to be.

Luckily, I only shortened my peplum just slightly, based off my height of 5’2″. I don’t see myself making the tunic length; it would probably make me look shorter than I already am!

If you’re taller, you can definitely lengthen both the torso of the bodice and the peplum evenly, to keep the right proportions all around.

There were plenty of people in the sewing community who lengthened the peplum into a full skirt, transforming this into a vintage dress. Please be mindful that the peplum is essentially a short circle skirt attached to a bodice: and lengthening the peplum will make for a lot more fabric used and will require extra reinforcements on the waistline, such as a grosgrain ribbon waist stay (discussed in my Vintage Vogue 8789 video, timestamp 9:25)

Tip #3: Practice your Sewing 101 Basics

Darts and buttonholes, while used extensively in garment sewing, really take center stage.

This pattern features double french darts, beautifully curved darts that aren’t sewn in a straight line, discussed at timestamp 5:20 in the video.

Buttonholes, because they are literally front and center, can really make or break the look of this piece. In both instances of this blouse, I used a busy fabric which (thankfully) disguised my wonky buttonholes. Be mindful that taking some time to practice your buttonholes will ensure that this vintage blouse looks perfect!

I hope the above tips help you when you jump into making this blouse!

What sort of fabric would you use if you were to make vintage Simplicity 1460? How do you see yourself styling it for that perfect pinup outfit?

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links :)

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March 7, 2016